Sex, lies and UP politics: a death trap for women?

New Delhi: “I have seen the real and ugliest face of politics. Compared to it, even Ravana’s ten faces are blemish-less,” is what the protagonist of a Hindi novel had to say about dirty Indian politics.

The protagonist’s voice finds echo in the real world as well.

After the recent cases of three unsuspecting young women who were sucked into the mysterious world of politicians hailing from Uttar Pradesh, this week CNN-IBN’s special report takes you inside the often crime ridden land of Uttar Pradesh — a state which was recently in news for being advertised as the state with the lowest crime rate.

Kavita, Madhumita and Shashi were three bright young girls who allegedly fell prey to the lure of politics and politicians.

Kavita Rani, a lecturer in Meerut University was found killed after an alleged affair.

Madhumita Shukla, a poetess, fiery orator was allegedly killed by UP minister Amarmani Tripathi's wife. She too had to pay a price for being involved with Amarmani Tripathi.

And in the most recent case, the fate of 22-year-old Shashi, a follower of Kanshi Ram's politics also took a turn lines similar to those of Kavita and Madhumita.

What is it about Uttar Pradesh's politics that these cases keep repeating themselves with alarming regularity?

None of these three girls were uneducated. Almost all were familiar with the dirty underbelly that UP politics is known to have.

That muscle power and money power rule the roost in UP is well known. What is not clear though is that why and how these girls get entrapped in this vicious circle. Is it just a simple as a desire to get a move on?

UP's society is known for its feudalism — a place where women are always discriminated against, the fact that a woman rules the state not withstanding.

Unlike dacoit Phoolan Devi who was a rebel, for a vast majority, the story is totally opposite. Proximity to politicians is one way for many of these young women to break free, an opportunity for them to aim for the skies.

Sometimes it’s these desires which gets them mixing up with proven criminals.

However, it is not UP alone. It is dangerously similar story in Bihar. Recently JDU leader Anant Singh was accused of raping and murdering a woman.

The irony perhaps is that all these women, all of them well-educated, ultimately lost out to a deadly cocktail of crime, politics and money.