Not that one expects nuanced discussion in social media but the way things are dealt is getting appalling. A civilized society shouldn’t really be concerned about sensitivities and cannot censor thoughts for ‘hurt feelings’ but if it is blatant call for violence then it must be dealt. Ordinary people are trapped in their situation by forces beyond their control. The system of control is where the attention needs to be. Every attempt must be made to demystify these systems. Have empathy for ordinary people and understand their context meanwhile ridicule the herd and be stringent on powerful people who control and nurture the system.
After the massacre there were some islamist posts in social media that celebrated these inhuman actions. What kinds of people do these things? Hopefully law and order machinery deals with it. Meanwhile hindu jingoism is running amok. There are inflammatory and demeaning things written and said about ordinary muslims –who really have nothing to do with what is happening, not denying that there some miscreants but they must be dealt under rule of law. One kind of nonsense cannot be replaced with other, and surely cannot be mopped under the ruse of nationalism. Hindutva hooligans are at the fore and must be dealt, anger is understandable not visceral hate. If you criticize and ridicule others then you must also be open for criticism and ridicule. It is not power display but basic decency if not democratic right. Probing questions and genuine concerns are being classified as anti-national and hounded. Things are not black and white, complexities must be understood, nationalism cannot be used to straight jacket discussions. For instance it is a valid, indeed important question, to ask about security lapse and intelligence failure. J&K is a UT that means its police force is controlled by MHA under Home Minister. They were aware that during holiday season there will be tourist rush, so why extra precautions not taken? This doesn’t take away the gravity of dealing with Islamic terror groups that is waiting for weakness. It also has to be understood that last few years it is the actions of government that brought in normalcy for tourism to thrive and majority of local population to actively participate in syncretic value systems and freely partake in democratic process. Hence you cannot be too critical too. There are problems ofcourse as much as common people face across the country.
