Yesterday, it was the statue of Meenatai, today it's Ambedkar’s and tomorrow it will be yet another statue.
Well-planned, politically fuelled outbursts
I disagree with this business of 'sentiment'. Yesterday, it was the statue of Meenatai, today it's Ambedkar’s and tomorrow it will be yet another statue. In the end, it is the common man who suffers. Are we sure we are an independent country? We still fear for our lives.
Outbursts like these are very well-planned. It is ridiculous to even think they are spontaneous, especially after two days of the desecration of the statue in Kanpur which is pretty far from Mumbai.
Now with Ambedkar Jayanti round the corner, every poltical party will try and gain mileage from these riots. It is silly to even suggest that citizens want any part in this. We want to reach our workplace, come home to a quiet dinner and live in peace.
Even if your sentiments are hurt, there are other peaceful ways to protest. You don't need to go around breaking buses and burning trains. It's time people wake up and realise the kind of leaders they are voting for and rethink our entire political system.
— Pretty Mirchandani. Bandra
What’s the sense in burning your own city?
I'm sure people could've acted more maturely. We must understand that mere desecration of a statue won’t affect Ambedkar’s status.
Also, this act was probably committed by some silly chap and shouldn't be given communal overtones. We have seen in Gujarat how much damage people's reactions can do.
For all you know, this could be a politically motivated act. Just the way the Malegaon blasts were meant to create riots. In most cases, the common man isn't really bothered.
I can understand that the natural reaction is that of anger. But that doesn't justify people burning their own city. Instead of asking Mumbaikars and police to cooperate with protestors, why don't the protestors cooperate with the citizens?
And please, let's have a restriction on the number of statues being put up. You can’t expect our overworked police force to man statues. Political parties or groups who put up statues, should pay for their security and upkeep.
— Ravi Nagarkar. Versova
Reacting to a two-day old incident is childish
This is really childish. The incident happened two days ago and the protest is held today in Mumbai. This is wrong and such people should be put behind bars. I keep wondering, why do protests always erupt with elections round the corner? By causing such law and order problems, the political parties are putting the already stressed police force in a bind. We don't have a big enough force to protect the nation and its people properly. Let’s not add statues to their list of priorities, for god's sake.
— Imran Khan. Thane
Why should we suffer?
It’s becoming increasingly fashionable these days to destroy property under one or the other pretext. Protests and reactions are held in far away places and people who are not even remotely connected to the issue are made to suffer. This kind of behaviour by our political parties is stunting our march towards a more liberal society. The government seems completely clueless on how to control such situations.
— Nitin Gokarn
Let's not have any statues, and live in peace
Stuck in office, afraid to get out after seeing burning trains and broken bus windows, only one thought comes to my mind. Let's not have any statues. Last time it was Meenatai's statue that was desecrated and this time an Ambedkar statue has been vandalised by some moron in Kanpur (who I'm sure is pretty safe). This is insanity. To feel bad about something that happened two days ago is plain stupid. Now, with Ambedkar Jayanti round the corner, there will be more chaos. Haven't we had enough?
— Sheetal Ratwani
Stop torturing innocents over a statue
We call ourselves the largest democracy in the world but where are we headed? As students, we study that country has unity amid diversity, but where is this unity hiding? If the cricket team doesn't play well, we are the first ones to criticise them, but what about our own selves?
Just because one great personality’s statue is vandalised, we torture innocent people living far away, burn trains, throw stones at buses and put people’s lives at risk. I hope we find a solution to these problems. In my opinion, the protest is an act of stupidity of a few insane people.
— Jijo
Why should political parties shut down shops?
It is really disgusting to see the way protests are carried out these days. Why should any party force people to shut down all businesses? If the matter is really that serious, people will react voluntarily. Is the Republican Party of India going to pay for the losses incurred by the innocents who suffered?
Today, our office bus was pelted with stones and a few people were injured. This happened just two minutes from the police station. What had we done to deserve this?
If they really are gutsy, the protestors should help authorities find the real culprits in the Khairlanji case or the Kanpur incident and bring them to book. But they won't do it because they just want to disturb peace and not help society.
Is this how our great leaders, including Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, have taught us to behave?
Is this the society and behaviour they had dreamed of for independent and democratic India?
— Deepti. Kalyan
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