The ongoing violence in the capital city of India, New Delhi, has exposed the bigotry of the ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and all the government institutions. The world is seeing the transformation of “Secular India” into “Sick-ular India.” It is witnessing the outcomes of the politics of hate that the BJP relied on to capture the power. That no one from BJP would condemn the violence on the streets of New Delhi was expected.
But what was not expected was inaction on the part of New Delhi Police. Instead of protecting the people, it colluded with the perpetrators of violence. Needless to say that the violent mob attacks on the demonstrators under Delhi Police nose show the world a practical demonstration of the tyranny of the majority.
Also, what was not expected was the mild response of the judiciary. While the Indian Supreme Court that tried to show its concern by pulling up police, the Delhi High Court (HC) wants BJP leaders to be booked. What a shame that instead of ordering the arrest of the instigators of hate speech and violence, the said HC tried to get rid of the responsibility by asking the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to advise the police on lodging FIRs against them.
In such depressing times, however, it is encouraging that the global media is turning against Narendra Modi. But the question worth asking is this: will the latest round of communal violence change the global powers’ perception of India and especially the United States’ (US)?
When the propagators of Hindutva are targeting Muslims on the streets of New Delhi, some people fear for the minorities living in Pakistan. But Pakistan is not India. The Indian government and its institutions can learn a great deal from Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s warning to people to not even think of harming Pakistan’s minorities.