Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act has turned violent across the country. While some citizens are protesting because they find it unconstitutional, others are just following the herd, unaware of the Act and its implementations itself.
Nevertheless, that’s a different story altogether.
The hot topic, however, revolves around the “brutality” (what people claim) police unleashed on, be it students of Jamia Milia Islamia, Aligarh Mulsim University or people in Seelampur, Assam, etc.
Students claim that police lathi-charged them, fired tear gas and some even claim that they pelted stones at them. Amid this, a number of people, including students and policemen, have been injured and died over the days.
However, before coming to a conclusion, it’s better to understand both sides of the story. Yes, the police was wrong to have brutally thrashed, be it anyone – students or lay protesters. Yes, police could have sought peaceful ways to control the coward. And you will hear many more such suggestions.
But ranting is easy, right? Especially until you haven’t experienced what the situation is on the ground.
Straightway asking, what exactly would you do if stones are pelted at you and you can’t run away? Follow the Gandhi rule that if someone slaps you on the right cheek, show them the left?
Of course, police could have followed the Gandhi rule had protesters followed Gandhi’s peaceful protest staging strategy.
But Gandhi is long gone for India. And so his ways. Had he been here, he wouldn’t have had wanted people to burn train, destroy property in the name of protests.
West Bengal didn’t experience much of police brutality (thanks to Mamata Banerjee) while they protested against the CAA. Then why comes the need to destroy trains or buildings? And then complain why economy is ailing. Will all this help the ailing economy?
Yesterday, at Seelampur, protesters were seen chasing the police, pelting stones at them. The Quint reported.
What do you do when you are hurdled with stones like this in the name of protests? Don’t tell people police carry stones to retaliate or enjoy throwing stones back at the protesters. Or they don’t have to go back to their families after finishing their work.
They are there to do their jobs. What they get paid for. They have earned their uniform and pelting stones at them isn’t the bravest way to protests. And I am not shocked if it leads to retaliation.
Similar scenes were seen in Lucknow University, students pelting chappals at police.
All this is allowed in the name of the right to protest but police retaliation is violent?
If you want to protest, you do it peacefully as one can see in the video above. And if police try to curb those efforts as well.
THEY ARE WRONG AND SHOULD BE PUNISHED.
