The killing of MV Shabeer: Still our society has some Barbarians
There are some disturbing news. More disturbing are the associated images. But, the video of MV Shabeer ‘s killing was probably the most disturbing one uploaded onto Youtube in the recent past. It was so disturbing, I lost my sarcasm. All I feel was pain – plain and simple.
As a person from the manufacturing industry, I had witnessed my share of incidents and as others who plied in Mumbai – Pune road in the bad old days before the express way was built, had seen the road in red with almost a regular frequency. Dying in accident and killed by fellow humans are two different things.
I know that street fights are common in all regions, wherever humans do live. Had it happened in Syria or Iraq or Nigeria or in some godforsaken place, I might not have disturbed so much. Even in India, someone may be murdering his or her victim. We live in a society where rapes and murders don’t make to the headlines unless it happens in a metropolitan city and in a very cruel way. In a way, we are immune to these stories. I heard cruel killings happened only during communist violence, for even during riots – people were killed in a faster way, unless some sadist beast burns his fellow human beings.
Am I sounding to justify these killings – during riots or during naxal movement? No Sir! I am not. I am only trying to compare the pain the victims had to endure in their last moments. I saw the video of MV Shabeer ‘s killing and frankly, I don’t have stomach to watch it.
Murder is not new for any of us, who opens the morning newspaper to many such ghastly stories. We read many novels where killings do happen and we watch gory films. Still, I felt a chill down my spine when I watched the video.
And why his attackers killed MV Shabeer? I only read a news item in which one Shiva temple was closed for two days in memory of the dead MV Shabeer, a Muslim. I don’t think any god cares for his daily bath when his neighbour was killed inhumanly, by fellow humans. Anyway, this point is not to prove a point on ‘tolerance’ in India. I started feeling we are unnecessarily being overly tolerant – towards all those men and women, who don’t deserve it.
Yes, the culprits were Hindus and the victim was a Muslim. There could be any number of reasons for them to kill him – like all murderers had. Of course, like all killers they may justify the killing. However, if the adjacent temple was closed for his death talks something, though I don’t want to be the judge.
The killers of MV Shabeer are youngsters and for those who are acquainted with the way killings happen in communist dominated area, the mode of killing might not be a shocking one. May be I have moved into a civilised society, where people are killed by poisoning or shot at. May be the hype surrounding the deaths of Sheena Bora and Sunanda Pushkar made us to think that a murder is something that happens only the way it happens as described Agatha Christie!
These barbarians provided a much needed shock to our society – to prove where we stand. In the race for notes and votes, we forgot what we were and are. We debate all nonsensical issues from what women should and shouldn’t ware to sex education to high school students – but everything related to sex. And violence, though always associated to forced sex, was hard to discuss and analyse and prevent – for we can’t digest it.
And not only has us, even our political vultures have not visited – seemed the brutality of the killing had scared even the vultures! I do hope and pray – law take its own course – at least in this case.
