Sandeep, Most of the time everyone in Goa and elsewhere in India live in peace and harmony. A testiment to the Muslims in India is that there are no known Al Qaeda members in India, though there are still the radicals in LeT, JeM, etc. > It is the government authorities that must be held responsible for the continuation of the initial problem. Unfortunately, because of the vagaries of Indian history, the civilized veneer between Hindus and Muslims is so thin that almost anything can light the spark, and crooked politicians are the ones who seem to think it is to their benefit to keep the problems alive. > In Jabalpur, my hometown, the police were always ineffective and the Gurkhas in the army had to be called in, with orders to shoot to kill looters and arsonists, which is the only way they were able to stop the violence in it's tracks. Even educated people would be shot while doing such things. > --- sandeep heble <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> The incidents of mob fury and violence that broke > out > in Sanvordem-Curchorem were a sad blot on the > secular and pluralist traditions of the State. It > was > an extreme case of religious passion gone awry. > Civil > society was virtually turned into a hate-zone. > Certain incidents were deliberately twisted and > rumors > were deliberately spread by fascist soldiers to > give > them a provocative interpretation, a call for action > to attack the other community. > > The role played by Mr. Parrikar and other BJP > leaders > in this shameful episode was shocking nay > depressing. > Instead of articulating the voice of sense and > reason, > in the typical BJP fashion, they used this issue as > a > ladder for their political enhancement, into making > provocative speeches and into enhancement of their > communal agenda that ultimately led to a systematic > target against the minorities--their houses, shops, > belongings and establishments. Scores of unfortunate > citizens, solely because of their religious > identity, > were made to feel insecure and prone to physical > threats, loot and abuse, thanks largely due to the > social and political patronage that the mobs > enjoyed. > > The State too, led by its non playing > Captain-in-command Rane, drastically failed its > citizens. Rane simply closed his eyes in the initial > period, behaving like the three monkeys who would > hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil. > Article > 21 of the Constitution guarantees to every citizen > the > right to life and liberty. If Rane had initiated > quick > and concerted actions, if sections 153, 153(A), 295 > and 505 of the Indian Penal Code which deal with > promotion of religious animosity had been used > against > any one making provocative speeches, the whole > trouble > could have been nipped in the bud. Instead, Rane and > his officers played the fiddle while the cities were > being looted, ransacked and burnt. > > The culture of violence is today unfortunately being > propagated ideologically as a virtue. The > relentless > uses of provocative speeches to instigate violence > by > politicians who are driven by an ideology of hate > have turned our dreams of being a progressive > forward-moving Nation into a depressing nightmare. > Will the amity between the Hindus and Muslims of the > cities be revived? Can reconciliation be achieved? > Will the perpetrators of these events be made to pay > for their crimes or will they be allowed to go > scot-free? > > The logical implications of this sorry episode are > most frightening. The assertion of fascist psyche > by > our political leaders who command a large following > among the masses and inaction by those in command > are > indications of the horrible future that lies ahead > for > us. Where is Goa heading from here? Are we moving > away > from a liberal democratic society to a bizarre > fascist > society? Are the changes of the demographic patterns > reasons for the sad state of affairs? Could some > sane > voices care to answer these questions? > > Sandeep Heble > Panaji-Goa > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam > protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > >
