In Mathura, An Obscure But Armed Cult Strikes, Then Politics Follow

The nearly 1,000 policemen who entered the large park in the heart of Mathura were completely ambushed.  From treetops, bullets showered down on them. On the ground, squatters- a heaving, ferocious mob of 3,000 - used swords, sticks and grenades. Flames raged as they set gas cylinders on fire. It took at least two hours before the squatters deserted Jawaharbagh, which they had moved into two years ago.

24 people were killed in these clashes: two police officers, the other victims were members of the cult that calls itself the Swadhin Bharat Vidhik Satyagrah. Claiming to be political and social revolutionaries, they say they are fighting for the abolition of elections and cheaper fuel for everyone.

In Uttar Pradesh, which votes next year - and will play an outsized role in determining who the next Prime Minister will be - the tragedy was quickly enmeshed with politics.
 Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted that he had phoned Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to offer any assistance needed of the Centre. But his junior minister, Kiren Rijiju, said the catastrophe was a "lapse" and the state government should investigate why it happened.

Keshav Prasad Maurya , who heads the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, went much further, alleging that the cult enjoyed the patronage of the Chief Minister's uncle, Shivpal Yadav, who is a minister. "Prove the allegation of publicly apologize," retaliated Shivpal Yadav.

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The Chief Minister pledged an impartial inquiry,  said "a mistake has happened" and that "the police was not well prepared".

Other leaders from the BJP allege that the disproportionate recruitment of Yadavs into the police force, fostered by the Chief Minister and his family to please their caste, meant that for years, the cult, which is dominated by Yadavs, was allowed to flourish.

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What is clear that a massive tranche of arms had been accrued by the cult - tough to do without coming to the attention of the police or administrative officials. That the cult was well-armed had also been proven by earlier attempts to evict them, which had met with aggressive resistance.

The BJP's claim of the political and moral high ground. however, suffered considerably on the account of Hema Malini, the parliamentarian from Mathura. Hours after the riot, the BJP leader chose to tweet photos of her on the sets of her latest film. She deleted that post later and said she was heading to Mathura.