The following factors are responsible for communal riots:
Historical factors: The partition of India and the two-nation theory created a deep sense of division and lack of trust between communities, making peaceful coexistence difficult.
Political factors: The British practice of divide-and-rule and subsequent vote-bank politics by Indian political parties after Independence have further divided communities. The absence of progressive attitudes among both communities hampers communal harmony.
Educational factors: Many people lack access to modern education, hindering the adoption of liberal and progressive values. This hampers the promotion of communal harmony.
Socio-economic factors: Muslims, due to educational disadvantages, face limited representation in public services, industry, and trade, leading to economic struggles. These disparities can foster feelings of deprivation and contribute to communal tensions.
Psychological factors: Negative perceptions and grudges exist between communities, with fear among Muslims regarding false arrests in anti-terror cases. This fear erodes trust in state institutions.
Identity crisis: Some Muslims feel reluctant to fully integrate into the national mainstream, maintaining a separate identity instead of actively participating in secular nationalistic politics.
Cultural factors: Orthodox members of both communities view their cultural patterns, personal laws, and thought processes as distinct, often leading to conservatism and fundamentalism.
Influence of external forces: It is believed that organizations like the ISI and international Pan-Islamic Jihadi movements exploit communal tensions to further their agendas.
Demographic factors: Changes in population composition in certain regions can be exploited for short-term political gains, fueling communal sentiments.
Social media impact: The negative influence of social media, including the spread of rumors, disinformation, hate campaigns, and incitement to violence, contributes to communal tensions.
Involvement of organized criminals: Underworld criminals are known to manipulate and instigate communal riots to serve their own interests.
Lack of social and political consciousness: There is a need for greater awareness and commitment to building a harmonious and coexistent society, prioritizing the well-being of the nation above all else.
Weak enforcement: Insufficient and delayed action by the police, along with allegations of bias, contribute to a lack of trust in the justice system and discourage preventive measures against those inciting communal violence.
WHY DO COMMUNAL RIOTS ESCALATE SUDDENLY?
(A) PRIMARY MOTIVATORS
Immediate communal riots can arise due to various reasons:
Gender offenses: Incidents such as sexual harassment, rape, or elopement involving individuals from different communities can be seen as triggers. Some Hindu organizations perceive such elopements and marriages as part of a conspiracy called 'love jihad.'
Land disputes: Conflicts over land ownership, including disputes related to graveyards, construction of new places of worship, unauthorized constructions, and disagreements over existing structures at places of worship, can escalate tensions.
Religious festivities: During the celebrations of festivals like Holi, Eid, Moharram, and others, local disputes between the two communities may arise, creating a potential for escalation.
It's important to address these issues through dialogue, legal mechanisms, and community engagement to prevent communal tensions from escalating into riots.
(B) FAKE NEWS
Fake news refers to intentionally spreading false information or partially true details with the purpose of deceiving or harming a particular group of people.
In the Kashmir Valley, there are fake videos circulating from both sides that depict violent attacks on the Army and cruelty towards civilians. These videos aim to stir up strong emotions and worsen tensions between different communities.
The situation could quickly escalate into widespread violence and even mob violence due to these advanced fake videos.
Ways to Fight Fake News:
1. Checking Information: Make sure that news sources are reliable and accurate. Any content that seems suspicious should be reported.
2. Reporting Illicit Content: People should be able to report false content by flagging it. Steps should be taken to verify the credibility of flagged content, and those involved in spreading it should be investigated.
3. Using Social Media for Awareness: Social media can help educate people about equality, ending discrimination, and promoting harmony among different groups.
4. Collaborating with Authorities: It's important to work closely with relevant authorities and share information during crises to ensure national security and public order.
Government Actions
Given the spread of fake news on WhatsApp, the government is urging WhatsApp to develop technology that can trace the origin of messages. This would help prevent crimes like mob lynching that result from fake news.
WhatsApp has responded to the government's request by introducing new features to limit the impact of fake news.
(C) Mob Lynching
Mob lynching is a violent act where a group of people, claiming to deliver justice without a proper trial, carries out the punishment on a suspected wrongdoer. This often involves torture and physical harm. The term "lynch law" refers to an informal court set up by the mob, which passes judgment without following the legal process.
Guidelines from the Supreme Court (SC) on Mob Lynching:
1. The Supreme Court has directed each district to appoint a senior police officer (SP rank) as a nodal officer to prevent mob violence.
2. Both the central and state governments are instructed to broadcast warnings on radio, TV, and online platforms about the serious consequences of participating in lynching and mob violence.
3. Legal action must be taken against individuals spreading false or irresponsible messages that incite violence.
4. Failure by the police or district administration to follow the Supreme Court's directions will be considered as intentional negligence.
5. The state is required to establish a compensation plan for victims of lynching, including interim relief for the victim's family within thirty days.
6. Cases of lynching are to be tried in fast-track courts within each district, aiming for completion within six months.
Recent Incidents in Tripura:
Three separate cases of lynching were reported in Tripura, all based on suspicions of child abduction. These incidents occurred in different districts of Tripura.
The victims included a woman, a vendor from Uttar Pradesh, and a man hired by the Tripura Government to combat the spread of rumors. After these lynching incidents, Tripura's Director General of Police (DGP), A. K. Shukla, pointed out that fake images, videos, and text messages with the potential to incite violence were being widely circulated through SMS, WhatsApp, and social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube in the state.
(D) Cow Vigilantism
Even since, the government imposed a ban on the sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter at animal markets across India, under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals statutes (26 May 2017), it sparked a new wave of cow vigilantism in the country. Though the Supreme Court, suspended the ban on the sale of cattle in its judgment in July 2017, several innocent persons were killed in such mob attacks. These incidents are usually appearing to be sporadic in nature and often a spontaneous response from the Hindutva forces who are generally furious over the reports of cow smuggling and slaughter. Vigilante groups who disguise themselves as cow-protectors/gau-rakshaks have been arrested for various instances of mob lynching
- Source: "CHALLENGES TO INTERNAL SECURITY OF INDIA" (McGraw Hill)
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