Roland Francis wrote: In view of communal murders in Orissa, Mangalore, Kasmir and in countless other places, it would be an option for priests living in remote troubled areas to build themselves such a safe room. Could save many lives everywhere. Comment: I do not subscribe to such solutions for the simple reason that any minority group cannot survive despite the best laws and protection system without the goodwill of the majority. The religious cannot build such shelters for themselves and leave the laity to the mercy of attackers.
What we need to do as civil society is to raise our voices whenever there is violence or threat of violence against any section of society and more especially against the weaker sections like dalits, tribals, and minorities who are more vulnerable and lack resources. And that is why I feel disappointed when our intellectuals who should be the catalysts for such action become armchair discussion groups trying to put on airs of objectivity. The positive aspect amidst all this violence is that the average Hindu or Indian is secular in outlook. And that is why violence has been contained. Otherwise, this country would have become an inferno. The negative aspect is that the state is slowly withering away. It is not able to perform its functions. And that emboldens unruly groups to take law into their own hands, becoming something of a wild west, where might is right. There is a breakdown of state machinery in many states not all ruled by the BJP. eg: Maharashtra, Goa, Assam, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, UP. And this is something I fear that we may slowly go the way of Pakistan or some of the african countries into chaos and anarchy. Regards, Marshall -- Hyundai to launch the i20 in India. Catch the exclusive preview on ZigWheels.com http://www.zigwheels.com/b2cam/newsDetails.action?name=Emb11_20080731&path=/INDT/News/Emb11_20080731&page=1&pagecount=2&utm_source=indmail&utm_medium=footer&utm_content=tracking&utm_campaign=Nletter_07oct2008_ZW
