Kerala observed, or rather was forced to observe, a day of 'mourning' following the murder of a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) yesterday. He was hacked to death in Kannur district by allegedly some members of the Communist party. The RSS immediately called for a state-wide strike (hartal) in protest.
A political murder happens and the organization which lost its member calls for a state-level hartal!
Undoubtedly, the violence needs to be condemned. But, is putting to rest the lives of the entire people of the state, reasonable? Certainly not!
Indian political democracy is so much inter-wined with politics that every issue that happens is linked with politics and politicians have a say in it. This murder was clearly a political issue and the general public should not have been made to suffer. By no logic can the declaration of a hartal for such a reason be acceptable.
'Let the law take its own course' is the favourite phrase of most of our politicians and the people in public life. Why didn't the RSS leaders wait for that course when the murder happened? There would have been anyway a police investigation into the issue.
If the organization still considered it essential to mark its protest, it could have organized a procession in the district and ended the matter. Or it could have made a press statement condemning the violence and also could have written to the Chief Minister and the Home Minister asking them to give special attention to the police investigation.
Or, if the organization wanted to condemn the murder and mourn for the loss, it could have assembled all its members before its state office and maintained a minute of silence or prayed for the departed member's soul. Or it could have observed a day of fast!
Leaving behind all these options, the organization decided that it will ensure that all people of the state should suffer for the loss that they incurred.
It is high time organizations like the RSS and political parties act with maturity. Politicians in India hardly become role models. Let them, at least, not earn the ire of the common people.
Jai Hind!
A political murder happens and the organization which lost its member calls for a state-level hartal!
Undoubtedly, the violence needs to be condemned. But, is putting to rest the lives of the entire people of the state, reasonable? Certainly not!
Indian political democracy is so much inter-wined with politics that every issue that happens is linked with politics and politicians have a say in it. This murder was clearly a political issue and the general public should not have been made to suffer. By no logic can the declaration of a hartal for such a reason be acceptable.
'Let the law take its own course' is the favourite phrase of most of our politicians and the people in public life. Why didn't the RSS leaders wait for that course when the murder happened? There would have been anyway a police investigation into the issue.
If the organization still considered it essential to mark its protest, it could have organized a procession in the district and ended the matter. Or it could have made a press statement condemning the violence and also could have written to the Chief Minister and the Home Minister asking them to give special attention to the police investigation.
Or, if the organization wanted to condemn the murder and mourn for the loss, it could have assembled all its members before its state office and maintained a minute of silence or prayed for the departed member's soul. Or it could have observed a day of fast!
Leaving behind all these options, the organization decided that it will ensure that all people of the state should suffer for the loss that they incurred.
It is high time organizations like the RSS and political parties act with maturity. Politicians in India hardly become role models. Let them, at least, not earn the ire of the common people.
Jai Hind!
