Hatemongers get a free rein despite existence of laws

An incident at a family gathering in Varanasi bore testimony to this. Three youngsters were at the gathering. The trio struck up a conversation on the Israel-Hamas conflict, while they were relaxing after taking part in some religious rituals. The youngest of the three had initiated the discussion. What was surprising, though, was their legitimization of Israel’s retaliatory actions. The youngest held the belief that Palestinians were facing the consequences of their actions and advocated the continuation of Israel’s action as a means to be taught a lasting lesson.

The eldest of the trio also acknowledged Israel’s right to self-defence, but cast doubts on the spilling of innocent civilian blood. Drawing upon the wealth of experiences he had gained from traversing Europe and managing his multinational company, he highlighted the need for a broader perspective. He advocated a visit to Auschwitz in Poland to understand the atrocities and racial violence meted out to the jews by Hitler’s regime. Despite enduring such horrors, the Jewish community, he said, chose a path of advancement rather than harbouring animosity and not only established a nation for themselves, but also contributed to technological progress and social advancement, globally.

He also questioned the timing of Hamas’ attack on Israel as the latter was on the verge of forging a peace agreement with its age-old adversary, Saudi Arabia—a move that didn’t sit well with some nations. Furthermore, he cited some videos that suggested the involvement of terrorists from some African countries in the attack. According to him, the attack may have been orchestrated to sabotage the budding of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The third young man, who is preparing for competitive exams after completing a degree in engineering, and had been silent till then, now decided to make his point. Citing instances where similar attacks had followed efforts by India and Pakistan for peace, he emphasized the existence of entities that were working against global harmony. The youngest of the trio, who initiated the conversation, however, persisted in steering the conversation away from geopolitical intricacies.

He said “those" entities and “their" leaders bear the blame for every problem, worldwide. There, however, was an issue with his logic. It appeared to serve a particular agenda or purpose, fuelling a growing desire to outmanoeuvre opponents at every turn. Consequently, this escalation in competitive tendencies led the “youngest" one to gradually resort to sophistry in arguments. What initially began as a discussion concerning Israel and Palestine became ensnared in an “us" versus “them" dichotomy. Amid this standoff, the other two participants questioned his approach, asking why he was distorting historical facts. They inquired about the source of his information. His innocent response was revealing—he had gathered this knowledge through television debates and WhatsApp messages. He expressed a sense of helplessness that if these sources were wrong, what could he do about it.

Amid chuckles from the others, I felt concerned seeing how educated youth can be misled, even within my own family. Such debates have proliferated in our environment. From airports to train compartments, to crowded buses, educational institutions, and even at the dinner table, topics once deemed off-limits are now commonplace.

The legislation designed for this specific purpose has proven to be ineffective. Despite the registration of thousands of hate speech cases in India over the last five years, the outcomes in terms of convictions remain uncertain. Additionally, the adequacy of the punishment for such offences raises concerns.

Hatred propagation is legally categorized as a crime under Sections 153A, 153B, and 295A of the Indian Penal Code. It carries a maximum penalty of three to five years’ imprisonment, coupled with a fine. Undoubtedly, this penalty appears inadequate.

Similarly, in numerous other nations, legal frameworks have struggled to effectively tackle the proliferation of hatred, leading to the widespread utilization of social media platforms to instigate riots and violence. Will we witness any relief from this lethal scourge in the forthcoming year?

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.