With each Bhanwarlal, a part of each of us dies too. Such violence is a symptom of a society that needs to heal
The murder of an elderly man in Madhya Pradesh a few days ago rattled me deeply. Of course, such acts of wanton cruelty are hardly uncommon in this country. What broke my heart was that the victim, Bhanwarlal Jain, was described by his family as being “mentally challenged”. When interrogated, and then mercilessly beaten, by his assailant demanding proof of his religion by repeatedly asking him if his name was “Mohammad”, he became terrified and disoriented, unable to grasp the nature of the evil he was confronting and respond to his torturer’s questions. Surely, I would not comprehend such mindless violence either. The blows rained down on this bewildered, hapless man until he died.
