Introduction:
The current crisis of novel coronavirus has created havoc all over the world. This virus strikes beyond manmade distinctions of religion, race, and region. The world has been busy drawing distinctions and waging wars over ‘us vs. them’. But we suddenly realize that in the face of a grave mortal threat like the present one, we have but one identity we are human beings. Interdependence is also something we tend to overlook in normal times. Nature is reminding us to acknowledge, with humility, our quintessential equality, and interdependence. It will not be the same hereafter in the world. The world is now in a period of recession.
The world economy is slowing down rapidly. But there are instances of injustice all over the world. There are several flaws in the policies. There are crimes committed besides this novel coronavirus is creating hell. So, the people are protesting as they have their fundamental right of right to protest. Here anarchy is something that relates to the present situation. We have a situation to stop the spreading of coronavirus on another hand we have incidents of injustice where people are protesting all over the world.
Pandemic: Anarchy and Democracy
Anarchy and the pandemic are related to each other in today’s scenario. In India, separation of powers between executive and parliament had already dwindled with the decimation of all opposition. Prime Minister Modi announced a nationwide lockdown without even having a discussion on it in Parliament, which was in session till just the previous day. Nor did he consult the chief ministers of states, thus giving ‘cooperative federalism’ a go-by. Chief Justice of India S A Bobde gave a statement, “In times of crisis, three organs of government should act in harmony”. The executive has never been so cozy with the judiciary as now[1]. It’s not about the protests.
We all have some problem in which we have to fight individually. As we can take the domestic violence. But in this pandemic, we can’t go anywhere to complain because of the lockdown restrictions and if we complain also we have to live in our homes with the same abuser. The government is failing as it is infectious disease. We can’t come in contact. Also we don’t even know who corona positive patient is. We have to live with this same abuse and hindrance. So, we can’t protest in this situation. In this situation, it is hard to protest physically.
The government can open online forums and if there are any kinds of such issues we can protest virtually. the government has failed in several ways. Who will be made accountable for the cost of the lives of laborers and all sufferers which took place in this anarchy system during the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a curveball to not just epidemiologists but democracies as well. The board apprehended that the pandemic may enable and tempt democratically elected leaders to become autocrats and dictators under the garb of “emergency powers”. Even though democracy has been on the decline globally for some time now, the public health crisis has hastened the transition to autocracy, and there are serious doubts about the capacity of countries to effect a course correction once the threat from the virus abates. The declaration of emergency is not problematic, the prevailing situation demands such extreme measures. The worrisome aspect is the unchecked power it bestows on the head of government, which allows her/him to push forward a repressive agenda against dissenting voices and erode democratic processes that aim to hold them accountable.
The biggest casualty of this concentration of power is human rights: citizens overnight are converted into “subjects” and compelled to surrender their rights in the name of the larger public good. A similar pattern is being followed right now by vulnerable countries that have shelved the fundamental principles of democracy. In the name of controlling the spread of the pandemic, countries like Hungary are tampering with the right to freedom of expression with jail terms of up to five years. Also, countries are finding an opportunity to curb protests and dissent. For example, Chile, where mass protests were rampant, has army patrolling the streets due to “emergency”.
Right to Protest
Protests play an important role in the political, economic, and social life of the society. These are inspired by positive social change and improved protection of human rights. It enable individuals to express their views and opinions to express flaws in the governance of the state. It is the voice of the people and it should be heard by those in power and decisions should be taken after that.
The right to protest is the individuals exercise of existing and universally recognized human rights. It also includes the right to freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, and the right to take part in public affairs. The right to peaceful protest is enshrined in the constitution of India, in Article 19. In art. 19(a), all citizens have the right to freedom of speech and expression and in Art.19(b), right to assemble peaceably and without arms. In the case of Ramlila Maidan Incident v. Home Secretary, Union of India & Ors[2], it was stated that “Citizens have a fundamental right to assembly and peaceful protest which cannot be taken away by an arbitrary executive or legislative action.” Governments across the world treat protestors as a problem for them.
Protests in Present Scenario
Protests are a powerful tool for enacting change in the world. After the George Floyd case in Minneapolis, there is a protest going on all over the world. The #Black Lives Matter. Some people strongly support that racism and police violence is against the society, and they must at least go out and let the public know about this injustice in the pandemic. One person in protests in America said that I’m African American, and so to me, the risk of being shot and killed by a police officer may, in some communities, be much higher than the risk of getting Covid-19 and dying[3]. Some are calling it a public health crisis. Imposing curfew and nationwide lockdown have snatched the right to protest.
In present scenario pillars of the global order are in a state of full or partial lockdown, unable even with advanced technologies and proficient health care systems to protect their populations. Protestors are grappling with COVID 19 which has killed almost more than 400 K. We must take care. This is fuelling concerns that protests could turn into “super-spreading” events, which occur when dozens of people are infected at a single gathering. We even don’t know who is suffering from this disease.
But governments have also issued guidelines regarding these. If one of the protestors is infect by the disease, the protests will cause an increase in COVID-19 cases. But for many people protesting, the cause they’re fighting for feels too urgent to wait until it’s completely safe to gather in large groups. That’s why strategies to reduce the spread of the coronavirus are crucial for protestors, especially those who live with high-risk individuals.
Some experts fear that so many large groups meeting so soon after lockdown could be a catastrophic setback for controlling COVID-19. As NBC News medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar explained on TODAY this week, “What we’ve known about this virus is it does like to circulate and will be transmitted in big crowded areas[4].
Conclusion
The novel coronavirus has disrupted the world economy and has killed many people all over the world. On the other side we problems of protest- anarchy- coronavirus. The governments are unable to control this epidemic. Prime Minister of India alone decided lockdown, is this anarchy in the country. State governments are failing. We are unable to efficiently exercise laws as we don’t have many laws at this point of time for public order. As we don’t have laws, we can’t maintain a stable community. And talking about the issue of protests. People are under stress due to lockdown; everyone has their problems. There is domestic violence now also.
People can’t go out to report the crime. The government must take some initiative to make some arrangements where people can express their problems. They should come up with an online forum. People have their fundamental right of right to protest. The justice should be provide to the people who have suffer. Peoples health should be a priority. As it is also mentioning in the constitution. Everyone should take care and safety measures.
References:
[1] https://thewire.in/government/coronavirus-pandemic-autocracy
[2] SUO MOTU WRIT PETITION (CRL.) NO. 122 OF 2011
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/04/is-it-safe-to-protest-during-a-pandemic-experts-answer-our-questions
[4] https://www.today.com/health/coronavirus-protest-how-keep-high-risk-family-members-safe-t183375
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