Gujarat Govt must go – BJP must be accountable!

It is sad that our leaders do not realise the painful effects of nurturing, spreading and encouraging religious hatred. What is the point in trying to make India an economic super power when you do not have social harmony and large sections of people live in mistrust?

The Supreme Court has just rapped the Gujarat Government but lashed out at the latter for ordering the release of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case. Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan also found fault with the State government for acting in cahoot with the convicts who had murdered 14 people including seven members of Bano’s family. So brutal was the killing that the convicts did not spare even a 3-year-old daughter and smashed her head on a stone.

Despite this, the Gujarat government wrongly chose to order their release for their “good behaviour” that too in the Independence Day -2022 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort expressing concern over the way the society treats women.

Modi said: “What I wish to share is that it hurts me to say that we have witnessed a perversion in our day-to-day speaking and behaviour. We have been casually using language and words that are insulting to women. Can we not pledge to get rid of everything in our behaviour, culture and everyday life that humiliates and demeans women? Women's pride is going to be a huge asset in fulfilling the dreams of the nation. I see this power and therefore I am insistent on it.”

He did not say a word about this remission of the Bilkis Bano case convicts later on that day or even after.

Above all these utterances and more during the Independence Day customary speeches, Modi and his BJP governments take pride in Beti Padhao-Beti Bachao campaign. Yet, not a single leader spoke against the premature release of the convicts who gangraped Bano and brutally murdered her daughter. Moreover, Bano was five-month pregnant and the foetus did not survive.

The Gujarat government said it acted on the advice of the Union Ministry. How horrible! Obviously, one cannot expect any word from the Home Minister. But what about the Women and Child Welfare Minister Smriti Irani who has chosen to zip her lips only in this case but on all issues, including the Manipur violence against women. She seems to protest very selectively on frivolous issues such as Rahul Gandhi’s alleged flying kiss to women members of the Lok Sabha (whereas the Congress MP was seen only addressing the Speaker with some gesture).

None spoke a word even when the released convicts were felicitated by a Gujarat MLA. The gang of 11 were garlanded! So much for the Beti Bachao campaign!

Please check what Justice Nagarathna said: “A woman deserves respect howsoever high or low she may be otherwise considered in society or to whatever faith she may follow or any creed she may belong to. Can heinous crimes against women permit remission of the convicts by a reduction in their sentence and by granting them liberty?”

Now that the violations have been confirmed beyond an iota of doubt, there is no other way but the Gujarat state government must quit or be dismissed on moral and legal grounds. Modi must act if he really means what he says about the Constitution, women empowerment, and children’s welfare.

The Bilkis Bano case clearly demonstrates the dangers wrought with spreading religious hatred. The hatred that started with the demolition of Babri Masjid and spiralled into the infamous Godhra riots. What is tragic is that the hatred is perpetuated even now. No wonder, certain Muslim leaders have asked the community to avoid travelling during the Ayodhya temple inauguration. This is really a very sad situation.

We have been discussing the perils actively or passively encouraging religious hatred by politicians and worse still by an influential section of the media. The poison is not only brainwashing the people en masse but also playing with the future generations. The statements, social media posts and above all public behaviour of certain influential people has assumed such dangerous proportions that it will take years to set things right. This mad polarisation for political gains is detrimental to society.

Let us examine the Bano case again. The culprits are known to her. She in fact knew them by names. They all hail from the same village, Randhikpur. The gang does not seem to have any previous enmity with Bano or her family. It was the mob frenzy on religious grounds that led to the gruesome attack. This is also true in the case of the riots in the rest of Gujarat during that time. For that matter, the Mumbai riots of 1992 when over 900 people died.

It is sad that our leaders do not realise the painful effects of nurturing, spreading and encouraging religious hatred. What is the point in trying to make India an economic super power when you do not have social harmony and large sections of people live in mistrust? Hatred in any form is bad for society, it is unacceptable particularly when fomented by those who swear by Ramayan and Bhagawat Gita. The fruits of the super power economy are bound to rot if this poison of hatred spreads unchecked. Think, please.

(The columnist is a Mumbai-based author and independent media veteran, running websites and a youtube channel known for his thought-provoking messaging.)