There is smoke originating from Panchkula and spreading to as far as Delhi, burning the eyes of the entire nation. Buses, trains and public property have been damaged and vandalised. According to reports, 30 people have already lost their lives, and 250 have been injured in the violence perpetrated by the goons of the ‘Messenger of God’.
They are fearlessly unconcerned about the country because they believe that their messenger is above the law of this nation. It is a sad reality that a few people in this country prefer irrelevant ideologies over the constitution for guiding their acts. The entire country is put into crisis and embarrassment today.
The heinous crime committed by the Dera Chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh cannot be forgiven, and the violence by his goons is the ultimate act of disturbing the law and order of the country. They have come to the defence of their master because of insanity backed by some unconstitutional powers that have made them irresponsible. Is this the kind of society that our future generations shall inherit from us?
A little introspection here is inevitable. What kind of defence is this for a man who has broken not only the laws of the nation but even spirituality? If this is religion, then we must ask ourselves, does it have a standing in human society?
Religion is a philosophy which gives peace to human mind thereby keeping people away from hurting others and also themselves. Why does faith turn so violent that it comes in defence of even a rapist like Ram Rahim? Why is the human mind so alienated from its own self that in the quest to find peace externally, it becomes insidious?
Our people should understand that politicians are merely using their faith and belief through some unholy messenger. The way Ram Rahim has been provided escorts, VIP treatment and security poses many questions to our existing socio-political and legal scenario. Is law only for the commoners who can’t afford to buy politicians?
If, it so, then we need some serious intervention. It is high time that the activities of political parties are checked before it’s too late. Our democratic ethos does not allow for such crime to exhibit their decadence. We are not a nation formed on the basis of ‘religious belief’ but humane principles of justice and equality.
The way our leaders are defensive and silent on the act of a criminal gives the sense of a threat that we are living under insane rulers who have no regard for the people and the constitutional values of this country. If anything is interpreted as anti-national today, I believe it is this.
The irony, however, is that political parties and fanatics have always been taking the people of this country for granted. They can use anyone, anytime for their personal gains but the bigger question is this that why is a portion of our society behaving this way?
In the first place, why are they defending people like Ram Rahim and Asaram Bapu? is it that they really believe that they are ‘superhumans’ or are they hallucinating so much that they believe that not supporting these messengers would mean having to answer to somebody else in the afterlife? Why is our reasoning clouded?
We are all human beings, and we all have the potential to explore even the impossible. We have come far in our innovations and discoveries which are the results of our reasoning and not religion. The latter has always tried to stop us from being reasonable, and it is evident in the pages of history.
We should understand that fundamentalism creates a hero, a messiah, a messenger and keeps him at the centre thereby keeping the believers in the periphery forever. It gives them false hope and sells their dreams. We do not need this. Look at how obnoxious evangelists and fake gurus solve critical problems on TV by mocking reason and science. If only eating ‘samosa’ or ‘parathas’ would solve human problems.
It is high time that we start introspecting and stop believing and defending fake people. Our spirituality should enlighten us in such a way that any external power should find it impossible to use us for their self-interest. Our religious and spiritual belief should not be brought to the streets in the form of violence. When we close our eyes in devotion, we should not close our mind too. The mind should always be kept open because there are people there who enjoy using closed minds for mere political gains.