A JUST SYSTEM AND AN UNJUST PEOPLE

Here the powerful can get away with mass murder This is not about Ruchika, the victim of a ruthless police officer. Indeed the revival of the case has raised a storm over injustice perpetuated on her and her dear ones for about 19 years. The media has been able to rouse the conscience of the nation about the omissions of those in power in that case.

Should it take 19 years for the media to wake up to the injustice done to the innocent tennis player? The same question could be directed to all who were in the know of the incident but chose to keep quiet…

If this indignation lying dormant for 19 years over a single incident is taken as a standard then one is tempted to ask why the Central and state governments failed to act when thousands of helpless and poor people were hounded out of their homes, women raped and churches razed by marauding crowds in the not too distant past in Orissa. Where is the righteous indignation over mad crowds hunting down innocents? And what steps are being taken now to restore confidence of those who are being constantly threatened because they had chosen to follow a religion different from those of the fanatical hoodlooms?

Or to coin the question slightly differently: Why there is still no action against those politicians in high places who had programmed communal flare ups by rath yatras, inflammatory speeches and outright communal propaganda causing mad mobs to attack and kill innocent citizens? Why should they be allowed to roam free while any just government would have put them at the place they deserve—the jail.

Protection of the right to life and property is guaranteed under our Constitution, which holds that all lives, regardless of their religion, are equal and deserve to be protected.

The courts and police forces exist to ensure rule of law and to act against law breakers.

‘Mera Bharat Mahan’ is only a false slogan. The ‘India Shining’ theme should be replaced by another ‘India paining’ truth if we are to reflect the greater reality. Instead of holding our heads high we have enough reasons to hang our heads in shame for the list of atrocities perpetrated on the innocents and for the shedding of innocent blood on countless occasions because there is no one in authority to maintain law and order.

Not individuals, but masses and communities are subjected to injustices and indignities because of the deep running prejudices of the past and the present. The caste system, at the root of our political and economic ills, if anything, continues its stranglehold even six decades after independence. Despite the reservations and concessions introduced for the benefit of the backward sections, the fruits of such legislation do not reach the really oppressed and the downtrodden.

The discontent has given rise to polarization of Dalits under the leadership of Mayawati and a few others; but they are simply engaged in the power game without any thought of making a difference to the lives of the poor. Votes are means to power and do not necessarily result in the promotion of the welfare of the weak.

The democratic system aims to implement the people’s will in the public affairs but then the elected legislators end up promoting their particular interests rather than the good of the masses. This in effect is thwarting the very base of democracy. Once the people’s representatives get elected, their attention is turned to feathering their own nests and building their own empires. There is no transparency or accountability in respect of their functioning .

Recent revelations about MPs absenting from Lok Sabha sessions even when their tabled questions were being answered and poor participation in debates on major issues are telling commentary on their indifference to issues concerning the people who elected them.

Corruption is another area wherein resolute action is wanting. Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on December 30,2009, at Chaibasa for his involvement in a Rs-4000 crore money laundering scam. For a newly formed small state like Jharkhand, money is siphoned off by the powerful perpetuating poverty and underdevelopment And this is only a tip of the iceberg.

The trials of those involved in Gujarat Riots, the anti-Sikh riots and lately in massacres of Orissa Christians follow a similar pattern. Though the killings were witnessed by many, several culprits have escaped punishment for want of evidence.

It is common knowledge that Narender Modi, Pravin Togadia, and other VHP leaders had incited communal passions by their deliberate and inflammatory speeches; in fact they bear a greater culpability than those hoodlums who indulged in wanton destruction and murders. The government has not shown enough determination to bring to book such culprits.

This is both pathetic and tragic. Communalism, corruption and injustice are ultimately a question of establishing the rule of law. If law is not enforced without fear or favour, it leads to rights violations on all fronts. The very edifice of democracy will crumble giving rise to mobocracy. The danger is all the more real in a pluralistic setting.

A silver lining in the clouds is the active media and the judiciary questioning the ways of the powerful. The civil society too should wake up and lend voice to the voiceless and cry out for justice when the brute majority tramples upon the minority by sheer brute force overturning canons of justice and fair play.

What we witness today in society is similar to the times of Micah, the preacher when the leaders devoured the poor ad the defenseless people. It was also a time when ‘ the ruler demanded gifts, the judge accepted bribes and the powerful did what they liked. And they all conspired together.’ (Micah 7:3)