Voice of sanity

IT’s heartening to hear a voice of sanity when anger and hatred are sweeping the country after the Pahalgam massacre. Himanshi Narwal, whose husband, naval officer Lt Vinay Narwal, was gunned down by terrorists in the Baisaran meadow, wants nobody except the perpetrators punished. “We don’t want people going after Muslims and Kashmiris,” she said at a blood donation camp organised on May 1 to commemorate Vinay’s birth anniversary. She chose the occasion to make a fervent appeal for peace and communal harmony, in stark contrast to the rabble-rousers who are baying for the blood of Muslims, particularly Kashmiris.

Himanshi has sent out a clear message to the bigots who are exploiting a national tragedy to target a minority community. A disturbing case has been reported from Agra, where a self-proclaimed cow vigilante allegedly shot dead a Muslim biryani vendor and later declared on social media that the murder was ‘retribution’ for the Pahalgam attack. The reluctance of political and religious leaders to condemn such vengeful crimes and hate speech is inexcusable — it threatens our secular fabric, which is already fraying at the edges.

The communal killings in Pahalgam were aimed at escalating Hindu-Muslim tensions and disturbing peace not only in J&K but across the country. Such nefarious designs can only be scuttled with a collective resolve. Gurmehar Kaur, whose father died fighting terrorists in J&K in 1999, has wisely said that the true defeat of terrorism comes when we refuse to let violence divide us. In the best interests of the nation, citizens should firmly shun those who are adding fuel to the fire. Central and state governments must crack down on the elements who are bent on making innocents pay for the heinous acts of terrorists. Only a united India can deal terrorism a crushing blow.

Editorials