Home / News / India News / Article /
Ranjona Banerji: Nationalism or smoke and mirrors?
Updated On: 17 February, 2016 08:03 AM IST | | Ranjona Banerji
<p>The current debate on patriotism is keeping people conveniently engaged while the government struggles to do its job and fulfil its own promises</p>
What is one to make of this current argument about patriotism that has engulfed us suddenly? The new bone of contention is Afzal Guru, who was hanged on February 9, 2013 after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his mercy petition. However, Guru is also an old bone of contention. For years, some people have argued that his role in the 2001 attack on Parliament was not properly proved. The Supreme Court, while sentencing him to death, also mentioned that “the collective conscience of the society will be satisfied only if the death penalty is awarded to Afzal Guru”. Some might consider this an odd argument, as courts are supposed to be ruled by laws and principles of justice and not mob fury.
Students and activists protest outside the office of HRD Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday, against the previous day’s attack on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students in New Delhi. Pic/AFP
Read Next Story
Trending Stories
Latest Photos
Latest Videos
Latest Web Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
Mid-Day Fast
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT