Condoning the Delhi violence
After the United States’ Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reacted to Delhi’s killings and burnings by saying that “the Indian government should provide protection to people regardless of their faith”, India’s ministry for external affairs replied through its official spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar.
“We would urge,” Mr. Kumar said on his ministry’s behalf, “that irresponsible comments are not made at this sensitive time.” He added that Prime Minister Modi himself had appealed for “peace and brotherhood”. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/delhi-violence-india-tells-us-rights-body-to-desist-from-irresponsible-remarks-over-delhi-clashes-2186648?
Modi’s “appeal” was 72 hours too late. Moreover, it failed to bring peace. Delhi’s killings continue.
A prime minister is expected to implement peace, not plead for it. In any case, Indians have long ceased to expect action from Modi. Or even the right words.
Modi didn’t even say that the guilty would be punished. His unconvincing appeal was for peace between attackers and the attacked. And it was issued three days after the killings began, three days during which his police merely stood and watched.
At 1:45 a.m. on Wednesday February 26, two judges of the Delhi High Court, S. Muralidhar and A. J. Bhambhani, ordered a police officer to escort to a hospital wounded Muslims who were trapped in a corner of Delhi. Without the court’s intervention, the police might have let these wounded remain unattended and at their attackers’ mercy.
Later that day, Justice Muralidhar and another judge asked the government why BJP politicians who on record had asked Hindus to teach Muslims a lesson on the streets had not been booked for hate speech.
For example, as Kalpana Sharma reported on newslaundry.com, “the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kapil Mishra gave an open call to arms on Sunday, February 23. He did it before the media and cameras and with a senior police official by his side. The latter watched and listened even as Mishra issued an ultimatum to the police to clear the anti-CAA protesters at Jaffarabad.”
On Feb 27, Justice Muralidhar was transferred out of Delhi High Court. Another bench then gave the government FOUR WEEKS to respond to a citizens’ plea for booking Mishra and others accused of hate speech.
In an Indian Express comment, “Darkness in Delhi” (Feb 27), Pratap Bhanu Mehta assigns critical responsibility to India’s Supreme Court: “By refusing to send a clear signal on basic rights of habeas corpus [and] checks against preventive detention, the court decimated the Constitution that binds us together. By systematically appearing to side with government on practically every issue, by delaying hearings on something as fundamental as discrimination, by genuflecting paeans to the Great Leader, it dashed all hopes of fair constitutional adjudication.”
Several journalists, however, have emerged as brave heroes, including some with NDTV and Indian Express. One reporter has painfully related how, to save his life, he had to pull out a string of personal beads, underline his Brahmin name, and show he was a Hindu. Still, he and other journalists managed to portray the violent targeting of Muslim schools and tombs.
Kalpana Sharma cited a Hindustan Times report according to which, in some localities, saffron flags were placed atop Hindu homes and shops a day before the violence, so that shops and homes owned by Muslims could be identified.
Videos showing Sikh neighbours protecting targeted Muslims have also emerged, and Naresh Gujral of the Akali Party (which has an alliance with the BJP) has spoken fearlessly in defence of victimized Muslims.
But the overall picture is grim, and India’s international reputation is the lowest it’s been in years.
