Varanasi Blast: Another Cowardice Act
“You break my mosque, I will blast your temple, and in this way we will be the saviors of our respective religions. Let the innocent lives die, our religion should live anyhow.”
This mentality drives some incurable minds to carry out terrorist attacks and the latest instance is-Varanasi blast. Terror revisited Varanasi on Tuesday, December 7, when a powerful blast shattered crowded Shitala Ghat leaving 2 people killed and more than 30 injured. The attack, took place at 6:35pm at Shitala Ghat, next to Old Dasaswamedh Ghat just as the Maha Ganga aarti begun. The city was already under red alert because of the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary a day earlier. But even the ‘red alert’ could not save the innocent people who were present there to offer their prayers to Ganga maiiyaa.
The Indian Mujahedeen has claimed responsibility for the wicked act in an email sent to some media outlets. The mail was sent from Malad in Mumbai. The mail has attacked Allahabad high court verdict on Ram Mandir- Babri Masjid dispute as well. The Police also recovered 2 unexploded improvised explosive devices suggesting a serial blast. They chose Tuesday as it is considered to be the most auspicious day for all major temples in Varanasi and attracts lots of devotees. The twin blasts in the year 2006 at Sankatmochan Mandir were also carried out on a Tuesday.
Among the dead is a 2year old Swastika Sharma. Swastika’s mother took her to the Shitala Mata Mandir on her second birthday to pray for her long life but it proved to be the last day of her life. Do these terrorists have the courage to face that inconsolable mother who has lost her baby on her birthday? And if they could, they are certainly not human. Another deceased person was an Italian tourist. Again a dark Tuesday for the humanity that engulfed a few lives for no valid reason. Again hatred overflowed and tried to destroy the holiness of a holy place.
The whole country is put under high alert. This attack was an alarm for the government and security agencies which forces them to wake up now. It is a question mark on the exact meaning of ‘high alert’ itself for the concerned authorities. Does the government want to convey its inability to take care of the common people by calling ‘high alert’? Why there is no set accountability from anyone? Shall we keep on facing attacks in future and start accepting it as our fate? Hadn’t people had it enough and the government should stop checking out the patience of the common people? Why there is no value of life in this country? This is the time for the government to realize that it is unacceptable and people are not going to live with it any further.
Religion, being a very sensitive issue, is a strong institution as well for inculcating faith among the people. But unfortunately, religion is been on and off used, misinterpreted and disgraced by some cowards to divide people. As Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes- “Religion is to do right. It is to love, it is to serve, it is to think, and it is to be humble.” Most importantly, religion is to be human .No religion justifies the killing of innocent and no religion is above humanity. This cowardice act is just an example that how religious extremism tries to hamper the growth and brotherhood within a country. But it will fail as it had always. Despite of IM taking the responsibility of Varanasi attack killing a small girl, people are showing their solidarity that deserves appreciation. This is also a message for those brain-washed inhuman people that love is stronger than hatred. So, it would be better if they put down their cruel swords and see that India is much bigger than their baseless and self-centered ideologies.
-Anubha Shukla
