People's Democracy

AFTER visiting the areas affected by the RSS-VHP carnage in Gujarat, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has now come out with a report ("preliminary comments") that severely indicts the RSS-controlled Narendra Modi government in the state. It is to be noted that the three-member NHRC panel visited the affected areas in the teeth of various obstacles put by the state government and the Sangh Parivar in its way. There are reports that at times the NHRC team members were not even provided the requisite security.

The first notable thing about the NHRC report is that it has totally rejected the Gujarat chief minister’s claim that the situation was brought under control within 72 hours after the violence broke out in the state on February 27. In fact, the team noted that "violence continues in Gujarat as of the time of writing these proceedings."

But the strongest indictment of the Modi government is the team’s contention that "grave questions arise of fidelity to the constitution" because the recent events "have resulted in violation of the fundamental rights to life, liberty, equality and dignity of citizens" (emphasis added).

The NHRC laid at the Modi government’s doors charges like (a) "serious failure of intelligence and action," (b) "failure to protect life," (c) influence of "extraneous considerations or players" on the ongoing investigations, (d) prejudice of the police and administration against the minorities, (e) collusion of the police and administration with the rampaging mobs, and (f) a callous attitude to the relief and rehabilitation work. On the last count, the report specifically said "many of the largest camps…. had not received visits at a high political or administrative level till the visit of the (NHRC) chairperson. This was viewed by the inmates as being indicative of a deeper malaise that was discriminatory in origin and character." Even though the NHRC report does not use these words, it makes the fact clear that at places the police acted as a riot force and actively colluded with the RSS-VHP hoodlums.

The NHRC has warned the state government that unless the latter convincingly rebuts the charges, the adverse inference arising against it would render it accountable.

As for the action part, the NHRC suggested the following --- (1) specific critical cases should be handed over to the CBI for investigation, (2) special courts should be set up to try cases on a day-to-day basis, and their judges must be chosen by the chief justice of Gujarat, (3) action must be initiated against all officials who failed to control the violence or allowed it to escalate, while those who performed their duty well must be commended and, (4) destitute women, orphans and those subjected to rape must be identified and provided with psychiatric and counselling services.

But the suggestion that is most damning for the state government is that "Inmates should not be asked to leave the camps until appropriate relief and rehabilitation measures are in place for them and they feel assured, on security grounds, that they can indeed leave the camps."

Thus the NHRC has given voice to the deep sense of fear that still haunts the carnage survivors. However, as the lead story in April 2 issue of The Indian Express shows, this recommendation of the NHRC is being rendered increasingly infructuous by the fact that the communal goons are busy burning the houses that their frightened victims have deserted. This is plainly an attempt to ensure that the carnage victims do not have a place to return to.

The NHRC has given the Modi government and the union home ministry two weeks to respond before proceeding further with the matter. A copy of the report was sent to the prime minister on April 1 evening. Thus the NHRC report has torn to pieces each and every lie which the Gujarat chief minister, the union home minister and RSS leaders have resorted to in the last one month or so. The report has in fact confirmed what the various delegations sent by the CPI(M), the Lok Morcha, the Congress and by some non-political organisations had said earlier. The state government tried various tricks to prevent these delegations from visiting the affected areas and meeting the carnage victims in localities or camps. It is another matter that these tricks did not always succeed, and these delegations were able to bring the horrible picture to the notice of the countrymen and the world.

All these happenings in Gujarat go to show what lower depths of savagery the RSS-led outfits can stoop to, to fulfil their anti-national nefarious designs. Very soon after the BJP’s defeat in UP and three other states, the brigade hurled the whole of Gujarat into flames in no time, which amply indicates that preparations for the carnage must have been afoot for some time. The heinous, most condemnable attack on the Sabarmati Express near Godhra only provided the communal goons an opportunity to demonstrate their brutal prowess. It was also a threat to the whole nation that their demand regarding Ayodhya must be conceded, or else…………..

A number of telltale facts make the role of the Sangh Parivar quite evident. We can indicate here only a few ---

1) While the curfew imposed in Ahmedabad and other cities immobilised the victims, the attackers had a free run everywhere --- courtesy the police and administration.

2) The chief minister deliberately delayed making a request for army deployment. It was only under pressure that he made the request.

3) The union home minister refrained from visiting Gandhinagar, the constituency that elected him, for full four days. Thus he did not show even the minimal concern which even as ordinary MP would show.

4) The prime minister has contented himself only with writing poems and not visited the state even once so far. In fact, he is to visit Gujarat only on April 4, one day after we go to press.

5) Modi claimed to have brought the situation under control within 72 hours and the RSS leaders and union home minister commended him for the "achievement." The BJP president is the latest to join the chorus. But the NHRC report shows what a big lie the claim was. The fact is that the news of rampage are coming even at the time of writing these lines.

6) In the last one month, the prime minister summoned Modi twice to get an explanation. What transpired between the two, is not known to the public. But Modi’s reaction to the press each time indicated that the prime minister was quite satisfied with the ‘explanation’ he gave.

7) While the state government announced a sum of Rs two lakh for each victim of the Godhra carnage, it had only one lakh rupees to give for a victim of the subsequent anti-Muslim carnage. Even this ‘generosity’ came after a lot of criticism. The discrimination came to an end only after the state government was subjected to severe criticism.

8) The state government has done very little by the way of relief and rehabilitation. The bulk of relief operations have been carried out by opposition parties and non-government organisations.

9) Instead of fulfilling his obligations under the constitution, the governor of Gujarat, an old RSS crony, chose to maintain a stoic silence. He remained unmoved even when our president said he would not celebrate Holi this year in view of the Gujarat bloodbath.

10) Last but not the least, the RSS threatened the Muslims that they can live in this country only at the mercy of the Hindus. This is just another version of late M S Golwalkar’s ‘advice’ to the minorities in India that they should remain content with the status of second class citizens.

All this constitutes a gravest kind of threat to our national unity, communal amity and civil peace, to our secular ethos and syncretic culture, to our unity in diversity ---- in short, to the very concept of India which we all have been proud of.

The Gujarat carnage has been an eye-opener for the democratic minded people and organisations all over the country. The country has witnessed several riots in the past. But, since independence, our national unity has never been so much under stress as it is today.

The most horrible aspect of the situation is that the blood-thirsty monsters of communalism are still not satiated. The RSS and VHP are still aggressively justifying what they did in Gujarat. Moreover, the VHP is busy singing its solitary song that the BJP suffered reverses in several states because it has allegedly given up its temple (communal) plank.

In fact the communal forces have indeed suffered a setback, as their immediate game plan regarding Ayodhya has been foiled. It is this sense of desperation that is egging them on to adopt still more aggressive postures. So the coming months are going to be crucial for the country.

There is no doubt that the mass of people of this country are deeply secular and imbedded to national unity. Temporary aberrations apart, the people of India have guarded their composite culture as the apple of their eyes, aware that this very culture is the most solid bulwark against disruptive depredations. The last one month has also given ample proof of the basically secular ethos of Indians. For instance, on the very next day of Godhra tragedy, two Muslims were killed in separate incidents in Aligarh --- a city that has been riot-prone in the past. A mosque was set afire in Bhiwani district of Haryana. Stray incidents were reported from Chittor, Jammu and some other places. Hawks like Vinay Katiyar went on making inflammatory statements. Yet the Sangh Parivar singularly failed to extend the Gujarat carnage to other parts of the country, for which the Indian masses deserve hearty congratulations.

And then the way the people of Delhi inflicted a crushing defeat on the BJP in municipal elections, goes to show that the people would not tolerate either the anti-people policies of the BJP government or its communal drive. Verily, never had a local body election assumed such national significance as the MCD polls did, demolishing the BJP even in its most solid strongholds.

This mass reaction to the Sangh Parivar’s communal drive and the overt and covert support extended to it by the central government, should be an eye-opener for the non-BJP, non-Sena NDA parties as well. Hitherto these parties have been trying to justify their alliance with the BJP on one pretext or another --- for the sake of power and pelf. But the Gujarat carnage, and particularly the exposure of the RSS-VHP-BJP role in it by the NHRC, has deprived them of any more excuses. Now the dividing line has been drawn. Every individual, every organisation, every forum, every party has now to tell where it stands --- for secularism or against secularism! No mincing of words is permissible.

Yes, the allies cannot get away with their excuses. They are under scanner. If only these allies had taken a firm position on February 28 or March 1, at least the army would have been deployed in Gujarat’s affected areas and hundreds of innocent lives would have been saved. But no, the allies did not do anything like this. The fact is that if a pregnant woman’s abdomen was ripped open, if the foetus was brought out and put to sword, the allies cannot escape their share of the guilt.

The carnage is taking its toll in a myriad of ways. For example, according to The Statesman, March 30, a couple committed suicide in Baroda simply because the carnage and the curfew had deprived them of any income. And, note it, they were not Muslims or Christians but Hindus! The thekedars of Hindutva are not killing the minorities only.

The NDA partners have to account for this suicide too.

Act or perish --- this is now the only option before NDA constituents. No attempt to wriggle out is going to help.

This is also high time for the Left, democratic and secular forces to rise in unison and take determined measures to bury the communal drive deep. They have to fight inside the parliament, and also outside. If necessary, the functioning of the parliament and state legislatures must be paralysed. They have to take the fight to factories and fields, to offices and educational institutions. Bringing pressure upon Modi and Advani to quit is one of the most immediate tasks today. These forces have to tell the whole world that India has been, is and will forever remain a secular country and that our people are quite capable of breaking the hands that seek to destroy our composite culture.