Skip to main content

Triple talaq Bill: Will Modi, his govt 'address' the plight of Tabrez Ansari's widow?

By Adv Masood Peshimam
Those on campaign trail to justify persecution and atrocities never want any opposition to arise against them. Efforts are made to ensure that any murmur of protest against those who unleash incidents of violence against the weak and the feeble is nipped in the bud. Not without reason, Muslims find themselves as political orphans in India today. Today, they are tasting the bitter fruits of a hostile social and political climate.
There is little reason to doubt that Muslims have borne the brunt of communal violence over the years, with the venom in the pipeline always seeking to aggravate the situation. A major reason for this has been the failure of the Muslim leadership to assert, especially during critical situations when things deteriorate. Instead of taking things heads on, the leadership has tried to hide itself behind the language of submission, thus failing to rise to the occasion against the communal forces.
The lackadaisical performance of the Muslim leaders can well be attributed to the adherence to discipline of the party to which they owe allegiance. The situation has only become worse with the passage of time, causing monumental uncertainties. Things have reached such a point today that what we now witness is the dangerous phenomenon of mob violence or mob lynching, mostly directed at members of the Muslim community.
And what one sees today is, lynching and mob violence against Muslims are being justified with fake or trotted-out excuses. The spectre of new form of terror has only grown in height alongside a plethora of imaginary alibis. Right-wing leaders seek to stoke unreal fears against Muslims, creating a climate of hate and vitriol, through motivated foot soldiers, who go on a rampage with all the impunity.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, Narendra Modi
All the human values are thrown to the winds with the upsurge of communal agenda. The chain of lynching incidents has drifted things to lawlessness in Jharkhand. Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad, referring to the very traumatic killing of one Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand, termed the state as the terror factory. The brutal killing of Ansari evoked worldwide protest and reactions. Even the American administration took note of the alarming polarization, leading to the brutal violence in India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not like the expression of Nabi Azad terming Jharkhand as hub of mob lynching or mob violence. The dangerous scenario in Jharkhand and elsewhere in the country cannot be mitigated with seeking to go soft on such incidents. It should have been noted that things got complicated because of the indecent role of the police.
Yet, while poor Ansari succumbed to his injuries, Modi sought to take make it an exception, saying one should not defame Jharkhand. This is beyond logic and reason. What he seemed to try was to reduce the scope of questioning a murky scenario.
Modi and his government, obsessed with the plight of Muslim women with the introduction of triple talaq Bill, should have set an example by addressing the plight Ansari’s widow, as also other women widowed following the murder of their husbands during similar lynching incidents. Otherwise, what would be the meaning all the pious words of protecting the interests of Muslim women, except that the Bill is politically motivated and is empty rhetoric?

Comments

TRENDING

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Why Venezuela govt granting amnesty to political prisoners isn't a sign of weakness

By Guillermo Barreto   On 20 May 2017, during a violent protest planned by sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, 21-year-old Orlando Figuera was attacked by a mob that accused him of being a Chavista. After being stabbed, he was doused with gasoline and set on fire in front of everyone present. Young Orlando was admitted to a hospital with multiple wounds and burns covering 80 percent of his body and died 15 days later, on 4 June.

Walk for peace: Buddhist monks and America’s search for healing

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The #BuddhistMonks in the United States have completed their #WalkForPeace after covering nearly 3,700 kilometers in an arduous journey. They reached Washington, DC yesterday. The journey began at the Huong Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025, and concluded in Washington, DC after a 108-day walk. The monks, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand, undertook this journey for peace and mindfulness. Their number ranged between 19 and 24. Led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara (also known as Sư Tuệ Nhân), a Vietnamese-born monk based in the United States, this “Walk for Peace” reflected deeply on the crisis within American society and the search for inner strength among its people.

Four women lead the way among Tamil Nadu’s Muslim change-makers

By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  A report published by Awaz–The Voice (ATV), a news platform, highlights 10 Muslim change-makers in Tamil Nadu, among whom four are women. These individuals are driving social change through education, the arts, conservation, and activism. Representing diverse fields ranging from environmental protection and literature to political engagement and education, they are working to improve society across the state.

From water scarcity to sustainable livelihoods: The turnaround of Salaiya Maaf

By Bharat Dogra   We were sitting at a central place in Salaiya Maaf village, located in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh, for a group discussion when an elderly woman said in an emotional voice, “It is so good that you people came. Land on which nothing grew can now produce good crops.”

When free trade meets unequal fields: The India–US agriculture question

By Vikas Meshram   The proposed trade agreement between India and the United States has triggered intense debate across the country. This agreement is not merely an attempt to expand bilateral trade; it is directly linked to Indian agriculture, the rural economy, democratic processes, and global geopolitics. Free trade agreements (FTAs) may appear attractive on the surface, but the political economy and social consequences behind them are often unequal and controversial. Once again, a fundamental question has surfaced: who will benefit from this agreement, and who will pay its price?

Why Russian oil has emerged as the flashpoint in India–US trade talks

By N.S. Venkataraman*  In recent years, India has entered into trade agreements with several countries, the latest being agreements with the European Union and the United States. While the India–EU trade agreement has been widely viewed in India as mutually beneficial and balanced, the trade agreement with the United States has generated comparatively greater debate and scrutiny.

Trade pacts with EU, US raise alarms over farmers, MSMEs and policy space

By A Representative   A broad coalition of farmers’ organisations, trade unions, traders, public health advocates and environmental groups has raised serious concerns over India’s recently concluded trade agreements with the European Union and the United States, warning that the deals could have far-reaching implications for livelihoods, policy autonomy and the country’s long-term development trajectory. In a public statement issued, the Forum for Trade Justice described the two agreements as marking a “tectonic shift” in India’s trade policy and cautioned that the projected gains in exports may come at a significant social and economic cost.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha raises concerns over ‘corporate bias’ in seed Bill

By A Representative   The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has released a statement raising ten questions to Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan regarding the proposed Seed Bill 2025, alleging that the legislation is biased in favour of large multinational and domestic seed corporations and does not adequately safeguard farmers’ interests.