The day DGP Sanjeev Marik joyously bent his spine and fell forward to touch the feet of an ill-reputed Daitapati servitor in farcical theatre dress, people had apprehended bad omen would befall him soon. When Marik became the super cop, the sensible community had felt gravely hurt as the incumbent was a tainted one. He had allegedly helped some Bihari criminals, for which the Government suspended him for six months. His commendable SP stint in Ganjam was overshadowed by the unlawful act.
The Dhalsmant gangsters have been nabbed causing a great deal of fire and fume in most unexpected places. Anadi Sahu, a former top cop-Parliamentarian is known for his integrity and daredevil police action against dreaded criminals. He is a popular orator and a successful playwright. He rose from the OPS cadre, but in policing, he could tame many direct IPS functionaries on quality service delivery. People have not forgotten Anadibabu’s best efforts to reform several hardened criminals. Most importantly, Biju Patnaik trusted Sahu so much as to let him conduct ‘Belu-liquor tragedy’ investigation without fear. People may also have forgotten that he was instrumental in identifying quite a few crooks among the so-called Janata Party biggies who had considerable influence over Biju Patnaik. Some of them are still treading the planet though having lost the glory of power and popularity. So, it is very unlikely that Sahu could be wrong in alleging that Marik is corrupt who hobnobs with criminals who are loaded with money purely for private benefits. Sahu has, meanwhile, amended the quantity of Marik’s loot from two crore rupees to seven obtained from the gangster brothers now in custody. Sahu further says Marik was a great Dhalsamant chum who visited the gangsters’ farmhouse near Athgarh and constantly provided police support in their criminal adventures. Marik’s steno Rabindra Sethi played the conduit-cum-agent who even visited the gangsters in the court premises as if dearest fellows needed critical help. Sethi says one of the gangsters is his schoolmate; so he came to cheer him up. The media too finds it amusing to use the ‘D brothers’ tag qualifier to accord the local gangsters an equal status as that of the dreaded terrorist Dawood Ibrahim. Apart from Anadibabu’s allegations, there are quite a few other decent guys who too accuse Marik of corruption. Anadibabu doesn’t seem to be wrong.
Marik was unceremoniously removed from the top post. So, present DGP KB Singh has a very tough task ahead to prove he is a performing saint, mainly because the people’s eyes have gone wider and the ears are incredibly pricked just to see and hear all the wrong things about how most of the sermon-giving top cops make money. At a public gathering to discuss the corruption menace, a number of top bureaucrats including police and tax sleuths made clear the fact that police, like any other enforcement agency, abuses authority to make money through junior field officers that remain under their direct control because of posting and confidential record setting authority with them. Top cops accept the weekly or monthly ‘bribe quota’ from the police station heads and keep posing to be clean and honest because they never ever pressurised for any booty. They know it comes without asking, and so they are dirt-less. The ones that pester for the booty are only defamed by the fraternity as corrupt. Marik seems to be in trouble because his body language during refutations and denials do not have much punch. Hopefully, he wins and Anadi loses in good time. Marik has every reason to rush to the theatre-attired Daitapati servitor at Puri and forcibly take back the obeisance he had given away by bending down a little too badly to touch the worthless feet. The best technique would be to have the servitor forced to replicate his action -- servitor bending down and touching Marik’s feet.
p The D brothers will spill all the beans for sure. Sanjeev Marik may come out clean by putting the talkative former Parliamentarian in the docks with indisputable proof of sainthood, but a good number of crooks, rascals and scoundrels are likely to be dragged out of the safety holes made available to them by default of position of public power and authority.
p Odisha affairs, of late, are getting more and more dramatised. The legendary Biju Patnaik’s birth centenary has to be a mega event as the BJD has thrived and gained immensely by selling the single name of the late visionary. Damababu the veteran Biju follower had not appreciated the way the BJD was formed. But later, he and several others realised ‘Biju’ can only live on and create the sunshine to make hay only if they join the then strategically populist move by some ardent Biju cronies. So, he reconciled and joined the outfit. But all said and done, Damodar Rout is a proven intellectual who bursts out the truth at the right moment though some of them land him in legal troubles. The younger ones lately pick quarrels with him only to be crushed with enviable wits and intellectual weapons that Dama has amply in store due to age and experience advantage. He believes he has nothing to lose. Now after his declaration of the Paradip celebration design, smaller creatures are raising objections and terming him opinionated on a few critical scores with regard to the Biju centenary event. Pratap Jena says what the former does is his private business in his boring and flawed Odia accent, maybe due to a defective tongue but he minces too many Hindi words unforgivably as if he was born and brought up in lucknow. Pratap Dev is a lot better as spokesperson though he too seems to be under compulsion to speak what should please the bosses. And the permanent detractor Bishnu Das screams foul from some corner away from Dama’s direct gaze indicating Dama is machinating to steal a bumper booty in the name of Biju by organising a Paradip event with invitations sent to a number of eminent national leaders from all over the country.
The people of Odisha would gain respect if the Biju centenary is celebrated collaboratively by all, the politicians, administrators and the people at large. Internal disagreement and disputes must not come in the way.
p To keep ruling for long, political outfits use guile which is fine; but if public life is affected by any executive decision because of a monopoly status, people’s rebellion of the worst kind is likely to erupt so invisibly and silently that predicting explosion moment is impossible. Janakibabu was a great erudite and visionary, but smallest errors of nepotism and visible blemishes in private life caused his permanent fall, especially in the eyes of the people. Despite countless contributions, he is considered a much meaner being than he really was. The Janaki regime was safer in the absence of a hyperactive social media brought in place by amazing technology. The present day regimes do not have that luxury of opacity that kept the past ones hidden from public glare or scrutiny. And there is the formidable RTI weapon available to the offenders today. So, the regimes in place have to be extremely on guard if survival with dignity is the objective. Cakewalk days are over for good.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)