Topic Of The Day:-“Congress And Cow: On M.P. Govt’s Use Of Nsa”
The Madhya Pradesh Government’s Use Of The NSA For Cattle Offences Is Out Of Line
The detention of five people under the National Security Act in Madhya Pradesh last week, all of them alleged to have committed offences related to cattle laws, amounts to gross misuse of a law meant solely to prevent activities that endanger the country’s security or public order. India has unfortunately become habituated to the abuse of preventive detention laws. In recent times, they have been wrongly invoked against political dissenters and vocal critics, with total disregard for constitutional freedoms. The latest instances point to a new form of misuse. This is possibly the first time that a law that provides for a maximum of one year in prison through an executive order without trial or bail is being used against those suspected of offences against cows. Theimplications are terrifying. It means that law-enforcers will stop at nothing to demonstrate ideological adherence to majoritarian beliefs. This poses a grave danger to the freedom of movement and vocation, as well as the dietary choices, of sections of society that do not share the majority community’s reverence for the cow. In the first case in Khandwa district, the police, who recovered a cow carcass, traced three men who had allegedly killed the animal. In the second case, authorities in Agar Malwa district claim there was some disturbance due to two men who were allegedly transporting cows. The ostensible reason to book them under the NSA is that they were likely to cause disruption of peace. This is too flimsy a ground to invoke so stringent a law, especially when there is no evidence of security or order being under grave threat.In its order last year directing a series of measures against mob violence and public lynching, of which those transporting cows were frequent victims, the Supreme Court had warned against the dangers of a socio-political framework based on disrespect for an inclusive social order, and wanted the state to take preventive and remedial measures. In its apparent eagerness to prevent incidents that may lead to a communal backlash, the Madhya Pradesh government is detainingpotential victims to prevent them from indulging in provocative acts! In invoking the NSA in respect of minor offences, solely out of fear of aggressive protests by right-wing Hindu groups, the Congress regime in Madhya Pradesh is displaying utter cravenness. It is not clear why the police is not content with prosecuting them under laws that ban cow slaughter. There is some unease among Congress leaders over these actions of the party’s new government in the State. However, it is not enough for the party to voice mild disapproval of the Kamal Nath regime’s actions: its leadership has to denounce the gross misuse of the law to mollify cow vigilantes and the short-sighted aim of neutralising the BJP’s campaign that the Congress is against Hindu beliefs. The State government must revoke the detention.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) alleged
Meaning : said, without proof, to have taken place or to have a specified illegal or undesirable quality(adj).
Synonyms : stated
Antonyms : certain
Example : “the alleged conspirators”
2) endanger
Meaning : put (someone or something) at risk or in danger(v).
Synonyms : expose
Antonyms : help
Example : “he was driving in a manner likely to endanger life”
3) dissenters
Meaning : a person who dissents(n).
Synonyms : skeptic
Antonyms : approver
Example : “the role of the dissenter is not for the weak-kneed”
4) invoked
Meaning : cite or appeal to (someone or something) as an authority for an action or in support of an argument(v).
Synonyms : conjure
Antonyms : answer
Example : “the antiquated defence of insanity is rarely invoked in England”
5) implications
Meaning : the conclusion that can be drawn from something although it is not explicitly stated(n).
Synonyms : conclusion
Antonyms : proof
Example : “the implication is that no one person at the bank is responsible”
6) adherence
Meaning : attachment or commitment to a person, cause, or belief(n).
Synonyms : attachment
Antonyms : inconstancy
Example : “a strict adherence to etiquette”
7) reverence
Meaning : deep respect for someone or something(n).
Synonyms : adoration
Antonyms : disregard
Example : “rituals showed honour and reverence for the dead”
8) ostensible
Meaning : stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so(adj).
Synonyms : plausible
Antonyms : improbable
Example : “the real dispute which lay behind the ostensible complaint”
9) disruption
Meaning : disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process(n).
Synonyms : interruption
Example : “the scheme was planned to minimize disruption”
10) flimsy
Meaning : insubstantial and easily damaged(adj).
Synonyms : decrepit
Antonyms : strong
Example : “a flimsy barrier”
11) stringent
Meaning : (of regulations, requirements, or conditions) strict, precise, and exacting.
Synonyms : exacting
Antonyms : amenable
Example : “stringent guidelines on air pollution”
12) lynching
Meaning : (of a group of people) kill (someone) for an alleged offence without a legal trial, especially by hanging(v).
Synonyms : execution
Example : “her father had been lynched for a crime he didn’t commit”
13) detaining
Meaning : keep (someone) from proceeding by holding them back or making claims on their attention.
Synonyms : confine
Antonyms : liberate
Example : “she made to open the door, but he detained her”
14) indulging
Meaning : allow oneself to enjoy the pleasure of(v).
Synonyms : entertain
Antonyms : deprive
Example : “we indulged in a cream tea”
15) provocative
Meaning : causing anger or another strong reaction, especially deliberately(adj).
Synonyms : insulting
Antonyms : pleasing
Example : “a provocative article”
16) craven
Meaning : contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly(adj).
Synonyms : cowardly
Antonyms : bold
Example : “a craven abdication of his moral duty”
17) prosecuting
Meaning : institute or conduct legal proceedings against (a person or organization)(v).
Synonyms : arraign
Antonyms : exonerate
Example : “they were prosecuted for obstructing the highway”
18) revoke
Meaning : officially cancel (a decree, decision, or promise)(v).
Synonyms : abrogate
Antonyms : approve
Example : “the men appealed and the sentence was revoked”
