India: Naseeruddin Shah speaks out on mob violence - Editorial, The Times of India (21 Dec 2018)

The Times of India, December 21, 2018
Editorial

India’s culture of impunity: Naseeruddin Shah speaks out on mob violence


Sparking off a heated debate, veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has remarked that in many areas today the death of a cow has more significance than that of a police officer. Shah was clearly referencing the recent Bulandshahr mob violence over alleged cow slaughter, in which inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was killed. Shah further added that he feared for his children because if a mob surrounds them and asks whether they are Hindu or Muslim, they won’t have an answer (Shah’s wife is Hindu).

Shah’s poignant take on the growing atmosphere of intolerance and communal violence has predictably been jumped upon by political parties. While opposition Congress has backed Shah and urged him to fight the hate, BJP is accusing the actor of indulging in a PR stunt and attempting to defame the BJP-led government at the Centre ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. But Shah’s comments are not unlike those of actor Aamir Khan in 2015. Back then Khan had revealed that his wife Kiran Rao had contemplated moving out of the country for the sake of their children, given the climate of insecurity in the country.

Surely, both are citizens of the country and have the right to voice their feelings, without politicians pouncing upon them. There’s no denying that since the BJP came to power in 2014 cases of violence against minorities have been increasingly reported. In the name of cow protection, vigilante groups have killed people across states. While it can’t be said that BJP is directly responsible for this, it can’t be denied either that strong condemnation of such violence hasn’t been forthcoming from the BJP leadership- sometimes it has even been justified. This sends out a signal to law enforcement authorities that they should go soft on the vigilantes and alleged murderers.

The fact is that those carrying out mob violence and cow vigilantism today are claiming affiliation to BJP and its allied bodies. And this is creating an atmosphere of impunity. Shah’s comments are a reflection of this and do resonate with a large section of people. In such a scenario, the best response from BJP would be to come out and strongly condemn lynchings and hate crimes, starting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. Instead, saffron sympathisers are mostly trying to shoot the messengers.