Sweet Hit Back:

April 12/2011: The High Court of Orissa recently ruled that a few organizations like the Police Officers’ Association, Police Constable and Havildars’ Union and the Judicial Officers’ Association could not go on strike and stop work. This decision may not seem very unique. We may recollect the decisions of various other High Courts, for instance, Kerala, which have earlier issued orders banning ‘Bandhs’ and ‘Hartals’. Seen in that light, this decision may seem like rhetoric. But for Orissa, it means a change in perspective.

The raison d’être for this decision was the slapping of a magistrate in Rourkela by a Police Inspector. No one, as yet, knows the true reasons for the incident. A question could be asked as to what was the distinguished Magistrate busy ‘doing’ at the time in the spot or where did the Hon’ble Police Inspector materialize from to slap him.

Reacting to this incident, the High Court Bar Association went on a strike for 5 long days which disturbed regular operations of the Court and must have put litigants to untold miseries and expenses. Not to talk of the plight of junior lawyers and small businesses around the Court premises who would have lost their daily income and missed their cuppa tea. Interestingly, it may be mentioned that the Hon’ble Judges of the High Court attended work every single of these days.

In today’s world, when speed is the mantra of life and everyone is running helter skelter to earn a living, no inpidual or group of people has the right to obstruct normal flow of activities. The times make us aware that now, the victim and the other who has got some advantage by creating a situation must get together and sort issues out. This may be termed as the true spirit of ‘Nego Yug’ (Age of negotiations) which is evidently the follow up of the Kali Yug for the modern world citizen. However, those who create nuisance and go on a path of agitation, think otherwise. Silent processions, symbolic agitations or a kind of token strike, they feel, do not achieve what a violent disturbance that upsets normal life and paralyses work gets them. They may not be totally incorrect in their assessment as it has been noticed many times that such drastic action gets an immediate response from the weak kneed district administrations of a state like Orissa. 

Whenever there is an accident on a highway and someone kicks the bucket, local leaders and their intoxicated friends slither down to the roadside, announce and implement a road blockade (Rasta Roko). This situation builds up till a district official arrives with a posse of policemen, usually managing to assuage the ruffled feelings and solve the issue by instantly constructing speed breakers or rumblers on the highway at that spot. It may be very gently brought to the notice of the reader that making speed breakers on a national highway is an illegal step which has been time and again banned by the Supreme Court as well as the Ministry of Surface Transport. It may also be mentioned that this kind of a Rasta Roko is seen to be a viral disease mostly noticed amongst the inhabitants of states like West Bengal and Orissa.

We have to find solutions. Everyone may not be a part of the problem all the time. Take for example employees of the water supply department consider a certain problem related to their work to be insurmountable for them. In a stereotype fashion, they would stop water supply to the whole town. Instead, they could find novel ways to express their anger by disconnecting water supply to the non reactive concerned superior and his neighborhood. The officer would be harassed as well as his neighbors who would then, probably, put social pressure on him and his family to take early action to solve the issue. Protests in western countries as well as in many Asian nations have taken newer designs. Even in Japan, where nationalism is high on the Richter scale, protests do take place. But in a different way. Citing an example a strike at a shoe factory will commence with the workers producing the required quota but shoes of only one foot. This makes company authorities aware that there is disquiet at the factory floor. And are thereby prompted to take corrective steps.

In India we notice that there is a special breed who is tempted to commit crimes such as road blockades, strikes and all. These people are incapable of any productive activities. Frustrated with their own incapabilities, these people do not tolerate the success or productive abilities of others. Therefore, the decision of the Orissa High Court is extremely welcome.  It could have, actually, gone two steps ahead.  There needs to be an enforceable law that those who obstruct traffic or hinder work for others need to be financially punished. Whether in a village or in an urban setting, the homes of those found guilty of these criminal activities should not be allowed to have electricity or water connexion for at least 6 months. We complain about corruption at high places but very cunningly forget these activities that also are a severe kind of corruption at a mundane but daily level. Unless we set right these issues at our own stage, it is impossible to attain transparency and an egalitarian atmosphere at higher levels of administration.