Yesterday Bengal, Today Kashmir: When Does Our Silence End?

The news hits you like a physical blow. First, the chilling reports from Bengal, a senseless eruption of violence that left innocent lives shattered. We mourned, we perhaps expressed our outrage online, and then… the slow creep of a numbing silence.

And now, the gut-wrenching news from Kashmir. Pahalgam, a place of serene beauty, now stained with the blood of those who sought nothing more than a peaceful vacation. Unarmed families, their dreams and savings culminating in a moment of respite, cut down by the cowardly hand of terror.

The questions claw at the inside. Why? Why this relentless targeting? Why this festering hatred that knows no bounds, respects no innocence?

Yesterday it was Bengal, the cries perhaps fading in the cacophony of daily life. Today, it’s Kashmir, the horror stark and immediate. But the underlying poison remains the same: a brutal disregard for human life, fueled by an ideology of hate and fear.

Where is the collective roar of outrage that should shake the very foundations of our nation? Where are the impassioned voices demanding accountability, demanding an end to this senseless bloodshed? The human rights activists, the champions of secularism – where is their unified condemnation that cuts through the noise?

Are we becoming desensitized? Are we so accustomed to these tragedies that they merely become another headline, another fleeting moment of sorrow before we move on with our day?

The silence that follows each act of terror is a dangerous breeding ground for more violence. It emboldens the perpetrators, making them believe that their actions will be met with nothing more than fleeting condemnation.

We ask ourselves, are we safe in our own country? From the valleys of Kashmir to the plains of Bengal, the shadow of fear looms large. The memories of Kashmiri Pandits forced from their homes decades ago resurface with a chilling resonance. Are we destined to repeat history, to stand by as more innocent lives are extinguished by the flames of hatred?

The time for polite outrage is over. The time for fleeting online activism is past. We need a collective awakening, a unified voice that screams “ENOUGH!”

It is a battle for humanity itself against the forces of darkness and terror. Let the silence break. Let the anger fuel a demand for decisive action. Let the memory of those lost in Bengal and Pahalgam ignite a fire in our hearts that will not be extinguished until the perpetrators are held accountable and the cycle of violence is broken.

India, it is time to find our voice. It is time to show those who sow terror that their hatred will not define us. Our unity, our collective strength, must be the resounding answer to their cowardly acts.

How much more blood will stain our land before we finally say, with one unwavering voice: NO MORE!