Hi Everyone
There is a question, which was bothering me, so I thought to ask you “Do we have right to protest against anything, if no then who will decide against what we can protest and against what we can’t.”
Before I began expressing my views, let me put disclaimer:
this letter just expressions my view on some issues, these views are not binding on any one, you have right to disagree with these views. The person writing this letter is not associated with any political or terrorist organization. And most important I am happy in India and don’t want to go to Pakistan or another country. Even if you want to send me somewhere, please arrange a world tour, I want to see which country is best for living ;)
…good now I can start writing… the question that bother me most, does a suppressed community doesn’t have right to expression its dissatisfaction? What kind of country, are we building where people with different ideas, don’t have space?
Most of the answers I get are like: You have all the right, to say anything but you can’t insult our PM, I just have one question, doesn’t we have PM before, haven’t this country heard people who criticized Nehru, Indra Gandhi, didn’t we laugh at joke made on Dr Manmohan Singh, what has changed now? if we can’t be critical about government, what’s the role of opposition, public Demonstration in democracy.
Then there are so can’t liberal people, you can be critical about government but you can’t be critical about India. I just have one small question; how can someone be critical about a land of mass? Even if someone who believe in division of India, is critical about present boundaries, not created by nature but by human, so at the end of the day, he/she is critical about some human/government or government policies
Then I hear people arguing, if you are not happy in India, if you don’t believe in unity of India, you should leave India. That’s what I am saying, if you are critical about my idea of boundaries you can tell me leave India, but if I am critical about your idea of boundaries and I say you should leave my birthplace, how can I become Anti National
But then we still have people who make some sense, I heard people questioning…What wrongs with these people in Kashmir or Manipur why they can’t live peacefully? Can they survive without India? Pakistan is already in civil war; what Kashmiri’s will get out of it? Yes, you are right, first time someone asking the right questions, what wrong these people, for what are they fighting for, for what so many people have died, for what Irom Chanu Sharmila(1) is on hunger strike for more than 16years, for what Nayeen Qadir Bhatt(2) died, for what women walked naked through Imphal to the Assam Rifles headquarters, shouting: "Indian Army, rape us too” after death of Thangjam Manorama(3) .
But problem is, they just stop at questions. We Indian have short memory, we heard something, make our opinion, even give our suggestions on facebook, or twitter, change profile pics, sign online petitions, and next day back to office.
Last month, we heard people raising anti-India slogan in JNU, I still have the same question how can someone be anti to a piece of land. I will leave it to you, you can decide what they were sloganeering against. I just want to understand, does we reacted appropriately, what were the most common reactions, how dear they do that, they are anti-nationals, they should be hanged, so on…. Isn’t our approach wrong, whatever they were against government, judiciary, India, Indian. They are part of our society, shouldn’t we know what’s wrong with them, why they are raising these slogans. Can use of face change their ideology. Just taking the, theme of event as example, my question remain the same, Does anyone has right to protest against Indian judiciary.
Then we have two incidents in two different education institute, students were lathicharged by police in NIT Srinagar for waving Indian flag, meanwhile in Hyderabad students were lathicharged and Charge sheets were filed against students protesting for justice. Does we looked at both the incident as same, may be not, because we have our view and we always support our view, nothing wrong in it unless we let others to express their view. but can a government have a view, if yes, can it use force to suppress other view point.
Its again take me to my basic question, doesn’t we have right to protest, who will decide against what we can protest and against what we can’t.
Thanks
Asker
"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." Evelyn Beatrice Hall
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irom_Chanu_Sharmila
2.http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/997493.html
3.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thangjam_Manorama
