There may be various parameters to judge the
prevalence of democratic spirit in a country.
One of them may be how well the minorities are
doing, how safe they feel, how aligned they
feel, how much at home they feel. Whatever was
the answer to these questions couple of decades
earlier, today it seems the answer to these
questions is becoming more and more negative
and the quantitative worsening of these parameters
is leading to the qualitative transformation
of social scene towards abysmal social scenario.
One has been hearing the aggressive propaganda
that minorities are being appeased in this country
for the vote bank politics. This was being ?successfully'
injected to the societal consciousness despite
Gopal Singh Commission, which portrayed the
grim picture of the socio economic condition
of the Muslim minority. Close to two decades
later Rajinder Sachar Committee, on the basis
of thorough inquiry has not only confirmed what
Gopal Singh Commission found but also that trends
are in the direction of further worsening of
the socio-political indices of Muslim minorities.
The data shows that Muslim community is at the
bottom of economic indices, being worse than
even the SCs, STs. They are worse off in education,
and are far behind OBCs in employment. Their
representation in judiciary, bureaucracy is
very poor compared to their percentage in population,
and more so in class I and II jobs, they are
very low down in landholdings, and much worse
in employment in private sector. The number
of MLAs and MPs coming from this community has
also been declining over a period of time. Of
course there is one place where they are over-over
represented and that's in prisons. One may add
there is other data which tells us that their
representation amongst the riot victims is also
very heavy, more than 80% riot victims being
Muslims and not to be left behind most of the
POTA detainees also happen to be Muslims!
The biases against them abound in all spheres;
the police machinery in particular is the biggest
victim of these biases and prejudices. This
becomes apparent in their role during the riots
and after the riots. The latest in the series
is of course the pattern of investigations followed
by them. By now most of those in the police
machinery have come to firmly believe, and this
is the basis of their ?professional conduct',
that Muslims are criminals. The propaganda emerging
from some rumor manufacturing factory that ?all
Muslims are not terrorists but all terrorists
are Muslims' is not only becoming part of social
common sense but also the core guiding principle
of investigation authorities. This makes their
complex job also very easy. Recently the investigation
of Mumbai bomb blasts and later Malegaon blast
investigation has seen the targeting of Muslims
through and through. Right on day next of Mumbai
blasts Muslim youth were detained in hordes,
to be released only when a section of the community
went on protest. But the pattern remains the
same.
While someone from top leadership of police
issued a formal appeal that they want to play
a fair game and are open to listen to the innocents
if approached. Some social workers of repute
were also taken in by these formal appeals and
narrated through newspaper columns as to how
approaching police authorities is ?working'
in getting the innocents released. What levels
of democracy we have reached that police will
nab the innocents for the crime not committed
by them, than they will ring up the top police
officials or the reputed social worker/s to
get themselves released. What if the immediate
havladar decides that you cannot use the mobile
now, what if you are intimidated beyond your
wits to be able to contact these worthies? The
question remains how many from the community
can have access to these socials workers, whatever
be the levels of their accessibility. How many
from community can contact the top leadership
of the police which makes these claims? In the
face of such massive goofs, which have been
committed in such cases, mostly due to biased
and prejudiced approach of authorities is there
not a need for training the police in the lessons
of pluralism removing their biases and prejudices
if that be possible. Does a help line exist
for an average person? Does not a need exist
for creating an effective help line?
There are media reports telling us how innocents
are being trapped in different ways during interrogation,
what do we do for that? Do the people know their
rights in the face of being apprehended by the
Khaki uniforms? Is it not the responsibility
of the state to let the people know their rights
also when they are being booted and tortured
to extract ?confessions from them? Do we not
need to have provisions that without the legal
help to the one arrested the arresting authorities
will not proceed with their various ?degree'
methods of increasing levels of torture to force
the accused speak what Khaki uniformed one's
want to hear to make their job easy. Incidentally
that also fits in to the scheme of their line
of preformed opinions? The system is so insular,
and by now becoming so self righteous that the
appeal from Prime Minister, not to target the
particular community fell on deaf years of the
hardened stiff collared khaki machinery. In
Malegaon the limits of police bias are openly
apparent. And being disgusted with that the
local Muslim community had to resort to day
long peaceful bandh to vent out their frustration
and anguish. The partisanship of the investigation
is crystal clear to those who have been following
the incidents in Maharashtra. The Bajrang Dal,
whose activists died while making bomb in Nanded,
is totally protected by the other type of bias,
?affirmative bias' to be applied to some sections
and political streams of society. The bomb shells
and RDX which were found in Shanker Shelke shop
in
Ahmadnagar seems to be of no relevance and it
does not give any clues to our professionals
in uniforms. The sketch of the person who bought
the cycle on which bombs were kept has been
relegated to the background and the thesis that
SIMI activists have done this to kill exclusive
Muslim crowd near Bada Kabristan seems to be
the central point of investigation as far as
our agencies are concerned. Is it that the sectarian
ideology has already completed its task of ensuring
that the half truths, half lies spread by it
are the core operating principles of the large
section of bureaucracy and police? The insecurity
of other minority, the Christians, especially
in Adivasi areas knows no bounds and through
organizations like Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram the
divisive and intimidating role is being carried
to the full extent in remote places. The news
of attacks on Christian nuns ad missionaries
have become a matter of routine and no more
has any ?news value' as per the parameters of
our media. At social and cultural level the
Freedom of Religion Bills in various BJP ruled
states are an open threat to the Christian missionaries
working in the area of education and health
in deep interiors. Madhya Pradesh government
like other BJP governments has been manipulating
the things at cultural level. It has been naming
most of the social schemes in Hindu imageries,
like water irrigation projects as Jalabhishek,
marriage support to the poor as Kanyadan and
so on. Gujarat as a Hindu Rashtra has already
relegated the Muslims out into refugee camps
away from the main areas. Is it a return of
old untouchable ghettoes?
It seems the democratic ethos is under severe
threat and the state of alienation of minorities
is a pointer to that. It seems that even without
being in power, the BJP-RSS agenda of Hindu
Nation is already unfolding itself in a threatening
manner in BJP ruled states and in a subtle and
overt fashion in other states where BJP is not
in power. In those states due to the communal
attitude of some of those in power and the communalization
of state apparatus, police and bureaucracy,
the restrictions on liberal democratic spaces
are mounting. Is it time for celebration in
RSS headquarters or is there time still for
it to be taken as a warning signal by those
who wish to preserve and strengthen democracy.
A lip service to minority welfare and security
will not do. Those in leadership who are committed
to the values of Liberty, Equality and Community
(national) need to wake up and take stock of
the all round intimidation and alienation of
minorities. If Rajinder Sachar Committee report
and Malegaon bandh does not wake them up, what
will?
