Delhi’s Racism
By Insaf
Three cheers to social media! Notwithstanding the fears of it playing mischief, the recent incident of racism in the nation’s national capital, Delhi, going viral and sparking outrage has served the North-East and more importantly served national interest. On the one hand, the Centre is heavily promoting and trying to integrate the region and on the other we have this horrendous case of a couple, Harsh Singh and Ruby, hurling racist abuses at three women from Arunachal Pradesh living in Malviya Nagar. Connecting occupations like selling ‘momos’ and working in the ‘massage parlour’ as hurled against the women, clearly has racist undertones. Intolerable. The behaviour of the couple was outrageous as what led to it was a mere electrical installation wherein some dust fell into the couple’s home downstairs. Fortunately, it raised a lot of dust and heat and should make Delhiites introspect and perhaps feel ashamed.
The three women too deserve kudos as they protested not just against the racist insults hurled at them but fought for the dignity of their region. Prominent voices from the Northeast and political leadership are demanding strict action against the couple. The couple has been remanded to 14 days judicial custody after a case under sections relating to outraging the modesty of a woman, criminal intimidation and promoting enmity, hatred, or ill-will between different religious, racial, language, or regional groups was registered against them. And rightly so as an apology simply doesn’t work and the incident can’t be passed off as in “heat of the moment”. The Union minister for NE posted on X “Any injustice against our brothers and sisters from the Northeast will not be tolerated. Their safety and dignity are paramount to us.”
Indeed, but it should not be left to just words, long-term strategy to curb this menace is needed.
Assam ‘Hate Speech’
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma needs to ‘restrain’ himself and watch out his words, which are being viewed as alleged ‘hate speech’. On Thursday last, the Gauhati high court issued a notice to him following a bunch of petitions against his public statements and a now-deleted controversial BJP video on its official X account, purportedly showing him taking aim and firing with a rifle at members of a particular community, wearing skull caps. The division bench also issued notices to the Centre, state government and DGP, saying it appears there’s a “fissiparous tendency, Let’s see what they have to say.” Earlier, Supreme Court declined to hear the petitions seeking registration of FIRs and setting up of a SIT against Sarma and asked them to approach the state HC. Importantly, when the HC was asked for an interim order restraining Sarma from making such statements in future, the court said “At this stage, let notices be issued first. It will be a normal restraint while this petition is pending consideration…” With Assembly polls due to be held in March-April, the court’s next date of hearing is March 21. Much can happen within this period, a close watch is vital.
Drama On Simla Highway
The high drama of Youth Congress activists ‘shirtless protest’ at the recent AI Summit and their subsequent arrest continues to simmer. In fact, it led a high-voltage standoff with the Himachal Pradesh police registering a kidnapping case against Delhi Police personnel and “detaining” their vehicles at the Shogi border near Shimla on Wednesday last. After dramatic 24 hours, it came to an end with the Delhi police being cleared to head back to the national capital with the three Youth Congress activists, who had fled to Rohru in the Congress-ruled state. The determined Himachal police team is said to have “detained” them for 5-odd hours even after procuring the requisite transit remand from the ACJM, at 1.30 a.m., after undergoing medical examinations at a Simla hospital. For the Delhi police it was a relief as some members were asked to stay behind and cooperate with the probe into the kidnapping case against them. In all 11 people have been arrested, which is unseemly and disturbing, to say the least. It was their way of a protest, even shirtless, and the BJP government needs to accept that every protest is not an insurrection against it and “anti-national.” Sooner the better.
‘Keralam’ It Is
God’s own country, Kerala, will finally be renamed Keralam. The Union Cabinet gave its nod on Tuesday last after the first initiative was taken by Kerala Assembly three years ago. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had in fact moved two resolutions, one in 2023 and another in 2024, urging the Central government to amend the Constitution as required and change the state’s name to Keralam. The first resolution noted the Malayalam name of the state is Keralam and that states were reorganised on linguistic lines as on November 1, 1956, observed as Kerala Piravi (Kerala Formation Day). The second resolution was moved correcting earlier discrepancies in the process. But New Delhi then paid no heed. Why now, is the big question. Guess, the answer lies it was given an unexpected push from state BJP, wherein in January, BJP state President Rajeev Chandrasekhar wrote to Vijayan extending support. With this backing will BJP potentially influence the upcoming Assembly elections due in April?
Raj Village ‘Brotherhood’
Kudos to the ‘brotherhood’ in Tonk’s Kareda Buzurg village in Rajasthan. On Monday last, Hindu residents condemned the insult meted out to their Muslim women, by BJP leader and former MP Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria at his blanket distribution programme. In a video which went viral, Jaunapuria is seen asking one of the women: “Kya naam hai (What is your name? Move, step aside” before turning to one of his aides and telling him, “Mat de (don’t give)”. And says to those gathered there that those who “abuse Modi” have no right to take the blankets. Angry Hindu villagers say, “Be it Diwali, Holi, or Eid… we celebrate together… We don’t differentiate.” The former MP defends his action saying he was distributing blankets in his ‘personal capacity’. Not justified? It remains to be seen whether Prime Minister Modi, who is scheduled to visit Ajmer on Saturday, will address the situation or ignore it? — INFA