Nazia Nazar
Sixty senior retired officials from Central Services, through an open letter to the Government of India, have raised alarm over the growing intolerance, extremism and State’s high handedness. They have urged all public authorities and constitutional bodies to take stock of the situation. They expressed sense of deep anguish over what has been happening in India, which according to them has prompted them to write the open letter. They believed that there is a growing climate of religious intolerance aimed primarily at Muslims. Vigilantism has become widespread. Gau-rakshas act with impunity and seem to be doing so with the tacit complicity or active encouragement of state machinery. Students groups and faculty members, who raise troubling questions about equality, social justice and freedom, are subjected to attacks by the Hindu fanatics with a supportive government to back them.
Retired officials in the open letter stated: “We are seeing an ugly trend of threats and online intimidation of activists, journalists, writers and intellectuals who disagree with the Hindutva ideology. There is a growing hyper-nationalism that reduces any critique to a binary. If you are not with the government, you are anti-national.” They appealed to public authorities, public institutions and constitutional bodies to take heed of the disturbing trends and take corrective action. They vowed to reclaim and defend the spirit of the constitution of India, as envisaged by the founding fathers. While liberal elements of the society have been condemning the suppression of free speech, violence in the name of religion and state oppression, this is first time that very senior retired officers have openly expressed their anguish over the situation in India. Unfortunately, international community is mute over violations of human rights and plight of minorities in India.
Minorities are groaning under repression by the brute Hindu majority and law enforcing departments in India. Muslims, Christians and Dalits are being subjected to inhuman treatment, and are not allowed to lead their lives according to their beliefs, traditions and culture. Apart from killings in Kashmir, efforts are being made to change demography in Kashmir and Assam. This is happening in India, which claims to be a secular state; but nowhere in the world has secularism been so blatantly betrayed. India’s Constitution has the provisions for safeguarding the rights of minorities, but Hindu majority led by BJP has shown utter disregard to them and has been committing atrocities on minorities with impunity. The situation has assumed alarming proportions since Narendra Modi is at the helm. In so-called secular India, Abul Kalam Azad’s hope of respect for minorities has been shattered, as Hindu fanaticism is on the rise.
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Testimony, by Human Rights Watch was presented before US Senate Committee on atrocious attitude of Hindu majority in 2015, which highlighted the plight of minorities in India. The report was presented before Indian general elections 2014. Some of the fanatic groups are not in favour of a separate and distinct culture for minorities. A Hindu fanatic namely Professor Balraj Madhok had suggested that the minorities must adopt Indian (Hindu) names. Schools and other educational institutions are being systematically Hinduized. References to Hindu gods and goddesses abound in the text books. Books prescribed by the Education Boards contain lessons giving false stories of Muslim atrocities on Hindu women, kidnappings, and forced conversion, etc. Despite eye witness testimony about involvement of highest elected political officials, justice is denied to the victims, who run from pillar to post to get justice.
Hindu fundamentalism is increasing its influence everywhere and in every sector of the Indian society including bureaucracy, media and educational institutions. The hate campaign unleashed by the fundamentalist forces is keeping the minority preoccupied with defending their basic human rights and cultural identity. The tales of brutal suppression of minorities in the India are endless. Like the Sikhs and Muslims, the Christian minority in India continues to face daily harassment and threats of death for practicing their faith. Christianity is seen as a threat to Hindu fundamentalists who enjoy the backing of fundamentalist Hindu political parties like the BJP. Secondly, repressive laws such as Armed Forces Special Powers Act have provided Indian forces the powers to kill with impunity any person in Northeast India. Indian forces have shot down several innocent persons in fake encounters that are involved in human rights violations.
Even foreigners are not safe in India. There is incontrovertible evidence that Christians are being forcibly converted in large numbers, which is a sad reflection on the country that claims it is secular and the biggest democracy in the world. Muslims and Dalits are of course as much the victims of Hindu extremists. After Narendra Modi assumed office of the prime minister, there have been forced conversions of Muslims also. International media downplays the attacks on and persecution of even Christians because India is a plus one billion market. Anyhow, according to the US state department report on global human rights abuses had discussed situation in various countries and stated: “There were numerous reports that the government and its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, including the extra-judicial killings of suspected terrorists, especially in areas of conflict such as Jammu and Kashmir, the North Eastern States, and the Naxalite belt.”
