Maintain safe distance; end social distancing
The coronavirus is now emerging as the source of all evils. We are blaming the virus not only for the pain and agony of the present times but also holding it responsible for all the social ills plaguing us. Reinforcing the injustice that the common man faces at the hands of his fellow human beings, the virus is actually showing mankind its limitations. It is time for us to recalibrate our thinking and acknowledge the opportunity it has provided to look at ourselves as a society and the depths to which we can plummet.
Before this virus forced us to maintain social distancing, India has been perpetuating social distancing for centuries – the caste system that is so deep rooted and pervasive that the outbreak of a virus has given it further ammunition. The caste system ensured that people grow distant from each other and erect barricades that cannot be broken down. The practice of untouchability was not something the virus gifted us but has been an integral part of society. Even when there was no fear of infectious diseases and spread of a pandemic, some sections of Indian society were considered ‘low caste’ and kept at a distance. A section of society was branded as ‘Dalits’ or ‘Panchamas’ and were not allowed to even touch common sources of water. The virus is not responsible for the pathetic living conditions of the scheduled castes and tribes either.
It is now that the coronavirus has reared its head and made one human being untouchable to another. It has not differentiated between caste, class, or community, and those belonging to the so-called upper castes are also forced to stay away from each other. The problems that we face maintaining social distancing to ensure the virus does not spread and protect our health are many. But this pales in comparison to the humiliation and insult that people experience due to untouchability, and tragically, one section of the society has been subjected to such experiences repeatedly over hundreds of years.
In a similar vein, the country has been witnessing attempts for several years to create a similar distance on communal lines and thereby divide society on the basis of religion. These attempts have intensified in the recent days, many under the direction of the government that has enacted several laws only to deepen the divide and is spending crores of rupees as part of its efforts. As though to prove a point that none of these ‘man-made divides’ matter and to negate the attempts to deepen such divides, the Corona virus seems to have entered our midst to teach us significant lessons and ensure the same social distance is applicable to all, thereby debunking the myth of superiority of certain upper-caste and upper-class sections. Perhaps punishing us for having used places of worship for political gains, the virus also ensured that religious places – temples, mosques, and churches – had no option but to shut shop.
The virus not just mirrored the total erosion of humanitarian values and the selfishness and lack of inclusivity among people but also showed us the humanitarian side of our society and the nobility of the people. It also reinforced that humanity and nobility are not the monopoly of any one caste or creed alone. But, unfortunately, these values have not permeated across our society and seeped into our DNA yet. Having experienced the destruction and losses of such magnitude due to the virus, people should have engaged with their fellow human beings in a humane way. However, we are witnessing how they have gone back to doing what they are best at - continue the perpetuation of the same social evils.
After the prolonged lockdown, places of religious worship – temples, mosques, churches – have reopened but we haven’t seemed to have learnt any lessons. A village near Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh has shown us that temples are not yet open to Dalits. A young boy of this village who tried to enter a temple that reopened after the lock down was lifted was shot down. The government has not yet intervened and come out with any measures to prevent such atrocities and barbarian acts that have resulted in snuffing the life out of a young boy. If the boy had died due to the Corona virus, the media would have created a ruckus but as his death was due to the ‘caste virus’, the incident was largely ignored by the media. The virus does not discriminate among people and treats everyone equally, but people of a certain section are subjected to discriminatory treatment by others with total impunity. If we still don’t learn our lessons and treat each human being the same regardless of caste and religion, we must be prepared to face diseases that are worse than the coronavirus.
Karnataka is now witnessing a similar incident in a different avatar. In Sirawara taluk in Raichur district, villagers are getting a big lake drained off water. Reason: An employee of the local Gram Panchayat threw a stone into the lake. Word spread about this and triggered fear among the people who suspected that a ‘dangerous’ object was thrown into the lake. All attempts made to assuage the fears of the people – the person who threw the object into the lake even drank water from the lake – did not work. Finally, a decision was taken to drain the lake of all the water and put at the rest the doubts and fears of the people. The reason for the fear of this magnitude is the name of the person (Mohammad) who threw the object and the community to which he belongs. Using this incident, some people are trying to communalize the issue.
This lake is a lifeline for the farmers of the areas and the villagers also depend on the lake for drinking water supplies. The lake had enough water to meet the requirements of the village for at least three months. The entire water is now going waste – the process of draining out would take about five days - to quench the communal anger, hatred, and superstition of the people. When several villages in the district are facing acute water shortage, the attitude of the people who decided to take such a decision displays a mindset worse than the Corona virus. If we cannot look beyond our selfishness, superstitions, or religious beliefs even at this trying time of a pandemic, how can we then blame the virus for all our ills?
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Alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers, TMC files complaint with EC
Kolkata (PTI): The TMC on Saturday said it has filed a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at an EVM strongroom in Kolkata.
TMC workers, who have been camping outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, alleged that eight trunks of postal ballots were brought in at 4 am and were taken to a room, which has no CCTV coverage.
"We have been demanding that every single millimetre of space where EVMs and postal ballots be under CCTV surveillance. But as these trunks were taken inside, it was clear that they were taken to a room not under CCTV cover. Why should this happen," a TMC member asked.
Voting machines from several assembly segments of northern and eastern Kolkata are stored at the strongroom at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.
As TMC activists were demonstrating, BJP's Shyampukur candidate Purnima Chakraborty reached the spot with her supporters, escalating tensions.
Both sides started shouting slogans as police stood between them, attempting to bring the situation under control.
Chakraborty claimed that sensing defeat, TMC workers were creating chaos outside the strongroom.
Later, the TMC said it filed a complaint with the EC over the issue.
Similar scenes were witnessed outside the strongroom at the Barasat Government College in North 24 Parganas district, where TMC workers demonstrated, alleging that the CCTV was switched off for 17 minutes in the morning.
TMC's Ashoknagar candidate Narayan Goswami reached the spot, demanding that he be allowed inside the building.
An election official said the CCTV cameras were working fine, but the power cables of the monitors installed outside the centre snapped.
"The 17-minute footage will be shared with TMC or whichever party wants it," he said.
In Purba Bardhaman district, the BJP shared a purported video that showed a person scaling the walls of the University Institute of Technology, where EVMs had been stored.
The EC said the video was old and the person seen in it was engaged for the installation of CCTV cameras and ACs.
