“Ideas are only lethal if you suppress and don't discuss them. Ignorance is not bliss, it's stupid ”, Journalist, Novelist Anna Quindlen had warned number of times.
But such sane voice go over head of the power-drunk rulers. A few unfortunate incident in India biggest state- Uttar Pradesh- ruled by saffron party, the custodian of Indian ethos, are most disturbing. A journalist was arrested for tweeting objectionable material against Yogi Adityanath. The scribe Prashant Kanojia had shared a video on Twitter and Facebook in which a woman is seen talking to reporters outside CM house claiming that she had sent an marriage proposal to Yogi.
And that was enough provocation and police immediately booked the scribe under IPC and IT acts. However, he was later released by the country top court. In latest development a journalist on Shamli district of UP was punched, slapped and urinated in mouth a group of policemen. The incident has been video recorded. His only fault was that he was covering the derailment of a train in Shamli district.
Sadly, the incident happened just after the Supreme Court ruled that "liberty of citizens is sacrosanct and non-negotiable". These two incidents just underlines the authoritarian thinking of our rulers and police actions can, in no way, be justified in a democratic set up where Citizens have many inherent constitutional rights. Right to personal liberty is one of many Does posting an video of an simple reporting act provide enough grounds and call for invoking penal actions? And how is that covering an train accident is seen as an act of offence. If such is the thinking of our rulers, then country is surely heading towards authoritarian streak.
The perception is growing stronger that ever since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014, India has grown deeply divided along ideological and religious lines. Under saffron party dispensation at center and states, religious minorities and dissenters have been become target of saffron outfits.There is also an impression that party top leaders have largely remained silent about violence against such groups.On the contrary, they have even gone too far as to laud such acts.
In August 2015, Malleshappa Kalburgi, an Indian scholar who criticized Hindu idolatry, was murdered by Hindu right-wing groups. His death was later celebrated on Twitter by activists from Bajrang Dal, another right-wing Hindu group whose members are strong supporters of saffron part. On same year, a 50-year-old Muslim man, Mohammad Akhlaq, was killed by a mob for allegedly committing the “sin” of eating beef. In 2017, a prominent critic of Hindu groups, journalist Gauri Lankesh was slained. In all of these cases, the PM Modi didn't react, neither condolence or condemnation. Worse is the saffron party leaders and activists routinely label protesters as “anti-national.”
The latest incidents only add to the list of "fascist" incidents. What is worrisome is that in Kanojia case, no one from fraternity came forward to his aid. Here, I wish to remind a latest similar case in Russia. The Kremlin has dropped all charges against an investigative reporter Ivan Golunov accused of drug dealing after a massive public outcry over the case. Drug dealing is more serious a crime then so called "offensive" post. .In a rare public show of support, Russian newspapers rallied around Ivan Golunov and after a massive public outcry over the case, govt had to buckle/
Indian democratic ethos are strong enough to withstand and fascist or authoritarian onslaught. All we need is to vociferously champion the genuine causes.
(Chander Sharma)