History may not repeat itself, but it resonates time and again. A couple of days after Minister of Finance, Anurag Thakur, exhorted the people during a campaign rally to complete a slogan, “Desh ke gaddaro ko, goli maro,” (Shoot those who betray the country). A few days later, a teen from UP open fired at a crowd protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). One student got injured from the bullet fired.
The boy was first seen brandishing the gun, and a few moments later, he shot at a student, yelling, “Take your freedom.” Interestingly, all of this happened under heavy police deployment.
Now, this act is not just another firing incident by some enraged teen. The firing means much more than that. It is reminiscent of the hate which Godse manifested on 30th January 1948, when he shot Gandhi thinking he was against the idea of India and Hindutva. In a sharply similar way, Rambhakt Gopal (Facebook profile name) shot at an anti-CAA protestor thinking he is against India, against Hindutva.
The acts were similar and reminiscent of each other not because a gunshot was fired, but because both of them preceded years of hatred and contempt towards a community. The shooting is a mere symbolic manifestation of that. In fact, as a civilised society, which has been an ardent follower of Gandhian thoughts and philosophy, we should be more worried about the hatred that led to the act, then the act itself.
Back then, years of simmering hatred morphed Nathuram, a Gandhian, into a murderer. Now, the same hatred, disgust and apathy towards a certain community are turning many into haters.