The volcano has erupted, spewing death and devastation, plunging into infernal fire the eternal troublespots on the country's communal map- Hyderabad, Aligarh, Meerut, Kanpur and Ahmedabad. As these cities burnt, and as the flames threatened to leap up in many others with a fanatical force and maniacal momentum, the infirm minority government in Delhi was at its wit's end; how to stop the... frenzy?

The bitter taste of ashes was in the nation's mouth once Ayodhya had become the hot-spot, when many towns and villages in Uttar Pradesh quaked in communal convulsions. But everyone had hoped that the freakout of fanaticism would, at least for a while come to an end as the Chandra Shekhar government persuaded the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to convert its kar seva into a peaceful satyagraha. Tragically, the hope was in vain.

The easing of tension in Ayodhya somehow did not make much of a positive impact on the nation's psyche. May be, it was because of the awareness that the government had merely bought some time for itself. Or maybe, the collective mind had become septic beyond cure... Paranoid Hindus and Muslims in many towns and villages across the country were arming themselves to the teeth. The country was on the edge, with the communal divide as sharp as a blood-thirsty blade.

The demonic death dance of the marauding mobs of Hyderabad and the viciousness of the police in Aligarh showed the extent of intolerance that has been feeding the frenzy and poisoning the atmosphere...

...With the intensity of sectarian violence shooting up every day, scything innocent people with callous unconcern, the fear now is of a holocaust of the brutality of the partition madness...

Who has devised this frightening pattern? The Intelligence Bureau... has laid the blame at the door of the VHP and the BJP for the communalisation of the country. Its secret dossiers speak of a game plan by them to whip up sentiments. The IB notes that L.K. Advani's rath yatra has had an effect that was beyond the BJP's own expectations...

...The situation that was crying out for major political initiatives was far too serious to be handled at the administrative level...

The killers have their various sources of evil inspiration. Now in lakhs of homes, audio cassettes spew forth hatred... Adding to the thirst for blood are the vivid video cassettes of the happenings in Ayodhya on October 30 and November 2... The impact of the propaganda blitz has been similar to what the cassettes of Bhindranwale's speeches had in Punjab. There is no easy way to deprogramme a mind which is fed on such poison... The lupenisation of the society, with easy availability of sophisticated weapons and speedy vehicles, has spawned a dangerous culture...

...There has been large-scale migration from areas where one community is dominant... Such disturbance in the habitat pattern would become more pronounced...

The home ministry is worried about another aspect, too: the foreign hand...

Whether by domestic or foreign hands, the country has become a vast battlefield from where law has taken a leave of absence.

(Source: The Week, Calcutta, 23 Dec., 1990)