Arbitrary Powers

Today there were two interesting bits of news that were reported from Kolkata and London which focused on negligence in the health and social services and corrective executive action. The first article was about a visit by the new Chief Minister of West Bengal, Ms. Mamata Banerjee to a hospital as an inspection tour and her confrontation with the hospital director who did not take kindly to the unannounced visit. Then the second article was about Ed Balls (the then Health Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in the UK) sacking the local head of Child Services publicly in 2008 over the death of a 17 month old boy. Subsequently, the court has agreed that the action was unlawful.

Although the Bengal story may not have ended, it seems to be on the same path as the British incident. The two stories converge in the fact that the top political executives view the bureaucrats as guilty parties straight away and by exorcising these personnel from the system, they hope to make things right. And in a naive sense, they do establish their authority and potency but fail to really create a tangible difference. In the British case, there is talk of suing for damages which will act as a deterrent to the government. But in Bengal, on the back of a game changing election, there is little to check the actions of the executive.

After the Left government was defeated in West Bengal, Ms. Banerjee has taken over the reigns and is learning the ropes of direct power. And she started out by doing what Mr. Chandrababu in Andhra Pradesh and Ms. Jayalalitha in Tamil Nadu did when they were previously Chief Ministers. She is hitting on the obvious targets first by launching an inquisition against the people manning the system. That move, although popular, may not be the best advised route since both Babu and Jayalalitha lost in the subsequent elections from a government employee-led backlash. But more than just the political fallout of finding fault with the system, the chief executives have to realize the value in being correct in what they do, both popularly and legally or risk the non-cooperation of their subordinates who will throw the book at new initiatives.

Links:
1. http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/3/20110527201105270336326472fc7cba1/Didi%E2%80%99s-hospital-visit-sparks-%E2%80%98sick%E2%80%99-wordy-duel-with-boss.html
2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/may/27/sharon-shoesmith-court-win-baby-p

Nature of the Emergency

The word 'encounter' in the context of security forces bumping into suspects has become a euphemism for the act of cold blooded spot-executions in India. These 'encounters' are an indictment for the ineptness of the Indian judicial system, thus causing the state to create extra-legal death squads to maintain some semblance of law and order.

The rule of law does not allow for the confluence of the roles of law enforcement, judiciary and executioner but we are witness to this mix in every stage-managed 'encounter' killing. The law enforcement authorities' reaction to an incident of acid attack on college girls in 2008 resulting in the Warangal police concluding the case through the encounter route is a perfect example of how the society provokes, condones and colludes in the state's blood lust. The galleries applauded and there were queues to congratulate the police officials. Jurisprudence was trumped by jingoism.

Recently though the reaction to the killing of a top rung Maoist leader Azad in Andhra Pradesh and the investigation into the Sohrabuddin Sheik encounter case ordered by the Supreme Court have turned the tide and led to greater scrutiny of the methods used by the police forces. Some would claim the brutal nature of these acts is at the root of the concept of state and its coercive source of power, even in a democracy. These incidents stick out as the spots missed while painting a picture of a 'government for the people', thus revealing the true nature of the state.

All this while, the victims/suspects remain in the firing line as the philosophical discussions continue in televisions studios, newspaper columns, legislatures and courts. Since creating public opinion takes time, for immediate survival the hunted need to think fast and use any and all resources at their disposal. In this regard, the story of Sarvan Kumar in the news today catches the eye.

Sarvan Kumar, a wanted man reportedly got cornered by the security forces in Delhi yesterday and the stage was set for a classic 'encounter', except Sarvan had one last trick up his sleeve. Sarvan simply dialed 100 - the emergency services number and told them the nature of his emergency thus saving his own skin. Just as the state adapts to deal with the law-breakers' ways, the law breakers adapt to the state by studying and circumvent its methods and systems.

Links:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/stories/20100827271702100.htm
http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/gangster-dialed-100-to-escape-encounter-44923?pfrom=Cities
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sohrabuddin_Sheikh_fake_encounter

Could It Be Murder?

Yesterday was a slow day at the office in the telugu language news media. And so it was that word of a heinous incident had come to their attention. A dead girl was found stuffed inside a suitcase placed in a busy area of the city.

I got a call in the evening urging me follow the electronic media's coverage of the incident. Apparently the stellar journalistic instincts of the TV9 news channel reporters had again kicked into high gear. They had finally found a story where they could fully flash their investigative brilliance.

Reporter starts her inquiry with the most probing of questions (the sensational coverage as narrated to me over the phone):


Reporter [already smug]: "Sir, do you think this is a case of murder?"

Cop [equal to the task]: "We cannot answer that question at this point. We have to conduct a complete investigation to know the full details of the incident"


Their next step might be to flash a 'lost & found' for the suitcase owner on the perpetual scroll, their motto after all reads - "for a better society". Keep watching meanwhile.

Link:
http://expressbuzz.com/cities/hyderabad/woman%E2%80%99s-dead-body-found-in-a-suitcase/195213.html
http://hindu.com/2010/08/04/stories/2010080461000500.htm

Playing The Part

Thank You for Calling Cherlapally

On May 11th, Radiant Info Systems announced that prisoners from the central jail at Cherlapally, Hyderabad were to be trained to handle BPO operations. The jail authorities finally had some positive news to share.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-to-get-first-BPO-behind-bars/articleshow/5919218.cms

What is probably either a CSR initiative or a cost-cutting move for the BPO company is seen by the British media as confirming something more sinister that they have kept alluding to from time to time. The British tabloids have reported for years that their citizens' information is not safe in the hands of Indian BPO workers and this adds to that narrative.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article7124634.ece
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/7715365/Call-centre-firm-to-employ-Indian-prisoners.html

In the quest for the least operating costs, the condemned possess a USP that can only be topped by slavery.

The Eyes Have It

Today the only remaining form of visual art that is truly accessible to the general public is the movie poster. They are everywhere, in the cities they occupy all vertical surfaces within eyeshot, in the more rural areas they are seen up on those kaccha walls. Within the limits of a few square feet of space the poster has to convey an idea to the viewer that should tickle him into spending time and money on the movie - the job of designing these posters is as much a challenge as making the actual movies.

A recent poster that caught my eye was of Mahesh Manjerekar's City of Gold. The intended emotion of dispossessed anger that the filmmaker wants to convey comes through clearly in the posters.


The subject matter of the film is about the shutting down of the textile mills of Bombay in the 80s to make way for real estate developers to erect structures that form the current skyline of the city thus resulting in the destitution of mill workers. Incidentally the producers of the movie, DAR Motion Pictures are themselves into real estate development.

Links:
http://www.marchingants.net/home.htm
http://www.impawards.com/designers/marching_ants.html

Fear and Loathing in Hyderabad

My day yesterday was spent racing through some of the newly expanded riot-hit areas of Hyderabad. All very exhilarating but also extremely annoying at the same time. Communal rioting has returned as the current flavor of the city and all the regionalists of yore seem to have missed the latest bus of political hooliganism. Politics just as fashion, is fickle.

The social engineering required to generate and sustain mobs is an art that cannot be taught. In these scenarios the street coordinators and leaders show great creativity, adaptability and fortitude. But for such mob-making, a cause is necessary. In India there exists a sometime latent, sometime blatant communal antipathy where the biggest reason for the existence of peace is not common understanding but pathetically, plain survival. In such a context, the instigators are squarely labeled as the villains of the piece every time there is a break down in this delicate peace.

Here I propose an alternative. I say that the villains of the story are in fact each and every person who holds dear thoughts that allow that person to be instigated. Therefore if you hold views that are derisive, condescending, hateful/fearful, discriminatory or bigotry then you are part of the problem. This holds even in the case of such privately held opinions - despite the fact that you may be a fair individual, yet you set yourself up to be a candidate with that 'potential'.

The conspiracy regarding who benefited and who instigated are matters that pale in comparison to the kind of long-term antipathy that these incidents create. People's experiences shape their outlook. So when someone goes through a full blown riot, a glimpse of the barbaric and animal nature of man is observed. This generally brings about a de-evolution of behavior on part of the victim too, who waits then for his turn to play his hand. Thus the language of violence is what perpetuates the relation.

In all this, being secular is no help either - candle light vigils cannot extinguish hatred. Instead, providing for a designated field of battle might actually get better results than wishing the issue away from the confines of a sterilized quarantine that is secularism. The cold nature of secularism, where the religious identity held by the people is brushed under the carpet, is in fact a major cause for conflict. The Indian version of secularism is on the one hand embarrassed by its religious subjects but is proud of the diversity of this embarrassment.

Links:
http://www.thehindu.com/2010/03/31/stories/2010033161350100.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_%282004_film%29
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/us/25mobs.html?scp=1&sq=flash%20mob&st=cse

Someone Has To Do It

Yesterday we had a get together on account of a friend's belated birthday party - had lunch, saw a movie and drove around. One of the guys was here from Bangalore for the weekend so we drove to the Kachiguda Station to put him on the train. As we made our way onto the platform, at the station's entrance there was a police jeep with a pale skinned labrador panting away in the back with two safari-suit clad policemen sitting in the front. These men were scoping out the place and probably waiting on orders. We didn't make much of the scene.

While the guys waited for the train, I had to take a leak and made my way to the nearest lavatory. On rejoining the platform's bustle I noticed that one section of the crowd just past the lavatory were moved away and formed a rough semi-circle opposite the wall with a 20 foot radius. The three characters from the jeep were in the middle, all staring at an old blue suitcase placed on a window ledge. Everyone around who understood the scenario was getting into a pre-panic mode - trying not to act stupid by smiling or laughing while quickly calculating the odds but also in order to satiate their curiosity weren't moving away either.

By the time I got there and realized the parameters of the situation, the dog had already done its sniffing around and its handler had moved it and himself back by 6 feet from the window. All the while the other man remained right next to the window with an airport security-type frisking device that he hovered over the suitcase for a couple of times. Then he took a step forward, put his hand on the suitcase's latch and in one move yanked the lid up. Like always, it was empty.

The situation quickly defused and the crowd dispersed, only now allowing themselves a smile. I started walking back towards the coffee shop where my friends were waiting, thinking I had a story to tell. But I stopped after a while and looked back to see what they did with the suitcase, it remained where it was found and the safari-suit squad was moving towards me. I waited for a while and when the man who opened the suitcase was nearing, I held out my hand. In bemusement he shook my hand and I told him the first thing that came to my mind:

"Itlanti pani cheyali ante chala dhayryam kavali sir!"
("To do this sort of work, a lot of courage must be necessary sir!")

He smiled and went on his way.


Also Interesting:
Review: "The Hurt Locker"

An Iconic Amount

Rs. l crore for information leading to the capture of the perpetrators of the German Bakery Blast incident in Pune this week is what the government is considering. This public expression of the financial measure of the government's resolve has been reported by every paper this morning. In the same papers there is a half page advert taken out by the Home Department pleading with citizens to " be our eyes and ears". For the same end different means are sought here - only sensible considering the gravity of the situation.

We would like to think that internal security is the burden of the police with every responsible citizen aiding them. But in reality the yoke is also balanced on a network of individuals of ambiguous morality - the informants. For them to perform their "duty" they need monetary reminders. Hence the Superintendent of Police of every district in India has access to a large fund that goes towards paying for intelligence - a fund subject to no audit. This mechanism has always been in place and is vital to the maintenance of law and order, even in the most peaceful of nations. It is a nod to the idea that the state is an imposed structure precariously perched on top of a social milieu which the state doesn't quite understand.

Now for an incident like the one in Pune which captures headlines everywhere, cracking the case assumes greater significance. Therefore the gathering of intelligence becomes that much more critical, hence instead of seeking information from the established informant networks alone , the authorities need new sources. The reward for such information has to correspond to the risks involved. The home ministry surely must have its logic in arriving at a figure in a manner which is routine yet awkward. After considering the urgency, cost-benefit and demand-supply the figure arrived at is Rs. 1,00,00,000 - an iconic amount.

Perhaps it is insensitive to talk of this tiny detail in view of the bigger picture but I believe that people already have entrenched opinions on the incident and the trend and therefore my voice may well already be represented in this regard by some section.

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/feb/280210-kingpin-khabri-mumbai-underworld-gossip.htm

Mobs of Mysore

This morning's 'The Hindu' newspaper has a story on a hit and run incident that took place in Mysore yesterday. But what is of greater interest to the paper is the context within which the incident took place. The context being that the accident took place on a contentious stretch of road lined by 200 trees on either side which has been the subject of repeated petitions on the issue of felling of those trees for road widening. Therefore the article concentrated on the happenings after the accident - a flash mob gathered and cut down 25 of those trees.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/10/stories/2010011050020100.htm

On further googling I understand that this is a story with a history. There are a number of players involved - The city corporation & other officials, environmental activist groups, forest department, the courts and finally irate pedestrians. There are accusations and counter accusations, a mix of ideology, pragmatism and activism. Now it seems there is frustration and antagonism. The newspapers too have taken a keen interest in the developments over the past year or so.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/save-mysore-trees

Civic issues are a microcosm of political activity in the country. When things go out of hand with vested interests, disinformation and vigilante justice prevailing at this basic level of government, it doesn't augur well for governance at every higher tier.

Crime Capital

Stuartpuram is a town in Andhra Pradesh, India which is famous or rather infamous for one particular export. Much like with the IT prowess of India exported to the rest of the world, this Stuartpuram export too is a skill. People in the know can disregard this drum roll, but for the rest - the talent is crime. There is a proud tradition of burglary, extortion and other forms of foul play at Stuartpuram. Yet this identity is not geographical but a communal identity of a tribe.

Theft and deception is said to be this community's occupation. In fact this tribe was covered in the draconian sounding "Criminal Tribes Act of 1871" framed by the British which basically supposed that there is a gene for criminal behavior. They were convinced of the "Born Criminal" doctrine and that Nature ultimately holds sway over Nurture. For good measure there is even a telugu movie by the name "Stuartpuram Police Station" starring the reigning star of the times in '91 - Chiranjeevi to further the legend.



Movie Poster : Stuartpuram Police Station

From accounts, Stuartpuram was a town that was used by the British to resettle the "Criminal Tribe" since the tribe was itself nomadic as it had to be when the stated occupation is such. To be fair though, the tribe's traditional vocation is said to be hunting for game, but they had to adapt once they were ejected from their forest habitats. The Act itself was repelled at the time of Independence but the stigma must surely remain. The town is still considered as the heart and brains of crimes both petty and extraordinary in the state. And so for all purposes this town is at the top of law enforcement's list whenever there is heist of note.

It is hard to escape one's extraction but easier to embrace cliches. Yet there have been reformers trying their hand at "rehabilitating" the citizens of the town. But the "Kula-Vruthi"- a word that means profession but in an almost karmatic manner, of these people is unfortunately not just reaffirmed by the larger society but also by the community itself on many occasion. People come from everywhere to Stuartpuram when the service of larceny is required. For the police the town is a one-stop shop for concluding their theft cases.

The irony here is that although there is scant respect for the law among the deviant elements of Stuartpuram yet these are the very people who best understand the law for what it is and its limitations in life. While rest of India lives a self contained existence which dare not test the boundaries of the norm, here are a bunch of intrepid citizens who see the country now as the British once saw it - Jungle Raj.

Interesting Readings:

1. http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/20/stories/2008032058440300.htm
2. http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/mmt/ambedkar/web/readings/Simhadri.pdf
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerukala