It is depressing and tragic that the month of victory, December, after 53 years has to look for its national reconciliation. At around this time in 1971, there was a clear indication that the nation in the throes of expectation was on the verge of realising its centuries-old dream of a sovereign identity. It is an irony that the long gap of more than five decades has not helped evolve enough political maturity on the part of political parties to consolidate a stable system of governance based on non-controversial popular mandate for transition of power.
So, now the apolitical interim government has been assigned the daunting task of correcting the deplorably flawed system aimed at bringing sanity and stability in the exercise of power at the top and dispensation of justice at all levels of society. Instead of making preparation for the Victory Day celebration, the nation is busy mending fences with diverse forces including internal and external--- a few of whom are at loggerheads. The head of the interim government has been crying hoarse for national unity ever since his assumption of power. But when the political legacy of vendetta and retribution continues to prompt some to derive sadistic pleasure and leave others in a fear psychosis, a unity of the nation is sure to remain elusive.
Much as the chief adviser may hold meetings with the political parties now coming to prominence after their long hibernation---all of which formally professing their allegiance to a national unity, it falls far short of the purpose. First, the need for the latest push for unity has come from some undesirable developments in the largest neighbour of Bangladesh. Exaggerated, distorted and unfounded news on repression of the minority on social media and even in the mainstream Indian media has made the interfaith relations explosive on both sides of the border. But true to their high standard of journalism, newspapers like The Hindu have debunked the contorted myth.
When objectivity becomes a casualty in this age of digitisation, its primary responsibility lies with the political leadership that is always after advancing its narrow political agenda. In this case, the central government of India has played a vicious card to make West Bengal vulnerable by snapping the link between it and Bangladesh. Trade, restaurants and hospitals in Kolkata have thrived for long with the exponential visits by Bangladesh nationals to West Bengal and other states via that city of joy. With the visa restrictions, Kolkata's commerce, hospitals and restaurants are now experiencing a steep business slump. Thus the state government of West Bengal has played into the hands of the central government on the motivated hype of minority repression in Bangladesh.
Playing the religion card is an old trick in the sub-continent. It had had its unmitigated tragic outcome in the past. Some quarters have viciously used it even during the rule of the self-proclaimed defender of the minorities, Sheikh Hasina. The monthly report prepared by the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) can throw some light on the situation. In November, according to the HRSS, one temple was attacked and three idols were vandalised. This happened in the month when 16 people lost their lives and 599 were left injured in 103 incidents of political violence across the country. Also 11 others were killed in clashes over establishing supremacy or in clandestine attacks. Another 225 persons were injured in violent incidents involving groups of students of colleges and universities.
Unfortunately, all such ugly incidents of violence were overtaken by the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari and the developments surrounding it. Chinmoy was ousted from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) for indiscipline two years back. Through a press release, the ISKCON has claimed he has nothing to do with the religious organisation. But the media in both Bangladesh and India failed to highlight this. This would have helped mitigate the communal tension. The government's laid-back response to the crisis did not help the cause. Quarters with ulterior motive out to fish in the troubled waters took full advantage of such lapses. The Bharatiya Janata Party and its sister organisations known for thriving on communal politics supplied fuel to the fire.
When non-issues, particularly the sensitive ones linked to minority affairs, are brought to the fore for exploiting political mileage, the outcome is mostly tragic. Now the interim government has to seek all-party unity in the face of the vicious campaign on the protection of minorities in Bangladesh. While this is going on here, the BJP government has given the go-ahead for architectural survey of several mosques to determine if those were built on temples. Ram Mondir has not been enough for pushing the boundary of religious sentiment in favour of the majority community in India where the Muslims are a minority. This is communal politics at its most uncanny. Such tunnel-vision politics may serve the purpose temporally but in the long run proves its bankruptcy.
For Bangladesh, it surely is the most crucial time to dispel the image projected amidst the social turmoil and the raging political hullaballoo. Violence and lawlessness, as evident from the HRSS November report, have taken the worst turn with the intelligence of the national security and law enforcement agencies failing to take preemptive actions. The best example is the escalation of violence involving students of three colleges. Passing it as the result of conspiracy by the hidden actors of the ousted regime will not be enough. In this connection, the UK government's issuance of a travel advisory warning its nationals to travel to Bangladesh may have far-reaching impacts.
The imperative now is to admit that needless cruelty and violence, disregard for human life and sufferings have got the better of fellow feeling, piety and compassion. This skewed mindset needs to be healed first. Families and societies have neglected these virtues for long and a significant proportion of the new generations are growing brutal, savage and ruthless. Or, how can one explain throwing of stones at a train forced to halt at Mohakhali by student protestors campaigning for elevating Titumeer College to a university? Taking care of this malady is a prerequisite for forging sustainable national unity.
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