The horrific violence in Assam has once again brought our attention to
the malaise of communal violence in India . In the recent times one has
witnessed such a violence in parts of UP, (Kosi Kalan, Barailly, Pratapgarh)
and also in Gopalgargh in Rajasthan. In most of these acts of violence one has
to confront the reality that there is a lapse on the part of state, the police
and civic administration, due to which the violence sustains itself after the
initial spark has been thrown by someone. The present spate (July, 2012) of
series of acts of violence reconfirms that there is a lack of accountability,
there is state complicity and impunity due to which the innocents are done to
death and the culprits generally get away.
http://www.gourangachatterjee.blogspot.in/ |
The anatomy of riots in India so for is
constituted by a complex mechanism. At the base of this mechanism is ‘hatred
for others’. Then come, the communal forces which instigate violence through
various mechanisms. At the same time the state looks the other way around or
subtly or directly helps the rioters. In the aftermath of violence state,
mostly does not do any justice to the victims. The further trajectory of the
communal violence is the communal polarization, and ghettoizarion of
minorities. All this has been so far been manifest in India , various
inquiry commission reports have confirmed this observation time and over again.
It is in this light that when the UPA came to power in 2004, one of the
promises which it had given was to bring in a communal violence prevention bill
to see that these irritants of our system are done away. The focus was that the
role of different players in the phenomenon of violence is curtailed. Different
players in this game leading to violence are communal organizations-their hate
speech, the acts of commission of and omission of political leadership and the
state machinery. The aim of the bill was to curb the culprits and to give
security to the targeted groups, whatever be their religion. Finally the aim
was, to give justice to the victims and to rehabilitate them as a matter of
duty not as mere charity.
Noam Chomsky Courtesy: Wikipedia |
The draft bill submitted by NAC
came under heavy criticism from BJP. The other parties also criticized the
draft on the ground that it is one sided favoring the minorities. They also
pointed out that the idea of the national authority will go contrary to the
federal structure of the state, and provisions of reparations also came to be
criticized as being paternalistic; stifling the rights of survivors.
Later the UPA II tried to test the response to the bill from various quarters
by putting it on the agenda of National Integration Council where again most of
the parties criticized it, and only few members of NIC, who are working in the
area of social harmony spoke for it. All said and done it seems the Government
developed cold feet and seems to have put the draft bill in the deep freezer.
So, what will be the trajectory
of communal violence prevention bill? More violence in Assam , UP,
Rajasthan has already taken place and other new places may not be far off as
the deeper causes of violence persist, the riot mechanism is very much in place
and the political leadership is what it is, the bureaucratic and police
machinery continues to be operating in the same way. So what’s the way out?
Many a social activists met again
and put an appeal to draft and bring in a realistic law, which will address the
deep and basic causes of continuing violence. The group felt that it is
necessary to ensure establishment of command responsibility and the authorities
should not get away for their lapses by pointing the finger to political
leaderships instructions. Political leadership cannot escape its
responsibility. Accountability of authorities should be non controversial core
part of the legislation. Provisions for protection of women and children have
to be given priority. After the violence an effective victim and witness
protection provisions has to be put in place with activation of a suitable
compensation-rehabilitation mechanism in the aftermath of violence. One must add,
the violence is sparked off by Hate speech and rumors. Serious provisions are
needed to punish hate speech.
So it’s time that UPA II shows
its sincerity and revives the efforts to bring a violence prevention law, after
the due procedure, letting Parliamentary committee examine it and put the
modified draft to the parliament. It’s a mammoth task, but surely we keep
facing humanitarian crisis of serious nature regularly due to the violence
getting sparked time and over again. It’s time to get the wheels of making a
law, moving to prevent-control violence and to give justice to the violence
victims, which is overdue.
Dr Ram Puniyani was a
professor in biomedical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay , and took voluntary retirement in December 2004 to
work full time for communal harmony in India . His writings published by us can be accessed at: http://www.carvaka4india.com/search/label/Ram%20Puniyani
Dr Puniyani is associated with various secular and democratic initiatives like All India Secular Forum, Center for Study of Society and Secularism and ANHAD
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