It gives me no joy to write about the oppression, toxicity, bigotry and overall ugliness around us. I tick mark most of the boxes of privilege, but the apathy and lack of compassion around me is frustrating! The glee of so many “normal” people at what is happening to the Muslims in India, the encouragement and celebration of “We are teaching them a lesson for the past!” is sickening!

I can’t even begin to imagine what the Muslims must be going through, the insecurity and the anxiety they must face every day. Waking up every day to rape threats, houses being bulldozed, vandalized mosques, even vandalized ‘kabristans’, criminals being honored and celebrated (the goons who attacked Arvind Kejriwal’s house were honored by the BJP after getting bail), all Muslims being labelled Jehadis by seers and religious leaders to claps and cheers, the silence of educated friends, the illogic of Bhakts, the lies and the hopelessness is bound to upset anyone with a conscience and any empathy!

As a law-abiding citizen, I’m horrified at the blatant way in which the state is using brute force to oppress Muslims, while letting the Hindu extremists get away with all crimes (All Hate Speech accused are out on bail, and continue to give more speeches)!

The message going out to the miscreants is that they can get away with anything. It is truly scary!

We are heading down a very slippery slope at an accelerated rate, and unless the courts and more people come forward to condemn this, we are doomed!

Leher Sethi

Secretary of the Indian Council for UN Relations