Punjab has suffered the consequences of religious fanaticism for over five decades, which has manifest itself in many shapes and forms. Now, it seems that a new way of embracing this has occurred to the state government by proposing to enact a blasphemy law to counter ‘beadbi’ against the scriptures of any religion. This move may have been thought of as respect for religion in all its forms, but the punishments being proposed are right out of the Taliban notebook. While beheading isn’t proposed, it is actually the government’s intent to prescribe a minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment and a maximum life-sentence for the offence. Can any kind of disrespect that does not involve violence invite such severe punishment? Surely, a state legislature under India’s constitution does not have the power to do so.
One needs only to look at what happens regularly in Pakistan over blasphemy allegations. All kinds of personal feuds are sought to be furthered by making fake allegations of blasphemy. Often, crowds get so enraged that they take the law into their hands and kill the accused without due process. More often than not, these atrocities are inflicted upon members of the minority communities. This mindset is strengthened by the fact that blasphemy is recognised by the establishment as a crime inviting capital punishment.
And how are courts in India’s Punjab going to determine what is beadbi (if they find the time to address such cases with their already over-filled dockets)? Will the law define in detail what blasphemy is, or will it be left to the imagination of the offended? Think of what will happen to even normal religious discourse, with every priest or preacher looking over his or her shoulder all the time, fearing a slip of the tongue or a misunderstood metaphor. How will history, literature, sociology, philosophy, etc., be taught and researched in colleges and universities? Will scholars have to tip-toe around concepts and facts dreading the consequences of what they discover? Or will it be just a question of not covering one’s head properly with a duppata or not being seated in the proper way? If such a law somehow makes it into the statute books, it will only lead to the worsening of Punjab’s social and economic conditions, which are not very good even at the present. Atheists, disbelievers, rationalists and people with common sense will be among those who migrate no matter how valuable they are to society.
Hopefully, neither the Governor, nor the President will endorse such a law. If required, the Supreme Court should declare it unconstitutional.
