Institutional Communalism

I have read with considerable interest Pritam Singh’s article “Institutional Communalism in India” (EPW, 11 July 2015). On this important issue I would like to quote Singh: “Hindu bias in the working of the police and judiciary in the way evidence regarding the massacre of the Sikhs in 1984 in Delhi was collected (or not collected) and interpreted ... transcends a specific political party’s control of state power at any point of time.” It remains an ugly fact that the security forces in the northern states always sided with the Hindu communalists during riots. For example, during the Hindu–Muslim riots in Meerut in 1987 and also in Bhagalpur in 1989, police collusion with the Hindu extremists was observed, but no action was taken due to lack of evidence or lack of will to prosecute the criminals.

The purpose of this article is to highlight the issue of “institutional communalism” in India. This is particularly a very timely article because it extensively discusses the communalism and discrimination problems in modern India, where justice is constantly denied to minority communities not only during riots, but also by the judiciary. For example, the way Teesta Setalvad is being hounded because of her fight for justice for the victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots. The recent CBI raid at her residence is clear misuse of power to intimidate and harass her. In order to build an equal society, there is need to respect justice and equal rights, and see to it that it is not only being delivered, but that the whole process is transparent.