Let Supreme Court Take Suo Motto Notice of the ‘Bulldozer Justice’
The country is witnessing massive peaceful protests against the blasphemous remarks of two now-sacked BJP leaders. Two teenagers have been shot dead in Ranchi, over 400 persons have been arrested, and hundreds rendered injured. This crackdown is the worst in Uttar Pradesh, for here the administration is dealing with the peaceful, unarmed demonstrators with iron fists. They are bulldozing the houses of some of the protesters. In Allahabad or Prayagraj the two-storey house of Javed Muhammad, a functionary of Welfare Party of India has been levelled. In Saharanpur, the gates and outer walls of the houses of Muzammil and Abdul Waqir were bulldozed. Who is responsible for this loss of lives and properties?
Why the Government has resorted to crackdown on the protesters is beyond comprehension. India is a democratic country; and in a democracy staging a protest is the fundamental right of citizens if democracy means a government of the people, for the people and by the people. But it seems our government is not for the people. All slogans like sab ka saath and sab ka vikasand sab ka vishwasare hollow. What is surprisingly astonishing is the calculated silence of the Prime Minister. At least he should have come forward to contain the hate juggernaut.
In this critical situation judiciary is only hope. Let us hope the Supreme Court of India, the highest palladium of justice in the country, will take suo motto notice of the ‘bulldozer justice’ being delivered by one of our elected governments.
Asghar Ghani
Deoria, Uttar Pradesh
Fringe Elements? Are You Kidding?
Rabindranath Tagore, in his Gitanjali, dreamt of freedom our country would have after declaration of Independence when he sang: “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high”. But in the present situation our mind is not without fear. And when Qatar summoned our Ambassador Deepak Mittal and handed over to him an official note on what the Gulf country called “total rejection and condemnation” of the controversial remarks of a BJP leader against Prophet Muhammadﷺ, it was a shame for us the Indians, for we couldn’t hold our head high. And we had to sink our head in shame repeatedly when country after country started summoning our Ambassadors to convey their concern.
Perhaps in a damage control tone, Ambassador Mittal tried to impress upon the Qatari administration that the BJP leader’s remarks did not in any manner reflect the views of the Government of India. “These are the views of fringe elements,” he said. Of course, he couldn’t have given any better reply. And we wish the blasphemous remarks do not reflect the views of our Government. But for that matter, Nupur Sharma was not a foot soldier; she was after all national spokesperson of BJP. How can we treat her as a ‘fringe element’? Had she been a fringe element, she would have been sent behind the bars by now.
Rajkumar Singh
Pydhonie, Maharashtra
Glaring Indifference to Anti-Muslim Hatred in India
You report on a variety of human rights abuses against Muslims in India, and these are even used to win elections. Why is there so much silence from the media? What if the attacks were against Hindus by Muslims, say in a Muslim country? They, and Western governments, would be up in arms.
We live in a world where hatred permeates every aspect of life. God help us all.
Maria Hussain
Batley, West Yorkshire
United Kingdom