Karan Thapar Interviews Tavleen Singh
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Editoral : Yet Another Politically Motivated Communal Riot Mahi Pal Singh North-East Delhi once again witnessed a up Faizan, who later succumbed to the grievous politically motivated and abetted communal riot injuries inflicted on his body, along with some from 23rd February to the night of 25th other youths,. They behaved like fully trained February 2020, exactly the kind of communal Hindutva fanatics, exactly in the manner the anti-Sikh riots that shook Delhi in 1984, which PAC personnel did in Hashimpura and was also politically motivated and abetted, in Maliyana in U.P. long ago when they picked which more than 3000 Sikhs were brutally up only Muslims, loaded them in trucks and killed and their homes burnt. The latter was threw their bodies in a canal after shooting them abetted by the Congress leadership and some dead, knowing full well that nobody in the of its prominent leaders were actively involved government will even try to enquire into their in it while the former has been abetted by role, let alone charging them with the brutal leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party attack on the youth and murder of young as were the Gujarat riots of 2002. In all the Faizan. That is why they were seen aiding and three riots people of the minority communities abetting some rioting crowds to attack some were targeted and the police were either silent other people. Some of them were even spotted spectators or were complicit in the crime. The throwing stones along with the rioters. The size of the affected area or the number of the Home Minister, Mr. Amit Shah, defended the victims of the current Delhi riots differs, but police for this incident while speaking in the the ferocity and brutality of the crime and the Lok Sabha saying that they were doing so to complicity of the police and political leadership control the rioters on the other side. However, do not. It is a fact, whether we accept it or we do not know how he would defend the not, that the people by themselves are not policemen breaking CCTV cameras fixed on communal minded and want to live in peace an electric pole with their lathis and those with people belonging to other communities but policemen who were sitting idly in large the leaders of various political parties spread numbers barely 200 metres away from a spot hatred and promote communal enmity for their where arson and killings were taking place. narrow political ends. Police inaction and complicity is also evident In the recent Delhi riots more than 50 people from the fact that almost all of the 3500 SOS have died, about 500 got injured and hundreds calls made by people in distress remained of houses and shops were gutted, most of them unattended by the police. Will the Home in Shiv Vihar and Chand Bagh, both Minister, Mr. Amit Shah, ever order an inquiry predominantly inhabited by Muslims. The against the rogue policemen and take action number of the dead would have been in against those who acted illegally? – Never, hundreds if the people of these areas had not because how can he take action against the fled to safer places when they saw the rioters same police personnel whom he praised in the approaching in large numbers. Lok Sabha. A video telecast by BBC News on NDTV It is surprising that the Home Minister channel on 3rd March 2020 showed how defended the police supposedly for controlling brutally some communal rogues in uniform beat the riots within 36 hours whereas many former April 2020 THE RADICAL HUMANIST 3 IPS officers and a former Lieutenant Governor call had immediate effect. Bullets were fired of Delhi Mr. Najeeb Jung along with almost at the site where Jamia Millia Islamia all the media have criticised the police for its University students were protesting by complete inaction for two days during which supporters of the BJP. After all their leaders worst of riots were taking place, large scale had given them the call to do so. The leaders burning of houses, shops and even of mosques knew full well that their party and government and killing of people were taking place. He did would not act against them for giving that call. not tell the house why he did not give orders to It is clear from the mid-night order of transfer the police to control the riots within an hour or of Justice Murlidhar of Delhi High Court within two or call in the army to do so. The police hours of his asking the Delhi police why they has been criticised for its complete inaction had not filed FIRs against the leaders who had for two days because, obviously, its highest made hate speeches, and whose transfer had officers were not giving necessary orders to it no doubt been recommended on 12th February, because they knew the mood and intentions of 2020 by the collegium, and he was due to be their political masters very well and they did transferred to the Punjab and Chandigarh High not want to annoy them. After all, the police Court on 7th March 2020, This was an act of commissioner who was to retire within a moral support by the BJP government to these couple of days would be looking to get an leaders, and Kapil Mishra, a defeated BJP appointment to a plum post after retirement candidate of the Delhi Assembly election, more than his responsibility to stop the whose hate speech in the presence of a Deputy communally motivated riots, motivated by the Commissioner of Police who remained a mute leaders of the ruling BJP itself. spectator, became the immediate cause of The BJP leaders like Parvesh Varma, igniting the communal riots. When Justice Member of Parliament from West Delhi, Murlidhar had asked the government advocate Anurag Thakur, a minister in the Modi why FIRs had not been registered against government etc. had been making communally political leaders for hate speeches, Tushar charged hate speeches and raising slogans that Mehta, the Solicitor General, had replied in the had the potential of giving rise to violence Delhi High Court that atmosphere was not against Muslims. ‘conducive’ for registering FIRs against them. They had been spewing venom against those That reflected the government’s stand on the protesting against Citizenship Amendment Act issue. Nobody knows whether he meant that (CAA), particularly the predominantly Muslim the atmosphere would not be ‘conducive’ for women-led protest at Shaheen Bagh in which that so long as the BJP government is there to women have been braving the extreme cold provide support to them That is the reason why of winter and continuing their protest most no FIRs have still been registered against these peacefully for three months for which the and other hate-mongers. And perhaps that is whole country is saluting them, and the protest the reason why the Prime Minister has not marches of the students of Jamia Millia Islamia expressed any sorrow or regret on the riots till University, the BJP leaders giving the slogan date and the Home Minister found time to do of ‘desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maro saalon ko’ so for the first time only after about a fortnight, during the Delhi Legislative Assembly election while addressing the Lok Sabha. Perhaps all campaign – hinting thereby that those protesting the hate speeches leading to the riots is a well against the CAA, particularly Muslims, are thought out strategy to silence and crush dissent ‘gaddars’ and need to be shot dead. And the and opposition to the CAA, NPR and NRC in 4 THE RADICAL HUMANIST April 2020 which along with people of other communities The only saving grace during and after the and students a large number of Muslims are riots has been that some good people gave also taking part throughout the country. The shelter to the possible victims within their exercise of CAA and NPR, intended to lead homes and saved their lives and even fed them to the NRC, is so dear to the BJP government for quite a few days irrespective of their that it is bent upon crushing all opposition to religious identity though their homes from them and at all costs instead of honouring the where they had fled to save their lives were opinion of such a large number of its citizens burnt down to ashes and their belongings either because its ultimate aim is the promotion of looted or burnt by the rioters. Such acts of the Hindutva ideology by segregating as many human kindness based on humanistic Muslims as possible whether foreign, foreign considerations are what keep the hope alive of Indian origin or Indian. even in the face of extreme hatred and brutality The Delhi riots and the partition role of the shown by some misguided and fanatic Delhi police have figured in the media all over elements. However, efficient police action and the world and brought a bad name not only to effective justice administration system is the police, the political leadership of the country necessary to restore the confidence and sense and the country as a whole. The thekedars of of safety in the minds of the victims who have Indian cultural pride did not feel ashamed when lost their near and dear ones and also their their leaders and political followers indulged in homes and means of livelihood. As in all other the gruesome burning and killing; nor worry cases of grave human right violation by about the country’s falling prestige in the government agencies, the role of the higher international arena.