Turning a blind eye

As India celebrated the 152nd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi last week, one might have wondered whether the principles of non-violence, civil disobedience and tolerance that was preached by the Father of the Nation, holds any relevance to the nation where he was born. In an act of extreme barbarity that shocked the nation on Sunday, four farmers were killed in broad daylight after a convoy of three SUVs ran into them in Lakhimpur Kheri, UP. One of the vehicles was owned by Union Minister of State for Home, Ajay Mishra. The incident has prompted widespread condemnation with many calling for the arrest of the Minister, and his son who was reportedly at the wheel of one of the SUVs. Sunday’s incident might seem like another addition to the growing trend of curbing dissent using increasingly violent means. Two weeks ago, during an eviction drive that took place in Sipajhar in Assam’s Darrang district, clashes broke out between police and protesters which took a deadly turn resulting in two fatalities, and several injured. The protest became infamous for a different reason, and that is because of the spread of a viral video that made us collectively hang our heads in shame, as members of the media, and citizens of this nation. The horrifying video showed a protester who was armed with nothing more than a lathi, being shot by a policeman. And no sooner did the protester’s body hit the ground, a photographer deputed by the police forces to document the eviction jumped upon the motionless body of the injured protester, stomped him and used an unidentified object to inflict injuries to the protester’s head. It was reported later that the agitator had died while the cameraperson had been taken into the custody of the Assam CID officials. For ordinary citizens caught up in the hustle-bustle of life, it was just another day, and yet another headline in the newspapers and the news channels. But for those on the ground, covering such developments on a day to day basis, these incidents are representative of India’s growing stockpile of citizens’ rights abuses. One might remember that even during the earliest days of the farmer’s protests, which has completed more than one year now, the Delhi government had erected almost military-style barricades and freshly minted concrete dividers to prevent the agitating members from reaching the seat of India’s democracy - the Parliament. Apart from subjecting them to water cannon showers, the Delhi police and law enforcement officials used tear gas on the protesters, and beat them with batons as well. So much for democracy and the sense of safety, living and protesting in an independent India, as the nation is constantly ranked at the bottom when it comes to such crucial metrics as civil rights. Last year in December, it was reported that India was ranked 111th out of 162 nations in the Human Freedom Index 2020. The nation had plummeted 17 spots from its position in the index released previously. The nation scored 6.43, which was lower than the average human freedom rating of 6.93 for the 162 countries surveyed. What’s even more troubling is the fact that the biggest casualties are our deteriorating liberties about religion, identity and relationships, as well as law and order. Clearly, the depth of the rot is significant as we have all borne witness to the trial-less incarceration of student activists, journalists and generally anyone who happens to air a viewpoint that challenges the status quo. As stakeholders of the Fourth Estate, it falls upon us to call out injustice whenever, wherever and to whoever it is meted out. Broad declarations of loyalty to the Mahatma’s values of benevolence, turning the other cheek, amid floral tributes will just not cut it anymore. To quote Dylan, “How many times can a man turn his head, and pretend that he just doesn’t see?”