The man at the centre of the Grand Omaxe society storm in Noida, Shrikant Tyagi, always knew that he would somehow get away. The incident where he abused and physically assaulted a woman is the latest in his run-ins with neighbours, building guards and RWA staff. Residents of the Noida housing society were also troubled by Tyagi’s frequent ‘durbars’ with his political associates and wannabes—where “men used to ogle at women”.
“Police officers in Noida knew that they cannot touch Shrikant Tyagi. We knew he would go scot-free and then take his revenge, so better to be on his team than the victim’s,” an inspector at Sector 39 police station in Noida said on the condition of anonymity.
But Tyagi isn’t alone among people with political affiliations who enjoy unchecked power and impunity. There is a long list of complaints against the so-called ‘chhutbhaiyya netas’—a popular cow belt term for political aspirants who routinely network, drop names and display photographs with senior party politicians of the area. And land encroachment, which Tyagi is accused of, is not the only way of power mongering for them. From driving around in a fleet of cars with party stickers, mobilising crowd power at election rallies, intervening in police cases against their men to creating ruckus at bars and picking up fights on the streets, these self-styled netas ensure their display of power is bigger than their actual power.
Tyagi’s bahubali reign was halted this week, four days after the video of him abusing a woman went viral. He has been arrested and sent to 14-day judicial custody. The case fuelled protest for and against him, with society residents calling for action and Tyagi community members coming out in his support.
But many still fear he will be out soon and hesitate to identify themselves while talking about his misdeeds. A guard at Grand Omaxe society recalls how Tyagi misbehaved with him once because he “forgot to salute Tyagi sahab”. “He could have done anything. He used to threaten all of us,” the guard said. “Everybody in the society was scared of him.”
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The power of ‘links’
Political workers like Tyagi often wear police complaints like a garland and as trappings of power. There were as many as nine cases against Tyagi, including under the Goonda Act, extortion, rioting and breach of peace. But he was never arrested.
“His wife used to pick up fights with neighbours over non-issues and storm their houses with armed henchmen,” said Mahima Joshi, secretary of Resident Welfare Association (RWA), Grand Omaxe. She said the residents had complained against Tyagi’s encroachment in 2019 and the Noida Authority had issued a notice to him but even that didn’t deter him. Tyagi would also conduct “political meetings in the common area”. “Men at his meetings used to ogle at women. We had filed so many complaints but even the society’s administration and security never dealt with him. They were so scared of him. When we had no other option, that’s when the residents intervened,” Joshi added.
Tyagi, according to the investigation officer, has six SUVs with BJP stickers on them and five armed henchmen. Residents of Grand Omaxe say a BJP flag over his house was taken down by his wife after his arrest on Tuesday. From the accounts of police and residents of Grand Omaxe society, Tyagi did not shy away from showing off his political connections and allegedly misusing it.
He regularly posted photographs with senior BJP leaders including current party president JP Nadda, UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya and Union minister Giriraj Singh on his Instagram and Facebook accounts.
After last week’s incident erupted and made national headlines, many BJP leaders including Gautam Budh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma were at pains to disassociate themselves with Tyagi, saying he was never a member of the party.
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‘Scorpio replaced by Fortuner’
But for too long, Tyagi managed to convince many people that he was indeed a rising star of the BJP in Noida. So much so that even the local police started believing it and were wary of taking the complaints forward.
“In 2016, residents of Noida used to be scared of Scorpios. Now Fortuner has replaced it,” said a sub-inspector at Phase 2 police station, who has “dealt with hundreds of cases of power mongering” in the time since he has been posted here. “These self-proclaimed netas keep changing their loyalties according to the party in power. Buying an SUV and putting up party flags on it is one way for them to display power,” said the officer who wants political parties to control such elements. “They don’t even care about the police,” he said.
Bars are another place for these netas to show their political power. “I will never forget that day in 2016 when a worker of a political party came around 1 am and insisted on a drink. After an hour, I requested him to leave as it was too late. He looked at me, threw a glass of water on my face, took out his gun and kept it on the table,” recalled 39-year-old Raman Sharma, a waiter working with one of the bars at Sector 18 in Noida.
“I was trembling with fear. We served him alcohol way past our closing time. He did not even pay and left,” Sharma added.
A side-effect of such cases is that clubs and bars in Noida get “a bad reputation”.
“We made sure that we change that reputation. But even after taking all security and safety measures, it is men with political affiliations who get drunk and misbehave with our guests,” said a worker at Ministry of Sound, a club at Gardens Galleria Mall in Noida Sector 38.
“Last year, seven men in saffron kurtas entered our club one day. The other guests got a little uncomfortable. After a few hours, these men started to misbehave with the women on the dance floor. When their male partners intervened, these men heckled them and asked if they even knew their political connections. My manager and I folded our hands and requested the guests not to file a complaint. Within minutes, all the other guests left and only those seven men kept dancing. This is very normal in Noida now. Even the police do not help,” the worker said.
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Another reputation at stake
Many critics are calling out CM Yogi Adityanath’s so-called ‘tough on crime’ reputation in the wake of the Grand Omaxe incident.
“BJP says they have weeded out gundas from UP, but the reality is different. During our time, we made sure that there was fear of law even to the ones associated with the party,” Vedram Bhati, former minister during Mayawati-led BSP’s tenure, said.
But the Adityanath government’s swift response of arresting Shrikant Tyagi demonstrates the high stakes in the CM’s ‘law and order’ politics. And the response of leaders denying links with Tyagi, even after his pictures with top BJP leaders have surfaced, show how important it is for the party to keep the CM’s image intact. “Tyagi was not a BJP leader but even if he was, he wouldn’t have been spared. We do not motivate this kind of behaviour. We took strict action against Tyagi and will do the same for anyone who uses BJP’s name to misuse power,” BJP MLA from Noida Pankaj Singh said.
(Edited by Prashant)