The manner in which events have shaped the discourse around the Kathua rape and murder serves as a grim reminder of the dangers of using religion for politics.
THE HORRIFIC RAPE AND MURDER OF AN eight-year old girl from the Muslim Gujjar-Bakarwal community in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir has added to the festering problem of communalisation the State has been facing for a long time. The incident brought out a sinister side of the problem as at one point of time it looked as if rape were a legitimate weapon to take on the community. Although the whole of Jammu did not rally behind those who, in many ways, tried to protect the perpetrators of the crime, the silence of the majority gave an impression that the politics was well played. The turning point in the case came on April 9 when lawyers in Kathua tried to prevent the crime branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Police from filing a charge sheet in court in connection with the case. The Jammu Bar Association also called for a bandh on April 11 on the matter. Both these appalling developments displayed a high degree of insensitivity. The lawyers in Kathua and in Jammu echoed the “sentiment” of the newly formed Hindu Ekta Manch (HEM), which was riding on victimhood by saying that since the accused were Hindus, they were being “framed” by the Crime Branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, which had many Muslim officers, including its head, Inspector General of Police Syed Ahfadul Mujtaba.
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How Not To Handle An Epidemic
The lockdowns were meant to buy time to put in place appropriate health measures and contain the coronavirus’ spread, but they have failed to achieve the objective and heaped immense misery on the marginalised sections of society. India is still in the exponential phase of the COVID-19 infection and community transmission is a reality that the government refuses to accept.
Tragedy on foot
As the COVID-19-induced lockdown cuts the ground beneath their feet in Tamil Nadu, thousands of migrant workers are trudging along the highway to the relative safety of their upcountry homes.
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Scapegoating China
As the COVID-19 death rate spikes and the economy tanks in the United States, Donald Trump and his advisers target China and the World Health Organisation with an eye to winning the forthcoming presidential election.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
No love lost for labour
Taking advantage of the lockdown and the inability of workers to organise protests, many State governments introduce sweeping changes to labour laws to the detriment of workers on the pretext of reviving production and boosting the economy.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Understanding migration
When governments and their plans are found to be blatantly wanting in addressing reverse migration, exercises such as the Ekta Parishad’s survey of migrant workers throughout India can be useful to work out creative long-lasting solutions.
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
