Shadow lines

It’s lunatic to think India is ringed with enemies

AS expected, the noise in India over the flare-up on the Bangladesh border is getting louder by the day. Broadly, three kinds of concerns can be discerned in the many different kinds of voices that are being heard, and each concern feeds on the others and on rumour in the absence of hard information. Over the coming weeks, the government needs to deal, one way or another, with all the underlying concerns in the country including those that are quite groundless. First, understandably, there is shock and dismay over the alleged brutal treatment of BSF jawans by the soldiers or civilians of a friendly neighbour. It all seems so futile and unnecessary — a pointless conflict, wasted lives and the horror of mutilated bodies. Second, mixed in with the shock is a sense of unease arising from the suspicion that there may be more to the series of incidents along the border in the middle of April than the government is revealing. This is also understandable. As the events unfolded, two kinds of questions were asked to which there is as yet no adequate official answer. What started the row? Why did the BSF go into Boraibari?

The BSF is making its own inquiry into the incidents as undoubtedly are several government departments including the Home Ministry, Ministry of External Affairs and various intelligence agencies. Meanwhile, institutional imperatives are giving different spins to the story. Until fuller coherent explanations emerge, the predominant emotions will be confusion about an inexplicable turn of events on the border and anger over the way the jawans were treated. The third kind of voice belongs to conspiracy theorists, a famous species found all over the subcontinent, who manage to whip up more anger and confusion. To some of these theorists, Pyrduwah and Boraibari were not localised incidents but are part of a permanent dark conspiracy. From there it is a short step to the lunatic fringe which believes India is ringed with enemies who are at all times plotting its destruction. Typically, the lunatic fringe is also impatient to see some flexing of Indian muscle.

The government should not stand by silently as public opinion runs recklessly in the direction of conspiracies and a siege mentality spreads. Policy should not be driven by emotion on the street but often is when rhetoric is not countered by sane and sober arguments and the facts. So everything possible must be done to lower the temperature of the public debate. Managing domestic public opinion may turn out to be more demanding than anything Indian diplomacy has had to cope with. It is especially important for the government to provide more information about the whole affair. Promising a full statement when investigations are complete will surely help to reassure people. At the same time, without rushing to judgement or making specific references, it would be appropriate to condemn in stronger language human rights violations wherever they occur. It will improve sentiment if the positive side of India-Bangladesh relations was made more visible and the two countries commit themselves to a schedule of talks to resolve their troublesome little border disputes. If Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina does indeed make a stop over next month in New Delhi, that would be a good time to make that commitment.