Justice - Fast Food Way...?

“A mob of villagers from Daridag and Kodi localities in Ramgarh district attacked a gang suspected to be involved in a number of thefts and lynched three of them on Thursday.”
“10 people, suspected to be thieves, were lynched by a mob in Vaishali”
“Ranchi witnessed a gruesome incident of mob violence in Tupudana in which three people were done to death.”
The above mentioned lines have become a news, which does not sound like news anymore. The news which has traveled from the front page to the fifth and disappeared, from the breaking news to just another incident. What I would like to bring up to your active think machine is the fact that can you see some pattern? Is it just an unruly, anti-social mob which is craving for some publicity? Or is it a herald to a pattern in the Indian society? A little thing, very famous in past century in America, called Civil War.
Over the past few months we have seen several deaths of accused-turned-culprits who have not seen the inside of a court room but have received a verdict. Such incidents have not remained limited to the infamous states of U.P. and Bihar alone, but have spread across the entire nation. Cry as much as they may, the human rights activists dare not enter those territories. They seem to have guts only enough to file suits in the courts to save a rapist or a murderer, but no cases against a mob. Why?
I am willing to believe that due to the indefinite delay in the rendering of justice has probably driven the citizens to the edge where they are willing to even face the wrath of a police activity which involves no more than filing the case against suspected. And by the time the suspected are brought to justice, their souls would have long departed.
A man, so far unidentified, was lynched by an angry crowd in the central Mozambican city of Chimoio on Monday, as local people continued to take the law into their own hands and meted out summary justice to alleged thieves.
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200802260757.html
It may sound rhyming to Indian situations, but only if you were to know that Mozambique is going through a phase which is far different from the well framed, socialist government, it should sound a little weird to you.
“Irate villagers in Narauni village of Kakori on the outskirts of the state capital took law into their own hands and lynched a man for allegedly stealing a submersible pump from a farmer's house. The incident took place on Sunday.”
Source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2008/February/subcontinent_February836.xml&section=subcontinent&col=
This is an excerpt from web edition of Khaleej Times, UAE based news paper.
The intention of preparing the above background is only to stress upon the fact that it is not just the patience level of the Indians that is tumbling down, but also a failure of government machinery. The verdicts given by the mass or public has either not been proven yet or have been proven wrong. So even if the public thinks that they have the right to render justice, we stand at the same question once again – how justified is the justice?
The courts have always been submerged under the cases and have not been able to give hope to a mass chunk of public. The faith of millions is no longer on the judicial system which gets bought and sold inside and outside courtrooms and police stations. So far the Indians had got inured to this treatment meted out to them. But this new ugly face of the public should ring the bells in the judicial arena as well as the executive machinery. The stick has somehow reached into the hands of the uneducated and the illiterate. The literate are too busy to care. Are we?
It is time everybody understands that “Justice delayed… would not longer be justice denied” even if it is unjust.

“North-Indians and dogs not allowed”
Does that sound familiar? Alright now listen to this – “North Indians and dogs not allowed”. No that is not yet up on any of the stores or pubs in Mumbai but with the way things are moving in Mumbai right now, that day may not be too far off. “Freedom of speech”. When a Praveen Togadia speaks against muslims, when a Abdulla Bukhari speaks against non-muslims, it is termed as raising mutiny or “hurting” sentiments. But for Mr. Raj Thakerey, it is Right of Expression. News channels and research agencies have even gone on to prove that 54% mumbaikars support Raj Thakerey’s stand. North Indians are eating into the jobs of Marathis. When I heard that for the first time, I had a similar feeling when the Americans started crying foul when the software engineers from India had started eating into their jobs. It was a time when the Indians wanted to stand up to the fact that the number of visas to America should be increased. It was a totally different country.
What we are facing now is something which might see the marginalization of people all across the country where favoritism, regional discrimination might touch a new high. It might see India entering an era where every citizen of India would start feeling insecure as soon as he steps out of his own state. And who knows? May be in the time to come, this discrimination on the basis of state might reach a micro level reaching upto the districts and cities may be colonies.
As an Indian, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee renders a speech in hindi in a UN Convention, when Bangalore and Hyderabad are talked about, around the globe for being the pool of software engineers, when Sania Mirza and Sachin Tendulkar show on field miracles, I feel proud to be an Indian. We have never asked a Mumbaikar or a marathi coming to the North Indian states where is he coming from. He is praised as much as any other North Indian if he does a good job. India is as much our country and we all must have equal rights to practice a profession in any part of the country that we want. We all need to stand up for it. If we don’t, be prepared for something like this:
You drive into Cannaught Place inner circle and they ask for your area of residence. If you belong to anywhere in Chanakyapuri, you may park your car in the authorized parking or else you need to find another place.
If you are a non-delhiite:
· Deposit all metallic substances (knives, steplars, pins, metallic pens, nail cutter, etc.) at the toll plaza
· Mobile should be switched off during your stay in Delhi
· Get your identity card checked at the check post
· Don’t drive your vehicle beyond 20kmph
· Always allow a vehicle with Delhi number plate to overtake you
· Carry a copy of your family tree to prove your city of origin approved by the mayor of your city
· Use the compartment in the Metro train which is specifically meant for Non-Delhiites
· Non-Delhiites should not use the underpass
· Not using underpass will attract a challan for Non-Delhiite pedestrians
· Non-Delhiites would be allowed to occupy an apartment only above the 7th floor in a complex

The argument continues...