If only Bandhs and Blockades could have addressed every grievance real or perceived, or produce solutions for all the social problems, things would have turned out much better and easier. History and experience have unfortunately proved beyond any shred of doubt that these forms of social disruptions rather have the opposite consequences- unexpected shutdowns, unscheduled postponements, loss of valuable work-hour, closed schools and deserted markets and other places of public conveniences, not to mention the damages to property and threat to life. In short, bandhs and blockades hamper economic activities and retards development. The already lagging economy always takes a bad hit every time such forms of protests and agitations are being resorted to by various groups and parties, and it goes without saying that the number of working days lost due to such situations has been way too many for anyone to keep count consistently over the years.
The right to protest, dissent and criticise, challenge state policy, and question the government is squarely protected under the Indian Constitution. This right is enshrined in the Fundamental Rights Chapter in Part III of the Constitution in Article 19 (the fundamental right to freedom). India attained its Independence through peaceful struggle. Passive resistance and civil disobedience are few of the well known instruments of protest which involve peaceful and non-violent methodologies of protest. When exercised with caution and in the good spirit of toiling for a worthy cause, protest remains perhaps the only and most effective means of showing our dissents and concerns and should be viewed more as a precursor to a meaningful dialogue and discussion for bringing about an amicable and lasting solution.
But more often than not, in our eagerness to assert our rights and voice our concerns, we forgot to read between the lines. The keywords- “peaceful and non-violent” have been given a miss thus changing the very nature of the whole exercise. The unfortunate truth about protests in the state is that violence has played a pivotal role in the process and will undoubtedly continue for the foreseeable future. “Flash strikes” without any prior information are on the rise catching the public by surprise and putting everyone to much inconvenience. Venting out of frustrations by the protestors on passers-by and the common public often always leads to altercations and physical violence resulting in damage to properties and physical injuries, and even loss of life in a few unfortunate instances.
The decision of the state cabinet to enact a new law to declare bandhs and blockades illegal comes as a much needed breather for the common people of the state who have been bearing the brunt for so long with neither law nor the benefits of influence and power to ease their sufferings. There is however an intrinsic danger of the real and genuine concerns of the people being subdued and suffocated by the authorities taking advantage of the new law. The state government should therefore exercise caution and make judicious decisions in dispensing with the protests put up by the public. Hopefully the new law will eventually necessitate and set an alternative and more effective mode of raising the real and genuine concerns of the public without having to put the state to a grinding halt.
