A 70 year old ex-cop has been lynched in Allahabad today. Don't have anymore details. But does it matter? All that matters, is a fellow citizen's life, a senior citizen's life, has been taken by a bunch of goons who have been running amuck in this country with the protection of powers that be or by the belief that they should take the law in their hands as otherwise it takes too long for justice. So killing somebody in a mob which is faceless is so much easier and faster in dispensing justice. And you rarely get caught or punished when FIRs are lodged against unknown people.
The atmosphere is so vitiated you can be killed for anything. Of course, mainly if you belong to the minority community. The brutality and cruelty of people involved in these killings is mind boggling. If they cannot manage to kill, they will cut off a limb. The incidents happening, are a testimony to the fact that criminals are emboldened by the tacit support of the ruling dispensation. No CM ever expresses regret, ever visits the families of those killed, does not take lasting action against local thanas for not stopping the crime.
In Rajasthan, in Rakbar Khan's case, the lack of helpfulness of the cops and their deliberate attempt to delay medical help was clearly visible. They even first went to drop the cows in the cow shelter, instead of taking the man who was badly injured to the hospital. Infact, they even took a tea break and made him take a bath to wash off the blood. Are these people worthy of wearing a uniform? Do they have any allegiance to the constitution, on which they took oath when they passed out from their training academies. Or have they become complete slaves to their political masters. And to all this, CM Vasundhara Raje, in an interview, said that lynchings happen all over the world. Yes, madam in lawless places. Not in civilized countries. Don't know which country she had in mind. And it doesn't happen with such regularity, almost becoming routine. Nothing to be defending.
Hindus have always revered the cow and minorities living in India have respected this sentiment. There may be stray cases of theft but mostly because of poverty. Earlier, when cattle got old they were sold off. But today no one wants to buy them for fear of being killed. So they die of starvation as once they are not worthwhile the poor have no money to feed them. And what about the government shelters? 700 cows died in government shelters in Rajasthan. Should the CM be held accountable? After all, the great love of Hindus for cows does not seem to reflect among the government caretakers.
The other set of lynchings taking place in this country is by rumour mongering. Where some innocuous statement is soon spread on Whatsapp and technology arranges for crowds to collect very fast. Even if police arrive they are outnumbered and mostly helpless. Also, they rarely act on information, so, even if they know such a rumour is being spread they are too lazy or inefficient to take timely action.
Vigilantism in this country clearly has two faces---one is communal or political which is intentional, mostly with political support; and the other is sudden by a frenzied mob.
The second kind seems to be because people in India seem to be on the boil all the time. Majority are struggling with their day to day lives, traveling distances to work, traffic, inflation, unemployment, corruption, no honest politicians in sight, no roads, no water, no electricity, no toilets. And no visible action ever taken against real criminals. The list is endless. Everyone seems to be on a short fuse. Not only have they lost their sensitivity and sense of responsibility to another human being, but they watch and click pictures. They don't even bother to call the police. In fact, mentally unstable persons have been lynched. One beggar was beaten to death for stealing food. Only when society becomes so indifferent, human lives are totally dispensable and someone else's pain becomes irrelevant.
As a human and as an Indian I feel so angry, so helpless, so ashamed to be part of this atmosphere, where hate and suspicion lurks around the corner every second. Never know which hapless citizen will be next.
The atmosphere is so vitiated you can be killed for anything. Of course, mainly if you belong to the minority community. The brutality and cruelty of people involved in these killings is mind boggling. If they cannot manage to kill, they will cut off a limb. The incidents happening, are a testimony to the fact that criminals are emboldened by the tacit support of the ruling dispensation. No CM ever expresses regret, ever visits the families of those killed, does not take lasting action against local thanas for not stopping the crime.
In Rajasthan, in Rakbar Khan's case, the lack of helpfulness of the cops and their deliberate attempt to delay medical help was clearly visible. They even first went to drop the cows in the cow shelter, instead of taking the man who was badly injured to the hospital. Infact, they even took a tea break and made him take a bath to wash off the blood. Are these people worthy of wearing a uniform? Do they have any allegiance to the constitution, on which they took oath when they passed out from their training academies. Or have they become complete slaves to their political masters. And to all this, CM Vasundhara Raje, in an interview, said that lynchings happen all over the world. Yes, madam in lawless places. Not in civilized countries. Don't know which country she had in mind. And it doesn't happen with such regularity, almost becoming routine. Nothing to be defending.
Hindus have always revered the cow and minorities living in India have respected this sentiment. There may be stray cases of theft but mostly because of poverty. Earlier, when cattle got old they were sold off. But today no one wants to buy them for fear of being killed. So they die of starvation as once they are not worthwhile the poor have no money to feed them. And what about the government shelters? 700 cows died in government shelters in Rajasthan. Should the CM be held accountable? After all, the great love of Hindus for cows does not seem to reflect among the government caretakers.
The other set of lynchings taking place in this country is by rumour mongering. Where some innocuous statement is soon spread on Whatsapp and technology arranges for crowds to collect very fast. Even if police arrive they are outnumbered and mostly helpless. Also, they rarely act on information, so, even if they know such a rumour is being spread they are too lazy or inefficient to take timely action.
Vigilantism in this country clearly has two faces---one is communal or political which is intentional, mostly with political support; and the other is sudden by a frenzied mob.
The second kind seems to be because people in India seem to be on the boil all the time. Majority are struggling with their day to day lives, traveling distances to work, traffic, inflation, unemployment, corruption, no honest politicians in sight, no roads, no water, no electricity, no toilets. And no visible action ever taken against real criminals. The list is endless. Everyone seems to be on a short fuse. Not only have they lost their sensitivity and sense of responsibility to another human being, but they watch and click pictures. They don't even bother to call the police. In fact, mentally unstable persons have been lynched. One beggar was beaten to death for stealing food. Only when society becomes so indifferent, human lives are totally dispensable and someone else's pain becomes irrelevant.
As a human and as an Indian I feel so angry, so helpless, so ashamed to be part of this atmosphere, where hate and suspicion lurks around the corner every second. Never know which hapless citizen will be next.
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