Shrikant Tyagi episode reveals the moral strength of our society
Immediately after the shocking episode at Max Apartments in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, on August 5, where a local goon Shrikant Tyagi misbehaved with a fellow resident, vested interests in the media went to town with the allegation that he was a BJP functionary. Within hours, the party was being criticised for protecting him and questions were raised as to why he had not been arrested yet.
The video of a woman being insulted by a supposed BJP worker went viral immediately on social media with stinging remarks on the party’s propensity to shield criminal elements in its fold. For an issue-starved Opposition, it was a delicious opportunity to run down the BJP-led Government in UP.
For the notorious mafia of the state, which under previous regimes had wilfully evaded the law and had been on the run ever since the BJP romped home in the 2017 polls, it was time for vengeance. They smacked their lips and got down to trolling Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of UP, and the BJP viciously in the media.
Social activists, ignored and sidelined by the state government, readied their arsenal, burnishing the traditional charge of misogyny at the party. The BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra had to explain at length on national TV that Shrikant Tyagi had no connection absolutely with the BJP. Few believed him, least of all the media. The consensus was that after the brouhaha settled down, the case would be forgotten and buried in the police files, because it involved a BJP supporter.
Four days later, the UP Police held a press conference at Noida to announce that Tyagi had been apprehended in Meerut after a massive manhunt involving as many as 12 specially constituted police teams which worked 24x4 on the case.
The culprit was paraded before the press and a detailed account was given by the Police Commissioner of how, despite all odds, he had been nabbed through brilliant tech-savvy surveillance and precise inputs from the intelligence agencies.
He had tried to evade the police by changing mobile phones, locations and cars, one of which ironically carried the sticker of an MLA of the State’s Legislative Assembly. It turned out, contrary to the narrative so far, that Tyagi had got the MLA car sticker from Swamy Prasad Maurya, a prominent SP leader.
His interrogation also revealed that he had paid substantial sums in order to get the VIP registration numbers for his many vehicles.
In a touching and heart-warming gesture, Tyagi’s sister, Rashmika, refused to defend him, stating on TV that her brother’s actions were unjustifiable. Tyagi himself appeared stupidly and arrogantly unrepentant with an air of braggadocio over his right to a preventative mask and a swagger even when he got down from the police vehicle.
The case has important lessons for our society. First, it is wrong to jump to premature conclusions especially when they are crafted by vested political interests. Secondly, public opinion is a powerful force, provided it is directed towards a worthy cause. Thirdly, notwithstanding the supposed decline in values, Indian society even now values ethical propriety and abjures violence towards women, both verbal and physical. Fourthly, India’s police and intelligence agencies have maintained their high standards, comparable to the rest of the world, despite the decline elsewhere.
Lastly, and crucially, the present government in UP, being ideologically driven, means business, irrespective of electoral considerations, when it tackles mafia, long established and cultivated by previous regimes for electoral and monetary gains. All’s well that ends well.
(A former banker, the writer’s love for words and ideas has turned him towards writing columns. The views expressed are personal.)