Falling reputation: Is it just coincidence?

Earlier this month, a hate crime resulted in six Sikhs being shot dead in a Gurudwara in Wisconsin. The killer was a disgraced US Army veteran. Was this the act of a lunatic or motivated terror? An unidentified man, tattooed like the killer, was witnessed videotaping the scene after the shootout. Who was he? Recall the so-called race violence against Indians in Australia three years ago. I questioned the popular view.

Had there been race acts the Arabs, Vietnamese, Malays, Chinese and the rest would also have been targeted. Only Indians were targeted. I described the incidents as being not race acts but anti-Indian acts. Why would the Australians, traditionally so friendly to India, indulge in anti-Indian acts? Were antisocial, petty criminal elements instigated to perpetrate the acts by a third power through monetary offerings? My views were, of course, ignored. But what happened to that so-called racism? It has disappeared. Can racist feelings be switched on and off at will?

Recently, a series of events have occurred. In the strategically sensitive state of Assam, riots broke out between Bodo tribals and Muslims. The riots broke out after a couple of murders of Muslims. Bodos were suspected. There were retaliatory killings. Violence flared. Later it was conceded that there was no Bodo hand in the initial killings. But the damage had been done. To this day, the authorities have not identified who perpetrated the original murders that sparked off the violence. The Ministry of Home Affairs smugly asserted that no outside forces were behind the violence. On what basis did it conclude this?

There occurred terrorist violence in the Maruti car complex in Haryana. There was an ongoing dispute between the management and workers. But the violence was irrational and more like the work of terrorists than disgruntled labour. A pro-labour management official was killed. The police stood by watching as the factory was burnt and terror unleashed against officials. This terrorist violence in a global automobile outfit has created deep misgiving across the world. It should be noted that foreign subversion is undertaken to foment terror and violence only where genuine grievances already exist.

There occurred the world’s biggest power blackout, which was reported widely across the world. It severely damaged India’s standing as a safe investment destination. Has the government satisfied itself that at some level there was no deliberate sabotage involved? One can go on.

One need not iterate that corruption has made many Indians unsuspecting and unwitting pawns of foreign subversive designs. If RAW (external intelligence gathering agency) officials can be subverted, why not others? Are such suspicions paranoid? Perhaps these are. But what is the harm for Indian intelligence to probe and study this angle?

If indeed there is conspiracy at work, what might be behind it? Only if investigation does offer evidence of subversion might any conjecture be made. But the observation of Dr Henry Kissinger, commenting on conspiratorial acts of terror, is worth recalling. He said what should be identified first of all is the beneficiary of the terrorist act. That provides a starting point for investigation.

Recent events in India have damaged India’s international reputation, destabilised part of society, harmed its economy and alienated public opinion from America. Which foreign elements could benefit from all this? It may seem fanciful to suspect that such diverse events could be the work of a foreign hand. But it may be recalled that a cabinet minister recently categorically alleged that Indian businessmen were colluding with a foreign power to damage India’s international reputation. What led him to make such a serious allegation?