By Aas Mohammad Kaif, TwoCircles.net
Meerut: In India, the religion of Corona has been decided, and the proofs can be seen in lanes and corners. One fresh proof is reported from former BSP Minister, Kuldeep Ujjwal’s house in Meerut’s Shastri Nagar. Early morning, a stranger outside Ujjwal’s residence was heard coughing badly, catching Ujjwal and his wife, Anshu’s attention. As responsible citizens during times of the deadly virus claiming thousands of lives worldwide, the couple immediately advised the stranger to cover his mouth while coughing. The reply to this simple advisory came, “..Main mazdoor hoon main toh kaam karne ja rahe hoon aur main toh Hindu hoon, Musalman nahi (I am laborer going for work, and I am a Hindu, not a Muslim).”
Later the worker was given a mask and sent away from the colony.
According to Kuldeep Ujjwal, also a professor of Political Science, the incident happened around 9 in the morning of April 17 while he was standing in the front yard of his house with his wife. “Iss ghatna ke baad se mere ghar mein yehi charcha hai, meri patni keh rahi hai ki ye kya ho gaya (Since the incident occurred, it has been the only discussion in my house. My wife is shocked at what has happened),” said Ujjwal.
His wife, Anshu, who is also a professor is worried about the sudden rise in communalism in the Indian society. No disease comes according to people’s faith. “Desh mein turant nafrat parosne waale TV channel par rok lagani chahiye (TV channels that serve instant hatred to people must be banned),” said Anshu, stating that the country is becoming poisonous due to extremists at both sides who are sickening the mentality of others because of such illiteracy.
However, this is not a first time it happened during Corona. In Hindu localities across the state, there are reports of Muslim vendors and laborers being banned from entering or selling goods. These areas are now mandating checking of Aadhar card of vendors before they are allowed inside Hindu residential spaces. Several incidents of violence against Muslim cleaners and vendors have also surfaced in the recent days. In Hindu dominated areas, Muslims have been asked by their Hindu landlords to even leave their rented houses. To distinguish Hindu from Muslim sellers, saffron flags are being hoisted in these makeshift stalls or carts of fruitsellers. Such incidents are coming in huge numbers from the entire state, especially from West UP.
When asked about the same, Ujjwal confirmed similar instances in his locality. Before asking for the price of vegetables, people ask sellers to show their Aadhar cards and ID proofs. Ujjwal feels saddened by the changing fabric of India’s social system, remarking that he comes from a secular and inclusive background where people are intolerant of any bias regarding faith. He expressed that he gives him immense pride that his wife shares the same idea, and in fact, Anshu was more affected by the whole incident that himself.
“Mahamari ko dharm se nahi joda jaa sakta (A pandemic cannot be associated with any religious belief)”, Anshu had rebuked the laborer early morning. She hasn’t been able to forget the response of the stranger because she herself has been teaching thousands of students as an English professor but has never discriminated anyone on the basis of their faith. Unity in diversity is the country’s pride for Anshu.
Ujjwal feels that it is the BJP government’s failure to deliver promises of development that it aims to hide behind this venom of communalism and this is just another strategy of the government to make people forget of their failures and fight in the name of religion.
Ashish Tomar from Bagpat says similar incidents of communal hatred have been witnessed in his locality. A vegetable seller had visited the vicinity and he had no masks on his mouth. He refused to take sanitizers when he was offered one, saying that, “Sahab, main toh Hindu hoon, Musalman nahi (Sir, I am a Hindu, not a Muslim)”.
Ashish says he was initially furious at the response, but later he felt sad for the poor man whose mind he opines has been “hacked” by extremists, just like the minds of lakhs of people in the country have been “hacked” through venomous content on TV and social media. This, he feels, is bad for the whole country.