The world’s largest democracy is grappling with growing authoritarianism and human rights violations. The Yogi government has frequently bypassed the judicial process to implement their self-proclaimed justice.
A nation where Gandhi was born and a land where Rama, Krishna, and Buddha spread the message of humanity. A country that boasts the world’s largest democracy and claims to be the Vishwa Guru is now suffering under a communal, caste-based, and hate-driven dictatorship.
Human rights are precariously hanging by a thread, as the ruling government operates under its version of justice. Leaders who oppose government policies are imprisoned, and critics of the government are silenced through violence. Authorities dispense justice without a proper court hearing or any effort to understand the perspective of the accused.
The Yogi government has become the face of anti-humanity and anti-constitutional practices. In his state, Muslims, Yadavs, and Dalits are frequently targeted and subjected to daily torture. They are imprisoned or killed in staged encounters simply because they belong to specific communities.
Five international organizations have released a joint statement to save human rights in India. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Front Line Defenders, the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), and CSW appealed to the EU to press the government of India to act immediately to end serious human rights violations in the country.
The recent encounter of Mangesh Yadav is a striking example of how the Yogi government is eroding fundamental rights. This isn’t just about a few encounters; it’s about Yogi Adityanath’s openly casteist stance. In a recent parliamentary speech, he specifically targeted the Yadav and Muslim communities, issuing threats in the presence of both opposition and ruling party MLAs.
Open threat
The Yogi government has openly threatened Yadav, Muslim, and occasionally Dalit communities. In a recent case of harassment in Gomti Nagar, the UP Chief Minister directly targeted and threatened these communities. On July 31st, some individuals harassed a biker and the woman riding with him, pouring water on them. It was an act that was completely unjustifiable.
Ironically, over 15 people were involved in the incident, including so-called upper-caste individuals like Gupta and Singh. However, Yogi singled out two—Pawan Yadav and Mohammad Arbaaz—while Yadav wasn’t even involved in the matter.
In his statement, Yogi said, “The first culprit is Pawan Yadav, the second culprit is Mohammad Arbaaz. These are people of goodwill. That means goodwill. Now, we will run the goodwill train for them. The bullet train will run for them, don’t worry.”
By referring to them as “people of goodwill” and invoking the phrase “we make their train,” Yogi issued an open threat, using language commonly understood as menacing in India.
Mangesh Yadav encounter
The recent case of Mangesh Yadav, who was killed by Yogi’s police just because he was a Yadav, raises serious concerns. This claim isn’t ours; it comes directly from the victim’s sister and other family members.
A few days ago, a robbery occurred at a jewelry shop in Sultanpur, UP. The police claimed that Mangesh Yadav and others were involved, but no concrete evidence was provided to support this. Interestingly, individuals like Vinay Shukla, Anuj Pratap Singh, Vivek Singh, and Durgesh Pratap Singh were also implicated. However, only Mangesh Yadav was killed by the police, while the others were merely injured, with all being shot in the legs.
This selective targeting raises serious concerns about fairness and justice in the handling of such cases.
The numbers paint a clearer picture.
Since the start of the Yogi regime, the so-called police encounters have seen a huge increase. From 2017 to 2023, 10,900 encounters have taken place in Uttar Pradesh. A total of 23,300 criminals were arrested in these encounters, and 183 were shot dead.
The real issue becomes apparent when we analyze the names of the criminals who were killed. Of these deaths, 80 were Muslims and Yadavs alone, meaning over 43% of the killings targeted these two communities. Uttar Pradesh has other communities that are more populous and influential than these two.
With Yadavs and Muslims making up just 26% of the state’s total population, they are a minority compared to others. Unfortunately, the disproportionate number of encounters and the apparent injustice against these groups is alarming.
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