- No denying the fact that the Indian society is deeply polarized on communal lines where sporadic incidents of flareups are quite a common sight of late. The secular versus communal forces as propagated by the political parties in a no-holds-barred manner needs no further elaboration. This has been one of the banes of the country where religion and caste conundrum often overtakes harmonious living as expected in a civilized society. However, trust the political masters irrespective of party affiliations to fish in troubled waters by coming out with incendiary statements and announcements. Of course, there are fundamentalists ready to pounce on such inflammatory statements to further polarize as well as indulge in anti-social activities in no time.
PC: PTI
- As you are aware, certain statements also lead to severe backlash and sometimes force the fundamentalists to take the law into their hands. One such incident was reported in Udaipur recently resulting in the gruesome murder of the tailor Kanhaiya Lal. The barbarous killing should be treated as an act of terrorism and the course of investigation underway suggests that governments think this was not an isolated local incident as well. The Union Government has directed the National Investigation Agency to take over the probe, with the search for international links being a key dimension of the probe. No less than the Rajasthan CM has echoed a similar view giving further credence to the terror angle.
- The CM mentioned that the murder was meant to spread terror and the information available indicated the two perpetrators have contacts overseas. Shockingly, the two terrorists perpetrating the gruesome murder have freely admitted to belonging to groups that believe the punishment for blasphemy must be death. Indeed, the most chilling aspect of what the two murderers did was the videography, reminiscent of ISIS-style brutality. Undoubtedly, what happened in Udaipur requires a multi-level and multi-agency response. Needless to say, a thorough investigation by NIA with the active cooperation of the state government and quick as well as a definitive result is the best first response to the act of terrorism.
PC: PTI
- Mind you, interminable delays do great harm to the cause of fighting terror, especially when social situations are volatile. Another crucial job for investigators is to figure out whether the two murderers are part of a deadly pattern that will emerge over time. If that’s the case, agencies must be proactive in their presence. Moreover, the quality of local policing to deserves to be condemned as the victim had communicated a threat to his life in a formal complaint. Note that this horrifying incident shows the cost of states’ reluctance to implement even the most basic policy reforms. Finally, all political parties must keep an eye on groups and individuals passing unwanted comments that might aggravate an already volatile situation.
