With this Government coming to power, the Hindutva elements have become more aggressive, and many others are gripped by a sort of fear. This aggression of Hindutva groups got manifested in the violence in the victory rallies of BJP in Karnataka and Ahmedabad. The morphed pictures of Shivaji and Bal Thackeray by some mischievous elements led to the mob violence by Hindu Rashtra Sena. In this violence; the public lynching of Mohsin Sheikh, a techie shook many in the society. In Goa already a person was interrogated for a Facebook post critical of Modi. In Kerala a college student and his associates were booked for putting Modi’s picture along with Hitler and Osama bin Laden. In all these violations of the freedom of expression, and the brutal hate crime by Hindu Rashtra Sena, the silence of the Prime Minister speaks volumes about the shape of things to come.
Ram Puniyani
All India Secular Forum