By M L Satyan
Bengaluru, June 7, 2020: Handcuffed, face down, knee on his neck, no can came for help. He begged for water, he begged for mercy, he begged for his life, but he got no help. His body trembled, his nose bled, he lost control of his bladder. Deprived of oxygen his organs were screaming, his brain was frantic and yet no one helped. He cried out several time “I can’t breathe.”
His life slowly faded away and he met a cruel, merciless and violent death. A black man, a gentle giant was murdered because he was black. People were watching George Floyd meeting his own death in a helpless manner.
George Floyd was an individual. He was not a popular leader or a celebrity or a VIP. Yet, the whole of Unites States of America is burning due to this one individual’s murder. The main reason is the race he belonged and manner with which he was murdered.
Anyone, irrespective of caste color, creed, nationality, will get triggered while watching the video of his death. The same thing is happening in America. People, both black and white, have been angered and they are out on the streets with peaceful (some places) and violent agitations (some places).
Surely these agitations will become part of the American history. All these agitations convey one important message/lesson – Righteousness (Dharma). The whole human race on this earth needs to learn this lesson.
It was a ‘black man’ who became victim of the ‘racist spirit’ of the white policeman in the uniform. All those who were under lockdown due to coronavirus, came out to the streets to condemn this cruelty. It is to be noted that all those who came out and agitated were not black people. Surprisingly, there were equal number, rather more white people among them. This is indeed a ‘heart-touching’ gesture of the white people.
Although the murderer was a white American, yet, the rest of the white Americans wanted to acknowledge the ‘blunder’ committed by their own man. There were videos on the social media showing the white policemen keeling down in public and asking pardon from the black Americans. It was indeed an extraordinary gesture!
After Trump threatened to send the army to crush the protesters, the head of the US Military made an open statement: “Our oath is not to protect Trump but the Constitution. Can we expect such an honesty in India? Never! The officers of the armed forces here give more importance to ‘Rajya Sabha seat’ or other ‘promotions/rewards’ than Constitution.
If we compare the American situation to the Indian scenario, we will feel ashamed. When the Tamils were murdered in huge numbers by Singhalese, we were just watching everything without any prick of conscience. The Andhra Pradesh Forest Police shot more than 30 Tamils who were hired for cutting trees inside the AP forest. We were just silent observers.
The environmentalists, along with the local people, held rallies and agitations against the setting-up of Nuclear Power Plant as well as the functioning of the Sterlite factory in south Tamil Nadu. Many of them were shot dead. We just watched the shooting incidents.
Many innocent Muslims in North India were mob-lynched by Hindu fundamentalist groups who accused Muslims as ‘cow-killers’ and ‘beef-eating people’. Did other community people come to the rescue of the Muslims?
Honour-killing has become quite common in many parts of India. Just because a backward community boy loves a higher caste girl and vice versa, the higher caste people exhibit their cruelties towards the lower caste people. Are we not silent observers on such occasions?
Just a few days ago, a shocking incident occurred in Tamil Nadu. A young girl from West Bengal was doing domestic work in a village near Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu. She was recruited through her relative who is based in Bengaluru. For the past 5 months or so she was repeatedly raped by the house owner and his colleagues.
As the girl was insisting to go back to Bengaluru, she was beaten up badly, put in a car, gang-raped again inside the car and was thrown outside from the running car. A passer-by woman felt pity on the girl and informed the local people. They took the girl to the nearby hospital where she is being treated now. Till date no arrest has been made. Neither the women activists nor human rights activists have raised their voice so far.
In a Tamil film titled “Asuran” a scene is depicted where a lower caste girl is beaten by a man of higher caste just because she was walking through the street of the upper caste wearing slippers. Later she laments to her lover, “I could bear the pain when I was beaten up. But I am not able to bear the pain of ‘indifference’ of the people who were just watching me being beaten up. Not a single person among the crowd raised a voice against this violence inflicted on me.”
Today most of us live like the “three monkeys” – we do not want to see injustice happening around us; we do not want to hear the cries of the oppressed; we do not speak against injustice. Is this the lesson we learn from the life of Jesus?
Throughout his life, Jesus was vigilant and tried to see wherever injustice was inflicted on the poor. He always listened to the cries of the oppressed people. He spoke vehemently against those who exploited the poor. He challenged the ‘unjust socioeconomic-religious-political systems’ of his days. Indeed! he had a blend of a visionary-missionary-revolutionary.
‘Being human’ does not mean to be ‘silent observers’ of inhuman incidents happening in our day-to-day life. We need to become ‘humane’. Whenever we see injustice, oppression or exploitation anywhere, we must register our protest in a peaceful and non-violent manner. No human being is more than another human. Let us give everyone the due respect and dignity!