[sacw] SACW #1 | 28 April. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire Dispatch #1 | 28 April 2002
http://www.mnet.fr

PUNISH THE GUILTY OF GUJARAT GENOCIDE
Call for a National Campaign For Defence of the Indian Constitution
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/ptggg/petition.html

__________________________

#1. Avenging Angels and Nurturing Mothers - Women in Hindu=20
Nationalism (Manisha Sethi)
#2. Madrasa Education and the Condition of Indian Muslims (D Bandyopadhyay =
)
#3. Towards an endgame (Mushirul Hasan)
#4. Can anti-secular parties govern? (K.G. Kannabiran)
#5. President moved by victims' plight (Anjali Mody)
#6. Gujarat Refugee Fund [UK]
#7. Aman Ekta Manch Calls For a sit-in in New Delhi on 30th April,=20
2002 + Text of Political Charter Adopted by the Aman Ekta Manch
#8. Update on some of the activities for Gujarat in Calcutta in April.
#9. Letters to the editor ( Nirmala Deshpande, Rajindar Sachar, Swami=20
Agnivesh, P M Bhargava, Sumit Chakravartty and eight others, New=20
Delhi)
#10. A Show of Faith (Meera Nair)
#11. A write up from Ahmedabad " The scene, in short, is very very=20
bleak. No difference from Germany of the late 1930s"
#12. Petition regarding the pogrom against Muslims in the Indian=20
state of Gujarat. (Committee for a Secular India)
#13. Wanted: a "secular" property broker (Kishore Singh)
#14. Gujarat - Hate pays. In this state, polarisation is=20
near-complete as the right fringe holds out the hope of future=20
financial rewards. (Manu Joseph)

__________________________

#1.

Economic and Political Weekly
April 20, 2002
Special Article

Avenging Angels and Nurturing Mothers
Women in Hindu Nationalism

Feminists who have argued for the primacy of women's identity and=20
solidarity have been presented with a dilemma with the rise of=20
women's militancy in the Hindu Right. This paper, through an=20
exploration of the role of the Sevika Samiti and the Durga Vahini=20
in creating the militant cadre of women, contends that gender=20
identity does not exist as primordially but is invented, created,=20
resisted and subverted at the fulcrum of multiple identities. The=20
entire oeuvre of practice, both discursive and material - the imagery=20
of Bharat mata, the valiant historical figures and subservient=20
mythical wives - all allow women to become avenging angels in moments=20
of crisis. When these moments ebb away, they return to the mode of=20
nurturing mothers and obedient wives.
Manisha Sethi
http://www.epw.org.in/showArticles.php?root=3D2002&leaf=3D04&filename=3D437=
2&filetype=3Dhtml

_____

#2.

Economic and Political Weekly
April 20, 2002
Commentary

Madrasa Education and the Condition of Indian Muslims

The Indian nation cannot march forward with a major segment of its=20
largest minority group remaining backward, illiterate, unenlightened=20
and weak. It is the duty of every section of Indian society to help=20
in the mainstreaming of this section. But the issue of modernisation=20
of madrasa education brings up the vested interests of fundamentalist=20
elements trying to protect their turf and the political system which=20
strives to utilise the backward for electoral gain. Strangely, the=20
interests of the non-secular religious groups and those of the=20
so-called 'secular and progressive' politicians merge, reinforcing=20
one another.
D Bandyopadhyay
http://www.epw.org.in/showArticles.php?root=3D2002&leaf=3D04&filename=3D435=
9&filetype=3Dhtml

_____

#3.

The Indian Express
April 17, 2002

Towards an endgame
by Mushirul Hasan
http://www.indian-express.com/columnists/mush/20020417.html

_____

#4.

The Hindu
Sunday, Apr 28, 2002
Can anti-secular parties govern?
By K.G. Kannabiran
http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2002042800331100.htm

______

#5.

The Hindu
Sunday, Apr 28, 2002
President moved by victims' plight
By Anjali Mody
http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2002042804900800.htm

_____

#6.

REFUGEES IN GUJARAT IN URGENT NEED OF HELP

The terrifying violence against minority communities that has recently
uprooted the lives of thousands of citizens in the cities, towns and
villages of Gujarat has created a humanitarian crisis of very large
proportions, with a (conservative) estimate of 100,000 people - women,
men and children - made homeless. Those members of the Muslim faith now
living in refugee camps are in urgent need of food, chlorinated water
and medicine. There is an absence of food, proper sanitation, and a lack
of adequate medicine. Typhoid, gastroenteritis and measles have broken
out in some of these camps, and the reports coming in describe people
living in conditions of absolute destitution. Neither the national, nor
the state government has responded adequately to this need.

Please give generously - to save lives, to rebuild these, and to
contribute to a society that looks after those who have suffered
terribly. Your contribution will be sent directly to organisations
working on the ground with refugees living in camps in cities such as
Ahmedabad and Baroda.=20=20=20=20=20=20

Send your cheques to: Gujarat Refugee Fund, c/o Department of
Sociology, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL. [UK]
=20=20=20=20=20=20
Thank you.

For Peace, Justice and Community Harmony.

______

#7.

Dear Friends,

THE AMAN EKTA MANCH CALLS FOR A DHARNA AT JANTAR MANTAR ON 30TH=20
APRIL, 2002, FROM 11:00 AM TO 2:00 PM. THE DHARNA IS TO PROTEST=20
AGAINST THE STAND TAKEN BY NDA ALIES ON GUJARAT AND PUT PRESSURE ON=20
ALL POLITICAL PARTIES TO VOTE AGAINST THE BJP IN PARLIAMENT IN THE=20
DEBATE ON THE 30TH OF APRIL, 2002. THE DEMAND DRAFT ADOPTED BY THE=20
AMAN EKTA MANCH AT THE CONVENTION ON THE 21ST OF APRIL, 2002 WILL=20
ALSO BE GIVEN TO VARIOUS POLITICAL PARTIES. PLEASE FIND BELOW A COPY=20
OF THE DEMAND DRAFT. PLEASE COME WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY AT THE=20
DHARNA.

Aman Ekta Manch

o o o

Political Charter Adopted by the Aman Ekta Manch

CONVENTION FOR THE DEFENCE OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY
April 21, 2002,
Rajendra Prasad Bhavan, New Delhi

This convention expresses serious concern at the blatantly cynical=20
attacks on all democratic norms and practices being mounted by the=20
fascist machine of the RSS/VHP, with the benign connivance of the BJP=20
which heads the Central government. The Godhra massacre has been=20
unequivocally condemned by all democratic minded people. However,=20
what has followed it in Gujarat has shocked the conscience of the=20
entire country. Never before in our history have we been forced to=20
witness this gruesome spectacle of the systematic and planned=20
genocide of a hostage population over weeks, inside a state that has=20
now been turned into no less than a concentration camp. Never before=20
in our history have we been forced to watch the brazenness of a=20
Central government that has allowed this macabre dance to go on=20
unchecked for such a long period. All independent investigations,=20
including that of the National Human Rights Commission and the=20
Minorities Commission, have established the culpability of Narendra=20
Modi=92s state government beyond any doubt. The way in which the=20
draconian POTA was passed and the way in which it is sought to be=20
implemented by the Modi government, selectively against the minority=20
community shows that the Central government is consciously abetting=20
the crimes of the Modi government. The blatant justification of the=20
doings of Modi=92s government by the BJP national executive and its=20
cynical move to reap electoral benefits from this situation makes the=20
Central government equally guilty in the matter.

Today a situation has been created where neither the state=20
government, nor the Centre, can be trusted in putting an end to=20
violence, or in the disbursal of relief materials in an impartial=20
manner. We also note with concern the fact that in pursuit of their=20
sinister aims, the fascist gangs are stopping at nothing. They have=20
used rape and sexual violence as instruments of terror. They have=20
systematically tried to subvert every institution of the state. There=20
is a breakdown of the constitutional machinery and the Constitution=20
itself hangs in a state of suspension =96 a situation that is further=20
shamelessly justified by the Prime Minister. Article 21, that=20
guarantees the right to life, has become meaningless in the current=20
dispensation in Gujarat. On the one hand the leaders of the Sangh=20
combine are openly stating that they do not recognize the authority=20
of the Supreme Court or any other institution; on the other, honest=20
police officers and bureaucrats who attempted to stop these=20
premeditated attacks on the Muslims, are being continuously hounded.

The media is being labeled 'antinational' for having exposed their=20
game, and physical attacks on mediapersons have become common in the=20
state. In fact, whoever, opposes their designs is branded=20
'antinational'. Even common people who have tried to intervene out of=20
purely humanitarian considerations have been targeted in this same=20
perverted phraseology. In the land of Mahatma Gandhi =96 that apostle=20
of nonviolence who fell to the bullets of the politics of hate=20
espoused by the Sangh =96 today lie the ruins of his dreams. What=20
happened in Gujarat is really an assault on the pluralism and the=20
best traditions of Indian culture.

This convention also notes with serious concern that while the RSS=20
has sought to justify everything that has happened, it and its=20
surrogate organizations have slowly but surely succeeded in=20
producing, as some kind of common sense, the idea that they alone=20
represent all the Hindus. This is a pernicious development. This=20
idea, it needs to be asserted, has been made common sense through the=20
naked use of terror, endless propagation of lies and browbeating of=20
democratic and sane voices within the community into silence. In=20
order to be able to carry out their genocidal activities against the=20
minorities, they must first silence dissenting voices among the=20
Hindus.

The fear today, therefore, is all pervasive. It is worthwhile=20
remembering, in this context, that even at the time of its forming=20
the Central government, following the 1999 elections, the BJP polled=20
a mere 23.75 percent of the total votes. Recent election results in=20
various states and in the Delhi Municipal Corporation have shown=20
clearly that there has been a rapid erosion of even that support.=20
Even if we assume that all BJP voters, in 1999, voted on the Hindutva=20
plank =96 which is certainly not the case =96 the evidence shows that=20
large masses of its voters have moved away from it. It is urgently=20
necessary therefore to contest the fascist claim therefore that they=20
represent all the Hindus =96 not to speak of representing the entire=20
nation. We recognize that there are similar processes of=20
marginalization of the saner, democratic voices at work within the=20
Muslim community. One kind of aggressive sectarianism inevitably only=20
strengthens the others. The inexorable result of the self-fulfilling=20
logic of this kind of politics is that it stifles all differing=20
voices within its own community and clears the ground for an endless=20
civil war. And who but the poorest of the poor are made cannon fodder=20
in this dangerous and cynical game? This is a tendency that must=20
therefore be resisted in every possible way. A parallel effort=20
therefore, needs to be made to expand and consolidate this fast=20
shrinking space of democracy. We can also not fail to underline at=20
this critical juncture that the struggle has now acquired dimensions=20
that envelope the entire South Asian region: sectarian jehadi Islam=20
feeds on and in turn strengthens the Hindutva fascists.

The recent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh need also to be condemned=20
in the harshest possible terms. While international opinion has=20
rightly pinned down the jehadi terrorists, there is still no such=20
clarity about the fascist/terrorist role of the RSS and its surrogate=20
organizations. We need to understand and must break this symbiotic=20
relationship between the two. This can only be done by strengthening=20
and deepening subcontinental solidarities among democratic forces=20
that have been growing over the past few years. In the face of all=20
this, we call upon all concerned =96 democratic minded people of all=20
communities, individual citizens, all political parties and mass=20
organizations =96 to resist this onslaught on democracy and democratic=20
rights in a coordinated manner.

We demand that:
1. The Narendra Modi govt. be immediately dismissed and criminal=20
proceedings be instituted against it as there is enough evidence of=20
its culpability, in the independent investigations conducted till now.
2. In the light of the Goa meeting of the BJP and the PMs speech=20
there, we also demand that the resignation of the Central government,=20
forthwith.
3. In order to ensure impartiality all Relief and Rehabilitation work=20
be conducted under the supervision of a specially constituted=20
committee comprising representatives of all political parties,=20
citizens' and human rights groups, and of the National Human Rights=20
Commission. A special fund under its jurisdiction can also be=20
constituted to ensure its impartial use.
4. All those, who have by omission or commission, been guilty of=20
abetting violence in the state =96 be it Godhra or the subsequent=20
genocide =96 be brought before an international trial.
5. A full-fledged and impartial inquiry into the Godhra incident be=20
instituted and all the details be made public at the earliest. All=20
those found guilty should be adequately punished.
6. Criminal proceedings be initiated against the VHP and Bajrang Dal.
7. All state officials who have been victimized for performing their=20
duties must be immediately reinstated.
8. That Gujarat be placed under Presidents=92 rule and elections be=20
held only when normalcy returns.
9. All steps should be taken to ensure that with respect to the=20
damages of all property and livelihoods, status quo as on February=20
27, 2002 be restored. The Central government must give interest free=20
loans to rebuild houses and provide all else that might be necessary=20
to give security and financial support to the affected people so that=20
they can begin life afresh. 10. Immediate steps be taken to expedite=20
the filing of FIRs by the affected people and police officials who=20
refuse to do so be brought to book. We extend full support to the PIL=20
filed in the Supreme Court recently and concur with its contention=20
that fresh complaints be invited from the victims and these be=20
treated as FIRs.

We call upon
1. All people to strengthen resistance to extremist and sectarian=20
politics within their respective communities and not allow a handful=20
of terrorists to speak on their behalf.
2. All non-BJP NDA allies to break away from the BJP led government.
3. All non-BJP political parties to close ranks and not allow=20
sectarian differences to come in the way of a bigger movement to=20
defend the vitals of Indian democracy. Let us join hands and=20
coordinate our efforts across the length and breadth of the country=20
in order to stall the menacing advance of the fascist gangs. Let us=20
join hands to fight the virus of communalism in every form. We will=20
not forget what the communal violence of the past decades, especially=20
the 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms have done to our lives. We affirm that=20
communal politics is opposed to all religiosity =96 it is neither=20
Hindu, nor Muslim nor Sikh, even though it might don a religious=20
garb. We therefore, pledge to struggle at every level and build up=20
resistance to these forces right from the mohallas and villages up to=20
the all-India level.

_____

#8.

Dear Friends,

Here's an update on some of the activities for Gujarat in Calcutta in April=
.

18th April: The March for Gujarat organized by the Sampradayikta=20
Birodhi Gujarat Sanhati Samity, the forum of writers, artists,=20
intellectuals and activists, started off from College Square in North=20
Calcutta. Approximately 500 people joined it, including writers,=20
journalists, singers, academics, activists, and theatre and film=20
people. The group stopped at markets, crossings and streetcorners to=20
talk to local people, and to collect funds from passers-by and=20
shops.There was singing all along the way, ranging from old=20
left favourites to Rabindra Sangeet, from "Mandir Masjid" to "Blowing=20
in the Wind". In an impromptu closing ceremony in Baghbazar Street,=20
Suleiman Khursheed of the Muslim Institute recalled with pride that=20
the people of Bengal had always come forward in every communal riot=20
to express their pain and solidarity with the victims; that this was=20
much more than any riot, hence he requested everybody to think of the=20
victims of Gujarat, and live up to their legendary generosity. The=20
march drew to a close with the remaining hundred-odd, and local=20
folks, uniting in song, outside Prajapati Basu's house from which=20
Tagore had launched the Rakshabandhan campaign in 1905, and a few=20
doors away from that of Sachin Mitra, the first martyr to be shot=20
down in the peace rally during the 1946 Calcutta riots.

25th April: A similar march - this time in South Calcutta, from the=20
Hazra crossing through Rashbehari to Gariahat.

26th April: Sayeda Hameed of the Muslim Women's Forum shared her=20
experiences as a member of the women's fact-finding team in=20
Gujarat with a group at the School of Women's Studies, Jadavpur=20
University in the morning, and with the Pakistan India People's Forum=20
for Peace and Democracy and its friends in the evening at the Muslim=20
Institute. In the discussions that followed her talk at both places=20
the single most important common view that emerged was that while we=20
do need to explore the possibilities of hearings in international=20
courts of crimes and justice, it is centrally important that as=20
Indians we hold state accountable and force our institutions to deal=20
with such carnage and genocide. It was suggested that citizens/groups=20
in every state flood the courts with PILs against the Gujarat=20
government and its leaders for these grotesque violations of human=20
rights

28th April: A citizen's rally in Park Circus, opposite the tram=20
depot, at 5.P.M. organized by the Sampradayikta Birodhi Gujarat=20
Sanhati Samity. Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi and Teesta Setalvad to=20
address the rally; funds to be collected.
Please spread the word and bring your groups along.

29th April: At the Muslim Institute, at 6.P.M., Javed Akhtar and=20
others to talk about Gujarat. All are welcome.

Warm regards,
Kavita

______

#9.

The Times of India
APRIL 27, 2002

TODAY'S LETTERS
Need for Change
[ SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2002 12:47:03 AM ]
Following the condemnable torching of a bogey of the Sabarmati=20
Express at the Godhra railway station on February 27, violence=20
continues unabated in different parts of Gujarat.
Diehard communalists, who either cannot or will not be controlled by=20
the state government, are going all out to destroy, physically or=20
otherwise, the minority community.
The Central government has remained a silent, if not a complicit,=20
spectator of the carnage thereby undermining the unity of and=20
bringing shame to the nation. It is incumbent upon all of us,=20
citizens of India, to frustrate this design of the communalists,=20
protect the lives of all citizens including especially the minorities=20
in the state, ensure their early rehabilitation and gradually restore=20
confidence among them.
Against the backdrop of the horrendous happenings in Gujarat, the=20
replacement, in accordance with the constitutional provisions, of the=20
BJP-led ruling coalition at the Centre by a secular, democratic,=20
liberal administration does not brook the slightest delay.
This administration must uphold the Constitution, rule of law,=20
democratic principles and secular ethos of our country. We,=20
therefore, appeal to all MPs with secular credentials and secular=20
democratic political parties to join hands and evolve such an=20
alternative at the earliest in the interest of the nation and the=20
people at large. What is needed is an immediate reversal of the=20
current horror and application of a healing touch, in order to=20
safeguard the unity and integrity of the nation. The present=20
government at the Centre cannot be trusted to perform this task.
Hence the urgent need for a change.
Nirmala Deshpande, Rajindar Sachar, Swami Agnivesh, P M Bhargava,=20
Sumit Chakravartty and eight others, New Delhi

_____

#10.

The New York Times
April 28, 2002
Magazine

LIVES

A Show of Faith
By MEERA NAIR

"There's a dead Hindu in the building,'' says the Muslim watchman. We=20
are standing inside the gates of my apartment complex in the South=20
Indian town of Hyderabad. Outside, except for a stray dog nosing=20
through a garbage bin and the armed soldiers at the corner, the=20
sun-rinsed street is deserted. The city is under curfew for the=20
eighth straight day, and the soldiers have orders to shoot violators=20
on sight. They announce this fact at intervals, politely, over=20
megaphones.

It is December 1990. Hindu fundamentalists have once again tried to=20
tear down a 400-year-old mosque in Ayodhya. They claim that Babar,=20
the Mogul emperor, razed a Hindu temple to Ram, the Hindu god-king,=20
to build the mosque. The mosque is only slightly damaged. But it is=20
enough to make mythic hatreds between Hindus and Muslims bubble to=20
the surface.

''It was a mistake,'' the watchman says. The dead man was a laborer,=20
newly arrived from North India, one of a gray, overlooked brigade=20
that polished floors. His downfall was that he spoke an unfamiliar=20
rural dialect.

''He was shouting something, but no one understood.'' The watchman is=20
insistent, a town crier with an important proclamation. ''So the=20
Hindus thought he was a Muslim and cut him.''

''Where was he?'' I ask.

''His wife found his body in the alley behind the building,'' he=20
jerks his thumb over his shoulder. ''Fate! What else?'' he cries,=20
trying to answer the unanswerable. ''He had to be there at that=20
time.'' I look away from his darting kohl-rimmed eyes and his rumpled=20
khaki uniform. I didn't want him to sense my unease.

I want to believe his version -- that it was a tragic=20
misunderstanding. But first, I want him to explain how he knows the=20
details -- the worker's futile pleadings, the identity of his=20
killers. ''How do you know they were Hindus?'' I ask him.

''They were,'' he replies and starts to walk away. Too quickly, it seems to=
me.

Did he see it all? The scuffle in the alley, the knives to the belly.=20
Did other tenants stand by, watching from their windows? Letting a=20
man die because he was Hindu? Until that moment, it hadn't occurred=20
to me to be afraid of my neighbors.

My brother and I were among the few Hindus in a predominantly Muslim=20
complex. We had moved in four months before. We hardly knew anyone in=20
the building. But we liked the place and didn't mind the smell of=20
biriyani rice in the corridors or the hordes of children playing loud=20
cricket on holidays.

Even when the curfew emptied the streets, I felt safe, surrounded by=20
the ordinary. But that was before the laborer was killed. Now, after,=20
I am afraid of drawing attention to myself and ashamed of my fear. I=20
don't want to see the changed, severe faces of my neighbors turning=20
to watch me as I walk past the knots of women talking in the=20
courtyard. The escalation of attacks -- women and children, Hindu and=20
Muslim, killed in their beds -- angers me. I can only imagine what it=20
makes my neighbors feel.

We don't nod hello to each other anymore. How can we? In the streets,=20
our people are doing unspeakable things to one another. There are=20
rumors about the revival of an age-old torment: mobs from both sides=20
stop men at random and demand they declare their religion. Those=20
suspected of lying are forced to undress. Once naked, they are easy=20
to indict or set free -- only Muslims are circumcised.

One evening, our food runs out. During a brief break in the curfew,=20
my brother goes for groceries. We hear the stores are empty. But he=20
must try.

The knock on the door, when it comes, is soft and hesitant. I hear my=20
breath, noisy in my chest. ''Kaun hai?'' I ask in Hindi. ''It's me,''=20
my co-worker Muhammed answers. ''And Anwar. Open the door.'' They=20
live 20 minutes away. I have known them for years. Yet for one=20
horrible, shameful instant, I stand in my doorway and wonder if it is=20
safe to invite them in. They must have read my face because they rush=20
to state their purpose. Muhammed's mother has sent me a gift:=20
potatoes and onions in a string bag. Last year, she showed me how to=20
make sheer korma, the creamy vermicelli dessert she made each year to=20
celebrate the end of Ramadan. I didn't know what to say.

''Leave the door open,'' Anwar says, as I let them inside. ''This=20
being a Muslim area, we thought it was good to show people that we=20
know your family.'' They stayed for some time and left only when my=20
brother returned.

I'll never know whether we were in real danger. Were Anwar and=20
Muhammed just playing it safe? Or did they know of actual threats=20
against us? I never could bring myself to ask them. It was a terrible=20
time; and when it was over, none of us wanted to talk about it=20
anymore. So I only told them how wonderful the potatoes had tasted. I=20
never told them that I had eaten dinner that night more terrified and=20
more grateful than I had ever been.

Meera Nair is the author of ''Video,'' a collection of short stories,=20
published this month by Pantheon.

_____

#11.

[The below write up from Ahmedabad has been forwarded by Babu Suthar,=20
University of Pennsylvania on the 27th of April 2002. The authors=20
name has not been provided]

o o o

Well, if we restrict ourselves to the ground scenario, it is *now* very muc=
h
similar to those of 1985 or other riots. The initial phase was obviously
different from anything we have seen so far, in that the Govt actively or
passively aided the Sangh/Dal forces to strike at pre-planned places and
establishments while Modi gave clear indications that you can go ahead do
wahtever, :I understand the hindu reaction". Now in the second phase,=20
it is free
for all. Those who want to contribute in this business have stocked enough
stones, acid bulb, desi pistols, desi bombs and even advanced things. Milit=
ary
combing operations are non-starters mostly, and in few pockets, the two sid=
es
are busy settling scores. The rest of the state, more or less, is plain ten=
se
and nothing more.

Modi is riding the tiger. He wishes to encash the gains electorally, but th=
e
season of summer is not condusive, while the PM has indicated that immediat=
e
elections would look very bad. So, he wants the thing to go on simmering fo=
r a
while, at a lesser scale. But now the mobocracy has taken over. And let it =
be
noted that the "Attack is the best form of deence" psychology is at work on
either side.

Polarization is nearly complete, with (otherwise) very respected citizens a=
nd
your colleagues neighbours and mandir-goers mouthing the same line that
(unbeknownest to them) Hitler used: Final Solution. That this=20
business has to be
finished with now. That they (The Other) must be silenced/overpowered for o=
nce
and all. VHP and RSS with its pamphlets keep the fires going, just in case
sanity returns.

Liberalism has gone for a toss. As I might have indicated earlier,=20
even to argue
against this received notion waht Hindus must do invites risk of at the ver=
y
least angry looks and half-joking threats. Since everybody explicitly=20
knows that
it is RSS/VHP behind the riots, any talk of peace and communal harmony is t=
aken
as an attack on that ideology, you are instantly labelled pseudo-secularist=
,
anti-Hindu. That is the line of Gujarat Samachar and Sandesh which=20
happens to be
in a macabre competition to throw more and more insults to the minority
community. So any organization holding even a peace meet is run by "manasik
vikrut" and so on. Any organization that wants to take up=20
rehabilitation for the
affected is ridiculed in public, because the affected are mostly muslims. A=
ny
liberal voice has to be stopped right in the beginning, lest it lead to ano=
ther
voice and then the next.

And then there would be the next round of violence, may be led by muslims, =
so
these colleagues come back and demand an explanation from you: where's your
secularism now? It all of course started with Godhara, one more reason why
secular liberals are on backfoot.

As for the English language media, I have had to study the affairs closely,=
One
thing is, they may have a bias, ut it is not against Hindus as everybody ar=
ound
here alleges. It is simple old-fashioned anti-establishment bias. If all th=
is
were to happen under a Congress rule, BJP might have got CM's=20
resignation by now
for the intelligence failure on Godhara and the same media would have acted
differently. But I can make a list of newsitems where the local media went
berserk for no reason, and elsewhere when the English media took scarce not=
e of
something important. I guess this much division is bound to be there.
I heard of Sharifa Vijlivala's writeup. I was told this the first major pie=
ce
from the academicia. We have enough liberals there in delhi and elsewhere, =
but
nobody has guts to speak out against the mass hysteria, and even if you do,
who'll publish it? My colleagues in the Express here who wrote=20
stories that made
the local govt to accept the blunders and revoke some steps (eg, the=20
POTO affair
for Godhara, and difference in relief amounts; Rs one lakh v/s two=20
lakhs) receve
threatening messages. So I'd welcome any voice of dissent. NGOs come in two
kinds, one is a shop, to gather grants from abroad, the other is the romant=
ic
variety where they atone for their past sins and work for the upliftment of=
the
oppressed. Fine. The latter variety is so stunned right now, that they have
chosen to be at margins. Say, the xaviers college affiliated body working f=
or
dalits and STs: they even refused their premises to be used for a peace mee=
ting
(that was later done at Gandhi Ashram and made news thanks to Medha). Corpo=
rate
people tell me that there are concrete plans to take up (and finance) the
rehabilitation of the riot-affected, but given the circumstances, how can w=
e
when our personal safety is at risk?

The scene, in short, is very very bleak. No difference from Germany=20
of the late1930s.

(Note: Sharifa is a Lecture in Gujarati at M.T.B. College Surat. She=20
gave her reaction in Gujarati -published on Rediffmail.com.)

_____

#12.

From: Alok Mukherjee <almukher@Y...>
Subject: Revised petition
Cc: Sidharth01@a...

Hello All,

Some days ago I had circulated a draft of the following petition regarding =
the
pogrom against Muslims in the Indian state of Gujarat. Based on comments a=
nd
clarifications received, Sidharth Bhatia (my co-drafter) and I have revised=
the
text. I urge you strongly to support this petition to the UN Human Rights
Commission and the newly constituted International Court of Justice. I wou=
ld
also ask you to circulate it to others in your network. The more support w=
e
have the stronger our case.

Alok
o o o

PROSECUTE GUJARAT CHIEF MINISTER, NARENDRA MODI, FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANIT=
Y
A PETITION TO
THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION AND THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

The recent events in the western Indian state of Gujarat, where mobs killed=
an
estimated 2000 Muslims in the course of a week, have horrified not only all=
of
India but right thinking people all over the world. But what is even more
shocking is the growing evidence that there was complicity in the pogrom of
powerful elements of the ruling dispensation and the brutal use of the stat=
e
machinery which simply collapsed in the face of mob rule. There are reports=
of
cabinet ministers directing police units towards certain areas and away fro=
m
other neighbourhoods, of blatantly communal attitudes of policemen and the
overall picture is that of a state which failed to protect the lives and
property of large numbers of people of a single community. Even today, ther=
e
are over 150000 people homeless, living in squalor in makeshift shelters
without any home to return to.

These facts have been supported by the reports prepared by a number of
fact-finding teams sent to Gujarat by various governmental and non-governme=
ntal
bodies, such as India's National Human Rights Commission, SAHMAT (a
non-governmental organization), the Centre for the Study of Society and
Secularism and the British High Commission in India.

As if to underscore the discriminatory nature of the state, the government
announced two differing sets of compensation for the victims of this
massacre--or ethnic genocide--and for the 58 or so victims who died in a tr=
ain
fire a few days before the riots. The victims of the massacred were offered=
One
Lakh Rupees each, whereas those who were killed in the train fire were gran=
ted
Two Lakh Rupees each. A group of eminent Indians brought this discriminato=
ry
action to the attention of the President of India in a petition requesting =
him
to provide additional financial support to the former.

While both events were horrifying, we strongly believe that they cannot be
compared, both in terms of scale and their origins and nature. Reports hav=
e
established that the attack on Sabarmati Express bringing back volunteers o=
f
the Vishwa Hindu Parishad from Ayodhya was provoked by a pattern of harassi=
ng
and degrading behaviour by these passengers against Muslim men and women
selling snacks on the train. The attacks on the various Muslim communities=
in
different parts of Gujarat, on the other hand, were highly organized,
pre-planned, condoned and led by members of the government, and either
unchecked or supported by the state police machinery.

Because of the deliberate nature of the killing of Muslims in Gujarat and
destruction of their homes and businesses, that the state chief minister
Narendra Modi has been compared with Milosevic. His remark that every acti=
on
has an equal reaction has been seen as an explicit approval of the maraudin=
g
mobs that went out and burnt men women and children alive with little worry
about being stopped. His subsequent failure to prevent more attacks, brazen
defiance of all civil and poliitical norms, and refusal to acknowledge his
constitutional duty to protect lives have confirmed that he is not a man to=
be
trusted to run the state. His party has refused to ask him to quit and take
responsibility for the ethnic cleansing. The BJP-led central government of
India continues to defend him. He has emerged as a hero to the forces of ha=
te
that seem to have taken over his state.

In such a situation, there is no option but to try him for crimes against
humanity so that the message goes out loud and clear that there will be no
escape for those who discard all civil norms of behaviour.

Please circulate this petition to as many people as you can and this will t=
hen
be forwarded to the recently constituted International Criminal Court.

Though India is not a signatory to this, India does have a provision to hol=
d a
trial in India for crimes committed in any part of the world against an Ind=
ian.
Furthermore, the news that the families of those British citizens killed du=
ring
the riots in Gujarat are contemplating filing criminal charges against Nare=
ndra
Modi clearly point to the possibility of extra-territorial judicial remedie=
s
against alleged perpetrators of such crimes.

Modi's culpability has been well established in the Gujarat riots and his
inability or unwillingness to stop the continued anti-minority killings is
evidence enough that he is not interested in restoring normalcy to Gujarat.=
His
party's insistence on not sacking him and cynically exploring the possibili=
ty
of holding elections in the state to "exploit" Hindu sentiment points to a
bigger conspiracy. This must be stopped and the only way to do it is to hol=
d
Modi accountable and send a clear message to future perpetrators of such
heinous crimes against humanities.

Committee for a Secular India

NAME ADDRESS/PHONE NO. AFFILIATION

_____________________ _______________________________ ___________________=
_
_____________________ _______________________________ ___________________=
_
_____________________ _______________________________ ___________________=
_
_____________________ _______________________________ ___________________=
_
_____________________ _______________________________ ___________________=
_
_____________________ _______________________________ ___________________=
_
_____________________ _______________________________ ___________________=
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_____________________ _______________________________ ___________________=
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_____________________ _______________________________ ___________________=
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_____________________ _______________________________ ___________________=
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_____________________ _______________________________ ___________________=
_
_____________________ _______________________________ ___________________=
_

----------
Alok Mukherjee
86 Pinewood Avenue
Toronto, ON M6C 2V1
Telephone: 416-653-8583
Fax: 416-653-5250
E-mail: almukher@y...

_____

#13.

Business Standard
Saturday, April 27, 2002
COLUMNS

PEOPLE LIKE US
Wanted: a "secular" property broker

When I had rented my father-in-law's flat to a Muslim lady, no one=20
had raised an eyebrow, writes Kishore Singh

Majority, minority, Hindu, Muslim - these are phrases suggestive of=20
other people's lives that have little role to play in ours. At least,=20
that's what I believed till I got involved in attempting to sell an=20
apartment. [...]
http://www.business-standard.com/today/opinion7.asp?menu=3D8

_____

#14.

Outlook Magazine | May 06, 2002
GUJARAT
Body of Evidence
Hate pays. In this state, polarisation is near-complete as the right=20
fringe holds out the hope of future financial rewards.
MANU JOSEPH
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=3D20020506&fname=3DGujarat+%28=
F%29&sid=3D1