An Eye for an Eye – But the Question is ‘Why?’

Hope, they say, can see the invisible, touch the intangible and do the impossible. It’s the one word that gives you strength when all other lights go out, it’s the hand that helps the lost, the touch that concretes the weak and the word to help the dying, revive. But every such boon has had a dark side of its own. Mankind over these years has mastered the game of depend and blame, in which he sees no shame. It’s a sad reality that we all try to ignore, alas; it will hunt us down in the end. We first created for our benefit, then we divided for our benefit, we gave birth for our benefit and then murdered for the same. A mean game that has been played for ages now.

Since the time India got independence, or from even before that, on the name of religion we have brutally slaughtered our own brothers and sisters. Children in school’s assemblies take up the pledge “All Indians are my brothers and sisters” mostly with a sense of mockery. But is it their fault? (Been there, done that) It is the sole responsibility of the parents/guardians to teach differentiating right from wrong. But to talk of this to a society like ours, it’s a futile effort. These very ‘responsible’ citizens of our own country have set benchmarks for miseries, chaos, massacres and rebels predominant with bloodshed; a hopeless age!

1947: Independence of India

The year of despair, horror but also, hope. The year India got independence but also was broken into pieces. This earmarked the beginning of a violent century ahead, full and flooding with chaos and conspiracies. Not an easy age of survival. Communalism was taking birth within the hearts of the budding population spreading discomfort; with the people, for the people, by the people. As sad as it sounds, it’s a reality that still haunts our pages of history staining it with blood each time it is remembered.

1983: Nellie Massacre

February marked the calendar with blood in Assam. In Gohpur, scores of men were pulled and scuffed into police stations and brutally tortured for no reason but communal thirst against Bengali and Muslim immigrants. People were killed, bridges, busses, everything to anything they got at hand were burnt to ashes. This kept Assam brimming with agony for almost three long sadistic years. And as expected the government never intervened till the time situations were favorable and the anger had withered off. No one arrested, no one sentenced – thousands of lives gone!

1984: Blue Star Operation

As Assam still burnt with hate, Delhi joined in hands. Indra Gandhi was assassinated by a Sikh named Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, a suicide bomber. The rage spread all over the state resulting in a merciless massacre for all Sikhs present. Bus drivers were pulled out and set to fire. The weak to the rich alike, around 3000 people were butchered. Their homes were set on fire; women, children all killed or left behind to suffer. All this in three-and-a-half day’s violence! Hate makes one invincible. And then the legacy continued, no one arrested, no one sentenced and yet, thousands of lives gone!

1987-1989: Uttar Pradesh & Bihar

Started with Maliana a heart wrenching scene emerged; of whining women and children over the dead bodies of their family members. Over 40 Muslims were killed in cold blood, shamelessly. The only new angle this had was 19 years later the government woke up and started trials, making sure the convicts had either died of old age or were unaware that such a thing was even happening. How nonchalant can the human race be? Then in 1989 in Bhagalpur 116 Muslims were again killed and buried in mass graves. The reason of dismissing the whole act was stated as ‘lack of evidence’ – surely, they were enough to convince the masses but how can anything ever convince the government? But this time things did change in 2007, Nitish Kumar, Bihar’s Chief Minister took action garnering tremendous support from the public.

2002 & 2008: Gujrat and Orissa

In 2002, hundreds of innocent were slaughtered while the governments tried protecting their own ends and keeping them clean. Evidences proving the involvement of some political parties were also shown but only to be rot in files. No attention was paid to the merciless murders and was ignored like any other Sunday morning. Then 2007 hurdled by killing of Christians wiping out the entire hamlets. The only difference one can find in all these riots is the ever growing awareness about media. Television coverage boosted some amount of action by the government taken towards protection of human right – an obviously unwilling effort.

Such situations have been forever prevalent in the premises of our nation ignored, ignited, omnipresent and dreaded. The sense of security was long taken back by the brutalities of our own countrymen. At times like these ignorance can never prove to be bliss. These situations need to be sorted and not to be left on the bed of hope. It’s hope that we have been depending on, directly or indirectly. A hope for peace; a hope for good. This is the dark side I spoke of in the beginning. We need to wake up and abandon this evil spree we have taken over, or better, has taken over us! Life is a gift too precious to be priced equal to a bullet. Respect it… For you live only once, make the difference!