Editorial
Gruesome hartal-related violence
Who will take the responsibility?
THE picture of the severely burnt body of a 14-year-old victim of hartal-inflicted violence front-paged in Tuesday's issue of this paper says it all. Indeed, the dreadful sight only betrays the mindlessness of those who committed the outrage.
Sadly, that also patently portrays the kind of politics being pursued in the country at the moment -- politics that see one party clinging to power at all costs and the other vying for it regardless of the damage being done to public life and property
We had run a commentary yesterday seeking succour from the severe trauma of hartal through the intervention of the higher judiciary; and now we renew our call to the public to raise their voice against it.
It is well for the opposition to say that the government agencies are behind the grisly incidents. But TV footages and the reports of our journalists on the spot belie its claim. But be that as it may, is it also not the opposition's responsibility to see that its party workers are not involved in such mayhems? And does not the responsibility fall squarely on its shoulders to stop them if they are involved in it?
We reluctantly accede to the opposition's right to call hartal, but that does not mean that they have the right to kill and maim people in the name of anti-government programmes.
We still believe good sense will prevail and the opposition would choose alternative but peaceful means of ventilating their grievances so that people are not made to pay so dearly for their agitational activities.
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