UP: Murder of Rajbhar’s Party’s Leader Exposes Vulnerabilities of People from Marginalized Groups

Lucknow: Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party Leader (SBSP) Om Prakash Rajbhar proudly announced to the audience at a public meeting recently that wearing yellow  gamcha (shoulder scarf, yellow is the colour of the party flag ) would command the respect of the cops at the police station. 

“Peela Gamcha pehen ke thane mein jaoge toh tumhari shakal mein Omprakash Rajbhar daroga ji ko nazar aaenge (If you go to the police station, wearing yellow shoulder scarf, the police inspector would see OP Rajbhar in your face),” he told the audience, apparently puffed up by his induction as a Cabinet Minister in the Yogi government.

However, his elevation as a minister does not seem to have any impact on the authorities in the state as his workers in Farrukhabad complained that they were beaten by the police and their gamcha and mobile was snatched. 

“Santram Kashyap is the Vidhan Sabha chief from our party, he was called to the police station and was misbehaved. His gamcha and his mobile were snatched by the cops,” said Kashyap, the district chief of SBSP in Farrukhabad district of Uttar Pradesh. 

He added the cops passed some unsavoury remarks with respect to their party, ironically a confident Rajbhar had claimed that he is the only second to chief minister in superiority.

People pointed out that the attitude of the authorities towards the marginalized and their party does not change even after getting power.

In another incident, Nandini Rajbhar, who was serving as the state general secretary of the party’s women wing, was found murdered in Digha village under the Sant Kabir Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. The police suspect that land dispute could be the reason behind the murder.

SBSP Chief and Cabinet Minister O.P. Rajbhar also visited the village of the deceased and promised action.

Speaking to The Mooknayak, Khalilabad Circle Officer Brijesh Singh said four of the five people named have been arrested and sent to the Jail.

The murder is believed to be the fallout of a land dispute that took place when one Balkishan Rajbhar sealed a deal to sell his land to one Sarwan Yadav.

Shailesh Kumar Rajbhar, who is the regional vice-president of the Pichda Varg Morcha in the Gorakhpur region, said Balkishan Rajbhar, a relative of Nandini Rajbhar, had sold his 1.5 biswa of land to one Sarwan Yadav, but he usurped 12 biswa and also did not make any payment for it.

After some days, the dead body of Rajbhar was found at a railway track. I had taken out a march of 400-500 people, demanding the arrest of the accused.  

He also demanded security from the police on the grounds that his life is under threat because of the voice he has raised against the murderers. “I have met the district magistrate and the superintendent of police of Sant Kabir Nagar and sent a letter by post to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, demanding security because of alleged threat to his life.

These incidents highlight not only the deteriorating law and order condition in the state but also the vulnerabilities of the people from the marginalised sections of the society, irrespective of the status or the posts they hold in the parties in power.

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