The chat room: Silence of the powerful #NotInMyName

The #NotInMyName campaign, which has seen people irrespective of their caste, religion or language coming out in thousands to express their anger at the recent targeting of Muslims and Dalits across the country on one pretext or the other, has had its echo in Bengaluru too. Ammu Joseph chats with Ralph Alex Arakal about the silence of those who are in power.

Author and independent journalist, Ammu Joseph, who participated in the protests here, says it is the silence of the powers that be on such mob violence that has prompted citizens to take to the streets.

“The failure of those in power to even make a statement condemning the series of horrific lynchings is what, in a way, prompted citizens to register their protest against the killings. I doubt if the powers that be will bother to acknowledge the campaign even though there has been widespread participation across the country and even in some parts of the world,” she adds ruefully, in a chat with DC.

The recent growing trend of lynchings goes entirely  against the cultural ethos of the nation, she reflects. “This is a country that has long prided itself on its diverse communities and plural culture. It is not that communal and caste conflict has not taken place before.  But now the targeted, violent attacks against ordinary people, especially Muslims, Dalits and others, going about their daily lives, has become a regular occurrence.  And there is no sign of condemnation, let alone serious efforts to prevent these terrible crimes and punish those responsible.  This is a situation that many people in the country feel cannot be allowed to continue,” she goes on.

While the title of the campaign may not apply to her, she believes she has a right to register her protest too. “Since I belong to a minority community, the slogan #NotInMyName may not appear to apply to me.  But I take it on as a citizen, who believes that what is going on is against the spirit of what this nation and its Constitution are all about.  I think we all need to take a strong stand against what I see as a war against all of us as citizens of India, and especially against particular communities,” she asserts. 

All cases of lynch mobs that have and have not been reported since recent times point fingers at the same people, she observes. “There is no doubt that the perpetrators of these crimes are not just random individuals engaging in random violence.  This is targeted violence against particular groups of people. It is based on the ideology propagated by certain organisations, which don't accept that all Indians have equal rights even though that's what the Constitution guarantees. By indirectly sanctioning such violence against certain sections of society it enables impressionable people to believe that such vigilantism is justified even though it is clearly not,” she continues.

Referring to the protests that broke out in 2012 following the Nirbhaya gang rape in Delhi, Ms Joseph says huge turnouts occur only when situations go beyond the saturation point. “I don't think spontaneous public protests like the #NotInMyName are about one isolated incident.  In the case of both Nirbhaya in December 2012 and Junaid Khan, these happened to be tragic incidents that triggered major public responses. But such an eruption of public angst occurs because horror, rage, and grief have been accumulating over time with each of a series of crimes that are similar even if the details vary until one incident proves to be the last straw. It is remarkable that so many people across the country participated in a public protest that was not connected to, let alone orchestrated by, any organisation or political party. Many participants had never taken part in any such protest before. It was clear  they had showed up because they were feeling isolated, suffocated and frustrated at not being able to even express their views on the sickening things that are happening around us.  The #NotInMyName events gave them a chance to express their unhappiness about the direction in which our country is going,” she notes, observing that the situation now is such that people who belong to certain communities, particularly Muslims, cannot move around freely without fear.

“Who knows when some group of people will suddenly accuse them of something and take the law into their own hands? Over the past couple of years, people have been killed on the basis of mere suspicion about what is in the bags they are carrying on a train or even a fridge inside their home. This is simply not acceptable in what we would like to believe is a modern, civilised society,” she concludes emphatically.