May 15, 2008

Terror, unchanged

Dozens of my fellow Indians, my fellow humans, blown to death in Jaipur. I'm numbed with the images in my paper, sick with thoughts of what those few minutes in crowded Jaipur must have been like.

How do you stop horrors like what happened in Jaipur?

Simple: you go after the scum who kill, whoever they are, with all you have. It seems so obvious to me that I sometimes have to pinch myself to remember that others appear to think differently.

Whether it's bomb-setters in Jaipur and Delhi, or sword-wielders in Ahmedabad and Baroda, or train-burners in Godhra, or house- and shop-burners in Bombay, or lynchers in Delhi and Bhiwandi: I don't care and neither should you and neither, certainly, should those who administer our laws. All these thugs, criminals, terrorists -- call them whatever you like -- and their masters who drive them must be punished. Period.

Whether you have a perverted idea of Islamic jihad on your mind, or a twisted redemption of Hindu honour, or a crazy Christian crusade, or a topsy-turvy quest for Sikh revenge, or some other religious sickness: again, I don't care what you have -- but when you kill people, you must be punished. Period.

No two ways about it. No equivocation about what is and what isn't terrorism, no convoluted rationalizations for why one brand of killing can be safely ignored, no empty arguing about what caused what. Punishment, that's all. Justice, that's all.

See it that way, address it that way, start today: then we will have done some measure of justice to the memory of those two little girls killed in their car in Jaipur. And the others, suddenly dead there and elsewhere in that city. And in Bombay before. Godhra. Hyderabad. Bhiwandi. Baroda. Ahmedabad. Delhi.

Your fellow citizens all, suddenly dead. Justice to their memory.

***

If the lines above seem familiar, it's because they are. I wrote them in August last year, when bomb blasts killed several other fellow Indians in Hyderabad. It's almost the most depressing thing of all that I only changed a few words here and there to produce this post. Because justice remains just as elusive as it was then. That hasn't changed.

9 comments:

Sidhusaaheb said...

Justice, in this country, is also delivered based upon the religious identity of the offenders/killers.

I suppose there could be a barrage of comments following this now, meant to deny either deny this terrible truth or to justify it.

A point to ponder upon for those who are likely to write such comments...How many of those responsible for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots have been brought to trial and how many have actually been punished? How many of them are in jail or how many of them have been hanged to death?

As for the Mumbai bomb-blasts accused's trial and punishment, please search this blog or ask Dilip to directly refer you to the relevant blog-posts.

The exceptions to that rule do deserve to be applauded though, like the supreme court's attempt at bringing as many as possible of the Gujarat riots offenders to justice, as possible, despite the state government's efforts to the contrary.

What is the logic behind bomb blasts/communal riots? Many are killed, so that a few can enjoy the fruits of power, while a lot many others can cheer them on, it seems to me.

Meanwhile, I condemn the Jaipur-blasts and sincerely hope that the guilty shall be brought to book at the earliest.

zap said...

I just wish you'd remove the labels of fellow Indians and citizens. National pride can resemble the worst facets of religion..
Agree with your despair..like in another post you wrote a while back, we have seen this so often that even our reactions are rehashed..the same crests and troughs!

Anonymous said...

Zap,

Dilip more commonly uses human/ non-human, read any of the archives.

Dilip,

1. "...others think so differently"

Starting from way back at '2 hands of the question' Ive internalized this and havent really found too many who think too differently.

There is some hedging, yes, but its so shifty and defensive, I ve realized my debaters know they are wrong. Not met an out-and-put bigot yet.

2. " no equivocation... no convoluted rationalization ... no empty arguing..."

Also, no asking why a loss of livelihood is a watery weak excuse to set off bombs.

Not ever again. Please?

Sorry. had to say that.

Thanks,
Jai

zap said...

@ Jai - In this post, Jai. Just in this one.

Dilip D'Souza said...

I just wish you'd remove the labels of fellow Indians and citizens. National pride can resemble the worst facets of religion.

True, zap. I couldn't agree more. I am as distressed by the deaths in Burma and China over the last couple weeks as I am with Jaipur, for example. I don't mean to imply otherwise by my use of "fellow Indian" etc.

I'm just trying every way I can to indicate, let's remember that people died in Jaipur (so my three mentions are fellow Indian, fellow human, fellow citizen). Let's mourn them. Let's find a way to stop this senseless killing.

Anonymous said...

Jaipur Serial Blasts: Indians, get angry NOW.

Another, City.

Another, series of Blasts.

Once more Hundreds of innocent men, women and children lost their lives.

Once more ‘mutilated’ bodies are strewn on roads, who were living human beings just couples of seconds before blasts. Some body’s Father/ Mother/Husband/Wife/Daughter/ Son. Once more these ‘bodies’ are now merely statistics.

Once more same ‘mundane’ routine.

Once more ‘Dirty Harry’ of Sonia brigade, MoS Home Affairs, In charge internal security, Sri Prakash Jaiswal, visiting victims in hospital.

Once again Prime Minion Man Mohan Singh mumbling same old shock and offering insincere sympathy to victims and their families.

Once again ‘Walking Zombie’ Home Minister caught UN aware.

Once again ‘BaliDaan Moorti’ Signora Sonia Maino Gandhi expressing her totally phony concern.

Once again MSM preaching us to stay calm and maintain communal harmony, as if Hindus start rioting every time their Mandirs are attacked. Umpteenth time now, Hindu Mandirs are attacked with impunity give me one instance when Hindus rioted? Just like the Religion of Peace’s followers did after attack on Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad.

Once again Secularists and Islam apologists are out of woods to tell us, how the religions of Peace’s followers are misguided youth! How they are alienated! How they must be brought in the main stream!

Once again more concession for them.

Once again Muslim Appeasement in full gear.

Once again More Bomb Blasts.

Once again another city.

Once again more Humans turned in mere ‘statistics’.

Once again the SAME AS ABOVE.

Once again the Prudent Indian writing the same above.

Once again, then again, then again ….

When will it stop?

Who will stop it?

How long we will be ‘mere spectators’?

How long before you or me or our near and dear ones will not be another victim of this unending spiral of terror?

How many more bomb blasts to take place, before we wake up?

How many more innocent lives to be lost, before we get angry?

Yes, get angry now before you too are ‘NOBODY’ but a mere figure in the ever increasing list of innocent victims. Refuse please, to be sacrificed at the altar of some ‘perverse’ and misplaced ’secularism’.

Very Angry,

PI.

Dilip D'Souza said...

I remember getting angry in late 1992. For example, this incident got me angry and depressed.

Killings of all kinds before that and since have kept me angry and depressed.

Anonymous said...

All Sikhs were ‘Murderers of Indira Gandhi’. Hence, 1984 ‘Sikh Massacre’ is justified, implies Arjun Singh?

“Only a person who is totally committed to the nation can make an attempt like Rajiv Gandhi did to bring murderers of his mother into the mainstream,” said the HRD minister.

Any comments, Mr. Secular?
PI.

Dilip D'Souza said...

Presuming that "Any comments Mr Secular?" was directed at me ...

The "murderers of his mother" remark is a sickening pronouncement from a sickening man.