Lynching and aftermath: American Style versus Indian Style

Murder of black American evokes the National Conscience, triggers the movement, Black lives matter that spreads across its border, unlike dreaded silence that followed equally heinous lynching in the country-an Indian style

Yesterday (2^nd June, 2020), while watching NDTV, I came to know of National  Lynching Memorial at downtown Montgomery in Alabama. Some visuals of black stone sculptures depicting beating of black men, women and children were good enough to indicate what kind of atrocities these people suffered at the hand of white man. These were terrible enough to prick my conscience that such barbaric acts were carried out in that highly developed civilized country. And the reason for it is just because someone is borne black to deserve lifetime punishment and other borne white to be a master. This NDTV news was to build up the story to relate to the recent (25^th May) killing of George Floyd, black American. It is alleged that he possessed $20 fake bill and was trying to cash in to buy at the market. He was handed over to the white police officer who held him and after some argument fell up on him on the ground, pressing the victim’s neck against the knee until George could not breathe. “I can’t breathe” were his last words. George died on the way to hospital. As the video of this incidence went viral, demonstrations in many cities and towns in the USA spread all across and even to other countries.  The demonstrators carried placards “I can’t breathe”, “Black lives matter”. The demonstrations were largely peacefully. However, in some cases vandalism followed the demonstration.

 

Credit: NY Times 31 May Video on internet; and ABC News 31May demonstrations in front of white house

I visited one of the museums in New York in September 2017. One painting on polyester caught my attention for its simplicity and directness of message it conveyed. It was stunning. Probably I had posted it too in my FB writing. It reminded me of atrocities on dalits/downtrodden in my own country.

 

 

Was the recent killing of black American a result of inheritance of psyche of racial discrimination that characterized and stigmatized the society over last 200 years? What would have been an outcome if police officer were to be black and the alleged peddler of fake bill a white? It is said of all the cases of white police officers assaulting black people, none or few white police officers were charged or their cases weakened.

While America or the developed world have only two classes, black and white; we in India have fine-tuned the society into four-Brahmin (uppermost), Kshatriya (warrior), Vaishya (traders, farmers, moneylenders and shudra (lowest of all, untouchables to serve above three) about 3000 years ago. People belonging to Shudra suffered most, at the instance of other classes which dominated over the years, and do so even now. Thus downtrodden lower caste people feel helpless and alienated from the mainstream, despite legal provisions.

Transformation of the society needs to start with people. A visual of white people kneeling on the street begging for repentance in front of blacks just few days back as a consequence of homicide of George Floyd haunts me (retweeted @GTGujar at twitter.com). A picture of the Australian Prime minister tendering an apology to aboriginals, an act symbolising desire to correct injustice done for centuries, is fresh in my memory, when I visited a Museum in Sydney during one of my visits to Australia. And not only remorse, but also determination to win over hatred in the society is voiced over. An equally blunt police officer (A Acevedo) speaking unambiguously and authoritatively tells his President Donald Trump to keep his mouth shut if he has no constructive suggestion to give to assuage the tempers of those black and whites demonstrating for justice (link below). And equally important is his message to the American voters to turn this anger against racial discrimination, segregation and inequality into popular franchise to elect the most suited.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1267531481322262528

Courtesy: CNN: Houston Police Chief A Acevedo talking to Christiane Amanpour

I will call these voices a result of prophecy of Martin Luther King Jr who had a dream to see US that is void of racism and segregation, as elucidated in his famous speech, “I have a dream” on the steps of Lincoln Memorial in 1963.  USA has undergone through turmoil of civil war as a result of decades of injustice, inequalities meted out to most of black people that denied them opportunities to grow as an equal citizen. But it also rose to the occasion as demonstrated with Abraham Lincoln’s abolition of slavery and proposition that all men are created equal in his famous Gettysburg address in 1863.

Is this true for the Indian society too, the largest democracy in the world? Yes, we too have Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule to initiate social reforms. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar is an iconic figure that cemented these social reforms with legislative backing. However, we are yet to see mass movement that will transform this guilt ridden society. We are yet to publicly acknowledge the fact that societal division was historic wrong and those borne in the upper caste owe an apology to lower caste. We are yet to initiate the mass movement that clears the nations’ conscience on this aspect. Occasionally we find demand to remove statue of Manu, creator of caste system to be removed from the precinct of High Court in Chandigarh.

Fresh in my mind is one, of lynching of those sadhus in Palghar (16^th April 2020) just two months back. The cartoon below tells of our psyche as it is.

Credit: from twitter

#NATIONALISM @BeingNationali1 Replying to @AskAnshul 

Humanity Died in #Palghar !!

And this did not stir our conscience, as nobody came on the street to demonstrate except for TV shows and few voices. Moreover, some tried to downgrade it as those killed were tribals and others tried to colour in as religious clashes. It is only after some protests that police officers were either suspended or dismissed and CBI inquiry initiated.

Will India too have memorial similar to that of national lynching in Montogmery in Alabama, for those who did not get justice just because they belonged to the downtrodden class. Bhima Koregaon incidence is fresh and so is the case of violence following CAA during US President visit or those so-called-insulting twits against the authorities landing some in jail (see my FB post of 26^th July 2017), or a court taking cognisance of death of a baby in the sit-in-demonstration against the CAA Act. What about those migrants who died in the train due to lack of water, food due to delay in reaching destination or train reaching somewhere else than its scheduled destination? Was it not homicide? Did anyone take cognisance of it, like it said of baby dying in the sit-in-demonstration? Indifference towards these incidents of lynching and  atrocities are deeply rooted in the nation’s conscience along with its tradition of servility to the people in power.