Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
Former SP of Kendrapada Satish Gajbhiye is in a service battle with Government of Orissa. There are two allegations against him: one is regarding use of excess police force to disperse a mob at Kendrapada and the other is about land accumulation by his wife.
I have made it clear earlier that in matter of property we have nothing to say. But, on the first issue, as a responsible citizen, I have every reason to support Gajbhiye, which in my earlier write-up I had also made clear.
BJP is making Orissa a laboratory of its notoriety where how far TV channels can mislead the public is being tested. Using TV channels and their advance technology to superimpose its propaganda on mass consciousness, it has come to power in the center. It is making experimentation of the same tricks in Orissa as is evidenced from intermittent storms the selective channels are creating. Main purpose is to study which channels are capable of precipitating mass schizophrenia on any issue, so that their brainwashing ability could be estimated in advance and accordingly the party of profiteers should be in a position to set its Goebbels in such channels much ahead of the elections in Orissa, where it has failed to click so far.
It needs be appreciated that such a game plan was put on action at Kendrapada in August 2015.
All on a sudden TV focus was concentrated on a baba called Sarathi. All other news except Sarathi was put to total blackout.
BJP being a party also of Babas and Matas, knows the vulnerable points of these so-called godmen. It was easier for right-wing TV channels to expose Sarathi baba in his filthy details and as he came to TV focus, the BJP loudmouths made the situation explosive.
Situation was going from worse to worst when neither the District Collector nor the RDC ventured to come to the spot to take the place into administrative control. The I & PR department of the Government did not thought it prudent to stop the vested-interest TV channels from making wild and irresponsible brouhaha. Bites were being taken from selected individuals with suggestive questions, the effect whereof was so incendiary that every moment was advancing towards further chaos and had the SP not taken a spot decision to control the worsening situation with a shock-treatment, a certain severe mayhem might have been a must.
In that extraordinary situation, I must repeat, SP Satish Gajbhiye had taken the most appropriate action and his steps could save innumerable human lives. Therefore, I had said in these pages that he deserves praise, not punishment.
It is sad that, the government has deserted him and he is left to defend himself all alone.
In my view, the action Gajbhiye had to take at Kendrapada in that very chaotic and incendiary condition created by BJP and right-wing TV Channels’ nefarious nexus, was a perfect, proper, necessary police action aimed at saving innumerable human lives.
It is blatantly wrong on part of the political government to act against Gajbhiye for this responsible discharge of his duty, that he had to take on the spot, when the District Collector and the RDC were conspicuous by their absence and the government in the Secretariat was sitting nonchalant.
Very often Police works under peculiar situations where some such on-the-spot decisions are taken that may not be palatable to the public. It is not a fact that every such action is ill-motivated. And, as we were forced to watch, because all other news of the day, as said supra, had suffered total blackout, the police action was never vitiated with any ill-motive.
In view of this, the government should have given Gajbhiye the necessary protection. But,he is subjected to official action.
In such circumstances, all the Police personnel of Orissa should stand solidly with him. Mediacracy mustn’t be encouraged to succeed.
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