(The Hindu, September 29, 2004 | Editorial )
Sep 29, 2004
COMMUNAL THUGGERY IN KERALA
THE ATTACK ON nuns attached to the Missionaries of Charity near Kozhikode is unusual, even if not unprecedented, for a State that has been relatively immune to communal violence. Without any apparent provocation but with meticulous planning, an unidentified mob criminally assaulted nuns from the Missionaries twice in one day. What made it worse was the choice of target. The Missionaries of Charity — founded and led by Mother Teresa and known for their exemplary work in the cause of the sick and the poor — have not been attacked even in States prone to communal violence. Most of the earlier incidents of communal violence in Kerala had their roots in disputes over ownership of land or access to resources. In contrast, the violence in Pantherankkavu stands out as unadulterated hate politics, in motive as well as execution. The nuns were proceeding on invitation to a Dalit colony to do charity work when they were attacked by a mob shouting slogans in support of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The attackers were protesting what they claimed were attempts to convert the Dalits to Christianity. Although the slogan shouting by itself does not implicate the organisations in this hate crime, there is no disputing that attempts at communalising politics in Kerala have gained in strength in recent years. For this, not only the organisations of the Hindu Right but also Islamic extremist groups such as the People's Democratic Party led by Abdul Nasir Maudany and factions of the Kerala Congress that openly ally with the Church are to blame. But there is no denying that majoritarian communal politics in recent years created a sense of insecurity among the minorities in the State and contributed, directly or indirectly, to targeting vulnerable sections among them.
Although such hate crimes are difficult to anticipate, the police quite inexplicably failed to prevent a second attack after two nuns were criminally assaulted earlier in the day. The police are now looking into the issue of overstay by a Kenyan, Brother Bernard, who was also attacked by the mob. But the overstay by the Kenyan, who came on a tourist visa, is a separate issue; it must not be allowed to divert attention from the police investigation of the hate crime. Too often, communal outfits cite `overstay' by foreign missionaries as a justification for thuggery. In January 2003, a mob attacked a foreign missionary, Joseph William Cooper, at Puliyam in Thiruvananthapuram district but the vile act was overshadowed by the fact that Cooper did not have a valid visa. The Government ordered him to leave the country immediately.
The attack on the Missionaries of Charity — whose mission and focus are, indisputably, not conversion — has drawn widespread condemnation. The Mother Superior of the Kozhikode Centre of the Missionaries, Kusumam, has pointed out their centre has among its inmates not only Christians but also Hindus and Muslims. Quite naturally, there is now an apprehension that Kerala, which has a sizable population of Christians and Muslims, might go the way of States such as Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat where minorities have come under threat from activists of the Sangh Parivar. The United Democratic Front Government must show greater alertness and sincerity in reining in communal outfits of all hues. It must not allow temporising, opportunist and communal voices within the UDF to obstruct or dilute such action. Else the country's most politically conscious State, which has so far remained insulated from major communal violence, might end up as another fertile ground for those who thrive on hate, intimidation, and anti-people violence.
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