Sexual assault cases across India leave their marks on politics; wait ends for census, J&K Assembly election dates

Welcome reader,

So what is new this week, besides the rapes and the rains that is? Ever since the Kolkata medic's rape and murder, our newsroom has been inundated with reports of equally horrifying cases. And worse, many of these cases involve minor girls. Among them, one involving two kindergarten girls, aged three and four years, in Badlapur, located in Maharashtra's Thane district, has in particular taken on much political significance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi parties ripping into the ruling Mahayuti combine over the safety of women and girls in the state.

In the Kolkata rape and murder case itself, it finally took the Supreme Court's stepping in for some real answers to emerge, over and above all the politicking.

Meantime, Vinesh Phogat, who we finally saw smile again after she reached home, was back on the frontlines of the fight against another alleged sexual abuser, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

We promise it is not all doom and gloom though - J&K finally got its poll dates and news is that the Centre is likely to start conducting the long-delayed population census in September.

Meanwhile, both BJP and Congress have had to do some introspection this week as internal issues as well as 'allies' kept them on their toes. Read on for a quick run through of the major news stories this week.

Political showdown in Maharashtra over Badlapur sexual assault

After a attendant was arrested on Aug 17 for allegedly abusing two kindergarten students, aged three and four years, in a school toilet in Thane district, angry parents and protesters vandalised the school building and carried out a 'rail roko' march on Aug 20.

A day later, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde issued a foot-in-mouth statement...by alleging that the protest at Badlapur station was 'politically motivated' with an aim to malign the state government and those involved in it were 'mostly outsiders'.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders were quick to fact check him, with Uddhav Thackeray stating that those who felt there was 'politics' involved in the Badlapur sexual abuse protests were either 'abnormal' or 'protectors of the culprits'. He also wondered the point of a scheme like Ladki Bahin Yojana when sisters in the state were not safe. Supriya Sule sought Fadnavis' resignation even as she joined protesters in Badlapur.

The Bombay HC finally took suo motu cognisance of the matter, with the hearing on August 22, where it termed the incident 'absolutely shocking' while slamming the school authorities for not reporting the same and the police over the delay in registering the FIR. It also directed the govt-ordered Special Investigation Team (SIT) to file a report on its probe by August 27.

Meanwhile, the Maha Vikas Aghadi called off its planned Maharashtra bandh, on orders of the Bombay High Court. However, they still will protest with black bands, flags on August 24 in solidarity with the Badlapur protesters who have had police cases slapped on them.

Supreme Court steps in as voice of reason after Kolkata rape-murder case protests rock nation and state

A Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took up the Kolkata doctor's rape-murder case as on a suo moto basis after receiving several petitions.

Even as the case became a way for TMC and BJP leaders to earn political brownie points with Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose providing his own unique flavour to the proceedings, the apex court seemed to be the only one paying heed to the actual problem - the safety of doctors, especially women doctors, who if not randomly raped during duty hours, apparently also get roughed up by patients' kin.

Emphasising that the country 'can't wait for another rape to change situation on ground', the top court has instituted a nine-member National Task Force under its authority, to suggest measures for protection of medical fraternity. During the hearing, the Supreme court also criticised the handling of the case by state authorities and Kolkata Police as CBI alleged a cover-up.

The apex court was also forced to comment on the unnecessary political dimensions that the case has taken, urging parties to 'not politicise the situation' and realise that 'law will take its course'.

BJP and TMC leaders, who have taken to flinging accusations like confetti as protests refuse to die down in Kolkata, 'welcomed' Supreme Court's intervention, albeit for very different reasons.

The only upshot to all this was doctors of most leading hospitals calling off their 11-day strike based on Supreme Court's assurance on concrete measures to ensure doctors' safety in the days to come.

However, Kolkata's fire has yet not been extinguished as protests continue with protesters frequently clashing with the police. Mamata is increasingly looking like she is losing all control over the narrative despite her letter to PM Modi.

Meanwhile, the accused Sanjay Roy, at the centre of the Kolkata horror, has been remanded to 14 days in judicial custody for now, while the ex-principal of R G Kar Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, is still being interrogated by the CBI, which has also received an all-clear for a polygraph test on Ghosh.

Both the Kolkata and Badlapur cases have thrown up one very important question - Who has the right to protest in such cases? A pertinent question when 151 lawmakers face cases of crime against women with BJP MPs and MLAs topping the list.

Battles not over for Vinesh Phogat...

After wrestling with the '100 gm' fiasco and relatively unsupportive IOC in the aftermath of her Olympic disappointment, we finally saw Phogat smile as she journeyed home to her village, where she vowed to work for the betterment of Indian wrestling.

Her words proved prophetic as she had to take to social media just three days later to allege that Delhi Police had withdrawn security of women wrestlers who had accused Brij Bhushan of sexual exploitation, just before they had to appear in court to testify.

Delhi Police, caught on the back foot, issued a statement saying, 'The security provided to the wrestlers hasn't been withdrawn; it was decided to request Haryana Police to takeover the responsibility in future'. Saying that the 'situation' had since been rectified, they tersely ended their statement with 'Security cover continues'.

However, the withdrawal of security cover just one day before the date of hearing, seems to be a rather convenient 'coincidence'. So much so, that a Delhi Court had to order the city police on Aug 22 to immediately reinstate security after the female wrestlers approached the court.

In other news, rumours that Phogat might be running for the Haryana elections flew thick and fast after she dropped in to meet the Hooda family. Seems her battles are far from over.

J&K has finally got its long-delayed assembly poll dates...

In a welcome development for the Valley, the Election Commission (EC) has finally declared the poll dates for Jammu and Kashmir. As the parties gear up for polls, leaders switch sides, and alliances are struck. BJP has gone on the offensive, demanding Congress make its stand on the abrogation of Article 370 clear before the elections.

This was after Rahul Gandhi studiously avoided addressing the issue and instead waxed eloquent on restoring statehood to J&K. But that said, as terrorist attacks ramp up in the troubled state, the time for democratically held, 'free and fair' assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir is now or never.

How free and fair it will be remains to be seen as the National Conference has accused the L-G of ordering a 'massive reshuffle' in the 'police and administration' just before the EC announced the poll dates, which the party said was a move to benefit BJP and its allies.

Speaking of long delays, the Centre is likely to start conducting the population census in September

The BJP-led NDA government has been slammed for dismal data records since it came to power. But it seems, even BJP can't delay the census any longer. The Centre is likely to begin conducting the population census in September.

India’s once-a-decade census was due to be completed in 2021 but was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will take about 18 months to complete the new survey after it begins next month, as per government sources.

Meanwhile, Congress, reliably, has upped the ante by demanding the Centre collect caste-wise data of OBCs by adding an extra column in census questionnaire -- an echo of Rahul Gandhi's push for a 'Caste census X-ray' during his Lok Sabha election campaigning. But will BJP ever yield to such a demand?

Amid row, Modi govt drops lateral entry drive

Coalition politics ain't easy, partner. Or so, PM Modi is realising. The ruling party was beset by loud 'nays' from both allies and opposition leaders about the lateral entry recruitment drive to hire private sector 'experts' as civil servants.

Critics pointed out that it was a sly evasion of reservation rules that any UPSC recruitment drive has to ordinarily follow. Rahul Gandhi on his bandwagon of 'justice to SC/STs and OBCs' called it a conspiracy to prevent people from lower castes from securing high-ranking civil administration posts. SP and BSP also piped in, increasing the pressure on the Modi government, already battling the perception of being 'anti-reservation'.

At first, BJP hoped for a compromise consensus on the issue, but later had to succumb to demands as the Congress stepped up its attack and allies began chiming in anxiously since the move would cast them in a bad light before their respective state-based vote banks.

The U-turn was Modi 3.0's third roll-back since it got elected, showing that it is not as able to effectively impose decisions as it did back during the good ol' days of Modi 2.0. The Opposition is rejoicing. The next battle to look to? The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, of course.

Congress hasn't been having an easy time either as the MUDA 'scam' explodes in Karnataka

In what seems like another chapter in the Governors vs CMs saga, Karnataka's Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has given his go-ahead for CM Siddaramaiah's prosecution in the the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) sites allotment case. BJP president J P Nadda on Aug 17 even attacked the Congress saying the alleged MUDA 'scam' was yet another instance of the party's 'hypocrisy and family-centric politics'.

Congress leaders in Karnataka have been up in arms ever since, calling the Governor's move an 'act of shameless unconstitutionality'. From organising protests against the Governor's sanction in the CM's hometown to Siddaramaiah himself promising a tit-for-tat action against Union Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, the Congress party unit in Karnataka seems to be rallying around their 'captain', for now.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders in the state are asking for Siddaramaiah's resignation, accusing him of using his caste card to get out of trouble, even as the CM has vowed not to resign as he is 'not guilty'.

The CM also moved the moved the Karnataka High Court challenging the governor's order granting sanction to commence the investigation against him. Providing some relief to the beleaguered chief minister, the Karnataka High Court has asked the trial court not to take action against Siddaramaiah till the hearing on the Governor's sanction is concluded.

However, pressure might be mounting on another front - this time from the Congress high command. Both CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar (who is also the state unit president of the party) were summoned to Delhi on Aug 23 to meet with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.

Needless to say, the state of affairs in the state isn't casting the Congress in a very good light, especially after Karnataka's Opposition parties, BJP and JD(S), alleged that a line in a 2014 letter written by Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi to MUDA was erased using whitener, leading to claims of a cover-up.

Senior advocates Abhishek Singhvi and Kapil Sibal have already been picked by the Congress to fight CM Siddaramaiah's case.

But the larger question is how will the MUDA 'scam' affect Congress' future in the state as its once-spotless CM is dragged through the mud? For now, it seems advantage D K Shivakumar in the fractured internal politics of the state party unit as some would like the deputy to become chief, even though DKS himself and other party leaders have vowed to back Siddu in his MUDA court battles.

That said, DKS has his own troubles with Lokayukta police questioning him for 2 hours in an 'illegal' assets case on Aug 22. C'est la vie, as they say.

Champai Soren's angst and I.N.D.I.A. bloc's woes

Another little political family feud played out in public in the form of the anguished Champai Soren, ex-CM of Jharkhand. Unceremoniously hauled out of the power position after Hemant Soren's triumphant return, Champai orchestrated a mysterious Delhi visit, making his angst known to all in a social media post.

BJP, playing the long game, adopted a wait-and-watch approach to the drama. Part of this hesitance might have something to do Hemant Soren openly accusing BJP of being the 'poison' that broke apart families and parties by poaching MLAs.

Champai had outlined three possible courses of action in his post -- one of which hinted at joining political 'companions' (like the BJP and other NDA parties) and the second, to retire from politics altogether. But, in the end Champai has settled for the third option - a 'middle way' if you please - of starting his own party.

It is a choice that leaves him open to future 'mergers' if required if he proves himself electorally in the upcoming Jharkhand assembly polls. Whether it will be a return home to JMM with added clout or allying with leaders like BJP-ally Jitan Manjhi, is anybody's guess.

Overall, this crack in the JMM 'family', the tides against TMC in West Bengal, and Congress' own woes in Karnataka spells trouble for I.N.D.I.A. bloc in the face of public dissatisfaction as polls loom large in several states.

That is all the political drama that unfolded this week. DH Political Theatre will be back again next week.

Exit Stage Left,

DH Newsletters Team