• Ponmala

In the days of monarchical rule, the king was a law unto himself. But, even in those days when the matters of the state were run according to the whims and fancies of the ruler, there was an unwritten moral code by which the people judged their kings as righteous or not. And when tyrannical dynastic rulers like Ivan the Terrible of Russia became a scourge, humanity sought ways to curb their reign. Ivan, for instance, created a group of bodyguards who murdered priests, burned government officials alive and drowned families, prompting human genius to devise democracy as a safeguard against such leaders capturing the reigns of power.

In these democracies, a constitution, which ensured a rule of the people, by the people and for the people, replaced the writ of the king for running the affairs of the state. These constitutions were designed in such a way as to deny rulers any and every scope for resorting to violence, using the power of the state. The bedrock on which such constitutions rest is the belief that the people will only elect rulers who have zero tolerance for violence. But that faith in the ethical conscience of the majority is increasingly proving to be unfounded, starting with election of Adolf Hitler as the Chancellor of Germany.

The beast whom the Book of Revelation prophesied has ‘suddenly come out of the sea’: “The whole earth was amazed by and followed the beast. Everyone worshipped the dragon because he had given his authority to the beast. They worshipped the beast also saying, ‘Who is the beast? Who can fight against it?’” (Revelation 13: 3,4). That beast is the megalomaniac or the demented psycho who is capturing the seat of power in one democracy after another, and the dragon that gave his authority to the beast are the voters who are electing them.

As a protest against the Gujarat Pogrom, America banned Modi, under whose watch it took place, from entering in the country, denying visa for severe “violations of religious freedom”. Modi is having the last laugh as Trump gets re-elected as President four years after he oversaw the attack on Capitol, the sanctuary of American democracy. It is to the credit of Indian democracy that Modi couldn’t pardon the perpetrators of the Gujarat pogrom as did Trump in the case of the criminals who attacked the Capitol. Even an attempt by Modi to free 11 men who were sentenced to life imprisonment in the Bilkis Bano case was thwarted by India’s Supreme Court.

In the matter of protecting criminals who do one’s bidding, Modi and the BJP are outdone only by Pinarayi Vijayan (Chief Minister of Kerala) and the CPI(M). Pinarayi and his party do all that is needed to protect the Marxist goons who resort to violence, like killing T P Chandrasekar for dissent, killing 2 Congress workers for weaning away CPI(M) supporters, disrobing a dissident female party member etc, from suffering the legal consequences of their crimes and to provide for their families. And when they are released on bail or walk out of gaol, they are garlanded, taken in procession and rewarded with plum postings. Perhaps, taking a cue from them, the BJP garlanded the rapists of Bilkis Bano as they walked out of Godhra Gaol and took them in procession. Not to be found wanting, Trump is planning to felicitate the most hardcore of the attackers of the Capitol, in the White House. And to think all these well-wishers and users of criminals despise the jihadists who kill and get killed to attain heaven!

The credit for sanctifying criminals must go to India’s Christian hierarchy. Despite sane voices from all walks of life calling for a word of condemnation or at least regret for the pogrom the Hindutva brigade unleashed on the Christians of Manipur, Modi refused to oblige. He made up for it by inviting a group of eminent Christians, which included India’s Christian hierarchy for good measure, for a Christmas celebration at his residence even as the Christians of Manipur were hiding in forest for dear life. No regret for or mention of Manipur that would mar the celebratory mood of the occasion came from the Prime Minister, which made the Christian leaders all the more happier. And the next Christmas, the Catholic Bishops Conference reciprocated by inviting Modi for a Christmas Celebration they hosted,  absolving violence without confession.

Just recently, the curia got 21 priests of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese beaten up, stripped and dragged by the Kerala police in the middle of the night. Although the police and the curia had taken great care to keep the violence in the dark by switching off all the lights and CCTV cameras of the Bishop’s House, one camera placed in a neighbouring compound revealed the macabre violence for the world to see. The sanctification of that violence may take the form of bishopric or plum postings handed on a platter to all the members of the curia who oversaw it.

Raising criminals who commit acts of violence – killing or getting killed – for a cause, to the status of heroes, patriots or martyrs, is a sign of our times. Never before did violence become a virtue and criminals get beatified as now.