Bengaluru: It’s tragic and appalling that the riots in the national capital have consumed 38 lives and injured more than a hundred people. 

A riot should never take place, endangering the lives of innocent people. 

But what is all the more shocking than the riots per se is the attitude to attribute religion to the riots. 

For quite some time now, the riots have been reduced to Hindus versus Muslims. 

This should certainly not be the way it works. 

On Thursday (Feb 28) when there was a huge media campaign that exposed the alleged involvement of AAP leader Tahir Hussain, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal suspended him. 

An FIR too has been lodged against the leader. 

But what worries any sane-thinking individual is the way Javed Akhtar, a great intellectual reacted to it. 
In his tweet, he said, “So many killed, so many injured, so many house burned, so many shops looted so many people turned destitutes but police has sealed only one house and looking for his owner.

Incidentally his name is Tahir. Hats off to the consistency of the Delhi police.” 

 

This is pure fearmongering. Terror has nothing to do with any religion and the perpetrators of crime should be looked at purely as those who are committing an offence. To attribute a crime to a religion in order to score some brownie points is cheap. And that too, when it comes from a personality known for his intellect, it is disheartening. 

Instead, Javed Akhtar could have urged the Delhi police to arrest anyone, irrespective of his religion, involved in creating fissures and trouble in the society. 

Let’s get it clear. This is the time to heal wounds and provide succour, solace and shelter. 

And it is the bounden duty of stalwarts like Javed Akhtar to stitch and mend the situations, rather than create more chasms and schisms. 

India must stand as one!