OBSERVATION

Why has there been an increase in crime?

One of the alarming developments seen by many in recent days, is the constant increase of crime, be it murder, robbery or just petty thuggery. In every corner of the country, including highly security conscious Kathmandu, there have been a spate of such crimes which have badly shaken the faith of the people in the belief that their country was safe and peaceful. One can say crime started to increase in a big way after the opening up of the country  both politically and socially. If in some cases the people thought of misusing democracy to break the law, at other times youngsters have been misled by what they see in the media.

Meanwhile, as the police too come from the very same society in which the people live in, they too have tarnished their image by indulging more on corruption than in presenting a good image in front of the people. This has also contributed in the police being slack and the criminals gaining confidence.

Let us start from the Maoist problem. Started by a politician, who could not get popular support as needed in a real democracy, this insurgency has gone on to become the number one challenge for any government that comes to power. The political threat of this extreme Left group is always there, but what we see increasingly happening these days, is simple robbery in the name of the Maoists. It is said “donations” too have been raised from people in the name of the Maoists, though few people admit giving money.

One huge trend in crime set by the insurgents is through the spate of robberies carried out by it in different areas. It has been proved through the daring of the Maoists, that the banks are poorly defended. In the more than dozen robberies at banks, the armed guards have barely put up a token resistance.

Now we have seen two daylight robberies, one in the heart of Kathmandu at the house of a jeweler and the other at a bank in Birtamod in Eastern Nepal. The modus operandi has been exactly like that of the Maoists. Armed people with weapons are the criminals and like the Maoists they also had their faces covered with masks.Then we have had murders. The most sensational of course was the hit-man style assassination of RPP MP Mirja Dilshad Beg right here in Kathmandu. But there have been others lesser known similar crimes.

In the run up to the Third General Election held about three months back, several politicians, including a UML candidate lost their lives through Maoist violence. Now we are seeing a spate of murders, be it crimes of passion or cold blooded intentional murders. The police have not come out with any statistics, but it is sure murders have also increased significantly.

Then we are seeing increasing violence among the youths of the country. It has almost become routine for young gangs to move with weapons. If not guns, at least swords and knives which are equally dangerous. To cite two example of last week, first, a gang of young boys with such swords were found running around at night near the Dynasty disco, which is in the area of the touristic Durbar Marg. Then there was a brutal stabbing incident in a pool house in Pokhara with a young boy losing his life.

Are all such activities a part of development or are Nepalese being hounded by astute poverty and uncontrolled exposure?

Perhaps it may require years of research to actually get the answer for such queries, but we can hazard a guess as to why the once docile and laid back society is being troubled with such anti-social activities.

First of all, the short sighted vision of the rulers and bureaucrats of the then Panchayat system must be blamed. Specially those politicians and decision makers who held the reins of power after 1980, were very corrupt and they probably sowed the seed for the present troubles right then, though it has taken over one and a half decade for the dam to burst.

Had enough thought been given to the areas where the Maoists now have much support, probably leaders like Baburam Bhattarai and Prachanda would be hiding like they are hiding now, but with a handful of supporters only. But even as top level politicians and government officials built a Western standard lifestyle here in Kathmandu, thousands of poor Nepalese did not have enough to eat two square meals a day.

Meanwhile in 1990 the country saw the re-ushering in of democracy with the overthrow of the wicked Panchayat, but sadly the leaders of the new system were no better. This has led to even more frustration among the people.

Then almost around the same time the people got their political freedom, the world also came into their sitting rooms through the help of satellite communication. From the latest fashions to the latest crimes, all served without any restrictions to the young and the old alike.

This new generation that has grown up with satellite TV, are completely different from the other generations that we had seen. Their talk, clothes, lifestyle, all are different. Sure, if some have been able to get the best out of this media globalisation, some have been influenced wrongly as well.

Last week after the police raided a night spot in Kathmandu, a police officer indicated that these places which served entertainment in the form of skimpily dressed dancers, were the root cause for many crimes. If indeed this is true, then how many crimes may have been committed by people’s exposure to different forms of entertainment from the TV, including English and Hindi movies? This also is something which researchers have to look into. But all the trouble starts from a leadership and society that shows tolerance to corruption and crime. If that attitude can first be stopped, other criminal activities will automatically decline.