The killing of a 50-year old Muslim man by a mob in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in India for allegedly eating beef is not just a deeply shocking incident, but it is also a disturbing symptom of what ails today’s India — a growing communal intolerance that is giving birth to hydra-headed bigotry straddling the social spectrum.
The fundamental right of an Indian citizen to eat the food of his choice has been deliberately hijacked by political rightism and the result is a social environment fraught with fear, insecurity and mistrust between the various communities in India. The beef ban in some states of the country, pursued by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with an unabashed nod to rightist ideology, is clearly bereft of political acumen or national interests.
It has been a long season of anxiety for the secular minded of India as the BJP’s 16-month rule has thrown up continual challenges to communal coexistence. Unless the Narendra Modi government effectively disproves the growing belief that it speaks with a forked tongue, incidents such as this will only confirm its doublespeak.
