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Recent developments in Mumbai, Maharashtra, and the country are a cause for concern for all those who have faith in democracy and wish to retain and maintain it. There are rising incidents of violence, of people taking the law into their hands, and of violation of law, as well as court orders. If such acts are not checked in time, we could be heading for anarchy.

Individual as well as mob violence has become the order of the day, most often over frivolous reasons. Even otherwise, violence cannot be justified, whatever the reason. It is shocking that in a land of Buddha, Mahavir, Gandhi, and so many others, more and more people are becoming violent, and an equal number, or more, are becoming victims of such violence.

The violence must be seen in the light of increasing involvement of people in religious activities. While more and more people are getting attracted to their respective religions, it reflects less of spiritualism and more of fanaticism. This fanaticism is dangerous, and so is fundamentalism when it starts adversely affecting others. We see not just religious fanaticism but also political, lingual, and that of animal and bird lovers.

There is no absolute freedom guaranteed even in our Constitution. Freedoms come with restrictions, and that is the way it should be. It is time to evaluate some of the fanaticism existing in the society, not necessarily in the order of demerit.

It is observed that some of the fanatics become active as elections near, like the linguistic and religious fanatics. The demand for the use of Marathi in the state, especially in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, surfaces as different elections approach. With elections for several civic bodies in the region due, there is emphasis on the use of Marathi. There is nothing wrong with expecting residents of Mumbai or Maharashtra to speak in Marathi, even if they are migrants. It is a shame that those staying here for long periods of time, sometimes even for decades, proudly state that they do not know Marathi, the local language.

The reason why most of them got beaten up was not that they did not know Marathi but due to their arrogant statements that they will not learn or speak the local language. Yet, that is no justification for the violence by political activists or anti-social elements. Those who have any complaints about such issues should seek legal remedies instead of taking the law into their own hands.

Those indulging in such violence do not like to be called uncivilised or goondas. A case in point is that of a civil servant stating that members of a certain political party are goondas. Annoyed by the statement, some members of that political party violently protested against the statement in a way endorsing the view of the civil servant. Given their political thinking, nothing better could have been expected.

Just like the linguistic issue, raising religious issues or issues related to false nationalism or patriotism helps some political parties to polarise people and garner more votes. One such issue is that of alleged illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. A local leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Mumbai goes about identifying Bangladeshi people in the city with a gang of his stooges. If he has doubts about somebody’s nationality, he should report the matter to the police instead of carrying out a house-to-house search, which he has no right to do.

It is not that the police will be judicious in their role. Almost all those who have been identified as Bangladeshi are Bengali-speaking Muslims, and it is a clear sign of religious persecution. The involvement of some police personnel in this game is clear from the fact that in the First Information Report (FIR) against these alleged Bangladesh citizens, it has been mentioned that they speak the Bangladeshi language, instead of stating that they speak Bengali. The Bengali spoken in West Bengal is different from that of Bangladesh, but one wonders which officer in the Mumbai police will be able to tell the difference. Some cases have come to light in courts of law that Indian Bengalis were deported to Bangladesh.

Yet another fanaticism is that of feeding dogs and pigeons. While one recognises the rights of animals and birds, the effect of such rights on humans has to be considered too. A recent news report stated that, on average, 78 cases of dog bites are reported from Pune every day. Efforts need to be made to ensure that there are no stray dogs and cattle on the streets.

Those feeding cows and pigeons need to see that they are being cruel to those they feed. Not only do these animals become obese, but they also become dependent on humans for food and give up their natural way of foraging for food. It is not rare to see pigeons being run over by vehicles. That is because the pigeons cannot fly due to being overweight. Also, they give up the habit of flying in search of food.

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The same is the case with cows; they are being overfed, as the number of cows available for feeding is far less than the number required given the population of feeders. Force-feeding of cows is often seen in urban areas. To add to it, the cows are hardly taken for a walk, making them obese.

Most dogs have also been turned into vegetarians by those feeding them, or they are fed only biscuits. This should be looked at as cruelty.

Pigeon feeding must be stopped, as there are proven cases of lung damage due to pigeons. Without wanting to be personal, it should be stated that this author’s wife’s lungs had 80 per cent damage due to fibroids caused by the presence of pigeons that led to her early demise. It is shocking to note that leaders of a religion, which preaches non-violence, threaten to turn to violence if pigeon feeding is stopped.

The authorities should give priority to public health instead of their electoral needs while taking decisions on such matters in the state.

The author is a senior journalist and media trainer. He tweets at @a_mokashi

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