Mob fury

This is something i have been meaning to write about for quite some time now but it got buried under the mundane worries of life. i read this article in e-pao today- http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=2..140307.mar07 and it goaded me to pen this.

The last time i was home, i was flabbergasted when i watched the clipping on ISTV of meira paibis tearing down somebody’s house because he had committed a crime (what crime i don’t remember). It was arson, plain and simple. And the policemen stood around watching with nary a pretense of fending them off. i was dumbstruck. Why do we have the legal system? OK, it may be flawed but that does not justify taking the law in your hands, does it? It was painful to watch those women destroying things. Who are they to decide what punishment to mete out, even to people who have wronged?

This article left a bitter taste in the mouth.

Read this:
“Apart from substantially damaging the house, all the household properties of the family were taken to the ground of Irom Pukhri Mapal Social Club and set on fire.Even as the mob was dismantling the house, the grand father of Bungthoi came out and told the crowd that they can give whatever punishment they want to his grand son, but added that since the house was built by him (grandfather), those involved in the demolition should compensate.

Not surprisingly, this only added to the ire of the mob and the grandfather was physically assaulted and his house was also attacked.”

What is “not surprising” about it? i mean, is everyone condoning this? The man was right. Why would you punish the whole family for a crime committed by a single person? i know his crime was particularly heinous. But how could any civilized society behave in this way? For a crime committed by a single member, the whole family’s existence has been destroyed. Why?

It was also reported that the man has been executed by the “naharols”. Isn’t this punishment enough for the family? And no, i am not condoning this execution.

We seem to be a people going backwards in time. Sometimes, there is this overwhelming sense of sadness, as if you are watching something you love waste away. And this feeling of impotency. And angst. Impotent rage. So much have been said and written about the power of the individual. But i wonder what anyone could do about this? If i scream and rave, would i even get this into their heads?

If these self proclaimed “well-wishers” of the society are so concerned, why don’t they do something about the despicable way of things – the stinking rampant corruption, the load shedding, the quality of education… Why don’t they protest about these things? i know of one locality that has gone without power for 4 bloody months because a transformer got fused. Where were the meira-paibis then? If only people were interested in doing something constructive. If only..

Am i the only one who feels this way?