Opinion

A nation is at peril when the PM stays silent on hate crimes

Will the letter from IIM students and faculty members urging PM Modi to end silence over attacks on minorities yield result?

A nation that till recently took pride in its secular ideals has found the foundation of that very pride shaking. The developments that had sent the secular-minded Indian into a state of panic have been on the increase, and no concrete intervention has come from those that are supposed to uphold religious harmony.

Not doing anything to preserve peaceful co-existence of various communities that form a nation called India is one major flaw. Added to that, when a government, which is expected to intervene to stop such things from happening, does exactly the opposite and remains a mute witness to the crimes that are committed, it becomes a matter of grave concern.

With the attack on minorities reported from certain quarters, it was expected that the government, which is actually a team of democratically-elected persons who swore by the Constitution that holds aloft the ideals of secularism, would come out with at least a statement or action that would put a halt on such crimes. The Prime Minister of India should have intervened immediately, at least with a statement.

Such irresponsible attitude from none other than the Prime Minister has evoked strong reaction, obviously. A good number of faculty members and students from the Indian Institutes of Management in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad went ahead and shot off a letter to Prime Minster Narendra Modi seeking to see action against the recent attacks on minority communities.

PM intervention sought to save country from divisive forces

The Ahmedabad and Bengaluru IIM students and teachers had a noble intention. They actually did what the whole bunch of secular beings inhabiting this large nation should have done. What they sought from the Prime Minister was his intervention to guide the country from forces that seek to divide India.

Significantly enough, the letter had a point that the Prime Minister should see as an eye opener. The students and faculty members of the two prestigious management institutes pointing out that the Prime Minister’s silence “emboldens” the voices of hate, should wake up the Prime Minister.

When as many as 180 signatories urge PM Modi to intervene and stop such hate crimes, the Prime Minister or the government should take note of it, and of course act on it. And, when they point at the PM’s silence, stating that it is “disheartening to all of us who value the multicultural fabric of our country” and that “your silence, honourable prime minister, emboldens the hate-filled voices and threatens the unity and integrity of our country,” it means the time has come for the Prime Minister to do a reality check.

When they urge the Prime Minister to help the country move away from the forces that threaten to divide it, it really has a call for help from the man who is at the head of affairs of a secular republic.

Is there hope, we wonder

“We believe that a society can focus on creativity, innovation, and growth, or society can create divisions within itself,” is what the students and faculty members of the two IIMs have to say to the Prime Minister, and they hope to build an India that is an exemplar of inclusiveness and diversity in the world.

Will the Prime Minister give it a thought? Such call for peace and stance against hate crimes have reached the PM’s post box even before. If one dives deeper to find out what actions have come off them, it would actually be a tough task. Minorities in this country of ours have been under attack. And the silence from the top man supposed to be stopping them, continues. Hoping for concrete action that would help steer the country away from divisive forces, would be like hoping against hope!

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Sanjeev Ramachandran

A journalist with 23 years of experience, Sanjeev has worked with reputed media houses such as Business Standard, The Ne More »
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