'Governance Is Swerving Away From Constitutional Values': Ex-Bureaucrats, Police Officers' Open Letter To UP Govt

Nearly 74 former bureaucrats and police officers (IAS, IFS, and IPS) wrote an open letter to the Uttar Pradesh government, calling out the complete disintegration of governance and blatant violation of the rule of law in the state.

Around 200 eminent prominent personalities have backed the matters raised by the officers, reported NDTV.

'Ram Rajya' In UP

In a four-page letter, the officers have alleged unnecessary detentions of dissenters and journalists, torture of citizens belonging to a particular caste or community in various districts, and numerous police attacks on people who have staged peaceful protests.

The letter further highlighted the rise in the number of extra-judicial killings, targetting several Muslim men under the guise of the law against religious conversions, or as it is termed - 'Love Jihad'.

The officers also pointed out alleged misuse of the National Security Act (NSA) in the name of cow slaughter.

COVID-19 Mishandling

Reportedly, the officers have also raised concerns over the mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic and the fragmented healthcare system in the state, which resulted in innumerable deaths.

"We note with mounting alarm that the present ruling regime in UP has ushered in a model of governance which swerves further away from the Constitution values and the rule of law with each passing day," the media quoted the letter.

The officers said that the official departments, including branches of administration, executive magistrates, and the police, have collapsed. Their fear is the least among people who call themselves a saviour of India.

The government must take cognisance of the continuous damage to the law and institutions, it stated. "We fear that, unless checked now, the damage to the polity and institutions will result in the destruction of democracy itself."

Concerns Backed With Proof

Every issue raised in the letter has been reportedly backed by facts and figures, along with various examples.

For arbitrary detentions, the officers quoted the case of Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, who was arrested while on his way to Hathras to report on the brutal gang-rape of a Dalit woman.

He, along with four, was arrested under section 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code 'on suspicion of their intention to commit some cognisable offence.' The police alleged that the men attempted to incite riots, caste-based violence, disturb the peace and mobilise donations illegally through a website they operated.

The officers called out the current government's bias against specific communities, which they said is open and uninhibited. They advised the government to initiate actions against such cases, keeping in mind the upcoming election due next year. If not addressed, it may result in communal polarisation, it added.

The writers are the same who raised concerns over the appointment of the new administrator in Lakshadweep.

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