The BJP-led Maharashtra government recently imposed a ban on consumption and sale of meat in Mumbai for four days, in deference to a request made by the Jain community as they were celebrating ‘Paryushan’, a sacred festival. The ban boomeranged badly with even a long time ally of the BJP, the Shiv Sena, openly opposing the ban and even joining with other parties like the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in flouting the ban. The ban was subsequently reduced to two days, bowing to the wishes of the agitators, including those who earn their livelihood by selling meat.
Far from taking a cue from the bitter experience of Maharashtra, other states like Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh too followed suit, though this time around the reason cited was the observance of the festival of Vinayaka Chaturthi. By a strange coincidence, all the three states that had jumped into the ‘ban-d wagon’ are ruled by the BJP.
Ever since the NDA took over power at the centre, there have been very serious attempts to rewrite history, change the curricula in institutions with an attempt to saffronise textbooks and exercise control over behaviours of citizens with regard to the food they should eat, the kind of clothes they should wear, the type of people with whom they should socialise, the books that they should read, the films they should see and so on and so forth. And all these things often entail bans. So books that represent radical lines of thought and films that have themes that tend to “corrupt young minds” and of course porn, are all under the government’s radar for banning.
An even more sinister development is the targeting of rationalists across the country who are not only recipients of hate mail on social media, but are also marked for assassination. It began with the gunning down of Narendra Dabholkar, a fearless crusader against superstition in Pune, which was followed by the killing of a Communist Party of India leader Govind Pansare in Kolhapur; and more recently, the brutal murder of M. M. Kalburgi, former Vice Chancellor of Hampi University and a scholar widely respected for his contribution in the field of Kannada literature. And strange as it may, seem the police investigations in the cases of Dabholkar and Pansare have not made any headway which is even more disturbing. The celebrations witnessed in certain quarters after the passing away of Jnanpith awardee and eminent literateur Dr. U.R. Ananthamurthy who had often stirred a hornet’s nest with his views on matters like religion, is a clear indication that we are living in dangerous times and there is every likelihood of more violence against those who choose to exercise their fundamental right of expression.
It is time the state realises that ‘bans’ of any kind no longer work and that in a democracy like ours, radical thoughts or views can hardly be suppressed even through death threats. India might no longer be a young nation, but over fifty percent of the population today is in the age group of 18 to 40, and this is hardly a generation that can be led by the nose or be talked down to or even be disciplined by the use of force. Freedom is as important to all of us as the air we breathe and curtailing it in any form, especially where it is hardly warranted, will only be met with stiff resistance. All opinions, including those that are unpalatable will continue to be expressed and unless they fall foul of the law and attract the provisions of the Indian Penal Code, have to be tolerated or opposed in healthy debates. A vibrant democracy should embrace all points of view and a benign state should resort to bans only when any activity is detrimental to the nation’s interests or fans the flames of communal hatred.
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C. V. Aravind
C. V. Aravind is a Bangalore-based freelance journalist.[/column]