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It is tragic that former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has been killed; he was shot while addressing an election rally. Why was a friendly and upbeat leader like Abe the target of such a vicious attack? Tetsuya Yamagami, the assailant, once served in the Navy. Why was there hatred, and where did it come from? Japan has shunned the “gun culture". This incident, which occurred in such a nation, points to a deep conspiracy and emphasises the surge in hatred that has created a perilous chasm between society and governments, across the world.
Let me start with one instance of how such hatred is affecting even our nation. The anchor of a well-known news programme was about to be detained by Chhattisgarh Police last week after they arrived at the location of a housing society in Ghaziabad. Before they could finish their task, police from the nearby station arrive and begin arguing with Chhattisgarh police personnel. Meanwhile, police from Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida) entered the scene dramatically. The anchor was taken by the Noida police. It is incredible that the Noida police had reached out to arrest the journalist without even registering an FIR.
After that, a “technical" discussion could be heard all day long at Noida’s Sector 20 police station. The policemen from Chhattisgarh had an arrest warrant, while Gautam Budh Nagar policemen said that they have a complaint from “Zee News" management, so they are treating the “anchor" as suspicious. That anchor was subsequently detained and released on bail at the police station itself, but instead of being taken into custody by the Chhattisgarh Police, he escaped. Later, Chhattisgarh police officers argued with a Raipur court to issue an attachment warrant, claiming that the anchor had absconded. Additionally, they formally complained to Ghaziabad’s top police officers. The following three days were spent playing cat-and-mouse. The Supreme Court put his arrest on hold on Friday and Chhattisgarh police was left with no choice but to return, cursing UP police. The anchor is accused of presenting a statement by ex-president of Congress Rahul Gandhi in the wrong context. Even when the channel apologized the next day after getting itself into trouble, the issue did not go away. This whole episode has given a new lease of life to the questions that have been raising their head for many years. Has the police also become divided along party lines—your police, my police? Will the interests of the ruling party now determine whether the law is obeyed or not? I can give numerous instances where police officers from one state clashed with uniformed men from another state or publicly disputed government institutions for political purposes.
Isn’t this a threat to India’s federal system?
When we observe that the attacks on the judiciary and journalists escalate, the situation gets more dangerous. Regarding the critical comments made by a Supreme Court justice on former BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma, a number of things have sparked a firestorm on social media. The vehement criticism and targeted “campaign" was unprecedented.
Not just India, but the entire world is bleeding from such hatred. It was predicted that the advent of social media, which includes massive platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others, would bring people from all over the world together. Initially, this did happen, but subsequently, these platforms became uncontrolled. However, Meta has refuted these objections, claiming that 17.5 million posts were removed in India alone last May, as they were deemed to contain offensive information.
Whatever one may think, social media has strayed from its intended course. This is the result of a carefully thought-out and diabolical strategy to gain power -- because everywhere in the world, people are divided rather than united.
By doing this, governments and rulers successfully divert people’s attention away from important concerns. According to the World Food Program’s most recent estimate, 81.10 billion individuals worldwide have been compelled to go to bed on an empty stomach as of the year 2019. As many as 25,000 people die every day from starvation. Additionally, famine threatens more than 50 million people in 45 nations. The vast industry of hatred is one factor in this situation. According to a report, India’s economy suffered a huge loss due to it in 2017. Covid increased its fatality. Have you ever seen or heard any in-depth discussion on these topics on social media? Even the so-called “mainstream media" should pause and think over it. The highest democratic values, which had gained traction after the Second World War, have started to unravel as a result. In addition to politicians, erroneous behaviour has also harmed journalists and those connected to the legal system. There is a noble view that if someone slaps you, instead of getting angry, introspect and try to identify your mistakes. The judiciary will take care of itself; are we journalists doing our part?
Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.