COMMUNAL RIOTS

Analysis of Madras Riots, September, 1995

Editorial in the Hindu, 5 September, 1995

The violence that broke out on September 3 in Madras during the procession of Vinayaka (Ganesh) idols for immersion in the sea may not exactly be a throwback to 1990 in terms of the human lives lost or the damage. But that does not make the violence less condemnable, nor does it detract from the high-risk potential the annual event, carries for communal harmony.

Trouble started when processionists forming the rearguard broke the security cordon and fought a pitched battle with the police, forcing the latter to lob teargas shells and use the lathi and the provocation was that some of the idols were stopped near a mosque en route. That all the jumbo-sized idols would pass the communally hypersensitive point before the evening prayers in the mosque concerned was a commitment the organizers had given to the police. When that did not happen, the police had necessarily to intervene and see that the prayers went on as scheduled and undisturbed.

The question arises as to why the organizers did not stick to the agreed schedule in the first place. There have indeed been suggestions of a "deliberate" slowing down. Even if one were to discount that theory, the organizers cannot absolve themselves of blame for not honoring a commitment that was so critical for the smooth passage of the procession as well as for the maintenance of communal peace. Nor would it do for them to escape responsibility by throwing the blame on "anti-social elements", the all-too-familiar generic term that provides a convenient escape route. It is precisely because of the enormous scope that religious processions especially when taken out in a highly polarized situation as has evolved in Tamil Nadu in recent years provided for mischief that the secular-minded citizens and organizations have been strongly pleading against such massive demonstrations and this year also an appeal was issued. It is to the credit of the minority community and its concern for public peace that it responded positively by cancelling the procession it used to take out on the occasion of Meelad-un-Nabi - in 1992 one person was killed in violent clashes during the Meelad procession.

The absence of a reciprocal gesture from the organizers of the Vinayaka (Ganesh) idol procession, who have been not only adamant about holding the "show" but also about staging it along a route dotted with mosques, exposes the fundamentalist elements of the majority community to the charge of provocative posturing. Given that the practice of huge idols being taken in processions from various parts of the city for immersion in the sea was not known to Madras till the Hindu Munnani-RSS groups introduced it, there can be little doubt that the annual event is indeed an integral part of the Hindutva outfits' sinister design to raise the communal temperature in Tamil Nadu a State that has enjoyed an enviable reputation for communal harmony - and also to secure some political space, and this in turn fits into their all- India strategy as evidenced by their campaign for the so- called "liberation" of temples in Varanasi and Mathura in brazen defiance of Central law protecting the places of worship all over the country. More than the disturbances per se, it is the militancy of the fundamentalists of the majority community which they exemplify that is a matter of grave concern and as such needs to be addressed in all seriousness and urgency.

Spurt in Communalism

Editorial, The New Age, 10 December, 1995

The third anniversary of the perfidy committed by the hordes of the Sangh Parivar on December 6, 1992 at Ayodhya has once again proved that the evil forces which have played havoc with the nation's unity and integrity during the last one decade in the name of Mandir-Masjid controversy are not going to leave us alone. Rather, they are going to intensify their aggressive campaign for communal polarization of Indian masses.

Bharatiya Janata Party, the political wing of the RSS tribe, had gone into remorse after the demolition and its liberal face Atal Behari Vajpayee had even expressed regret over the "unfortunate event. Now, on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections, BJP has done a somersault and called for observance of the anniversary as "Rashtriya Gaurav Diwas" (national day of pride).

BJP's game is clear. It wants to stick to the old mascot of aggressive Hindutva which had brought dividends to it during the elections during the last decade.

More astonishing is the fact that the Muslim community perfidy was attempted to be dragged to the agitational path again by certain Muslim organizations, mostly patronized by the ruling party at the centre.

The first salvo on the eve of the anniversary was fired by none other than Home Minister Chavan. On November 26 (he) announced "there is no question of the Congress or anyone in the government tendering any apology" for the demolition of the Babari Masjid. "The incident committed in connivance with BJP and its allies". Though the Home Minister has not elaborated on who connived with BJP and its allies, the whole world knows the faces and names of these collaborators. After all, it was not for nothing that Maharashtra's BJP deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde assured continuance of Chavan as the Home Minister after BJP captures power at the centre!

The secular forces, particularly the Left, rightly observed the anniversary with campaigns for intensifying the movement in defense of secular democracy.