Any civilised country brings justice to victims by investigating and prosecuting murderers, but in the cases of Govind Pansare, Dr Narendra Dabolkar, Prof. M. M Kalburgi and now Gauri Lankesh seem to make good Mr. Bumble’s remark that “the law is an ass”. At crime detection, it is said if within forty eight hours, the investigators do not get first lead the case is half lost. We do not have enough evidence to prove the usual suspects being responsible for the killings. In the earlier cases, there was an eerie silence but the killing of Gauri Lankesh has opened the can of worms as the fanatics went to town in celebratory mode spitting venom against the hapless and defenseless Gauri.
Gauri Lankesh’s death is a tragedy. She was a great dissenter. She loved her religion and was a social liberal. Due to the strong positions she took she may have had less friends and more enemies. Her death has highlighted the depth of the barbarity that lurks behind the veil of our civilisation. If anyone requires proof of the low level to which our civilisation has sunk, one need not look any further -The Face Book posts and the posts on various WhatsApp group upon her death, show the depth of the pit our civilization has fallen into.
The Ram Janmabhoomi movement may be withering away but the political sensibilities that were unleashed in the early nineties of the last century, received fresh impetus early this century by way of Gujarat riots. We now have a new direction to our country’s polity, reinforced by the new ideas of nation, nation hood and nationalism built around the majoritarian community as the fulcrum of democracy. Indian political experience shows that the polarized electorate yields high dividends. Uttar Pradesh is a shining example and if Karnataka is to be the gateway for the expansion of the Hindutva forces, even the death of Gauri could be exploited and positioned in a manner that the death of Mohammad Aklaq was used – “You people who eat beef are responsible for his death”. Similarly we are told Gauri would have lived if she had not taken on Hindutva forces. After all, she led the movement against Babubhudan Giri hills shrine being made the Ayodhya of the south. The needle of suspicion points to those spreading the poison of hatred and enjoying the patronage of power.
We live in times when ideological armoury of nationalism, culture and religion has replaced the old caste divide of the post Mandal era. As the majoritarian democracy got rolled out, it fell on the frail shoulders of the dissenters like Gauri and Teesta Setalvad to take on the might of fanatic forces. Gauri herself belonged to the Lingayat community, the politically powerful community of Karnataka besides daughter of progressive legend of Kannada literature. Led by S. Nijalingapa, even during the times when the Constitution was drafted, there was a demand for Lingayats to be accepted as a separate religion. That demand had now caught on the imagination of the Lingayats in Karnataka which could have severe impact on Yedurappa’s dreams of a comeback and BJPs project of “Congress mukth Bharat”.
Gauri had become a thorn in the flesh as she thundered “Our secular Constitution strictly separates religion from politics but in practice religion plays a central role in all acts political. What else explains looking at ‘auspicious times’ before starting a legislative session, observing blind directions while laying foundation stones for a government building, launching ships by breaking coconuts, throwing baagina into dams praying for good rains?”. Besides a fiercely secular and a liberal line, her thought process was rational, certainly not in tune with the veneer of hate that lurks our civilisation. She could hardly belong to the civilisation that celebrates murder.
She stood for that pluralistic idea of India and the idea of democracy. Her clear stands on the lynching of Muslims and humiliation of Dalits highlighted her inclusive idea of governance. In the times that we live in, there is no place for those strange ideas of liberalism and free thought. Her killing is a clear attempt to violently do away with those ideas. They violently dealt with Pansare, Dabolkar and Kalburghi and actually succeeded in getting away with it and still she didn’t take the hint! ‘You dare question our politics. We have the power to finish you’. That message had to go loud and clear to all dissenters that their time is not far away. That shameless attitude comes from being empowered, as the political leadership looks the other side. John Locke’s dictum – ‘Whenever law ends, tyranny begins’ is so appropriate
The celebration is the manifestation of the approval and the appreciation created by the hyper nationalism atmosphere. Ex-Vice-President Khalid Ansari has correctly summed up the situation “More recently alternative view point of ‘purifying exclusivism’ has tendered to intrude into and take over the political and cultural landscape. One manifestation of it is ‘increasingly fragile ego that threatens to rule out dissent however innocent. Hyper nationalism and the closing of the mind is also a manifestation of the insecurity of one’s place in the world” He further states “it promotes intolerance and arrogant patriotism”.. so true in current times.
The New York Times demand that the Indian Prime Minister must speak out, as Indian democracy itself is in danger is the correct assessment of the situation. The Modi establishment is overriding on over confidence over cabinet, bureaucracy and media with the principal opposition in comatose state. The responsibility must fall on the one with the 56 inches chest.
(The writer is a practicing Lawyer and lecturer in law).
