Condemn the police firing on the people!

Friday, May 18 was a black day for the people of Hyderabad. A powerful blast killed 10 people and left over 50 injured, among whom were children. The bomb was deliberately set to explode when hundreds of Muslims had gathered for the Friday prayers at the principal mosque in the city, the Mecca Masjid near Charminar.

Enraged by the blast, the people emerging from their prayers spontaneously expressed their anger at the state by shouting slogans against the police and government. In a brutal display of state terror, captured vividly by the electronic media, the police opened fire on the people with intent to kill. Several people were killed in this police firing, and dozens more injured.

People’s Voice strongly condemns these terrible acts of terror against the Muslim community in Hyderabad and expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed. People’s Voice demands that those guilty of these heinous crimes must be immediately identified, tried and punished.

However, the past experience of the Indian people clearly does not inspire any confidence that the Indian state, which is responsible for the security of life of the people, will take any measures in this direction. The state does not desire that the Indian people live in peace and in mutual harmony. Almost without let up, Indian people are being subject to terrorist violence in one part of the country or the other. This terrorist violence not only kills and maims, but is used to spread suspicion and fear among the people. These terrorist strikes are used to confuse the people about who their real enemies are. They are used to justify open state terrorism, the violation of human rights, and the attacks by the state on this or that section of the people.

The truth is that state terrorism and what passes for individual terrorism are closely linked, they are two sides of the same coin. They serve the interests of the reactionary ruling class and imperialism in keeping the people fearful, disoriented and confused about the real state of affairs and the actual source of their problems.

The people, from their own experience, know the exact sequence of events that follow such a blast. Even before the dead and injured have been attended to, the names of some ‘terrorist' organisations are released to the media. A day or so later, the state claimed that its intelligence agencies had been tipped off about the possibility of a blast somewhere, but they did not know which city or which area! There is continuous discussion for about a week or so about the manner in which the explosion was set off, “clues” that the intelligence agencies are allegedly pursuing. After this initial interest, the news is allowed to die down. The real truth about who carries out such attacks, and at whose behest they are carried out, is never allowed to come out in the open. Various individuals may be arrested and charged with terrorist activities, but invariably the actual facts are never revealed through open trials in a court of law, but are hushed up in the name of “security”. Such a chain of events, repeated every now and again, is used to create the impression of some “hidden” enemy who the people must be wary of, in order to divert from the real issues facing the people, in order to create disunity and mutual mistrust and in order to justify repressive measures that deny people democratic rights.

People everywhere must unite to demand that those responsible for giving the order to the police to fire on the people in Hyderabad must be punished. Further, people everywhere must refuse to be cowed down, and must be vigilant against provocative attacks against one or another community. They must demand thorough and credible investigation into all acts of terrorism, and insist that the full facts are placed before the public.