Sankalp Mishra
Stan Swamy was arrested by NIA due to his involvement in the Bhima Koregaon case.
There cannot be a greater political abuse of a section of society, as is the case of Dalit exploitation for political gains by Naxals in India. It is a case study unto itself. What is most amazing is the sheer shamelessness of the Naxal cabal which even after decades of exploitation pitches itself as a savior of Dalits in India. If ‘ wolf in sheep’s clothing’ had an apt example, this was it. I am not drawing this conclusion from one or two instances but from a plethora of examples over time that show the sheer apathy of Naxals towards Dalits. Naxals have repeatedly used Dalits as political pawns who can be sacrificed for political gains. Narratives are spread frequently to gain Dalit sympathy for one issue or the other and, then the innocent Dalits are left high and dry to be misused for another political agenda. This is as abysmal as it gets. An example of it can also be seen in the death of Father Stan Swamy. The man who was convicted in the Elgar-Parishad case is hailed as a savior and messiah of tribals and Dalits. The same man is accused of using Dalit sentiments to further his agenda and arrested for an alleged plot to spread unrest in the country.
If we go into the history of the Elgar Parishad case, we visualize the blatant abuse of Dalits for political gains. Elgar Parishad organized an event to mark the 200th anniversary of the victory of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon. Fiery speeches were given in the event which ultimately led to
the Bhima Koregaon caste violence in January 2018. According to the police charge sheet, the event was part of the larger plot to create unrest in society. The main agenda was to stir the Dalits through fiery speeches which could ultimately lead to chaos in the society. The charge sheet further stated that the Elgar Parishad event was organized through the financial assistance of banned outfit CPI(Maoists). It stated that it is the policy of the CPI (Maoists) to mobilize Dalit community sentiments and mislead them to take a violent path against the system. This is as egregious as it gets. This was one classic case of misusing the sentiment of the Dalits to further the political agenda. Now, Stan Swamy, who was arrested in the same case, is today hailed as the savior of Dalits by the Naxal cabal in the media outfits. Such changes in color can put a chameleon to shame. But, that is the reality of Naxals in India. They occupy several important positions in media and academia to spin narratives and put innocent lives at stake.
Moving beyond the Elgar Parishad case, if we just analyze some of the major events involving the killing of security personnel by the Naxals, we will realize the sheer apathy of Naxals to anyone’s cause but themselves. In 2021, 22 CRPF Jawans were killed and 31 were injured in Naxal attack in Sukma, in 2017, 25 CRPF were killed in another brutal Naxal attack in Sukma, in 2010, 76 CRPF jawans were killed by the Naxals in Dantewada. These are some of the most prominent instances of brutal killings of security personnel by the Naxals in the last decade or so. There were more than 120 security personnel killed only in these three major attacks alone. There were several other attacks claiming countless lives. If we go onto the caste there were at least 4 Dalit security personnel killed in the 2010 attacks and at least 3 Dalit security personnel killed in the attack of 2017. Though I have the highest of regard for every martyr it is important to lay down some facts to clearly highlight the Naxal double standard when it comes to talking about Dalit lives. The sole motive of the Naxal cabal is to poison the minds of innocent Dalits to create a divide in the society in order to fulfill their separatist agenda.
After the death of Stan Swami, many Naxal stooges in the media have spoken extensively on the death of Stan Swami using several English jargles to accentuate his plight in the prison and his subsequent demise. Some even exaggerated to call it a ‘Judicial Killing’. The same cabal picks and chooses specific instances to malign the Judiciary without being objective in its approach. Their inherent bias is blatantly visible. This selective criticism is inflicted on the judges only to pressurise them for favorable judgments. Owing to this pressure, Justice Gogoi once famously said “Lobby is holding Judiciary to ransom”. However, while referring to Stan Swami’s death as judicial killing, Naxal stooges malign the very Constitution from which the judiciary derives power. The same constitution was framed by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, a Dalit, whose life story is a motivation for all. The Naxals while maligning the judiciary malign both the constitution and the Dalit man Dr. B R Ambedkar, who is referred to as the father of the Constitution. Even after showing no regard to the constitution or even Dr. B R Ambedkar, we will see many Naxals hailing Dr. Ambedkar and the Constitution just to pretend to be upholders to constitutional rights and values. This is to further their agenda of dividing the society under the pretext of safeguarding Dalit rights. This is a perfect wolf in sheep’s clothing example.
Being ‘anti-establishment’ is currently the most overused as well as the most abused word in India. For making false safeguard against inherent bias and ideology-driven propaganda, many Naxal stooges refer to themselves as ‘anti-establishment’. The same stance is also being taken while criticizing the judiciary for the death of Stan Swamy. Stan Swamy sympathizers often refer to his old age and failing health as a ground for bail. However, if we read the judgment of the NIA court, we can clearly observe that the charges against him were prima facie held to be true.
The court observed that the evidence prima facie suggested that Stan Swamy was not only the member of the banned CPI(Maoist) outfit but he along with others hatched a serious conspiracy to create unrest in the entire country and to overpower the Government, politically and by using muscle power. These are serious charges on which the court denied bail to Stan Swamy stating that the collective interest of the community would outweigh the right of personal liberty of the applicant. The court found that prima facie Stan Swamy was involved in activities, the objective of which was to overthrow democracy. But such charges and community interest is of no consequential value to Naxal stooges. What matters is the ideology, the propaganda for it, and the activities that supplement it. Probably for Naxal stooges the term ‘anti-establishment’ means anything against the established ideals of democracy. After all, communism and democracy cannot co-exist.
The widespread propaganda thus spread after the death of Stan Swamy is another attempt by the Naxal stooges to malign an established institution of the country. The hailers of Stan Swamy as a champion of Dalit and tribal activist refuse to accept the fact that he was prima facie a member of CPI(Maoist) which is responsible for the deaths of 100s of Jawans including Dalits and tribals. The hailers of Stan Swamy also forget that he conspired against the very ideals of democracy that they pretend to hold dear. The whole propaganda is to portray the established institution being against tribal and Dalit rights activists. The propaganda is to establish the current regime as authoritarian and anti-Dalit, even though the case against Stan Swamy is clearly laid down by the Court. The whole narrative is to divide the society again on caste lines. However, it's time that stooges realize that in this age of the internet, the veil of sheep is easily penetrable to see the wolf beneath.
(The author is an engineer, lawyer, entrepreneur, and IIT-Kharagpur alumnus)
