The Constitution of India guarantees the fundamental right to freedom. Article 19(1) affirms “that all citizens shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression.” The Indian state has failed to protect this right of the citizens. All the successive governments, both at the
Centre and the states, have tried to appease lumpen elements, who represent none, but hold society to ransom. In the past, whenever threatened by the Shiv Sena, Maharashtra has banned many a film and book contrary to established opinion, stifling artistic freedom and the free expression of ideas. The famous artist, M F Husain, had to flee the country to escape death from Hindu fanatics. We dare not criticize the religious traditions and practices of Hindus and Muslims without facing threats from the extreme fringe elements and risking our lives. This is cowardice and meek submission of a weak and incompetent state.
The Tamil writer, Perumal Murugan’s novel, Madhorubhagan is banned in Tamil Nadu, four years after its publication, because it supposed to have hurt the sentiments of some community. His ordeal has not ended with that. He and his family are living in fear for their lives. The Editor of an Urdu daily, Awadhnama, Shireen Dalvi, is being hounded for reproducing a cartoon from the French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, as illustration for an article that appeared on the front page of her newspaper. Some Islamic clerics have filed FIRs against her, alleging the hurting of religious sentiments. She and her teenage children have gone into hiding, fearing threats to their lives.
The lodging of an FIR even against the newspaper vendors for distributing the copies of this Urdu daily, is the height of absurdity in appeasing fanatic elements. The police have abused power just to placate the clerics.
We are going through a painful transition to modernisation. On the one hand, we are moving towards globalisation, due to the revolution in information technology, the advent of the internet and social networking and, on the other, witnessing the rise of religious radicalism, cutting across religions. What is disturbing is religious indoctrination and radicalisation of the youth. This is a serious challenge to social cohesion and communal harmony and a direct threat to our secular liberal democracy.
The violence and vandalism are unacceptable in a civilised country governed by the rule of law. And curbing freedom of speech and expression and creativity, by banning books, films and art works, in the name of ‘honouring the sentiments of the people’ by the state not only demonstrates its failure to act against the troublemakers, but also amounts to encouraging them to impose their diktat through intimidation. The recent attacks on churches are an indication of the free reign of fringe elements that preach and practise religious intolerance. And the government’s silence is deplorable.
The right to opinion is fundamental to truth. All great ideas have come to us from the right to dissent. We owe it to the bravehearts who had the courage of their convictions and spoke their mind. It is they who contributed to the evolution of mankind and civilisation. We must learn to distinguish between the willful, slanderous, derogatory and motivated, baseless, personalised allegations that cause damage to somebody’s image and reputation and the right to opinion. We have no right to silence dissent, however unpalatable it may be. Truth is nobody’s monopoly. And conformism is a sign of intellectual decay.
John Stuart Mill, in his philosophical work, ‘On Liberty’ put it so eloquently: “If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.” He claims there are three sorts of beliefs—wholly false, partly true, and wholly true—all of which must be tolerated, as they contribute to the common good.
It is important to remember that there are several irrational beliefs that determine our religious dogmas and, therefore, unless the right to opinion is tolerated, they may harm mankind. As Bertrand Russell said, “the fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widely spread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.” It is the fear of truth that feeds religious extremism and intolerance. Our freedom of expression is under attack.
The writer is author of the book, ‘Nehru and World Peace’ and a Professor of Political Science and retired Principal, Kandivali Education Society’s College, Mumbai and Founder Secretary, Association of Indian College Principals.
G Ramachandram
