Panchkula, the adjacent town to Chandigarh, witnessed massive rioting and destruction of public property on Friday which has left over 35 people dead and over 100 injured. The mainstream media and the social media were quick to respond to the violence that started after Baba Ram Rahim was convicted in the rape case. As it often happens, people did not care to know the sequence of the events and the administration constraints before jumping to the conclusion. The demand for CM Khattar’s head was one of the top topics that kept the social media abuzz throughout the day and into the weekend.
Before we get into the violence and what the Khattar government could have done, let us try to understand why people are ready to die for these Babas.
Let me put it like Arshad Warsi asked in Jolly LLB – Koun hai ye log, kaha se aate hai yeh log?
There exists a massive disconnect between the urban-internet-powered-youngsters and the marginalized rural/urban poor. This gap is so big that none of us would have ever personally known a Baba Ram Rahim’s follower in our real lives. But they exist – They are your local mandiwala, rickwala, golgappa wala and ironwala. They belong to the “lower” end of the caste structure where you are either not allowed to express your views or your views do not matter.
The Babas and Godmen of this world thrive on such disparity and fear. All of these Babas run free shelters, hospitals, schools, and medical shops. The Babas and their trust provide service in return of loyalty. Think over it, on one side you are the last man in the queue in a government hospital or school and on the other side you are treated as an equal and are provided services for free. All you need to do to get this equality is to recite the Babas name and put his photograph in your house. Slowly you start to believe in him and subconsciously you become a devotee. And before you know, the Baba is no more a provider of free hospital service, he is the person who you think of when things are not going your way (which in their case is more often than not).
In case of Ram Rahim, the followers are mostly Sikh and Hindu Dalits. This set of followers swears by his name and even if they know their baba is at fault they will ignore it. It is like your child/parent has been caught stealing – you will fight for him no matter what. Any attempt by the state against these Babas is considered a personal attack and it probably explains why thousands of Baba followers were ready to die in Haryana or why Asaram Ram Bapu’s bail request gets trended every now and then on twitter.
In most cases, the Twitter junta laughs on these hashtags, but remember those trending such hashtag care a hoot about your opinion – For them their Baba is family! And yes, unlike the educated middle class, the poor are very loyal when it comes to their devotion – They are ready to die and kill in their loyalty.
The Politics of Being a Baba!
The Babas and their trust/asharam hold a vice like grip over the political choice of their followers. The bigger the following, the more influential they become. It is not surprising that both Asaram Ram babu and Ram Rahim enjoyed support from both sides of the aisle.
While it does surprise a lot of Twitterati and Media men as to why political giants bow down to these Babas, the politicians know which side of the bread has the butter. A bitter truth about democracy is every hand has just one opportunity to press the button on the EVM machine. So, you with your 10K Twitter followers and 70K iPhone, are just as (un)important to a politician as an ironwala who is waiting for his first internet powered phone from Jio and he gives a double hoot to your protest for data security of Aadhar. To be frank, to a politician you are half as important as a poor man is. There are chances that you will extend your weekend during the voting day or just skip the voting or may become the coolest in your gang by voting NOTA, however if the Baba says vote for “Mister X”, his followers (along with their families) will vote for “Mister X”. Here lies the political clout and power of these unelected Babas. And here also lies the answer as to why no major political party has taken a strong line on the recent violence in Haryana and why no politician will ever read your outrage over the recent violence.
Ram Rahim Baba – The verdict and the violence
On Friday, Ram Rahim was convicted in a 15-year old rape case. The date for the decision was known well in advance and the administration knew that there will be mobilization of people before the verdict was announced.
A lot was has been said and written on how the administration failed in Panchkula. However, every few have actually tried to see the situation from the execution point of view. India, like every other developing country, is a violent country. People have poured their emotions out on streets as violence at the drop of a hat. The two instances when a leader’s death led to arson and violence are:
- Riots in Madras in 1987 after MGR’s death
- Riots in Delhi in 1984 after Indira’s death
In fact, when Bala Saheb and Amma died, their cities saw a virtual lockdown.
With such instances as a benchmark and with recent trouble at Rampal’s ashram during his arrest, the administration was as prepared as it can be – Haryana Police had created barricades around the city, Army and CRPF was called in and borders were sealed.
However, we need to understand that the administration can’t be offensive; it has to be reactive before the first stone is thrown and offense can only be done after the violence breaks out. With over 100K people pouring into a city of 600K, there was little the administration could have done before the verdict.
There were various questions people asked after the violence broke out:
How did 100K people reach the city when Section 144 was imposed? Section 144 is a preventive measure not an offensive measure – You can say it is imposed in an area but how do you impose it when there are 100K non-violent people just waiting on footpaths and in the parks?
About last night. 01.00am, Panchkula. #RamRahimVerdict pic.twitter.com/bC8VgCAu4p
— Bhuvan Bagga 把奥文 (@Bhuvanbagga) August 25, 2017
Panchkula is a border district and even when you seal all the check points, people will leak in.
Why people were not arrested?: It is impossible to arrest 100K people and even if you arrest them there is no prison big enough to keep 100k in custody.
Why protestors were not fired at when the first stone was thrown? : Firing is the last resort to end a protest in a democracy and we should all wish it remains the last option always. If you fire at people prior to them becoming violent, you will call upon the worst of violence and human rights activists.
Proposing solutions on social media and executing them when 100k people are standing in front of you are two different things. A mob has no fear, it derives its strength from its number – Larger the mob, smaller will be its fear for law enforcement.
How do you control one hundred thousand frenzied protesters? By Lathi-charging them? That’s Stupid (and Impossible)
— The Frustrated Indian (@FrustIndian) August 25, 2017
People need to understand the Khattar administration was up against 100K emotionally charged and extremely angry people. These people were ready to die for their Baba and the only thing that stood between them and the arson was a bullet. With several restrictions, fear of human right activists in case of preventive offense, and a mob of 100K, the police and the administration did a decent job – Not the best but certainly a decent enough job.
A death toll of 35 Baba Supporters is an evidence of the iron fist that was used by the Khattar administration once the violence broke out. There were no pellet guns as some suggest in sarcasm, but real bullets that killed 35 rioters.
For those asking the head of the CM Khattar, the question remains what else Khattar could have done when 100K angry people are ready to die and what will be achieved if he resigns. Currently any changes in the top leadership of the government or the Police will only unsettle the administration – something that must not be done.
