As much as I do avoid writing about political issues, I could not resist penning down my current frustration at what is happening in the Karnataka at the moment.
For those who are not in the know of what happened since Friday:
- Some lawyers attack media persons. Police disperse this issue.
- Later friday evening, some lawyers attack local people and media folk from upper floors of the court.
- Police bring in force to control the situation
- Lawyers threaten not to stop if half the force is not diverted elsewhere
- Police in an attempt to placate the situation agree and divert some of the police force away from the court premises.
- Some lawyers take advantage (was this planned?) and set fire multiple vehicles on fire (including police vehicles). Some rooms inside the court premises also ransacked. A magistrate chased.
- Lawyers flee by changing into plain clothes through the back entrance.
Few things irritate me about this situation. A well known saying is that – “Two people whom one should tell the truth and the whole truth are doctors and lawyers”. Such is the respect that is given to lawyers in society. They are the saviors of law. They are the ones who fight for other people’s rights. It is disgusting to see these folks pelt stones at the common man, and set fire to police vehicles etc. If they had had any sense of moral responsibility towards their profession, they would have handled this situation in a much more dignified way (whatever the original reason for the fight was! Arnt they trained in making well pointed arguments?).
I, for one, lost a lot of faith in the lawyer community after this incident. And it is going to take a while to regain it. Not that the musings of this ordinary man would matter much to them.