Inside the mind of a bandh agitator

Pic for representational purpose.

Raju Korti
As I retraced my steps to back home this morning stymied by the agitators seeking reservation for the Marathas, I exercised my mind on what goes into the minds of agent provocateurs during a bandh.
A bandh and the violence that follows are not a new phenomenon in this country. They are forced on people who do not subscribe to it, whatever the justification.
This blog is not about bandh per se, nor is it meant to sit in judgement on the politics of bandh. Enough has been written about bandhs and the way they paralyze public life. That is discounting the loss to life and property. I have done a bit of research on the agitator's psychology and these are the highest common factors that emerge out of it.
The bandhs usually get going after 9 in the morning. That is because agitators prefer to treat themselves to a sumptuous brunch before they set out for their purported objective. Sloganeering, throwing stones, looting, violence and arson require energy. The agitators cannot do that on an empty stomach.
The agitator satiates his hunger on two other fronts. One, violence being an effective way of ventilating grievance and two, the free run to vandalize and loot. Both are facilitated by the absence of law and order machinery because it is hopelessly outclassed by the sheer number of hooligans. The Police know that discretion is better than valor and prefer to be bystanders. The uniform is just no match and deterrent to mob fury.
Bigger the city, better the scope for the agitator's to showcase their histrionics. There are innovative ways of playing the "Victim Card". Tonsuring heads, standing in knee-deep waters, carrying earthen pots on heads, throwing away essential supplies like milk and vegetables, cornering officials in their cabins and abusing whoever comes in their path are some of these. I am inclined to believe the agitators hold brain-storming sessions on coming out with off beat ideas in disruption.
It is not just about coercing people to shut shops and close schools and colleges. Morning time is the best to stop people from commuting. So first target trains, buses, autos and cabs. The names are as potent as they can get: Rail Roko, Raasta Roko, Bus Roko and what have you. Once office-goers and students are prevented with all means of rampaging, half the battle is won. The other half can be used to proclaim that it was a peaceful bandh.
If you wonder why life limps back to normalcy by 4 pm, that's a no-brainer. The purpose of the bandh has been met with. Inadvertent blessings come from people allowed the pleasure of a holiday. They cannot be faulted if the situation was forced on them. Most important, the agitators are tired after a hard day's work. They need to go home, rest and exult over a job well done. No fear of being caught or punished. Better still if you are supported by a political party. So don't call it bandh. Say "Show of Strength" instead. For an agitator, it is a win-win situation.
What the bandh pirates conveniently ignore is if people owe allegiance to their point of view, they (the people) will consensually abide by that call. For the bandh protagonist, the argument that extra-constitutional and illegal methods are necessary in democracy for pressure groups and political parties to achieve political rights stand no ground.
Ask any agitator and he will give you this skewed and specious argument about bandh being a spontaneous expression of protest based on the fundamental freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. That's fine but what about the  freedom and fundamental rights of the people who don't sign up to it?