Naroda Patia: Securing secularism

There is a pronounced increase in the communal spirit displayed in the politics and events of today causing anxiety. The judgment in the 10- year-old Naroda Patia massacre pronounced on August 29, rekindles hope that justice can still be achieved in this multi-ethnic and pluralistic society of ours.

As the judgement is subjected to analysis, a good number of observers come to the conclusion that though justice is delayed –it took 10 yearsâ€"it is not denied.

The verdict against some of the politicians involved in the case sends the message that those breaking the law cannot always hope to escape through the patronage of those at the helm of power. Such a message comes as a relief at a time when miscreants involved riots in several parts of this nation such as Orissa and Assam escaped punishment through the unwillingness of witnesses to give evidence and also because of a biased political system.

The special judge Jyotsna Ygnik who presided over this trial has left her stamp on the judgement besides warning that the long arm of the law was able to reach the culprits however powerful or popular. This is the kind of judgement that should send a shiver into the minds of the communally minded, who are always looking for revenge.

Dangerous
"Taking lives of those having faith in another religion is bound to be dangerous and it strikes at the very root of the orderly, secular society which our founding fathers of our Constitution dreamt of," she had observed.

Further such judgements point to the fact that when the politicians fail there exists a judiciary in this land to question the murderous communal elements.

The special court convicted 32 persons. The judgment is very significant since country has seen many riots and carnages, but for the first time big political leaders faced the heat for the acts committed. The credit for this hard-won victory goes to the witnesses who stood with courage against all odds and to various organizations that provided them with necessary sustenance.

Long Trail
The trial in the case had begun in August 2009 and charge were framed against 62 people while one accused died during the course of the trial. The judge heard the case for 37 months and the prosecution examined 327 witnesses comprising eyewitnesses, victims, police personnel , government officials and forensic experts .

The convicts in the case included a BJP MLA Maya Kodnani who was also a former minister of state and Bajrang Dal strongman Babu Bajrangi.

The conviction of Maya Kodnani, a gynaecologist by profession and one time member of the Modi cabinet, Chief Minister Narendra Modi might have to face uncomfortable questions. She was inducted into the cabinet even after it was alleged that she had played an important role in the massacre.

Modi who has tried to drop his hardline Hindutva through state wide 'Sadbhavana missions is under threat of upsetting his Hindu vote bank. His attempt to put on a secular image stands impaired by the life terms awarded for the Naroda Patia culprits for snuffing out 97 lives. All these at a time when his prime ministerial ambitions had become very evident and state assembly polls only three months away.

Constitution
There are communal elements in all political outfits. In fact, though the Congress swears by the Constitution, the communal elements within as also vote bank politics make it impossible for it to translate into action its professed secular ideal. This is one reason why the party is losing its hold among the minorities.

It is also a fact that the majority community may be peace loving and a few vocal hardliners could intimidate such a majority and cause mayhem and murder leading to a fear complex in the minorities. The silent majority in every community should be made to realize the need to control the deviants within the community.

It is Najeeb Jung , Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, in a recent article An appeal to a Naroda convict turns his searchlight on "the champions of Indian industry who hailed Gujarat as a modern miracle."

Development
"It's really sad that these champions , for 30 pieces of silver and a few acres of land , wish to forgive mass murder of a kind that makes humanity hang its head in shame. I would expect no responsible human being to be encouraging us to 'move on' from Naroda Patia and the Gujarat killings without justice being done," he points out. This is a very relevant observation in the context of Modi's fresh attempt to win hearts by his 'development' models.

In another article, Keep at bay communal elements , the educationist had lauded the Constituent Assembly which "managed to frame a pristine document that till today enshrines the best of human values and remains a shining example of India's commitment to democracy , secularism and unabashed affirmative action."

Successive governments had pampered religious fundamentalism and fallen prey to so called 'pressure' of religious groups. There have been exceptions, but by and large we find plaint acquiescence, kowtowing to worst fundamentalism and lazy application of law that has egged on the lumpen among the communities to just not play with life and property but put the country at risk."

He says that communalism must be fought at all levels starting with the schools. "We must bay the communal hydra in its very den, defang it and come out trumps. We can do it" he concludes.