Kathua Incident Exposes Minority Vulnerability

A Brutal Attack in Broad Daylight

The Kathua incident last week is one of those events that leaves you questioning your beliefs about how things should be in a shaky state. To begin with, a convoy of Christian preachers was traveling in a small bus within the Juthana region when they were assaulted by men wielding rods and sticks. The crowd shattered the windshield, tore off mirrors, and attacked the occupants. Some passengers were dragged out, humiliated, and the men were beaten to death.
Moreover, there were police officers who hardly moved at all. It is even visible in the video that went viral. The rest simply stood around, yet only one of the officers made halfhearted attempts to stop the attackers. Eight policemen, including a sub inspector, were later suspended on grounds of not acting. According to the local police chief, a case has been filed, and one man has been arrested, though most of the attackers remain free.

RSS Role and Violence

Furthermore, according to those familiar with the region, the attackers had affiliations with the RSS, a right wing Hindu nationalist organization. They accused the preachers of attempting to convert locals. This has been one of the most frequent reasons for killing Christians in various regions of India. The preachers were also warned by witnesses not to appear in church again or they would see it burned to the ground. It is unfortunate that such intimidation is not new. In 2018, there was an attack on a small group of Christian converts in the Poonch district, involving social boycotting and the burning of their church. Consequently, the police were forced to establish a post in their vicinity to protect them.

Crime and Corruption

The Kathua attack is not only disturbing because of the violence but also because of how desensitized society has become. When mobs can engage in such acts during the day, with cameras and cops present, something is deeply wrong. The suspensions sound good on paper, but they are only a band aid. Thus, true responsibility involves prosecuting all those who participated or stood by in silence, and that rarely happens.

India Nowadays

Many Indians like to tell themselves, “This is not us,” yet this is what life has become for minorities, particularly Christians and Muslims. They exist in constant fear of when the next mob will arrive or whether the police will intervene or not.

When law enforcement becomes a silent spectator, justice becomes an illusion.

In a region such as Jammu and Kashmir, where political and religious tensions are high, the fact that the RSS and other similar groups can act freely while the police remain silent is deeply harmful.

Fear and Faith

This is what is most frightening about the direction that India is heading. The concept of a Hindu Rashtra, a state based on the unity of a single religion may be a source of pride for some. Yet, for others, it is a wakeup call that they are not as safe and secure as they may think. Whenever such incidents occur and no one is held accountable, that message becomes even stronger.

Silence in the face of hate is complicity, and complicity corrodes the soul of a nation.

A Call for Accountability and Change

One can say that justice should be done, but it must go beyond that. The police should show that they can perform their duty without discrimination. The government must demonstrate that protecting minorities is not optional. Meanwhile, common citizens must stop offering only lip service against such violence. Therefore, when society begins to look away from such attacks, not only do minorities suffer, but the entire nation does.