The recent clashes in Kishtwar on the day of Eid are another
grim reminder of how our country is still in the grip of communalism. The
violence in Kishtwar resulted in two people being killed, around 80 injured,
curfews being imposed and the Amarnath Yatra being cancelled for some time.
Political statements about the riots were also abundant and Parliament flared
up in debate on the issue with Arun Jaitley, objecting to the prohibition from
visiting the region, saying that his detention was a “censorship” by the state
government. He was in turn rebutted by former Chief Minister of Jammu &
Kashmir Farooq Abdulla who said “Nobody was allowed into Gujarat after the
riots,” referring to the post-Godhra clashes that occurred there in 2002.
India has a terrible history of communalism and has seen
brutal clashes in the past 100 years. The ones that come immediately to mind
are those that followed partition, the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 and those of
Gujarat in 2002. All these clashes resulted in tremendous losses of life and
also left many homeless.
The minorities have borne the brunt of fundamentalism in
recent times. In Karnataka, attacks on the Christian community escalated
between 2008 and 2012 when places of worship were vandalised and the clergy
assaulted. Coastal Karnataka has also seen violence against the Muslim ‘Beary’
community where young boys and youths were assaulted just for being in the
company of Hindu girls. These heinous crimes were committed by fundamentalists
on the pretext of protecting their culture and even the police and the state
government at the time were mute spectators.
India is a secular country according to the preamble of our
Constitution which also states that every citizen is secured the liberty of
thought, expression, belief, faith and worship. By secular, it means the
Government of India will not encourage religion, but will not restrict anyone
from practicing and propagating any religion of their choice. India’s history
is full of writings praising its religious tolerance. From the times of the
Roman Empire itself, historians have recorded how India was peaceful and where
people of all faiths could live in harmony. However, this secular fabric is
being torn by religious fundamentalists who with their own personal agenda have
begun to launder hate of other religious communities in the name of protecting
their own.
Religion is supposed to be a personal affair. It is not
supposed to be brought out into the streets and it is not meant to be used to
justify violence. If religion is itself the cause of creating tensions among
people, then one wonders what the purpose of religion itself is. Religion is
claimed by its adherents to be a guideline to a righteous life, but the same
teachings from the same holy books are used by those who claim to be equally
fervent adherents to commit murder and other atrocities on fellow citizens.
Religion must be separated from politics and the government.
But unfortunately vote bank politics make parties depend on religion as a tool
to infuriate the masses. Communalism will continue in our country only as long
as we the people let it. We must not let this dangerous idea go any further.
