Ideally, a functioning, inclusive democracy brooks no discrimination and preferential treatment for the citizens in terms of anything from caste, creed to status with equality being the fulcrum of such a governmental foundation. However, things on the ground proves that some are more equal than others when it comes to the State dealing with the people.
For instance, different treatments as regards two incidents of the same nature, the only difference being the status of the persons concerned. The massive State apparatus aside from wings of the Armed Forces being pressed into service to rescue Aabida Manzoor, the daughter of a Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Shahid Manzoor who was swept away by the current of Ganga near lakshman Jhula, Rishikesh stands in sharp contrast to the initiatives taken by the State Government to rescue two youths from ordinary families who reportedly drowned in the same river just a day before Aabida drowned.
After the incident of Aabida having drowned came into focus, the State administration with none less than the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat being in the lead plunged headlong in the rescue operation. With CM’s direction, divers from Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and civil police of three districts Haridwar, Dehradun and Tehri have been conducting rescue operations round the clock since Sunday morning when the incident happened.
But in case of the two youths drowning around the same place, the State Government was lackadaisical in rescuing them. “The differences in the treatments are too glaring to be missed. Around 40 persons died drowning in Ganga over the past one ad half year. Did the state government show even a faction of activism that it showed for the unfortunate AabidaIJ The attempt is indeed worthy of praise.
But cannot we expect that the government would rise to the occasion with the same fervour whenever such an incident happens, irrespective of whose sons and daughters the wretched persons areIJ This amounts to travesty of what democratic governance epitomizes,” said an observer.
However, sadly, despite frenzied attempts being made to rescue the girl, the attempts have come a cropper so far with around 60 hours having passed since Aabida was swept away.
Statistics reveal that 17 persons were swept away in the gushing Ganga under Rishikesh police station in 2014 and the figure is three in 2015 so far. Seven persons were swept away in Ganga under Muni-ki- Rati police station in 2014 while three met watery graves in 2015. Seven persons were swept away in the river under lakshman Jhula police station in 2014 while the figure is two so far in 2015, it is learnt.