Collective punishment: Hindu editorial on MP’s move to demolish property of ‘rioters’

The rule of law in Madhya Pradesh has a new interpretation: it is what the rulers do, and it requires neither law nor process. Demolition of 45 pieces of propertyBoth houses and shops, allegedly belonging to “rioters” in Khargone, a day after the Ram Navami procession, do not seem to be based on any law. This is undoubtedly an example of collective punishment for the alleged acts of a few. There is no doubt that it was a state-backed campaign aimed at Muslims. The basis of the action is the allegation that the Hindu procession was targeted with stones as it was passing through a street adjacent to a mosque. To give an official spin to the demolition campaign, there have been demands that these were “encroachments” and removed under existing rules. Although Showed enthusiasm in bringing bulldozers The Ram Navami procession a day after the violence shows that punishing those suspected of involvement was the main driving factor. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has warned that the rioters will not be spared and the action will not be limited to arrest but will extend to recovery of damages from property owned by them. The legal basis is probably a 2009 order from the Supreme Court, which allows to place blame on the organizers of an event if it ends in violence, and recover compensation from them against claims. However, even this was allowed only after his involvement in the violence was proved, an element conspicuously absent here.

Hindutva organisations, for some time now, have been targeting Muslim businesses with calls for boycotts and spreading rumours about their practices. Against the backdrop of a surge in calls for violence against Muslims, with some genocide, there is reason to believe that there is a larger agenda behind various incidents of communal colour. It seems that the purpose is to incite some sort of retaliation by portraying them as criminals and punishing them with severe punishment, both legal and extra-legal. The ‘otherness’ of Muslims is no longer prudent, rather it is being actively promoted in public and shared through social media. In some disturbing scenes, monk-looking men dressed in saffron robes are seen threatening death and rape. The sight of crowds dancing with raised swords and saffron flags outside mosques, even obscene slogans and provocative songs have become a defining sight in the Hindutva project. With the tacit support of the government machinery in many states, the country should not be allowed to go towards an atmosphere of communal tension.