Agonizing religious matters-the Indian way !

What happened recently in Una Gujarat is shameful indeed.   A whole family was flogged publicly for skinning a dead cow by a group of vigilantes. The video of this flogging went viral and led to an outcry.  A number of Dalits attempted suicide to draw attention to their plight and as a form of protest.

The issue soon became national, was discussed in both houses of parliament in India and occupied national media attention. As if this was not bad enough in itself, a senior office-bearer of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh (UP) used an expletive about Former Chief Minister of UP Mayawati which led to another storm in parliament and outside. Since the change of guard in India two years ago, “It has been a terrifying experience to pick up the early morning newspaper and go through the headlines” as a friend from Delhi described the changing situation in India. Extraordinary events in the form of war of words, religion based events have been unfolding at such a breathless pace that one dreads to even switch on the TV, as another recent immigrant to Canada living in Mississauga put it.

When Mohammed Akhlaq, a 52-year-old farmer and father of an Indian Air Force engineer, was beaten to death by his fellow villagers in Uttar Pradesh less than 30 kilometers from the power centre of Delhi, over ‘beef eating’ rumors a year ago, the news sent shockwaves across India and around the world.The usual suspects have been administered many such beatings and even lynched since but they have barely created ripples. Growing atrocities against the minorities, Dalits in particular, only highlight increasing intra-religious tensions. There is a pattern to these incidents and just can’t be ignored as stray ones.

Among the decisions of the new BJP governments in Haryana and Maharashtra was to ban cow slaughter and impose heavy fines and jail terms for anyone who tried to sell and consume beef. This has hurt not just butchers or beef-lovers but also farmers, who now cannot sell old cattle stock, as was the practice earlier. Those affected by the decision had predicted that soon cows will be seen wandering around and that has come to pass. The self appointed vigilantes have been going after people on the slightest of suspicion and have been able to impound trucks carrying cattle and have thrashed the transporters too. They have no right, the cattle could be transported for the dairy too, but the vigilantes have had their own agenda of creating ruckus, divide and to teach a lesson –that may or may not be linked to the cow slaughter.  Some stories, such as the thrashing of four dalits, make it to the media, but how many more must be happening? The very fact that the Dalits are among the few communities that carry out the de-skinning of the carcass of the animals, and if they are expected to stop doing so the country would be in shambles with dead animals lying all around. Consequently, the dalits know not only their plight but the dilemma that the nation may face.

The brutal incident at Una in Gujarat only reinforces the need to prevent agonizing religious matters from growing into larger acts of lawlessness and violence. It is unfortunate that the legislation on cow slaughter and protection is being misused by some fringe groups with impunity as a tool to harass and intimidate minorities. India soon is being converted into an intolerant and hate filled society with a deliberate attempt to interpret the religion as it suits some.

To the outside world India is giving an impression that nation is under siege from the vigilante groups who are in turn are spreading hate, terror in the name of protecting culture spring from the source –cultural intolerance.  Indians have been left wondering why the Narendra Modi government hasn’t done much. Prime Minister Narendra Modi didn’t even discuss the matter in his address to the parliament. Well, he needs to be reminded that just two years back in his first address to the parliament he had said, “A government is one which thinks about the poor, listens to the poor and which exists for the poor….” How true is this statement –two years later?