Politics over dead: A new disturbing trend gains ground

Politics over dead bodies is not a new phenomenon in India. There are numerous occasions when elections have been won on corpses. But of late a very disturbing trend is seen in Rajasthan where dead bodies have been used not only to extract concessions from the government but the civic administration is also stopped from performing its duties.   

In the past two months, four incidents happened in a short span of time where different outfits have used the dead as a bargaining chip to raise their demands - justified or unjustified. The emotions are whipped in such way that the government is forced to bend backwards.

The killing of Anandpal Singh in a police encounter was the first instance where his family and Rajput outfits did not cremate his body for 25 days. His cremation took place only after the state government accepted their demands, including a probe by CBI into the encounter.

The government amid deteriorating law and order situation in Sanwrad, Nagaur (home town of Anandpal), was forced to accept the demands in view of impending BJP president Amit Shah’s visit to the state at that time.

Government faced the same situation when a man belonging to  minority community was  allegedly killed  in police firing in Ramganj. The members of deceased’s community did not allow his post mortem and subsequent burial until the government met  their demands of compensation and an inquiry into his death. After hectic parleys, the government agreed to the demands and the deceased was buried.

Two days later, body of  a man belonging to another community was discovered from Ramganj and following the earlier precedent, demands of his community were also accepted.On Tuesday, the same situation was witnessed in Bharatpur where Congress leader Dan Singh was shot dead by unidentified assailants. It was only after Congress MLA Vishvendra Singh intervened that the matter was resolved.