Acts of violence: Some shots were fired in the dark at Abraham Lincoln in a theatre. A sharp shooter fired shots at John Kennedy in broad day light from a rooftop during a ceremonial procession. Mahatma Gandhi got shots at point blank range from the assassin during a prayer meeting. Indira Gandhi was shot by her own guard during a stroll at her residence. They were all powerful people, protected at all times, by different levels of stringent security cover. They were popular leaders, held in high esteem by the their people. Times were different. Places were different. Targets were different. The assassins were different. But, all these were acts of violence. Perpetrated by unknown, but obsessed and may be mentally deranged individuals. All assassins tried to escape after the heinous acts.
Rajiv Gandhi was blown to pieces by a suicide bomber. In the act, the assassin blew herself alongwith Rajiv Gandhi. Nobody knows, what the assassin felt about it. Was she alone? Was she obsessed? Was she mentally deranged? Did she know that, she was trying to blow herself in the process? There are no answers. This provides a twist to the act. Rajiv Gandhi’s assassin was not alone. She was with a group of persons. Some were blown out in the blast. Others were arrested, tried, found guilty and were awarded different sentences. There were powerful groups of people in the country and outside the country, who were involved in the motivation, planning, financing and providing direction in the execution of the act and were responsible for all that happened.
Suicide bombers have been freely used in almost all countries of the world for acts of violence. Their favoured venues are busy market centres, places of worship, where people congregate in large numbers and other public places, which draw large crowds. Cycles, cars and trucks and so many other ingenious methods have been used to smash the explosives against the targets. It is very difficult to imagine, what the suicide bombers feel and how they manage to get motivated to blow themselves in the process of blowing others.
Organised acts of violence: On September 11, 2001, four planes with tanks full and full loads of passengers took off from Boston Airport and were hijacked as soon as they were in the air. Two planes were directed towards New York and the other two moved towards Washington. New York bound planes had the twin towers of World Trade Centre in their cross-wires and managed to crash into the towers with a loud thud and explosion, dumping the fuel from the tanks of the plane, in the wells of the buildings. The crash was totally unexpected and unprecedented. The towers were some of the highest buildings of the world. They were structurally impregnable and they did absorb the tremendous shock, but the heat generated by exploding fuel converted the wells of the building into deep furnaces. Gradually, the supporting steel structure became red hot and started yielding and ultimately the buildings collapsed under their own weight. Hijacking of four planes by 19 people was not a casual act by obsessed or deranged individuals. It involved intense training and planning for months and years, with all types of organizational, financial and logistic support. It shook the world and world has not been the same after that.
Fifteen minutes before the crash, the highjackers told the passengers of the planes, that, they were going to die in a few minutes and that they were free to pray or to contact their near and dear ones in the available moments. That was perhaps the worst form of psychological violence. Again, it is very difficult to understand, how this large band of highjackers, went through a rigidly controlled rigourous routine and flying training for successful execution of the act, knowing fully well that they were going to kill themselves, alongwith thousands of innocent persons.
Bombay blasts on 26 November 2008 and blasts at Kabul and Baghdad and at public places in almost all countries of the world weave a similar pattern of violence. The organizers of the acts are only concerned with widespread damage to life and property and are totally unconcerned about casualties and sufferings of innocent people and to their own people, who are faithfully involved in the execution of these acts.
Social and political violence and ethnic cleansing: India, Bosnia, Sudan and so many other countries have seen the pangs of partition and chilling stories of random killings, untold sufferings and ethnic cleansing of the people. Communal tensions, social and political rallies, protests, bunds and demonstrations have become common in almost all countries of the world and are considered as democratic rights of the people. In many cases, they become violent and the mob fury results in untold loss of life and property. People have got used to it and due to lack of social and political will and in some cases, due to social and political connivance, the security forces are finding it difficult to handle it. In the process, the law and order and governance are taking back seats and the common man is becoming a helpless spectator to the gradual erosion of his mental peace, safety and security.
Violence has been playing hide and seek with the lives of the people from times immemorial and by and large people have gradually reconciled to live with it. Violence is generally perpetrated by socially, politically, physically or financially strong and powerful people with some desperate and frustrated weaklings squeezing in between. Normally the common man is indifferent and complacent about acts of violence and is even prepared to undergo some suffering and indignities in the process. Sometimes, it may sound intriguing, that, some wayward individuals or small groups of people have the capacity to hold the whole society to ransom with their acts of violence and terror.
Efforts to contain violence : League of nations was formed in 1919 after the first world war to ensure peace and to avoid conflicts. It was for the first time that most of the nations agreed to pool their efforts to avoid the scourge of war. Barring some regional wars and conflicts the world witnessed peaceful times for twenty years. After the second world war, almost all nations of the world signed the United Nations Charter in the fond hope and yearning for better life and an era of safe, secure and peaceful world. United Nations has touched the lives of the people and affairs of the nations on a much wider scale and but for some regional conflicts and mini-wars most of the nations had phenomenal growth and prosperity during the last sixty seven years. However, acts of violence and terror have been casting their dark shadow over almost everything. War on terror has been formally declared and all possible efforts have been made to contain terror and to bring the perpetrators in the main stream. But, day by day the terror machine is digging its tentacles in almost all countries, with the support and blessings of deep rooted vested interests and funded by sympathizers from almost all countries of the world. Most of the governments are finding it difficult to handle this growing menace.
Victims of violence: All acts of violence lead to loss of life and property in their wake. These are followed by investigations, trials and convictions of the perpetrators and words of sympathy, support and compensation to the victims. All this hardly matters for those who lose their life and are gone. It is very difficult to understand the frustration and helplessness of women, children or families, who lose their support, anchor and breadwinner. Words of sympathy and announcements of monetary compensation may be good for public consumption, but they are unable to heal the wounds and feelings of insecurity and uncertainty of uprooted families. It is tribute to the grit, will and determination of the surviving victims, that, they rise from the ashes and try to build their life all over again.
Conclusion: The world is on the cross roads. Almost all countries of the world are facing all types of social, political and economic problems, which are getting out of control. Violence is a new comer on the scene, but it has managed to corner all the limelight, worries and tension. Fundamental rights and sovereignty are being exploited freely for promoting and sustaining violence. None of the existing laws are adequate to curb the menace. Understanding between man and man and in dialogue and dealings between countries has been thoroughly eroded. May be, this is the time to put all heads together and to give safety, security, peace and prosperity a chance. No new laws are needed. All that people have to understand is that hatred, terror and violence are not good for anybody and do not solve any problem. All sectarian schools and public places, which sow the seeds of hatred, violence and terror can be gradually converted into institutions of understanding, love and affection by common consent of the people. Instead of ventilating grievances and staging agitations and demonstrations, people can get used to working hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder, which can emerge as the way of life for the solution of most of the problems and for bringing a puff of some hope and cheer to the afflicted millions.