The humanity and humanism amid polarised communities engulfed by violence also hold a lesson for broader society, the state and the political class.
The image of Premkanth Baghel, 29, bandaged and suffering from serious injuries as a result of rushing into a burning building and rescuing six of his neighbours in Maujpur in Northeast Delhi, has become a symbol of hope for the city. Baghel’s selfless act is just one among the scores that have come to light over the last week, even as the death toll, and stories of chilling brutality, seemed to have kept pace. In Mustafabad, where three mosques were burnt by rioters, both communities came together to ensure the Shiv temple did not suffer a similar fate. In Lalita Park, Hindus checked on their Muslim neighbours and protected them. And Mandir Masjid Marg in Maujpur lived up to its name — a group comprising members of both communities stood guard and kept the peace. Across the affected areas, many Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims have banded together to ensure that they can protect their neighbourhoods, and provide relief — material, social and emotional — to those who have suffered as a result of bigotry on the rampage.
The local solidarities, and acts of bravery shown by Delhites, are intrinsic to the city’s social fabric. Before slogans like “Goli maaro…” could be heard at metro stations, the capital had absorbed the trauma of Partition, of the 1984 riots, and emerged stronger because of a network of inter-religious solidarities. For those in Delhi, and outside it, despairing at a political idiom that is perceived to have encouraged the othering of Muslims, and made violence against them permissible, these stories of hope from the capital must provide some succour.
The humanity and humanism amid polarised communities engulfed by violence also hold a lesson for broader society, the state and the political class. Individual acts of empathy are simply not enough. This is why the founding fathers of India decided to enshrine fraternity in the Constitution. In recent times, that value seems to have come to attention only in its breach. The political class must recognise its responsibility. It can encourage and embolden the best in society, or the worst. Leaders can engage in oratory or demagoguery. And society at large must decide what behaviour it will reward in its politicians. Hopefully, as it has done before, the city will ensure that selflessness and concern beat out the bigotry.