Why it is necessary to remember and reflect on our history of mass violence | The Indian Express

Why it is necessary to remember and reflect on our history of mass violence | The Indian Express

Written by Apoorvanand |Updated: May 15, 2019 7:20:58 am

The writer teaches Hindi at Delhi University.

Why it is necessary to remember and reflect on our history of mass violence

Those baying for the blood of Sam Pitroda must also think about the need to remember and reflect on our history of mass violence and our own thoughtlessness towards it.

Pitroda must take the flak for the crudeness of his remarks, but it should also be a moment for all of us to reflect on the nature of the violence and our complicity (File Photo)

Rahul Gandhi’s firm and unambiguous rebuke to Sam Pitroda for his flippant observation regarding the violence of 1984 is welcome. But to say it was a “tragedy” which caused pain to “people” is to shy away from calling the violence by its name — that it was a violence targeted against the Sikhs. It was definitely a tragedy but only for the Sikh community. Besides, the hatred this violence unleashed was harnessed for the polls by the Congress campaign managers.