State Cronyism

Disturbing reports are showing the latest human rights violation against civilians in Srinagar and we are witnessing another incident of Government sponsored corruption, harassment and crime, this time in the garb of harassing people who live in custodian flats. Custodian department in connivance with police officers, bureaucrats and politicians is harassing various current lease holders of custodian properties in Srinagar and are trying to evict them forcibly and illegally so that houses could be allocated to some blue eyed bureaucrats and their cronies.

     Although the current lease holders have been legally living in the custodian properties for more than 20 years, regularly paying their rents and maintaining these houses, the Custodian department is still breaking all laws in unduly harassing, terrorizing, abusing and attempting to literally destroy these people by issuing threatening show cause notices and giving them only few days to respond so that these lease holders aren’t able to get relief from the courts. Many of the lease holders are elderly couples and have been living legally in the custodian houses for decades having valid leases lasting 40 years. Custodian department is leaving no stone unturned even in harassing dependant families of legal long term lease holders who are maintaining these properties at their own costs and paying rent in advance, but have temporarily moved or travelled out of the state to pursue employment and career which is enshrined in basic fundamental rights of freedom to movement/travel/pursuing a career, job and profession. This is particularly important when there are so few educational and employment opportunities available in the state. Unfortunately, engagement in such egregious human rights abuses is not new to us. The Government has been caught red handed doing such things umpteen number of times. Such sick conduct has no legitimate place in any civilized society, if we can dare to call our society that. It is depraved beyond words and illustrates conduct one would expect from a rogue regime, not a democracy.

The various Government agencies, supposed to protect individuals, have actually become a dreaded mafia who are willing to stoop to unprecedented lows to neutralize and terrorize these individuals. The government trying to dislocate and displace its own people is unconstitutional, unseemly and unbecoming. To preach liberty and justice and tout the Constitution at every turn, then so viciously and abominably violate it against its own people time and again is bald-face hypocrisy. It tells us the government doesn't stand for squat - only what is expedient to a particular administration. 

This unholy alliance between the police, bureaucracy, politicians and the custodian department in trampling the rights of these poor and middle class, whilst arrogantly trying to officiate the illegal allotment of these houses to their favorites, giving impunity to such criminals stealing from others, in acting out of self-interest, has permanently damaged our State. Government corruption has destroyed us, via its destructive and haughty behavior. One would think such a terrible wake up call, via the civil war crisis we have gone through, would be a catalyst for change within the government, but they have refused to desist the corrupt conduct. 

RUBINA LONE