A few weeks ago there was a news item regarding the Delhi administration promulgating an ordinance requiring organizers of various religions festivals to obtain license and various clearances. Many people objected to it. In Kasargode town in Kerala, when police tried to stop Muslims celebrating with fire works were told not to use fire works on the road, but the people attacked the policemen and ten policemen were injured. If what happened in Kasargode had happened in Muslim majority areas, many police officers and Hindus in the neighborhood would have been killed by rioting Muslims. The electronic and print media would then have had an opportunity to highlight the issue as the Hindus interfering with the Islamic celebrations and inciting the Muslims to riot. Of course, there would have been instant apology by self righteous secular Hindus who live thousands of miles away. The governments, both at the center and the state would have appointed one man Inquiry Commissions headed by retired Hindu judges who would have spent years examining witnesses, collecting evidences, earning fat honorariums and collecting speaking fee and expensive items of gift by governments and organizations in the Middle East. Such an inquiry would have found the Hindus grievously guilty and as usual Hindus would have been condemned by national and international opinion.

During the Ganesh festivals in Sangli district, Muslims interfered with the Hindu celebrations during which the Police officials allegedly begged the Muslim crowd with folded hands while beating up lawfully assembled Hindu crowd. The riot continued for days and at least one Hindu reportedly was killed. Wherever the location, whatever the reason for the public gathering, Hindu audiences have been at the receiving end at the hands of not only of the police, but also of Muslim intransigents who chose to interfere for whatever reason.

What happened in West Bengal where some Hindu devotees were performing yagna, in Chennai where some Hindus were exhibiting some pictures of atrocities during the Moghul and other periods of Islamic rule in India or in Kasargode where the Muslims were celebrating their festivals with fire works, the people who suffered were Hindus! Fortunately, the Kasargode incident did not lead to a riot because the Muslims did not outnumber the Hindus in that town or in that district and if the Hindus had decided to retaliate, the result would have been catastrophic. However, I bet the death and injury of Hindus in the hands of police as well as by the Muslim crowd in the initial stages would have been equally catastrophic.

What I see here is an absolute lack of police procedure. Firstly, ten policemen should never have interfered with a crowd of 500 people, regardless of their religious or political affiliations. A fire works incidents is nothing to be instantly controlled. It should have been prevented by previous warning. If the crowd behaved unruly, police should have handled by using tear gas or by rubber bullets. A ratio of ten unruly men to one police man is not something the police should face. This incident could have resulted in a tragedy similar to the one witnessed in Morazha in Kannur district in 1940 in which a Police Sub Inspector and one or two constables were brutally killed by the gathering. One cannot blame the crowd which would have no hesitation to violent attack when they are empowered, especially on religious and politically charged occasions. In Kasargode, it was a fire works. In some states the celebration on the streets included martial performance using swords and “Urumi.” Such celebrations, be it by any religious affiliates or political parties are menace to the general public, who cannot use the public infrastructure during the event. The days of peaceful “idol immersion processions,” “fire works,” “political gatherings” and “political processions” were gone long time ago. If one happened to be driving on the road on which a political procession was in progress, every participant in the procession will manhandle the vehicle. After it is over, the vehicle would need a new body work. If one of their political opponents happened to be in the vicinity, chances are that he may be manhandled or to be killed.

I would sound crazy when I say that the time has come to ban the use of public places such as roads, unprotected public grounds etc. by private religious and political groups. Public infrastructure should be left to the use of general public who use it in the ordinary course of their lives. Religious festivals must be held in private grounds owned by the organizers of the festivals. Political parties must not stage large scale processions on public roads. Government must make available enclosed open stadiums in various localities in towns, and villages and require the organizers to make safety arrangements for the gathering and they must be required to keep sentries to ensure safety of the gatherings. People who belong to the groups who have no business to be there should be warned to keep away. It should not be the responsibility of police personnel to keep law and order on such occasions. Public have a responsibility to respect law and order and behave according to law. Public peace is every one’s responsibility. Police must streamline standard operating procedures and communicate it to the general public. There should be clear specification of accountability. Each event must be organized by responsible individuals in the community, of not more than a dozen, who should be told of their responsibility. When they are found to have violated that accountability, they should be treated as having violated the law and treated as per previously promulgated laws. Such laws may include imprisonment and or fine. If no one takes responsibility, holding such events should be forbidden. It will take some time for the people to know that law works and the law and order agencies should not be taken for granted. Similarly, people must know of the procedure for approaching law enforcement agency for one reason or another and the consequences of deviating from the procedure. A large group of rowdies going to a Police station, a government office, a school or a college administration office, engaging police officials and releasing criminals in police custody must be prevented by properly streamlined police procedure.

If the concerned elected officials are uncooperative or interfere with, the police officials must make clandestine public announcement and expose the elected official. Police officials have a useful role in society. Some sections of the society should not be allowed to take it for granted that they can accost police officers and men handle them. Police officers are competent people. India is not the only country with a law and order problem. Police officers in India must study procedures followed in various other countries and evolve procedures suitable to their situations. For this purpose they need not be deputed to America or Europe, but they can get information from the Internet. It is a pity that the general public gets taken hostage by rowdies, and fanatics of religion and politics, who are normal people, who would under normal circumstances live peacefully in the society if they had known of the consequences of their action..

People must know that religion and politics are their private business. Every individual has a right to religious and political affiliations, but the choice they make must not be to the detriment of people who are impartial general pubic or others who have dissimilar affiliations. It is in this context that the tools used by political parties in organizing “shop closing,” “bandh,’ “hartal,” “political processions.” etc need to be severely controlled and managed. People in Kerala and West Bengal are not unfamiliar with the consequences of fifty years of these unlawful practices, which have made the industrial climate those states suffocating. No one cares for the lakhs and lakhs of semi skilled and skilled young people who, having no opportunity in their home towns going out of state and out of country and doing slave labor. This situation can still be controlled and managed by the law enforcement agencies, and responsible people among general public.