The attack on the house and properties of Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman in Agra by Karni Sena is a blatant act of lawlessness that must be condemned. The mob violence was triggered by Suman’s speech in Parliament on March 21, where he made a rhetorical remark questioning whether Rana Sangha should be considered a “traitor” for inviting Babur to defeat Ibrahim Lodhi.

Whether or not his historical interpretation was accurate, the right place to counter his arguments is Parliament, not through street violence and intimidation. Unfortunately, Karni Sena chief Mahipal Makrana escalated the situation by warning that what happened in Agra was just a “trailer” and that worse would follow if Suman did not apologise.

This is a direct threat to free speech and an attempt to silence elected representatives through fear. In a democracy, differences should be settled through debate, not violence.

The controversy over Rana Sangha’s role in history is a matter for historians, not mobs, to discuss. It is true that Babur referred to Rana Sangha as the “greatest Indian king” in his memoirs, the Baburnama, and that he received some proposals from the Rajput leader.

However, historians disagree on whether this makes Rana Sangha a traitor. What is beyond dispute is that Rana Sangha was a formidable ruler, with a kingdom stretching across Rajasthan, Haryana, parts of Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. He inflicted significant defeats on Ibrahim Lodhi, the last ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, before Babur ultimately won at Panipat with superior weaponry. These are academic debates, not justifications for violence.

Instead of condemning such violent tendencies, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has often added fuel to the fire. His recent statements about demolishing mosques allegedly built over temples and suggesting that Muslims can live only at the mercy of Hindus are deeply troubling.

Adityanath claims that no riots have occurred in UP under his leadership, implying that electing his party is the only way to maintain peace. This logic dangerously suggests that the mere presence of opposition parties leads to violence, ignoring the fact that law and order is the duty of the state, not a political weapon.

Groups like Karni Sena have repeatedly engaged in vigilante violence, from attacking filmmakers to targeting individuals over perceived insults to historical figures. Such caste-based militias must be disbanded. India is a constitutional democracy, not a feudal society, and the rule of law cannot be replaced by mob justice. If those in power encourage, tolerate, or fail to act against such groups, they risk undermining the very foundations of democracy. As the saying goes, if the fence starts eating the crop, where will all this end?