The public outcry over the controversial statement on St Francis Xavier has died down with the process of law has taken over, although, in some measure, the bitterness and anger lingers. The District Sessions Court dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Subhash Velingkar on Monday asking him to comply with the notices issued by the Bicholim police and cooperate with the investigation. The Court noted that Velingkar’s statements were a deliberate attempt to incite communal tension while pointing to portions of his speech which referred to the sacred relic as a “dead body” that needed a DNA analysis, without any factual basis. The court took a view of the fact that Velingkar has a track record of making religion-sensitive statements that provoked communal tensions.
Goa has been on the boil for almost four days with people coming to the streets in protests, expressing their anger and condemning the obnoxious statements against one of the most revered saints in Goa. A major takeaway from these protests was that the saint, through this turbulence, became the unifier, bringing together people of all religions and faiths. It was heartening to see people, irrespective of their affiliations, uphold the divinity and reverence of St Francis Xavier. It was comforting to see people traverse all boundaries and join hands as one.
The calls for peace from the church body, several activists, leaders and NGOs and the subsequent easing of protests were testimony of Goa’s DNA, where harmony reigned supreme. The detractor of St Francis Xavier has once again fallen flat, and the people of Goa have won — a win, not for the court ruling, but for people's endurance to the most turbulent phase of communal turmoil.
A few notings, however. Top on the list would be, and we repeat this, the government needs to better its crisis management of religious conflicts. The polarisation idea has its downside, and the consequences could be catastrophic for a State like Goa which is always basking in its communal harmony. Allowing the situation to fester carries the risk of the situation blowing out of proportion which even the law enforcement machinery would find tough to negotiate. Scars left through religious conflicts could take ages to heal, because, along with that there are seeds of distrust and intolerance that are sown.
Secondly, no political leader holds the right to question the religious beliefs or faiths of communities, whether it is Hindus, Catholics, Muslims or others. An individual does not enjoy the liberty to question religious figures, saints or the practices each follow. India is a secular state and the Constitution under Article 25-28 gives every individual the right to religious freedom — to practice, profess and propagate their religion, as well as the freedom of conscience. If political leaders begin cross-questioning the authenticity of saints, Goa would be doomed with the social fabric torn to smithereens and the State could well go the Syria way.
While a section of political leaders went overboard trying to leverage their outreach using the issue as a handle, there was also a picture of contrast with political sentiment outweighing the religious emotion in a few cases and some leaders choosing to play to the tune of their higher bosses clinging snuggly to borrowed ideologies.
While there are positives and negatives, there is certainly a lack of confidence in the system because repeat offenders are given that space, freedom and tacit support. Goa needs a serious discourse on this issue.
