We need a place to protest
C.P. JOSE
THE RIGHT to protest is a must for the healthy survival of a democracy. Suppressing dissent is detrimental to any civilised society and goes counter to the principles enshrined in our Constitution. Nevertheless, one's freedom of expression should not come in others' way.
In India, in the name of democracy, we organise demonstrations, shout slogans, put up banners, call hartals, etc. Sometimes agitations turn violent resulting in burning of trains, disruption of traffic and destruction of public and private property. Vandalism takes place in the garb of protest. These protests are a scourge for the common man.
Hartal is a case in point. With 24x7 news channels competing with one another to report first, the calls for hartals given by one or two unknown individuals or some obscure organisations will not go unnoticed. The people who do not want to participate in such forms of agitation are becoming mute spectators. Thanks to the media, any hartal becomes an instant success.
The result is that the organisers of such agitations get nationwide publicity free of cost and violence spreads across the country. Escalation of violence not only causes hardship to the common man but also drains the exchequer.
Both protesters and non-protestors should co-exist in a harmonious way in a society. Blocking rail and road traffic is an inhuman way of protest. Kerala — god's own country — is one of the must see destinations of tourists the world over. Goa is another favoured destination. It is our duty to ensure that tourists who come to India after seeing the various advertisements and other propaganda material of the Tourism Department are not subjected to any disruptions during their sojourn here.
Protests have a slew of reasons to bring public life to a halt. But it is the duty of the democratically elected government to protect the rights of every citizen cutting across caste/party/religious affiliations. It should never create the impression that it is clandestinely siding with a particular party.
A way out is to arrange a suitable place for protestors. A suitable place away from the hubbub of city or main areas should be located for protesters to assemble and arrange a meeting. A ground should be made available for this purpose with proper lighting and public address system in every city/town/village. Government labour officer or any other responsible officer should be posted there to receive the complaints/memorandums, etc., from the protestors who in turn should pass them to the departments/authorities concerned for action.
Sufficient police personnel should be posted there permanently to ensure law and order. Authorities should charge a nominal fee from the occupants of the grounds for the upkeep of the area. No demonstrations should be allowed through the main thoroughfares of the city. Protestors should take the shortest and least congested routes to reach the protest ground.
As far as possible, all protest meetings should be allowed after 8 p.m. so that students, the working class and other normal commuters are not affected by the demonstrations. Genuine protestors will take part in any demonstration even if it is held after prime time rush.
It is also time the government banned all forms of agitation except the ones conducted after giving proper legal notice.
Democracy will flourish when discipline is either imbibed/inculcated in our culture or enforced.
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