Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.pakistan,soc.culture.bangladesh
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 10:56:54 -0400 
From: "Arun K. Gupta" <ag3l+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Conflict: Remedies



Continuation of:

Hindu-Muslim Conflict in India: Causes and Remedies

by Iqbal Ansari (Dept. of English, Aligarh Muslim University)
***

People's conscience has to be sensitized and aroused against the
brutalization of society. There is a danger of people becoming
insensitive and callous to the killings, maiming, torturing,
mutilating, raping and burning alive of innocent men, women and
children.  The worst aspect of communal violence is that in most cases
the victims are absolutely innocent people.  They are subjected to
violence and cruelty just because they happen to belong to a particular
community, and because they are mostly weak and unprotected members of
the community.  It would be admitted that this is worse than bloodshed
in wars between nations, where war objectives are defined and rules of
the game are known.  Whenever there are violations of the rules, voices
are raised asking combatants to adhere to the rules. Even in a civil
war objectivers are known. Chances of one party emerging victorious and
the other being vanquished are not negligible.  But as in a nuclear
war, there are no victors or vangquished after the devastation of a
communal carnage. Objectivess are none else than letting out of anger
and hatred against the `malicha' and the `kafir', i.e., letting the
beast in us have an upper hand.  There used to be a code of honor which
prohibited one from attacking an unarmed person or a child, a woman and
the aged. This has to be revived. Ther could be on greater cowardly act
and heinous sin in the eyes of God than to kill a rickshaw-puller, a
school-child, an old woman or a lone bus passenger just because one's
wrath has been aroused by some religious or political leader's saying
or doing somewhere. If at all there is a need for revenge, let it be
enacted according to the rules of the game with a code of ethics and
code of honor.

Human rights bodies need to document the brutalities of communal
violence and present them to the people not only through the print
media but also through the visual media.

There is also a need to document and present through visual media the
brutalities of police violence against people during communal riots as
well as against other disadvantaged sections of people. This will be
possible only if we replace the `hush-hush' policy with that of frankly
admitting reality and letting everyone see the consequences of communal
hatred and violence. Investigative reporting in the press sometimes
does this. But documentary films and exhibition of stills depicting
gory incidents as well as scenes of arson and destruction are likely to
be more effective in rousing people's conscience. (after this paper was
presented in July 1987, Tamas the TV film on communal violence in the
wake of partition was screened. Although this was bitterly opposed by
some quarters, people in general, according to press reports, welcomed
it.)

But `seeing' is not enough. One can get shocked once or twice by visual
representation of heinous acts, but that may make one develop immunity
as a device for survival. It makes us realize how important it is to
develop in us a sense of human values and human rights. It is this that
the Indians or the sub-continentals are most lacking in.

The following institutional measures are suggested to meet the
situation on a permanent basis:


(a) Community Relations Council

This is to be a watch-dog body  monitoring, analyzing, reporting all
events, deeds, words -- in the print and the visual media -- that are
likely to adversely affect communal harmony and peace. Apart from an
apex body at the Center, it has to have branches in almost all
communally sensitive districts.

On the basis of its research and analysis of events, deeds and spoken
and written words having a bearing on communal peace, the council will
send reports to all concerned -- political parties, religious
organizations and leaders, textbook writers and boards of education,
newspapers, AIR and Doordarshan. Efforts will be made to persuade the
concerned persons and bodies to mend things. In case persuasion fails,
the council will initiate legal action, for which it will be empowered
statutorily.

The council will have a cadre of research officers, experts and social
workers, headed by a committee of eminent persons to frame policies and
directions.

The council will involve at all levels human rights/civil rights bodies
and other voluntary organizations, as well as individual volunteers
from among students, teachers, mediamen, lawyers and others.

It will organize training programs/ refresher courses/ orientation
courses in community relations for mediamen, textbook writers, and
social workers.

It will undertake preparation of documentaries and model reading
material for school and college students.

In order to do its work effectively and imaginatively the council has
to be an autonomous statutory body accountable to Parliament.

(b) South Asian Human Rights Commission

There are ethnic and religious minorities in India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Burma and Nepal. Events in one country have
repercussions in other countries. It is therefore, advisable to
exploere the possibility of a South Asian Human Rights Commission at
the SAARC level.
***
to be continued
***