The much hyped communal violence bill is gradually losing its sheen and pacebecause once again the government has failed to show the required zeal in getting the bill tabled in the second budget session of the Parliament.The bill in its present form is designed in such a manner that it caters more of post violence scenario and offers little solution to nip the riot menace in the bud or at least help to minimise the recurrence of communal violence.
Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinderecently made an effort to keep the ante on the communal violence bill, which was dumped in the north block for approximately two years, to streamline it so that it could pave the way for its smooth passage in the Parliament. Many believe that the efforts put in this direction are half hearted and is politically oriented. The government is aware of the stiff opposition from the BJP and some other parties and that is why moving at a snail’s pace.
The bill empowers the Centre to declare an area communally disturbed where security forces can be deployed even without the consent of the state. But the big question: Will communal violence bill go the NCTC way because here too those against it have opposed on the same ground that it may hurt and go against the federal structure? Will the government fumble under pressure or take a bold stand to show its commitment towards communal violence issue? If not, then people may keep on counting the numbers of communal violence during respective Congress and BJP regimes and maintain that both parties have equally failed to control communal violence and no party can take high moral ground on the issue of tackling riots.
According to a recent annual report released by the Home Ministry, there were 668 incidents of communal violence across India where 94 people lost their lives and 3,117 people were injured in 2012 as compared to 580 communal incidents which left 91 dead and injured 1,899 people during 2011. Steven Wilkinson, a US based thinker and scholar, after minutely studying communal violence in India, has summarised that loss of life because of communal violence since Independence is as high as 40,000 and communal violence will take place on regular basis because there are riot entrepreneurs, who used to co-ordinate and orchestrate riots and do get benefit from such violence. Communal violence has been used over the years to nurture collective and individual identity.
Along with communal violence bill, it is also important to sensitise the police force so that they can operate in a humane way without having any partisan inkling during and after any communal violence. Violence generally gets flared up in the absence of quick and effective measures or if one party receives a helping hand from the police or indirectly from political establishment. VibhutiNarainRai, former IPS officer who rendered his services in UP, once said that no communal riots can continue beyond 24 hours unless and until the administration at some point is complicit. In India, the police force is completely equipped and capable to control riot within 24 hours if they choose to do so.