Kolkata: The horrific incident of Junaid, a 15-year-old boy lynched inside a train coach, has moved people from different background across India and outside. Actor Renuka Sahane is one of them. She, has been a regularparticipant for most of the protestsIndia has seen in recent times. Renuka, claims that under present circumstances, “She fears for her elder son, who will turn 16 next year.”
The day, India chose to hold a protest—Not In My Name, to show its collective disgust for all the recent lynching cases, right from Usman to Junaid to Ayub to Zafar toNaim to Gautam, Ganesh, Pehlu andAkhlaque, Renuka posted a moving piece on her Facebook profile.
In the beginning of it, the actor clears that, she does not want to see the religion of victim and killers, but there was a mob, who killed a human while people watched them being lynched.
“Junaid was lynched by a mob of cruel human beings. I don’t care what religion those lynchers belonged to. Nor do I care what religion Junaid belonged to. I only care about one thing. A group of mean, cruel human beings killed a teenager and assaulted three other young men brutally!” she writes.
And then she shares her fear, some what similar to what Kiran Rao, wife of actor Aamir Khan had feared a year ago. Kiran had also added that she sometimes thinks to leave the country. Her comment had made campaign against him.
“Junaid was 16. My elder son will turn 16 next year. My heart breaks for Junaid’s mother.”
Renuka also wonders on the silence of the people when incident took place and also, what makes many justify it.“Not only did a group of cruel human beings kill Junaid, another group of cruel human beings egged them on. Junaid was also killed by those cruel people who witnessed the insanity & chose to remain silent,” her post reads.
“There are some cruel people who justify this lynching. Yes! Hate allows for all sorts of justification,” she rues.
The actor being a concerned citizen also raises question on what happened to perpetrators? “There has been a long list of these lynchings. It has become so common that no one talks about it. Nobody asks questions about what happened to the perpetrators. Whether they were caught & given the strictest punishment or whether they were released to unleash more violence!”
She continues, questioning such mentality which kills innocent, unarmed people and the justification, “I cannot fathom how anyone can kill unarmed, innocent human beings! I cannot fathom how people can justify this horrific violence! Instead of taking law into their own hands why are police complaints not made? Is it because the lynch mob knows that there is no reason behind what they have done? All they want to do is to kill in the name of hate.Whichever religion, ideology, language, ethnicity you belong to, lynching done in any name cannot be condoned!
Renuka mentions that because of hate, humanity has seen many riots, terror attacks. She writes, “We’ve suffered so many riots, terrorist attacks, pogroms, lynchings but we haven’t learnt anything. The bottom line is that innocent human beings become the target of that hate. They are usually poor. They are usually those who are incapable of fighting back. It is really too, too disheartening. Innocence dies when hate rules!”
Finally, the actor, who is also a mother declares, “I cannot be a part of those who encourage hate.”
“I was with the Ekta Manch marching from Parel to Azad Maidan singing ” Hum hongey kaamyaab….” to promote brotherhood between fellow citizens of all faiths in 1993 after the horrendous riots followed by the heinous bomb blasts in Mumbai. I marched to the Gateway of India to protest the utter failure & crass mishandling of 26/11 by the then Congress Govt in the State and the Centre in 2008. I supported the Anna Hazare anti corruption movement when he waged the civil battle against the UPA 2 Govt at the Centre. I was vocal about women’s safety after the horrendous rape & murder of Jyoti Singh as well as Pallavi Purkayastha as well as the sickening hacking of Swathi,” her post reads.
And she minced no words in telling that, the lynching incidents have political patronage, “Today I stand firmly against the lynch mentality that has an active political patronage in our country.”
Because the actor knows, she will be quickly questioned for her fear as mother, Renuka pointed out that she does not belong to any political party, but believe in Indian Constitution. She also shared her picture with the constitution. “I do not belong to any political party. I am a citizen of one of the finest democracies in the World. That is why it is so important for all of us to respect & protect the tenets of our Constitution. I, as a proud citizen of India, do not conform to the views of anyone who actively or passively supports this lynching. My allegiance lies with the Constitution of India. If the Govt or any other body does anything to undermine the basic tenets of democracy in our country, I will vocally oppose it,” she writes.
“I will not be a part of this hate!I do not want my children to inherit this hate.
I will not have the blood of innocents on my hands,” Renuka, the mother concludes.
The actor begins her post by saying NOT IN MY NAME, and ends with it too.
Unlike America & European nations ; a section of India Politicians / organisations do not want level playing space for its minorities particularly Muslims. This 20 crore plus largely illiterate and financially unstable population is rapidly becoming a sort of burden. Had we allowed them same opportunities, they must have become boon for Indian Development Story— and easy listeners of good advice of Babur in Tuzke-Babri to give up eating beef for the sake of Faith of Elder brothers