“Turning and turning
in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear
the falconer;
Things fall apart;
the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed
upon the world”
WB Yeats wrote these lines more than a century ago but they read today like an eerie description of Odisha’s fast unravelling law and order situation. There is a growing sense of unease among the people that the Mohan Charan Majhi government is no longer fully in control. Majhi, who himself is in command of the law and order machinery, appears flailing for authority, as crime, lawlessness and anarchy are unleashed all across the state.
These are not isolated incidents, they are beginning to form a pattern and more importantly pointing towards a steady erosion of state authority. In the face of a deeply concerning rise of violent crime and law and order incidents across the state, Majhi has already held three separate review meetings and pulled up the police for its failures. Yet, there is no visible improvement on the ground. Every meeting seems to be followed by a more brazen criminal activity. For a government that came to power promising strong and decisive administration and stability, the state-of-affairs is damaging.
With less than three weeks to go for the second anniversary of the first BJP government in Odisha, the biggest challenge before Majhi today is not the Opposition. It is the fast eroding sense of public safety and a growing perception that the government lacks both urgency and resolve to tackle crime with a strong hand. Over the past few weeks, the chief minister has repeatedly directed DGP YB Khurania to ensure that the rule of law prevails in the state. But the very fact that the chief minister has to publicly remind the police chief to uphold the rule of law speaks volumes about the gravity of the situation. Mob lynchings, daylight murders, gang wars, criminals running amok and street violence don’t bode well for an administration that has sought to build its political narrative around good governance and Vikash.
Governments can survive economic crisis, take on political attacks but the perception that a state of lawlessness has set in, can be a difficult battle. Odisha appears to be headed towards that zone. Around the time Majhi was courting industrialists to invest in Odisha in Gujarat, not only the state but also the whole nation was shaken by a horrifying mob lynching of the railway constable on Bhubaneswar outskirts. Footprints of similar crimes are now plastered all over the place – in the streets of Berhampur, in Puri’s Kanas, Cuttack’s Maniabandha, Mayurbhanj’s Tiring, Rayagada, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur districts. In fact, Ganjam has become a crime template: from the horrendous Gopalpur gang rape in June last year to the sensational murder of lawyer and BJP leader Pitabas Panda to abduction and murder of a realtor in Sorada last month. This, despite having two police districts in one revenue district.
Policing has turned the single biggest embarrassment for the Majhi government. But the latter has preferred to be in denial. Instead of effecting a strong crackdown, it has seemed more preoccupied with drawing comparisons with figures under the previous BJD regime as an attempt to defend its own record. Every government faces crises but what matters is how it responds. The Majhi government’s response has been hesitant and defensive. The chief minister has repeatedly spoken of accountability. Yet, none is held accountable. From the Gopalpur gang rape case to the Nepali students’ issue; horrible run of bloody crimes in Ganjam to mob lynching episodes, only lower-level functionaries have taken the fall while accountability should have started at the top. Saturday’s IPS reshuffle is a pointer to the government’s knee jerk reaction to the crisis and reluctance to take tough decision when it matters.
The problem runs deeper. There is a leadership crisis within the Odisha Police structure. Morale is low, coordination weak and strategic policing missing. Yet, there is little indication of structural correction. A government cannot run police through insecurity and factional calculations. Efficient governments place capable officers in critical positions and ensure delivery. Odisha today gives the impression that efficiency has become subservient to political comfort.
Ironically, the BJP came to power partly because of public anger over deteriorating law and order during the final phase of Naveen Patnaik’s tenure. For a longer part of his tenure, Naveen kept police away from political interference. That insulation gave Odisha stability. The deterioration began when political management overtook institutional governance in the last seven to eight years after he relegated power to his trusted aide VK Pandian. The police force was increasingly perceived as an extension of political power. Public confidence waned and eventually the government was voted out. The Majhi administration inherited that damaged system. But, chose not to reform.
Odisha’s political history carries warnings about what unchecked law and order collapse can do to governments. The Congress never recovered from the damage caused by the Staines murders and the Anjana Mishra gang rape. Those incidents became symbols of administrative collapse.
Chief Minister Majhi has still time to act. But course correction will require much more than statements and reviews. It will take asserting control, ending political interference and faction-driven functioning, empowering competent officers and enforcing visible accountability within the police hierarchy.
Siba Mohanty
Resident Editor, Odisha
sibamohanty@newindianexpress.com