It appears that every issue in contemporary politics leads to the creation of frenzy that eventually dies down while the root cause of the problem remains undiagnosed. The most recent instance of ‘political violence’ in West Bengal, while extremely tragic, feels routine. The fact is that these instances of violence are not an aberration nor are they geographically isolated, rather, such instances have become part and parcel of our society, as exemplified by the extremely tragic incident in West Bengal. Even more concerning is the fact that these issues have become an excuse for political mudslinging and posturing. Something that is often overshadowed, in this short sighted bickering is the plight of the victims and their families. If viewed objectively one can identify a repeated pattern of response to these incidents. First an incident of violence takes place leading to political uproar. This then devolves into a political blame game where the focus shifts from ensuring justice to assigning blame. This cycle has been repeated on countless occasions resulting in consistent denial of justice. This tendency of reducing human rights violations to mere trends is a reflection of the broken political discourse in our country.
For any democracy to be successful it is essential that the leaders and also it’s citizens engage in constructive discussion to iron out the structural gaps in the political system. The recurring instance of political violence in multiple Indian states is a reflection of the wide gap that leaves many individuals vulnerable to such barbaric acts. Yet little, if any, measures have been taken to stop instances such as these. At this moment it is essential that we start discussions on measures and steps that would help to solve these issues, as the frequency of such instances have become a jarring mark under every regime. It is essential that citizens and political leaders, instead of blaming their fellow countrymen, come together and construct a comprehensive legislation against political violence. The absence of a proper legislation dealing with politically motivated violence has been a historical shortcoming of Indian democracy, something that needs to be rectified as soon as possible. The first step in ensuring that this shortcoming is addressed would be to shift from reactionary politics to constructive politics. Until and unless these steps are taken we can expect the continuation of the injustices that we see today. Most essentially it is important to point out that politically motivated violence is indirectly complimented by politically motivated protests. It is not to say protests are not essential in a healthy democracy, rather, it is to say that politically motivated protests do more harm than good as it stops any discussion at the root. Given the tragic events that have taken place in West Bengal it is of prime importance that we as citizens remember the injustices and make a concerted effort to bring change. It is the only way in which we can honour the memories of the countless victims of political violence.