Durga is trapped in the quick sand of mafia

Lucknow, Aug 10: The Durga episode seems to be an apt example of Aristotle's dramatics, which describe the rise and fall of a hero (Durga Shakti, in this case) and the subsequent Catharsis (the public's reaction to it).

Durga was a tough nut to crack, say many in her department. Disciplined, she was a no-nonsence person and cracked hard on any kind of corruption in her area. So, for obvious reasons she was under the radar of politicians, mafias and the lawyers to the mafia.

Visit UP and you would know what we mean. UP is dominated by a class of lawyers, as per a report by the DNA, who mostly belong to upper class and are inclined to BJP. But things in Durga's case are different as this very clan is sloganeering against the young IAS officer, accusing her of being arrogant for her high caste, "threatening manner", and use of "foul language".

Obviously, not liked in the political circuit (especially those closely linked with the sand mafia), her tragic fall due to her inexperience.

Mafia legacy

The mafia clout has been working in close connection with the politicians here since Mayawati days. The ruling party might have changed, but the mafia maintains its hold on to the political clout.

During the era of Mayawati in 2010, the Ganga and Jamuna riverbed between Allahabad and Kausambi was under a duo from the Dalit mafia-Kapil Muni Karvaria and Girish Pasi, both BSP leaders.

And now, it has come under Narendra Bhati, the Samajwadi Party's Lok Sabha candidate for Khurja. It is to be noted that Bhati happens to be a Gujjar, which is a powerful community in the area and an addition to his credentials in the mafia.

How they trapped Durga

Things were working fine, till Nagpal got posted as the SDM of the area and started creating trouble for all, sending squads to curb the illegal mining, dummy auctioning and more. There was no stopping her and the government too could not interfere as she was on the right side of the track.

However, it was her upfront behaviour and straight thinking that went against her. She knew about Bhati's involvement in the functioning of the mafia and he knew that she would be on her guards of Bhati's name appeared anywhere.

Thus, the plot to oust her as a tainted officer began. Bhati donated Rs 51,000 toward the construction of a mosque in Kadalpur village. This would serve two purposes-win him votes of the 75 percent of the Muslim population in the Kadalpur village and the surrounding areas. Moreover that would set off Nagpal's radars, especially if it is tipped that the construction was illegal.

It happened exactly so and she was dragged by the sand mafia in a fiasco that got her dragging deeper in that very sand that she had stopped from smuggling, leading to her fall.

The story of this hero, at least tells us how our politics functions and warns the aspiring IAS officers that one cannot survive Indian politics with righteousness alone, but with an eye for the thick web that the political circuit has been weaving around the virtues of human psychology for ages.