Maharashtra Violence : Casteism and More
Few days back, I was just going through news headlines when
I came across a report that mentioned heavy snowfall in parts of USA resulting
in a huge damage to life and property. I started wondering how America has
become a superpower in spite of all the adversities- unfavorable climate and
lack of certain natural resources. And why is India, despite such abundance of
resources and propitious geographic conditions, still lagging behind?
Well, I perhaps got the answer the very next day when I came
to know of the Koregaon Bhima violence in Maharashtra. To be frank, we all know
this answer, don’t we? We know very well where do we lag and what has hurt the
development prospects of our great country all these years. Incidents like
Maharashtra violence are just strong and embarrassing reiterations of the
unfortunate state of our country.
On going deeper, I came to know of the history of the Battle
of Koregaon Bhima, the significance of the date and the prominence which the
place and the event have in Dalit history. I am not an expert of history but
one thing which I could clearly understand was that the Battle of Koregaon
Bhima is indeed celebrated by the Dalits as a symbol of their valor, unity and
pride. And 2018 being the 200th anniversary of the victory, the
commemoration this time was well anticipated to be larger and high profile. As
per an estimate, about 1 lakh people had gathered at Koregaon Bhima on the 1st
of January.
So what was the administration doing? They were very well
aware of the potential threat to the peace and security that this event could
cause yet sufficient and timely measures were not taken. Yet another episode of
negligence leading to destruction and then culminating with the imperative
blame game. This has always been the trend
with our power holders, and we Indians are also perhaps used to seeing it time
and again.
But why do the administration and the police come into the
picture? It is because we lack the maturity and we need to be controlled and
reminded of our responsibilities repeatedly. The 1st Jan event was
supposed to be a celebration and a remembrance of the courage of the warriors.
But, probably nothing in India takes a normal course, particularly when the
matter pertains to caste and religious identity.
So the things took an unpleasant turn at two levels.
Firstly, there should not have been acts of violence against those who had
congregated at Koregaon Bhima and were observing celebrations. Later, as is
always seen in such cases, the violence spread like fire across the state and
retaliatory actions were taken by certain groups which led to further
aggravation of the problem causing enormous damage and literally halting the
state for a day or two. Needless to say, causing such havoc is unjustifiable
and nobody seems to be right in this course of events. Obviously it was a
failure of the government at multiple levels. But more sadly, it was a failure
of the ideology, pragmatism and self restraint of the people.
We know there are certain communities and sections of
society that have been marginalized for long and that they have their problems
and issues. But what these incidents bring to the fore is that we as a nation
have perhaps not been able to instill trust and a sense of togetherness into
them that could enable them to unite with us into a single force called India.
Also, as I often keep reiterating, it has been 70 years since we got
independence, but our ways of showing resentment and disagreement are still
under question and criticism. What happened on 1 Jan was wrong, but what
followed on subsequent days was in no way right. Stone pelting, vandalizing
shops, torching vehicles, shutting down schools and colleges and blocking roads
and railway tracks has never been a way of protest and should never ever
be.
Maharashtra is known
for its steady progress and good economic record and we would love to see it
progress further on those lines. It has seen enough of animosity between
communities and the caste based politics that rises out of it. It is important
to holistically resolve the issues and move ahead wiser and steadier than
before. This can be achieved only by considerate and inclusive politics by the
government complimented by the rationality and consciousness of the public.
This is the best in the interest of 12 crore Marathis. Hope
they all achieve it soon…..
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