1992 Babri Demolition To Delhi Riots 2020!
Political nuances of the much awaited Ayodhya-Babri dispute verdict have now started off showing its true vicious colour. The most recent is the ongoing 2020 Delhi riots. However, in the very beginning I would like to make it very clear that it is not as such a "riot" between communities over a religious matter, indeed it is without any confusion, a politically mastered, well conspired criminal act targeting Muslims.
I am also amazed, how before people can actually come out of the immediate trauma of this unpardonable crime incident that unleashed terror in the localities of North East Delhi , where mostly Muslim households and shops were targeted, liberal urban elites started talking indefinitely about brotherhood prevailing in the neighborhood. Come on! Let's face it! Before this state backed radical Hindutva violence incident occurred in the national capital, Our socio-political structure already had have ruptures beyond repair. Democratic space for citizens has just not shrunk but it's about to die and it is exactly the moment when it's choking before finally it looses the battle with a brutal state power. For RSS/BJP this incident is another milestone reached successfully in propagating for what it desired always to prevail. So where, "we the people" actually lost the plot? To my mind, for a moment even if we put aside Government of India's recent moves like abrogation of article 370 in J&K and following events , its continuous abuse of section 144 indefinitely, complete communication blockade and mostly internet shutdown till date, even after the top court's directives to review the situation and establishing that access to internet is a fundamental right under freedom of speech and expression, and valley's top leadership still under preventive detention, the Ayodhya Babri judgement was the tipping point from where I believe we lost it here in the mainland India as well. Let's move backwards and then come back to the present day. We must remember that it was first of all a section among Hindu community which actually started celebrating the Ayodhya Babri judgement of the supreme Court of India, which was then telecasted nationwide, to make majority Hindus believe that the judgement has finally paved the way to Ram Temple construction on holiest of sites for Hindus. But at the same time we must remember that it was largely the Muslim community who decided not to file a review petition . Exactly, this acceptance by Muslims of an unjust unscientific decision by India's supreme Court, was perceived by the BJP/RSS as acceptance to death sentence by the Muslim community itself. If we closely analyse we find that it was the Urban Elite Muslim leadership which was a runner in the bid to save the mosque's site, like Sunni waqaf board. It was always an issue to which most Indian muslims even to those who were residing in tier two cities or villages felt sentimentally attached to but it was never feasible in their own day to day lives to politically pursue it in the same way as a Hindu no matter to what extent she or he desired a Ram temple was unable to be part of the political movement of Rath Yatra or any such post event of 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque. Actually most middle class or poor people can't afford to do that amidst their struggle to earn a minimum or decent living. BJP/RSS think tank was more than confident rather confirmed about the political results that the judgement was potential of bringing them back as the judgement of the Mosque vs Temple was politically nuanced in such a way which was inevitably to set the virulent narrative for legitimizing a majoritarian national identity. Besides this, each Muslim of this country was dissatisfied with the judgement but got trapped in the media narrative thrown at them that this accepting of the unjust judgement would set an an example of brotherhood in the 21st century India and the suffocations and trauma of the bygone decades of post 1992 event will be a thing of the past and a new political road will be built for minority politics in future India which neither will be based on politics of appeasement nor on atrocious victimization. But unfortunately that didn't happen. Today, I will not clearly rule out that it may not happen in tomorrow's India , once the period of disruption and violence is over, but by then we already will have lost many more innocent lives, and for now we are heartbroken. Further in this argument that I am trying to build for myself, It is important to note that why even after almost 90 days of protest Shaheen Bagh was not targeted (with that degree of intensity) as a protesting site and Muslim majority locality and why Jaffarabad or khajuri was so easily picked up and targeted? Those who visit these places often will understand the difference better. Shaheen Bagh is relatively Urban elite space of Delhi's Muslims but Gokulpuri, Khajuri or Jaffarabad is not that kind of an urban elite locality. In these areas mostly lives the working class whereas in Shaheen Bagh are mostly businessman with handsome annual turnover. Now, you understand the difference , which section of the Indian Muslim community was leading the Babri case in the court , to which section the judgement was agreeable and which section lost their men when violence erupted whether in Uttar Pradesh or in North East Delhi localities. This is not to suggest that one section of the people from the same community cheated on the rest who believed on their educated upper class but it is simply an argument to understand what it means and implications of taking a wrong position on a subject matter which is largely associated with rights of vulnerable communities in a popular majoritarian regime .
Following the NRC in Assam, the state is still almost locked down heavily and in the same way as Kashmir was (or still under restrictions), at least we can say we have so little information that we have already forgotten Assam's continuous protest and AASU's president Akhil Gogoi who is still in police custody. Surrendering of rights in the name of 'goodwill' and 'brotherhood' will not help if we are facing such despotic state. Dalits or Tribals in India in the same way in today's time can't argue to reserve a seat or two in the union cabinet for their communities top leadership and forget about how institutions have fallen hostile to the extent that as recent as a fortnight ago in a case related to reservation in promotion a two judge bench of the Honourable supreme Court of India clearly said that , no indian Court can issue directives to the state governments to maintain reservation in jobs or promotion and secondly, that reservation is not a fundamental right. This for me is like putting chilly powder in your eyes. It will burn and in the long run possibly blind you. So, if now any state government let's assume UP govt. (for practical reasons) publishes a job notification for Asst. Prof to recruit in Allahabad or Lucknow University , and doesn't declares reserved quota seats, aspiring candidates possibly a Ph.D holder from a Dalit community will neither get a seat in his or her quota nor there will a legal remedy available and gradually this might become normalized and they permanently loose "right to equal opportunity" So that is how presently the entire so called independent legislative, executive and judiciary is functioning in India. Each institution (with few exceptional people left in the system who hardly can set agenda or alter the will of the present dispensation) have willfully fallen hostile rather collaborating , are well in sync with RSS/BJP dispensation in achieving their long cherished dreams.
So , instead of surrendering our rights in the name of good faith and brotherhood let's understand the political motif of this authoritarian murderer state and better collaborate, cooperate and act together to achieve social harmony and our political goals based on constitutional values of justice, liberty, fraternity, Equality and Integrity.
Suman Kumar
9718186642
Political nuances of the much awaited Ayodhya-Babri dispute verdict have now started off showing its true vicious colour. The most recent is the ongoing 2020 Delhi riots. However, in the very beginning I would like to make it very clear that it is not as such a "riot" between communities over a religious matter, indeed it is without any confusion, a politically mastered, well conspired criminal act targeting Muslims.
I am also amazed, how before people can actually come out of the immediate trauma of this unpardonable crime incident that unleashed terror in the localities of North East Delhi , where mostly Muslim households and shops were targeted, liberal urban elites started talking indefinitely about brotherhood prevailing in the neighborhood. Come on! Let's face it! Before this state backed radical Hindutva violence incident occurred in the national capital, Our socio-political structure already had have ruptures beyond repair. Democratic space for citizens has just not shrunk but it's about to die and it is exactly the moment when it's choking before finally it looses the battle with a brutal state power. For RSS/BJP this incident is another milestone reached successfully in propagating for what it desired always to prevail. So where, "we the people" actually lost the plot? To my mind, for a moment even if we put aside Government of India's recent moves like abrogation of article 370 in J&K and following events , its continuous abuse of section 144 indefinitely, complete communication blockade and mostly internet shutdown till date, even after the top court's directives to review the situation and establishing that access to internet is a fundamental right under freedom of speech and expression, and valley's top leadership still under preventive detention, the Ayodhya Babri judgement was the tipping point from where I believe we lost it here in the mainland India as well. Let's move backwards and then come back to the present day. We must remember that it was first of all a section among Hindu community which actually started celebrating the Ayodhya Babri judgement of the supreme Court of India, which was then telecasted nationwide, to make majority Hindus believe that the judgement has finally paved the way to Ram Temple construction on holiest of sites for Hindus. But at the same time we must remember that it was largely the Muslim community who decided not to file a review petition . Exactly, this acceptance by Muslims of an unjust unscientific decision by India's supreme Court, was perceived by the BJP/RSS as acceptance to death sentence by the Muslim community itself. If we closely analyse we find that it was the Urban Elite Muslim leadership which was a runner in the bid to save the mosque's site, like Sunni waqaf board. It was always an issue to which most Indian muslims even to those who were residing in tier two cities or villages felt sentimentally attached to but it was never feasible in their own day to day lives to politically pursue it in the same way as a Hindu no matter to what extent she or he desired a Ram temple was unable to be part of the political movement of Rath Yatra or any such post event of 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque. Actually most middle class or poor people can't afford to do that amidst their struggle to earn a minimum or decent living. BJP/RSS think tank was more than confident rather confirmed about the political results that the judgement was potential of bringing them back as the judgement of the Mosque vs Temple was politically nuanced in such a way which was inevitably to set the virulent narrative for legitimizing a majoritarian national identity. Besides this, each Muslim of this country was dissatisfied with the judgement but got trapped in the media narrative thrown at them that this accepting of the unjust judgement would set an an example of brotherhood in the 21st century India and the suffocations and trauma of the bygone decades of post 1992 event will be a thing of the past and a new political road will be built for minority politics in future India which neither will be based on politics of appeasement nor on atrocious victimization. But unfortunately that didn't happen. Today, I will not clearly rule out that it may not happen in tomorrow's India , once the period of disruption and violence is over, but by then we already will have lost many more innocent lives, and for now we are heartbroken. Further in this argument that I am trying to build for myself, It is important to note that why even after almost 90 days of protest Shaheen Bagh was not targeted (with that degree of intensity) as a protesting site and Muslim majority locality and why Jaffarabad or khajuri was so easily picked up and targeted? Those who visit these places often will understand the difference better. Shaheen Bagh is relatively Urban elite space of Delhi's Muslims but Gokulpuri, Khajuri or Jaffarabad is not that kind of an urban elite locality. In these areas mostly lives the working class whereas in Shaheen Bagh are mostly businessman with handsome annual turnover. Now, you understand the difference , which section of the Indian Muslim community was leading the Babri case in the court , to which section the judgement was agreeable and which section lost their men when violence erupted whether in Uttar Pradesh or in North East Delhi localities. This is not to suggest that one section of the people from the same community cheated on the rest who believed on their educated upper class but it is simply an argument to understand what it means and implications of taking a wrong position on a subject matter which is largely associated with rights of vulnerable communities in a popular majoritarian regime .
Following the NRC in Assam, the state is still almost locked down heavily and in the same way as Kashmir was (or still under restrictions), at least we can say we have so little information that we have already forgotten Assam's continuous protest and AASU's president Akhil Gogoi who is still in police custody. Surrendering of rights in the name of 'goodwill' and 'brotherhood' will not help if we are facing such despotic state. Dalits or Tribals in India in the same way in today's time can't argue to reserve a seat or two in the union cabinet for their communities top leadership and forget about how institutions have fallen hostile to the extent that as recent as a fortnight ago in a case related to reservation in promotion a two judge bench of the Honourable supreme Court of India clearly said that , no indian Court can issue directives to the state governments to maintain reservation in jobs or promotion and secondly, that reservation is not a fundamental right. This for me is like putting chilly powder in your eyes. It will burn and in the long run possibly blind you. So, if now any state government let's assume UP govt. (for practical reasons) publishes a job notification for Asst. Prof to recruit in Allahabad or Lucknow University , and doesn't declares reserved quota seats, aspiring candidates possibly a Ph.D holder from a Dalit community will neither get a seat in his or her quota nor there will a legal remedy available and gradually this might become normalized and they permanently loose "right to equal opportunity" So that is how presently the entire so called independent legislative, executive and judiciary is functioning in India. Each institution (with few exceptional people left in the system who hardly can set agenda or alter the will of the present dispensation) have willfully fallen hostile rather collaborating , are well in sync with RSS/BJP dispensation in achieving their long cherished dreams.
So , instead of surrendering our rights in the name of good faith and brotherhood let's understand the political motif of this authoritarian murderer state and better collaborate, cooperate and act together to achieve social harmony and our political goals based on constitutional values of justice, liberty, fraternity, Equality and Integrity.
Suman Kumar
9718186642
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