[sacw] SACW #1 | 19 Mar. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire - Dispatch #1 | 19 March 2002

* For daily news updates & citizens initiatives in post riots=20
Gujarat Check: http://www.sabrang.com

__________________________

#1. No Minister ...dont go on with the propaganda War (M.B. Naqvi)
#2. Mosques, mandirs & mayhem (Irfan Husain)
#3. India: Christian Council Condemns RSS Statement On Muslims
#4. Fascist mob sets fire to Indian mosques
#5. 'The government is obviously trying to hide something about the=20
Godhra incident' (Saeed Naqvi)
#6. Memorandum to the President, Prime Minister of India, NDA Allies,=20
Leader of the Opposition Party, and Members of Parliament and the=20
Human Rights' Commission (PUCL Baroda)
#7. Varanasi to Ajmer: SP braves saffron rage to keep peace BJP wants=20
his head for 'being tough' (Sukhmani Singh)

__________________________

# 1.

No Minister ...

By M.B. Naqvi

The newly appointed Information Minister Nisar Memon has stoutly
defended the Pakistani electronic media, owned and controlled by the
Government, and has said that they are doing their duty --- of
countering Indian propaganda. Anyone who cares to watch the PTV or
listen to Radio Pakistan can easily certify what the Minister has said.
They do a fair job of countering Indian propaganda and go on the counter
offensive --- according to their light. But the Minister will be well
advised not to go on with this supposed national duty.

It is unnecessary, indeed wrong. The purpose of the media is, and
should be, to inform --- and to entertain. But inform what? It is
necessary to ask this basic question and answer it honestly. The
information should comprise facts, seen as objectively as humanly
possible. That is the best policy that gives credibility to the media
--- and indirectly to their controllers and beneficiaries. In this
country where dictatorship has been the norm, the government and people
around them have been volubly and ubiquitously concerned about two
things: the first is countering the Indian propaganda by louder and even
cruder propaganda of our own. Secondly a great deal of expertise is
deployed to underscore the need for improving the =91image=92 of the Great
Helmsman (of the day) and the country. Somehow this image thing is
thought to be very important and has always entailed a huge and growing
expenditure under the budgetary head of the Information Ministry.

To begin with this whole concern with Indian propaganda and the question
of the image is based on wrong premises. Why can=92t Pakistan let the
Indians shout themselves hoarse and make whatever propaganda they want
to make? If it is not based on facts it will fall flat on its face. If
it is true, it will have its impact on the rest of the world and indeed
Pakistan. Pakistan and its rulers cannot prevent that effect. The way to
counter Indian propaganda is to speak the truth and acknowledge facts
spoken by others even if it hurts for the moment. Anything then said
would have a great impact. Pakistan governments have usually overdone
this propaganda thing. Why cant we rely on doing simple things like
doing the right thing and speaking the truth.

It is true that major western governments from whom we try to learn
everything do resort to propaganda. But they use sophisticated
techniques. They do so because they have imperialistic interests in far
flung areas that have intrinsically inimical interests to those of the
socalled metropolitan powers. We in Pakistan have no such interests. We
can afford to speak the truth. There is one particular kind of Indian
propaganda that generally hits its target: Pakistan has not been able to
make democracy work and all too frequently it has to make do with a
military dictatorship. It is such a big reality that no man of
propaganda, no matter how slick or crude he is, can hide. We should
recognise the fact for what it is: any attempt to put any gloss on it or
to find fault with democracy would only invite derision. The country
ought to be more concerned with its own affairs, particularly managing
the economy so well that the people=92s opportunities of getting gainful
employment and a chance to live a decent life increases. Should this be
the case --- which is not --- no amount of adverse propaganda by a
more efficient spin doctor would achieve anything.

Coming to the actual situation today, Pakistan=92s policies urgently
require de-escalation of tensions with India and a resumption of
dialogue. The aim has to be, or should be, to recreate more peaceful
and friendly ties with India. Pakistan also has to support the aims of
SAARC, which necessitate region-wide normalisation of relations, more
trade and more cultural exchanges. This would presuppose a certain kind
of media approach that does not needlessly rub the Indians on the wrong
side. Indian conduct, whether in the domestic sphere or in international
dealings, particularly about SAARC, can be faulted. Given the track
record of Pakistani electronic media, their counter attacks tend to be
often savage. This is a hoary tradition. But would it achieve what the
country needs above all else. The Minister=92s reassurance that his
underlings will counter Indian propaganda needs uncommonly like a call
to arms in the propaganda war. The Indians are already at it. That can
only vitiate the inter-state relations and defeat Pakistan=92s own
purposes, if one is not misjudging the situation.

Pakistan recently hosted a SAARC conference of Information Ministers
that, quite properly, decided that journalists should be able to travel
within the region without visas, semi visas or easily obtained visas.
Although the PTV=92s decision to interview the Indian Information Minister
Sushma Swaraj was a fine and constructive idea, though in the event it
reeked of one upmanship as the interview frequently degenerated into a
debate. But this was the first such occasion and the atmosphere between
the two counties is surcharged and the questions and answers could
understandably not be free of rancour. With a trifle more dignity and
constructive spirit, such moves in the needed direction will make the
larger objectives easier of achievement. As it happens, these are the
days when ban on Indian channels continues, though it was an occasion
when it should have been lifted. Pakistan should have dared India by
lifting various other restrictions on the import of Indian books,
magazines and other newspapers along with various other recently imposed
restrictions.

It is necessary to remember that Pakistani newspapers could be sold in
India on a daily basis until August 1965 and Indian newspapers were
available in Pakistan everyday. Were Pakistanis=92 loyalties subverted?
Why can=92t it be done again? Are the two states so weak and hollow that
access of their people to the media of the other would bring them down?
Much the same needs to be said for an easier visa regime. Those who
share the aims of SAARC can clearly see that the kind of restrictions
that India and Pakistan have imposed on each other the very spirit in
which all regional states should move --- unless, of course the two
seriously want a showdown. But then the people on both sides do not want
any showdown; it will be too dangerous for all. The fact of the matter
is that the option of war must clearly be given up because it has
actually become impractical. Other non-war like options for resolving
unsettled problems will have to be resorted to. In which case, the
sundering of communication links and imposing an iron curtain on each
other media would seem to be foolish.

There is one context that is not covered here. It is the political needs
of the Regime. The President is facing an election --- a thing
inherently unpredictable. He wants =91positive results=92 as do all
dictators in his situation. He has to win legitimacy and an endorsement
of his remaining President in the future from the elected Assemblies,
get them to give indemnity to all Army officers who have acted outside
the law and amend the Constitution somehow the way he wants. Now, he is
not a politician with a party behind him. He has to fall back on ---
what? On spin doctors and intelligence goons, who else?

But this is a game that has been played before. Intelligence services do
bring short-term gains, though what happens to such a regime=92s longevity
is subject to other ineluctable factors. Spin doctors=92 ability to win
respectability --- the =91image=92 --- and votes is totally untested and
questionable. Ayub Khan and Zia lasted long. But that was due to two
main factors: the US support and its readiness to arrange adequate ---
by Pakistani standards --- aid. If the US liked him, the dictator=92s
image was rated good. No ruler came to power with the media=92s support or
stayed a day longer in power because of unstinted media projection. Has
anyone any time to look at this country=92s actual history.

Anyway the pursuit of amicable settlements requires a congenial
atmosphere for talks --- from which there is no escape. Pakistan will do
itself good by having a media policy that is informed with the country=92s
actual priorities, though pressures on it for political projection of
the Regime may be considerable. If the Ruler is wise, he would allow the
media the option of truth telling, fair dealing and facing facts. That
will make the government that Nisar Memon represents more effective
despite being non-democratic. Its =91image=92 will take care of itself. I=
n
any case, so much concern with the =91image=92 and the media is unhealthy.
After all, there has to be some linkage between substance of the image;
and if the image contradicts the substance beneath, it cannot stick or
serve any useful purpose. Let us be concerned with substance and
achievements.

_______

#2.

DAWN
16 March 2002

Mosques, mandirs & mayhem
By Irfan Husain

Over the years, I have written many articles condemning the sectarian=20
violence and the institutionalized discrimination practised against=20
minorities in Pakistan.
While the response of Pakistani readers has been mixed, most Indian=20
readers, whether Muslim or Hindu, have argued that their secular=20
constitution is a guarantee of minority rights, and many of=20
Pakistan's problems stem from making religion the be-all and end-all=20
of its existence. Given the rabid nature of our zealots and their=20
leaders, as well as the sad plight of non-Muslims in Pakistan, I have=20
had to hang my head in shame and agree with this criticism.
But in the wake of the horror we have just witnessed in Gujarat, I=20
must say it is not enough to have a secular constitution: there has=20
to be a consensus among politicians and citizens to make it work. In=20
every society, there will always be individuals who break the law; in=20
civilized nations, these criminals are usually caught, tried and=20
punished. But when a sizable section of a society, led by its leaders=20
and supported by organs of the state, transgresses and commits the=20
most terrifying acts of violence, then clearly the code of conduct=20
laid down by law and the constitution breaks down. The problem is=20
compounded when no action is taken or contemplated against these=20
people.
In a sense, the mosque/mandir crisis in Ayodhya is entirely of the=20
BJP's making. When it was in the opposition, it saw an advantage in=20
egging on its extremist supporters into destroying the historic 16th=20
century mosque. Now that it is in power, it is having to oppose the=20
construction of a mandir on the disputed spot. But putting the jinni=20
back into the bottle is proving to be a difficult task, specially as=20
a viciously Hindu-nationalist party is ruling Gujarat, and is more=20
than willing to take on New Delhi and the Supreme Court in its=20
determination to gain favour with extremist elements.
If the religious right succeeds in its designs to construct a mandir=20
on the disputed land in Ayodhya - and elements of the temple have=20
been pre-fabricated nearby - then it will be a permanent blot on=20
India's claim to secularism. Muslims, already traumatized by the=20
violence they have recently been subjected to, will be further=20
embittered. More than the scale and organization of the attacks by=20
Hindu groups, what was perhaps more shocking was the participation of=20
the police in these acts. Instead of investigating the attack on the=20
train in Godhra that left 60 Hindu activists dead, the police pointed=20
out Muslim houses to frenzied mobs and joined in when the butchery=20
began.
It would be sad if this ghastly chain of events were to seriously=20
erode the secular edifice modern India's founders worked so hard to=20
erect. Many Indians are justly proud of this achievement, and are=20
deeply embarrassed by the crude words and actions of people like L.K.=20
Advani, the Indian home minister who, on arriving recently in=20
Gujarat, announced that action would be taken against the (Muslim)=20
perpetrators of the train attack without saying a word about those=20
Hindus who have massacred hundreds of Muslims. But despite the BJP's=20
recent electoral setbacks, it does not appear that the tide of=20
religious extremism is subsiding.
In much of the world where religion exercises a strong influence,=20
unscrupulous politicians use it to further their narrow ambitions,=20
thereby letting loose passions that become difficult to control. The=20
killing frenzy that accompanied the partition of the Indian=20
subcontinent is a grim reminder of the destructive power the=20
exploitation of blind faith can unleash. And once Pakistan was=20
created in the name of religion, there was no way politicians and=20
religious leaders would not use Islam to achieve and retain power.=20
India, taking a different route, has found that having a secular=20
constitution is not necessarily enough to achieve the separation of=20
religion from politics.
But the current crisis should not detract from the genuine=20
integration of Muslims into the fabric of Indian society over the=20
last half-century. It is true that the post-Partition generation was=20
confused and demoralized: it felt abandoned and vulnerable, and much=20
of its loyalty was with Pakistan. Refusing to learn Hindi and adapt=20
to the changed circumstances, it remained aloof from the mainstream,=20
and became largely marginalized.
Partly as a result of their own attitude, and partly due to=20
prejudice, Muslims were often discriminated against. This has changed=20
over the years as the younger generation now identifies with India,=20
and has little time or sympathy for a Pakistan that is perceived as=20
increasingly dysfunctional. They may cheer a Pakistani victory on the=20
sports field, but no longer consider migration to Pakistan an option.
In Pakistan, the small religious minorities pose no political threat=20
and apart from being largely marginalized, are seldom subjected to=20
the kind of brutal pogrom the Muslims of Gujarat have undergone=20
recently. Instead, militant Sunni groups have sought to cow down the=20
Shia minority through a series of murderous attacks. The recent=20
slaughter of ten Shias praying in a mosque in Rawalpindi underlines=20
the danger posed to society by sectarian politics. Over the last few=20
years, literally hundreds of Shias have been killed; doctors have=20
been specially targeted.
Ironically, the spread of education in the subcontinent has done=20
nothing to reduce religious and sectarian hatred. Indeed, most of=20
those killing the innocent in the name of their respective faiths are=20
literate, if not educated in the proper sense of the word. Contrast=20
this with the relative tolerance that has marked inter-faith=20
relations in South Asia in much of the last millennium.
Despite the wars of succession, conquest and plunder that took place,=20
there were no religious wars at a time when Europe was being=20
devastated by the great doctrinaire conflicts of the era. Both Muslim=20
and Hindu rulers and the ruled displayed a remarkable sense of=20
pragmatism and tolerance that are missing today.
How are these religious fires to be extinguished? Surely it should be=20
possible to make it a criminal offence to preach hatred against=20
another community, and disqualify politicians who seek to curry=20
support in the name of religion. It is true that we are better at=20
making laws than implementing them, but unless both India and=20
Pakistan can control the rise of extremism, they risk being=20
distracted from the main task of nation-building that requires the=20
urgent attention of their rulers. Obviously, the task is more=20
pressing for Pakistan, but as we have just seen in Gujarat, it cannot=20
be ignored by India.

_______

#3.

ALL INDIA CHRISTIAN COUNCIL
79/B I&II Floors, Street 8, West Marredpally, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh
President: Dr Joseph D' Souza Secretary General: Dr. John Dayal

Please correspond with Secretary General at:
Phone (91 11) 2722262 Fax 2726582 Mobile 09811021072
Email: johndayal@v...

URGENT PRESS STATEMENT
18TH MARCH 2002

CHRISTIAN COUNCIL CONDEMNS RSS STATEMENT ON MUSLIMS

The statement of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the end of its
Bangalore session on 7th March 2002 saying "Let the Muslims understand that
their real safety lies in the goodwill of the majority," must be cause for
grave concern not only among Muslims and other Minorities in India, but to
Civil society and democratic and Constitutional institutions, including the
President, Parliament, the Supreme Court and the government headed by Prime
Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. This statement has in it seeds of great
future tragedy, and the Prime minister must lose no time in condemning it.

Above all, the statement belittles the entire Majority community in India,
whose civilisational values, and commitment to peaceful coexistence in a
plural cultural heritage, strengthened the Freedom struggle and are today
enshrined in the Indian Constitution, one of the finest in the world. Brute
majoritarianism has never been the standard of India, or the ethos of its
people.

The RSS statement only vocalises the utter contempt and disregard that the
Sangh Parivar, including its units such as the VHP and the Bajrang Dal, hol=
d
for the very concept of democracy that is based on Equity, Fraternity and
Justice, and the institutions created to ensure these values in society. Th=
e
Sangh Parivar has repeatedly shown this contempt for the Supreme Court and
the rule of Law, once again saying, as they did yesterday, that they will
take the land at Ayodhya "by force' if it was not handed over to them (The
Hindu, 18th March 2002). Their arrogant disregard for democratic
institutions was visible in the attack by their armed Kar Sevaks last week
on the State Legislative Assembly of Orissa, ironically ruled by an ally of
the Prime Minister.

The arson at Godhra in which 57 men, women and children lost their lives ha=
s
been universally and instantly condemned. The thousands who were torched in
Ahmedabad and other towns and cities of Gujarat were not guilty of that
arson. But they were made victims by the thesis of hate that the Sangh
Parivar has so assiduously planned and implemented, in urban areas, in the
rural countryside, and most dangerously, among the adivasis in the tribal
heartland of central India. Christians too have been victims of this hate.
The world now knows how the Sangh Parivar has sought to communalise tribal
society. It unabashedly admitted this in its reports in the Bangalore
meeting. The violence today in Gujarat's tribal areas is the direct result
of this hate programme.

The `warning' to Muslims will open up standards of political behaviour and
action which will cut at the roots of the unity of India by injuring the
basic principles of its democratic polity, and will perpetuate a regime of
hate and violence which has already cost so much in human lives lost in
communal violence.

The All India Christian Council also condemns the wanton terrorist attack o=
n
a Church in Pakistan in which five persons, including three from the US and
Europe, were killed and 25 injured. Terrorism is evil. The attack on
innocent worshippers attending Sunday service during the time of Lent is
abominable.

_____

#4.

Hindu mob sets fire to Indian mosques
By Reuters - March 17 2002 18:57

CHANDIGARH, India (Reuters) - A Hindu mob has torched Muslim mosques=20
and shops in northern India amid continuing violence in the country's=20
western Gujarat province.

Police in the northern state of Haryana said about 300 people=20
surrounded the house of a Muslim family on Sunday following rumours=20
it had slaughtered a cow, an animal Hindus regard as sacred.

Not finding the family at home, the mob torched two nearby mosques=20
and three Muslim shops, an official in the police control room in=20
Luharu town of Haryana's Bhiwani district said.

"The situation is now under control and there was no loss of life,"=20
Rajpal Singh, Bhiwani's senior superintendent of police, told Reuters.

Police said they did not find any evidence of an animal's slaughter=20
at the site and the rumour appeared aimed at stirring trouble in the=20
town, some 156 miles south of Chandigarh, Haryana's capital city.

A police official said the stone mosques were partially burned but=20
not completely destroyed.

India, an officially secular nation, has been badly shaken by a wave=20
of religious bloodletting that began with the death of 58 people who=20
were killed when a train carrying Hindu devotees was torched by a=20
Muslim mob in Gujarat last month.

Over 700 people, most of them Muslims, have been killed in reprisals=20
across the state triggered by the train attack.

GUJARAT SIMMERS

In Gujarat, which in the past three weeks has been home to India's=20
worst communal violence in a decade, police reported scattered=20
incidents of looting and violence.

One person was killed on Sunday evening when police fired on a mob=20
setting fire to a factory at Chandola, about 12.4 miles from=20
Ahmedabad, the state's main city.

P.C. Pande, Ahmedabad's police commissioner told Reuters that=20
arsonists set fire to a room inside another factory in the Madhavpura=20
area of the city.

Police have imposed a curfew until Monday morning in five areas of=20
Ahmedabad, Pande said.

The Press Trust of India news agency said two people were stabbed to=20
death in the state's Baroda district and added that several incidents=20
of stone-throwing and arson were reported from many parts of the=20
state.

The latest upsurge in tensions comes against the backdrop of a=20
stepped up drive by hardline Hindu groups to build a temple on a=20
disputed site in the northern town of Ayodhya where a mosque was=20
razed a decade ago.

Hardline Hindus believe Hindu god-king Rama was born on the site of=20
the mosque and want to rebuild a temple dedicated to him that they=20
say was destroyed by Muslim invaders in the 16th century.

On Saturday, some 500 Hindu hardliners ransacked the legislature in=20
India's eastern state of Orissa, breaking windows and damaging=20
furniture, to press their demand for building the temple in Ayodhya.

______

#5.

Tehelka.com, 18 March 2002

STRAIGHT TALK
'The government is obviously trying to hide something about the=20
Godhra incident'
Seasoned journalist Saeed Naqvi tells Shamya Dasgupta that he found=20
far more questions than answers about who set fire to the Godhra train
http://www.tehelka.com/channels/currentaffairs/2002/mar/16/ca031602saeed.ht=
m

______

#6.

Sunday, 17 March, 2002

People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Baroda

Memorandum to the President, Prime Minister of India, NDA Allies,=20
Leader of the Opposition Party, and Members of Parliament and the=20
Human Rights' Commission

We, the members of the PUCL Baroda want to bring to your attention=20
the atmosphere of terror and fright which members of the minority=20
community have been experiencing both during the day and at night=20
since the Godhra massacre. The situation has deteriorated especially=20
after the shila daan on March 15, 2002.

On March 15 the police despite its own restrictions allowed=20
celebrations in 42 temples in the city and the situation tensed up.

Since then every day and during the night elements of extremist Hindu=20
organisations (the VHP, Bajrang Dal and the RSS) continue to promote=20
a reign of terror and immobility among the Muslim community. Today is=20
the 18th day of this atmosphere of fear. While the Muslim community=20
has by and large been restrained in the face of attacks and insults,=20
they now seem to be nearing the end of their tether. We fear a=20
terrible backlash unless law and order is restored immediately

The following are some of the incidents that have occurred in the=20
last 24 hours:

1. Today in the afternoon, 32 persons of the minority community=20
being accompanied by two police vehicles (Police Inspector Vanecha=20
was in the police team among others) to retrieve their belongings=20
from their homes were attacked by a mob of 3000 in the Makarpura area=20
of Baroda. Two persons of the minority community died on the spot,=20
four are lying in a critical condition in the ICU in the Medical=20
College Hospital and 18 others are injured. The names of some of the=20
attacking members are Raju More, Hira Lal Lotan Patil, Dilip Sinh=20
Jati Sinh Raj, and one Sharma from the IAF.
2. On March 15, in front of the Pani Gate Navapura Naka Police=20
Chowki three boys burnt a house belonging to the minority community=20
while six policemen stood watching. Similarly in front of the Mandvi=20
Police Control Room, one shop was burnt without any police action and=20
on Shastri Baug Road, very close to the police point Syed Studio was=20
burnt.
3. In Bahar Colony on Ajwa Road, which is a Muslim Colony,=20
tension has been reigning since the last 3 days when a Jhoppad patti=20
was put on fire. This morning two Muslim factories in Sardar Estate,=20
both mainly employing Hindu employees, were set on fire. From 10 am=20
onwards police was being called. Police dismissed these calls as=20
rumours. Finally police arrived at 1 pm when a group of men were=20
returning after namaaz. The police fired into the gathering. Two=20
young men were injured in the police firing, one died later. The=20
women of the minority community were most upset and angry at the=20
police=EDs inability to manage the mob. They wanted to request the=20
police to place a point in their colony. The police refused to listen=20
to them and in fact did laathi charge on them to drive them into=20
their homes.
4. In Piramitra area of Dandiya Bazar a Muslim house was burnt=20
day before yesterday and today morning there was a period of intense=20
mutual stone throwing. RSS elements have sworn revenge and a fight to=20
finish by tonight. Police has been deployed in the area but is not=20
proving to be very effective.
5. At Rain Basera, Machchipith, under Karelibag Police Station, several
6. women were assaulted by the police during "combing operations." Four
7. policemen entered the basti at around 3:00 pm on 16 March 2002. They
8. indiscriminately beat and threatened women and children, beat and
9. arrested men, and damaged property. All during this time, they let
10. loose the coarsest abuse, with explicit sexual and religious=20
connotatons
11. In particular

Sabiraben Ahmedbhai Shaikh, aged 45, was beaten so badly that her
left arm was swollen and bruised
- Faridabanu Bachchubhai Shaikh, aged 30, Hajirabibi Gulamhusain
Dhobi, aged 32, and Hamidabibi Ahmedkhan Pathan were kicked on the legs.
Hajirabibi was also kicked on the chest and Faridabanu in the pubic
region.
-Mehrunnissa, aged 18, was threatened with a sword (apparently
confiscated), the point of the sword touching her abdomen.
-Sultana Razzakbhai, aged 18, was threatened with a rifle which was
pointed and rested on her chest
In addition, at least 4 men were beaten badly, and 11 arrested.

6) In Roshan Nagar, Ashapuri, 21 Muslims were arrested from their=20
homes on 28 February 2002 on a complaint that loudspeakers were used=20
at the local madrasa. They were taken to Fatehgunj polce station. At=20
the lockup, they were mercilessly beaten, so much so that welt and=20
other marks were visible more than a week after the incident.
Two (Ali Nabi Bholey Khan, aged 40, and Mohhamed Umar Abdul Latif, aged
35), were beaten so badly that they needed to be taken to Jail Hospital.

In contrast to Hindus arrested the next day who were charged with
Section 188, the Muslims were charged under sections 137, 143, 144, 153,
and 188. Moreover they were released on bail only on the 5th March 2002.

They were not produced at the Cicuit House, but were shut up in the
police van outside the Circuit House before being remanded to Central
Jail. Apart from beatings, they were not allowed to urinate, when they
asked for water, were told to drink urine. Bearded men, including=20
Maulana Mohhamed Yusuf, had their beards pulled and police threatened=20
to cut them off

In the face of all the experiences cited above, we wish to state that=20
neither the administration nor the police have been found to be=20
competent to deal with the situation. In fact, we have evidence that=20
the police have been taking orders from representatives of the ruling=20
party. We fear that the situation is not very different in Ahmedabad=20
and the rest of the state. In this situation we demand that

1. the state of Gujarat be handed over to the Army immediately.=20
Increased and effective use of Army is required in the state.
2. the present government be dismissed and Governor=EDs rule be=20
imposed in Gujarat
3. an enquiry be conducted into the role of the police and the=20
administration and guilty police officers be suspended immediately.
4. normalcy be restored in the state as soon as possible by=20
reopening schools, banks and shops so that the confidence of all=20
sections of society is restored. State transport services should also=20
be restored and the situation in the villages and tribal areas should=20
be made normal.

We also demand that the same set of rules be made operational for all=20
sections of society. Licenses of pistols held by some Muslim lawyers=20
in Baroda have been confiscated. We demand that licenses of pistols=20
held by party office bearers, corporators and VHP office bearers also=20
be withdrawn. (We would be happy to furnish names of some of these=20
individuals if need be.)

Further, the role of the media needs to be regulated. While in the=20
national electronic media there is a virtual blackout on what is=20
happening in Gujarat today, the local electronic media has been=20
carrying provocative stories and interviews which have resulted in=20
inciting communal sentiments further.

We urge that this memorandum be considered seriously and immediate=20
appropriate action be taken to prevent further loss of life, trust=20
and property in our state. We look forward to your action to this=20
memorandum.

Kirit Bhatt, Manzur Saleri, Chinwala, Tapan Das, Deeptha Achar,=20
Santosh Dash, Bharat Desai. Johannes Manjrekar, Raj Kumar Hans,=20
Jagdish Patel (PUCL), Trupti Shah, Deepa Ghelani (Sahiyar Stree=20
Sangathan) Michael Moses, Anand Moses (Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti),=20
Swati Desai ( NAPM Gujarat), Thakore Shah, Narpat Sinh Solanki=20
(Vadodara Kamdaar Union), Maya Valecha, Rohit Prajapati (Inquilabi=20
Communist Sangathan), Nandini Manjrekar, Amita Verma ( Gujarat Forum=20
for Women=EDs Studies), S. Srinivasan, Renu Khanna ( SAHAJ), Preeti=20
Patel, Geeta Rathwa, Shobha Shah (Shishu Milap)

______

#7.

http://www.indian-express.com/ie20020318/top4.html

Varanasi to Ajmer: SP braves saffron rage to keep peace
BJP wants his head for 'being tough'

SUKHMANI SINGH

KISHANGARH, MARCH 17: Those who lost some faith in the khaki colour=20
after the bloodletting and arson in Gujarat can take a bit of hope=20
from neighbouring Rajasthan. Here, the state BJP unit wants the head=20
of Ajmer's Superintendent of Police Saurabh Srivastava, who's=20
credited with having prevented a demonstration in Kishangarh in the=20
district from reaching its bloody conclusion.

The BJP's state unit has threatened a state-wide agitation next week=20
if Srivastava and other senior officials are not suspended.=20
Srivastava appears to have invoked the wrath of the BJP, VHP, Shiv=20
Sena and Hindu Suraksha Samiti for spoiling their plans in Kishangarh=20
town, 30 km from Ajmer, on March 1. The police had refused them=20
permission to march through the minority-dominated Kasai mohalla that=20
day, and Srivastava had ordered his men not to spare anyone who was=20
inciting trouble.

''I feel satisfied that I did not allow the two communities to kill=20
each other, instead converting it into a police versus rioters=20
clash,'' says Srivastava.

He and his force staved off around thousand people from both=20
communities who were armed with kerosene bombs, soda water bottles,=20
jagged marble stones and tubelights during a four-and-a-half-hour=20
face-off. Five policemen sustained head injuries, and the 40-year-old=20
SP himself was badly bruised on the legs. The skin on his hands is=20
still raw from catching the stones, much like a cricketer.

''It was the most difficult mob I had ever handled in my 11-year-long=20
career,'' says Srivastava. ''Highly motivated and violent, they were=20
shouting slogans that they would teach the Muslims a lesson. They=20
were selectively targeting Muslim shops and had burnt around 18 shops=20
during the rioting.'' However, Ghanshyam Tiwari, vice president of=20
the BJP's Rajasthan unit, is mighty upset. ''We are celebrating March=20
18 as Daman Virodhi Divas to protest the police brutality. We have=20
presented a memorandum to the governor demanding a judicial inquiry=20
into the incident and are asking for the suspension of the SP, SDO=20
and CO. We want cases to be registered against them,'' he blustered.=20
''If our demands are not met, we will launch an indefinite dharna in=20
Ajmer from March 21 and then call for a bandh on March 25.''

But the locals in Kishangarh look at the events of March 1 quite=20
differently. Had the police not taken stern action, some of them=20
said, the consequences could have been disastrous. Vegetable vendor=20
Ali Akbar (60) said, ''If anyone has done anything wrong, it's the=20
politicians. There should be an SP like this everywhere.''The March 1=20
action has, in fact, helped the police, who had retreated cravenly=20
during communal riots in Nasirabad and Beawar last year, regain face.=20
''They stood by me and obeyed instructions bravely. I am proud of=20
them,'' says Srivastava.

The SP had runs-in with the Sangh during his previous tenure in the=20
RSS stronghold Kota too. In August 2000, history-sheeter and=20
bootlegger Prabhu Gujjar was murdered by some Muslim youth.

Violence erupted during his funeral procession the next day. A mob=20
burnt down Muslim houses and kiosks. Srivastava came down with a=20
heavy hand on the rioters, and Sangh organisations staged a dharna=20
and agitated against him for months. ''Their complaint is 'woh riots=20
hone nahin dete. I learnt then that if police take strong action,=20
things come under control. If they act partisan, the situation=20
snowballs out of control. Our job is to uphold the law of the land,=20
we don't have to pander to politicians.''Srivastava witnessed his=20
first Hindu-Muslim riot in his hometown Varanasi - which he describes=20
as a communal tinderbox - at the age of six.

Later in Kanpur in a Sikh dominated locality, he was privy to the=20
worst of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. ' We were in the heart of it all.=20
I saw the looting of shops, people being killed, the use of force by=20
the police. Ours was the only Hindu house and it became a refuge for=20
women and children from neighbouring Sikh families.'' His most=20
searing memory is that of a Sikh doctor being lynched by his Brahmin=20
compounder who had been working for him for years. Brought up in a=20
devout Hindu family, Srivastav began questioning several dogmas he=20
had taken for granted when he enrolled in university. Today, he=20
describes himself as a ''normal human being with no religious=20
leanings. I keep a copy of both the Bible and the Koran, for my=20
understanding. The moment I identify myself with one particular=20
religion, that will be the end.''

--=20
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