It’s been 10 days since Anand Pal Singh was allegedly killed in an encounter with the Police in Malasar village of Churu district in Rajasthan. After the high political drama, the body of Anand Pal Singh was finally handed over to the family of Anand Pal. The handing over of the body would have made police and the government feel relaxed thinking that the family would now end their protest to make things peaceful, however, to their utter surprise, the family remains adamant on their demands even as the body has started to decompose.
To prevent the protest from spreading, the government had banned Internet services in major parts of Churu and Nagaur districts of Rajasthan. Government officials have turned their heads from the rising issue and the demands of the family. To stop the protest, the government has tried its level best and they are not allowing anyone to enter the village of Sanvrad. Also, the demands of family to source a deep-freezer to the village has been rejected.
Interestingly, the government, which was so interested in the matter when Anand Pal was allegedly encountered, with all the top leaders of BJP taking the credit, has not given any statement after the body of Anand Pal was sent for the second postmortem. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who was awake till 1 am to confirm the news of his encounter, has not buzzed to even release a statement. Obviously, the government had not predicted such stubborn protest by the family members of Anand Pal Singh.
The family of Anand Pal Singh does not have any impossible demand. It has just asked for a CBI investigation into the case, which will reveal the exact reasons behind the death of Anand Pal Singh. Other demands include releasing his brother on parole so that they can be present at the time of cremation of APS. When the courts in India can continue giving parole to someone like Sanjay Dutt, even after his confirmed role in bomb blasts, I am not sure if being a brother of someone like Anand Pal Singh could be a crime bigger than that.
With all the activities going around, it clearly seems like a face-off between Anand Pal Singh and the government. Anand Pal Singh continues to scare the government even after his death. This fight of the family members seems decisive, which will finally decide, whether the democracy is really “For the people, by the people and of the people”. With the current attitude of the government, this does not seem the case.