More than 300 persons died and 1000 were wounded in the bomb blasts that shook Bombay, India’s commercial capital, last week. The Indian government was grouping in the dark about the men or organizations behind the action as the last reports came in, New Delhi was throwing about vague charges against Muslim fundamentalists without specifically identifying any group. It was generally surmised on the basis of the quality of the explosives that the blasts had been engineered from abroad “with sizeable local help.” No organization owed the bombings. The Pakistan embassy in Delhi and the L.T.TE. in Sri Lanka denied their involvement. According to reports from India, that country approached the U.S. administration as well as the British authorities for help in investigations. Interpol’s assistance was also sought. All these exercises point to the Indian government’s pet theory of a “foreign hand.” Interestingly, India’s media, obviously briefed by New Delhi, had peddled the “foreign hand” theory even when the smoke from the blasts had not yet blown away. That India should do so is quite understandable. For, pointing an accusing finger at Indian Muslims in the heat of the moment would have unleashed the already inconsolable Hindu fundamentalist mobs into a massive bloodbath and countrywide chaos with un predictable consequences, A limited, anti-Muslim campaign suits the Indian government authorities for bringing about Hindu political consolidation but stretching it beyond a limit proves counterproductive and is best avoided. No sane person will fail to express regret at the loss of human lives and pain to the victims and members of their families, Such an expression of concern for human life is what is expected of all civilized men and women cutting across the boundaries of countries, But one must notice the attitude of the Indian state and its organs towards the human sufferings of non Hindus. More than 1100 persons, mostly Muslims, died in the wake of protests against the demolition of Babri masjid in December. About 1000 Muslims were again killed by Hindu fundamentalists mobs with the connivance of the Indian security forces in January, again, mostly in Bombay. But the Indian government authorities were least regretful. The prime minister avoided a visit to Bombay for several days. The army was not moved in. There was hardly any international concern either. The media reported the incidents of violence routinely. There were no calls for blood donations for the victims of violence. But the whole scene has changed now. The Indian president issued a public statement. The Indian prime minister made a statement, too, The home minister and the minister of state for home dashed to Bombay on hearing of the bomb blasts. The prime minister did not lag much behind. A battery of detectives was flown to Bombay in no time. The Maharashtra chief minister was on the small screen gesticulating the blasts as “very grave.” The Indian media matched the Indian state’s concerns in equal measure. There were shirking headlines and front page editorials. Was this all done because most victims happened to be Hindus this time? The virtual lack of concern when Muslims, Sikhs or members of other religious groups die and the overreaction when it comes to any harm to Hindus ought to be a subject of study of the behavior of the Indian state towards violence in that country. The contrast provides a clue to the violence itself. Every act of violence against Muslims, Sikhs or other minority communities can be traced at least in some measure to the Indian state which either connives in or tolerates such violence. It began with operation “Blue Star” in Punjab. Not a day has passed when the Indian state has not killed a dozen odd Sikhs dubbing them “suspected terrorists”, similarly with Muslims in Kashmir, U.P., Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and other states. Countess enquiries in the past few decades have clearly established the active responsibility of Hindu fundamentalist groups and the connivance of Indian state’s security forces but nothing has been done to remedy the situation, There have been numerous instances of organized murder, rape, and looting. In Kashmir in recent years this has involved the security forces directly but India finds no reason to punish any of its troops. The culmination of the Hindu intolerance was seen at Ayodhya when the historic masjid was demolished in December. Justas the “operation Blue Star” angered the Sikhs, the demolition of the Babri masjid and the slaughter of more than 2000 Muslims in its wake led the Muslim youths to a flash point. The fact of the matter is that several Muslim and non Muslim scholars clearly detected the seething Muslim anger in recent weeks against the Indian state and its organs, As for Bombay, Shiv Sena thugs selectively destroyed Muslim establishments last month causing extensive damage to the communities miniscule Upper middle class, The Bombay blasts have to be seen in the context of the Indian developments rather than as a part of so called “international terrorism.” The WSN has repeatedly decried the communal fascist nature of the Indian state with its inevitable repercussions, The Bombay explosions should be seen as an act of counterattack, howsoever inadvisable, by the victims of the Indian state, Leaders of public opinion in the western countries must not be carried away by the Indian state’s Propaganda. They must have a balanced picture of the Indian situation to reach correct conclusions. It is necessary to understand India and its reality. The Indian reality is that it is politically unstable; it is a sham democracy; the Indian state has a Strong Hindu fundamentalist bias; it actively encourages violence against minorities and, finally, its minorities with their back to the wall seek to protect themselves and their human nights. What is going in India is a sort of civil strife between Hindus on one side and Muslims and other minorities on the other. In this, the Indian state in general and the present ruling class in particular, is partisan. This is evident from the expression of concern and extension of quick relief to the Hindu victims in the Bombay blasts most victims happen to be Hindus by the Indian state and internationalization of the incidents as terrorism. But as and when Muslims and other minorities are effected in Most incidents of the so called rioting and encounters, it is Muslims and other ‘minorities who suffer causalities the Indian state becomes mute witness, Thus ‘blaming the country’s minorities for “terrorism” is not only factually wrong but is also being odd handed. Such an understanding is liable to lead to wrong conclusions with dangers to the western interests themselves. By condemning Indian minorities the west may be alienating them, by projecting India as a practicing democracy the leaders of public opinion may be committing the rally of misleading international opinion. India is unstable and violence ridden. It is unsafe to invest there. It is a territory where violations of human rights is the order of the day and any support to the Indian government amounts to encouraging communal fascism. Any abstract reading of the Bombay blasts in isolation from the Indian reality is thus clearly unwarranted.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 19, 1993
