Protests in Mumbai and Chicago reflect how Indian and American ethos differ

Date: November 24, 2015.

Locations: Mumbai, India and Chicago, United States of America.

One day. Two protests. Two countries.

Contexts?

Hundreds took to the streets of Chicago on Tuesday night after police released a graphic dash camera video showing a white officer shooting a black teenager sixteen times in thirteen seconds. It was disturbing and difficult to watch.17-year-old Laquan MacDonald was killed last October. It has taken this long for an investigation and a subsequent first degree murder charge for the officer Jason Van Dyke, 37, who is being held without bond. Van Dyke is a father of two children, aged 14 and 9. His attorney says his actions are justified and he followed protocol.

Even before the judge ordered the release of the seven-minute video, which captured the last moments of the teen's life, Chicago had been preparing for the protests.

And it happened. Protestors formed human chains and chanted "16 times", and "We Got to Fight Back," referring to the 16 gunshots.

Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police superintendent Gary McCarthy both appealed for peace but acknowledged that "the residents have a right to be angry".

"People have a right to be angry, people have a right to protest, people have a right to free speech," McCarthy told the media.

"But they do not have a right to commit criminal acts."

McCarthy is referring to criminals acts of destruction of public property that had occurred earlier in the year in Ferguson, when another black teenager was shot by another white officer. Protestors hurled bricks through police cars and buildings. They were arrested and charged in those crimes, as is appropriate.

There are many unanswered questions in the MacDonald case. He was "armed with a three-inch knife" and an autopsy revealed that he had PCP in his system. (PCP is a dangerous drug. Its medical name is Phencyclide and on the streets it is called "Angel Dust").

Residents of Chicago feel betrayed, enraged and angry at the tragic ending of a young man's life at the hands of a law enforcement officer, who is supposed to have the highest moral and ethical standards in guarding and protecting the community.

Activists have blasted the police. The media kept on hammering the authorities, even filing a law suit to get the video released.

And now the truth is out, the protestors came out in full force. They came out because they demand answers. They want better lives. They exercised their right to protest.

The protestors in America are out this evening because they are asking hard questions: It's all about rights. Serious, important rights. The right to live, the right to be free and the right to challenge the government when a wrong has been done. (While I write this, I checked the news to see if the protests were still peaceful, they were).

How about the protestors in Mumbai today? They were outside the home of a movie star because he voiced his concerns that India is becoming "increasingly intolerant".

While protestors in Chicago are saddened and outraged at the death of a young man and are standing in the cold asking their government for accountability, the protestors in Mumbai are entertaining themselves by smearing black ink on Aamir Khan's posters and burning them.

While Chicago police promise arrests and charges in the case of the protestors who break the laws, the Indian government turns a blind eye to the unruly mob, almost as if they are granting their approval.

Which is the better country? Who is fighting for the issues that really matter? Who has the people's interests at heart? Who is pushing their government's agenda?

There is inequality, injustice, discrimination, unfairness and flaws in all countries. What distinguishes them, what unites them and ultimately makes them succeed, are the people.

The people choose what is important and their actions make their countries what they finally become.

America has accepted that black males are treated harsher than white males are. They are working towards fixing it.

India insists it is a "tolerant" country but proves every time that it is the opposite. Let's clear this once and for all: if you attack someone who expresses an opinion that is different from yours, you are not tolerant. Period.

And as I am an Indian reporter who lives and writes from America, I would like to clear up some really screwed up notions you have about us.

When non-resident Indians agree with the Bharatiya Janata Party, we are very patriotic. When we don't, we are anti-national. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is given a rock star welcome by Indians worldwide and he tells us that he understands why we are "ashamed" of being Indians and he promises to fix all that.

But when a high profile Indian says that he and his wife are worried for their child's future, he is attacked, mocked, endlessly abused on social media and by protestors, some of whom are BJP supporters, the media reports allege.

What is the message that both countries send out? You can be rich, you can be successful but you just can't question the government.

In America, the people don't agree with that. Perhaps, that's why this is a progressive, liberal country. And India is stuck in a backward, regressive mode.