[sacw] SACW #2 | 31 May 02 [Gujarat]

Harsh Kapoor aiindex@mnet.fr
Fri, 31 May 2002 03:32:18 +0100


South Asia Citizens Wire Dispatch #2 | 31 May 2002
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

All are Invited to visit the Updated web pages of South Asians Against Nuke=
s:
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/NoNukes.html
__________________________

#1. Racism, Religion and Communalism
The future orientation of British Asian life is at stake as this=20
unholy alliance spreads its malaise.
(Arun Kundnani)
#2.Gujarat Carnage - the NRI perspective (Gautam Appa)
#3. Misplaced jingoism (Rajeev Dhavan)
#4. Investigation as collusion - I (Brinda Karat & Subhashini Ali)
#5. Justice for Gujarat victims must be top of national agenda to=20
strengthen democracy: War clouds must not be allowed to hide communal=20
conspiracy (Statement by All India Christian Council)
#6. Whither Democracy (S. RAJAN.)
#7. Police retract permission for the National Convention in Bombay on Guja=
rat

__________________________

#1.

Outlook Magazine (India)
May 30, 2002

POST 911 BRITAIN
Racism, Religion and Communalism
The future orientation of British Asian life is at stake as this=20
unholy alliance spreads its malaise.
ARUN KUNDNANI
Communal tensions in British South Asian communities are on the rise.=20
Conflict between Sikh and Muslim youths and Hindu and Muslim is=20
becoming a more common occurrence in Asian areas.
Religious fanaticism - of the kind that promotes hostility toward=20
others - holds a grip on a small but increasing number.
Funding Hindutva terror?

And the tensions on Britain's streets are increasingly tied to events=20
abroad, not least the US-led 'war on terrorism'.

In the northern town of Bradford, early last year, violence flared up=20
between Hindu and Muslim communities. And last October in Derby, a=20
15-year-old Hindu girl was hospitalised following an argument about=20
the events of September 11. Tensions were already high in the town=20
following the distribution of an anti-Sikh leaflet, credited to the=20
non-existent group 'Real Khilafah'.

There are less violent signs too. In January, Sunrise Radio -=20
Britain's 'leading Asian radio station' - took the bizarre step of=20
banning the word 'Asian'. This was the culmination of a long campaign=20
by groups such as the UK branch of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad that=20
want to dissociate themselves from Muslims in the public mind by=20
dropping the secular term 'Asian' (which has long been the standard=20
description for those who have a heritage in India, Pakistan,=20
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka). Although the term has always been=20
problem-atic, this campaign is premised on the idea that racist=20
whites could be persuaded to exclude Hindus and Sikhs from their=20
hatred and instead focus just on Muslims. [...].

[Full Text at:=20
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=3D20020530&fname=3Duk&sid=3D1 =
]

_____

#2.

Gujarat Carnage - the NRI perspective
By Gautam Appa, London School of Economics

At least two families of Gujarati Muslim NRIs have lost family=20
members in the carnage. A families-centred campaign is being planned=20
on the same basis as the highly successful campaign to bring the=20
racist murderers of Steven Lawrence to justice. Steven, a black=20
Briton whose parents migrated to Britain from Jamaica, bled to death=20
on a London footpath after being stabbed repeatedly by four racist,=20
white youths. The police arrived too late and did too little to catch=20
the criminals, preferring to see the murder as a drug related black=20
on black attack. The campaign spanning over six years did not succeed=20
in putting the murderers behind bars but it did cause the Daily Mail,=20
a popular tabloid paper well known for its racist stance, to print=20
their photos on the front page under the heading 'MURDERERS'. It also=20
led to the state accepting the existence of institutional racism and=20
changed the way the police handles race hate violence. Its impact was=20
equivalent to the Gujarati daily Sandesh calling Modi a mass murderer=20
and the police in Gujarat being forced to register FIRs when any=20
member of the minority community complains of an incidence of=20
communal violence.
Contrary to what was reported in the Indian press, the families have=20
not decided on their course of action yet. While bringing a case=20
under the Human Rights legislation is an obvious option, others are=20
being considered that may prove to be even more embarrassing to the=20
BJP governments in Gujarat and at the centre. Plans are also in hand=20
to bring about actions from NRIs in Canada as well as the US.
It is important to note that Muslims are only a small minority in=20
Awaaz - South Asia Watch, the newly formed coalition of NRIs involved=20
in these impending actions. All of us - Dalits, Jains, Sikhs,=20
Christians, Muslims and Hindus, many from Gujarat - share a common=20
dream. We want India to be a country of such ample opportunities for=20
all its citizens that none would need to become an NRI merely to=20
improve his/her lot. What has happened in Gujarat shatters our dream.=20
We are fired up to act now to save today's Gujarat becoming the=20
harbinger of tomorrow's India.
Having seen the reports of the National Human Rights Commission, the=20
Citizen's Initiative sponsored women's panel and the latest interim=20
report by the Concerned Citizens' Tribunal, we are very clear that=20
what went on for three days since the riot at the Godhra station on=20
the 27th of February was a state sponsored massacre of Muslims. We=20
understand what Narendra Modi meant when he claimed that he ended the=20
violence in 72 hours. He only gave total immunity from police or army=20
intervention to the marauding bigots for 72 hours. But violence did=20
not end then. A majority of the 1.1 lakh people, reported by the=20
Gujarat government to be in the 99 relief camps, did not arrive there=20
in 72 hours. We know from personal visits and published materials=20
that although there are Hindu and Muslim relief camps, there is a=20
quantitative and qualitative difference. More than 90% of the relief=20
camps are for Muslims. On a personal visit to the Hindu relief camp=20
at Kankaria School 7 and 8 - the one visited by Vajpyee, Fernadez and=20
Modi - I found that only one person there had received a personal=20
injury, no one had lost a relative in the violence and more than half=20
of them went home at night to sleep in their own beds. In contrast,=20
at the Shah Alam relief camp for Muslims, I met women who had been=20
gang raped, children with deep skin burns and orphans who had seen=20
their parents burnt alive.
Gujarat has seen communal carnage before, but not on this=20
scale. It is clear that there are three important interrelated=20
reasons - partisan policing, misinformation by the two main Gujarati=20
dailies, Sandesh and Gujarat Samachar, and above all, a misuse of=20
political power. There is no denying that in the short run the bigots=20
in the Parivar have won in Gujarat. During BJP's second term of=20
office Bajrang Dal has recruited among Dalits and Adivasis,=20
Christians have been terrorised and Muslims massacred, and the hard=20
Hindutva streak has replaced the unthinking support of the soft=20
Hindutva line. I shall never forget Vibha, an Ahmedabadi Jain=20
relative, who is a devout follower of Mahavir's philosophy of Ahimsa,=20
saying to me during my recent visit: 'they should all be killed, only=20
then we would have peace'.
Here in Britain the VHP (UK) and the HSS (the word Rashtriya=20
is replaced by the word Hindu in the international organisation of=20
the RSS) have a strong organisational base among Gujaratis from East=20
Africa. Like its counterpart in India VHP (UK) fronts many=20
organisations. Management committees of many Gujarati temples include=20
one or two VHP members. There is overlapping membership of the VHP=20
(UK) and local government-funded centres purporting to cover=20
innocuous sounding cultural activities such as language or yoga=20
classes and prayer groups. A key aspiration of all these front=20
organisations is to work as a bulwark for the promotion of the goals=20
of the VHP and the RSS in India, including the nefarious goal of=20
Muslim-bashing. I have seen their information sheets for members=20
detailing how much money each local government administration spends=20
on Muslim as opposed to Hindu organisations. Recent reports suggest=20
that the extreme racist British National Party has approached them=20
for joint work against Muslims, their common enemy.
The contribution of these British organisations to the work of the=20
Sangh Parivar in India in terms of propaganda and fund raising is not=20
insignificant. Prior to the demolition of the Babri mosque, they had=20
collected 150,000 signatures and vast sums of money for the Ram=20
temple. According to the charity commissioner's records, the two main=20
charities associated with VHP (UK) and the HSS had collected nearly=20
one million pounds in the last financial year. It is common knowledge=20
that a large chunk of the overt and covert collection ends up in=20
India in the hands of the Sangh Parivar.
What can be done in this desperate situation? A model is provided in=20
Britain by the anti-Nazi league which uses moles to monitor every=20
move that the British National Party makes, opposes every=20
demonstration it organises, carries out counter propaganda, combats=20
it in the streets and fights it every inch of the way. This is in=20
contrast to the reactive strategy followed by the NRIs in the West.=20
Thus, after the demolition of the Babri mosque an Alliance against=20
Communalism was formed in Britain. It brought together leftists,=20
women's groups, Gandhians, Ambedkarites, Buddhists, non-sectarian=20
Hindus and Muslims in combating the propaganda put out by the VHP and=20
the HSS. Once the non-sectarian majority became active, it was an=20
easy job to meet the challenge of the local VHP which tried to=20
disrupt a play by Habib Tanvir which, they alleged, was anti-Brahmin.=20
In spite of their hate leaflets and token demonstration outside the=20
venue, the play went ahead in Leicester in September 1993. A similar=20
determined effort in New York last week blew away an attempt by the=20
local chapter of the VHP to disrupt a play based on the United=20
Nations official Sashi Tharoor's novel, 'Riot', starring Madhur=20
Jaffrey and Shabhana Azmi.
But what is needed is a permanent challenge to the Parivar's=20
activities. The Gujarat carnage has provided a new impetus.=20
Organisations of NRIs are springing up in Canada, US and Britain to=20
meet the sectarian challenge. Advertisements will go out in all three=20
countries to find NRIs who have suffered in Gujarat and those with=20
information about the perpetrators. A co-ordinated campaign on behalf=20
of the victims' families will demand direct involvement of the=20
respective governments for its affected citizens. The charitable=20
status of Parivar-related charities will be queried. Joint=20
performances of Hindu and Muslim artists will be staged. The=20
arrogation of the mantle of sole representatives of Hindus by the VHP=20
will be contested. Wars with Pakistan may come and go but the days of=20
the non-sectarian majority of NRIs remaining silent while the handful=20
of bigots besmirch the name of Hinduism are over.

_____

#3.

The Hindu, May 31, 2002
Opinion - Leader Page Articles

Misplaced jingoism
By Rajeev Dhavan

There cannot be a policy of communalism in Gujarat and secularism in=20
Kashmir... India must be dedicated to a secular peace.

INDIA IS on the brink of a war. The situation is unprecedented and is=20
totally different from fighting infiltration in 1947-48 or the ground=20
and air strikes of 1965 or the controlled operation of the Bangladesh=20
war. Nor is it a cross-border skirmish like the Kargil war. These=20
take place all the time. Fire is returned by fire. It is suggested=20
India should go further because - to borrow Grotius' phrase - it is=20
waging a `just' war. But, to fight an anti-terrorist war entails=20
strikes on major terrorist bases as the United States id in=20
Afghanistan - to be followed through by ground operations more=20
complicated than America's in Afghanistan and, apart from the nuclear=20
threat, more frightening than Vietnam. All this is misplaced jingoism=20
portending terrible risks and consequences.

The BJP-led Government at the Centre cannot support a Hindu jehad in=20
Gujarat and fight a secular war in Kashmir. Today, India is being=20
savagely criticised for growing communal tendencies. These criticisms=20
cannot be ignored and are not without relevance to the terrorist war=20
which Pakistan has supportively unleashed on India. We cannot shrug=20
off the indictments as being biased international reports. A very=20
serious issue was raised by British courts in the Nadeem extradition=20
case as to whether a Muslim could get a fair trial in India. I do not=20
believe the judgment is correct. But, I have seen the expert human=20
rights evidence. There was enough material to string together and=20
make out a case that communalism was on the rise. The misuse of TADA=20
against Muslims adds support to the allegations against the system.=20
Although I believe that our courts are not communal, things are=20
basically going wrong with secular governance in India. Now, Amnesty=20
International has raised the basic question about whether Muslims can=20
expect a fair deal in India. This comes close on the heels of=20
justified concern about Gujarat by the European Union, various=20
countries including Indonesia, Human Rights Watch and others. These=20
concerns are replicated by the National Human Rights Commission=20
(NHRC), the independent fact-finding mission called "Gujarat Carnage=20
2002: A Report to the Nation" (April 2002), the CPI(M)-AIDWA report=20
"State-sponsored carnage in Gujarat" (March 2002) and a detailed=20
summation of the decimation of the lives, finances and futures of=20
Muslims in Gujarat by Communalism Combat (March-April 2002). It needs=20
no repetition that the BJP did nothing against Narendra Modi, the=20
Chief Minister whose Government is rightly guilty of complicity and=20
misrule. What was supported in Gujarat was a politically-motivated=20
and protected Hindu jehad especially invented to excite political=20
support. It is necessary to repeat this in order to understand where=20
the two trajectories of Gujarat and Kashmir meet. Following the=20
post-Babri Masjid riots (1992) and with the Graham Staines murder has=20
begun a conspirational support for communal violence and communal=20
issues. Let us see how the trajectories proceed. From January 2001,=20
the Ayodhya temple issue was raised. The Government allowed the=20
movement to grow despite warnings throughout the year and culminated=20
in the crisis of March 2002 when the Government specifically=20
supported the foundation ceremony. It is during this period - and=20
especially after the September 11 attack in New York - that=20
Pakistan-supported terrorism seized on the opportunity to attack our=20
Parliament, target the Srinagar Assembly, slaughter innocents in=20
Jammu and increase cross-border terrorism to a high intensity `war'=20
operation resulting in events leading to the murder of politicians=20
such as Abdul Gani Lone.

The analysis that this is a spillover of the Afghan situation=20
resulting from a surplus of available mercenaries is idle and=20
misleading. Nor is there any great home truth in dramatising the fact=20
that a desperate Pervez Musharraf is trying to revive his political=20
standing through aggression and war. All these factors exist, but=20
they evade the real issue. Concerted efforts at triggering terrorist=20
wars do not emerge by accident. They are planned. Pakistan and the=20
hardliners in Kashmir have seized precisely on this political moment,=20
when charges of communalism are high, to unleash what they now call a=20
`just' war. We need not go back to the definitions of international=20
law to define what constitutes a `just' war, why the Bangladesh war=20
was one of liberation and why the Kashmir conflict relates to=20
terrorism. All that only raises debating points. The real issues=20
stare us in the face. India is not a communal country. Nor are its=20
huge millions communal people. But, the incidents of the last few=20
years, culminating and continuing in Gujarat, leave the world baffled=20
and compel it to ask the question asked by English courts, foreign=20
Governments and others: "Can India in the light of the recent past=20
give a fair deal to its minorities - especially Muslims?'' This=20
question becomes more poignant because of the sins of omission and=20
commission of the BJP-led alliance.

Now, let us return to the war situation in Pakistan. Does India have=20
a comprehensive strategy to deal with this war? There are three=20
strands to this strategy. First is the diplomatic initiative. India's=20
stand is to ride on America's post-September 11 anti-terrorist plan=20
and to ask the U.S. and NATO to be even-handed against terrorism=20
irrespective of whether it relates to Kashmir or Afghanistan. This=20
strategy has to be pursued on sound common sense-based Kautilyan=20
principles. But, there are political catches in all this which go=20
back to the fundamental indictments that the European Union itself=20
has made about communalism in India. Second, there is the military=20
strategy as to whether India should make a cross-border strike as=20
Islamabad increases bases and training camps in Pakistan-occupied=20
Kashmir (PoK) as also in Pakistan itself. The total Pakistan=20
operation is large and elaborate. But, we are not talking of=20
cross-border skirmishes. Assuming that it is desirable - and, it is=20
not - is India really in a position to mount an operation which would=20
have to be as big as the Gulf War or the recent U.S.-led operation in=20
Afghanistan? We do not have the military or economic resources to=20
mount such an operation involving air strikes, ground and commando=20
operations. Whether the attack is on the six training camps in PoK or=20
the eight training bases in Pakistan, a full retaliation can be=20
expected in which many foolish things can happen. The very idea of=20
going beyond non-escalatory cross-border skirmishes is unthinkable -=20
logistically or otherwise.

But, there is a third aspect to the strategy which goes to the heart=20
of India's case. It is a simple statement that we are the most=20
complex and the greatest multi-cultural country in the world and that=20
no doubts can be cast on the integrity on Indian secularism. Our=20
entire case on Kashmir, whether with Pakistan or the rest of the=20
world, rests on the principles of anti-communalism, which draw India=20
to peace and togetherness. Our present Government cannot promote=20
misplaced jingoism whilst underlining support for rabid communalism.=20
Nor can it isolate issues of war as if they are not inter-connected=20
with issues of peace. There cannot be a policy of communalism in=20
Gujarat and secularism in Kashmir. This is an explosive cocktail.=20
India must be dedicated to a secular peace. This can only be done=20
without compromising on any issue.

_____

#4.

The Hindu, May 31, 2002
Opinion - Leader Page Articles

Investigation as collusion - I

By Brinda Karat & Subhashini Ali

The National Commission of Women gives little importance to the most=20
disturbing dimension of the Gujarat violence - the targeting of=20
Muslim women and children.

VASUDHA DHAGAMVAR'S two-part article in The Hindu (May 22 and 23) is=20
concerned less with the conditions of the women in the Gujarat camps=20
than with a justification of why the NCW (National Commission of=20
Women) brought out, two months after the violence, a report that does=20
a whitewash job on the state-sponsored carnage. The NCW had already=20
compromised its autonomous character by its deafening silence on=20
Gujarat and later by its statement that the "reports of sexual=20
violence against women in Gujarat were highly exaggerated". This=20
prompted women's organisations in Jaipur, where the statement was=20
made, to protest strongly. If one was concerned with not becoming a=20
sarkari voice, those who agreed to be part of the NCW team should at=20
the very least have extracted a public assurance that the team would=20
be free to exercise its constitutional mandate to interrogate the=20
role of the State Government and official agencies in the continuing=20
violence. Yet, Ms. Dhagamvar says, "we (the members of the committee)=20
had decided that the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, was not our=20
direct concern". This one sentence negates the hard struggle of=20
women's organisations to ensure that the NCW mandate included its=20
power as a watchdog body to look into all cases of dereliction of=20
duty in implementing and defending the provisions of the Constitution=20
by any Government or official agency. Gujarat was and is surely the=20
most appropriate case for the assertion of such power as is vested in=20
the NCW.

In the second part of her article, Ms. Dhagamvar writes: "The report=20
has condemned the police for their role. It is a fact of politics=20
that the police are the bonded servants of the politicians,=20
especially of the Government. We had collected no direct evidence of=20
the Government's complicity, but we could perhaps have stated this=20
inference. What we could have said with certainty was that no=20
Government that could not control the riots in 72 days had any=20
business to be in office. After all, the anti-Sikh riots were quelled=20
in four days. To that extent the report is wanting.''

If she and the rest of the team had tried to find out why the=20
violence was continuing even after 72 days they would have had to=20
"directly concern" themselves with Mr. Modi. It is not because there=20
was no evidence against the State Government available, but because=20
the team deliberately - and by its own admission - did not seek it.

It is precisely because of this decision that the team could not hear=20
what the women in the camps were saying. They could not, for=20
instance, hear what the traumatised and terrorised survivors of the=20
Narodia Patia massacre, now in the Shah Alam camp, said about the=20
complicity of BJP leaders in the terrible massacre, the burnings and=20
killings and rapes of women. They could not hear what the women in=20
the Bapunagar area said about the role of the Home Minister, who also=20
happens to be an office-bearer of the VHP, and his brother. They=20
could not hear the weeping of the women in Juhapura who described and=20
named the VHP and Bajrang Dal leaders who led the mobs that killed=20
and maimed their loved ones. In camp after camp the women are=20
speaking, naming names. But the NCW report does not so much as=20
mention the identity of the criminals identified by the women as=20
being responsible for the violence.

There are many women, more so in the rural camps, who have been=20
victims of sexual assault. The police have refused to file FIRs in=20
cases of rape. Thus, volunteers from women's organisations are having=20
to document the testimonies that are essential if justice is to be=20
done and criminals are to be punished. This should have been the job=20
of the NCW. Instead, shockingly, it gives little importance to the=20
most disturbing dimension of the Gujarat violence - the targeting of=20
Muslim women and children, including cases of sexual assault. Ms.=20
Dhagamvar says the report did not include descriptions of atrocities=20
because these had been recorded by so many other reports. Would that=20
mean then that the NCW accepts that the atrocities have taken place=20
and that the reports are not exaggerated? Ms. Dhagamvar writes that=20
the team met only three such victims. Is it a coincidence that the=20
number of FIRs of rape victims that the Gujarat police have deigned=20
to record is just three? Did the NCW team rely on the police to get=20
information of rape victims?

The NCW team visited the Godhra camp. In that camp is a young women=20
who had been gang raped. Six other women family members with her had=20
also been raped. But she is the only one who survived to tell her=20
story. Hers is a case in which an FIR has been filed because her=20
medical report corroborated her statement. There is a group case=20
filed of the murder of the other women with her that does not mention=20
rape. The police logic of not including rape charges is that the=20
aggressors are being charged for a bigger crime of murder. This is a=20
way to conceal the savagery and bestiality of the criminals.

The defence being peddled of the Gujarat carnage as being a=20
"spontaneous reaction after Godhra" would hold little credibility if=20
it is accepted that in a large number of cases where women were burnt=20
or killed they were first subjected to sexual violence. The NCW team=20
must have met the young woman in question. Did they then use their=20
powers to find out from the police why charges of rape in the other=20
cases had not been filed? Unlikely. Ms. Dhagamvar says: "That every=20
woman who had been raped was also killed seems a little difficult to=20
accept." This is not only misleading, since no one has said that=20
every woman who was raped was killed, but also underlines the=20
dishonesty of the earlier defence that the NCW report does not=20
mention atrocities since other reports have done so. Going by this=20
insensitive statement it is clear that the silence of the NCW is=20
because it prefers to accept the official position of discounting the=20
testimonies, some extremely detailed, of the survivors.

While expressing sympathy with the suffering of the women in the=20
camps, Ms. Dhagamvar blames the NGOs for viewing the camps as a=20
permanent feature instead of trying to find alternatives for the=20
women, particularly those who have been widowed. At no point are we=20
told that the camps in Gujarat are not being run by the State=20
Government (except for three or four camps that house Dalit families=20
in Ahmedabad). This is unlike the camps established for Kashmiri=20
migrants in Jammu and Delhi or at other places for victims of=20
communal violence, where camps are established and maintained by=20
State and Central Governments. This is the very least that=20
Governments can do for those whom they have failed to protect from=20
violent attacks. Amenities such as water, toilets, sanitation, health=20
and food are also provided by the Governments concerned. Gujarat,=20
however, tells a different story. Camps that house more than one lakh=20
Muslims are run by members of their already battered community. The=20
Government has been providing, most sporadically, inadequate=20
quantities of grain, monetary assistance and water. Most of the camps=20
have not even been provided with latrines by the State Government.=20
While Ms. Dhagamwar does describe the conditions of women who are=20
giving birth to babies in the camps, she does not tell us that, in=20
fact, there are no women doctors visiting the camps. The Government=20
has made no effort at all to treat the large numbers of mutilated,=20
burnt, sick and pregnant women there.

_____

#5.

ALL INDIA CHRISTIAN COUNCIL
President Dr Joseph D Souza Secretary General Dr John Dayal

PRESS STATEMENT
Bhubaneswar, 29th May 2002

Justice for Gujarat victims must be top of national agenda to=20
strengthen democracy: War clouds must not be allowed to hide communal=20
conspiracy

Christian Council demands repeal of Orissa black laws against religious fre=
edom

(Statement by All India Christian Council Secretary General Dr. John=20
Dayal on behalf of the All India Christian Council at the end of the=20
two day session of the Orissa chapter of the Council which concluded=20
in Cuttak today. More than 300 members, including Catholic Bishop=20
Lukos Kerketta, leaders of various denominations, pastors, women=20
leaders and expert attended the chapter meeting on 28th and 29th May=20
2002, which was addressed, among others, by Council public affairs=20
secretary Sam Paul, Andhra leader Dr. Vijay Kumar and Orissa chapter=20
head Dr. Joab Mahallik. Orissa State chief election officer Mr. L=20
Kindo and Dalit leader Udit Raj delivered the keynote and inaugural=20
addresses. Rev P. Parichha co-ordinated the meeting which discussed=20
he current situation in the country and the state with special=20
reference to OFRA and the developments following the carnage in=20
Gujarat.)

Three months after the Sangh Parivar let loose a frenzy of well=20
planned and executed violence against the Muslim community in=20
Gujarat, the killers and their abettors remain scot-free. The Godhra=20
incident in which 58 innocent persons were burnt to death has been=20
rightly, and strongly, condemned by every group in India, and more so=20
by the minorities. But Chief minister Narendra Modi, held widely to=20
be the mastermind of the pogrom, has been endorsed by the Central=20
government, justifying the brutalisation of the minority community.=20
Modi must be sacked. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee must send=20
out a strong message to communal forces that the nation will not=20
tolerate their conspiracy to divide India and shatter its secular=20
polity. Such action, in fact, will also prove to the world that India=20
is capable of correcting such social aberrations, in keeping with its=20
international commitments on human rights and religious freedom.

The jingoism of war has for the moment shifted focus away from=20
Gujarat. India's territorial integrity is sacrosanct, as its=20
souvereign right to self defence. Tensions between India and Pakistan=20
have been exacerbated by cross border terrorism. The international=20
community needs to realize that such cross border terrorism not only=20
brings these two large, but very poor, neighbours to the brink of a=20
calamitous nuclear confrontation, but they specially and severely=20
injure human rights and the security of minorities. The Sangh Parivar=20
fattens on such war frenzy and paranoia to carry on its hate=20
campaign, and its violence against Muslims and Christians in=20
particular. The Christian Council at its session yesterday issued a=20
statement calling for urgent steps to end cross border terrorism and=20
urged the leaderships in India and Pakistan to defuse the=20
confrontation the two peoples can ill afford.

The Christian Council again focuses the attention of the nation and=20
civil society on the continuing conspiracy by the Sangh Parivar to=20
polarize the tribal belt from Rajasthan in the West to Jharkhand in=20
the east, including Gujarat and Orissa, where its actions in the past=20
have brought such infamy for our nation. There has been mass=20
distribution of hate literature in all these areas. In Jharkhand, as=20
in the other states, pamphlets have been distributed which call for=20
the elimination of the Christian and Muslim communities from the=20
region. In many areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh,=20
arms including swords and trishul-shaped hand weapons have been=20
distributed in lakhs of numbers. Many training camps have been held.=20
This is bodes ill, and has serious repercussions for the nation.=20
Enquiry committees probing the Gujarat violence have shown how=20
innocent tribals were misled into participating in the violence,=20
leading to large-scale killings of minorities.

In the east, such hate campaigns have specially targetted the Sarana=20
religion and the Sarana speaking communities, generating strong=20
apprehension and unease. The Council had protested during the=20
decennial Census operations at efforts to falsify populations of=20
small and marginalised groups and religious minorities. The All India=20
Christian Council calls upon the governments of these states,=20
including Orissa, to take urgent steps to crack down on these hated=20
mongers of the Sangh Parivar.

In its focus on Orissa, the Council has noted that while on the one=20
hand, continuous hate campaigns and sporadic violence continues=20
against the Christian community, there are also cases of official=20
harassment of church personnel. The infamous OFRA, Orissa freedom of=20
Religion Bill, is a continuing affront to the dignity of the=20
minorities and the fundamental right to freedom of religion of all=20
Indians. Instead of abrogating such a dinosaurian law from the past,=20
the government has only made it more draconian. The Christian Council=20
demands that the Orissa government repeal OFRA at the earliest. The=20
credibility of the State, and of the nation, is eroded as long as=20
such laws remain in its Statute books.
----------------------
For further information, please contact: Dr. Joab Mahalik on Mobile=20
09848017465, Dr. John Dayal: 098110021072, Mr. Sam Paul: 09848023132

______

#6.

29 May 2002

WHITHER DEMOCRACY

By S. RAJAN.

I have decided at last to write this article after prolonged thinking=20
of " to write or not"? First when I thought of writing an article on=20
the happenings in Godhra and the subsequent happenings in Gujarat,=20
the question foremost in my mind was "Who will publish this?" as=20
this is written by an ordinary citizen {a teacher in a school). Then=20
I decided to write as sometimes "not to express one's opinion to the=20
public" is a sin.

So far we have read many articles about what happened in=20
godhra and its aftermath in Gujarat. We have heard, of how mothers=20
are raped before their children, how 'Hariom' engraved on the bodies=20
of victims, how certain officials of the Gujarat government openly=20
supported the riots, so on and so forth. We have seen so many people=20
demanding the resignation of Mr. Narendramodi for the incompetency he=20
has shown in controlling the riots. Even the Loksabha and the Rajya=20
Sabha (where the govt. has agreed to do its constitutional duty under=20
article 355) have witnessed heated debates over this issue.

Still what is the action on ground?Nothing. on the contrary=20
the riots are continuing. There is a talk of closing of relief camps.=20
Meanwhile to divert the attention of the people at large the vajpayee=20
govt. now is talking about war with Pakistan. The Prime Minister,=20
Home Minister and the Defence Minister are talking of =EBwar=ED to end=20
terrorism in Kashmir. They are trying to create a "war psychosis"=20
among the people to divert the attention from the real issues=20
concerning them. (It is pertinent to note here that the "kargil war"=20
was started just before elections).

The Prime Minister talks of =EBmatching words with deeds=ED to=
=20
Mr. Pervez musharaff whereas he himself does not do it. He said that=20
"no one found guilty in the riots will go unpunished" ( Perhaps he is=20
sure that none from the sangh parivar outfits will be found guilty=20
thanks to Mr. Modi). What moral right does he to talk about someone=20
when he himself can't "match words with action"? (Not a single FIR=20
has been filed till now in any case).

Lastly I want to draw parallels between the present BJP=20
govt. led by Mr. Vajpayee to that of great people like =EBHitler=ED (The=20
RSS considers 'Hitler' as great person. That is why in Gujart school=20
Exams they have talked of the 'Nazi solution' , that of killing those=20
whom you don't like).

When Hitler came to power he was in a minority. The present=20
BJP govt. led by Mr. Vajpayee is in a minority (it is the NDA which=20
has got the majority and not the BJP on its own).

The immediate task of Hitler was to strengthen the military=20
prowess of Germany. This govt. has done just that. For the last 2=20
years the increase in the Defence budget was about 14% each time.

Hitler talked about German nationalism. The BJB talks about=20
the 'Hindu cultural nationalism'. It has gone for the pokhran Nuclear=20
test and 'Kargil War' and then now talks of a 'fitting reply' to=20
Pakistan to prove its credentials as a =EBparty of patriots=ED (?).

Last but not the least Hitler killed the jews in thousands=20
and the BJP is killing the muslims (and other minorities) in=20
thousands now in Gujarat (in future where who knows).

Thus the famous saying "History repeats itself" is being proved but=20
let us not forget that the fascists like Hitler were defeated and=20
thrown to the dustbin of History.

Thus after the 'Gujarat carnage' it is no more "communalism Vs=20
secularism" but "Fascism Vs democracy". To defeat the fascists in=20
today=EDs India all of us have to identify the people who are=20
supporting these fascists (like the DMK,TDP, Samatha etc.) It is=20
these "so called secular democratic forces" which are highly=20
dangerous as only these people are propping up these fascist forces.=20
Hence it is necessary to defeat these forces wherever and whenever=20
possible along with the fascist forces.

I appeal to all the peace loving and democratic forces in=20
the country to fight these fascist forces and restore democracy in=20
India.

______

#7.

The Times of India
Police retract permission for meet on Gujarat
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2002 2:05:27 AM ]
MUMBAI: Following the tiffin bomb blasts in Ahmedabad on Wednesday,=20
the Mumbai police has withdrawn permission for a national convention=20
on the Gujarat riots that was scheduled to be held at Goregaon on=20
June 1 and 2.
The police had granted permission for it on May 24.
The convention has been postponed until the end of June, said one of=20
the organisers, Subodh More of the Vidrohi Sanskritik Chalwal.=20
Describing the withdrawal of permission as sudden and arbitrary, he=20
said it was violated the freedom of expression guaranteed by the=20
Constitution.
Feroze Mithiborwala of Yuva Bharat alleged that the police had=20
sabotaged the efforts of peace-loving democratic organisations in=20
mobilising public opinion against communal and fascist forces.
Among the invitees were Kuldip Nayar, Admiral (retd) L. Ramdas, Arif=20
Mohammed Khan, Udit Raj and writers Raosaheb Kasbe and A.S. Salunkhe.
According to Jatin Desai of the Pakistan-India Forum for Peace and=20
Democracy, 150 invitees from Gujarat, 500 from Maharashtra, Delhi and=20
Kolkata were expected to participate in the convention.

--=20
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