Assassination for being Faithful to Constitution!

 

Scientific temper describes an attitude which involves the application of logic and the avoidance of bias and preconceived notions. Discussion, argument and analysis are vital parts of scientific temper. It is thus necessarily open — admitting every point of view, however heterodox it might be, or where it comes from. Elements of fairness, equality and democracy are built into it.

“To develop scientific temper” is one of the fundamental duties of the Indian citizens, according to the Constitution of India Article 51 A (h), “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform”.

Accordingly, it is only the rationalists among the people of this nation who truthfully discharge their fundamental duty enshrined in the Constitution and are faithful citizens of the nation. But it is a sad commentary of the conditions obtaining in the country that all unfaithful citizens of the nation looked down upon the faithful citizens, curse them and try to isolate them from the mainstream. For being faithful to the Constitution,

Thanthai Periyar had to encounter all sorts of ignominies and even physical attacks. Nevertheless he was not least disheartened and carried forward his mission of spreading rationalism with more and more zeal till he breathed last. If Tamil Nadu today is comparatively free from crude forms of superstitions it was because of his yeomen services.

The use of violence to muzzle and eliminate those who do not subscribe to their parochial views or ideology has been the hallmark of fundamentalists/obscurantists. The assassination of Narendra Dabholkar in Maharashtra reinforces this. Dabholkar was 67 years old when he was killed. He held a degree in medicine and had been a practising physician before he became a full-time activist. He authored several books in Marathi and was the editor of the weekly ‘Sadhanafor’ 16 years. After founding the Maharashtra Rationalist Association in 1989, he dedicated the rest of his life to this work.

He reached out to common people with grass-root campaigns, educating them to overcome superstition and rely on reason. He was determined to persuade the Maharashtra government to pass a law that would put a stop to the game of black magicians, faith-healers and astrologers. He was one of the key architects of the Maharashtra anti-superstition Bill.

Though politicians did their best to dilute it and postpone its discussion time and again, he did not give up. Soon after his murder, the Maharashtra government decided to introduce the Bill, unleashing the fury of fundamentalist groups. The fact that the Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Bill drafted by the rationalist was swiftly cleared and revived by the Maharashtra government after 13 long years can only be construed as a knee-jerk response to angry protests and nationwide outrage sparked by the murder.

It was a sign of how little attention was paid to the exhortations of the anti-superstition crusader. Such indifference to the voice of reason is not surprising in a nation where astrology plays a major part in the choice of “auspicious” dates for special events like marriage and, for politicians, the filing of nominations and for Chief Minister Jayalalitha for everything including time of starting proceedings of Assembly and hoisting national flag of Independence Day.

If such preoccupations are stupid and harmless, the same cannot be said for branding of old women in the countryside as witches for casting an “evil spell” or the horror of human sacrifice to ward off misfortune. These irrational beliefs are responsible for the prevalence of quacks who “treat” even serious illnesses with their charms and talisman. It is against such irrational belief in “jadu tona” that Dabholkar formed his Andhasraddha Nirmoolan Samity or the organisation for the eradication of blind faith.

Unfortunately, his critics saw him as a non-believer who was undermining the popular faith in prescriptions and practices advocated supposedly by “holy men”, although these were actually frauds who hoodwinked the gullible in the name of religion. Even the delay in the enactment of the law sought by Dabholkar was a concession to the clout of the sundry godmen targeted by the indefatigable champion of sanity. The influence of the imposters is also evident from the fact that Maharashtra is only the fourth state to enact an anti-superstition law despite the wide prevalence of irrational beliefs. Even in the three other states — Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh — which have such a law, it is directed only against witch-craft and not against the practices akin to voodoo. The solution lies not in laws, but in the spread of scientific temper in schools, colleges. The recordings of Dabholkar’s speeches should also be given wide currency.

Narendra Dabholkar’s assassination has focused public attention on the role of the rationalist fight in India. It is a tragedy that one of the country’s finest rationalists had to be murdered, to bring about this change. He urged rationalists fight their harassers in the courts of law. Considering the danger, he advised them, one should not mind it but be always ready to die a martyr for the cause.

 Martyrs are good for any movement. But we should not agree to allow our enemies to have such an easy triumph. But he was serious about it. On the morning of August 20, Dabholkar was shot dead by unknown assailants. The Indian rationalist movement lost a fighter against superstition and inhuman rituals. And we lost a wonderful comrade-in-arms and a strong supporter in Maharashtra.

Dabholkar was hated by fundamentalists. But an open-hearted and kind man, he was adored by the people. His murder signals the growing importance of the work done by rationalists. Partly because of their efforts, people who exploit superstition are losing ground. This is their last stand: resorting to threat, torture and murder to turn the tide. After Dabholkar’s assassination, we have to ensure that his death does not become a victory for the enemies of reason.

That is what we owe him, and that is what we owe India. Rationalism and scientific temper are crucial for the future of our country. There is no going back if we want to see our people coming out of the stranglehold of ignorance, backwardness, exploitation and suffering.

Dabholkar’s assassination can become a wake-up call. His cheerful determination can inspire many more Indians to take up his mantle and go forward. We deeply wish they do. We wish, for example, that his idea of the anti-superstition Bill gets wings. Of course, what may be tabled in the Maharashtra legislature in the coming months could be a diluted and rather useless version of the one drafted by Dabholkar and his colleagues.

After Dabholkar’s killing and the national furore this has generated, we urgently need a pan-India anti-superstition Bill, to be enacted by Parliament. Parliament should have a free and fair discussion on rationalism and scientific temper. It is not an extra-Parliamentary demand, but Parliament and Parliamentarians should be true the duty enshrined in the Constitution.

If Parliamentarians would respect this duty, they could create, in full commitment to the welfare of the people, a powerful legal instrument to stop exploitation of people by those in the garb of holy men and women. That is the politically charged idea for which Dabholkar laid down his life.