Yet again the entire city is on boil. Three more innocent killings. The tragic saga is more heartrending this time as one boy happened to be the only child of their parents. The boy had left for tuition classes only to return back shrouded in white in a casket on the shoulders of some frenzy youth. All the expectations and hopes his parents had from him were shattered and scattered on the street, he often took to return home .Tufail, fell to the same monster that has engulfed the region for quite a long time - stone pelting .The actual sequence of events leading to the death may have different versions –police and public, but it is of little consequence to a family that is devastated with the death of their loved one.
With every such death starts a fresh spate of violence-stones, teargas shells, bullets, blood on streets, investigations, enquiries, strikes, restrictions and yet again a life consuming cycle starts. Amid this all chaos, precious lives are lost. The state of ‘normalcy’ seems too fragile to stand up to the heart rending cries of every mourner who receives a fresh jolt or whose scar is freshened with every such event. The whole atmosphere is set on fire, charged with anger, bitterness and fear. All the talk and hopes of peaceful times returning come crushing down. Camera chasing frenzy crowds agitating on the streets to be screened on local media or to splash their photographs across few dailies and glossy magazines; condemnation of the killing that pours in from one and all- mainstream to separatists; sympathies with the bereaved family galore even from offenders; demands, assurances and promises of probe and justice follow instantly; mourning in the form of one or couple of strikes and an obituary in one or two local dailies –that’s all it takes us to forget everything about the tragic episode, until it again shows its gruesome face, snatching one more life
As is evident from the statements of the political parties, irrespective of the ideology they subscribe to, all abhor this activity but the fact is that this phenomenon has refused to die down. We hear condemnation by all those whether in power or out of it, but still stones fling freely from both the sides, even at times when things seem pretty normal. And till now it has failed to yield results, for either the criticism is hypocritical and not strong enough or the act is celebrated with triumph backroom with that killer ‘kick’ enjoyed by those who indulge in it, one doesn’t know. Those who throw stones to make a statement have not acknowledged the loss it means.
Those who  support all this mess should have till now come to know that it is only a life consuming affair. We all have to think seriously about the agony we all are going through. The need of the hour is to alter the course of action and heed to the wisdom that calls to shun that path, for if we continue to tread the same path it amounts to a collective suicide- a dangerous trend that will annihilate a generation and for which we will be held responsible for times to come.

(Dr Javed Khan can be mailed at
khanjaved69@yahoo.com)

Lastupdate on : Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:00:00 IST