And thus we riot

In the beginning there was independence brought about by a largely non-violent struggle. Sometime between then and now the non-violence got lost in our protests. Almost all of our social/political protests nowadays take violent turns. The recent Gujjar protests in Rajasthan are a prime example. The question to ask is who is responsible for this state of affairs, people or the rulers of our country i.e. the political class who take turns at the job.

It seems like a chicken and egg problem. Either can be blamed.

One can say that the protesters are not prepared to engage in non-violent civil disobedience and the state is compelled to respond to the violent protests given the loss of life and property that might result if they don't. Seeing the Gujjar protests one feels this.

One can also say that the state never listens to non-violent civil disobedience and hence people are compelled to protest violently since that is the only way they will be heard. One just has to look at the apathy and tyranny of our state in case of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (that for the last several years has engaged in non-violent protests and has been meted out injustice and apathy even by the Supreme Court) and there is a strong case for blaming the state.

Maybe its best to see India as a violent India and a non-violent India rather than just people and state in the context of this issue. We as a society seem to have lost the ethos for non-violent civil disobedience, and having lost it, we find that most of the political class and a lot of our protesters are firmly in the violent camp. Its a shame that the two biggest parties in our country have a history of violence, anti-Sikh riots being the Congress party's achievement and Gujarat the feather in the BJP's cap. Given this then the state is to blame, right? But then it is also said that people get the government they choose and deserve and so the people are to blame. And thus we go round and round in the blame-circle of life. And thus we riot, kill and destroy.

We need one of them to step in and have the patience to break this cycle.