Curb communalism

Haryana has had a reasonable record of communal harmony, but the calm was recently shattered by a mob of people who attacked members of a minority community in Atali village in Faridabad district. Bricks, swords and Molotov cocktails were used and many persons were injured, their houses torched and damaged. Fortunately, there were no deaths and the affected families were taken to a police station in nearby Ballabgarh where they were offered protection. 

The villagers had been living peacefully all along, and the residents maintain that outsiders attacked them after chastising the local folk for allowing a local mosque to be renovated and enlarged. A recent court ruling had favoured the mosque. The local leaders sought the village sarpanch's permission before work was started a few days before the event. The mosque is located near a temple and the renovation evidently touched a raw nerve of some fanatical right-wing elements.  The state administration was found lacking in many ways. It failed to anticipate trouble and take preventive action. Even after the event, the accused were not arrested and no compensation was given to the injured, or to those whose property was damaged. 

Prime Minister Modi's recent reiteration that he will not tolerate any discrimination or violence against any community is welcome, as is his criticism of anti-minority community comments made by BJP leaders. Evidently this message, dwelt on in his Mann ki Baat radio address too, is yet to reach the party rank and file. While the resultant communal polarisation becomes especially sharp whenever elections are due, it is never much below the surface. The monster of communalism must not be allowed to rear its head. The Chief Minister of Haryana should have been more alert and serious in ensuring the minority's safety. Having failed in this basic obligation, he now needs to build bridges and compensate the victims, even as he ensures peace and tranquillity in his state.