[sacw] SACW #2 | 6 Sept. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire #2 | 6 September 2002

__________________________

#1. Bhopal: Eighteen Years On (Arun Subramaniam)
#2. That creep, Ashok Singhal (Satchit Balsari)
#3. Battle over marriage age India's Muslims
#4. All India Christian Council letter to Vice Chair of National=20
Commission of Minorities
#5. Border of Despair: Orissa Government's random deporatation of=20
unauthorised Hindu settlers to Bangladesh (Ruben Banerjee)
#6. 'Stop funding fascist Hindus!' ( Anjum Niaz)
#7. State Govt. Belittles Submergence, Devastation In Narmada Valley: Medha=
,
Kamla Yadav Face Neck-Deep Water
#8. Dialogue For Peace Prayers And Reflections On The State Of The=20
World (San Francisco, sept 11)
#9. Activists optimistic over abolition of Indian anti-gay laws
#10. Upcoming Conference: Cultures of Masculinity in South Asia:=20
Exploring the Contexts
Delhi, December 2002
#11. Space, Territory and The State Edited by Ranabir Samaddar

__________________________

#1.

Far Eastern Economic Review
Issue cover-dated September 12, 2002

THE 5TH COLUMN
Bhopal: Eighteen Years On

By Arun Subramaniam

The writer is an associate editor at the Review. He is co-author,=20
with Ward Morehouse, of The Bhopal Tragedy (1995)

Recently, a television commentator said that it was remarkable that=20
nine months after Enron went belly-up, only one of its senior=20
executives had been indicted for the firm's collapse. But in cases=20
involving suspected corporate wrongdoing, tardiness in bringing the=20
accused to book is the norm. Take the case of Warren Anderson, the=20
former chairman and CEO of Union Carbide. His company had the world's=20
worst industrial accident. In the early hours of December 3, 1984, a=20
pesticides plant run by Union Carbide's Indian subsidiary leaked 40=20
tonnes of deadly methyl isocyanate into the night sky over the=20
central Indian city of Bhopal, killing 5,000 people and crippling=20
more than 200,000 others.

On his arrival in Bhopal a few days later, Anderson was arrested,=20
charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder--and promptly=20
freed. He returned to the United States, and in the 18 years that=20
have elapsed, refused to appear in court. Incredibly, even though he=20
is an absconder from justice, the Indian government recently applied=20
to a court in Bhopal to reduce the charge against him from culpable=20
homicide to the lesser one of negligence. The court declined, but=20
what explains the government's magnanimity?

The Indian government, through legislation, appointed itself the sole=20
representative of the victims in order to "secure that the claims=20
arising out . . . of the Bhopal gas-leak disaster are dealt with=20
speedily, effectively, equitably and to the best advantage of the=20
claimants." In an out-of-court settlement in 1989, the government=20
agreed to a paltry $470 million in full and final settlement of all=20
civil claims. But unexpectedly, it also agreed to drop all criminal=20
charges against Union Carbide and its officers. That was challenged=20
for violating a core principle of criminal justice--a person charged=20
with a crime cannot simply pay his way out. The criminal charges were=20
reinstated.

What makes India's craven attitude so surprising is that it=20
apparently had a strong case to begin with. Unlike most multinational=20
companies operating in India at the time, Union Carbide had a 50.9%=20
majority stake in its Indian subsidiary. The Bhopal plant was an=20
integral part of the company's global agricultural-products division,=20
based at corporate headquarters in Danbury, Connecticut. Union=20
Carbide India operated under the company's regional division, Union=20
Carbide Eastern, based in Hong Kong, with four of the latter's top=20
executives on the Indian subsidiary's board.

In an affidavit filed before a New York court where a civil suit was=20
being heard, Edward Munoz, the Union Carbide-appointed managing=20
director of the Indian subsidiary, stated that a Union Carbide=20
engineering group responsible for designing the Bhopal plant had=20
recommended the installation of three large tanks for storing methyl=20
isocyanate. Munoz opposed the design because "only token storage was=20
necessary, preferably in small containers, based on both economic and=20
safety considerations." He said he was overruled. Perhaps no decision=20
had a more crucial bearing on the catastrophic events of December=20
1984.

Besides designing the Bhopal plant, defining operating systems and=20
procedures, setting standards and training personnel, Union Carbide=20
closely monitored the plant's operation. Union Carbide's corporate=20
regulations mandated monthly safety reports to regional and corporate=20
headquarters, and all cases involving fatal or serious injuries were=20
to be reviewed by the CEO. Thus, would not Warren Anderson have known=20
of the death of a plant operator in Bhopal from exposure to phosgene,=20
or mustard gas, in December 1981? Likewise, would he not have known=20
of a massive leak of methyl isocyanate in October 1982 into the=20
neighbouring community, forcing an evacuation from the area?

But by 1982 the Bhopal operation was losing money. Weeks before the=20
accident, on October 16, 1984, the agricultural-products division=20
decided to explore dismantling the plant and shipping it to Brazil or=20
Indonesia. Events overtook it.

The decision to sue the parent and not just the subsidiary was based=20
on solid grounds. Yet the case was thrown away supposedly because the=20
claimants were too indigent to afford prolonged litigation against a=20
powerful foreign company. They certainly were. But if a government=20
takes it upon itself to guarantee its citizens a legal remedy, surely=20
it owes them support until justice is done? It wasn't done in Bhopal.=20
Why? Because governments, for all their rhetoric, don't know how to=20
deal with the power of modern corporations.

______

#2.

Date: Thu, 5 Sep 2002 00:17:16 -0400

The untouchable.

There are some who till date feel the "BJP is good for the country", and
wonder why the so called 'pseudo-secularists' won't let up. I think they (t=
he
pro-Sangh Parivar folks) wholly missed the point.

I start with an article that appeared on the inner page of the Indian Expre=
ss
today:
....
We'll repeat our Gujarat experiment

Express News Service

Amritsar, September 3: Vsihwa Hindu Parishad international working presiden=
t
Ashok Singhal today termed Gujarat as a "successful experiment" and warned
that it would be repeated all over India.

Singhal, in Amritsar to inaugurate a physiotherapy centre at the Shivala
Bhaian temple, said, "Godhra happened on February 27 and the next day, 50
lakh Hindus were on the streets. We were successful in our experiment of
raising Hindu consciousness, which will be repeated all over the country no=
w".

Singhal also spoke glowingly of how whole villages had been "emptied of Isl=
am"
and how whole communities of Muslims had been dispatched to refugee camps.
This was a victory for Hindu society, he added, a first for the religion.
"People say I praise Gujarat. Yes I do"=92 he told an appreciative, but
modest, audience.

Singhal also took potshots at the NDA Government, saying it hadn't helped t=
he
Hindu cause. The Ram temple would be built at the same place in Ayodhya, he
stated. "We have been able to raise consciousness within the Hindu communit=
y,
though it's unfortunate that the temple hasn't been built till now."

.....

This man, his stooges, his buddies and their bhagwa lot have held this nati=
on
ransom for the last decade. They blatantly flaunt their contempt for the
Constitution and the Judiciary. Yet millions of educated Indians continue t=
o
support them. In the name of Ram. "We have suffered" they say at the hands =
of
the "Muslims". That is touted as the license to kill. The license to strip
150 million Indians of their dignity and liberty. That "Muslims" in India a=
re
"pampered" (read Haj subsidy) is hardly a matter of shame.The Haj subsidy i=
s
not a symbol of Islamic supremacy in India. It is not. Some say it is the
reflection of Hindu magnanimity. I differ again. it is important to
understand why it is shameful to call it a charity of the Hindus. It isn't =
for
"us" to do "them" a favor. We do not, inspite of a 80% majority define this
nation. This nation defines us. I have often reminded friends that our nati=
on,
having derived its laws from the British Parliament differs from it in one
crucial aspect. Our Constitution is Supreme, not our Parliament. And hence
though we are currently governed by the world's largest congregation of idi=
ots
in power, we cannot be taken for a ride. Our Constitution does not define u=
s
by our Hindu status. And this is not, will not and should not be a Hindu
nation. For were it to become one, it will go against everything that this
hallowed ground has stood for over the millennia. Hindu philosophy has
triumphed all onslaughts because of its largess. It has never through the
strides of time, been exclusionary. It has always been dynamic, always
absorbing the best of what came to its shores from distant lands, always
probing, always wondering, always evolving. And suddenly the march of "Hind=
u"
philosophy has been brought to a grinding halt. And that too by a bunch of
imbeciles who do not understand the basic tenets of humanity, much less tha=
t
of religion, be it any.

The Haj subsidy is political. But the notion of "pampering" is despicable.
"We" do not own this land any more than "they". If we do not like the
secularity of this Constitution, and if we cannot palate that the Hindu rac=
e,
like any other is not supreme, and if we cannot digest that every man is eq=
ual
irrespective of the melanin in his skin or the name of the lord he bows to,
the problem lies with us, not with the founding fathers.

"We" have greater problems. Within.We have failed to call a spade a spade. =
We
have failed to see through the saffron inferno. We are being swept by this
religious fervor, and in the name of god, we have copulated with satan many
times over. We have ceased to bat a lid at the actions, reactions or venomo=
us
words of Singhal, or to the hateful propaganda that PM Advani and CM Thacke=
ray
spread. We wisely nod our heads in cloaked approval and say "Yes, it was ti=
me
the Hindus rose". One of the city's leading surgeons reportedly said in a
national daily, when asked what nationality meant: that nationality was not
for a bunch of idiots and eunuchs like us. Well played.

I am not an ardent admirer of the 'stereotypical' Muslims in India. I do bu=
y
into the propaganda that the madrasas propagate anti-nationalistic rhetoric=
.
Islam does not. A bunch of crooked mullahs do. I do see the ghettoization o=
f
Muslims in Bombay. But I do wonder if they are solely to blame? I remember
when my Muslim neighbors, (whom I never thought of as Muslim except when th=
ey
sent me delicious mithai on Bakri-Id) felt it was time to move to Mohammed =
Ali
road after the '93 riots, after having lost their sense of security and
belonging. I do not support the Muslim Personal Law... I think it is a matt=
er
of shame. But if one, even one, Muslim dies in this country, for worshiping
the 'wrong' God, I consider it a huge blow to our culture. Our culture. The
culture of India. The culture of Indians.

I am Hindu. And I will not let Ashok Singhal define my religion for me. He =
is
the outcast. He is the untouchable. The man who must not drink from my well=
.
The well of my motherland.

Dr. Satchit Balsari, MBBS,MPH
B/603 Vaibhav Apts., Old Prabhadevi Rd.,
Bombay 400025
India

______

#3.

BBC News
Thursday, 5 September, 2002, 13:24 GMT 14:24 UK

Battle over India's marriage age
By Charles Haviland
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2238321.stm

India Muslims challenge marriage age
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/audio/38234000/rm/_38234164_childebrides08_havi=
land.ram

______

#4.

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

6 September 2002

Sardar Tarlochan Singh
Vice Chairman
The National Commission for Minorities
Lok Nayak Bhawan, New Delhi

Re: Demand for urgent action against coercive Ghar Wapsi campaigns in=20
Tribal areas by Sangh Parivar

Dear Sardar Tarlochan Singh

Greetings from the All India Christian Council.

The Council congratulated you in the past when you forced the=20
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leadership to apologise for creating RSS=20
frontal organisations to mislead the Sikhs. In that action you had=20
shown far more loyalty to your community and concern for its=20
interests than the Christian member of the National Commission of=20
Minorities had shown towards his community. We were, however, greatly=20
disappointed when you too collaborated with the same member in=20
brokering stage-managed and so called dialogues of various groups of=20
Christians with the RSS leadership, each one of which encounters=20
provided a platform to RSS supremo Kupahalli Sudershan to relaunch=20
his hate campaign against Christians through his monologues at these=20
meetings.=20=20

The Council has been also intrigued by your recent statements on the=20
issue of conversions, as reported in the Press, in letters you seem=20
to have written to some Bishops. According to Rediff.com, you "wrote=20
to the presidents of the Catholic Bishops Council of India and the=20
National Council of Churches in India, citing incidents in Punjab,=20
Bhilai and Jharkhand where Christian missionaries fully supported=20
with medical teams have been going around in many villages alluring=20
poor Sikh families to adopt Christianity." The media quoted you as=20
"Directing the Christian leaders to desist from this activity" and=20
saying "I have been approached by a large number of Sikh=20
organisations to take up this matter. I request you to=8A adopt a=20
policy not to make further attempts of converting Sikhs through any=20
means." The media did not mention which Sikh organisations complained=20
to you. If you had named them, perhaps misapprehensions may have been=20
cleared through genuine dialogue.=20=20

As a community leader of stature, you are fully aware that the term=20
"forcible conversion" is an oxymoron. More so when it is used for a=20
minority which is politically and otherwise so pathetically=20
disempowered as the Christians. You will appreciate that the=20
Christian community is the second largest amongst Indian religious=20
minorities, and yet so far Christians have never been made Vice=20
Chairmen of the National Commission for Minorities, much less its=20
Chairpersons.=20=20

Delhi's Archbishop Vincent Concessao, who we hold in high esteem,=20
spoke for the entire Church when he told you that in the Church there=20
is no concept of conversion by force or by allurement, and such=20
conversion is categorically rejected. That is the position of the=20
entire Christian leadership, irrespective of denominational=20
affiliation, or theological and doctrinal positions. The Council too=20
stresses that Conversion is fundamentally the decision of an adult to=20
opt for a way of life of his choice. Nobody can convert another=20
person. One can only present a way of life to another person. The=20
decision to respond is totally the free choice of the person. Freedom=20
to chose one's religion is more than just a Fundamental right=20
enshrined in the Constitution of our secular and democratic Republic.=20
It is indeed a basic Human Right.=20=20

This is why we are really intrigued, and deeply saddened, that the=20
National Commission for Minorities, and you as its more vigilant=20
Member, have maintained silence on the real act of punitive religious=20
coercion being carried out by blatant political elements across the=20
tribal belt of Central India from Rajasthan to Gujarat and even West=20
Bengal. This is the so called Ghar Vapsi programme openly espoused as=20
a conversion policy by members of the Sangh Parivar, and led by its=20
top leaders, including several legislators and even a member of=20
Parliament, or two. Each function in tribal villages is a show of=20
brute strength, often of a military nature with weapons being openly=20
seen. Each of this conversions frightens Tribal Christians into=20
embracing Hinduism, which is not their basic religion. Official=20
patronage, police cowardice and inaction in the face of political=20
bigwigs and structural laisse-faire as shown by the Census=20
authorities (on which we protested during the Census operations) aids=20
and abets this heinous crime which goes against the Human Rights of=20
the people. I cite some recent instances, as reported in various=20
media, for your reference:

1. "A Hindu organisation has re-converted 37 Adivasis who converted=20
to Christianity, back to Hinduism, at a one-day Vishwa Hindu Sammelan=20
held at Peth, the tribal dominant tehsil town in Nashik district. The=20
sammelan, organised by a recently formed Hindu organisation,=20
Dharmaraksha Samiti, was attended by over 9,000 delegates from all=20
over Maharashtra and neighbouring states." (UNI, January 6, 1999)

2. "The first-ever mass reconversion drive organised by the VHP in=20
West Bengal took place in Malda district today. Amidst fanfare, 500=20
tribal Christians and 50 Muslims embraced Hinduism as priests chanted=20
mantras and performed the paraavartan yajna." (rediff.com, March 25,=20
1999)

3. In July 2000, seven families, belonging to the Missing community,=20
were reconverted to Hinduism in Majuli. (The Asian Age, July 10, 2000)

4. In February 2001, over 1,300 tribals were reconverted to Hinduism.=20
The reconversion was co-sponsored by the VHP, and was named Sanatan=20
Ghar Vapsi. (The Tribune, February 13, 2001) Violence has accompanied=20
several such Ghar Wapsi, and persons who have refused to be coerced=20
by these goons have paid dearly. These mass conversions are NOT=20
incidents of an individual's act of conscience or choice of faith.=20
The VHP and its spawn are carrying out this exercise as a political=20
drive to destablise the tribal communities and as an act of coercion=20
against the Christian community. We respect the individual's free=20
choice, and if some are indeed leaving Christianity on their own, it=20
is for the Church to introspect on the issue. But these mass=20
conversions amidst political jamborees and show of strength, and with=20
the connivance of political forces and men in power, are violative of=20
the law of the land and shame human dignity.

We call upon the National Commission for Minorities to investigate=20
this obnoxious self-styled Ghar Wapsi programme and take consequent=20
steps to have it declared as a criminal offense with legal action=20
against its chief perpetrators.

With regards
John Dayal
CC: Chairman, NCM

______

#5.

India Today
Web Only Feature

Border of Despair

The Orissa Government's random deporatation of unauthorised Hindu=20
settlers to Bangladesh disintegrates families and threatens their=20
livelihood. India Today's Ruben Banerjee reports.

For 30 years Ajit Roy Chowdhury's existence scarcely merited a
furrow on Orissa administration's collective brow. Then one day in
April this year, wracked by the unchecked illegality of his
immigrant status, the police plucked the 60-year-old from his
family and forcibly deported him to Bangladesh. Roy Chowdhury was not=20
alone; a randomly selected 21 others from the state's remote=20
Nowrangpur district were pushed across the Indo-Bangladesh border in=20
a sporadic burst of initiative on the part of the Government. "What=20
is my crime?" asks Roy Chowdhury who managed to return to India along=20
with a few others but is now living like a fugitive for fear of being=20
arrested and deported again. The answer? He was not among the tens of=20
thousands of Hindu refugees who escaped Bangladesh's liberation war=20
and arrived in India before December 16, 1971. The people who came in=20
after this date were branded illegal immigrants. There were others=20
who crossed into India before December 16 but hung around other=20
relief camps and trickled into the Dandakaranya settlement camp only=20
after the cut-off date. It is these people who have been targeted by=20
the government from time to time.

What's conspicuous this time round is the timing and selection of
victims. Such deportations have not been effected since
1993---almost 103 unauthorised Bangladeshi settlers were deported=20
between 1973 and 1993. And though nearly 3,000 illegal
Bangladeshis, a majority of them Muslims, have been identified
across the state, never has the Hindu community residing in the
Dandakaranya refugee settlement region been targeted in such a
concerted manner.

To blame is the xenophobia sweeping the tribal-dominated tracts of=20
Orissa, and a state government seeking to reap cheap political
rewards by favouring the local sentiment. Though the BJP-part of
the ruling coalition in the state spares no opportunity to
publicly oppose the deportations of Hindus, these have, in fact,
been facilitated by the recommendations of a three-member
ministerial committee headed by a BJP state minister. "The
campaign speaks of inhumanity as also double standards," alleges
Swapan Debnath, a resident of Umerkote.

For some time now, the area around Raighar and Umerkote has been on=20
the boil following violent clashes among indigenous tribals and the=20
Bengalis settled in the region under the Dandakaranya project. The=20
tribals feel that the Bengalis have infringed upon their sources of=20
livelihood and want them to be sent back to Bangladesh. Matters came=20
to a head in October last year during one such clash when police=20
resorted to firing, killing five people. A ministerial team, led by=20
state Revenue Minister Biswabhushan Harichandan, was sent to the area=20
and it sought to assuage tribal discontent by recommending among=20
other things an immediate deportation of Hindu immigrants.

Though the deportation of a few dozen immigrants is unlikely to
solve the problem, it has nevertheless endeared the Naveen Patnaik=20
Government to the tribal leaders of the region. They have promptly=20
supported the BJD in staking claim for the Nowrangpur zila parishad=20
chairmanship. Several myths have been exploded in the process, one=20
being that only Muslim immigrants risk deportation under the BJP rule=20
at the Centre.

This, despite the state leadership openly condemning the
deportations. "What can Hindus expect in an Islamic country?" asks=20
Manmohan Samal, president of the Orissa BJP. "To send a Hindu to any=20
country other than India would be criminal," adds BJP MP Anandi Sahu.=20
The party has also stated from time to time that the Hindus coming in=20
from Bangladesh are only refugees, not illegal immigrants. The=20
deportations, however, have been relentlessly executed.

In Umerkote, Raighar and Malkangiri, meanwhile, the families of
those deported can only speculate about the fate of the victims.
"They could have been robbed, maimed or even killed," says Roy
Chowdhury. Handed over by the Orissa Police to the Border Security=20
Force, the deportees were taken to the border under the cover of=20
darkness and then caned. The thrashing was not so much to hurt as to=20
invoke fear. To escape the caning and the BSF men, the deportees ran=20
across the border into Bangladesh. Behind them they left their=20
grieving wives and children. Unlike these men, their wives are mostly=20
daughters of officially certified refugees whom they married on=20
arriving in India and which helped provide them the requisite=20
authorisation to stay behind. The children are also Indian citizens=20
by birth.

Though law necessitates deportations, there is no denying that it
is resulting in a human problem," admits Tarun Kanti Mishra,
Orissa home secretary. Mishra, who as the deputy administrator of the=20
Dandakaranya rehabilitation project was responsible for
settling the refugees from Bangladesh, is now supervising the
cleansing process. As men are erratically selected for
deportation, families are disintegrating and hurtling towards
penury. "With the sole wage earner gone, my family is ruined,"
weeps Sabita, wife of Roy Chowdhury.

Similar despair is visible in other households. "It is inhuman and
cruel," laments Suniti Roy, mother of three children. Her husband,
Manoranjan, was also among the 21 who was carted away for
deportation. In Kumli village under Raighar, Suchitra comforts her
deaf and mute son, even as she is rendered speechless with grief
herself since her husband Mukund Bachar was deported.

The Government, meanwhile, pleads helplessness, citing repeated
directives from the Centre to deport illegal immigrants. The last
such missive which arrived in April this year was signed by the
Union home joint secretary and stipulated that the state
Government submit a compliance report as well. But what remains
inexplicable is the Government's reluctance to deport the Muslims
even as it cracks the whip against the Hindus.

In a country rendered askew after the violent excesses perpetrated by=20
Hindu fundamentalists in Gujarat, Orissa may have provided the=20
uncalled for balance. Nowrangpur is a reminder that in being=20
insensitive to human misery, India is truly secular.

______

#6.

DAWN
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/dmag/dmag11.htm

'Stop funding fascist Hindus!'
By Anjum Niaz

Hindu Americans keep away from fellow-Indian Shabnam Hashmi. They=20
shun hearing tales of gore. Gujarat is too pesky a mention for these=20
smooth-speaking dudes who sell 'secular' India and its prime=20
minister to gullible Americans on Capitol Hill, Washington's=20
canonical think-tanks, and at soirees arranged by swank sites, such=20
as the Asia Society.

Still, Hashmi-haters cannot wish her away. She's resuscitated=20
Vajpayee government's engineered genocide in Gujarat and resurrected=20
the ghastliness of women raped and burnt to death. Her chilling=20
testimony of ethnic cleansing by the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak=20
Sangh), and a slew of other Hindutva fascists such as Shiv Sena,=20
make the most skeptical of Americans drop their jaws!

The American media storied for going into a tizzy over one rape=20
case, bombarding their viewers with interviews from the victim's=20
family and the whole neighbourhood, stomached coolly the details of=20
the Gujarat gang rapes with a mere blip on their radar screens.

Now the inevitable has happened. The New York Times copiously=20
carried a colour spread on Gujarat last month with visceral details=20
of Hindu mayhem and how they systematically killed over 3,000=20
Muslims, brutally raped and burnt some 600 women and methodically=20
destroyed all the businesses and homes of Muslims all over Gujarat.=20
According to Hashmi, "they demolished 360 mosques and dargahs."

What caused the conscience of NYT to be seared after a lapse of=20
almost 5 months since Gujarat imploded? Talking to Shabnam Hashmi=20
gave me an insight. On July 17, NYT correspondent, Barbara=20
Crossette, heard Hashmi's eloquent exposition and was visibly=20
agitated at the lack of media coverage that Gujarat warranted. The=20
NYT was jarred out of self-complacency to see photos of burnt women=20
such as Kausar Bano, an 8-month-old pregnant victim whose unborn=20
fetus could be seen clinging to the mother and incidents of gang=20
rape where women were tortured and their breasts cut off before=20
being burnt.

"Personally, I recorded 60 gang rape victims who described=20
horrendous details of how they were stripped naked and then made to=20
run for their lives with the mob following them, and those who got=20
caught were burnt alive."

A week later, we saw NYT resonate Hashmi's cold facts on Gujarat=20
followed by one full column write-up on her by Crossette. Hashmi was=20
portrayed as a one-woman demolition team come to America to expose=20
the fascist face of the Indian government and persuade Indian=20
Americans not to bankroll charities here that fund right-wing Hindu=20
militants.On the cards is yet another coup for Shabnam: setting up=20
of an international tribunal comprising Indian and international=20
women NGOs. Ideally, she wants Gujarat's chief minister, Modi, to=20
be in the dock like the Serb murderer, Milosovich.

Having worked as a rights' activist for over 20 years, Shabnam=20
lives in Delhi with her husband and two children, a 15-year-old son=20
and 7-year-old daughter. She's here at the invitation of the=20
American Muslim Council (AMC), and has addressed around 25=20
gatherings: "The American women organizations have given me a full=20
hearing and are driven enough to demand the setting up of an=20
international tribunal in Gujarat."

Belonging to a family with leftist loyalties, she says, "My father=20
(Hanif Hashmi) was a freedom fighter who was jailed for four years=20
by the British. As a teenager, I was brought up on stories of Gandhi=20
and Nehru." A favourite of young Shabnam was The Diary of Anne=20
Frank.

One particular incident that spurred Shabnam to accelerate her=20
rights' campaign even at the risk of her life occurred in 1989, when=20
a frenzied mob attacked and killed her brother, Safdar, during a=20
street-theatre performance: "There was a huge industrial strike in=20
Delhi and its surrounding areas, and Safdar and a group of three=20
women were performing in support of the strikers when a=20
politically-instigated mob was let loose on them=8A. He managed to=20
save the women's lives, but was himself bludgeoned to death."

The more hardline elements of the BJP and its affiliates, who=20
emphasize Hindu rites rather than human rights, have been thoroughly=20
exposed by Hashmi who has irrefutable proof that the Gujarat=20
killings were not a result of communal fighting, as Vajpayee touts,=20
but a "cold-blooded and pre-planned" Hindu attack on Muslims. "The=20
RSS claims that their 52 kar saveks (workers) were killed in bogey=20
no 'S-6' of the ill-fated train set on fire by a Muslim mob at=20
Godhra that fuelled the Hindu-Muslim riots. That is all lies. Only=20
on Aug 19, the Indian railway ministry refuted the RSS claim by=20
saying that according to their reserved passengers list, 42 out of=20
52 are alive and kicking!"

Further evidence of RSS' concocted claims comes by looking at the=20
photos of the burnt 'S-6' bogey. "If the bogey was fully gutted to=20
burn 56 RSS workers, then how come the fans, the interior and=20
exterior look unscathed?" According to her, the RSS themselves=20
stage-managed the scene of murder by putting a pile of charred=20
bodies one on top of each other (where they got hold of these=20
bodies, no one knows), and locked the inside of 'S-6' bogey to=20
conveniently show to the world that Muslims were responsible for=20
such a heinous crime. What comes to mind is Kristallnacht (Night of=20
the Broken Glass) when the Nazis unleashed a wave of pogroms against=20
the Jews in 1938, blaming them for the assassination of a German=20
diplomat. Besides, "the Hindu fascists under Modi's leadership=20
planned the genocide months before and hoarded gas cylinders which=20
disappeared from the market 15 days before the attack; trained their=20
workers to first throw a gas cylinder at a home or business, and=20
once the gas leaked out, throw a petrol bomb to gut out the place=20
completely." interestingly, the women's wing of RSS called Durga=20
Vahini participated in the violence, "There are many eyewitness=20
reports of these middle-class women coming in their fancy cars to=20
loot, some even burning other women." Shabnam Hashmi wants the huge=20
amounts of money donated to right-wing organizations in India by=20
Indian Americans and the US charities to stop: "The RSS runs 30,000=20
schools which poison the minds of kids against Muslims, who they say=20
must be killed because they marry four wives and have lots of=20
children that will soon convert the Hindus into a minority." She has=20
no hope of official US intervention because the "State Department=20
knows only too well the BJP's complicity in the carnage. Their=20
representatives were sitting in Delhi signing arms deals while=20
Muslims were being killed in Gujarat. India is a very big market for=20
the US, they don't want to upset the apple cart." What about the=20
Indian Muslims themselves? "I don't see this as a Hindu-Muslim=20
fight. Gujarat is the manifestation of an extreme fascist attack on=20
secularism and the only way to fight the fascists is to galvanize=20
support by the minorities and secular Hindus to fight them. It has=20
to have political backing." Shabnam Hashmi is an agnostic. "My=20
parents were non-believers and they raised us as non-believers. My=20
grandparents were Muslims and all I have is a Muslim name=8A nothing=20
more=8A I don't relate to any religion." She acknowledges that she's=20
fighting a losing battle, "Because the Hindu-Muslim hatred has=20
seeped in too deep and will take centuries before it dries out."=20
Still, she's not giving up!

______

#7.

NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN

58, Gandhi Marg, Badwani, M.P.(Ph. 07290-22464, badwani@n...,
medha@n...).

Press Note/ Sept. 5, 2002

STATE GOVT. BELITTLES SUBMERGENCE, DEVASTATION IN NARMADA VALLEY: MEDHA ,
KAMLA YADAV FACE NECK-DEEP WATER

The Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh governments are disregarding the=20
devastating effects of the recent submergence, caused by the=20
increased height of the controversial Sardar Sarovar dam project, on=20
September 2-5 and the previous one from August 20-22. The governments=20
also have been trivializing the people=EDs resistance to the unjust and=20
illegal submergence by spreading outright falsehood regarding the=20
Satyagraha (non-violent mass action) in the Narmada valley.

Hundreds of farms and over 50 houses have been washed out in the=20
swirling Narmada waters, in the Akkalkua and Akrani tehsils (Dist.=20
Nandurbar), in Maharashtra. Almost all the houses in Domkhedi=20
(including the centers of Satyagraha and NBA office) have been=20
submerged. Moreover there were large-scale destruction in Sikka,=20
Bharad, Pipalchop, Pavla, Mukhdi, Sindhuri, Dhankhedi and Chimalkhedi=20
villages. In one Chimalkhedi 10 houses hundred goats and equal number=20
of bullocks and cows washed away, along with the pe In Jalsindhi,=20
Luhariyabhai's house went under water, together with the Satyagraha=20
house.

In Madhya Pradesh number of Adivasi villages from Jalsindhi, Bada=20
Amba, to Kakrana and Katarkheda suffered heavy submergence related=20
losses and devastation. More than 1000 more Adivasi families were=20
became destitute by this submergence caused by the height 95 meters=20
(+3 m. humps). Hundreds of cattle were washed According to the=20
estimates, the present dam height with the full floods, would=20
displace over 8000 families and extend upto the plains of Nimad.

In Gujarat, rising waters have affected large tracts of standing crop=20
in Mokhadi, Turkheda and Hafeshwar. The ancient temple in Hafeshwar=20
is half subme standing lush green crop in every tribal village in=20
Alirajpur and Maharashtra is affected, mostly 10-15 acres per=20
affected family in these villages. This means massive loss of=20
standing crops and threat of lurking famine.

The submergence has occurred under the scandalous indifference of the=20
Madhya Pradesh government to the fate of the tribals. Mr. Singh has=20
gone to the worse extent by claiming that the affected Adivasis are=20
=EBsquatting on the government land=ED!

However, the people faced the submergence waters with fortitude and=20
resolve. Medha Patkar and Kamla Yadav have been in the neck-deep=20
submergence water for hours. In the afternoon of Septmeber 3, the=20
vilage elders of Domkhedi and women decided to drag them away from=20
the fatal submergence. However, they all have been in the Khutavani=20
pada (hamlet) for all these days, and once visited Jalsindhi=20
Satyagraha place. But the Maharashtra government officials spread=20
false rumours regarding Medha Patkar and the Andolan which were=20
unwittingly carried by the many Marathi newspapers. This was a clear=20
game of spreading the misinformation about the Andolan.

Dangerous Modispeak

As a sequel to the ghastly state-sponsored communal carnage in=20
Gujarat, the Chief Minister Narendra Modi is bent on suppressing the=20
vulnerable sections of our people, this time the Adivasis. His=20
attempts for increasing the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam upto 110=20
meters is fraught with increasing danger for the lives and resources=20
thousands of more families in the Narmada valley. When the affected=20
peopole below 90 meters could not be resettled properly till this=20
time, how can anyone think of increasing the height of the dam beyond=20
the present 95 (+ 3 meters humps)? We demand that the governments of=20
Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh should not fall prey to the cynical=20
game of Narendra Modi. Modi has been indulging in these gimmicks=20
mainly because the future elections in Gujarat and we expect Vilasrao=20
Deshmukh and Digvijay Singh not to entertain him and his designs. The=20
propaganda of releasing Na o equally misleading. The Narmada water=20
could have been put into the Sabarmati even without SSP dam, through=20
pipelines and other means, as is being done now. It seems that Modi=20
government is pulling all stops to have elections and win them, taking
recourse to fraud, cruelty, misinformation, defamation and cheap cynical
tactics. The people in India and particulalry in Gujarat must realize this
and defeat the fraudulent ways of government.

Sanjay Sangvai

______

#8.

http://www.ciis.edu/comserv/dialogueforpeace.html

DIALOGUE FOR PEACE
Prayers And Reflections On The State Of The World

at
The California Institute of Integral Studies
San Francisco

Wednesday, 6-9.30 pm, September 11, 2002

Venue: Auditorium, 3rd Floor
Address: California Institute of Integral Studies. 3rd Floor.
1453 Mission Street. (Between 10th and 11th.) San Francisco.

<Free event>

The Dialogue for Peace seeks to address:
=88=F8 Following September 11: Ethical Issues in Healing the United States.
=88=F8 Crises and Possibilities in South Asia: Nuclear Politics, Religious
Nationalism, Democracy.
=88=F8 Challenges in the Making of the Palestinian State, and the Peace
Movement
in Israel.
=88=F8 Africa: Struggles for Justice
=88=F8 Gender Justice: The State of the World

Speakers will be from the activist, scholar, academic, journalist
communities, including:
M. J. Akbar, Scholar, Journalist, Former Member of Parliament, India
Dorsey Blake, Minister Of The Church For The Fellowship Of All Peoples
Angana Chatterji, Professor, California Institute of Integral Studies
Michael Lerner, Rabbi of Beyt Tikkun, Editor of TIKKUN magazine
Hanan Rasheed, National Executive Secretary, Palestinian American
Congress
Penny Rosenwasser, Peace Activist, Middle East Children=92=C4=F4s Alliance,
Coalition of Jews for Justice
Richard Shapiro, Professor, California Institute of Integral Studies

People from diverse ethnic, national, faith and political backgrounds
are cordially invited.

Speak out for global justice

______

#9.

_____

#10.

Space, territory and the state
Edited by Ranabir Samaddar
Orient Longman, 3-6-276, Himayatnagar, Hyderabad 500 029, India.
Tel: 91-040-3224294
Email: editor@p...
ISBN 81-250-2209-0
263pp. Indian Rs450
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