Gupta Murder - Terrorist Activity?

On Dec 24 2008, a PWD Engineer by the name of Manoj K Gupta was lynched by a BSP MLA One Mr Tiwari and two other goons for refusing to pay Rs 50 Lakhs towards the Birthday celebration of Mayawati.

The story of the Gupta Murder goes like this, the MLA along with two other men went to Gupta's house in the night, locked up his wife and thrashed him continuously for a couple of hours. Then they left the unconscious man at the police station where the MLA told the police to register a case of hooliganism against Gupta and then he walked out, You read that right, the Police did not ask him the how's and why's, they let him go. Two hours later after the Police was sure that Gupta was dead, they took him to the hospital. The autopsy report says that Gupta was given electric shocks and chunks of hair pulled out of his head, there were 32 injury marks and one arm was fractured.

Mayawati straightaway denied any involvement, she went on to say that the murder was a result of professional rivalry and underhand money. The cabinet secretary Mr shekhar Singh has given a clean chit to Mayawati, even though it is none of his business, "A criminal incident should not not be given political colour,Chief Minister Mayawati has nothing to do with the case. It's a criminal case and those found guilty will not be spared."

The incident is terrible and raises more questions about the sad state of our country,

a) Tiwari, the MLA may be illiterate and a criminal and stupid but he would not be so stupid that he would ask someone who does not have Rs 50 lakhs to give him that kind of sum. Was Mr Gupta capable of giving that kind of sum? Being a government servant, If he was, then there is much more to be probed into than a plain murder.

b)How come we hear only the political parties making noise this time around? Why are citizens, celebrities, news channels not talking about enough is enough this time around, like they did after Mumbai terror attacks? Or a single man's death, howsoever unjust just does not deserve our attention?

c)The whole of Mumbai was up in arms against the government, the politicians etc after the terror attacks, but not a single person in Mumbai came to light a candle for Mr Gupta. Or, do we show our solidarity only with victims of terror attacks.

d)Police sources, according to many newspapers, have said that the MLA had criminal antecedents and that he was a history sheeter, What was he doing as an MLA then? Who permitted him to fight the elections.

e)Even though the incident has been termed heinous and barbaric no one is calling it to be terrorist activity. Was the MLA not employing terror tactics? Does the autopsy report not indicate that Gupta was tortured? Is it not sufficient to then declare the MLA as a terrorist? Or is it mandatory to be a Pakistani carrying an AK-47 rifle to be declared a terrorist?

f)Mayawati has refused a CBI probe into the incident as demanded by the family. How can a person who is a party to a crime decide what course of action to take? The congress which is in power at the center has conveniently decided to leave the issue to the state unit to handle.

g)Is someone investigating if other party MLAs were employing similar tactics with other government servants. It is no secret that Mayawati has amassed sufficient wealth most of which, she claims, is given to her by people out of love and affection. In April 2007 during assembly elections she had declared her assets to be worth 58 Crores. In assessment year 2008-09 she had paid an advance tax of Rs 15 crores. Why is no one asking her the means for acquiring this wealth. In light of this, it seems evident that Gupta's case was a routine case, of use of force for collection of money, which just went horribly wrong.

How long before our other politicians also see sense in following similar tactics for amassing wealth and power? It is sure to happen if the citizens do not wake up now.