Agra neglected as officials, police serve at Mahashivir

Agra neglected as officials, police serve at Mahashivir
SIRAJ QURESHI & ANURADHA NAGARAJ

AGRA, OCT 14: Into its second day, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Mahashivir has started taking its toll on Agra and it's people. Day two of the Rashtriya Raksha Mahashivir went in accordance with RSS plans, but the city buckled under the pressure. While the entire city administration and police force has set up camp alongside the RSS tents, the people of Agra are cooling their heels outside empty police stations and government offices waiting for officials who are never available.

For three days, an aging Babulal Suresh Chand has been visiting the Rakabganj police station in Agra city. Every morning he does a quick round of his fields before trotting off to the police station and every evening he comes back home with the same story. ``All I want is for the police to file a FIR,'' Chand explains. ``The dispute between my neighbour and I is becoming very serious and I am apprehensive that something bad will happen. I just want the police to be in the picture but there is nobody to listen to me. Where is the police when you need them?''

``At the Mahashivir,'' responds a lone policeman in the station. ``Everybody is there,'' the constable explains. ``I will take down his complaint, but you can't blame us for the delay. Our senior officers and all the staff is at the camp.''

While Chand got lucky, there are others who are making trips to government offices only to be told to come back later, after October 15. Former Member of Parliament from Agra Nihal Singh Jain says: ``God forbid, if any law and order situation was to arise in Agra, there will be no one to control it. Additional forces have been deployed in Shastripuram, fire tenders have been stationed there and all the officials are there, leaving Agra vulnerable.''

With over 3,000 policemen surrounding the RSS campsite, which is spread over 400 acres, all the 35 police stations in Agra are managing with a back-up force of two or three officials. Also, there are 10 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) that have set up their base camp.

Inspectors have travelled from Lucknow, Rae Bareilly, Jhansi, Delhi and even Jammu and Kashmir to ensure that the three-day camp ``goes off peacefully''.

Explaining the unusually large force, a senior police officer says: ``The RSS is worried. They apprehend an attack and since it is their biggest congregation, they don't want to take a chance. So while they are taking care of the security inside the camp, we have set up watch towers outside and are screening all entries.''

Security taken care off, the city administration has opened up all its services for the benefit of the 7,5000 swayamsevaks attending the camp. Fifteen fire tenders are parked all over the camp, ready to douse out any fire at the shivir but leaving Agra in a blaze.

The Chief Medical Officer supervises his doctors in the 100-bed hospital specially set-up for the camp. Staff has been pulled out from government hospitals and assigned to the mini hospitals at the shivir. Saying they have no choice, the administration counters allegations saying ``it's the weekend anyway''.

Additional District Magistrate (Agra city) clarifies: ``All of us are here because such a big camp demands it. In any case today is a second Saturday and most of our offices are closed. Everything will be back to normal on Monday.''

While a grumbling city goes about its business, in the six villages on the fringes of the camp, people know that things will not go back to normal on Monday. They know that activity at the camp city will fold up by Monday evening, but they also know that the fields on which the city came up will not yield anything for a long time. Farmers of Dehtora, Sunari, Mohamapur, Meghai, Lakhanpura and Jaupura allege that a portion of the camp city has come up on their fields.

Divisional Forest Officer Vikas Verma refutes all allegations of crops or trees in the area being cut. ``It was just barren land that had been earmarked for construction of houses anyway,'' he explains. ``Only a few bushes and maybe some babool trees have been cleared. Nothing more.''

As for the RSS, well they are obviously the only ones not complaining.

RSS Speak
From All India Sangh Pracharak (spokesman) Madhav Govind Vaid's press conference:
On churches: ``Churches should be nationalised. It is a necessity. The Pope is one-sided in his views and Christians in India need to understand that.''

Vajpayee Govt's report card: ``In their one-year term they have done some good work but we are not fully satisfied. While the Kargil war and Pokharan tests go in favour of the Government, their foreign policy and allowing MNCs to come into the country is not good.''

Question of the day: ``In an area with 95 per cent Muslims, why can't five per cent Hindus stay?''

On the Ram mandir: ``We believe that the Ram Mandir should be constructed in Ayodhya. However, we will accept the court's verdict.''