Not many had heard of Lakhimpur Kheri, UP,  one nondescript village of the six lakh villages in  India, before October 3, 2021. On that fateful day,  an SUV hit a gathering of farmers from behind,  ran them down killing four farmers, and fled from the spot. The SUV  was the lead vehicle in a convoy of cars—the convoy was carrying workers of the party in power, both at the centre and the state. The lead car belonged to the son of the Home Minister of  India and as per the FIR, he was driving the car.

That it was not an unfortunate accident but a deliberate act,  was amply established through the mobile camera videos that surfaced after the incident.  Like the gold coin thrown by the Marquis, some money has been promised to the bereaved families. But what is bizarre is the brazenness and alacrity with which the ruling dispensation has gone about shielding its home minister and his son. And this is happening despite the Supreme Court taking Suo moto cognizance and driving the investigation.

A period of 250 years or a quarter of millennium separates the two incidents; but the more the things change, the more they remain the same—just the actors and the stages change. Do we need another Madame  Defarge and the attendant judicial system to give justice to the dead farmers? The thought is mind-numbingly scary.