SACW | 3 Jan 2005
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aiindex at mnet.fr
Mon Jan 3 01:56:15 CST 2005
South Asia Citizens Wire | 3 Jan., 2005
via: www.sacw.net
[1] Bangladesh: Ahmadiyya Books - HC asks govt why ban should not be illegal
[2] Pakistan: Prejudice without pride (Angela Williams)
[3] Pakistan: An interview with Sheema Kermani
[4] India: Sikh Temples ban girls in jeans
[5] India: Communal Riots - 2004 (Asghar Ali Engineer)
[6] S. Asia: 'Nature does not respect the egos of
nation states.' (Edit, Times of India)
[7] Announcements :
- Call for Papers "Towards Global Labour History: New Comparisons"
--------------
[1]
The Daily Star
January 03, 2005
AHMADIYYA BOOKS
HC ASKS GOVT WHY BAN SHOULD NOT BE ILLEGAL
Staff Correspondent
The High Court yesterday issued rule on the
government for its ban on the Ahmadiyya
publications and stayed the ban for another three
weeks.
The court asked the government to reply why the
government order banning Ahmadiyya publications,
sale, distribution and preservation would not be
declared illegal for being violative to the
constitution and fundamental rights of the
community.
The respondents -- the home secretary, senior
assistant secretary of the home ministry,
inspector general of police and deputy controller
of Bangladesh Press (BG Press) -- will have to
reply to the court in two weeks.
A High Court Division bench comprising Justice MA
Matin and Justice AFM Abdur Rahman passed the
order after hearing yesterday.
Operatives of some anti-Ahmadiyya Islamist groups
gathered in and around the courtroom during the
hearing and told the press that they would file
separate petitions for vacating the stay order
and discharging the rule.
The HC vacation bench of Justice ABM Khairul
Haque on December 21 stayed the ban until
resumption of the court after winter vacation
following a petition filed by six civil society
groups and a member of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat,
Bangladesh (AMJB).
The court had also ordered the government not to
publish any gazette on the ban.
The petitioners are AK Rezaul Karim, an AMJB
member and former deputy general manager of
Bangladesh Bank, Odhikar, Sammilito Samajik
Andolon, Ain O Salish Kendra, Karmojibi Nari,
Jatiyo Ainjibi Parishad and Nijera Kori.
In his submission yesterday morning, counsel for
the petitioners Dr Kamal Hossain said the
Ahmadiyyas are living in the country for about a
century and carrying out publication, sale and
distribution of their publications for many years
in Bangladesh without any disturbance and in full
knowledge of the government.
No-one ever made any objection that the
publications hurt religious sentiment of any
community until certain vested interest groups
led by Khatme Nabuwat started deliberately
creating a climate of vilification against the
Ahmadiyyas and got the order issued to fulfil
their political gain, he said.
A vested quarter is involved in it, not all
Muslims of the country, Dr Kamal said.
"Since the ban, Khatme Nabuawat and its
affiliated bodies including Amra Dhakabashi have
been carrying out attacks on the Ahmadiyya
community in the name of implementation of the
impugned order."
The ban is an infringement on the fundamental
rights enshrined in the constitution, the counsel
maintained.
The government has to mention the words and
sentences (of the Ahmadiyya publications) that
resulted in the banning of the publications, Dr
Kamal said, adding that the government did not
even publish a gazette notification on the order.
He also mentioned that the government placed a
report before the UN General Assembly on
September 16, 2004 stating that the rights of the
followers of all religions including the
Ahmadiyya sect are well protected in Bangladesh.
During the hearing, ABM Nurul Islam, an advocate
of the Supreme Court, urged the court again to
appoint him the amicus curiae, but the court did
not respond.
As he told the court that the government had
already published gazette notification on the
ban, the court, adjourning the hearing until
noon, asked the attorney general's office to
inform the court about the matter.
When the hearing resumed at noon, Additional
Attorney General Fida M Kamal told the court that
he had received no instructions from the
government on the matter.
The court later passed the stay order and issued the rule.
Advocate Salahuddin Ahmad, Barrister Sara Hossain
and Barrister Tanjib-ul Alam assisted Dr Kamal
Hossain while Assistant Attorney General Razik Al
Jalil assisted Fida Kamal.
Abdul Hannan Al Hadi, a leader of the
anti-Ahmadiyya group Hifazate Khatme Nabuwat
Andolon, told The Daily Star after yesterday's
order, "We're shocked at the court order. We'll
form a movement against it."
"Islamist organisations will file two separate
petitions against today's order," he said.
The government, on January 8, banned Ahmadiyya
publications amid agitation by anti-Ahmadiyya
zealots spearheaded by some leaders of Islamic
Oikya Jote, a constituent of the ruling BNP-led
alliance.
______
[2]
Daily Times
January 03, 2005
AT HOME ABROAD: Prejudice without pride
Angela Williams
Five years ago, with the approach of a new
millennium, my husband and I were thinking of
spending New Year's Eve in Agra; what more
magical way to see in the special New Year than
with the Taj Mahal as a shimmering backdrop!
Our eight-year-old daughter couldn't have been
more horrified. 'But we can't go there! That's in
India! What would all my friends say? Well, I'm
not going!'
So we went to a party in Essex.
But where had this strange stuff come from? As a
Londoner, and a bit of a pain-in-the-neck English
language pedant, I keep my prejudices simple:
right-wingers of any nationality, American
right-wingers in particular, and those who sound
like Americans for no good reason. So those were
the prejudices inherited from the mother's side!
The father is a highly educated Jat (if that's
not a contradiction in terms, which I often feel
it may well be. I would use the term oxymoron,
but readers may imagine that I'm being more
offensive than I intend.) Anyway, he is an
intellectual, not noted for bias or bigotry. So
that lets us off the hook as the culprits behind
this foaming anti-Indianism of our beloved
firstborn. (I hasten to add that we have utilised
the intervening five years to detox our child, so
that she is now the product one would expect!)
Which only leaves little school friends and,
therefore, Pakistani society as a whole, as the
responsible party for inculcating this odious
prejudice in one so young. Now, with the easing
of tension across the border, and the clean,
fresh air of friendship and co-operation between
India and Pakistan, wouldn't it be nice to
imagine that the decades-old hatred of our
next-door-neighbour was soon to be a thing of the
past! Progressive Pakistani schools and colleges
are in touch with their Indian counterparts,
organising trips to India, and international
events to foster understanding, friendship and
mutual respect. The Rafi Peer Festival, as
always, (God bless those Peerzadas), included
wonderful performances from across the border, as
well as from around the globe. Things are
certainly improving by leaps and bounds, but it
will take a few generations, I fear, for the
deep-rooted religious prejudices to be healed.
Despite Quaid-e-Azam's oft repeated assertion
that religion was nothing to do with the business
of the State, that Pakistanis were free to go to
their mosques, their temples or any other place
of worship, I must say that, in the 20 years I
have lived in Pakistan, I have yet to see any
Pakistani freely going to his/her temple. (Maybe
I wasn't looking in the right direction for 20
years.) It is a sad thing that the man whose
image appears on all banknotes and graces the
walls of all government buildings, is so
shamefully disregarded in this matter. No wonder
his daughter can hardly bear to set foot in the
country her father founded!
But we can always hope, we can pray, we can
teach, and we can keep on teaching until
justifiable pride replaces foul prejudice.
The writer is the Academic Co-ordinator and a
founder of Bloomfield Hall Schools. She has been
teaching in Lahore for the past 20 years and has
directed numerous highly acclaimed stage plays.
______
[3]
The Times of India
December 10, 2004
CULTURE AS POLITICS
[AN INTERVIEW WITH SHEEMA KERMANI]
Is there space for Indian classical dance on public platforms in Pakistan?
The present situation is slightly better than
before. However, what is still needed to hold
public performances is a no-objection certificate
(NOC). Although, in a private capacity, there are
possibilities of performances and a couple of
dancers have emerged on the scene. But, there is
no government support and Indian classical dance
is still markedly considered as an Indian or
Hindu art form. Since 1980, we, a group of women,
have founded Tehrik-e-Niswan to continue my
activity.
What is the activity of Tehrik-e-Niswan?
Tehrik means movement and Niswan means women. It
was formed at a time when the highly
discriminatory and anti-women laws were being
passed. A group of women, including myself, felt
that women's rights had to be defended and we
held the first all-women's conference in Karachi
in 1981 which was attended by women from all
sections of Pakistani society. Since then, we
function as a cultural action group, using the
medium of performing arts, dance, drama and
music, to bring the message of awareness and
consciousness about women's rights. We feel that
the first step to attain women's rights ought to
be the comprehension and understanding of their
problems and bring about an awareness of their
rights. In this regard, we try to employ artistic
means like theatre, dance, video and film,
firstly because our society is largely illiterate
and, therefore, lectures, seminars, and so on
have limited use, and secondly, the struggle for
women's rights has to be conducted not only at
the legal and political level, but also at the
level of emotional and artistic responses and
values.
What sort of problems did you face from the
clergy and the martial law administration during
Zia-ul-Haq's time? Has the situation changed
since then?
Well, in the late 50s, one Ghanshyam and his wife
from Calcutta were invited by Suhrawardy, then
prime minister of Pakistan, to set up a dance and
music academy in Karachi. During the 60s, in
Pakistan, there were more than a couple of dance
schools and many dancers who were performing as
well as teaching. In the early 80s. General Zia
banned dance on all official media and on stage.
The problems were such that actually one was not
able to even advertise a dance performance. The
NOC ['No Objection Certificate'] stated that
dancing, nudity, obscenity were not allowed,
dresses of only Pakistani origin were permitted
and so on. Often the clergy sent me threats and
to the venues where the performances were held.
This was when all the dancers left the country. I
was the only dancer who stayed on and continued
to defy the ban by continuing to perform and to
teach.
How do you artistically express contemporary
ideas through the medium of classical dance?
I think art is a reflection of society, of its
values and its life, and if an artist is aware
and a thinking being, then she or he cannot
possibly be cut off from contemporary concerns.
These concerns are then reflected in the work
because they are part of the life of the artist.
Despite the censor that still exists, performing
arts like theatre and dance enjoy, however, a
relative freedom over state-controlled media such
as radio and television. Besides, performing arts
have a singular adaptability to the given
circumstances and can be put up with very meagre
resources.
How do you relate your activity of dance to your
activity to strengthen women's rights in
Pakistan? Or are they separate activities for you?
No, they are not separate activities. For me
dance is very much related to the women's
movement. Both the artistes and women are
oppressed. The issue of a woman's body, how it is
looked upon, and the taboos linked to it -- these
are important and integral aspects of the women's
movement. As soon as a girl starts growing up she
is told to feel ashamed of her body, to hide it.
Through dance we learn to straighten and
strengthen our spine - hold our shoulders back,
and this instils confidence and a feeling of
dignity which empowers the woman in the process.
What would be the role of the artistes of
Pakistan and India for ameliorating the relations
between the two countries?
I believe that art and artistes are not bound by
language barriers or by religious differences.
Art tells the truth and for me art is secular;
there is no such thing as Hindu dance or Hindu
music and Islamic dance or Islamic music just as
there is no such thing as Hindu bomb or Muslim
bomb. The bomb does not discriminate before it
destroys! Besides, I believe that the people of
India and Pakistan share a common history, a
common heritage and if we as artistes can try to
explore our commonalities and similarities rather
than our differences, I am sure we can live in
greater harmony with each other.
______
[4]
Deccan Herald
January 03, 2005
GURUDWARAS BAN GIRLS IN JEANS
Ranchi, DHNS:
The Singhbhum unit of Central Gurudwara Prabandak
Committee (CGPC) has banned the entry of jeans
and trouser clad girls into gurudwaras.
CGPC President Shailendra Singh, issuing letter
to all city based gurudwaras has asked them to
form a Mahila Manch to keep vigil on the girls
visiting the gurudwaras.
The decision follows the appeal by the
ex-Jathedaar of Jatth Dum Duma shrine in Punjab,
Kewal Singh, to women to be culture-conscious and
not get swayed by western culture.
Justifying the decision, a Sikh priest said here
that girls play a vital role in the making of the
society. "A girl once after becoming a mother has
to guide their children, make them follow the
rules and regulations of the society. But nothing
great can be expected from a girl in this regard
if she is not conscious about the dressing sense.
After all we have to see that they mature as a
responsible person of the society," the Sikh
priest said.
However, girls have expressed their unhappiness
over the decision. Religion is one thing and
personal life is other is the common refrain.
______
[5]
Secular Perspective
January 1-15, 2004
COMMUNAL RIOTS - 2004
Asghar Ali Engineer
Like the year 2003, 2004 also did not witness any
major riot. In fact the Gujarat carnage of 2002
was so traumatic that it may take sometime for
the country to see communal violence on such
scale. It is well known fact that major communal
riot cannot take place without planning and
organised efforts. The Gujarat carnage would not
have been possible without BJPs and Gujarat
Government’s involvement. Of course it cost the
BJP dearly and one of the reasons of loosing the
Lok Sabha elections in 2004 was the Gujarat
carnage as admitted by no less a person than
A.B.Vajpayee, the BJP Prime Minster. Thus for the
time being the BJP dare not involve in organising
rioting on such major scale.
It is for this reason that both in 2003 and 2004
we do not find any major sustained communal
violence except for riots in which couple of
lives were lost. It is interesting to note that
for last few years Western zone of the country
i.e. Gujarat and Maharashtra have mostly
witnessed communal violence. Gujarat still
remains communally sensitive and without major
de-communalising campaigns (and there is no such
possibility as long as the BJP is in power in
Gujarat) Gujarat will remain communally highly
sensitive. Maharashtra too is quite communally
sensitive next to Gujarat. Though there is
Congress-NCP secular alliance in Maharashtra,
there are no serious efforts to ideologically
fight the Shiv Sena-BJP combine. Shiv Sena-BJP
though it failed to come to power in the last
state assembly election, it continues to wield
ideological influence.
Thus the first communal clash in 2004 took place
in Vadodra, Gujarat. Due to a cycle mishap the
two groups belonging to Hindu and Muslim
community clashed with each other and started
pelting stones at each other on 6th January in
Sajaynagar, Tsiwadi. According to the Police
Commissioner Sudhir Kumar Sinha when the SRP
personnel tried to control the mob, it was
attacked. The SRP Jawan then fired two rounds in
the air. SRP Jawans were injured in the stone
throwing.
Then on 8th January 7 persons were injured in two
of them seriously, in a group clash at
Jalgaon-Jamod Tehsil in Buldana district of
Maharashtra. A minor incident involving a cyclist
and a truck driver escalated into a major clash
between Hindus and Muslims. Senior police and
revenue officials rushed to the spot and
controlled the situation.
In M.P. state elections had taken place in
December 2003 and the BJP had won. The BJP is
trying to Hinduise tribals in Jhabua and other
tribal belts of M.P. in order to win their
political support. It had campaigned in a major
way in Jhabua district, which is adjacent to
Gujarat state. Thus Jhabua became communally
quite sensitive. Thus communal clashes took place
in Jhabua district between Bheels and Christians
on 17th January. Actually Bhils attacked
Christian Missionaries and killed one person.
Communal tension was on the rise for last few
months, following the decision of the RSS-VHP
cadres to prevent religious conversions by
Christian missionaries. Backers of the latter,
belonging to the ferocious Bhil tribe, struck
back on Friday night with bows and arrows in the
Alirajpur area killing one person (unofficially
three), injuring over a dozen, and setting a few
vehicles and buildings ablaze. It was alleged
that the most serious incident had occurred when
a religious procession of Sadhvis attached to a
Hindu Saint Asaram Bapu at Amkhunt village was
attacked and the women manhandled. The Sadhvis
were distributing religious literature when the
surprise attack occurred.
Earlier a 9-year-old girl was raped and murdered
and her body found in a toilet inside a
missionary school it had raised communal
temperature as some Christians were suspected to
have done that. But it was a false rumour and
Chief Minister Uma Bharti herself confirmed that
the culprit arrested had no connection with the
church. It seems the religious literature being
distributed was not innocuous and likely to have
provoked some Christians. Chief Minister assured
that the Christian missionaries working in the
area would receive full protection.
It was again Godhra in Gujarat that a communal
incident took place on 18th February in which six
persons were injured, including a police
sub-inspector and two constables when members of
minority community and the police clashed in this
sensitive town. The flare-up comes barely 10 days
before the Sabarmati Express incident two years
ago. It all started during police operation to
arrest Salim Paanwala, one of the main accused in
the Sabarmati train carnage from Umar Masjid in
Saat Pul area. The locals alleged that the cops
misbehaved with them, beating them up and
ransacking their houses. One Amin Guri sustained
serious injuries and was shifted to SSG Hospital
in Vadodra for treatment. Two other civilians
injured in the incident were identified as Rafiq
and Yaqub. According to the SP. Police more than
35 persons were arrested. Though situation was
under control, additional forces were deployed to
maintain law and order. Paanwala was absconding
and on being tipped police came to arrest him and
this incident took place. Among those beaten up
by the police was Husaina Farooq Jiteli, a
six-month pregnant woman. She told the cops hit
me on the abdomen when I resisted my husband’s
arrest. The house of Kasimbibi adjoining the
mosque was ransacked. “My two sons had just
returned from the mosque when the police broke
open the door and began beating up them”, she
said.
Ujjain in M.P. witnessed communal incidents on
22nd February as M.P. under BJP rule has become
more communally sensitive. The state under the
BJP was experiencing more and more communal
incidents. On 22 February two groups clashed on
the question of removing illegal shops in front
of a mosque after which 7 areas came under
curfew. These shops were being removed for
facilitating Mahakumbh Mela. In these clashes 10
persons including I.G. police Sarabjit Singh were
injured. The police used lathicharge, tear gas
shells and water cannon to control the clashing
groups. More than 57 persons were arrested. About
200 Muslims who had taken refuge inside the
mosque were transported to safe places.
Vadodra in Gujarat again witnessed communal
violence on 27th February in which three persons
were killed and 13 others were injured. The
violence erupted after the Tazia procession was
stoned in Bavamanpura area. One person was beaten
to death. Paresh Pushwani when he was travelling
on scooter was attacked by a mob of 200 persons.
He succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. One
another person was hit by the police bullet and
one person was stabbed to death. Thirteen persons
injured included four police personnel in stone
pelting. Nagin Parmar and Chotalal Borsi were
attacked by sharp weapons by a mob in Paginate
area of which Borsi succumbed to his injuries. On
29th February one person was stabbed to death
again in Panigate area. But police refused to
accept it as a communal incident and ascribed it
to personal quarrel.
On the eve of Moharram small incidents took place
in several towns on 2nd March in India. Moradabad
in U.P. witnessed stone throwing, one person was
stabbed in Baroda, Gujarat, ships were closed in
Ajmer in Rajasthan. In Pratapgarh one laundry was
set on fire. In Barida Muslims decided not to
take out Tazia procession to maintain peace in
the city. Baroda again witnessed violence on 4th
March when one more person was stabbed in
Yaqutpura area. There were incidents of stone
throwing between two communities in Yaqutpura,
Fatehpura and other areas. More than 5 persons
were injured including two policemen. Police
resorted to firing in the air to disperse the mob.
After Moharram Holi festival on 7th March became
an occasion for communal clashes in Darvha town
of Yeotmal district in Maharashtra. Curfew had to
be imposed after 16 persons were injured.
Violence broke out when coloured powder fell
incidentally on the mosque. And 24 persons were
injured when clashes broke out in Sikandrabad
locality of Allahabad in U.P. when minority
community members objected to Holi revellers
passing through a particular lane. Two groups
pelted stones at each other damaging many shops
and vehicles in the area.
Ahmadnagar in Maharashtra experienced communal
violence on 7th March when a Shiv Sena MLA was
arrested for provoking violence on 3rd March.
Ahmadnagar had witnessed communal violence on
10th of Moharram (3rd March) and next day i.e. on
4th March Chitre Road, Sarjepura, Tillikot,
Milindnagar and Delegate areas Muslim shops were
attacked, burnt and looted. The violence
continued for more than five days. Though Muslims
were main victims the police arrested many Muslim
youths. Muslims were greatly upset due to alleged
partial role of the police.
Bhavnagar in Gujarat came under pall of communal
violence after one person was stabbed on 4th
March at midnight. More than six persons were
injured including a woman in these communal
clashes. This happened when one group tried to
stop another group from taking out religious
procession. The police also recovered body of a 9
year old child with injuries on its body but it
was not clear whether he was killed in communal
incident.
One person was killed in Chirli village of
Gwalior in M.P. on 7th March on the occasion of
Holi and 23 were injured of whom many were
critical. The clashes between Hindus and Muslims
started when Holi revellers threw colour on some
Muslims. Knives and other weapons were freely
used during the clashes.
Baroda was under spell of communal violence yet
again on 4th May when 5 persons were injured in
walled city when the two groups clashed with each
other. The police was forced to lathicharge, then
used teargas shells and then fired in the air
when a mob attacked a house. The mob damaged two
vehicles in Chabuksawar Mohalla and Pancholi
area. Two persons were arrested for resorting to
violence. Two injured youth were taken to
hospital of which one was in critical condition.
His name was Shahnawaz Qureshi. The police fired
two rounds but no one was injured. The clashes
broke out after two persons quarrelled on the
question of parking their vehicles.
Next communal disturbances took place at Chita
Camp, Trombay in Eastern suburbs of Mumbai on 7th
May. Police sources said that trouble began
following an altercation between members of the
minority community and devotees of who were
participating in a procession taken out from
Mariamma temple in Cheetah Camp. Some members of
the minority community objected to the procession
being carried out late in the night in front of
the mosque. They objected to the playing of
drums. Some one threw stones on the procession
and devotees retaliated. Temples and mosques are
situated closed to each other. Next day there was
stoning at the time of Friday prayers. The police
lathi charged and brought the situation under
control at midnight. Eighteen persons including
several policemen were injured.
Next rioting broke out again in Gujarat in
Savarkundla Town of Amreli district on 14th May.
A police head constable Abdul Sattar Baloch
stabbed one Sukhabhai from the Koli community. He
later succumbed to his injuries and people
returning from his funeral procession began to
stone Muslim houses and set a truck ablaze.
Curfew was imposed. Sukhabhai was stabbed during
cricket match. He died one week after that. The
communal disturbances broke out after his death.
On 15th May communal riots occurred in Gomtipur
Ahmedabad. Eight persons were injured and more
than 16 persons were arrested. The members of two
communities clashed on the occasion of Ambedkar
Jayanti. Two shops were also set ablaze by the
rioters.
Meerut, a communally sensitive city in U.P.
witnessed communal flare up on June 19 in which
two persons were killed. The communal flare up
took place after one Babi Gujar was killed on
18th June and people returning from his funeral
began to stone near an Eidgah. Communal violence
intensified thereafter and one person was stabbed
and one was killed by firing. Curfew was imposed
in the Sardhana area of Meerut where disturbances
broke out. The police sources said three persons
were killed. Many were arrested. Curfew continued
next day also and in all 48 persons were arrested.
Next Sanghavli village in Muzaffarnagar district
in U.P. came under spell of communal violence on
21 July in which one woman was killed and 20
persons were injured. One Dalit girl two and half
years old Shivani was knocked down by a car
belonging to a Muslim. Thereupon Dalits attacked
the Muslim locality and began to fire. The police
on receiving information rushed to the scene and
took injured to the district hospital where one
woman Raghuviri succumbed to her injuries.
Gujarat continues to take cake in communal
violence. Verawal in Gujarat witnessed communal
frenzy on 26th July in which 2 persons were
killed and 8 were injured. The violence between
the two communities broke out on the question of
eve teasing. A young Hussain Zair was killed in
Taj Society when police opened fire to disperse
rampaging mobs that resorted to heavy stone
pelting and setting ablaze nearly 40 shops and as
many vehicles, police said. Another person was
stabbed to death in Jalaramnagar area and was
brought dead to civil Hospital. The person could
not be identified. Curfew was imposed but rioting
was going on in some areas. The girl who was
teased belonged to Kharva community and teaser
was a Muslim boy.
Belgaum on border area of Karnataka and
Maharashra witnessed communal clashes between the
two communities in which about 50 persons
including 20 women were injured in Durbar Gulli
of the town. The injured had to be hospitalised.
The Belgam Devathal had organised puja in all the
city temples to mark the last Tuesday of Adhik
mass. A large number of people thronged the
temples. Some devotees began to throw turmeric
powder at a temple in Durbara Gali as members of
minority community were coming out after offering
prayers from a mosque. Some people objected to
turmeric powder being thrown and scuffles
started. After the ritual persons from both the
communities started pelting stones. Both the
communities blamed the police for inaction. A
year before also violence had broken out during
the same ritual.
On 16th August Akola came to experience communal
violence in which one person was killed and one
was severely injured. During the celebration of
independence day there was some quarrel between
two groups and violence broke out. The person who
died was identified as Rau. Six persons were
arrested. This led to communal tension in the
area.
On 15th August violence broke out in Petla in
Anand district of Gujarat on the question of
parking an Autorickshaw between two communities.
The police had to resort to firing in which one
person was injured and curfew had to be imposed.
Many shops were set ablaze. To keep the situation
under control additional police force was rushed
to Anand.
On 7th August there were serious clashes between
Hindus and Muslims in Akot of Akola district in
Maharashtra in which 3 persons were injured. It
started with a man being wounded by a scooter of
another community. Stone throwing started after
arguments between them. One car was also damaged.
The police reached the spot swiftly and cooled
the tempers with the help of social workers. Akot
is a communal sensitive area so security was
immediately beefed up.
Then on 29th August in Dekhar Gaon of Anjha
Taluka in Mehsana district of Gujarat witnessed
clashes between two communities in which more
than 15 persons were injured of which two persons
were in critical condition. The police reached
the spot on time and brought the situation under
control. According to the police a son of a
retired police officer had gone to the village
for Puja and clashed with persons of minority
community and others got involved from both
communities.
Jalna and Purna in Marathwada district of
Parbhani in Maharashtra witnessed bomb blasts
near a mosque after the Friday prayer on 27th
August in which 23 persons praying in the mosque
were seriously injured. The persons who threw
bombs came on motorcycles and their faces were
masked. Their identity could not be established
immediately. Since it was on the eve of state
elections it was suspected that communal forces
tried to ignite communal violence to polarise
Hindus and Muslims. The department declared
security alert throughout the State in view of
these bomb attacks. Mr. Sharad Pawar, the NCP
chief also warned in a press conference in
Marathwada that communal mischief will not be
tolerated. This bomb incident created an acute
sense of insecurity among Muslims.
In Khantalao, Bhandara Maharashtra communal
violence broke out on 11 September on the
question of land ownership and 20 persons were
injured. Many shops were set ablaze. More than 60
persons were arrested. The trouble broke out when
Siv Sena and Bajrang Dal people gave a call for
bandh to protest against a plot of land near a
temple having been wrongfully occupied. The
Shivsainiks soon became violent and began to
attack minority community in which 20 persons
were attacked. More than 35 places were set to
fire. Curfew was clamped to control the situation
Muradabad in U.P. another communally sensitive
place, saw communal disturbances on 15 September
in which one person died. The problem began with
dispute about the construction of a wall in the
courtyard of a mosque. Stoning and firing took
place between Hindus and Muslims and one person
was killed and 18 persons were injured including
two policemen. The members of two communities
fought despite the presence of the police
personnel.
Baroda again came under communal spell on 19th
September in which six persons were injured when
Ganesh Chaturthi procession was being taken out
in the Panigate area which is hyper sensitive and
witnesses communal violence repeatedly. The
procession was passing through Dudhwala Mohalla
of Panigate area.
Badohi in U.P. known for carpet weaving
experienced communal violence on 24th October
when idols of Goddess Durga were being taken out.
It took violent turn when some slogans were
raised during the procession of idols. The mob
set afire several shops including an electronic
shop on Chauri and Gyanpur Roads. About 24
persons were injured. Rapid Action Force and
additional police forces had to be deployed to
control the situation. The mob also damaged buses
and obstructed movement of trains on
Bhadohi-Varanasi-Janghai route. 10 persons were
arrested for rioting and violence.
In Padrona Qasba of Kushinagar, U.P. disturbances
broke out on the question of hoisting a flag near
the idol of Durga in which 25 persons were
injured and 38 persons were arrested according to
the police.
Bhopal in M.P. saw communal clashes in the
Shahjahanabad Policethana area on 26th October in
which one person died and one was critically
injured. Curfew was clamped and judicial inquiry
ordered. Deceased was identified as Jaiprakash.
Two children quarrelled and their elders
intervened leading to communal clash.
Zakaria Buder area in Mumbai witnessed communal
violence on 1st November near Cottongreen station
in which seven persons were injured. Trouble
broke out when a fruit vendor Habibullah was
beaten up by some youth from Ambewadi Chawl
because of previous enmity. Habibullah’s friends
intervened and two groups started pelting stones
and threw bottles.
Silcher town in Assam also was rocked by communal
violence on November 7 in which 50 shops
belonging to minority community were burnt and
looted and they sustained loss amounting to
crores of rupees. It all started when police
refused to give permission to take out a funeral
procession of an employee who was murdered
through minority locality. The mob went on
rampage and curfew had to be imposed.
All the riots we have described above started
with small incident which are quite common place
but did not assume serious proportion and could
be controlled easily as there was no intention by
any communal party to exploit these incidents for
engineering communal violence for political
purposes. No major communal riot can take place
without previous planning and providing
infrastructure for the same. Any of these
incidents could have assumed serious proportions
if any communal party had intended to exploit it
for their interests.
The major riots also start with small triggering
incidents. In that case police is also under
pressure not to act and let the violence spread.
In post-Gujarat situation, the communal forces
did not want to engineer any major riot and hence
both in 2003 and 2004 we see only small communal
incidents but no major and widespread communal
violence. In all these instances the police could
effectively control communal violence as they
could act independently without any political
pressure. If the police is under strict
instruction not to allow communal incidents and
politicians do not interfere no riot can continue
beyond few hours. Widespread communal violence
takes place not only by the connivance of
unscrupulous politicians but by their complete
involvement.
(Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
Mumbai:- 400 055, India)
_____
[6]
The Times of India
January 03, 2005 | Editorial
UNITY IN ADVERSITY
REGIONAL COOPERATION FOR DISASTER CONTROL
Do we always need to reinvent the wheel? The
Indian scientific establishment may nod in the
affirmative. In the years of the Cold War, when
technology was a well-guarded secret of the
developed world, it made sense to aspire to be
self-reliant. Times have changed, for the better.
As the world gets increasingly integrated, there
isn't much scope - or hope - for pockets of
isolation. It has been said that a tsunami
warning system (TWS) would have helped to reduce
the toll considerably in India. The TWS in the
Pacific area has 26 states as members and
monitors seismological and tidal stations in the
Pacific basin to predict tsunamigenic quakes.
Periodic warnings are issued to local, state and
international subscribers. Tad Murty, a
Canadian-Indian scientist, who has created a TWS
for Canada, says the Indian government rebuffed
his offers to create a similar system for the
country, citing shortage of funds. New Delhi's
decision may have also been influenced by the
lack of data on tsunamis on Indian seas. It has
been equally wishy-washy in the case of disasters
that strike with regular frequency. It took many
seasons of misery before we had proper
cyclone-monitoring systems in place. States like
Tamil Nadu, Orissa and West Bengal which are
lashed every monsoon by killer winds and waves
from the Bay of Bengal are yet to have cyclone
shelters in place.
New Delhi should not take the entire load of
putting systems in place to combat disasters.
Apart from the enormous expenses that we will
incur, it is also impossible to understand the
vagaries of nature in isolation. Nature's
vagaries have little respect for national
boundaries. Cyclones batter Bangladesh as much as
they do to Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. Quakes too
have their own geographies, as do the floods of
Himalayan rivers. What is needed is a concerted
SAARC effort to set up disaster monitoring and
management facilities. The SAARC charter cites
science and technology and meteorology as core
areas for cooperation. And wherever technology is
already available - as in the case of the Pacific
TWS - we should subscribe to it. New Delhi, being
the bigger economic power, can take the lead in
forging such partnerships. Institutions like the
ISRO and the IMD should now look beyond Indian
shores to create safety nets for the whole of
South Asia. In this age of travellers - both
people and capital - national interests can't be
dictated by political geography. Nature does not
respect the egos of nation states.
_____
[7] [ANNOUNCEMENTS]
ASSOCIATION OF INDIAN LABOUR HISTORIANS
42 Deshbandhu Society, 15 Patparganj, Delhi 110092, India
International Institute of
Social History, Amsterdam
The South-South exchange
programme for research on
the history of development
Towards Global Labour History:
New Comparisons
An International Workshop organized by
Association of Indian Labour Historians (India) under the
SEPHIS Programme and the International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam
November 10-12, 2005 at Delhi (India)
CALL FOR PAPERS
The workshop is being held to discuss the
possibility of a new framework for Global
labour history. There is an urgent need for
reconstituting the older frameworks which
had evolved around fixed binaries of space, time
and social relations. A more meaningful
way of comparison would be to focus on sites,
forms and relations of labour that
habitually straddle the classical divides of
labour history. Papers to be presented at the
workshop should focus on the following themes.
1) Legalities: For a new global labour history
there is a need to rethink notions of
law, legality and labour moving beyond earlier
distinctions between legal/illegal,
crime/labour, regulated/unregulated.
2) Mobility: With increasing attention now being
paid to circular mobility, cross border
labour migration and the history of mobile work
sites, mobility is brought back to
the centre of labouring experience.
3) Solidarities: Themes which transcend the organic models of community and
associational forms of class, comparisons of
transient and temporary solidarities,
forms such as social networks forged at
workplaces and neighborhoods at both the
global and the local level are expected to be
dealt with in the papers under this rubric.
4) Relations of Gender: What seems important
today is not just the visibility of
women and women's work, but the interrogation of received ideas such as male
working class formation and notions of
masculinity implicit in traditional notions
of solidarity.
5) Multiplicity of Labouring Identities: The
hyphenated identities such as homeworker,
peasant-worker, self-employed and 'labouring poor' - a term usually
reserved for the pre-industrial worker - have made a strong come back in recent
literature.
6) Impact of New Technology on Work: New technologies especially those based
on communications and information have deeply impacted labour relations. Both
dispersion and congregation of workforce is
occurring specially in the new economy.
Are there historical parallels for the way these
technologies have impacted work
relations?
Research Papers of publishable quality focusing
on the above themes are invited from
young and established scholars located in the
South (Asia, Africa, Latin America) and
in the North (Europe, America, Japan and
Australia). Twenty-five papers (including six
from the North) will be chosen for presentation and intensive discussion in the
workshop. The papers should demonstrate the use of innovative methodology and
primary sources. Authors are invited to submit
abstracts (in English) of no more than
600 words as well as academic curriculum vitae (maximum three pages). Proposals
must reach through email at the following address
<ailh2004 at rediffmail.com> by 7
March, 2005. Final draft of selected papers
(6000-7000 words) is due by 7 September,
2005 to ensure that airline tickets and other
arrangements can be done in good time.
Association of Indian Labour Historians (AILH)
will undertake to publish a selection
of suitably refereed papers soon after the workshop.
The organizers will cover travel costs and other
participation expenses for successful
applicants. However, air-tickets will be issued
only upon timely receipt of acceptable
papers, i.e. the paper submission deadline must be met.
Postal Address:
Association of Indian Labour Historians
42 Deshbandhu Society
15 Patparganj, Delhi - 110092
India
Phone: 91-11 2272 1744, 91-11 2273 3443
Additional information about the Workshop can be
obtained via the SEPHIS website:
http://www.sephis.org
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
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