Conspiracies of a different kind! Part II

Short Stories!

I have been late in posting this second piece of the thread. There has been immense work pressure and paucity of time. There have been good conversations that I have had over the first piece and assumptions about these stories. Well I would rather say that these stories are something that each of us at some point or the other would have thought of and discussed. I am trying to bring it together and put it in one set so that a relation could be established. I have not detailed it out nor given any conclusions. Conclusions are for the readers to bring out as per their views. I am presenting here with some stories which are based on thought processes that have taken place with friends and colleagues of how conspiracies of a different kind are given a good ground.

Please try and individualise these stories. What is more important than reading these stories is to have a realisation and understanding of different situations.

Story no.1

A young chap poor –no job, not enough money to feed a family of five but wants to set himself free of poverty and hunger and has a lot of aspirations. One fine day, this chap has visitors offering him big sum of money or higher to commit a crime. This chap does it although knowing the consequences since he thinks it would atleast help his family set out of poverty.

Now the question arises is whether he would do it out of religious commitments or poverty? But things are given a different turn. Religions are brought into picture and other political motives are given leverage, I believe it happens in most cases of riots. I guess the need of those in extreme poverty is manipulated for the benefit of vested interests of few. And conspiracies of different kinds are effectively implemented. Just a thought process!

Story no.2

A person is taken into custody as suspect for some carnage. His son, 16 years of age works as a mechanic in a small time garage. Has hardly any money to feed his family. Suspected person runs his small entrepreneurial venture of selling incense sticks (agarbattis). His son has to spend huge amount of money to bail his father out. Where would he find such money and even if he does how would he repay with the kind of job. The suspect has no feet and sells incense sticks on wheel chair. How would it affect the human psyche of the family more importantly the growing son? Things such as these have also happened.

“Practically all the accused in anti-minority bloodbath till date have been released on bail. In contrast, all accused in Godhra accident case including a blind man, an old man and those having congenital diseases have been jailed for the last six years.” - Mr. R. B. Sreekumar, former State Intelligence Chief

Story no.3

A person is trapped into a building with his family. Rioters hit the building pull the family out kill the parents, parade his sister nude and then rape her not one not two but around 10 times in front of all other rioters and then burn her alive.

Now another person comes to meet this guy and knowing his tale, reminds him his agony taunting him for not taking revenge. Tells him I’ll offer you money to kill those people who did this and vent out your revenge? Do you think that this guy would do it? This guy who has seen his innocent happy family killed and sister raped again and again in front of the whole mob. I guess he would. For him it wouldn’t matter who the rioters were whether one religion or the other what would matter is his own family. I believe he would even be ready enough to harm the near and dear ones of those people. I would say more than it being a religious affair its more to deal with human psyche.  In cases such as this certain extremists who would want to take advantage of the situation would instigate the feelings of those affected and satisfy their motives. That is how may be internal terrorism is being bred. This could also be a conspiracy of a different kind.

If I can put it in the words of Mr. Sreekumar  “Internationaly, militant groups that have enough resourses and committed loyalists, will present such instances of subversions of criminal justice system by the state government and harassement and persecution of minority to bolster their case and get more support. As a practicing Hindu I am scared of the repercussions of this kind of discrimination in delivery of justice. Who will be responsible for creating a new breed of terrorists in the long run with such action?” 

Somebody killed in some part of the world and one kills someone innocent in another part of the world is not fair. I believe when Godhra Carnage happened and what followed was something similar. Somebody might have killed someone in Godhra and one starts rioting to kill others in the whole state without any reason isn’t justified.  And then we have investigative reports such as this would only show that it’s a mockery of the whole system making it a conspiracy in itself.

These stories presented above though conceptualised are not plain stories, this is what we as a nation are going through. Somewhere somebody is taking advantage of the situation. What we are fighting here is not terrorism, but situations. How then do we change situations is a bigger question with many possibilities and dimensions. A transperant judicial system is the need of the hour so that people’s faith in it is reinstated. Poverty is a big terror for India and I guess with poverty and aspirations together what we need to imbibe is achievement of aspirations through basic moral values and that can only come through positive education and environment. While working in the area of behaviour change I have realised that the person is always victimised but what plays a major role for the actions of a person is its upbringing, behaviour and most important of all the environment. What needs to be changed here is the environment and only a change in mindset can bring about this positive change.

The last and the third part is already scheduled and will be up on October 12, 2008. I would appreciate your views and comments.