On August 15, 1947 India became independent after centuries of political slavery, Optimism and hope for the future proved to be short lived, for the constitution failed to safeguard minorities, The resulting communal violence has gripped India and threatens to de story its very existence.
The multitude of problems is endless. The practice of organizing political parties on religious and communal basis has proven to be disastrous. Reserving government jobs for the lower castes has been catastrophic us the caste system being an integral part of Hinduism won’t go away. The Muslims are under attack everywhere, Kashmir has been a battle ground for more than40 years. Tamil Nadu is defiant because of human rights abuses and forced linguistic restrictions. Christians are second class citizens. The people of Assam want a way out. Communal riots in Kerala are on the increase, Women everywhere in India are downtrodden. Let us examine just one minority.
In spite of numerous promises, the Sikhs were left out of the constitution in 1950, and therefore their leaders never ratified it. Every attempt has been made to proclaim Sikhs to be Hindus. Sikhs who were once respected throughout India and whose turbaned image represented India to the outside world are now being told that they are too visible, too successful and are overrepresented in every field. This has emerged as a disconcerting realization that the Sikh community is being deliberately marginalized and reduced in the emerging social order.
In the 1951 Census, vital information relating to the number of Punjabi speaking people had been deleted with the objective of nullifying the aspirations of Sikhs to have their own official language. In 1955 when the Indian States were reorganized on a linguistic basis, Punjab was excluded, because that would have created a State in which Sikhs would have been the majority. I was not dealt with until 1966, when Punjab was divided into the two states of Punjab and Haryana. This morbid manipulation cost the Sikhs a great deal of territory. In addition, 1cgitimate demands for more autonomy and sharing of power made by the Sikhs in the Anandpur Resolution of 1973 were dismissed by the central government.
In 1984 the Sikh Golden Temple was assaulted by the Indian Amy. The surprise attack on their holiest shrine was executed on a Sikh holy day when it was packed with worshippers, many of them very young or elderly. All were slaughtered. The savagery of the assault is unbelievable. Three days later, with the government in full control and the Sikhs beaten, the army burnt the Sikh Archives. Original hand written manuscripts of the Sikh Gurus were burnt in a bonfire. Priceless relics and ancient irreplaceable books were destroyed. In attacking the Golden Temple along with 40 other Gurdwaras (places of worship) the government confirmed the Sikhs fears of planned genocide based ‘on religious lines. A few months later, when ruling party leaders instigated and led mobs in the infamous November riots, killing Sikhs across India, these perceptions of discrimination and holocaust were reinforced.
Ten years later, despite government assurances, trouble still simmers, ready to explode at any provocation. The crisis in Punjab is far from over. The problem is extremely complex. There are many factors contributing to the lingering problems. Unrest is directly related to the disenfranchisement of the nodulation of Punjab. For example, the city of Chandigarh which was built to be the capital of Punjab, was made the capital of two states and was placed under union rule (central not state jurisdiction), Every time a state government was voted in, giving power to a party not endorsed by the Central government, An excuse was found to dissolve it and replace it with President’s rule, from Delhi. The last round of elections was boycotted by the people, because they were unable to run candidates of their own choice.
Total control of media by the government does not help the situation any. All opposition is consistently described as religious fanaticism bent on separatism.
Conflict related to profit making, going on between the Sikh farming community and the Hindu
merchant class is a real power struggle aggravated by the central government’s anti-agricultural policies. The confrontation is over riparian water resources, electricity, and the utilization of manpower, industrial development, and capital investment.
Ongoing human rights violations in Punjab must not be discounted. Nazi Germany borrowed the swastika from India. India borrowed the final solution from the Nazis, The Punjab police are notoriously corrupt and ruthless, carrying out rape, torture and extra judicial killings. The central government has allowed the police to operate above the law. They ride around in cars without licenses plates flaunting their power as they extract protection money. There is no accountability. It must be noted that in the ten years that have passed and in spite of the claim to so called restoration of law and order, neither Amnesty International, nor any other foreign human rights organization, is allowed to do their investigative Work in Punjab. Instead, in an attempt at cover-up, the government has formed its own human rights organizations. These are known as GONGO’’s (government organized non-governmental agencies). If there is nothing to hide, why are these necessary?
The recurring crises not only in Punjab but throughout India is directly related to the fact that legitimate grievances of the minorities are not being addressed. Rising nationalist pride of the major if Hindu community generates mistrust and apprehension from the minorities who are in real danger of being absorbed and assimilated.
Reactionary responses only core pound and continue the crisis. Tit is aggravated by the state’s determination to remove all perceived imbalances left over from the colonial period.
The minorities look with fear and doubt on certain attitudes of the majority community. Slogans of “Hindi, Hindu and Hindustan” do nothing to promote unity in a country that is mull-religious, multilingual and multi-cultural, (Hindi, is the language. Hindu, is the religion. Hindustan is the country). This slogan makes minorities feel most insecure as it is full of serious threat. The number and intensity of communal riots is on the increase, Manipulative power dynamics, gross corruption and dysfunctional Constitution all contribute to the chaos. No business i possible without bribery. A thou sand mutinies are springing up, all over India, as people note the failures of its leaders, Discontent is seen everywhere. More trouble is inevitable.
A united India, as we know it today an invention of the British. It has proven to be ungovernable. Perhaps it is time that India split apart. It is a fundamental human right for people to choose their own leadership and therefore their own government. The rape, torture and killings must stop. Let the people go smaller countries may be easier to manage. Thin, could not get any worse. The a age man has nothing to lose. Better a series of small countries, each working for the betterment of own than a united whole with so much suffering and injustice.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 5, 1994
