As Institutionalization of politics of polarisation produced Horror of Manipur, battle has to be ideological

 

Institutionalization of politics of polarisation produces Horror of Manipur

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singh

Who is responsible for the horror of Manipur?

This question might seem ridiculous after the arrest of some perpetrators of this crime against humanity.

It is not.

The issue is that of the roots.

There is also a reason as to why the expression of shame at the top was not unqualified.

There is a reason as to why a dominant section in India is trying to unjustly legitimize horror of Manipur by citing examples of crimes against women in West Bengal, Rajasthan and some other non-BJP rules states.

It is not that the country has witnessed such horror for the first time since 1947.

This happened in November 1984 on the streets of the national capital that is Delhi and several other cities in the country. The victims then were the Sikhs.

This happened in 2002 in Gujarat. The victims were the Muslims.

At the root was politics of hate.

The Congress used politics of communalization as an instrument.

It is now an ideology rooted in Hindutva practiced by the Sangh Parivar.

There is a difference between the instrument and ideology.

It is the ideology that has institutionalised the political discourse of hate and polarization.

This is why the expression of regret by this section is not unqualified.

This issue should have been given top priority on the opening day of the Parliament as there was nothing more important than the Horror of Manipur. Was the conscience of the people not shaken when this video uploaded after more than two months became viral?

There are some very basic issues that needs to be answered by the people in power.

When did New Delhi came to know of this horror?

The issue is not that of only the Manipur government informing the Centre.

Every intelligence agency is active in Manipur and this is just normal. This is so also in Punjab.

Was this information conveyed to New Delhi by these channels? If not, then it is all the more serious.

The country has the right to get this vital information.

There has been deafening silence all along even after the first information report was registered.

Was it a case  of criminal neglect or criminal cover up?

These are just a few questions that needs to be answered.

One can recall the period before Operation Bluestar, the army attack on the Golden Temple (Darbar Sahib) complex in the first week of June 1984.

The case of even a solitary killed in Punjab would rock the Parliament in case in session and either the prime minister or the home minister would intervene. There was never any effort to scuttle such discussion.

Now it is seems to be case of systemic failure.

The more important issue confronting the country now is as to how to confront the institutionalized politics of polarization.

It is not that is just defeating the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the next Lok Sabha elections.

Idea can only be countered by an idea and ideology by an ideology.

Of course, electoral fight is an important dimension in this fight as it is only after 2014 that this institutionalization of this politics is being witnessed at this scale.

The administrative collapse in Manipur in this case can’t be attributed to just oversight as the state government had  the information. According to the accused, the horror was perpetrated in the presence of the police. As such, there was no information gap.

But then more vital aspect is the silence of New Delhi all this time.

Only the right questions might bring out the right answers.

Then there is apprehension at another level.

The culprits might be prosecuted and jailed.

In case they are released after some period and then honoured just as happened in Gujarat?

This is where the issue turns ideological.

The contours of this horror are much broader.