Satyendra Bhuiyan, a Mahadalit of Barachatti Block of Gaya District who was working in a brick kiln in Farukhabad district of Uttar Pradesh, mysteriously died. The family had been working there for over a year. On Monday, December 2, 2024, at night, around 9.00 pm, Satyendra went to buy household things for the family. That day, the weekly payment was made. After an hour, the family was informed that an unclaimed dead body was lying on the roadside. The head was broken, both eyes were gouged out, and marks of being beaten on the chest with a rod could be seen.

The munsis (clerks) of the kiln informed the family about this. Then they told the family that they were taking the body to the hospital and asked them to join them in the jeep. But instead of taking them to the hospital, they took the body and the family to their village in Barachatti, Gaya, on the 3rd morning around 3.00 am.

The distance between both these places is over 800 kilometres. There was no FIR and no postmortem done. The dead body was carried without any embalming. No NOC was taken from the police. The local contractor, Ram Vilas Yadav, dropped them home in the thick of the night, and he disappeared. The villagers were sleeping at that time, and hence, no one noticed this. The family and the villagers were in shock and did not know what to do.

Some local organisations were informed, and they reached the spot and persuaded the family and the villagers to lodge an FIR. They approached the Police Officer and CO to lodge a complaint. They also approached the local MLA to help them, but nothing happened. The police told the people that since the incident took place in Uttar Pradesh, the FIR could not be registered here.

A widow from this Mahadalit family in no way can go to Farukhabad to file an FIR, nor can she claim compensation for the death of her husband, the only breadwinner of the family. While the stand of the local police is judicially justified, the inability of the police administration to go beyond the legal provisions stands questioned. Since the local journalists and social organisations got involved, some compensation would be made, but justice would ultimately still be denied.

Interestingly, on the same day, it was reported that a person from Nagaland who was working as a security guard at Larson and Turbo company in Chennai was arrested by Chennai police with the support of local police for some investigation. This once again proves that there are different rules for different castes, classes, religions, etc.

On December 7, 2024, The Hindu reported that the UP invoked ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) and imposed a six-month ban on protests. The Act gives the police the power to arrest the employees violating the provisions of the Act without a warrant and imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or a fine which may extend to ?1,000 or both, to any person who instigated a strike which was illegal under the Act.

The decision came amid the upcoming Maha Kumbh, which will be held in the state, and other important programmes. This Act simply gives state police power to arrest anyone without any warrant if they violate its provisions. It also prohibits strikes in all state government departments and corporations for six months. While these pronouncements are galore, there is little announcement about concrete action to alleviate the suffering of the common masses.

The Kumbh symbolises the celestial pot that emerged during the churning of the cosmic ocean, containing the divine nectar known as "amrit." Beyond its religious significance, the Maha Kumbh Mela evolved into a socio-cultural extravaganza celebrating the nation's diversity and unity. No conscious Indian would deny the importance of the Kumbh Mela. But what is intriguing is that draconian laws are imposed in the name of the Kumbh Mela.

The rulers of Uttar Pradesh forget the anguish of common people struggling to meet both ends. It is reported that 37.79% of the population of Uttar Pradesh is poor, which is the highest in the country after Bihar and Jharkhand. Uttar Pradesh's 44.47% population is malnourished. Shravasti is the poorest district of Uttar Pradesh, where 74.38% of the population is poor.

The data on child malnutrition and anaemia shows that the state is failing its children. As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5)- 2019-20 in rural Uttar Pradesh, 41.3% of under-5 kids were stunted (low height for age), while 33.1% of under-5 kids were underweight (low weight for age). According to the data collected, most of the cases of malnutrition in Uttar Pradesh are being reported from areas inhabited by Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and downtrodden families," Rajendra Singh, Gorakhpur district programme officer (child development), told NewsClick (February 21, 2023).

"Most of these communities live on the outskirts of the village and are not covered adequately under the existing anganwadi centres," he added. The matter was so serious that the Allahabad High Court expressed grave concern over malnourished children. There is not without reason that Uttar Pradesh is ranked 34 out of 36 states and union territories in the national development index.

The leaders of the country seem to be busy with Ram (religion), Rashtra (national identity), and Suraksha (security). In itself, these appear to be fine. But in reality, in the name of these, there is an attempt to re-establish dominant caste, feudal class, patriarchy and majoritarian religion. If by religion it is clear that it follows its own religion and at the same time respects all the other religions and religious principles and practices; if by nation it is understood as all the citizens of that nation, especially the most marginalised, that is, the Dalits, the Tribals, the minorities and most backward castes are equal citizens with others; if by security it is understood as safety and security of all the 133 crore population, then it would be welcomed by all.

The present regime has promised a 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India) by 2047, which has been the slogan since 2014. Maybe we Indians need to wait until 2047 to see any development. It is significant to note that Modi himself has often articulated India's role as that of a 'Vishwaguru,' that is, the teacher of the world. But the BJP manifesto notably made a shift of tone and transitioned the self-centred language to 'Vishwabandhu', that is, a friend of the world.

While these slogans and pronouncements are for international consumption, on the domestic front, the country, instead of being Vishwaguru or Vishwabandhu, is becoming a country that is being divided based on caste, class, religion, gender, region, language, etc. Instead of building every child, youngster, woman, man, and senior in this country so as to build this country, all are divided and deprived of basic amenities of life.

One should not be surprised that the regime is centred on these attitudes, behaviours, principles, and practices. The agenda of the present regime is obvious. The vision of Viksit (developed) Bharat can be realised through Viksit States. The aspirations of Viksit States and Bharat must reach the grassroots level. This was the import of the advertisement featuring Narendra Modi in Dainik Bhaskar on December 7, 2024.

This AD in this newspaper was for the 'Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit and Rajasthan Global Business Expo' held on December 9, 2024. Since the leaders are obsessed with self-proclamation and self-promotion, the nation is in a deplorable and dreadful situation. This is clear from the fact that India ranked 134 out of 193 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index for 2022.

Over 75% of the common citizens of India face massive challenges. About 700 million people have no access to toilets at home. Slum areas do not have toilets. People are thus forced to defecate in the open, which causes numerous diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dehydration, etc. Many rural schools also have no toilets, and because of this, parents do not send their kids, especially girls, to school.

The sewage system in Delhi was designed only to meet the needs of a population of 3 million. But Delhi now has more than 14 million denizens. Though 12 million toilets are claimed to have been built under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in the last five years, as per a UN report, 44% of the population defecates in the open. Sanitation, solid waste management, and drainage continue to pose challenges in India.

Healthcare is a neglected issue in India. The lack of resources in rural India is a major concern of the day. 50% of all villagers have no access to healthcare providers; Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is 34 per 1000 live births; lack of nutrition caused stunted growth in 50% of all the babies. Despite the country's medical tourism bringing in $2.8 billion (around 2,400 crore rupees) in 2020 and being the fourth largest medical devices market, the healthcare system for Indian citizens has been a disappointment. According to a report by NITI Aayog, the country has 1.3 beds per 1000 population, with almost 50% of it concentrated in states like Karnataka, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra.

Poverty continues to be a curse in this country. Eighty per cent of the poor in India live in villages. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, and Chhattisgarh have the poorest areas. Forty-three per cent of the poor belong to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe categories. However, poverty is not due to the laziness of the common citizens, as some rulers would like us to believe. It is due to a lack of sheer political will to fulfil the values enshrined in the Constitution.

As per the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy data, the unemployment rate touched 8.10% in February 2022. This rate of unemployment is high for a country like India. If not tackled immediately, it will become a challenge for our society, economy and polity. Further, as per the India Economic Survey 2018, the estimated data states that the percentage of agricultural workers in the total workforce will drop to 25.7% by 2050 from 58.2% in 2001. Therefore, agriculture needs to be revived at the earliest. But the farmers and labourers are treated with tear gas shells and water jets.

The caste, class, gender, and region differences can be seen in the treatment of trains. The government is spending money on semi-high-speed trains like Vande Bharat Express, which are unable to run at their optimum speed because of a lack of infrastructure. Tickets on this train range from Rs 1,052 to Rs 2,299. Parallelly, passenger trains and ordinary trains and their routes are ignored. 2024 has seen seven rail accidents, while only 3% of the national rail network has come under the Kavach Automatic Train Protection System. We have a situation where the condition of old trains is being ignored, and fancy new trains with expensive tickets are being introduced on ill-equipped infrastructure. The price is being paid by millions who use trains regularly.

It is shocking to learn from government data that 5,73,220 Indians are residing in prisons. Of this whopping number, 4,34,302 (75.08%) are undertrials. It boggles the mind to read that as of September 21, 2024, there are 41,96,730 cases that are pending in the district courts and are over ten years old and 60,17,451 cases in the high courts of India, of which 4,40,602 criminal and 9,47,031 civil cases are over 10 years old. Enormous resources are wasted by not addressing these lacunae.

Some people keep blaming the population boom for all the ills of this country. If size were indeed an issue, smaller states like Goa, with populations of a few hundred thousand, would be paradise. However, as per an International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Institute for Human Development (IHD) report, Goa had an unemployment rate of 10%, three times the national average. Manipur, another small state, has been amid crisis and violence for nearly two years.

Instead of looking at the symptoms, it is expedient to examine the causes of these challenges. Casteism, corruption, feudal mindset, minimal social services, low-quality education, failure of law and order, different scales of justice to different people, lack of transparency and accountability, divide and rule policy at all levels, misplaced priorities, incongruence between pronouncements and actions, domination of electoral democracy and not social democracy. Not only national goals but also sustainable development goals (SDGs), such as a 'universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity,' are thrown to the wind.

Last but not least, let us examine the political scenario regarding sexual crimes and how they are handled or politicised. Anger Against Rapes Spills onto India's Streets (The Wire, September 26, 2024) poignantly pointed out some crucial facts. From West Bengal's Kolkata to Maharashtra's Badlapur to Bihar's Muzaffarpur, women, doctors, and civil society members have taken to the streets to protest against such crimes.

Amid pressure from opposition and allies, the centre has withdrawn an ad for 45 lateral entry hires for central government posts and said that in the interest of social justice, such hires must be aligned with provisions of reservations. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ukraine. The visit was being watched closely as Modi's attempt to strike a fine diplomatic balance following his visit to Moscow in July, where he faced criticism for hugging Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The real issues affecting this country are rozgar (employment), kamaai (income), mahangai (inflation), padhai (education), and davai (healthcare). This is what the common citizens are struggling for. This is what any government is supposed to provide. This is what any political leader or party worth the name is supposed to be engaged in. But the present regime is only engaged in hate-mongering, inciting violence, jumla and humour, becoming agents of select corporates, attacking the Constitution and its values, etc. Irrespective of massive repression and vengeance, the common citizens of this country are preparing themselves to put an end to this regime and usher in a unified, pluralistic, developed, sustainable India built on freedom, liberty, and equality.