Understanding terror in the Indian context
M. MOHIBUL HAQUE
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The solution to the menace lies in our deep commitment to secularism.
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Terrorism is a menace that deserves condemnation in all its forms and manifestations. In India it has become a national scourge. After every brief interval, terrorists successfully strike in our cities resulting into the deaths of innocents. Our major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Banglore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, etc., are always on the hit list of terrorists. After every act of terror, all the agencies of the state especially police, are brutally criticised. The electronic media, particularly private TV channels, add fuel to the fire by unnecessarily condemning the police and politicians. One can easily understand and decipher the tilt of the channels towards various political parties in their telecasts. Exceptions apart, there is hardly any channel that brings out a perspicacious analysis of terrorism and its root causes with the help of experts. The emotional and intellectual immaturity of the reporters is reflected in their reporting and comments.
Biased outlook
In a country like India where all forms of emotions run very high, the media should also understand its role and responsibility. In fact, militancy by pen is as dangerous as militancy by gun. The manner in which politicians and police are criticised or a particular community is blamed sometimes touches the shore of misuse of freedom of expression provided by the Constitution of India. Not only the police and the politicians but civil society at large has to be proactive and unite in the fight against it. There is need for introspection of our prejudices and biases on these — the sufferings of Dalits, victimisation of the minorities, the gruesome acts of terror by the Sangh Parivar, the rise of communal fascism, etc.
Islamist terrorism at an all India scale is a post-Babri Masjid demolition phenomenon, which got momentum after the Gujarat genocide. Thus the starting point of any coverage or discussion on Islamist terrorism should be the trajectory of these acts. The discussions, however, start with the Madrasas, radicalisation of the Muslim youth by organisations like SIMI, funding by foreign nationals, etc. The reality is very different from what is projected by the media or so-called experts on these issues.
Islamist terrorism is, in fact, a reaction to majoritarian communal fascism. We should remember that one form of fundamentalism feeds the other. Unless the communal fascism of the Sangh Parivar is controlled, the radicalisation of Muslim youth cannot be stopped. Therefore the solution to the menace of terrorism lies in our deep commitment to secularism. Any organisation or individual disturbing the secular fabric of our country should not be allowed to do so. The act of terror is to be defined not on the basis of who does it but what has been done. Terrorism has the advantage of hiding its heinous acts in the garb of nationalism.
Protecting social fabric
This smart illusion is to be understood while making any law against terrorism. Thus communal fascism, Islamist fundamentalism, the partisan role of police during communal riots and normal times — all of these must be addressed through any such law. A federal agency to especially deal with the scourge of terrorism in our country must reflect social composition. There must be sufficient number of personnel from minority communities and SCs and STs in this agency. A note on the role of judiciary is also important here.
It is not only the guardian of the Constitution but also the custodian of the rights and liberties of the people. Thus no section of society should feel that it is being ignored by the judiciary despite appreciable judicial activism in matters relating to human rights of people.
The accused is to be assumed innocent unless proved otherwise and therefore deserves a lawyer to prove his or her innocence. The lawyers should have full faith in the established judicial process of our country. They do not have any right to deny any citizen of India what has been granted to them by our constitution.
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