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THIS refers to the news item, ‘Vajpayee disowns VHP’ (Dec 31). To a question on communal violence in Gujarat the Prime Minister said, “...Violence against Christians cannot be allowed to go on.” It is unfortunate that our law-enforcement agencies have been discriminatory in the applications of the principle of maintenance of public order. In this particular case of attack on the Christian community, the authorities seem to have given a licence to the VHP and the Bajrang Dal to indulge in communal violence. Such a selective hooliganism and partisan law-enforcement needs our immediate attention as it may threaten the integrity and sovereignty of the country.

At this moment the country does not need just assurances of “stern action against anti-secular forces” or “things will be brought under control very soon”. In the recent past we have faced politically sponsored violence at different levels without anyone being brought to book. Perhaps the worthy Prime Minister remembers a few of the following instances of lawlessness (permissiveness?):-

a) Last year there was mass-scale rowdyism in the UP Assembly. In which mikes, furniture and other things were hurled at opponents. We still have the video clippings, clearly showing the members taking the law in their own hands. What action has been taken against the guilty? A mere resolution and dubbing the whole episode as disgusting and then closing the case for good?

b) In Bihar, whatever, Mr Laloo Yadav or Ms Rabri Devi say in the unparliamentary and abusive language even against the Governor of the State is acceptable or ignored. Would the Prime Minister or the police allow a common man to use the same words in public?

c) In Gujarat the VHP and the Bajrang Dal have targeted the churches, assaulted priests, desecrated graveyards only because a section of society doesn’t come up to their whims and fancies. Why has the police not taken effective steps to check the hooligans.

d) In Maharashtra and Delhi the Shiv Sainiks are at liberty to stop the screening of a film they dislike and can go to the extent of damaging the cinema-houses screening that film. What was the role of the law-enforcing agencies in this case?

e) In Maharashtra the Shiv-Sena supremo, Bal Thackeray has the right to publicly issue threats to the Pakistani teams participating in a sporting event in Maharashtra. Are Sections 107 and 151 Cr PC not operative there or not applicable to certain people?

f) The VHP leader, Mr Ashok Singhal, has the freedom to declare that the Nobel Prize to Mr Amartya Sen is part of a larger conspiracy to spread Christianity in India. Is this our interpretation of the right to the freedom of expression?

One just wants to know where is the law and its uniform application? Is it only for the weak, the docile, the law-abiding and the politically unorganised people? Or are we slipping fast into the worst form of anarchy and proving that India is no better than a “functional anarchy”? Let us answer these questions lest it should be too late.

Requiem for polio

The editorial “Requiem for Polio” (22.1.1999) is praiseworthy as it highlights the administrative efforts of the states in their drive against polio. But at the same time, it lists the causes of the failure of storage facilities for the vaccine and lack of awareness on the part of parents to get their children immunised.

Observations of the researchers and investigators in this regard reveal other subtle causes for failures on this point.

According to them, out of total existing polio cases the cases caused by the virus (Polio virus hominis) account for about 5 to 7 per cent. The rest are of the non-virus origin. Trauma due to mechanical injury after fall from height or more often, administration of intra-muscular injections to an infant running high fever, are major causes of non-virus polio. It is also called infantile paralysis or post traumatic paralysis.

A needle-prick in any limb might injure the main nerve resulting in immediate flaccid paralysis.

The health care agencies at the national or WHO levels have not so far taken cognisance of this aspect of polio/infantile paralysis. Therefore, unless factors responsible for non-virus polio or infantile paralysis are removed, the objective of eradicating polio from the world cannot be achieved.

The success achieved in controlling the polio myelitis is mainly due to the careful administration of intra-muscular injections and replacing the needle by syrup forms of medicines.

Dr P. S. RAWAT
Chandigarh

It is unfortunate that the recent incidents in Gujarat and other places have polluted the communal harmony in the country.

The reportage by the media has not been helpful at all. It has rather been negative.

The political parties have reacted on expected lines. About the national interest, neither any one has the time nor the spirit.

The Congress has blamed the Gujarat Government and the Sangh Parivar for the escalation of conflict, whereas the Parivar has claimed that the activities of the missionaries have multiplied since Sonia Gandhi, herself a Catholic Christian, has taken over Presidentship of the Congress party. No immediate solution is in sight. The disease if not diagnosed in time and allowed to linger on, may be cancerous.

The missionaries profess that they are selflessly serving the tribal poor by way of social, educational and medical facilities etc and that they are not interested in conversions. But whenever there is a suggestion for banning the conversions by law, these very missionaries oppose it tooth and nail. Even such a venerable and saintly person as Mother Teresa personally wrote to the then Prime Minister of India in the seventies against banning conversions. This contradicts the theory of selfless service by missionaries.

The ground position is that these tribals are illiterate, very poor and most importantly innocent people. They are vulnerable to temptation via some sweet words, false promises or sometimes financial allurement. Now as these people are prone to conversions, their reconversion is also not a tough proposition. This oneupmanship results in bitterness and bad breath among inhabitants. Now there are hotheads in every society everywhere and they are capable of lighting fire out of smoke. It has also been observed that these conversions have created dissensions even among families. In families consisting of Hindu and Christian brothers, there is often quarrel even over mode of cremation. The beneficiaries of all this discord are political parties at the cost of poor and simple tribals, who are victims of their rivalries, sometimes leading to violence.

The only solution to the problem, to my mind, is banning of conversions by law. The sooner it is done, the better.

This refers to Mr Amar Chandel’s article, “High security cricket” (Jan 20). The crime in the field of politics by the politicians’ support has reached its saturation point. It is difficult to understand the doctrine of rules and laws followed by such people. They act in full conformity with the statement of Emerson, “I wish to say what I think and feel today, with the proviso that tomorrow perhaps I shall contradict it all”.

If we look at the crime ratio by which the fresher criminals are entering into this game, we will have to establish scaffolds in every half mile area by next decade. In such an environment when the Prime Minister quotes from Rabindranath Tagore’s poem, “Where the mind is without fear” he sounds hollow. The present political arena is run by the teachings of Adolf Hitler, “Confusion, indecision, fear: these are my weapons”. Power does not corrupt, fear corrupts, perhaps the fear of loss of power.

For an average man a cricket match is no big issue as the fear of being robbed in broad daylight, fear of sweating out in summer without electricity and water, fear of getting involved in cases of police, courts and babus are enough. He has only one question to ask as rightly said in Cicero’s words: “How far then, Catiline, will you abuse our patience.”

	M A I L B A G	Saturday, January 30, 1999
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