Vicious regime for minorities, Dalits

In a rare gesture, 114 veterans of the Indian armed forces have written an open letter to the prime minister and state chief ministers expressing their distress at the recent attacks on Muslims and Dalits in the country. Underlining that what is happening in the country today strikes at all that the armed forces and our constitution stand for, they have strongly condemned the unprecedented attacks on society at large by the relentless vigilantism of self-appointed protectors of Hinduism. They have also expressed their concern at the clampdown on free speech by attacks on media outlets, civil society groups, universities, journalists and scholars, through a campaign of branding them anti-national and unleashing violence against them while the state looks away. “We stand with the ‘Not in My Name’ campaign that mobilised thousands of citizens across the country to protest against the current climate of fear, intimidation, hate and suspicion,” the letter added.

Similar concerns have been expressed by the opposition parties, a group of former civil servants and civil society organisations. With armed forces veterans chipping in, the protest against the recent spate of violence against the minorities, the Dalits and all those who differ with the NDA government is slowly but steadily gaining momentum by awakening the collective conscience of several concerned citizens in the country. Indian armed forces have deservedly earned the nation’s respect for keeping away from the hurly burly of politics. As an institution known for their unflinching commitment to patriotism, they reflect the unity in diversity that characterises the Indian society. The missive, therefore, cannot and should not be dismissed lightly. The prevailing atmosphere of fear, intimidation, hate and suspicion is not conducive to peace and harmony in the society.

The minorities and the Dalits have been attacked in the past also and ruling dispensations have been accused or allowing or perpetrating them in the past also. Political patronage was responsible for the 1984 riots against Sikhs and the post-Ayodhya communal riots leading up to the 2002 Gujarat riots targeting the Muslims. It is unarguable that the period coinciding with the present NDA regime has been especially vicious for the minorities and Dalits. The fact that the incidents of mob lynching by cow vigilantes and moral policing by fringe groups of the Hindutva brigade are occurring in NDA-ruled states shows that the state governments have failed to take deterrent action against them. Through their public protest, the veterans from armed forces have inverted the clamour of those who brand all dissenters as “anti-nationals” to learn patriotism from the armed forces who represent India’s unity in diversity.