At the launch of his two books in Hyderabad, well known human rights and peace activist Harsh Mander offered a glimpse into the turmoil and disquiet plaguing the nation.
“After months of travel through the heartland of India where lynchings and hate crimes have become the norm, I realised I should tell the story of what happened in our recent history to help young people better understand and make informed choices,” said Mr. Mander, speaking at an event organised by Manthan at Vidyaranya School.
“We have become so bitterly divided that hate has become normalised,” said Mr. Mander, who narrated the tragic stories of lynchings taking place in Sitamarhi in Bihar, in a train in Gurgaon, in Rajasthan and Hapur close to Delhi.
“We are unmaking the idea of India, one lynching at a time, one hate speech at a time, and one silence followed by another silence. Silence is enabling these crimes to continue,” he said.
The lynchings have a performative character to them as the perpetrators see it as a sign of masculinity and they are sure of their impunity, he said. “Even during Gujarat riots, there was hope when officers like Rahul Sharma and Rajnish Rai stood up and defended the rights of people. But now in this epidemic of lynchings, I am yet to see a sign of hope,” said Mr. Mander, who described the role of Mahatma Gandhi in bringing peace to Delhi after the Partition riots.