Shameful. Never thought of seeing this in Assam. Such a disappointment
- Puja Sengupta on the G Plus Instagram page.
On 7th April, 68-year old Shaukat Ali, a longtime resident of Biswanath Chariali in Assam was attacked by a mob of people for alleged possession of raw beef. He was thrashed by the gathering and forced to eat meat, suspected to be pork, in an effort to hurt his religious sentiments. He was attacked while en route to his ‘line-hotel’ where he has been selling rice and meat for over three decades now. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media and has gained a lot of traction.
At an age, when social media has become a powerful tool, as was evident in this case as well, the general reaction has been one of condemnation, anger, disappointment and utter disgust. The comments and reactions on all the G Plus channels exploded with empathy towards Ali and calls for the culprits to be caught.
Since this incident, many people have started comparing Assam to the likes of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where such occurrences happen more often. While such incidents nowadays might seem commonplace in the country, it has come as a shocker for most people that this has happened in Assam, as the state is generally perceived as tolerant and communally sensitive. Even though the state is made up of a multicultural milieu, Assam or Northeast in general has rarely if not never, been witness to such communally tinged incidents of violence.
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While this attack might have been a one-off, it would be wrong to shrug it off and sweep it under the carpet. What must be borne in mind is that these were regular people on the streets who humiliated and belittled a man, just to prove a point, just to raise a nonexistent issue. What is alarming is the ease with which a common man earning a livelihood was made to undergo assault, humiliation, shock and torture. The bigger concern is also the possibility and realization that things could have snowballed into something worse for Shaukat and he might have lost his life.
However, that was not the case and due to swift action by Biswanath Chariali Police, the prime accused behind the incident has been apprehended with the rest set to follow. While the investigations will continue, the society needs to ensure that such occurrences do not become a norm in the future. This region and its people has always been peace-loving and tolerant and it needs to be ensured that it remains like that, always.
The need of the hour is to be rational and think and reflect within, where the society is heading towards. The amount of anger and disgust displayed by the people of the region is a sign that the general feeling is still positive and people are not willing to tolerate such incidents. However, the wick has been lit and getting shorter by the day. Now, it is up to the people as a whole to not let it reach the keg.
