Democracy is the key to national dignity. The big guys are supposed to go out and battle for the little guys. But today, it's the little guys who are batting for the big ones. From the US to India, fanboys and fangirls of loquacious leaders are up in arms defending the honour of their icons.
Indian public life has become ludicrously litigious with a police complainant hiding behind every door, ready to leap out with a punitive yell to torment cocky columnists, social media mavericks and soapbox sages who dare to pillory their idols. Such concierges of conscience have weaponised outrage, with pen-pushing Hindutvaites stoking FIR fury the most.
Professional offense-takers at obscure pin codes in vernacular municipalities get their five lines of newsprint fame, helped by obliging cops and judges who fling the book at hapless comedians with moral glee.
This dangerous new practice, inaugurated by saffron sergeants, has now spread across parties. Last week, actress Ketaki Chitale, and a student, Nikhil Bhamre, were arrested by Maharashtra's Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government for insulting Sharad Pawar on SM.
Bengal tigress Mamata Banerjee probably set the trend in 2012 by jailing a chemistry professor who forwarded a cartoon lampooning her. The case hasn't been closed.
Hard words signify soft targets. Fearless foot soldiers of parties are vigilant about slights imagined or real; to the prime minister, ministers, chief ministers, bovines, gods and goddesses, Ayurveda and other proud pillars of our political ecosystem. It would be amusing if it isn't so frightening - a publicity-possessed complainant reportedly tried to file a case against someone for insulting the government, as if it's a crime worthy of prison time.
Once upon a time, citizens would lose their heads for committing lese-majesté, a French term meaning "a crime against the sovereign", "offence against a ruler's dignity as head of the state", and "treason". Now, politicians rule by divine right, defended by worshipping worthies wielding copies of 'How to File FIRs and Intimidate People', thus giving netas plausible deniability.
Punjab police have lodged an FIR against former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas for making 'inflammatory statements' against Arvind Kejriwal. Similarly, BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga was arrested early this month by Punjab Poli - he had questioned Kejriwal's election promises in a sacrilege case.
Last year, BJP leader and Union Minister Narayan Rane was incarcerated for criticising Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Uttar Pradesh cops nabbed a Chennai man for disparaging Modi. In 2019, Jharkhand cops detained an Adivasi professor in Jamshedpur over an old post defending his community's right to consume beef and conduct ceremonial cow sacrifice.
Kerala’s Communist government passed an ordinance that allows the police to arrest anybody who lambastes anyone on any media platform. However, the sparsity of FIRs against hate speech is intriguing since there have been calls galore for genocide, rape and arming communities. Videos of netas urging their pet rioters to destroy and kill as the police stand by and watch are available on YouTube. Considering the scandalous statements by our politicians and sadhus, our jails should be full of word warriors irrespective of affiliation.
Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist noted that ‘the law is an ass.’ In India, it is ‘as you like it’ where litigating mobs vehemently promote partisan pride and bilious bigotry. All in the name of national sentiment, obviously.