Let Kerala follow Karnataka's example
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Hate preachers are running rampant across the country, fueling communal hatred in a way that could flare up at any moment. Those who have humiliated, insulted and called for killing people in the name of caste and religion in public platforms are repeating the same in the legislatures. Foot soldiers, immersed in hatred that spreads in the form of video messages, songs and speeches, are taking to the streets and creating riots and communal unrest. Mob killings are spreading like an epidemic across the country. The Supreme Court has repeatedly warned that hate speech can destroy the unity and brotherhood of the country. A bench of Justice K M Joseph and Justice B V Nagaratna had ordered on April 28, 2023, that cases should be registered suo motu against hate speeches without waiting for a complaint and irrespective of the religion of the speaker. Many governments in the country do not follow rulings and verdicts that are unfavourable to them even if they come from the Supreme Court, and therefore hate speech does not stop. And it is the country and the common people here that suffer the consequences.
In this context, one can’t help but call the step taken by the Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka brave. For the first time in the country, a state has passed a bill against hate speech. The definition of hate speech includes communication through words, signs or visual forms with the intention of creating hatred and enmity against communities, classes or individuals. The bill provides for imprisonment of up to seven years and fine of up to Rs. 1 lakh for those who violate the law. State Home Minister G. Parameshwara explained that the new law is being implemented in line with the Supreme Court's directive. Any step against hatred, if sincere, should be lauded. However, the party ruling the country and the opposition party in Karnataka, the BJP, are not so happy about it. They say that this law is being brought to target the opposition and the media. Opposition leader R. Ashok even tore up the bill in the House. It looks as though communal groups have thought that hate speech is a birthright. During the BJP-Janata Dal government in Karnataka, there was a grand fest of hate speech. In addition, several communal riots and a series of murders took place in different parts of the state. The change of government in the state was the result of campaigns initiated by secular popular groups against the spread of hatred. This is undoubtedly what the people wanted from the government, which has earned the trust and support of minority communities and the secular society with its campaign slogan, ‘Opening the shop of love in the market of hate’.
The Sangh Parivar WhatsApp groups have been conducting a planned hate campaign against Kerala, a state that was the first to implement many progressive policies in the country, and targeting the minority groups there, for some time now. As a continuation of this, the crimes that fall under the definition of hate speech are increasing day by day in Kerala. The indifference and silence adopted by the government and the police against the hate speeches and posts of communal fascists is their biggest encouragement. Although it is impossible for them to seize power in Kerala, the communal fascist forces are vigorous in their campaign and in their effort to inflame communal hatred, which makes it is necessary to put an end to this with strict laws. To prevent this, ‘Madhyamam’ calls on Kerala's state legislators from both fronts in the state to follow the example of the Karnataka assembly and take the lead in enacting anti-hate speech legislation. It is necessary to prevent incidents like the racist mob lynching that took place in Walayar in Palakkad district the other day from being repeated and to not let the dignity of the people being questioned. Do not forget that Kerala is not free from the fascist threat until hatred, and its spread are kept away.
