I have not misread the statement. I have clearly started to interpret the news dished out by the electronic and print media of India and would take any news with a pinch of salt. In this case, if the news is from unknown source, then I would call it alleged.
Oh so this is alleged just because Indian media have a habit of going overboard, well even I consider it true to some extent that Indian media has this habit but then everything it reports should be viewed skeptically. But that doesn't seem to happen with you. You readily applaud the news articles which vindicates muslim fanatics(even thou they are mentioned as alleged or from unknown sources.) and willing to overlook these one's...
Not the article. I am pointing at your enthusiasm to bring in the right wing hindu elements into picture while the incidents of 3 weeks has nothing to do with hindu right wing elements. You are hell bent on showing some bad apples in every community by pointing example after example(albiet some does not qualify as religious based one). But here is the fact - most of the Indians are angry and shocked and especially the desecration of war memorial is a first of a kind and has sent out a signal that there are elements which have started to place religion in front of the country. And I am concerned in what way this will coalesce the opinion - if this strengthens the right wing hindu elements, it is not a good thing.
When these Hindutva goons actively played their part in these last four weeks, time and again you keep denying it. That doesn't make sense and obviously there are bad apples in every community and place so what is wrong in pinpointing them, Ah I see you only want to see just the bad apples of one particular community. This kind of vandalism hasn't happened for the first time so I hope all Indians were equally angry and shocked at all those acts. Anyways the below article will definitely clear that dust off your eyes about this 'first' of its kind of vandalism.
The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : So what
Every time the Shiv Sena and the MNS have gone on the rampage in the city, the State government, police and even media have been mute bystanders
Saturdays violence by Muslim youth has shaken Mumbai. This is probably the first time that policemen have borne the brunt of the violence of the 63 injured, 58 are policemen. What kind of mob has the guts to attack the police and think it can get away with it?
A Muslim social worker has filed a complaint with the police against the organisers for instigating the public; a Muslim lawyer has gone to the High Court with the same demand. The police have so far arrested 23, charged them with murder and other offences, and set up a Special Investigation team (SIT) to probe the sudden outburst of violence. With tons of visual evidence, it wont be difficult to identify the rioters.
The questions
Despite all these steps, some questions remain. Is it not the organisers responsibility to control the crowd they mobilise and ensure that no inflammatory speeches are made? Why arent they being arrested, specially since one of the organisers has a record of instigating violence? Why has the man who made the inflammatory speech not been arrested?
Second: why has this flurry of activity not been seen on all the other occasions that mobs have burnt Mumbai? While this may be the first time that the police has been targeted, its not the first time the media or BEST buses or cars have been vandalised. Indeed, in the last two months, Mumbai has seen frequent displays of such hooliganism.
On May 31, observing the National Democratic Alliance-called Bharat Bandh, Shiv Sainiks damaged 42 BEST buses. This despite the chairman and seven of the 17 BEST Committee members being Shiv Sainiks. The chairman explained away the vandalism by saying that protesters become uncontrollable on such occasions, and demurred when asked if his party would pay for the damage.
Mid-June saw the new saviour of the Marathi Manoos kick-off a campaign against the payment of toll tax.
Within 72 hours, three toll nakas were vandalised. Visuals of those actions are pretty similar to videos of Saturdays violence the same iron rods, the same smashing of glass. But there was one important difference. After the violence, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) MLA Shishir Shinde declared in audibly slurred tones, his partys intention to destroy toll nakas. The police obligingly waited till he finished addressing TV cameras before taking him away in their van. Saturdays videos had no such bravado after smashing everything in sight, the topi-clad youth could be seen fleeing for dear life from police lathis. Two youngsters died in the ensuing firing.
The fallout of the two incidents however, may not be too different. Today, an MNS sticker on your car can exempt you from paying toll. And last week, the Maharashtra Chief Minister gave an audience to the man behind the violent anti-toll agitation. Accompanying Raj Thackeray at the meeting with the CM was Shishir Shinde. Two days after Saturdays violence, Maharashtras Home Minister gave a clean chit to one of the organisers of Saturdays rally, the Raza Academy. Dont be surprised if the outfits chief, Maulana Saeed Noorie, is soon seen sharing the stage with R.R. Patil, Congress Minister Naseem Khan and other influential members of our government. After all, Eid is just round the corner. Had the violence not taken place, the rallys leading lights would have attended the CMs iftaar scheduled for Saturday evening.
However, those who rioted arent getting the same treatment that Shiv Sainiks and MNS rioters do. It can be argued that attacking the police is more serious than attacking public property. But attacking unarmed citizens only because they belong to a particular faith or region is that less serious? The MNSs attacks on North Indians, all televised, are just four years old.
Two innocents were killed then. When the National Human Rights Commission directed the State to pay compensation of Rs.5 lakh each to the victims families, the government spoke of financial problems. Incidentally, the MNSs unique way of protecting Marathi pride in 2008 cost the State a loss of Rs.500 crore. As for the Shiv Senas record of targeting, often fatally, unarmed South Indians, Muslims, mediapersons, Valentines Day lovers, rickshaw drivers it would be insulting the readers intelligence to list the details.
Looking back
Police failure to anticipate and prevent Saturdays violence is indeed blameworthy. But whats new? When the Mumbai police has had indications of Sena-led violence, has it ever tried to prevent it? Forget the 1992-93 riots.
In December 2010, the Pune police, apprehending violence at a protest called by the Sena, tapped Sena leaders phones and heard Milind Narvekar, Uddhav Thackerays PA, instruct Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe (a former Socialist) to gather a mob, burn buses and inform TV channels. Everything went according to plan; 54 buses were burnt. Punes Police Commissioner repeated the Maharashtra polices time-honoured motto: Preventive arrests would have aggravated the situation and R.R. Patil supported her, saying the polices priority was to safeguard law and order and protect the public.
When Meenatai Thackerays statue was desecrated on a Sunday in July 2006, the Sena ran amok. The same man produced another gem: If the violence continues on Monday, the police will take action.
After the Sena attacked the IBN Lokmat office in 2009, senior journalist Kumar Ketkar, whose house had been earlier attacked by Nationalist Congress Party supporters because he had dared criticise the plan to set up a Shivaji statue in the middle of the Arabian Sea, told a news channel: Mumbai has not become feeble, Mumbai has become used to [such violence]. It was in 1966 when the Shiv Sena was born and ever since Maharashtra has been used to this culture. The Shiv Sena worship and encourage violence. So Mumbais youth become more and more involved in this and this is a very dangerous trend.
The Muslim youth who went on a rampage on Saturday are also part of Mumbai. Maybe they felt they would be treated like their Hindutva counterparts.
Their leaders, knowing thats not possible, have tendered cringing apologies on TV and asked the culprits to turn themselves in. Imagine any of the Thackerays or Togadias doing that. On the contrary, the celebrity columnists and indignant TV anchors now foaming at the mouth at Mumbai burning see nothing wrong in conducting long interviews with the Thackerays, where the latter brazenly defend their tactics.
I am calling it quits with our discussions as it is going nowhere.
Good to have a conversation with you but before you go I just wanted to advice you. "Please do not claim to be what you are obviously not"
