As things stand today, we Indians have taken it upon ourselves to obliterate the difference between ‘vigilant’ and ‘vigilantism’. The epidemic of hate crimes and lynchings of the minorities cannot be explained otherwise. Mob violence and the murders of fellow countrymen in the name of ‘cow vigilantism’ may have prompted the Prime Minister to finally break his silence, but is that enough? Crying hoarse over barbaric and shameful acts has no meaning. The absence of concrete action against the perpetrators of these crimes can only be seen as an overt endorsement of the act. What a come-down for a country that had gained its independence from the yoke of colonial imperialism, preaching the doctrine of non-violence all along. A citizen’s vigilance, intellectual vigilance and media vigilance can definitely act as the biggest deterrent to the forces of darkness.
Pachu Menon,
Comba, Margao, Goa
