Expressing anguish over recent communal violence, President Pranab Mukherjee today said religion should never become an instrument for propagation of hatred and violence against believers of different faiths.
Delivering the 7th Vidyasagar Memorial Lecture at the Vidyasagar University here, he termed the incidents of gangrapes and killing of women and children in the recent communal clashes as a "sad spectacle" and asserted that "no society which ill-treats women and girl children can consider itself civilised".
"At a time when our country is witnessing the sad spectacle of people including women and children being killed in communal clashes, the life of Pandit Vidyasagar teaches us that religion should never become an instrument for propagation of hatred and violence against believers of different faiths," the President said.
In a strong message against violence and discrimination faced by women, he said that "simple solutions" like angry criticism of the government when such incidents occur would not lead to a solution to the problem and stressed on the need to introspect "on the sad decline in our moral values"
There was an "urgent need for new and widespread public mobilisation aimed at gender sensitisation. We need to introspect on the sad decline in our moral values and reflect on how we can reset our moral compass," he said.
He asked the teaching community to inculcate among students the values of sincerity of purpose, honesty, integrity and respect for life and women, for which Vidyasagar stood for.
"I am sorry to say that our society is lacking now in this regard (respecting women). This situation cannot be changed unless the society asserts itself," he said, adding that legislations for protection of women would become effective only if they were supported by efficient enforcement mechanisms.
He sought pro-active intervention in these areas by the society at large, as only government efforts and legislations alone cannot eliminate these evils.
"Reforms in police and judiciary need to be taken up on a continuing basis and in all earnest so that women get fair and prompt justice. These measures should be further backed by efforts aimed at empowerment of women and improvement of their health, education and employment opportunities," he said.
