It is no secret that India wants to impress President Donald Trump. We did some major research into impressing the bride, going for the most symbolic of it all – the wall. With Donald Trump happy, and Nerender Moddi (Trump said that, not us) satisfied, our Indian media celebrated the coming together of the two leaders, as thousands and thousands cheered after each word they spoke, and perhaps a thousand others clapped behind their TV screens as they watched live reports.
Meanwhile, the capital of the country, New Delhi burnt as full-fledged riots broke out.
Hundreds of women had been carrying out a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Jaffrabad in Northeast Delhi since 22 February. BJP leader Kapil Mishra invited those supporting the CAA to Maujpur Chowk as an answer to the blockade at Jaffrabad. Then we saw agitation between CAA backers and anti-CAA protesters, and soon there was news of stone pelting between both groups as they moved towards each other,
Hey – I don’t mean to divert you from the story we actually care about. Let’s go back to what our TV channels blasted, which were photos of Donald Trump with his family. Meanwhile, in the clashes, police resorted to tear gas. Members of both groups, as well as the policemen, engaged in stone pelting.
But we hooted at uncoordinated dance routines being performed instead.
The charged mobs destroyed public property, threw bricks inside houses and set shops on fire.
A petrol pump was set ablaze.
As tensions heated up, meek voices on Twitter did their bit to inform public. The whispers did not match the hurrahs and thundering applause that rang through the country’s mainstream media, as thousands cheered on a Donald Trump and his painful pronunciations.
A policeman died. We kept cheering.
But then we got more to talk about. No, no, silly. I’m not talking about the gore, scary details of the worsening violence in the city. I am definitely not here, wasting my time, talking about how policemen beat injured protestors, forced them to sing national songs as a gunman walked around, brandishing his gun and opening fire like a wild, fearless beast.
That’s boring, uninteresting information. Instead, the country’s news channels moved on (as will we), talking about Trump’s great speech. We cheered loudest when he said “Islamist”, when he said “Pakistan” – damn, yeah. Music to the ears.
A protestor was killed. And then two more. And then more.
At least 65 people were injured on Monday, and yet all we could do is gloat about the American President “visiting.” His visit, by the way, had many people evicted from their very homes. We couldn’t afford to have him see the true, harsh realities of our country. Problems that are real, problems that affect millions, problems that need attention...for only then can we hope to fix them.
But we hide that. We build walls. We evict our poor.
“When” is a good word to throw in here. “When” fits well in this chaotic concoction. When will we begin to see some real accountability? When will we begin to protect our citizens – and their right to peacefully protest? When will our Prime Minister make this stop?
When, when, when.
And so we wait. Meanwhile, for distractions from the issues that matter, switch on the TV, put on the news.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)