India claims itself to be the world’s largest democracy where the rule of law is supposed to reign supreme. Nothing could be farther from truth. Even a cursory look at the state of affairs in India would show this to be an illusion or a myth. Let us examine.
Externally, India, the self-appointed guardian of Sri Lanka sent over 70,000 troops, in there under the terms of a bilateral agreement with the Sri Lanka government about two years back. The troops, which are in occupation of several strategic areas in the Northern Sri Lanka, are known by the euphemism “Indian Peace Keeping Force.” However instead of bringing peace the troops have wrought death, destruction, and destabilization in the country. Under the terms of the bilateral agreement, Sri Lanka government has asked India to withdraw its troops from its soil by the end of July 1989. What is India’s response? A blatant rejection of the lawful request. Rajiv Gandhi has declared that India will withdraw its troops only after Tamils are given more autonomy.
It is strange that Indian government should be enforcing greater autonomy in other countries when its troops are busy domestically crushing the popular will and just aspirations of the people. After its headily albeit temporary success in Nepal and Pakistan India is apparently deluding itself in hallucinations of the extreme kind. No country worth its name will tolerate such interference and it is a matter of time before responsible nations take up the cause of Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Domestically, the rule of the law is being trampled upon with impunity. After the riots against the Sikhs in Jammu, the Indian government barred the entry of Shromini Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee a statutory body into Jammu and Kashmir to investigate the riots.
Nearly every week several court orders to Punjab Police, Border Security Force and Provincial Armed Constabulary etc. to produce certain police officials in court are being violated with impunity; lawyers attending on Tohra, Mann, Atinder Pal Singh to name a few are being denied consultation with their clients. The provisions of the Indian Constitution are being violated openly when the Election Commission orders the Sikh political parties to enter declaration under oath that they have no association with religious affairs.
Duly elected state governments are being dismissed as a routine matter Karnataka’s Janata Party government was the 96th to be ousted in India’s brief history of 43 years as an independent country. State Chief Ministers, Judges, Governors, etc. are moved around like the Russian roulette. Newspapers which are critical of the government policies are raided week after week with a view to bludgeon them to submission. Fake encounters, illegal arrests and delay of court cases have become a routine occurrence. One can go on with the list.
One wonders where India is heading and what is its future in the coming years.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 30, 1989
