Gugdi The Story:

February 2/2016 : Gugdi is a small sleepy village close to the India-Pakistan border. No one in this country would have ever heard of the existence of this place, located in Barmer district of Rajasthan, had it not been for a hilarious yet deadly incident that occurred there last 26 January 2016. An Indian Air Force's Russian built Sukhoi fighter bomber, on a regular patrol sortie near the border, let loose a hail of five bombs which exploded one after the other. The detonations were incredibly loud and could be heard in a radius of over 10 kms. The incessant blasts convinced the nearby villagers it was nothing short of an opening of hostilities between the two neighbors. Later on landing, the pilot of the IAF Sukhoi unofficially was claimed to have said it was a mistake he had committed by letting the bomb door open.

Indeed, it was no minor mistake. Had it been over New Delhi or Agra that he was flying his sortie, the situation could have been disastrous. Luckily it was a far flung, no VIP inhabited, villager-infested part of this great nation of ours.

As a reaction, the IAF and the government went on a damage control overdrive. IAF officers who had been rushed to the spot later claimed it a helium filled baloon from Pakistan that the fighter plane had shot down. Then the government ensured no media covered the event in any manner. It is due to local social media users that the question of five blasts from one baloon came up. Now every one knows what the authorities prefer to treat as unknown, behaving like ostriches.

Coming closer to home, the recent bust of the Dhalsamant brothers' criminal network is an excellent point to be examined. The Commissionerate Police of Cuttack Bhubaneswar acted primarily on court orders to nab the brothers.

Interestingly, all this happened when the political atmosphere is getting warmed up prior to the Prime Minister's visit to Paradeep later this week. This brother duo started off sometime around 1993, as humbly as any evil empire does. They steadily grew with so much clout that they could corner all Cuttack city municipality and government department contracts exclusively for themselves. Extortion, kidnapping, gun running and all imaginable criminal allegations are being heaped on them by the police and happily lapped up by the ever obedient media. Two very exclusive photos were released to the media, both showing prominent politicians, former top cops and retired judges in company with the criminals. There is no doubt all those in the photos were aware of the antecedent of the brothers. That issue is secondary.

Primary is what no one is asking. What was the State Police doing all these years. Where is governance.

Is it not time, in this day of the 21st century, that we stop telling lies to our citizens and offer them honest security.Or may be, the duo is being offered security under the guise of being nabbed so that it may return unscathed and join politics suitable to all concerned.