Sadhvi Praggya, Hindu terror and the outcry of the intellectuals

Pratim Ranjan Bose

Ever since BJP nominated her to contest from Bhopal Lok Sabha Constituency in Madhya Pradesh; Sadhvi Praggya became a fodder of the news media.

While Sadhvi is definitely adding to the controversy by her variety of comments; bulk of the news is on her alleged involvement in a terror act against Muslims.

The main allegations under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), 1999, were dropped due to lack of evidence. And, Sadhvi was released on bail after eight years in jail.

Nevertheless, she is under constant fire from media and intellectuals, who willy-nilly treat her as a terrorist - a Hindu terrorist, to be more precise.   

I am no admirer of Sadhvi Praggya or her selection by the BJP to contest in polls. I am also not contesting allegations leveled on her by the police. But I am tempted to ask, if such acts of social ostracisation, mobilizing public opinion against her, are ideal and, if such acts will yield the desired goal of secularism.

A little search on the net will throw up plenty of newspaper reports, referring MCOCA as a “draconian” law. There are also plenty of references identifying gross abuse of power and violation of human rights by police to MCOCA accused.  

It is now known that Praggya was subjected to the worst form of police torture leading to partial immobility. It is also known that the country’s apex court had time and again warned against taking statements “extracted” by police on face value. The courts are now careful to demand adequate proof.

More importantly, police torture always attracted severe criticism from the intellectuals. Books, media reports demonizing police sold like hotcakes.

Runu Guha Niyogi, a former officer of Kolkata police was tainted for life for playing the key role in suppressing the Naxal movement of the 1960s and early ’70s. Naxalites like Azizul Haque, who were subjected to third-degree police torture, became celebrities in West Bengal.

Similar trends are visible with respect to the recent spate of Islamic and Left-wing extremism terror. There were many newspaper articles on violation of human rights against TADA or UAPA accused. Celebrity writers took the side of armed Maoists and slammed the government for rights violation.

Newspapers carried human interest stories on those freed by the court from terror charges, both Islamic and Left-wing extremism, after years of trial.

These are all facts before us. The question is simple, why so many are now doing value judgement of Sadhvi and in public? Why intellectuals are singling her out? Why newspapers are not as sympathetic to her as they are to another terror accused released due to lack of proof?

If what we are doing is correct, then all those freed by the court from terror charges should also suffer social ostracism.

This is not the first time that someone accused of serious crimes, is fighting election. Fodder scam accused Lalu Yadav became rail minister in UPA government. An important minister of the Left Front government in West Bengal was accused of killing male members of an entire family, in broad daylight.

These are just two references from a mountain of instances created over the last 70 years. And, we are not referring to the list of people who enjoyed positions of power despite being accused in 1984 anti-Sikh riot.

I have no sympathy for terror. But please remember that the debauchery of the UPA on Godhra train-burning incident allowed many to justify the post-Godhra riots. 

The law should have been impartial to criminals on either side. The reverse happened. Political, intellectual and media attention was focused on Post-Godhra riot. The killers of Godhra were allowed to roam free, till Modi came to power in Delhi in 2014.

Railways, then under Lalu Yadav, instituted a judicial probe. It indicated that the railway coach was caught fire from a stove!!!  Shouldn’t we give some credit to nearly one billion Hindus in this country for limiting their anger to the ballot box?

Do we realise the reasons behind the current Hindu consolidation? If we are interested to address the issue; then we must stop taking partisan view. If Praggya is proved guilty, let her rot in the jail. But till then, she deserves the same treatment as others in her position got.

The whole problem started with discriminatory outlook some 30 years ago when Rajiv Gandhi blatantly reserved a court order against the abominable practice of Talaq through Constitutional Amendment – all for votes. A political force used the public anger – also for votes.

Any discrimination between the two will widen the rift.  

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