On paper we have the rule of law, but what is visible most to people is the culture of impunity surrounding the political class. Even small-fry politicians throw their weight about, routinely break laws, and take pride in doing so.
They feel laws and regulations are meant for ordinary mortals, and flouting these as a measure of their own importance. Top leaders of different parties don’t crack down hard on criminal behaviour by their colleagues.
We saw all of this in Punjab last week. When Ravinderpal Singh, an assistant sub-inspector of police in Amritsar, took a distress call from his daughter about being harassed by a local Akali Dal tough, he rushed to her rescue. The goon and his friends fired on the policeman father and his daughter, left the scene and returned a few minutes later with a rifle with which the politician shot the policeman dead. The incident took place in broad daylight and only 100 metres away from a police station. Singh’s colleagues didn’t rush to help. They were too afraid of the killer’s political clout. A few days earlier, the police had refused to register an FIR from Singh’s daughter against the same politico, who was clearly stalking her.
Something like this could easily have happened in any state. If a way is not found to rein in such politicians, we simply cannot run a democracy.