India prides itself as a great democracy governed by rule of law. This claim is belied by the reality. There is hardly any rule of law or democracy in practice. That a number of states such as Kashmir Punjab and all the centrally administered union territories have to do without their own elected governments to run their affairs is a matter of fact and not of opinion No election has been held in Kashmir for years nor any is likely in the near future because the electorate there are determined to secede from India. No elected government is allowed to stay in power in Punjab for years nor is any likely in the near future because the electorates there are determined to secede from India. No elected government is allowed staying in power in Punjab for full tenure is also a matter of record. The February 1992 poll in the state was a farce because more than 80% electorate boycotted the India-organized election. It is almost certain that the people of Punjab will opt out of India if an opinion poll is held under U.N supervision. This is what is demanded by militant organizations and influential over ground Akali groups. The development of public opinion in vast areas of India is dead set against the Brahman-controlled rule from Delhi. Even Orissa chief minister Biju Patnaik sometime ago talked of his state seceding from India. The situation in the north-eastern states had never been favorable to India. The recent police uprising in Tripura and the manner in which the entire force belonging to the state was replaced by security forces sent in by Delhi could not but further alienate the people of Tripura from India.

The growing anti-India resentment in that country is not without reason. The county is tightly controlled by its Brahman rulers and their other upper caste hangers-on This ruling class is not only looting the country and its resources but is treating non-Brahman minority-led states such as Punjab Kashmir north-east and other areas as second class. Special discriminatory laws have been enacted and enforced on minorities in a subtle manner. The case in point are such laws as Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act as also several similar laws for the north-east. All these hostile laws have been enforced on minorities such as Sikhs Muslims and Christians and the India ruling class has defended them on ground of the prevalence of alleged terrorism on the part of members of these communities. It is a pity that many people in the west are taken in by Indian propaganda falsely treating that country as a democracy.

The discriminatory nature of the working of the Indian state is thrown up in bold relief by numerous instances: (I) India has a special law governing the most revered Bodh Gaya temple of Buddhists in Bihar which provides for Hindu management rather than a Buddhist management. Buddhists recently launched a peaceful agitation to free their temple from the Hindu control and the Bihar chief minister promised to redress their grievance but the Indian central government put its foot down on the Bihar proposal; (2) Indian supreme court some time ago ordered status quo to be maintained on the Babri masjid-Ramjanambhoomi temple dispute site at Ayodhia but the Brahmans controlling such parties and groups as B.J.P. Vishva Hindu Parishad R.S.S and Bajrang Dal are bent upon disturbing the status quo to blatantly violate the court order. There are threats of mass action on December 6 to undo the court order and to destroy the Muslim masjid. When a group of Brahmans was invited by Indian prime minister for talks about four months ago he gave up his chair to sit along with the Brahman sadhus on the ground. An assurance was given to the sadhus that Indian prime minister would rather step down the office than suppressing their defiance of law through a Blue Star type operation. This approach further encouraged breach of law by Indias minority community; (3) Upper caste students launched an agitation against the Mandal commission reservation laws enacted by the V.P.Singh government and now substantially upheld by the Indian supreme court and burnt down several hundred public and private vehicles and even burnt alive some boys and girls by pouring kerosene on them but the Indian police did not register a single case under the anti-terrorist law or otherwise proceeded against them. On the other hand if students of minorities take any such action they face harsh action including arrest under T.A.D.A. and even shooting in fake encounters.

These instances are but the tip of an iceberg of double standards adopted by the Indian state towards its minorities and the majority. No wonder it is increasingly emerging as a lawless state. No amount of whitewashing by Indian diplomacy the world over can reverse this image. Infact the appointment of men like S.S.Ray as Indian ambassador to the U.S. only reveals that countrys utter cynicism towards the world public opinion. It is well known that Ray was the author of the notorious emergency laws of 1975-77 the late Mrs.Gandhi enacted and enforced. This man was later appointed governor of Punjab to violate human rights of Sikhs as never before to create a furor the world over.

Article extracted from this publication >> December 4, 1992