What the hell happened to democracy?
Our so-called government and authorities have forced me to ask this question by their silly acts in the last few months or so.
Firstly, in June 2011 when they acted in a Taliban-like manner and used force to end Baba Ramdev’s agitation against India’s black money stashed abroad. Although I don’t fully support Ramdev and his methods, I wonder how justifiable it is to mercilessly beat-up non-violent protestors including women and children!!! Taliban is the apt term for them!
Later on, in August 2011 when the government, in a state of panic, created a huge blunder of arresting Anna Hazare and denying him the right to peaceful protest. Then, telecom minister Kapil Sibal created a hue and cry to monitor content on social networking sites but the move didn’t gain much fuel.
But recently, there has been put forth a big question mark over India’s democracy after the Centre gave its approval to prosecute websites like Facebook, Google and others if they fail to remove offensive content.
A day before this, a High Court judge Suresh Kait threatened to go the China way and ban websites like Facebook and Google! Well, what bigger proof of India going the undemocratic do you require? From what I have heard, this was the same judge who granted bail to Amar Singh and Sukhram in corruption scandals!!! Any mature grown up will agree that banning such websites is the most cruel as well as foolhardy step!
As filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said on Twitter, “YouTube, Facebook, Google and Twitter are platforms, not publishers. Can you sue a bookshop for carrying Satanic Verses if not banned? Can you sue the Loudspeaker Company for the lies that politicians tell the electorate? Internet is free source and each of you with a blog is a potential publisher, can government sue a million blogs? Each email forwarded 1000 times is potential 'objectionable material'. Can courts shut down e-mail?”
Another example: - Terrorists have used mobile phones to plan our death. Why haven’t you banned mobile phones yet?
I feel the only way to save India from this barbarism is to protest! Protest in every possible way to show the government that we the people won’t take it lying down else, the day isn’t far when people would say that India ‘was’ a democratic country!
