The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”

It was martin Luther King Jr who said so. When he said so, he was speaking a truth about democracies. Democracy, in many instances deteriorates into majoritarianism. Oppression and injustice are thus born.

Kandhamal, a blot on Indian secularism by Anto Akkara can as well be titled ' a blot on Indian democracy.’

Democracy presupposes the rule of law and it was replaced by the law of the jungle for months together in Kandhamal, in what can be termed as one of the darkest periods in the history of Indian democracy.

Democracy is a philosophy that has emerged with the civilization of man. It results from a political recognition that a majority in any nation is bound to trample upon the minorities without checks and balances. The court, the police and the legislature and the media are supposed to strengthen these checks and balances by their proper functioning.

Kandhamal is only the latest instance to indicate that we are yet to evolve out of the barbarian culture of 'might is right' The demolition of the Babri Masjid , the anti-Sikh riots in the wake of the later prime minister Indira Gandhi and the massacre of Muslims continue to indict the good people with a conscience.

The majority of the people of this land believes that the above instances constituted gross injustices. They have no sympathy with the marauders who went about looting , burning and killing people unchecked in Orissa. And for no other reason than that the victims worshipped a different God. Nothing short of insanity.

While the communal minded fanatics spewed venom and hatred, initiating the looting and murder, the law and order machinery in Orissa looked the other way; the Centre then ruled by the United Progressive Alliance watched shamelessly.

There is a significant sentence in the book by Akkara explaining what made Kandhamal possible. There is no lack of brute force with the government to control the brutes who were at large in society? We have a mighty army and air force kept in readiness to meet any external threat.

It was a lack of will. It was simply a concern for votes. The fanatics belonged to the fringe of the majority community and hence could not be touched. Akkara writes: “Realising this danger of ;committing political suicide , UPA government despite its professed commitment to secularism decided to be pragmatic than righteous in refusing to step on the Kandhamal landmine.”

Perhaps some details of gruesome events, described in this book, have already appeared in newspapers. Perhaps some stories of unutterable; humiliation might have even escaped his attention. But he has been able to record the travails of a people whose cry in the wilderness went unheard for a long whileas long as the atrocities lasted.

Even now there is a threat to witnesses, who are willing to stand before courts to testify to the deeds of murders and looters. Vested interests might seek to deny the victims full scale compensation for all the destroyed property. It is good Christian lawyers have come forward to provide legal aid to the victims. But who will provide them the courage to stand for the truth? That is an eternal issue with Indian democracy.

But there is hope. In the recent general elections, the people indicated through their verdict that they are not with the wicked. The Congress party must recognize even belatedly that soft Hindutva will not pay them dividends as the youth of the land get educated and come out of their traditional moorings of blind faith in the past.

The Modis, Togadias and Advanis wear the masks of nationalism and patriotism to beguile the majority. India is waking up to questions of justice and righteousness. The tantriks take note. They may lament English education because it lifts up the clouds of ignorance and superstition from young minds. There is hope despite Kandhamal.

What should be the strategy for the minorities for living in peace in this land? How do we make this land safe for justice and righteousness? By being in leaguer with the majority who believe in these values and helping to isolate the fanatical fringe.

Commenting recently on the Liberhan commission report, a leading supreme court lawyer, Rajeev Dhavan wrote: 'December 6, 1992 sends a chilling message that lumpen Hindus provoked by the Sangh Parivar can always terrorise any community or destroy their mosques, churches, holy places with total impunity. After Babri Masjid fell. There were no-holds- barred.

No one could touch these marauders. Photographs identifying the miscreants were available, but they were not ferreted out.'

Such saner voices are not scarce in the majority community. Their hands must be strengthened to fight corruption, communalism and injustice in this land. The minorities must play an active role in supporting such voices of conscience. Akkara's book must be passed on to the right thinking people of the majority community so that they may know what horrors were committed by their own brethren in the name of religion which calls for tolerance and co-existence.

We must remember Kandhamal because what happened to the innocents in Orissa could happen to anyone elsewhere if evil men could have their way. The majority also consists of minority subsects and a Togadia or Modi championing the narrow cause of any could lead to bloodshed and atrocities. They must be checked.

More such books should come out to expose wickedness and to expose the condemnable silence of the majority on issues of right and wrong. More people should write to arouse the conscience of this nation. Akkara did well. His labour is not in vain. Elie Wiesel , Nobel prize winning Jewish leader, had this comment on why he wrote on the holocaust: 'My goal is always the same: to invoke the past as a shield for the future; to show the invisible world of yesterday and through it, perhaps on it, erect amoral world where men are not victims and children never starve and run in fear.'

We too must remember the past and prevent crimes of the future.
 

This page is updated on July 22, 2009