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Terror fuels a dangerous divide
October 06, 2008
Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mehrauli, Sabarkantha, Malegaon, and now communal violence in Thane, it is going on with a relentlessness that is frightening. I have covered politics for the last 25 years, from the controversies surrounding the Shah Bano case, to the demolition of Babri Masjid, to the Gujarat riots, but never has the divide between Hindus and Muslims between so sharp in the way they perceive the same incidents, as it is today.
Talk to the Muslims in Delhi and most suspect the hand of the police and IB behind the Delhi blasts in order to malign the Muslims. Some even talk about America and Israel being behind it. Yet others do not put it past organisations like the Bajrang Dal, for after all, their members were found making weapons in Kanpur and earlier in Nanded. The point being made here is not about the facts of the Delhi blast case, but about its perception in the minority -- and the majority -- community.
These Muslims are not sympathisers of terror. Their views reflect the erosion in the credibility of the police force and the crisis of confidence it represents today. Many Hindus are also skeptical about the theories that are usually put out by the police. In the Jamia Nagar 'encounter', the police theory has been shown by the media to have many lacunae.
It is well known that politicians manipulate the police force to their advantage. Often when there is a public outcry -- as in the Arunshi case or over the blasts -- the police force is brought under immense pressure by politicians to show immediate results. The media too does its bit by going on the rampage.
Image: A man injured in the Delhi serial blasts sits outside his house.
Columnist: Neerja Chowdhury | Photographs: Manpreet Romana/AFP/Getty Images
Also read: Special: In India, we don't catch terrorists
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