SACW | 10 Feb 2005

sacw aiindex at mnet.fr
Wed Feb 9 19:17:54 CST 2005


South Asia Citizens Wire   | 10 Feb.,  2005
via:  www.sacw.net

[1] Pakistan: Dr Shazia's gang rape at PPL: JAC 
meeting condemns concealment of rapists
+   Doctor Shazia's rape: JAC demands rights for victim
[2] An Open Letter to the Home Minister of India (149 signatories)
+ Photos of citizens protest against attack on 
Professor Geelani in Delhi on 9 February 2005
[3]  India: Doing It Their Way - the formation of 
the All India Muslim Women's Law Board (Janaki 
Nair)
[4]  India: Home Truths: Providing Shelter to 
Millions on the Street (Bharat Dogra)
[5]  India:  Film on - Hedgewar [founding figure 
of the Hindu Far Right] (Anuradha Raman)


--------------

[1]

Daily Times
February 09, 2005

DR SHAZIA'S GANG RAPE AT PPL: JAC MEETING CONDEMNS CONCEALMENT OF RAPISTS

Staff Report
KARACHI: An emergency meeting of the Joint Action 
Committee (JAC) held on Monday, condemned the 
rape of a lady doctor at the Pakistan Petroleum 
Limited Hospital (PPL), Sui, Balochistan, 
according to a JAC press release issued here on 
Tuesday.
"We are appalled by the behaviour of PPL doctors 
and officials who when informed about what 
happened on the night of Jan 2, did not register 
a case of rape and instead tried to conceal the 
incident from the police. They kept her sedated, 
denied the police access to her and prevented any 
medical examination from taking place. They 
refused to even contact her family until Jan 5," 
the JAC said.
Frustrated by the slow pace of proceedings, he 
added "We are dismayed that it took a week for 
the police to record her statement and that only 
after a public protest was a tribunal established 
on Jan 11 and a medical examination conducted on 
Jan 15.
"We are disturbed that the names of the accused 
have not been made public, and that the Defence 
Service Guards (DSG) at Sui who had been 
implicated in the case, had still not been 
questioned.
"We are deeply concerned that the lady doctor is 
being held incommunicado and we extend our full 
support to the lady doctor who is a very valuable 
member of the healing profession who is committed 
to the well being of humanity. The fact that she 
was serving in a remote area is testimony to her 
commitment to the profession.
"We appreciate all the efforts of the human 
rights groups and women's groups that have been 
actively supporting her and continue to support 
her." The JAC demanded that the lady doctor be 
allowed to exercise her fundamental rights and 
that full protection be given to her and her 
family as they seek justice. They called for all 
proceedings to be made transparent and for human 
rights and women's rights activists to observe 
these sessions.
The meeting also decided to hold a protest 
demonstration on Feb 12 at 2pm from Regal Chowk 
to the Karachi Press Club.
The JAC comprises War Against Rape, Aurat 
Foundation, Shirkat Gah, Women's Action Forum, 
Amnesty International, Human Rights Commission of 
Pakistan, Pakistan Medical Association, Mubariza, 
Aahang and Pakistan Reproductive Health Network.

o o o

Daily Times
February 10, 2005

DOCTOR SHAZIA'S RAPE: JAC DEMANDS RIGHTS FOR VICTIM

* 'Justice is being thwarted once again'
Staff Report
LAHORE: The Joint Action Committee (JAC) for 
People's Rights, an alliance of over 30 
non-government organisations and civil society 
groups, expressed fear that vested interests 
would deny justice to Dr Shazia, a Pakistani 
woman who survived rape.
Addressing a press conference at the Lahore Press 
Club on Wednesday, JAC leaders, IA Rehman, the 
director of the Human Rights Commission of 
Pakistan (HRCP), Shah Taj Qizilbash, Neelam 
Hussain, Farooq Tariq, Shirkat Gah executives and 
others expressed concern about the way the Dr 
Shazia case was being prolonged.
The JAC demanded that the government ensure the 
safety of Dr Shazia and her family. They also 
demanded that she be allowed a lawyer of her 
choice, be provided medical care and allowed to 
meet women's rights and human rights 
organisations.
The JAC demanded that an inquiry should be held 
to monitor the police investigation. They said 
that the proceedings should be made transparent, 
the FIR be made public, the accused be revealed, 
people obstructing justice be prosecuted and the 
Dr Shazia's case not be used as an excuse to 
intensify military operations in Balochistan.
They urged the Pakistan Medical Association to 
take steps to ensure that those doctors 
responsible for obstructing justice be banned 
from the medical profession.
"Once again, a Pakistani woman has been subjected 
to rape and torture and again the culprits are 
being spared," lamented the JAC, adding, "We are 
deeply disturbed at what appears to be efforts to 
cover up the matter and delay the course of 
justice." They were concerned that the matter 
being pursued at multiple forums, including a 
tribunal, would further delay the actual legal 
case of rape.
The JAC said that the rapist, people who had or 
were concealing facts and those 'protecting' the 
accused were all culpable for the crime. They 
announced a protest demonstration on February 12 
from Ewan-e-Iqbal to Assembly Hall.
According to the JAC, Dr Shazia Khalid was an 
employee of the Pakistan Petroleum Limited and 
had been posted at the company's Sui hospital for 
the past 18 months. She was being provided 
accommodation by the PPL and the Defence Services 
Group (DSG) was providing security for the entire 
facility.
On the night of January 2, Dr Shazia was attacked 
and raped by a masked intruder. She was severely 
injured and left tied with telephone wires. When 
she freed herself she informed Sister Sakina of 
the PPL medical staff, who informed the 
administration, and several other doctors 
including Dr Usman Waddah, the PPL chief medical 
officer, and Dr Mohammad Ali, the deputy medical 
officer (both subsequently accused and arrested 
for concealing evidence).
Dr Shazia was stopped from returning to her room 
to get her clothes and the staff did not comply 
with her plea to have her brother and his wife 
flown in from Karachi to be with her. No medical 
examination was carried out nor did the PPL staff 
call the police. PPL doctors sedated her in an 
attempt to conceal the rape.

______


[2]

sacw.net  |  February 9, 2005
URL: www.sacw.net/hrights/OletterHomeMin9feb05.html

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE HOME MINISTER OF INDIA


Shri Shivraj Patil
Hon'ble Minister of Home Affairs
Government of India
New Delhi

9 February, 2005

Sir,

We consider the murderous attack on Prof. Syed 
Abdul Geelani, a teacher of Arabic in Zakir 
Hussain College, Delhi University, on 8 February, 
2005, an assault on Indian democracy itself. 
Prof. Geelani's life has always been in danger 
ever since he was falsely implicated in the 
Parliament attack case and was subsequently 
acquitted of all charges by the High Court in 
Delhi. It is a matter of shame that the 
law-enforcing system of the country failed to 
protect an outstanding voice of democracy in 
India.

Although we do not wish to pre-judge any specific 
complicity in the attack on Prof. Geelani at this 
stage, we strongly feel that the involvement of 
the Delhi Police itself, especially its Special 
Branch, in the crime can not be ruled out. It is 
clear by now that this Branch was in the grip of 
communal-fascist forces during the entire 
proceedings in the Parliament attack case. As 
with the other accused in the case, Prof. Geelani 
was falsely implicated on the basis of forged 
documents and concocted evidence. He was 
illegally arrested, brutally tortured and made to 
sign on blank sheets of paper by the officers of 
the branch. Attempts were made on his life inside 
the prison. Per the records submitted by his 
defence before the Supreme Court of India, he was 
constantly shadowed by the police throughout the 
country even after he was honourably acquitted by 
the High Court.

Despite the torture and danger to his family, 
Prof. Geelani never submitted to the dictats of 
the police and, unlike the other accused, refused 
to sign the forced "confessions" written by the 
police. After his acquittal, Prof. Geelani has 
been a prominent voice in defence of democracy 
and human rights. Following his own bitter 
experience, he has drawn attention of the country 
to the abject violation of the rights of 
prisoners, especially Kashmiri muslims, in the 
Tihar jail. No wonder his presence has been a 
thorn in the flesh of cynical power enjoyed by 
the Special Branch with the undisguised blessings 
of the erstwhile NDA government in the name of 
anti-terrorist operations.

With this background, the handling of the present 
case by the Crime Branch of the same Delhi Police 
will be a textbook case of conflict of interest. 
It will only add to the continuing travesty of 
justice and human rights in the Parliament attack 
case. Therefore, we appeal to you to

1.	Appoint an independent judicial 
commission to inquire into the attack on Prof. 
Geelani to bring the perpetrators of this crime 
to justice

2.	Take additional measures to ensure the 
security of the two other accused in the case, 
Mohammad Afzal and Shaukat Hussain Guru, 
currently lodged in the Tihar jail

Also, in continuation with our earlier appeal to 
the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India (enclosed), 
we appeal to you to

A.	Bring out a white paper on the Parliament attack

B.	Institute a high level judicial inquiry 
into the illegal practices of the Special Branch 
of the Delhi Police, induding allegations of 
corruption, violations of fair trial standards 
and allegations of false encounters

We hope that, with the ouster of the NDA 
government, the atmosphere of fear and prejudice 
that engulfed the country during the previous 
regime will give way to genuine concerns about 
democratic norms, justice and human rights. We 
are aware of the promise of the UPA government to 
"preserve, protect and promote social harmony and 
to enforce the law without fear or favour to deal 
with all obscurantist and fundamentalist elements 
who seek to disturb social amity and peace." We 
are encouraged by your own statement in the 
Parliament that "the main tools of the UPA 
Government in dealing with terrorism would be 
dialogue, good governance, social justice, 
economic growth and the cooperation of the 
people."

Sincerely

1.	Nirmalangshu Mukherji Delhi University
2.	Ali Javed Delhi University
3.	Vijay Singh Delhi University
4.	Gautam Navlakha Journalist
5.	Rita Sinha Delhi University
6.	Anshuman Singh Delhi University
7.	Sachin N. Delhi University
8.	Tara Prakash Delhi University
9.	Kanika Kwatra Delhi University
10.	Radhika Menon Forum for Democratic Initiative
11.	Jitendra Kumar Journalist
12.	Poonam Srivastava Jawaharlal Nehru University
13.	Uma Gupta Delhi University
14.	Rashid Ali Journalist
15.	Shohini Ghosh Jamia Milia Islamia
16.	Madhu Prasad Delhi University
17.	M. F. Kumar Delhi University
18.	Javed Naqvi Journalist
19.	Partho Dutta Delhi University
20.	Chetna Jadav Delhi University
21.	Svati Joshi Delhi University
22.	Kamal Chinoy Jawaharlal Nehru University
23.	Manilah Imam Jawaharlal Nehru University
24.	Muqbil Ahmar Jawaharlal Nehru University
25.	Prabir Purkayastha Delhi Science Forum
26.	Rakesh Ranjan Delhi University
27.	Anjani Kumar AIPRF
28.	Jeevan Vikalp
29.	Harish Dhawan PUDR
30.	Bhupinder DSU
31.	Sanjay Kak Film Maker
32.	Upendra Swami Jan Sanskriti Manch
33.	Bhasha Singh Jan Sanskriti Manch
34.	Berhard D'Mello PUDR
35.	Bharati Jagannathan Delhi University
36.	Satya Jawaharlal Nehru University
37.	Jehnen Delhi University
38.	Karika Delhi University
39.	Santanu PUDR
40.	Reena Teacher
41.	Ratneswarnath Ekta Parishad
42.	M. I. Mansingh Ahmedabad
43.	Nabarun Majumdar Delhi
44.	Anil Pershand Jawaharlal Nehru University
45.	C.G. Manoj Journalist, PTI
46.	Aziz Mehdi Jamia Milia Islamia
47.	Shamin Ahmed Jamia Milia Islamia
48.	Hasan Mohd. Jamia Milia Islamia
49.	Joya John PSU
50.	Maya John PSU
51.	Shshank Jamia Milia Islamia
52.	Iqbal Jamia Milia Islamia
53.	Nandita Narain Delhi University
54.	Swapnil Gupta Punjab University
55.	Ehtasham Ali Jamia Milia Islamia
56.	Pushpa Jamia Milia Islamia
57.	Abdul Hafiz Jamia Milia Islamia
58.	Mohammad Jamia Milia Islamia
59.	Iman Jamia Milia Islamia
60.	Kaleem Jamia Milia Islamia
61.	Abdul Rahim Jamia Milia Islamia
62.	Sushil Vikalp
63.	Anil AIPRF
64.	Rajesh AIPRF
65.	Dharmendra AIPRF
66.	Shahid Alam Jamia Milia Islamia
67.	T.R. Sagar Delhi University
68.	Mrityunjay Yadavendra Jamia Milia Islamia
69.	Rashmi Paul Delhi University
70.	Imran Khan Delhi University
71.	Kr. Sanjay Singh Delhi University
72.	Sandeep Jawaharlal Nehru University
73.	Jitendra Kumar Jawaharlal Nehru University
74.	Srikant Jamia Milia Islamia
75.	Arundhati Gomes ASK
76.	Md. Akbar Ali Delhi University
77.	Chandan Kr. Jawaharlal Nehru University
78.	Md. Javed Jamia Milia Islamia
79.	Deepika Tandon Delhi University
80.	Saikat Ghosh Delhi University
81.	Rupleena Bose Delhi University
82.	Najma Rehmani Delhi University
83.	Ish Mishra Delhi University
84.	Manizah Delhi University
85.	Rahim Delhi University
86.	Shanil Delhi University
87.	Albeena Shakil Jawaharlal Nehru University
88.	Subhanil Choudhury Jawaharlal Nehru University
89.	H. M. Imran Jawaharlal Nehru University
90.	Sima Kanungo Delhi University
91.	S. B. Pandit AISA
92.	Imteyaz Ahmed Delhi University
93.	Ranjana Saxena Delhi University
94.	Satyadeep PUDR
95.	Rona Wilson SPDPR
96.	Kundan Kr. Eastwinds
97.	Anjana Kumari DSU
98.	Javed Malik Delhi University
          99.Neeraj Malik Delhi University
        100. Anumendra Singh Lawyer

(and 49 others)

o o o o o


[ See Photos of citizens protest against attack 
on Professor Geelani in Delhi on 9 February 2005 |
Photos by Mukul Dube > 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
www.sacw.net/hrights/images/gila1_05.jpg
www.sacw.net/hrights/images/gila1_14.jpg
www.sacw.net/hrights/images/gila1_14c.jpg
www.sacw.net/hrights/images/gila1_15c.jpg ]

______



[3]

The Telegraph (Calcutta, India)
February 09, 2005

DOING IT THEIR WAY

In a sense, the formation of the All India Muslim 
Women's Law Board would signal a victory for 
Indian feminism, argues Janaki Nair The author is 
professor of history, Centre for Studies in 
Social Sciences, Calcutta


The recent move to set up a separate All India 
Muslim Women's Personal Law Board at Lucknow may 
be welcomed with cautious optimism by the Indian 
feminist movement. For some years now, and 
particularly since the Bharatiya Janata Party and 
its allies successfully annexed the demand for 
the introduction of a uniform civil code in the 
name of rescuing the Muslim woman from the 
tyrannies of Muslim patriarchy, the Indian 
feminist movement has had to revise and 
distinguish its position from that of 
fundamentalists of both communities.

It did this by steadfastly focusing on the 
problems of women in India, who continue to live 
under personal law, and the reformed Hindu code 
of the Fifties did not escape its scrutiny. There 
has been a growing recognition among all sections 
of feminists that the communalized public sphere, 
and ambiguous victories and decisive setbacks in 
the courtroom, called for a revision of earlier 
positions. In particular, some organizations 
called for a strategy of supporting moves for 
gender justice that came from women within these 
communities themselves.

This is at last what the new board represents in 
its avowed intention of focusing on the rights of 
women under Muslim personal law. The move is 
richly ironic, for what else do personal law 
boards adjudicate if not the position of women, 
on whose dominated status the identity of the 
community is built? The new personal law board 
does not purport to move out of the realm of the 
community but claims a space within it, and on 
its own terms.

But coming, as the move of the Muslim feminists 
does, after similar challenges to the law board's 
authority from such segments as the Shias and the 
Barelvis, it may have the unfortunate consequence 
of providing a rallying point for a new 
patriarchal unity. Already, as the reports have 
it, the Shias have dismissed the move as an act 
of an international conspiracy.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has 
dismissed it as a "joke", which, we may note, is 
quite a different response from the more 
accommodating tone adopted vis à vis the Shias 
and the Barelvis. These are surely the easiest 
ways of discrediting any movement for political 
change in India. There will be inevitable 
questions about the representativeness of this 
new board, though clearly the original board, 
which includes two dozen women among its 200 
members, has never thought fit to introspect on 
this question so far. They may even find some 
evidence of participation in such efforts of, 
what older feminist activists have regarded with 
some dismay, "9 to 5 feminists" who profess 
well-paid beliefs as employees of an NGO.

Yet the new women's board has already declared 
what the Shariat says are the rights of women, 
and therefore has rejected triple talaq as a 
legitimate form of divorce. Its intention is to 
interpret the religious law in the spirit of 
gender justice, and draw away the women who are 
flocking to the family courts for relief.

Still, it may be too early for feminists to take 
heart from the long-overdue changes that are 
under way. There is nothing as yet to guarantee 
that this assertion of independence will not be 
crushed or at least contained, for we may soberly 
recall the closure of ranks that occurred, in the 
wake of the Mary Roy judgment, among the various 
factions of the Kerala church, which proclaimed 
that the community, and more properly Syrian 
Christian families, were in danger from the 
retrospective application of the Indian 
Succession Act among Christians of Kerala. 
Moreover, there will be legions of other women 
who will willingly lend their faces to this 
effort of building a "new community solidarity".

In this, the stand taken by the state will be 
crucial. Yet, as Rajeswari Sundar Rajan's recent 
work has pointed out, there is a paradox in the 
ways in which the state responds to women's 
demands. It displays none of the alacrity with 
which it may concede political power to questions 
that involve women's economic rights, 
particularly within the family. The pragmatics of 
women's participation in politics is crucially 
dependent on a party system still controlled by 
men. Political representation, in all likeness, 
is still subordinated to a party system that is 
largely controlled by men, whereas economic 
rights within the family may challenge the very 
patriarchies on which the state depends.

But there is no doubt at all that these 
developments are an effect of long years of 
rallying around the question of women's rights 
within communities and the long and contradictory 
relationship that women have with the state. 
Shuttling between the community and the state, 
women under personal laws are wary of placing all 
their confidence in either of these forces, 
preferring to build pressure from within rather 
than seek the intervention of a state 
ever-willing to concede to the demands of 
assorted patriarchies.

Organizations such as Awaz-e-Niswan in Mumbai, or 
COVA in Hyderabad have advocated piecemeal and 
steady reforms without antagonizing the religious 
beliefs of the women in these communities. The 
demand that women be given the freedom to worship 
in mosques is thus as important in such a charter 
as the demand for equal rights to property and 
the ban on triple talaq in marriage.

But there are many signs that the news of the 
board has to be treated with caution, for we 
simultaneously hear of a judge of the Allahabad 
high court who has upheld a lower court judgment 
for the payment of maintenance to a Muslim woman 
estranged from her husband. He has done it in the 
name of the justice guaranteed to all Indians 
under the Constitution, from which Muslims are 
not exempt.

This assertion of the notion of citizenship is at 
variance with the constitution of the new board 
which will embrace, rather than repudiate, the 
community. Feminists have learned to treat with 
caution the words of Indian judges pronouncing on 
women's rights, especially in a charged public 
sphere where no opportunity is missed to deal out 
lessons to Muslims in modes of correct 
citizenship, using the dubious norms of Hindu 
reformed law. The pursuit of gender justice has 
been used as the ruse to rebuke the Muslim 
community generally or Muslim men in particular, 
and as Flavia Agnes has shown for the period 
following the Bombay Riots of 1993, even 
castigate the community for acts of violence 
against women.

Feminists have thus learned to be wary of reading 
such ready condemnation of Muslim men by assorted 
(and usually Hindu) men of the bar. But these new 
developments are definite signs that neither the 
campaigns for the uniform civil code, nor the 
setbacks in court and legislature have been in 
vain for they have surely informed the moves made 
by the Muslim activists. In this important sense, 
this is a victory for Indian feminism.


______


[4]


The Times of India,
February 2, 2005

HOME TRUTHS: PROVIDING SHELTER TO MILLIONS ON THE STREET

by Bharat Dogra

No one remembers them during grand occasions like 
Republic Day. They are the homeless - people 
stretched on footpaths under torn blankets or 
less, on remorselessly cold and foggy nights. 
Discussions on improving urban infrastructure 
altogether negate their existence. Perhaps, their 
only consolation under this framework is to eke 
out a space below the flyovers littering the city 
landscape. They are taken note of only as 
undesirable elements that need to be weeded out 
of the city in order to improve its 'social 
infrastructure'. The Emergency happened only 30 
years back, but today a Turkman Gate happens 
virtually each day all over the country without a 
murmur of disapproval. Have we really evolved as 
a strong, proud Republic?

Ironically, the callous neglect is visible in the 
very city that hosts the Republic Day parade. 
Despite the recent emphasis on poverty 
alleviation schemes, the existing night shelters 
in Delhi accommodate less than 5% of the city's 
1,00,000 homeless, or 3,000 people. If the 
homeless go through hell in winter in Delhi, they 
face high water in the monsoon in Mumbai. The 
situation in smaller towns, away from public and 
policy focus, can well be imagined. It is an 
indication of the extent to which the urban 
homeless have been ignored that reliable 
estimates of their number are just not available. 
Census estimates have left out a big chunk of the 
homeless as they can only be contacted at night 
and not very easily.

Sporadic estimates suggest that the number of 
homeless is not less than three million, or about 
1% of the urban population. The figures will rise 
if we include those who are precariously housed, 
or on the margin of homelessness. Some people are 
'resettled' so far away from their place of work 
that they prefer to sleep in the open near the 
worksite despite the existence of a house or hut 
miles away. Shouldn't we consider them homeless?

Several studies have shown that it makes sense 
for the government to provide housing sites and 
basic services close to the place of livelihood. 
If only a few dwellings pose a problem - for 
example, to make way for a road or a drain - 
organisations of slum dwellers can help to find 
an alternative site nearby for these few. This 
was demons-trated by the Asha Abhiyan project in 
Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh).

Notwithstanding these facts, nearly three lakh 
people have been rendered homeless by a slum 
demolition drive in Mumbai in recent weeks. Chief 
minister Vilasrao Deshmukh stands committed to 
changing the face of Mumbai, no matter what the 
human cost.

A two-pronged approach is needed to provide 
shelter on a large scale. The programme of 
creating night shelters should be stepped up 
significantly. Appeals should be made to make 
available buildings that are unused at night, so 
that these can provide shelter to the homeless, 
particularly in extremely cold weather. Such 
buildings can include religious and philanthropic 
places, schools and colleges. A means would have 
to be devised to link the organisations and 
people willing to donate space to those who 
actually need it. Voluntary organisations and 
citizens' groups can play an important role in 
establishing this link and ensuring that the 
homeless enter and leave buildings in an orderly 
way so that their day-use is not disturbed.

Ordinary citizens can play a more positive role. 
Their concerns at present only find limited 
expression - such as donation of an occasional 
blanket - due to lack of avenues to reach out to 
the homeless. However, if organisations dedicated 
to meeting many-faceted needs of the homeless 
emerge, these can facilitate a much more 
broad-based participation of citizens.

The Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan in Delhi has made an 
effort in this direction. It engages people in 
the needs of the homeless and provides spaces for 
them to link up with welfare activities. Many 
students have offered their voluntary services; 
some educational institutions have allowed their 
premises to be used as shelters at night; and 
commercial establishments as well as individuals 
have come up with job and training offers.

A move is afoot in Delhi and Chennai to provide 
the homeless with a voters' identity card. This 
would empower the unfortunate lakhs in their 
interactions with hafta -hungry policemen and 
hospital staff, while also bringing them into the 
reckoning when the government announces welfare 
measures.

The Tenth Plan document refers to according 
voluntary organisations a greater role in 
managing night shelters. The document emphasises 
building night shelters for women and children, 
who have suffered glaring neglect in the past.

Night shelter programmes should learn from 
earlier mistakes. The low occupancy at night 
shelters is explained not only by the unhygienic 
conditions, but also by the fact that the needs 
of special occupational groups are often 
overlooked. Rickshaw and cart-pullers need a 
place to keep their cycles and carts - their 
means of livelihood - securely before they can 
sleep peacefully in a shelter. Hence, a close 
interaction with the target group is needed so 
that the funds are well spent. Along with an 
increase in the budget for night shelters, 
greater transparency in funds use will go a long 
way in ensuring the best results. In sum, it 
makes more sense to provide for the homeless than 
to pursue policies which increase their number in 
the name of beautification and infrastructure 
creation. Only then can we say Saare jahan se 
achcha .


_______

[5]

Indian Express
February 10, 2005

SHARMILA'S FIRST TEST: FILM ON HEDGEWAR
Anuradha Raman

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 9: One of the first films 
that the new members of the Censor Board, under 
the chairmanship of Sharmila Tagore, will preview 
is Swayamsevak - a 30-minute film on Keshav 
Baliram Hedgewar, celebrating the life and times 
of the RSS ideologue. Directed by filmmaker Yakub 
Sayeed, a former DD official, the film has been 
commissioned by the Films Division at a little 
over Rs 9 lakh, and was sent for certification 
two days ago.

Sayeed had written a letter in March last year to 
then PM A.B. Vajpayee, seeking his permission to 
make a film on Hedgewar. Sayeed said the PMO must 
have forwarded his letter to then I&B minister 
Ravi Shankar Prasad. ''The Films Division sent me 
a letter commissioning the money for the film,'' 
he said. The film stars Tom Alter and a local 
actor from Nagpur playing the role of Hedgewar.

Sayeed is now awaiting a certification from the 
Board. The decision will reflect the objective 
stand the new Board members will take on the 
film. Since the UPA was sworn into power, many of 
the decisions taken by the BJP have been reversed 
by the I&B Ministry under Left pressure.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

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