:: Nitish Sengupta

Communal tensions fester due to inaction

Nitish Sengupta

Whether it is Kandhamal in Orissa or Mangalore in Karnataka or parts of Kerala, the story is the same. There is provocative action by a few Christians, and in reprisal, mobs of Hindu fanatics start killing Christians and desecrating churches, forcing innocent Christians to flee for succour.

The Hindu mobs belong to the extremist fringes of the Sangh Parivar viz. the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. The police remain inactive at the start, only to swing into action when it is too late. The entirety of this reminds me of a wise observation in the Oxford History of India, which remains valid even after seven or eight decades: "The incident deserves notice because it is a good illustration of the way in which the unexpected happens in India and the facility with which an ordinary complaint against the administration can be used to excite a fanatical outburst of religious enthusiasm".

In Kandhamal, which apparently has a history of such troubles, the VHP leader and Hindu monk Swami Laxmananda Saraswati is murdered by unknown miscreants. Normally, one would have expected the police to immediately take charge of the situation, register an FIR, interrogate witnesses and others who had known the victim and arrest a large number of people including the suspects, and basically, in general, make a decisive show of force. The local leaders of Bajrang Dal could have been cautioned or even taken in custody for interrogation. The magistrate could have clamped Section 144 in the area, making it impossible for a mob to gather. Obviously, no such action was taken by the authorities, thereby allowing tension to express itself. There was no trace of visible police action in the initial stages. The mobs could gather with impunity and proceed on their marauding action. The administration became active only after the proverbial horse had bolted. Strangely, there’s been no evidence of the intelligence branch being active in a district like Kandhamal, considering its past history.

In Mangalore, it was reported that a new convert into Christianity, with the proverbial zeal of a convert, had written against the Hindu religion in abusive language, decrying its Gods and criticising some of its practices. Now this could not have happened in a day or two. The administration should have been alert about this and should have taken timely penal action against him. This would have driven the message to the local Hindu community and their leaders that the authorities were taking deterrent action. Also, leaders of the local Christian community should have restrained the errant co-religionists. A visible show of action on from the authorities could have avoided much of what happened subsequently. In Kerala also, by and large, the same pattern was repeated.

In all these cases, the essential point to emphasise is that there has been a lack of decisive show of force and intention from the administration. Deterrent force, at initial stages, along with other remedial measures, can prevent a lot of unpleasant aforementioned events.

It should be remembered that Christianity is not an import by European colonial rulers. It reached the shores of India in the 1st century after Christ and has existed ever since with a general record of harmony. Christians comprise only two per cent of India’s total population, but are the overwhelming majority in three northeastern states — Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya. They are also a strong force in Kerala and Karnataka.

It is only in recent times that one section in Christianity has garnered notoriety and annoyance with a section of the extremist fringes in the Sangh Parivar, namely, the Catholic Church, for carrying on conversions. Both sides must face reason.

The Hindus should remember that the Upanishads and the Gita, which hold the real essence of true Hinduism, prescribe tolerance of other faiths. They should recall the following dictum of Lord Krishna in the Gita: "Whoever worships me in whichever form, I accept that worship. Men, following different paths, arrive at the same destination".

Also, on this line, is a famous statement of Swami Vivekananda: "Those who are born Christians, should become good Christians. Those who are born Muslims, should become good Muslims and those born Hindus, should become good Hindus and there is no need for any conversion as such."

If the VHP, Bajrang Dal and the proselytising Catholics would bear these principles in mind, there will be no need for any conflict. We should never forget India’s long tradition of secularism and religious tolerance and if we all respect each other’s religious beliefs, there will be no occasion for conflict.

Everyone has the right under our Constitution to practise and profess his/her religious beliefs and all must show corresponding tolerance towards other faiths. This should bring about peace and remove discords. It is the duty of the administration to foster this spirit and take deterrent action whenever there is any departure from this.

Dr Nitish Sengupta, an academic and an author, is a former Member of Parliament and a former secretary to the Government of India