THE UGLY FACE OF HIMACHAL

For the last two weeks now the otherwise tranquil state of Himachal has been roiled in a vortex of Islamophobia, despicable politics, violence and opportunistic silence by those who should be speaking out. Right wing inspired crowds have been flooding the streets of Shimla, Mandi, Solan, Hamirpur and elsewhere, protesting against illegal mosques and "outsiders"(which is sanghi-speak for Muslims). The state government, as usual, has been caught on the back-foot and is scrambling to contain the trouble. Notwithstanding its ineptness, however, the Chief Minister has to be commended for taking an unequivocal stand against vigilante justice and mob violence, and for insisting that the issues shall be decided in the courts and not on the streets.

The sudden and simultaneous mushrooming of these protests at a dozen different places in the state is no coincidence or happenstance, it is part of the BJP's efforts to destabilise the Congress govt.: the BJP is not a party that espouses the Christian virtues of charity and it has neither forgotten nor forgiven the Congress for trouncing it in the elections in 2022. Ever since then it has been fomenting trouble for the Sukhu government- inducing defections, encouraging factionalism within the Congress, denying the state its rightful revenues in order to weaken it financially; the masjid issue is part of this despicable continuum. It is trying to do an Uttarakhand in Himachal, shamelessly and without any concern for the strategic location of a state which borders both Kashmir and Tibet.

The two main demands- instant demolition of "illegal" mosques and verification of "outsiders"- are both contentious and open to question. Firstly, the singling out of mosques alone is mischievous and gives the game away. According to the Town and Country Planning Deptt. there are more than 15000 illegal/irregular buildings in Shimla alone. Furthermore, in an article in the Tribune the ex-Deputy Mayor of Shimla, Tikainder Singh Panwar lists out four popular temples and one gurudwara in Shimla which too are illegal (there will be many more), but no one is making a song and dance about them. Quite clearly, then, what is under attack by these fundamentalists is not the building but the religion.                                                                          Secondly, the exact legal status of the mosques in question is not clear- are they encroachments on govt. lands, have they been built without the requisite approvals, or are the constructions violative of the sanctions ? These are questions which have to be decided by the courts, not the mobs, and in most cases the matters are already being adjudicated by the courts. The Chief Minister has already announced that the cases shall be fast tracked, and in at least two cases (Sanjauli and Mandi) the masjid authorities have either demolished the offending portions themselves or have sought permission to do so. This should have brought closure to the protests, but closure is not what these Islamophobic outfits are interested in- they want to keep the pot boiling, and so they have now shifted to their second demand, "verification" and detention of outsiders- shorthand for barring the entry of labourers, traders, vendors of a particular community into the state. This is something which has become quite common in BJP mis-ruled Uttarakhand but has so far found no traction in Himachal, which has just 2% Muslims.

This demand is straight out of a Nazi tool-kit. India is a democracy and the Constitution gives its citizens the right to live anywhere, practice any profession, and to live life with dignity and freedom. The mobs want these rights to be taken away from the Muslim migrants, and to give in to them would be to convert Himachal into a police state. "Checking" of "outsiders", as demanded, would mean stopping and verifying the papers of every person coming in at the border, something which cannot be done in an open society without specific inputs or cause. And to what purpose, since everybody these days has some ID or the other? And don't forget that Himachal is a tourist state, with almost 20 million "outsiders" visiting the state every year- that would mean checking 50000 people EVERY DAY at the entry points! Or should the police check only those who wear clothes of a particular type, or sport a particular kind of beard?

The Chief Minister has already announced that a comprehensive policy for vendors/ tehbazari would be formulated and only those who have a licence would be allowed to do business on the roads. This should have settled this demand as well, but what is being attempted here by the BJP/VHP is just another version of the economic boycott and exclusion of a particular community. It is no coincidence that the current protests and demonstrations are led by the various Beopar Mandals and the business community. Their real targets are the vendors and small street businesses, a large part of which is in the hands of Muslims. It is now evident that these groups make a significant dent in the earnings of businesses belonging to the majority community, so off with the formers' heads! There is nothing better than combining business with religion, is there- make a few bucks while earning a few brownie points with your Gods at the same time ?! 

The ongoing protests are specious and nothing but an expression of religious hatred and intolerance. But, equally disturbing is the near silence of other sections of society- members of the Congress itself, other civic associations, the media, other political parties, retired govt. officials who are busy Whatsapping banal and vapid greetings to each other but will not raise their voices on such a core issue. (It is, however, heartening to note that some formations like CITU, Himachal Kissan Sabha, DYFI, AILU and Janwadi Mahila Samiti and others have held a meeting on the 16th and have decided to hold a public peace and unity rally on the 27th of this month.) One of the problems of Shimla is that it has no civil society to speak of, which is why the right wing fundamentalists can fill up the vacuum so easily with their hate and Islamophobia. It is encouraging that the Chief Minister has taken a resolute stand against these elements, but he needs the full support of his own party and high command, the state administration, the common citizens and all those who still value the principles of the Mahatma. At stake is not only a government, but the only secular, inclusive, multiculturally sensitive, law abiding state in north India. It is something worth speaking up for and fighting for.