Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always been a sharp politician and a learned professor when he addresses a global forum, barring, of course, some embarrassing occasions when he committed blunders in mentioning historical facts. He also makes it a point to speak ill of the previous Congress governments particularly the first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawharlal Nehru making himself a butt of joke among persons of knowledge and intellect but to show his party leaders and blind followers that it was he who is writing the history of India 70 years after Independence. While doing so he forgets the chaotic situation in the country created by the Sangh Parivar under the patronage of his government. His address to the fourth edition of Samvad, a symposium held in Tokyo was reported on July 6. He spoke high of Asian democracies and said Hinduism and Buddhism have always stressed democratic values. Mutual understanding, respect for each other and communal harmony are the values rooted in Asia. More than two thousands of years ago King Asoka taught the lesson of patience and communal harmony. The wise words should be praised by one and all, but while addressing the global forum, he forgot that of late people indulging in mob lynchings have let loose barbarism in many parts of the country.
During pre-British era, hatred on the basis of religion was not known, but the British rulers sowed the seeds of communal violence to rule the country. Since Independence no government could put a halt to communal riots and it is an irony of the circumstances that many a time the workers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sanghs were allegedly involved in communal strife. It was also alleged that the BJP, the political wing of the RSS polarized the atmosphere through communal violence for the election gains. Now when the BJP is ruling the country, the party hardly needs to take advantage of communal disturbances. However, on the eve of 2014 elections it took advantage of Muzzafarnagar communal riots to sweep Uttar Pradesh. But the strategy to suppress the minorities and Dalits is still on. Resultantly Gau Rakshaks have been given free hand to launch their reign of terror. Number of Muslims were lynched or killed on the pretext that either they stored beef or carried the cattle from one place to another. Despite the PM condemning the incidents and the Apex court issuing fiat to the state governments, the murderous vigilantism is still continuing. While scores of incidents occurred, hardly in one or two cases the alleged killers were punished by the courts. In the first incident in which Mohammad Akhlaq of Dadri village in Uttar Pradesh was lynched the culprits were set free for lack of evidence and then BJP leaders arranged government services for them. Likewise in other cases also the police said no evidence was available against the accused.
It was this backdrop that encouraged the people to take law into their hands. Then the rumours on social media proved to be catalyst to lynch innocent people. It is reported that within two months more than two dozen people were killed by the crazy mobs on the rumours that child lifters were roaming in different cities and villages. No concrete measures were taken by the centre or the state governments. Social media which is already targeted for creating criminal trends and cyber crimes is now blamed to spread baseless and false rumours that child lifters are active and resultantly innocent people became victims. Even though these barbaric incidents have been reported in foreign press yet the Prime Minister so far has not reacted. Perhaps he is busy finding subjects to speak about during his foreign tours or teleconferences to address the people in alien lands leaving the national matters to be looked after by his subordinate colleagues.
