Harshad Hindu Murder Fallout: Is India drifting into a horrendous Civil War?

Harshad Hindu Murder Fallout:

Is India drifting into a horrendous Civil War?

The fallout of murder of Harshad Hindu, active member of Bajrang Dal, in the communally sensitive city of Shivamogga, Karnataka on 20 February 2022 has on expected lines spiraled communally charged violent protests.

Also, on expected line, vicious politics, particularly by crooked Karnataka political leaders blaming each other, further vitiating the atmosphere is on grand display.

All of them condemn the murder of Harshad, but are quick to highlight that "Law should take its course" knowing full well that culprits get away under Indian laws or at least buy time to delay the final verdict.

Also, on scripted lines, the demand for a NIA probe.

Who are the political leaders and parties trying to fool creating the crisis?

All political leaders are fools or idiots who cannot see the unfolding of horrendous communal civil war on the horizon.

Already Harshad's family is baying for the blood of the perpetrators of Harshad's murder - demanding encounter deaths of suspects. Of course, the victim's father has filed the FIR.

Let me highlight that philosophical, political, economic, technological, legal, sociological, and psychological causes are frequently cited for outbreak of wars to include civil wars and violence.

Some attribute it to certain innate biological and psychological factors or drives; the other attributes it to certain social relations and institutions. Both schools include optimists and pessimists concerning the preventability of war.

There are theories concerning war (civil wars) and violence as a result of complex social organization and greater population density and competition over resources; and also derived from common animal tendencies. For example, increasing population and constant warfare among the Maya city-states over resources contributed to the eventual collapse of the Maya civilization by AD 900.

For the blundering Indian political crooks suffering from narcissism and megalomania in pursuit of power at all costs by hook or crook, let me highlight that the course of breakout of "Civil War" is a distinct prospect in posterity. And, they too will suffer adversely from the backlash of civil war.

Also, population explosion has already upset the societal equilibrium inherited after the horrendous partition in 1947: Muslim population increase from 8.89 % to over 18% today. More importantly, India's population explosion has increased from nearly 34 crores in 1947 to over 138 crores as on date (Worldometer).

As per the Malthusian theory, wars (including civil wars) are caused by expanding populations and limited resources. Thomas Malthus (1766–1834) wrote that populations always increase until they are limited by war, disease, or famine.

Yet another significant feature triggering violence is the youth bulge - youth (18-29 years) constitute 22 per cent of India's population, which is more than 261 million people, larger than the population of Pakistan. According to Heinsohn, who proposed youth bulge theory, a youth bulge occurs when 30 to 40 percent of the males of a nation belong to the "fighting age" cohorts from 15 to 29 years of age. It will follow periods with total fertility rates as high as 4–8 children per woman with a 15–29-year delay.

Ipso facto, youth bulge theories result in racial, gender and age discrimination. Conjointly with the unemployment, particularly demand for government jobs, which are quite negligible, there will be a surge in violence laying the course for breakout of civil war of horrendous proportions.

Today's India's internal security environment is extraordinarily complex and dynamic. Carl von Clausewitz, strategy emeritus, said, 'Every age has its own kind of war (violence and civil wars), its own limiting conditions, and its own peculiar preconceptions.' If violence and protests are not controlled expeditiously by all the instruments of state, then the future appears quite dreary.

As per Dutch psychoanalyst Joost Meerloo: "War is often...a mass discharge of accumulated internal rage (where)...the inner fears of mankind are discharged in mass destruction." Other psychoanalysts such as E.F.M. Durban and John Bowlby have argued human beings are inherently violent. This aggressiveness is fueled by displacement and projection where a person transfers his or her grievances into bias and hatred against other races, religions, nations or ideologies.

However, as per experts, the common people don't want war, particularly civil war or violence. Since the political leaders of the country determine the policy, it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship. ... The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country with India being no exception.

Viewed in the above cumulative wisdom of experts, who will be responsible and accountable for violence spiraling out of control following the Shivamogga city episode?

All institutions are equally responsible. Of course, the civil society - Muslim and Hindu activists - is the triggers of the Hijab controversy churning societal venom.

"Justice is delayed; Justice denied". By the above criteria, the Bench headed by the CJ of Karnataka High Court is also responsible for not delivering expeditiously the judgment - over 2 Weeks delay. Surely, the learned judges should have given due priority to the case and conducted full-day hearings without a break and delivered the judgment within 5-6 days instead of routine hearings starting at 2.30 PM and taking holiday breaks.

Next, all Karnataka political parties and their leaders are equally to be blamed for making provocative statements and stirring up the emotions and sentiments of different sections of society with the end of objective polarizing vote banks. No point in trading blame games on whether the murder is related to the ongoing Hijab row in Karnataka. It is communally inspired hate murder.

All evidence points to the involvement of the Islamic organization Popular Front of India (PFI) and its political wing Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) with Campus Front of India (CFI) on the sidelines.

That brings me to the issue of the delay in banning the PFI, the SDPI and the CPI by the Modi-led NDA government at New Delhi.

Is India a "Soft or Weak State" even under Modi-led NDA rule?

Not to be left out is the media role in sensationalizing and providing 'sound bites' for the social media platforms to spin venomous stories. In no way in the present context, media cannot lay claims to 'holier than thou" status in the name of freedom of press.

Now, the Shivamogga City has been turned into a ‘police fortress’ as authorities fear large-scale violence, with cops being on high alert after a similar incident.

A total of three persons have been arrested, said state home minister Araga Jnanendra. Police said that technical evidence is being gathered and that they have alerted teams in a few other districts, which are helping in tracing the culprits.

So what next? "Wise learn from others' experience; fools fail to learn from even their own experiences". Anti CAA Shaheen Bagh protests followed by Delhi riots and the farmer's protests are grim reminders of what follows due to phenomenal dithering and delay of all institutions of the state to stem the rot. No need for blame games.

In sum, political leaders and parties are primarily responsible for creating the surcharged communal societal divide that may explode as civil war, if they do not retract from their vicious political games. Never too late to ban all Islamist radical outfits primarily responsible for fomenting and spreading distrust and hatred against the Hindu community. All the basic reasons or causes have been explained in the foregoing. Unless the Central Government acts decisively and strongly by invoking remedial measures in all fields, likelihood of outbreak of civil war cannot be ruled out.

Article by G B Reddy