Sena MPs’ conduct a shame on India

The Shiv Sena MPs who recently disrupted the Ramzan fast of an IRCTC Muslim supervisor at New Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi by allegedly forcing him to eat a chapati have not just shamed themselves, they have engaged in a gross human rights violation. As such, they lay themselves open to be tried under appropriate sections of the law.

Whatever their protestations, or their belaboured defence by the Sena leadership in Mumbai, it is hard to deny that the prima facie case against them is clear as day, especially if any reliance is to be placed on video footage of the  episode. The fact that the erring individuals who appear to have taken the law into their own hands are elected representatives of the people and deemed community leaders, their misguided intervention is all the more deplorable.

The Shiv Sena is an alliance partner in the NDA government that Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads. Its MPs thus need to tread with double the care and sensitivity that would ordinarily be needed to be summoned in such a situation. It cannot be emphasised enough that the freedom to practice one’s faith is basic to any democracy, and is specifically laid down in our Constitution. The breach of so essential an article of democratic practice by MPs of the ruling coalition cannot but be viewed with the greatest concern.

Perhaps dimly aware of the magnitude of what they had done, and the condemnation it would bring, the MPs in question first tried to wriggle out by denying that the episode had occurred at all. Later, they sought to suitably modify their stance when the existence of the video footage came to light.

The government needs to order a thorough investigation of the terrible incident and then take the appropriate legal steps. It has to be mentally prepared to face a political challenge from the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, which may like the alleged misdeed of its representatives to be obfuscated.

It is so much the pity that the BJP, the senior partner in the governing coalition at the Centre, has virtually brushed aside the sorry episode as inconsequential by bringing forth technical questions. Its senior party leader L.K. Advani alone stood tall among the saffron ranks Wednesday by speaking of the regrettable incident as being “wrong”, without any ifs and buts. He cut no corners.

Members of the Union Cabinet who addressed the issue appeared to take a political stance rather than appreciate the dent caused to a fundamental democratic principle by the action of their Shiv Sena colleagues. Pakistani terrorist ideologue Hafiz Saeed has unsurprisingly seized the episode to fish in troubled waters. We should, of course, completely disregard his rant.