In a college WhatsApp group, a person expressed his opinion that messages being posted in the group are increasingly about "hate crimes", indicating his discontent with that news trend.
Immediately, because the person happened to belong to 'the' minority community, a couple of members posted messages saying that people’s feelings should not be hurt. A few expressed the desire to restrict messages in the group to harmless jokes.

You may have noticed such instances in various social media groups- a self-adopted censoring of messages by people, so as not to hurt anybody's feelings. Even in social media groups that do not have any members from the minority community, some people feel uncomfortable with discussions that go contrary to the mainstream media narrative 'of political correctness', and raise concern.

Recently, a foreigner, an Israeli filmmaker, who was invited as jury head of a film festival, called the film "The Kashmir Files" vulgar and propaganda. Many Indians too hold that view, because the news of crimes committed has been suppressed, and acknowledging the crimes publicly is considered politically incorrect! But despite the media suppressing it, and political correctness refusing to acknowledge it, such crimes continue unabated.

For example, Kashmiris driven out of their homes in the valley three decades ago, continue to remain driven out. In fact, the driving-out process still continues, as newspaper reports indicate.

There is a reason for this pretentious amnesia in social circles about terrorist acts. It is caused by a certain tendency, in media, academia and political circles, to attribute crimes to the community- classification based on birth/ religion/ occupation. However, this tendency of community characterization, in the past, once gave rise to race theories, racism, slavery and genocides of natives across the world through colonialism.

It gave rise to religious groupings and decimation of the 'others'- the non-believers, classified as 'kafir/heathen' (crusades, jihads and conversion) or even those who are not 'sufficiently believers' (inquisition and internecine strife), which continue to happen even today. It gave rise to a class grouping that killed off millions labelled as a class enemy (in Siberia, Cambodia, Poland, West Bengal, Kerala, and across the world).

Despite such terrible history, this tendency of community-characterization of peoples still continues in today’s discourse, partly aided by a colonialist-vestige education system- that classifies animal and plant kingdoms based on common characteristics, and then teaches that humans are 'evolved animals' otherwise merely a group of cells; and another colonialist-vestige administration system- which classifies people based on caste and religion for dispensing favours, pretending to correct past anomaly (of thousand years where the so-called "oppressive castes" were decimated by invaders, century after century, generation after generation, humiliated, entire communities forcibly converted, entire Nation starved through engineered famines). The progeny of people who were at receiving end of a thousand attacks spread over 1000 years are today blamed for "caste-oppression", blamed for every ill of society and community-characterized.

There is a problem with this approach. One, it lets off a criminal from accountability, by transferring it to a community. Second, transferring it to a community, who are obviously not all party to it, makes any solution difficult. In this process, the criminal gets away. Crimes continue to happen. Thus, the generated discourse of blame attribution on the community, in effect, is a calculated move to shield crimes. There is a need to de-clutch crime from the community.

There is absolutely no reason for anyone to feel even remotely culpable by association for a crime committed by some terrorists in Kashmir or for criminal abusing children in the parish.
The recent statement by Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, to not view terrorist acts through the lens of religion is a welcome step, though it has found much opposition from various quarters, including prominent Kashmiri Hindus.

It is widely acknowledged that a primary reason for the Kashmir situation as well as many other border disputes of India, is due to the inept handling by Jawaharlal Nehru, who is said to be a Kashmiri Hindu by lineage. Based on Nehru's ineptitude, would it be right to characterise the Kashmiri community?

The terrorist who claims to act on behalf of his God needs to be seen as a person using that excuse to commit a crime. Accepting the terrorist's claim is exactly what he wants society to do. That would, then validate the criminal's acts, gives him an excuse to commit more such acts, and feel ennobled.

The community-characterization tendency subtly propagated in society through media, academia, and administration (all drawing sustenance from the colonial past), makes certain people blame a community for crimes of criminals and makes most people of that community feel guilty by association, thereby try to suppress that news. In the process, the criminal and his crimes go unaddressed largely. Moreover, the criminal gets a sheen of prominence in certain circles.

This has serious ramifications. For example, child abuse in Rotherham, UK continued for decades, because it was deliberately suppressed under misapprehension that the community of the criminals may be offended. The reluctance of law enforcement agencies to prosecute criminals resulted in thousands of young girls suffering for decades.

Individuals commit crime. Mobs commit crimes situationally. But a community comprises of various people, many of whom do not partake in crimes. Therefore, community characterization, as done in media generally, jeopardizes resolution.

In this context, it is relevant to note the classification of people in an Indic culture based on guna and karma- the varna system, as stated by Sri Krishna in Srimad Bhagavad Gita- based on inherent character/talent/tendency (guna) and activity of person (karma), whereby people were classified into four streams- (a) spiritual, (b) administrative, (c) materially creative and (d) all their helpers. The criminals were removed from these groups and punished in suitable ways. The individual punishment of criminals fostered a largely crime-free society, as attested by visitors to this land prior to the invasion by foreign hordes and the subsequent destabilisation of society. Criminals who repented/completed punishment could join back society.

The present Judiciary and Law and Justice System, have been largely ineffectual in controlling crimes, as lakhs of cases lag, and more cases are added daily. Often the judiciary is seen to be under influence of 'political correctness' and tends to desist from even taking up certain cases- such as crimes committed in Kashmir, and the birth-based Reservation system (under which progeny of powerful politicians and well-placed bureaucrats can legally take benefit), due to fear of community-characterizing- w.r.t. crime in one case, and benefit in the other case. (In fact, top posts of most political parties follow birth-based reservations in an unsaid manner. Even the top post of Judiciary is also lately seen to get some birth-based benefit through a closed collegium system).

As indicated before, the community characterization of crime and benefit, has roots in western narratives- religious ideologies wherein a particular community is deemed criminal (the heathen/pagan/native/tribal) and another is deemed worthy of the benefit of salvation and absolution from sins (the community of believers/chosen by Yahweh/Allah); class ideologies where one class is deemed criminal (the bourgeoisie) and the other the chosen one to rule (the workers); race theories where a certain community was considered more evolved (Caucasians) and others less evolved, to be their slaves (Africans, Indians and others), which was supported using theories of evolution (birth-based mutation theory) and survival-of-the-fittest. It is an irony that the western nation UK is presently headed by a person of Indian origin who is not the chosen one of Yahweh, USA was headed by a person of African origin a few years back, both of them no 'proletariat'! Likewise, many influential CEOs of top MNCs are of Indian origin.

The community-characterisation enabled many criminals in past to escape scrutiny. It was the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" excuse of the past. It enabled many criminals to gain the halo of a hero, some to attain saintly status, some to gain prophetic status, and some to be poster boys across the world (Churchill, Che, Mao, Lenin, Stalin).

The community characterisation, sustained in India through media, academia, and administration narrative, enables criminals to be party leaders and CMs, and their progeny to follow. This western influence is a "colonial mindset" that the Prime Minister mentioned in his Independence Day speech of 2022 for removal.

Community-characterisation, fostered through colonial-era narratives and dogmas, needs to be removed, carefully, consciously, from textbooks, media narratives, movie depictions, administrative favours, social discourse, drawing room discussions and party small talks.

In Bharat, upon being informed by his wife that he alone is responsible and accountable for his crimes, and he alone has to, and can effectively, atone for them, it paved the way for the transformation of a criminal into Maharshi Valmiki.

Shedding of colonial mindset community characterisation, and attribution of crime to individuals has the potential to transform communities.

Image source: TOI