The Supreme Court of India has taken a serious note of hate speeches and has directed the police to take suo moto action against hate speech without waiting for any formal complaint. The apex court’s direction that contempt action could be initiated against officials for not taking action against hate speech is indeed a welcome development. This rap should prompt the law enforcers to punish the guilty promptly and, thereby, send a strong message of deterrence. Of late, the Hindutva-inspired rhetoric of intolerance has deepened divisions in society. Though there is no dearth of laws and court judgments that mandate registration of FIRs in cases of hate crimes, those who openly incite violence in the name of religion often go scot-free. It is a disturbing trend that the hate peddlers often enjoy political patronage. Apart from violating the basic principles of the Constitution, these utterances amount to mocking the laws of the land. There should be no place for peddlers of hatred in a secular India, a country where every person has an equal right to practise and preach his or her faith freely.
All those who have faith in the Constitution must speak out strongly against the attempts to ridicule other religions and create dissensions in society. The manufactured sense of fear about the future of Hindus and Hinduism in India has been the hallmark of right-wing politics which must be countered. The perception that anti-Muslim and anti-Christian campaigns and vigilantism have the sanction of the powerful needs to be removed. Those in power and holding high office must speak out strongly and assure the nation that stringent action will be taken against those who call for violence against minorities. A red line needs to be drawn and enforced by the BJP’s top political leadership that it will not stand for demonisation of the minority. If it fails to do so, then the much-touted ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas’ slogan will be meaningless.