Qammer Abbass Anka
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere.”
(Martin Luther King)
Indian judiciary covertly hanged a youth from IOK, named Afzal Guru at Delhi’s Tihar jail on 9 Feb 2013. His execution took place after culmination of a sham trial on allegations of his involvement in Indian parliament attack of 2001. Unfortunately, keeping aside all judicial norms and ethics, his family was neither informed prior to the execution nor was the dead body handed over to them. International Human Rights activists as usual, while exercising their double standards remained brazenly silent. However, the sad episode stirred some violent protests across IOK. The martyrdom of Afzal Guru became an icon of freedom struggle, immortal entity and a symbol of resilience and sacrifice for all oppressed communities of India.
Afzal Guru’s remarks on Indian judiciary back in 2006 are worth inscribing in gold. His remarks, ” “If you want to hang me, go ahead with it, but remember it will be a black spot on the judicial and political system of India” proved correct as his hanging put credibility of Indian judiciary in question domestically as well as internationally. It is a common principle of nature that no innocent death goes waste. The commemoration day of Afzal Guru’s hanging anniversary this year, triggered violent protests springing from Jawahr Lal Nehru University (JNU) with passionate resonance of “Bharat tere tukrae honge” slogans. The slogan is a reminder of and reaction to an unprecedented Indian oppressive policies coined by BJP towards minorities, sub-casts and people of IOK. In IOK more than seven lacs Indian army is indiscriminately crucifying the innocent Guru’s brethren Kashmiris who are engaged in freedom struggle. The voice of Kashmiri students was joined by other students at JNU and a violent episode became headline news in domestic and foreign media. Both irked as well as confused, Indian Government started resorted to coercive tactics unleashing a hell of terror in the university campus since 13 February. Subsequently, without any inquiry or clue, Police arrested Delhi University’s lecturer Geelani on sedition charges. To abet the officials, extremist activists of RSS and BJP also plunged in the episode. JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar was manhandled by BJP/extremist Hindu affiliated lawyers and students during Police protection while he was being taken to at Patiala House. The campus of JNU has become a strong protest platform with thousands of students protesting against corrupt judiciary, anti-minority reign and fanatic Hindu policies. The protest movement as a snow ball effect has been joined by many conscientious non-Muslim journalist of India who organized a peaceful march on 16 Feb through central New Delhi. This peaceful rally was attacked by extremists of BJP who manhandled many journalists and attempted to disrupt the rally. Ripples of this strong protest campaign have also spilled over to other countries. Students and faculty in many countries have extended their overwhelming solidarity by extending support to the JNU students. According to a media report, they asserted, “As teachers, students, and scholars across the World, we are watching with extreme concern the situation unfolding at JNU and refuse to remain silent as our colleagues (students, staff, and faculty) resist the illegal detention and autocratic suspension of students”. These sentiments signed by 455 scholars, many of them JNU alumni of Indian descent are proliferating on social media. The peaceful rally of journalists and students antagonized RSS elements and BJP radicals who called them anti-national and asked them to leave India and join Pakistan. Police crossed limits in torturing rally participants and did not spare even their cell phones. Knee jerk reaction came from BJP Ministers and high ranking officials. Minister SmritiI Rani remarked, “The nation can never tolerate an insult to Mother India.” Home Minister Rajnath Singh, tweeted his anguish saying, “anyone shouting anti-India slogans will not be tolerated or spared.” Implicating others to hide own failures is a common ply of India. The Home Ministers dragged Hafiz Saeed and alleged him being behind these protests. An editorial in The Indian Express reported, “Invoking Hafiz Saeed to corner students is divisive and dangerous.” Targeting the minorities is not uncommon in India, especially in the era of RSS led Modi. In the recent past, the students, journalists, lawyers and political elements were charged up after the episode of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula who was “forced to take his own life” as a protest to dominance of extremist Hindu and their discriminatory attitude to lower caste/untouchable Hindus. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi criticized BJP Government, accusing it of “bullying” the prestigious institution. Many artists, writers and even Ex servicemen, mostly Hindus protested by returning their awards and titles terming the same as death of a secular Indian. The present protest movement, nick named as “Guru’s virus” by Indian Media is spreading to other academic institutions all across India. There were massive protests in 18 Universities across India condemning Modi’s “anti freedom of expression” policies and intolerance for political dissent in the name of parochial Hindu versioned patriotism. The situation is worsening and fast transforming into a full country wide movement against oppressive and cruel Government of Modi, more or less on the pattern of “Arab spring”. If situation does not improve, emergence of “Indian Spring” will become inevitable. Slogans like “Afzal bole azadi, Geelani bole azadi”, “Chhin ke lenge azadi”, “Freedom from RSS, freedom from Modi government”, “Jab Kashmir ne maangi azadi, Manipur bhi boli azadi roaring in Jadhapur University Kolkata are strong indicators of forthcoming fissures in Indian Statehood. India, under the growing influence of Hindu Radicalization is incubating intolerance and acrimony among Indian society towards minorities. Atrocities on Muslims of IOK are result of this phenomenon. The World has yet not forgotten the brazen role of Narendra Modi in Genocide of Muslims in Gujrat. Though roots of ant-minority animosity link back to the partition of 1947, yet the process has enormously gained pace due to radical and Hindutva based politics of Modi Led BJP. Radicalization of Indian society must not be overlooked by international community; else, it will lead to catastrophic effects of increased violence and oppression at the hands of extremist BJP Government. Present escalating protest, which erupted from JNU are fruit of despotic/tyrannical rule and policies of a Hindu extremist leader Modi. Based upon the past record, Indian Government may resort to stage managing some terrorist incident in IOK or India to create media hype for deflecting the growing international concerns student protest campaign. Even some opinion makers are relating the recent statement of MQM leadership, urging their workers to gather 15 days ration in the wake of expected deteriorating law and order situation, with unfolding situation in India. They speculate that in case of any unpleasant occurrence in Karachi, attention of Pakistani and regional foreign media will automatically be deflected from the ensuing protest activity taking place in India thus relieving pressure from India. God Knows better. Similarly, India may carry out terrorist activities through her proxies in Afghanistan and Pakistan to divert attention of International media from ongoing students’ protests in India. India, which claims to be World’s largest democracy and a secular State must look inward and see her official treatment toward her minorities, especially, the Muslims. Robert Kennedy rightly said, “What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents.”
