Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Dangerous deceptions: On Jahangirpuri demolition drive

Dangerous deceptions: On Jahangirpuri demolition drive

Demolition drive (अभियान, आंदोलन, चलाना) betrays (धोखा देना, प्रकट करना) use of state (राज्य, सरकार) machinery (यंत्र, संगठन, प्रणाली) to harass (परेशान करना, पीड़ा देना, सताना) Muslims

The bulldozer has now emerged as a dominant symbol of state-backed (सरकार समर्थित) intimidation (डराना-धमकाना, ज़ुल्म करना) of Muslims in the country. After Khargone in Madhya Pradesh, Jahangirpuri in Delhi has seen the use of demolition of shops and houses seemingly (प्रतीत होता है, जाहिर है, शायद) as a punitive (दंडात्मक, अनुशासनात्मक, सुधारात्मक) measure (उपाय, क्रिया) in the wake of (के परिणामस्वरूप) a riot that followed a provocative (उत्तेजक, भड़काऊ) religious procession (march). The Jahangirpuri demolitions, halted by an order of status quo (यथास्थिति) passed by the Supreme Court, one which had to be reiterated (बार बार दुहराना, फिर से कहना) as the drive went on for more than an hour after the order, represent an egregious (shocking, horrible/terrible, very bad) violation of the rule of law (it is described as “a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities, public and private, including the State itself, are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms and standards). Even though described as part of a demolition process that had begun a few months ago, and done after prior notice, few would believe that the drive in Jahangirpuri had anything to do with ‘encroachment (intrusion, infiltration, incursion, trespass, invasion)’, coming as it does in the wake of communal disturbances (disruption, distraction, interference) and in the middle of (during; in the midst of; in the process of doing something) Ramzan. By intervening in time (punctually, promptly, on time, at the right time; eventually, ultimately, finally), the Court may have halted what could have been a series of demolitions of small businesses and households (family, house) belonging to some of the poorest residents of the capital. CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, who was present at the site, has highlighted (underline, emphasize, underscore) the continuance of the demolition even after the court order was made known to the authorities (officials, officialdom, the people in charge, the bureaucracy, the system). The Supreme Court should deal with this contumacious (stubborn, adamant, single-minded, headstrong, wilful, uncompromising, unyielding, inflexible, uncooperative, unmanageable) behaviour as part of the ongoing proceedings, in which its main concern, of course (certainly, definitely, absolutely), ought to (must, should) be to push back (refuse, reject, prevent; force back, repel, fight off) against the dangerously divisive (alienating/isolating, disharmonious, discordant) and partisan (biased, prejudiced, one-sided) manner in which authorities are responding to law and order (the passing of laws and their strict implementation by police and the courts; lawfulness, peacefulness, harmony, non-aggression, non-violence) issues.

There are aspects to the controversy that betray an emerging pattern of the use of state machinery to inflict (apply, enforce, exact, impose) misery (pain, distress, suffering) on Muslims. One is the role of the ruling BJP, whose Delhi chief wrote to the North Delhi Municipal Corporation to carry out (implement, execute, discharge) the demolition targeting ‘rioters’ who had allegedly (reportedly, supposedly, purportedly, ostensibly, apparently) thrown stones at a Hindu religious procession in the vicinity (surrounding area, locality, neighbourhood) of a mosque. As the counsel (barrister, lawyer, legal practitioner) contended (claim, assert, declare, state, argue, charge) in the court, this wish seems to have been treated as a command (instruction, order, demand, insistence), and police force mobilised within a day to carry it out. Another aspect is the attempt to conflate (combine, abridge/summarize, shorten (too many information into one)) the legal consequences (result, outcome, effect, reaction, repercussion, reverberations, ramification) of rioting and communal violence with administrative (official, procedural, governmental, ministerial) measures to deal with encroachments in public spaces. The official line (boundary, limit) leans towards the theory of clearing encroachments even as the political message is that ‘rioters’ will be dealt with. It is of concern (If something is of concern to someone, they find it upsetting/worrying & unsatisfactory) that the Aam Aadmi Party, which while blaming the BJP on the one hand (it is used to introduce the first of two contrasting different, points, facts, or ways of looking at something. It is always followed later by “on the other hand” or ‘on the other’), has also made an unsubtle (inconsiderate, unthinking, awkward) insinuation (implication, hint/indication, suggestion) that those fomenting (incite, provoke, agitate, instigate, cause) trouble are ‘Bangladeshis’ and ‘Rohingya (an ethnic Muslim minority group, in western Myanmar (Burma))’, terms that will render (make, cause to be, cause to become) the residents of the area vulnerable (in jeopardy, at risk, endangered, unsafe, unprotected, ill-protected, unguarded) to denial of their rights. The most dismal (bad, poor, dreadful, awful, terrible) aspect is the apparent (evident, obvious, clear, visible, discernible, perceptible, noticeable, recognizable) enjoyment that the BJP’s communal constituency (a group/body of supporters) derives from the infliction (annoyance, nuisance, inconvenience, bother, irritant, problem, difficulty, trouble, burden) of suffering on the ‘other’. The challenge before the country’s political opposition is not only to take on (compete against, oppose, challenge, confront, face, fight, stand up to) the unlawful ways of the state but also to reverse (change, alter) this polarising (dividing, separating, parting) slide (fall, decline, drop, slump, tumble) in the wider society.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.drive (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अभियान, आंदोलन, चलाना
English Meaning - campaign, movement, push; initiative.

2.betray (verb)

Hindi Meaning - धोखा देना, प्रकट करना
English Meaning - reveal, expose, disclose, lay bare, make known.

3.state (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राज्य, सरकार
English Meaning - government.

4.machinery (noun)

Hindi Meaning - यंत्र, संगठन, प्रणाली
English Meaning - organization, system, apparatus, agency.

5.harass (verb)

Hindi Meaning - परेशान करना, पीड़ा देना, सताना
English Meaning - torment, persecute, bother, annoy, disturb, trouble.

6.state-backed (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सरकार समर्थित
English Meaning - supported by the government.

7.intimidation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - डराना-धमकाना, ज़ुल्म करना
English Meaning - frightening, threatening, oppression.

8.seemingly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतीत होता है, जाहिर है, शायद
English Meaning - obviously, palpably, apparently.

9.punitive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - दंडात्मक, अनुशासनात्मक, सुधारात्मक
English Meaning - disciplinary, corrective, retributive.

10.measure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उपाय, क्रिया
English Meaning - action, step, procedure.

11.in the wake of (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के परिणामस्वरूप
English Meaning - as a result of, in the aftermath of, as a consequence of.

12.provocative (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - उत्तेजक, भड़काऊ
English Meaning - agitational, provoking, inflammatory.

13.status quo (noun)

Hindi Meaning - यथास्थिति
English Meaning - the present situation, the current state, the existing state of affairs.

14.reiterate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बार बार दुहराना, फिर से कहना
English Meaning - repeat, say again, restate.

15.go on (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - जारी रखना, आगे बढ़ना
English Meaning - continue, carry on, proceed; stay, remain, persist.

16.deception (noun)

English Meaning - trick, scheme, manoeuvre, stratagem, machination; double-dealing, cheating.

17.procession (noun)

English Meaning - march.

18.egregious (adjective)

English Meaning - shocking, horrible/terrible, very bad.

19.rule of law (phrase)

English Meaning - it is described as “a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities, public and private, including the State itself, are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms and standards.

20.have (something/anything) to do with (phrase)

English Meaning - be concerned with; be connected with; relate to, have a bearing on.

21.encroachment (noun)

English Meaning - intrusion, infiltration, incursion, trespass, invasion.

22.disturbance (noun)

English Meaning - disruption, distraction, interference.

23.in the middle of (phrase)

English Meaning - during; in the midst of; in the process of doing something.

24.in time (phrase)

English Meaning - punctually, promptly, on time, at the right time; eventually, ultimately, finally.

25.household (noun)

English Meaning - family, house.

26.highlight (verb)

English Meaning - underline, emphasize, underscore.

27.make known (phrase)

English Meaning - communicate, pass on, tell; make public, broadcast, publish, report.

28.authorities (noun)

English Meaning - officials, officialdom, the people in charge, the bureaucracy, the system.

29.contumacious (adjective)

English Meaning - stubborn, adamant, single-minded, headstrong, wilful, uncompromising, unyielding, inflexible, uncooperative, unmanageable.

30.of course (phrase)

English Meaning - certainly, definitely, absolutely.

31.ought to (modal verb)

English Meaning - must, should.

32.push back (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - refuse, reject, prevent; force back, repel, fight off.

33.divisive (adjective)

English Meaning - alienating/isolating, disharmonious, discordant.

34.partisan (adjective)

English Meaning - biased, prejudiced, one-sided.

35.law and order (phrase)

English Meaning - the passing of laws and their strict implementation by police and the courts; lawfulness, peacefulness, harmony, non-aggression, non-violence.

36.inflict (verb)

English Meaning - apply, enforce, exact, impose.

37.misery (noun)

English Meaning - pain, distress, suffering.

38.carry out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - implement, execute, discharge.

39.allegedly (adverb)

English Meaning - reportedly, supposedly, purportedly, ostensibly, apparently.

40.vicinity (noun)

English Meaning - surrounding area, locality, neighbourhood.

41.counsel (noun)

English Meaning - barrister, lawyer, legal practitioner.

42.contend (verb)

English Meaning - claim, assert, declare, state, argue, charge.

43.command (noun)

English Meaning - instruction, order, demand, insistence.

44.conflate (verb)

English Meaning - combine, abridge/summarize, shorten (too many information into one).

45.consequence (noun)

English Meaning - result, outcome, effect, reaction, repercussion, reverberations, ramification.

46.line (noun)

English Meaning - boundary, limit.

47.administrative (adjective)

English Meaning - official, procedural, governmental, ministerial.

48.of concern (phrase)

English Meaning - If something is of concern to someone, they find it upsetting/worrying & unsatisfactory.

49.on the one hand (phrase)

English Meaning - it is used to introduce the first of two contrasting different, points, facts, or ways of looking at something. It is always followed later by “on the other hand” or ‘on the other’.

50.unsubtle (adjective)

English Meaning - inconsiderate, unthinking, awkward.

51.insinuation (noun)

English Meaning - implication, hint/indication, suggestion.

52.foment (verb)

English Meaning - incite, provoke, agitate, instigate, cause.

53.Rohingya (noun)

English Meaning - an ethnic Muslim minority group, in western Myanmar (Burma).

54.render (verb)

English Meaning - make, cause to be, cause to become.

55.vulnerable (adjective)

English Meaning - in jeopardy, at risk, endangered, unsafe, unprotected, ill-protected, unguarded.