The face of Indian fascism

The recent events in the Indian state of Gujarat must be effectively disassociated from the Ayodhya temple-mosque imbroglio, which is another mess altogether. The perpetrators of these events represent the lunatic fringe among the Indian Hindus and Muslims who suffer from the persecutor-persecutee syndrome due to their majority and minority status.

Their madness was made possible by an elected state government which has lost its legitimacy to rule. It reflects the failure of the state government in maintaining law and order -- with a few hoodlums terrorizing the social fabric of the country and holding the state to ransom. The gravity of the situation was acknowledged by the Indian prime minister who canceled his visit to Australia while the chief minister of Gujarat did not even condemn the senseless carnage, let alone tour the riot-affected areas. He did not let the army tackle the situation, leaving it to the inept and communal police force.

In the wake of Sept. 11, the Indian government outlawed the Students' Islamic Movement of India, an extremist body. It is time the ban was extended to other militant organizations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). What is more bewildering than the riots is that an elected government led by a veteran leader like Atal Behari Vajpayee is trying to negotiate with VHP and RSS, the self-appointed leaders of the complacent and silent majority of the Indian Hindus.

PAYAL BAJAJ

Jakarta