India, looks for ‘traitors’ after conflict with Pakistan

The first time Sandeep Wathar received a message on Facebook from a total stranger calling him a traitor, he was amused. When dozens more followed, he knew something was wrong.   

After India and Pakistan nearly went to war last week, Wathar, a 29-year old professor of civil engineering in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, vented his frustration on social media. In a Facebook post, he said the ruling party had endangered millions of lives.   

Two days later, students and members of a right-wing Hindu group gathered outside his office demanding he apologize for his “anti-national” comments. As a police officer looked on, the crowd ordered Wathar to kneel and beg for forgiveness. So he did. “It’s very obvious now that it can happen to anybody,” Wathar said.   

A wave of angry nationalism has swept India in recent weeks, triggered first by a suicide bombing in the disputed region of Kashmir and the military confrontation with Pakistan.   

Television anchors have called for revenge and portrayed any questioning of the Indian government or armed forces as equivalent to helping Pakistan.   

Prime Minister Modi, who is seeking re-election, has cast opposition parties as disloyal for asking about the efficacy of India’s retaliatory airstrike on Pakistan.   
In recent weeks some of those publicly critical of the government or India’s military have been suspended from their jobs.  

By Niha Masih, Joanna Slater (c) 2019, The Washington Post, Mar 08, 2019 -   NEW DELHI -