After Pahalgam, Punjab extended help, not hate
Jalandhar: Notwithstanding its political fluidity, Punjab's organic and nuanced reaction after the
Pahalgam massacre
has once again demonstrated that it remains one of the most socially and communally stable states in the country.
There were no incidents where the state govt or official machinery had to make significant efforts for social-communal amity. There were several instances where groups or activists offered assistance to any Kashmiri student in distress.
Incidents of hate speeches or targeting of Muslims in general, or Kashmiris in particular, occurred in some states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, and a few other places. A restaurant worker was killed, and his co-worker was injured in Agra, UP, and the Kashatariya Gau Raksha Dal claimed responsibility, calling it retribution for the Pahalgam massacre.
In Rajasthan, Hawa Mahal BJP MLA Balmukundacharya was booked for allegedly putting a poster inside a mosque premises in Jaipur during a protest against the massacre. In comparison, two aspects of the reaction in Punjab were clearly visible: unequivocal and strong condemnation of the terror attack and solidarity with the victims by all quarters, but no hate for the Kashmiris or Muslims, or holding the community accountable, and refusing to get carried away with the "sentiment" of collective punishment.
When Kendri Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Chandigarh, posted a message on the night of April 24, asking Kashmiri students in Chandigarh and surrounding areas in trouble and requiring immediate help to contact and reach personally on its campus, it appeared to express the larger reaction.
Other Sikh groups also responded quickly, posting similar messages on social media or reaching out to them on the ground. Later, it provided numbers of activities across districts, and there were more such messages from different quarters.
Administration and police authorities reached out to Kashmiri students and their institutions and issued advisories, but they did not need to manage the situations that occurred in a few other states.
Amid such an atmosphere in the state, the migration of Muslims from UP to Punjab, the only Sikh majority state in the country, has increased in the last few years.
While Punjab remains politically fluid, the state has also been witnessing the mobilisation of farmers and others on the ground on other issues, including the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib. However, the people in the state have been careful in reacting to provocations. Communities and caste groups have been responding to different issues carefully, not allowing them to become one community versus the other.
"Punjabis have been treading quite carefully. In Punjab, no party or group had to make any extra effort to make people react the way they have reacted. It was an organic response from Punjab to express complete solidarity with the victims but not hold Muslims or Kashmiris responsible as a community. This is the influence of the Sikh Gurus' teachings on the moral fabric of the people across communities," said political-social commentator Rakesh Shantidoot. MSID:: 120669982 413 |
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