Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Indian protester comes of age with Gandhigiri by Abantika Ghosh

Indian protester comes of age with Gandhigiri by Abantika Ghosh

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Aug 16, 2011   modified Modified on Aug 16, 2011

As Anna Hazare was being whisked away in a SUV, a Rajouri Garden trader turned to the hassled cops, who had wrestled with him and thousands of others to ensure smooth passage for the activist's vehicle, and pleaded with folded hands "Thank you so much sir". Red-faced, the cops looked away.

Delhi rediscovered Gandhigiri on Tuesday when the West is veering towards violent protests and their aggressive stifling. For instance, last week British prime minister David Cameron advocated the use of water cannons to quell communal riots and looting in London and Birmingham.

But back home, that brief exchange outside the gates of the office of the Delhi Police's DCP (west) embodied the spirit of the new-age Indian protestor. High on Anna's message of non-violence, the protester has learnt to shun his favourite weapon -the ubiquitous stone - to embrace peaceful dharna.

For instance, a group of protesters pulled out all stops to physically stop Anna's car. At Chhatrasal, Delhi University (DU) students coaxed and cajoled the Delhi Police to revolt "Delhi Police baghawat karo, hum tumhare saaath hain" - and at Rajouri Garden as a fresh truckload of cops came in, a young man crying "Bharat Mata Ki" pleaded with them "Bhai Jai to bol de". There were many attempts like this to fraternize with the force deployed to control them and a tacit game plan to treat the police as an extension of protestors. Aggression was only towards the government.

Anna in his address to the nation on Monday had urged his supporters not to resort to violence. "If you take to violence, it will take this government minutes to crush you," he had said.

The Delhi Police too played ball, despite the fact that Centre's political compulsions had pushed them into a corner where instead of managing crowds at a single place, they had to tackle irate protestors all over the city.

At no place other than at Rajouri Garden, where Anna had been kept for the longest period and the crowd had started to look determined to stop the Gandhian from being taken to prison, were lathis visible even though batches of protestors swarmed in first at Mayur Vihar and then at Civil Lines GO's mess where Anna had first been taken to after his detention from the Supreme Enclave.

Even at Rajouri Garden, the lathis were never put to use though when a woman climbed atop the bonnet of the car carrying Arvind Kejriwal, there were moments of police brashness as male constables physically brought her down.

The social make-up of protestors may have also contributed to the successful Gandhigiri on both sides. There were salaried people who had taken a day off from work, DU students who had skipped classes and traders - many of whom were obviously uncomfortable with the rough and tumble of street protests.

At Civil Lines, a young couple had braved the rain to shout slogans for "Mother India". As policemen started hustling them into the waiting buses, the woman looked at the man uncertainly. "Get in, they are taking everybody," the man said with a reassuring pat. Constables too were more circumspect in their dealings, shunning the gruffness even when they were lifting students physically to bundle them inside the bus.

The Times of India, 17 August, 2011, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-protester-comes-of-age-with-Gandhigiri/articleshow/9629485.cms


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close