Thursday, October 16, 2008

Colours of terror

Our country seems to be embroiled in a debate over what qualifies as terrorism and what does not. The saffron-brigade all for Bajrang Dal argues that the latter is not a terrorist organisation. The brigade also seems reluctant to paint incidents of dastardly attacks on people belonging to minority communities whether near a mosque at Malegaon or churches in Orissa in the same colour as blasts by SIMI activists. This strikes me with question(s) - if a christian and a muslim is as much an Indian citizen as a Hindu then why this reluctance in labelling an equally abhorrent act as 'terrorist act'? Is the word 'terrorism' confined to atrocities suffered only by people belonging to the majority community? Why should 'saffron terrorism' be treated any different from 'Islamic terrorism'?