Were we expecting laddoos in silver foil from abroad?

AS we move from communal virus to coronavirus, we need to take stock of some global perceptions about India, and what it once stood for. After those unpopular legislative decisions on the CAA and NPR, things have altered slightly. After the current of unrest that ran through many parts of the country, it was expected that some nations would react. It started, of course, with Jammu and Kashmir being turned into a bunch of Union Territories. Islamic countries would always view the measures as directed against a Muslim-majority enclave.

The harsh measures taken by the police in Delhi could not have gone unnoticed abroad. The assault on the students of Jamia Millia, first on campus, then in the library on December 15, with the police exhorting themselves (!) to shoot traitors went global on TV. The smashing of the CCTV cameras by the police was shown on TV. The twilit evenings at Shaheen Bagh with their protests (always peaceful) had viewers hooked. Nor was the January 5 assault by masked hooligans this year as they entered JNU with iron rods and sledgehammers and beat up the students, a well-kept secret. You can’t keep TV screens locked within the ambit of the Official Secrets Act. Riots followed as ministers and others encouraged slogans such as ‘Goli maaro salon ko’. Nothing remains hidden today and Delhi and Wuhan were both on TV screens. In our age, truth can be defined as photographs and videotapes, and we have plenty on our riots. Statements under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code are passé. Reach for the cameras, guys.

After all this, and much more, what were we looking for from abroad, laddoos in silver foil? Among the brickbats, the most telling was the intervention before the Indian Supreme Court by the Human Rights Commissioner of the UN, Michelle Bachelet, a former President of Chile, herself a torture victim. The Commission has filed an application in respect of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, seeking ‘to intervene as amicus curiae (third party) challenging the constitutional validity of the CAA. The application talks of ‘India’s international human rights obligations, including the right to equality before the law’. It also talks of ‘arbitrary and unjustified differential treatment’. Our answers are on the beaten track — ‘this is an internal matter and impinges on our sovereignty, etc, etc’. We need to adhere to international human rights laws. Our framers of legislation may better take heed.

Because of the recent American closeness, we seem to have neglected Iran. During our bad times, Iran has helped us with oil. On the other hand, it has criticised us severely when things like the demolition of the Babri Masjid took place. (It must be remembered that Iran and Saudi Arabia are rivals as self-appointed leaders of Islamic countries). Iran may not have been the first to strike this time, but it put it brutally. Turkey and Indonesia had spoken against the riots earlier, but none put it as strongly as Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who condemned the ‘wave of organised violence against Indian Muslims’ and described it as ‘senseless thuggery’. We have seldom been spoken of in such fashion. What a change from the days of Nehru when he was described as Rasool-i-aman during his visit to Egypt, if I recall correctly, and Pakistan strongly protested at this appellation. Those were the days when Pakistan had a mathematician as Prime Minister. When asked why his country was not getting close to West Asia, the great man answered, ‘Because zero plus zero plus zero is only equal to zero.’

Let us not forget that Cyrus in 539 BC proclaimed the first Charter of Human Rights enshrined in his Cylinder, which is now physically in the United Nations. Ironically, in the present context, it was inscribed in Iran.

It is only hoped that some sad day we do not become a mirror image of Pakistan. It is worrying that every two or three decades we see an eruption of sectarian hate and violence. Some sections among the youth seem to be fed with hate talk. Casualties were from both sides. If it is a one-sided affair, it turns into a pogrom, especially if the police sides with the attackers. It is noteworthy that Sikhs as a community fed both Hindu and Muslim victims. It is hoped that compensation for the victims is speedy and equitable. The return of normalcy will take a while. But it is hoped that politicians will give peace a chance.

How does one define power? A High Court judge gives the police one day to lodge FIRs against those who delivered hate speeches before and during the riots. At midnight, he is asked to move to another High Court. And the Delhi High Court gives the police a month to file FIRs. This is power. In Punjabi, we would exult saying, ‘Gal hoi na!’ Am very impressed.

Lastly, a word on cricket. I was very sorry to hear about the death of Chaman Lal, who once captained Punjab. We played for six years together. He scored 500 runs in a match and also over 360 against DAV College, Jalandhar, a team which included Harold Ghosh and Jitender Billu. But we all must go.