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India is a queer land where many
unbelievable developments happen every moment. Some of them are
chronicled, others go unreported. Here an attempt is being made to
portray the shocking side of India. If you have any problem in
believing them, suffice would be to say; well this happens in
India.
Have you heard about the traditional
practice of senicide (killing of the elderly, whose illness gets
prolonged and who refuses to die) by their own family members?
Known as Thalaikoothal, its practiced in some parts of Tamil Nadu
where the elderly person is given an extensive oil-bath early in
the morning and subsequently made to drink glasses of coconut
water that results in renal failure, high fever, fits, and
ultimately to the death.
Thalaikoothal has covert social
acceptance and in some cases even the relatives called for the
ceremony when it’s performed. These days lethal injection is given
to perform Thalaikoothal, to make the death less painful and
prolonged. This barbaric practice continues to thrive as people
seldom complain to the police. Do you have a problem believing
this? Well this happens in India!
The two holy cities of India;
Mathura and Vrindavan houses more than 5000 widows who are living
in pathetic conditions in the ashrams meant for them. These widows
move to these holy cities in their twilight years as they believe
to wash away their sins and attain Nirvana if they die in these
holy places. However, after their death here they are denied basic
human dignity. Their bodies are disposed off chopping into pieces
and packing in gunny bags and being thrown on the river banks. Do
you have a problem believing this? Well this happens in India!
In the coastal Tamil Nadu at Koodankulam, a valiant and peaceful
protest by thousands of local people living in the vicinity of the
under construction nuclear plant was met with brutal police
repression. Tamil Nadu police has filed more than 55,000 FIRs
against local villagers; among them some 6800 are charged with
‘sedition’ and ‘waging war’ against the nation. Do you have a
problem believing this? Well this happens in India!
Odisha dateline 2006, when 14
Adivasis, were gunned down by the Police at Kalinga Nagar for
protesting against accusation of their land by the Tata Steel
Company. The National Human Rights Commission had discovered that
Adivasis were forced to give it up their land were without
adequate compensation with police intimidating and filing false
cases against them. Such treatment of Adivasis is not unusual in
India; thousands of them are languishing in jails often without a
charge-sheet filed against them. The general opinion that is built
about Adivasi is they are a Moaist. Do you have a problem
believing this? Well this happens in India!
If Adivasis are Moaist, Muslims are criminals. There are 102,652
Muslims languishing in Indian jails. The number of Muslims in
jails is highly disproportional to their population. For instance
in Maharashtra Muslims account for 10.6% of the population, they
comprise 36% of the prison population. In Gujarat, where Muslims
account for 9.06%, they are 25% of prison inmates. Karnataka’s
Muslim population is 12.23%, its jails have 17.5% Muslim. There
are four big states West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra
Pradesh that has not submitted its report of its Muslim prison
population. It’s likely the figures of Muslim prison population
could be high in these states as well. Do you have a problem
believing this? Well this happens in India!
In India you can also find armed extremists and criminals living
comfortably in designated camps in the Northeast. They live under
well-defined `ceasefire’ agreement with the Indian State. However
in spite of restrictions on their movements, these militants cross
the line of control at ease. Its common knowledge that they reign
in night while the Indian state rules during the day. Do you have
a problem believing this? Well this happens in India!
Contrary to northeast, it’s the
Indian Army that holds sway in the Kashmir valley. The life,
liberty and honor of the common Kashmiri people are at the mercy
of these men in uniform. They live in an open prison under the
watch of the barrel of the gun oozing out of the Army bunkers.
Like it or not, the paradise on earth is reduced to a garrison
state. Do you have a problem in believing this? Well this happens
in India!
The Armed Forces (Special Powers)
Act, 1958, is blamed for the insurgency in the northeast. The iron
lady of Manipur, Irom Sharmila Chanu is demanding its repelling
and is on hunger strike since November 2000. Her protest has now
become the world's longest hunger striker entering more than 700
weeks. This kind of Gandhian protest once had shaken the might of
the British Empire, but the Indian state seems undaunted even 12
years of such protest. Do you have a problem in believing this?
Well this happens in India!
While Anna Hazre and Baba Ramdev’s fast hogged media limelight,
the fast of Swami Nigamanand went unsung. The Swami, who went on
fast to “Save River Ganga” was allowed to die during his protest.
The Swami demanded ban on mining to save Ganga and when his fast
entered the 68th day (last 40 days in coma), was admitted to
Haridwar district hospital, where sheer medical negligence
resulted in his death. Earlier, he was successful in closing all
the stone crushers in the ecologically sensitive areas around the
Ganges banks. This time he was protesting against the Himalayan
Crusher Company that was continuing its operation. At that time
the entire country was busy watching the high drama of fast being
played in New Delhi, its total neglect of the media that took the
toll of a real crusaders life. Do you have a problem in believing
this? Well this happens in India!
This discussion may not be complete without the mention of the
notorious mafia dons who live like kings in the prisons of UP and
Bihar. They are served with the best of food and alcohol inside
the prison cell. They settle property disputes; dictate
transfers/promotions/appointments of government officials; they
make phone calls to politicians and business leaders dictating
them their demands. Do you have a problem in believing this? Well
this happens in India!
One can go on enumerating such
inchoate images of India, but each of them can be contoured
providing the brimming side of the country. It’s often said what
true about India the opposite of it is also true. Well that’s the
beauty of this country. Do you have a problem in believing this?
Well this happens in India!
Syed Ali
Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at
syedalimujtaba@yahoo.com
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