While delivering judgment against mass killings of Sikhs in 1984, convicted for the crime from some of the congress leaders, the Delhi High Court stated that “a majority of the Perpetrators these horrific mass crimes, enjoyed political patronage and thus criminals escaped prosecution and punishment for over two decades.”
The Court observed that “there has been a familiar pattern of Mass killings in Mumbai in 1993, in Gujarat in 2002, in Kandhamal in Odisha, 2008, in Muzafarnagar in UP, 2013 to name a few.”
At the time of Gujarat violence in 2002, then the Chief Minister Narendra Modi claimed that the violence in the state was brought undercontrol within 72 hours! But the violence continued every day and official death toll has exceeded 800 and the unofficial toll was more than double. Also, about 500 missing cases and more than 250 cases of atrocities against women and children have been reported. Over 2 lakh people were living in appalling conditions in the shelter camps indifferent parts of the state.
Even the Supreme Court came out heavily on Modi’s Government on communal violence in the state and said, “The modernzday Neros were looking elsewhere when innocent children and helpless women were burning…”
When the communal violence in Gujarat had deeply shaken the whole country and abroad, then the Chief Minister Narendra Modi, said that “it was natural reaction to the Godhra incident.” In 2008, in Kandhamal in Odisha, mob violence against a microscopic minority of Christians in the state, killings more than 100, over 300 churches and 6000 Christian houses were reduced to ashes and rendering more than 56,000 Christians took shelter in refugee camps!
Most of all the communal violence occurred in the country was orchestrated by the religious fanatics to destroy the communal amity. Even they have political support behind their communal agenda.
At the time of mob violence, most of the culprits go scot-free due to lack of eye witness for evidence. Their political links also helps them to escape from criminal charges by the law-enforcing authorities.
In such a situation, when the religious minorities and the weaker sections in the society are threatened with dire consequences even with their life and property who stand exercise their power to protect victims at the time of mob violence and killings?
Thomas Mulackel
Bengaluru
