Despite the court’s ruling and the heavy police presence to have it implemented, Hindu hardliners blocked intersections, threatened drivers and ordered a 12-hour strike as they stepped up their campaign to stop the women from entering what is considered one of India’s holiest temples. The media was also not spared as angry young men surrounded and smashed the car windows of female television reporters and threatened others. As usual, the rule of law is challenged by extremism — a practice that we in Pakistan have seen proliferating over the years.
One can only wonder what is happening in India, that too in Kerala, where the literacy rate is one of the highest in the region and where different religious communities have lived side by side for centuries. It seems that the hate being spread by extremists is finding its way to the saner parts of India, changing the country forever under the rule of Prime Minister Modi, whose legacy it seems is to push an agenda of extremism and hate.
Such incidents are not without a background. The world’s largest democracy is set for general elections in 2019 and extremism is raising its ugly head in order to garner support for the ruling party, which won the last polls on the basis Hindu supremacy. Prime Minister Modi has used this effectively to his advantage not only within his country but also in relations with Pakistan. It may serve his interests in the short term but the long-term implications of this policy are disastrous.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2018.
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