Capital on edge!

All the draconian laws in the arsenal and yet one political leader gets to incite violence and surprisingly not get arrested. At a time when Section 144 of the IPC as well as the Public Saftey Act and National Security Act have been rampantly utilised, it is a matter of sheer surprise that one political leader, standing beside a police personnel, manages to openly threaten a section of the crowd. BJP leader Kapil Mishra on Sunday led a pro-CAA rally to the north-east Delhi's Jaffarabad where an anti-CAA protest has been going on and openly addressed the crowd: "Giving a three-day ultimatum to Delhi police to clear the roads in Jaffrabad and Chand Bagh of protesters. Don't try to reason with us after this". He asserted that if the roads weren't cleared by the anti-CAA protestors, they will be forced to hit the streets. It is important to note here that had this been an anti-CAA protestor citing any demand or an opposition party member leading a procession with such threats, s/he would have faced preventive detention for the same. And, yet, Kapil Mishra walked freely after instigating the crowd and giving the agitation a communal colour. Shortly afterwards, stone-pelting began with violence escalating to dangerous levels. Reports cited failure on police's part to act while the situation aggravated from bad to worse and three days of continuous violence erupted. Given the increased incidence of violence in the city, Kapil Mishra's theatrics have provided the government with reason to extinguish anti-CAA agitation and impose Section 144 in the entire city. No form of violence is ever going to yield anything substantial irrespective of the cause. Such provocative and inflammatory speeches by a political leader are not only reprehensible but deserve punitive measures.

India is no stranger to communal violence. Its very birth has been marred with unfortunate communal confrontations. There is nothing more damaging than blemishing the secular fabric of the country that is both the strength of its unity and the pride of its diversity. The disturbing pictures of thugs brutally thrashing a man are heart-wrenching and demand immediate police intervention. While Section 144 in the north-east part of the city will help in controlling the situation, there needs to be urgent accountability on the police's part. In a span of two months, thugs have managed to spread chaos and violence, with reports citing police as a bystander in proximity. Is this a new normal?

(Image from newsclick.in)