When the word humanity becomes meaningless

The kicking of a Rajasthani six-year-old boy at Thalassery by a 24-year-old Malayali youth while the boy was leaning on the man’s car has made the Malayali community lower its head in shame. The act has been extremely cruel and evil and has disturbed the consciousness of all.

Is the mind of the assaulter so hardened that he could kick a six-year-old boy? This is just one of the countless incidents where arrogant people behave in public spaces in this age. The accused was arrested only because there were many witnesses in the case and was caught on CCTV. Otherwise, this incident would not have been noticed. There are reports that the boy was harmed by someone else also.

What must be discussed here is not just the mental cruelty of the man who kicked the boy for just leaning on his car. The boy is from a poor Rajasthani family which travels through many parts of the country to make a living. The boy was leaning on the car and watching the scenes on the roadside while his parents were selling balloons when he was cruelly kicked by an angry man. The man could have asked the boy to move away from his car. Instead, the man in his twenties who kicked the boy and then drove the car away is a representative of a generation that has lost its humanity.

He said that he got angry because his family members were in the car. However, it is hard to understand how a six-year-old boy can be a threat to his family members. This incident at Thalassery is a reminder of the hatred and contempt of the rich towards the downtrodden and the have nots in society.

The innocent boy, who is in hospital now, is the victim of those boastful people who rides expensive cars and show arrogance towards others. How many drivers have been assaulted here for not giving way for those driving luxury cars? Many innocent lives have been lost here when their vehicles were hit by those engaging in races on public roads.

There are many who overspeed thinking that public spaces are owned by them. In some cases, fate have acted against such people. A rich businessman in Thrissur is now behind bars for killing a watchman for not opening the gate by ramming him against the wall with his car.

The police must not waste the opportunity to nab people like these who have lost their sense of humanity, love for their fellow humans, and public manners. This will be a deterrent to those who are prone to such actions. In the Thalassery incident the police at first were slow to take action and proceeded in their usual slackness. However, they were forced into action after the social media took up the issue.

The society must come forward to condemn any attack, however small, against innocent people and also be ready to point the finger at those who are responsible for it. Many in the state are being killed in political violence. Murders such as these are labelled in different names. Killings in any form is against humanity and our consciousness must be raised against it.