Ikhlaq gets Global Attention, What about Jayaprakash?

The Dadri lynching got global attention and the media, intellectuals and all Modi-critics joined hands to give it a communal colour, seeking justice from PM Modi. Akhilesh Yadav, the CM of Uttar Pradesh where the crime took place, was spared. The loose cannons on either side left no stones unturned to make it a national outrage. To add insult to injury, UP Minister Azam Khan vowed to take the matter to the UN, toeing the Pakistani line. And, not to be surprised, Pakistan raked up this issue to embarrass India!

Communal tensions exist in India since the pre-Independence era. The communal hatred sown by the British, won’t be erased so easily. But, majority of people, barring a handful, want to live in peace and harmony and they hardly bother about religious and ideological differences. For them, development, unemployment, security, price rise, infrastructure development hold more importance. But, the hatemonger politicians don’t listen. And, a handful of media are hand in gloves with those leaders to trigger the communal passion.

There is no denying that Dadri lynching was one of the most heinous and unfortunate incidents and should be condemned in unequivocal terms. No excuse, no justification can bring back the dead. Even, the Rs 45 lakh financial assistance given by the Uttar Pradesh government to Ikhlaq’s family won’t erase their scars. But, why a section of media as well as the politicians got so obsessed with this incident? Instead of treating it as a law and order situation, they painted it with communal colour.

Not long ago, we had seen media as well as the politicians exercising restraint while reporting any incident, which would create a rift between Hindus and Muslims in the country. They always played it safe not to ignite the communal fire. But, in Dadri, it was a ‘no holds barred’ battle. There was no restraint, no restriction, and no shame at all. They tried to outwit each other to set the country on fire, just because of their hatred and opposition to an individual and organisation.

While the Dadri issue was kept alive with a series of developments such as communal speeches by some vested interests, all-round efforts by some so-called intellectuals, out-of-job journalists and some Left-Centre leaning academicians and writers, everyone sought to ignore Jayaprakash, a 25-year-old youth from Bishada, the same village, which witnessed the lynching of Ikhlaq.

Jayaprakash committed suicide, as he was in panic over the “harassment” and “mental torture” by policemen, as alleged by his family members. The cops wanted to make him an accused in the lynching case. Unable to bear with the pain and agony, he ended his life by consuming poison. But, did that issue get media attention? NO. Did any politician visit his family or tried to know the truth? The answer is a straight NO.

Instead, the cops left no stones unturned to link his death to family dispute to avoid any controversy. And, the media danced to their tunes. The intellectuals pretended as if they did not hear anything. The UP Government did not bother to order a probe into the allegations made by the family members and suppressed their voice. There was no outrage, as nobody wanted to take up this case, fearing backlash. It’s the bitter truth of India that your life is precious only if politics of caste and religion can be played out over your death. This is not a one-off case. It’s the ground reality, which needs to stop so that justice can be delivered to all without scoring brownie points.