United Colours of Terror

There is the recently uncovered phenomenon of saffron terrorism that has been implicated in many bomb blasts of the past," said Mr. P Chidambaram, the Union Home Minister, in his inaugural address to the 45th meet of the chiefs of state police and central paramilitary forces at New Delhi.

Did Terrorism In India Convert To Hinduism, Or A Paradigm Shift Towards Truth? Counter Currents http://www.countercurrents.org/abubacker290810.htm August 29

 Guns have power... you don't believe it? This act of brute force by the legally-immoral authorities are perpetrated with impunity, whilst their legitimacy professes about the false credo they have for the people... Here's a shot from the Mao incident in May earlier this year. (Photo from AP)

The other day, an Indian right-wing organisation had gone defensive, with its spokesperson on a news channel declaring that terrorism has no colour, and he snubbed a neologised term 'saffron terror'. The guy added terrorism in any form should be condemned outrightly. The whole issue has an overt political tenor just as attacks and counterattacks would illustrate on prime-time television.

For a quick summary: (a) the interior parts of mainland India are fraught with red terror, attributing its colour to the Naxalites who swear by the communist ideologies; (b) in the last decade or so, a new form in the saffron shade has emerged in an apparent challenge to another type of terror, which is not defined colour-wise, but rather by faith, the Islamic terror; and (c) there is another kind of fear psychosis that is widespread in Kashmir and the Northeast.

MAINSTREAM MADNESS

On one hand, it seems people are classifying terrorism to grasp the phenomenon to the hilt, or perhaps the media is oversimplifying things. In another perspective, it comes as no surprise to learn about the Hindu terror — whatever colour it belongs to, for the simple reason that no religion or region is unaffected by contemporary socio-political dynamics.

Terrorism, though it is hard to define, is one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th-century realpolitik and it's an influencing factor in foreign policy globally. It is not intended that BJP or any of its allies, which are above or below the party's estimation, are blameworthy. Yet it is startling how some of the people are disputing the existence of saffron terror, when it can be proved how religious extremist terrorism is active and functioning (without elaborating on its ethicality). It's expected in a country where following a religion is more important than being humane.*

THAT ANNOYING FEELING**

The following is another subdivision of terror, which shows the true colour of the state. Would the authorities follow the saffron-guardian and reject the existence of state terrorism? Well of course, the army and commandos kill only the insurgents and imprison only the dissidents for the sake of security. What if there are cases of human rights violation? Much easier: get the main frontal organisations who would protest and pay them off.

The history of state terrorism goes back to that period of state origin. Now you don't need a consensus to define it. When unruly police commandos aided by various paramilitary forces are running amok in the name of counter-insurgency operations, you hardly need a second thought. It is downright terrorism — deploying violent means and intimidation in the pursuit of some unplanned, unresolvable aims.

Any form of violence, war or killing, for a reminder, are unconditionally wrong. First, the crime is committed and then there is no verdict but our irrationality of abiding by the state. Secondly, these acts of brute force by the legally-immoral authorities are perpetrated with impunity, whilst their legitimacy professes about the false credo they have for the people. The resulting situation offers a clarion call for a new social order.

THE POWERS THAT BE

In the end, there is only one way out of this maze. Governments will continue killing, the extremists will never stop fighting and it's only the common people who will suffer. The way is to black out. No? But seriously, it's only us who have to find the enlightened path. We need common consciousness and more participation in the process of socio-political and economical affairs. It's been stated so easily. It won't be, I agree and also that it will take a long time to decolourise these entities, which have been so colourfully suppressive and quite irritating. There's a silver lining though, for the state is a living organism; it evolves and we can groom it.

NOTES

* No one can dispute the 'existence' of crores of gods and goddesses in India. An atheist myself believes the figure when you have a god for each and every thing. But does faith makes the people understand feelings, sympathetic towards other races...? No, period.

** This is the typical Manipuri in me.