By Abdur Rab Khan for TwoCircles.net
The unpleasant incidents that took place in Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj district on the Republic Day have diminished the dignity of this national festival. It is regrettable that the Tricolour, which is a glorious symbol of our national integrity and unity in diversity, was made the voice of clash and violence.
It is true that minor incidents of communal clashes can happen under any government and under any circumstances. The real question is as to how the administration, government, and other important people related to the ruling camp react to those incidents and how skillfully efforts are made to deal with them. It should be kept in mind that major national festivals such as 26 January and 15 August have not become the basis of any kind of political mobilization until now. Organizations having proximity to Uttar Pradesh and country’s government should ensure that this tradition is not broken no matter what.
The problem to which the District Magistrate of Bareilly had drawn attention to in his Facebook post is real. The obstinacy of forcibly carrying out processions in Muslim localities is now beginning to be visible in common Hindu festivals as well as national festivals. The government should take it as a concern. Getting a Facebook post deleted is not its solution. If there are such organizations in the state that want to use national symbols to meet their political interests, they should be unmasked and strict action should be taken against them. It will be better if Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath crosses the benchmark set by himself and not exercise any lethargy in reining in such organizations.
However, the question is: in Kasganj incident, if the objective was to express faith toward the republic and the Tricolour, what difference would it have made had the hoisting program been held earlier or had the Tricolour march passed through another route, or had the hoisting itself taken place after allowing the march to pass? The respect toward the Tricolour could still have been expressed. This itself indicates what kind of tendencies are arising in the society. It is obvious that these divisive tendencies are neither good for our Republic nor for the honor of the Tricolour. Therefore, it is necessary to curb such trends. This is where the responsibility of the government and the political parties increases. Then, it should all the more be the responsibility of the ruling political class that such tendencies are not encouraged in the society.
However, the political parties do not appear very aware of this responsibility of theirs. After all, the Tricolour march was being taken out by groups associated with the ruling party and later, there were also reports of the local MLAs having attended the rally-processions. Had the administration taken precautionary steps earlier, this violence could perhaps have been avoided. Keeping the sensitivity in mind, the administration could have got the route of the Tricolour march changed or it could have asked for the hoisting program to be held elsewhere. But, alas! The administration failed to discharge this responsibility of its and the political parties did not discharge their responsibility. The result was that a youth lost his life and public and private properties were set ablaze. There is still time for the government to stop this fire from spreading in other areas and curb the mischievous elements to restore peace in Kasganj. Only then will the honor of our republic and Tricolour also remain intact.
The author is the Secretary of Anjum Taraqqi Taleem-o-Tarbiyat and Manager of Kasganj-based minority institution Azad Gandhi Inter College.