During the last six-seven days, about one-third of the country in terms of population and area has once again fallen prey to the same communal frenzy that has not followed it for the last several hundred years. How this frenzy is created and when it turns into violence will be interesting to examine. A few years ago when I was studying communal violence under a fellowship, I was astonished to see that the response to the same action varied in different places. For example, I found in a city that after two bulls fought in the market, there were fierce riots and curfew had to be imposed for several days. Something happened next to it, on which any other sensitive area could be burnt, but nothing happened there. This was not without reason. During my study I found that the rise of communal violence is in the shape of a pyramid. This pyramid builds up gradually. There comes a point in the process when a stone-pelting, an inter-religious marriage, even a collision of cycles of drivers from two different communities can trigger a riot. If this pyramid had not been built, then even the biggest incident could not have caused violence.
In the cities of recent riots, we see very clearly that the pyramid of tension had reached a level where only a small spark was needed and the ‘shobha’ yatras of Ram Navami or Hanuman Jayanti provided this opportunity. There were riots in Delhi just a few months back and the wounds were not completely healed. Particularly in the minds of the minority community, there is still tension about the conduct of the police. There are many people, who are still not ready to consider the police as an impartial and law-enforcing agency.
I tried to understand the parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Karnataka and Bihar where incidents of violence took place. It was no surprise to me that the pyramid of violence was everywhere to the point where a small stone could cause a major riot. The question is bound to be that this pyramid of tension could not have been built overnight, why did the state not try to handle the gradually deteriorating situations? In some cases, it was clear that not only was there criminal negligence on the part of some organs of the state, but many are seen to be engaged in instigating the fire. The police, in particular, the most visible organ of the state, seems most helpless in stopping the pyramid from rising. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is the increasing political interference in the day-to-day functioning of the police. Naturally, if the effective discourse of the state favors communal violence, the police may also shirk its legal obligation to prevent it.
Religious processions in Indian society have been one of the biggest causes of tension between the two communities for more than a hundred years and that is why the police in every state have devised strategies to manage these processions according to local needs. Under this strategy some information is recorded in a separate register in each police station. These include details such as the date of the procession, the route, the number of participants, the slogans used in the procession or the instruments played. Police stations in sensitive areas are expected to hold meetings with all concerned before the festival, get them to agree on the route prescribed, the number of participants or slogans and, if necessary, legal provisions for the organizers and anti-social elements. will be banned under
From the visuals available on mainstream media or social media, it is clear, at least in Delhi and Khargone, that the people in the procession were raising provocative slogans, especially when they passed through special populated areas or in front of a place of worship. Arrive. I have no means of knowing whether the local police had placed certain conditions regarding the route or slogans before the organizers of Ram Navami or Hanuman Jayanti, but my past experience tells that law enforcing agencies must have given them their own Will be informed of intent. But it was clear that they were violating these conditions. He was confident that the police would not take any effective action against him and the police did not let him down.
One common thing was seen at every scene. Everywhere there were stone pelting from the roofs and places of worship of the minority population. Should this be seen as proof of their being a violent and violent community? I think it would be a simplification to assume so. Is it that a scared community, which does not have much faith in the state, has started thinking of making its own arrangements for its own security? He often throws the first stone when he sees a crowd standing near his house or place of worship shouting provocative slogans. If he is sure that his life is in danger, the state will protect him, then he probably will not make such arrangements on its roofs. It is a subject that demands long sociological study.
It should be remembered that there should be no place for communal violence in a nation dreaming of becoming a $5 trillion economy. Naturally, in today’s global scenario, India’s image has been tarnished due to riots. By saying that human rights are violated even in the West, we cannot exaggerate ourselves. It is also necessary for a nuclear-rich nation to have a moral and the presence of a fearful civilian community amongst us deprives us of this morality.
(These are the author’s own views)