By Nasiruddin Haider Khan,
What are they preparing for? Against whom? For whose security? And who are the people who are doing these preparations? A channel reported that in Indore, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) members openly fired guns in the air. There were multiple rounds fired. I am sure people of the area would not have become happy to hear the sounds of gunfire. They must have been scared. Who is being scared? And who are these preparations against?
Earlier, we had news of girls being given arms training in various Sangh Parivar camps. Is it that the Ministry of Defence has outsourced border protection to Sangh Parivar? After all, this is the time of outsourcing and responsibilities of armed forces are also being outsourced. But it could not be outsourcing of border security. Perhaps it is for protecting cities and mohallas. But the question stands, security for whom and against whom?
Who are our enemies? Is it the same security that was needed in a state called Gujarat not too long ago? Please bear with me, Gujarat is used just as an example here. What is in their heart, only Lord Ram can tell.
But what is happening in the name of Ram? Recently we heard that Maharashtra’s Anti-Terror Squad have nabbed two people for bomb blasts in an auditorium. These two are associated with a Hindutva organization. (Veer Savarkar also said there is a difference between Hinduism and Hindutva). In April 2006, two Bajrang Dal members died while making bombs in Nasik. Again the question to be asked is who is making the bomb and who are the intended targets? Bhagat Singh did a blast to make the deaf hear, no one was injured as a result of his bomb. But these bombs are for killings. Who is to be killed?
But there is something odd here. Think about it, if an organization that had words like Muslim, Islam, Tanzim, or Idara in its name and its members were taking arms training in a part in Indore or firing in broad day light. What would have happened then?
Suppose, if people arrested for blast in Thane auditorium were part of Islamic movement, mujahideen or a jehadi organization, would the media and government officials have taken it the same way they did with this news of June 17th, 2008? (Go on and search newspapers and TV news of that day).
But the question still stands, who is this preparations for? And against whom?
(Nasiruddin Haider Khan is a journalist and activist based in Lucknow)
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