Last week, Shimoga a­nd Hassan, in Ka­rn­a­taka, erupted in co­mmunal frenzy. On the face of it, these in­cidents looked like a reaction to an article by Taslima Nasreen.

Taslima has been the target of fanatical elements in the Muslim community. She has been the victim of fatwas and death threats for her writings.

What happened in Shimoga and Hassan seem to be isolated incidents, a localised reaction to what was considered to be inflammatory writing. Taslima denied having written the article or having any kn­owledge of its translation into Kannada. Taslima had written on this subject previously, the editor of the Karnataka daily de­cided this was a nice time to publish the article and that was enough to light the communal fires. The result Shimoga and Hassan burnt, several people were killed or hu­rt, property worth millions was destroyed and the loss in productivity cannot even be ca­lculated. I have many a ti­mes wondered how all of a su­dden a peaceful community of people, here I don’t refer to a community on religious or ca­s­te basis, suddenly erupts into violence and falls upon each other with a savage fury. Suddenly weapons material­ise, the tools of arson seem to be readily available and the tar­gets also seem to be conveniently identified.

I once witnessed a riot be­ing born, grow and die. It happened in Vadodara. A Municipal Bus moved down a father and daughter on a busy thoroughfare just outside my in-law’s home. The little girl was killed instantly and the bus was abandoned. Suddenly fr­om the bye lanes stones started being hurled on the bus after breaking the glass panes people started attempting to torch it. Suddenly people had kerosene cans and fire bombs handy. Very systematic atte­mpts were made to torch the bus. Policemen were stoned and fire brigade persons were prevented from approaching the bus. Within a few minut­es, the police started lobbing tear gas shells and finally br­oke the spirits of the rioters who melted away into the bye la­nes. In a span of an hour and a half a riot was born, grew and died.

Now let’s glance at the ti­meline of the flare up in Shimoga and Hassan. Karnataka is a BJP-ruled state, with an ex-RSS man as its chief minister. It has a pretty volatile communal situation. Whenever the BJP was in the opposition, the party and its various sister organisations from the Sangh Parivaar would rake up the issue of the controversial Idgah Maidan from time to time. This had been the cause of many a riots. It was a convenient tool to antagonise Muslims in Karnataka. Let’s look at an event that happened recently outside Ka­rnataka, Gadkari, the new BJP President while speaking at the party’s national convention in Indore appealed to Indian Muslims to forgo their claim over the Babri Masjid voluntarily and hand over the place so that a grand Ram Mandir could be erected. Ga­dkari promised to build an eq­ually grand mosque for Muslims in return. Thus the new BJP President revived the vo­latile Babri Masjid issue. The formula suggested by Gadkari is not originally his. Immediately after independence, Sardar Patel used that formula to dismantle the mosque at So­m­nath and rebuild the Somnath temple. But Gadkari is no Sardar Patel. His appeal to Indian Muslims lacks the conviction and authority of the offer made by Sardar Patel. Gadkari’s appeal is seen as a blatantly politically motivated and rings hollow. An issue less BJP wants to ride back to po­wer on the shoulders of Lord Ram. I am sure the lunatic fringe among Muslims must have taken note of this and evolved a counter strategy.

Back home in Karnataka, the BJP government decided to table a bill to ban cow sl­aughter in Karnataka. The is­sue is one of the most vo­latile topics, which has been the root cause of some of the most savage riots between Hindus and Muslims in India. A convenient issue used by the Sa­ngh parivar to light co­mmunal fir­es. The timing of the tabling of the bill, the publication of Tas­lima Nasreen’s article, the riots immediately in its wake in Shimoga and Hassan and the very fact that the Karnataka government has annou­nced that it is withdr­awing the Cow Slaughter Ban Bill without any debate in the assembly is very suspicious, especi­ally when it happens even wh­ile Shimoga and Hassan are placed under curfew and passions haven’t simmered down yet.

The M F Husain issue has also began to simmer. So the Hindu lunatic fringe is also suddenly active harping that by accepting citizenship of Qatar, Husain has betrayed India. It doesn’t seem to matter that th­ese lunatics have been ho­unding him for more than a decade and a liberal voice has been isolated and muted.

What I have listed above may seem to be isolated unco­nnected occurrences, but th­eir timing is ominous.

I hope India doesn’t plunge into a period of communal turmoil on­ce again. The focus of the central government is on engineering an economic recovery. So mischief mongers have a clear field.

The writer is founder president, Mahatma Gandhi Foundation