LYNCHING PROGRAMME IS CONTINUING IN MODI’S SECOND TERM
By Arun Srivastava
A new saffron government has come to occupy the coveted throne of prime minister. People vouch that Modi has undergone change and so his approach to the contour of social relations. His opening remark at the MP’s meeting strengthened the belief that he is a changed ruler and has now developed soft corner even for the Muslims for whom he had high level of hate.
But this assessment does not appear to be true. Muslims continue to be the object of hate. Lynching of the Muslims continues unabated. During the first term o f Modi, the saffron mercenaries chose some false alibis like transporting and carrying beef, after his fresh installation the vigilantes are resorting to the same tactics.
The saffron vigilantes indulging in lynching of the Muslims are more precious for the prime minister, Narendra Modi than strengthening India’s relation with USA, the best friend of Modi amongst the global fraternity as claimed by the BJP leadership.
A week back the US State Department had released a report on international religious freedom mentioning that BJP office-bearer were indulging in hate speech and the Modi government was protecting cow vigilante groups. Just after the report hit the public domain, BJP accused the U.S. State Department of a “clear bias” against the government of Narendra Modi and the BJP. Significantly the annual report “The cow vigilante menace: U.P.” records highest number of incidents
The 2018 report which was released by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had listed 18 attacks against “Non-Hindu and Dalit” victims, in which 8 people were killed in violence linked to cow protection. The state authorities and officials never accept the brutal killings of the Muslims as an act carried out by saffron mercenaries. Often they cite these cases and allegations against the victims as false.
No doubt Modi and BJP leaders have deplored violence against minorities and weaker sections, but their move was half hearted. They were never serious in their condemnation. Authorities often protected perpetrators from prosecution,” the report said, adding that a “crackdown” on one Christian group in Jharkhand was part of “a ploy to discredit the organisation as part of the State government’s anti-Christian agenda.”
If there is no design behind the lynching of the Muslims then why is the government so protective to the vigilantes. The government’s action and its machination to put the victims in bad light, as being butchers or beef eaters or thieves, sends the strong message of a grand design behind anti-minority violence.
Interestingly while Modi and some of his senior ministerial colleagues try to project the government as the saviours of the Muslims most of the party leaders make inflammatory speeches against minority communities aimed at inciting the communal hatred.
Replying to the debate on president’s speech in Parliament on Wednesday, Modi expressed surprise why Jharkhand was singled out. Modi was absolutely right. When the lynching has been taking place in other states why only Jharkhand was being targeted? The reason is simple the vigilante goons have become quite active in the state after the Modi government came to power. The state had been in lime light for lynching maximum number of Muslims and dalits. They are the vanguards of Hindutva and have launched their mission from Jharkhand.
In Jharkhand, the fresh incident of lynching combining with a communal motive took place on May 22. The murder of 24-year-Tabrej in Jharkhand days after he was brutally beaten by a mob is a sordid reminder that the disturbing phenomenon of lynching continues to dictate the politics of the state.
The victim a Muslim came under the suspicion of a mob, which chose to mete out vigilante justice. The crime would not have got exposed if some one in crowd had not recorded it. Crowd forcing him to shout ‘Jai Sri Ram’ and ‘Jai Hanuman’, confirmed that vigilante justice and lynch mentality confirmed the fact that communal motive has been dictating the politics of the state.
The apex court noted, “It is distressing that lynching, as a consequence of vigilantism, communal bigotry and the dissemination of hate messages and rumours on social media, has acquired the status of a preponderant social trend. Rising intolerance and growing polarisation expressed through [a] spate of incidents of mob violence cannot be permitted to become the normal way of life or the normal state of law and order”. Nevertheless lynching of Ansari shows that the problem has taken to a sinister form of enforcing the chanting of Hindu slogans by citizens professing other religions.
Though Modi told the Parliament that action ought to be taken against killers, he did not specify his role in it. He did clarify why his government has been silent on this issue. What has indeed been shameful that his government has adopted the stance of passive silence on the issue of police and state administration joining hands with the saffron vigilantes to perpetrate the crime.
In two other incidents cow vigilantes beat up three in M.P. for possession of beef and three persons were also beaten up in Gurgaon area. In both cases the police arrested the accused persons. But the question ought to be answered is why there has been sudden spurt in lynching. What does this symptom underline? It is a paradox that a powerful person like him has been warning the gau rakshaks, but these mercenaries have refused to listen to him
It is a paradox that the vigilantes are not to be cowed down by the warnings of the most powerful person in India. These mercenaries have refused to listen to him. During 2018 Modi had warned the cow vigilantes at least on four occasions to refrain from such activities. On June 29 last year in Ahmedabad he came out with warning: “Killing people in the name of ‘gau bhakti’ is not acceptable.” But least bothered of his warning these elements continue to indulge in the heinous crime. Though the Sangh leadership and even Modi are aware of the identity of the gau rakshaks, to protect them from public ire and also prohibit them from giving a bad name to the RSS, have been putting the blame on criminals and anti socials. In Jharkhand the police is not at all willing to accept complaints against these marauders. In some stray cases it acted, but that was eye wash exercise.