Hardline Hindutva: Terror grips Goa, 2 killed in bomb blast

When the country was relieved because of a decline in terrorist attacks for the last few months, suddenly there was a resurgence of Maoist violence. Now it's the so-called 'Hindu terrorism' that shows signs of resuscitation.

The blast that killed two workers of the right-wing Hindu group, Sanathan Saunstha, suggests that the threat of extremist Hindu outfits can't be overlooked. The activists linked to the Sanstha were caught for planting bombs in Mumbai and Thane earlier.

In Goa, IEDs were planted at other places but were fortunately diffused. This particular bomb went off prematurely in Margaon and as a result the two persons, Malgondi Patil and Yogesh Naik, died. But for the peaceful residents of Goa, it is a shocking development.

Why should fundamentalist groups choose Goa. Which gathering they waned to target. What was their objective behind the blasts. Did they want to establish a strong base in Goa, where they could have evaded police and intelligence.

The organisation workers have links with another militant outfit, Abhinav Bharat led by Pragya Thakur, which was blamed for the bomb blasts in Malegaon. There are several questions and the police have to find out answers.

After all, what incited the organisation's workers to make bombs? Radical outfits belonging to any religion or ideology must not be allowed to spread their tentacles and the government should act tough against such groups irrespective of their political affiliations--be they left-wing Naxalites, Muslim militants or Hindu hardliners.

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Indian Taliban: Diktat against marriages within 'Gotra'

The Panchayats of North Indian states have emerged as the desi versions of Taliban but their mindless acts evoke little response despite the hazard they pose to our society.

If a young girl and boy who belong to same clan marry, the Panchayats don't think twice before ordering their execution. Ved Pal and Shilpa were not cousins. They just belonged to same khap (clan).

This was enough for the elders to not just issue the diktat of their deaths. But they killed Ved Pal. This happened even after the case had reached the High Court.

In the name of honour, customs and traditions, young couples in Haryana, western UP and parts of Punjab, have been facing threats to life and are killed. Ironically this dastardly practice gets social sanction.

Police fail to act due to popular support to such regressive and barbarian traditions. The Jats and Gujjars are most vocal on this issue and don't want any intervention in their 'culture'. For them marriage within the Gotra is anathema, even if it is lawful.

In this part of Northern India, umpteen such murders take place. The administration remains apathetic and political class turns askance. Hindustan Times' Vikas Pathak and Satvir S Sarwari have covered the issue of 'honour killings'.

The report titled 'Honourable murderes in Haryana' should serve as an eye-opener to us. How thugs hijack our system. It's shameful as couples keep getting lynched, for no fault of theirs.

The growing influence of these panchayats in 21st century is a shame and the courts along with national commissions and the polity must act, to put an end to the local Taliban.

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Mob violence in India: Punjab in flames after attack on Sikh sect guru in Vienna

Either it's attack on North Indians in Maharashtra, the Gujjar agitation or the recent mob violence across Punjab and Haryana after the Dera leader of a Sikh sect was shot in farway Austria's Vienna--all incidents manifest the growing mobocracy in Indian society.

Property worth billions was gutted and destroyed in the mindless violence. Trains were set afire, trucks and buses torched, houses and shops stoned and people attacked by the incensed mob.

Sant Niranjan Das has survived the attack but the other guru, Sant Ramanand, was killed when he was attacked in a gurudwara in Europe. The loss is around 7,000 crores, as per industry sources. Thousands of passengers were stranded and many died in the violence. The followers of Dera Sachkhand are considerd heretic by mainstream Sikhs.

The Dera mainly has followers among Dalits and lower caste Sikhs who also believed in Raidas (or Saint Ravi Das).

Earlier, the deras had come under controversy when Dera Sacha Sauda's Baba Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim had courted controversy over his dress that resembled the Sikh guru.

Unfortunatedly, riots and mob violence are becoming more common in India. The phenomenon of lawlessness is growing and it reflects not just the failure of the administration and the state but also the citizens' apathy towards their own country.

It's time we take serious steps to discourage this mob mentality that is taking over the nation. Unfortunately we tend to let the culprits go softly as politics prevails in all such violent incidents, and every such violent reaction provokes more people to resort to such practices to show their anger.

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