Scenario 1: A gangster and extortionist is killed in a fake encounter in the great state of Gujarat. Human rights organizations and other such bleeding hearts go on a rampage likening the Chief Minister to Hitler.
Scenario 2: The great state of Maharashtra, famous for its encounter specialists (one of whom died in the recent Mumbai attacks) does not have any of its Chief Ministers in the last 10 years called a Hitler.
Scenario 3: The great state of Andhra Pradesh refuses an enquiry into the murder in police custody of the three accused in the acid attacks case. Something tells me YSR isn't going to be painted in Hitlerian garb either.
Now while the rule of law needs to be maintained and fake encounters are entirely condemnable, it is an open question as to why the human rights of Sohrabuddin trump the human rights of the victims of MH's encounter specialists or the acid attack perpetrators.
4 comments:
Reminds of what Mugabe said. "So now that there is no cholera, there is no cause for war anymore". I mean it's not like the western world would want a war just because there's cholera broken out in Zimbabwe. I mean there are a lot more candidates they could wage a war on with the same yardstick. The epidemic of cholera only worsened the humanitarian crisis.
Now coming back to your post, Modi has a lot of terrible baggage he brought along with him. A fake encounter only worsened it to probably make people call him a Hitler. That solely didn't, just like nobody would go to a war solely because of Cholera.
As far as an outcry of human rights activists is concerned against these alleged acid attackers,I think you were quick to react. I am just done watching a program on NDTV 24x7 where the sane voices asked for an inquiry and condemned the trial by people or police. And unequivocally termed supporting such actions as barbaric. Yet at the same time asked for very strict action against the people who were proven guilty.
Amith,
Yes, Modi has terrible baggage with him, but so did Rajiv Gandhi with his theories about big trees and earthquakes. And it's not so much about Hitler as it is about the hypocrisy and hyperbole surrounding this man which makes the human rights experts blind to every violation in India except his. Where is the campaign against Buddhadev Bhattacharya's open endorsement and support to his party's goons in Nandigram?
But coming to the human rights brigade, I have not seen it, but one NDTV program does not a human rights campaign make. The statements made there will be forgotten within a week because there is no follow-up.
These are the same people who raised hell about a man who was convicted and sentenced to death by the Supreme Court. So where is the comparable outrage when the AP govt flatly refuses to even carry out an investigation on the murder of people whose guilt is not yet proven to the satisfaction of any court in the country?
These are the same people who raised hell about a man who was convicted and sentenced to death by the Supreme Court.
Let's put that in the context. The supreme court said that there is no evidence to prove he is involved with a terrorist organization but to satisfy the collective conscience of the society, we sentence him to death.
So in this case, it is not that it was a no-brainer like that of Kasab's. Those people who protested had a bit of a point in challenging the court.
And it's not so much about Hitler as it is about the hypocrisy and hyperbole surrounding this man which makes the human rights experts blind to every violation in India except his.
Was reading an article on cognitive bias by AJ Jacobs who was describing as to how flawed our brain is loaded with ton of biases. Really worth a read. Of course people have an omission bias. The same people who feel motivated to fight for something needn't have the same motivation to fight something else. But I should say, they are and you are. Everyone is a victim of biases. Look at the following.
But coming to the human rights brigade, I have not seen it., but one NDTV program does ....
and
Where is the campaign against Buddhadev Bhattacharya's open endorsement and support to his party's goons in Nandigram?
Look at this.
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/may/10sld1.htm
They call it, confirmation bias.
As far as why Modi has been specifically targeted and not Buddha-babu, you are comparing apples to oranges. Modi has himself to blame for that. He dwarfs his party and fellow men.He is a very charismatic and conspicuous politician just like Hitler.
Oh, there we go! :) :P. That was an effortless conclusion. Hehe
I have no issues with people choosing to defend one person while not defending another. However it begs the question why. In other words the question is, what is the cognitive bias behind this almost exclusive focus on Modi and why is it collectively shared by most of the human rights community?
The point about charisma doesn't really hold - why should human rights activists bother about charisma while deciding their course of action? The main motivation behind their crusade, as they tell us, is ensuring that people get their rights. This has nothing to do with whether Buddha is charismatic or not - as an elected representative he had no business justifying and endorsing the riots, just as Modi had no business to do so either.
And there is no major outrage at the AP govt's flat refusal to have an inquiry into the deaths of the 3 accused - which is actually far worse than a man who has been tried and convicted by the legal system. There is no campaign in any way comparable to the enormous FUD created in favor of that man.
Which only leads me to wonder whether there is a political motivation behind the almost exclusive bias when it comes to the right wing.
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