by Pradeep Deshpande
The Indian Governance is yet to come out with reliable assurances to the common citizens of secular India that it’s possible to save the nation from communal hate, riots, violence, mayhems and pogroms. We have proofs and evidences and witnesses and depositions from the victims all over, recorded by the Police and covered by the Press media whenever and wherever such constraining incidences have taken place either over petty street skirmishes or well planned mayhems and pogroms ignited by extreme right wings outfits. “Hate-the other-religion” campaign has secured some fatal fascination at the societal level although some sects within have been steel-gripped by fear psychosis. SOS messages have failed.
Then comes the course of actions initiated by the Governance; Police, CBI, local leaders, witnesses, Special Enquiries, formation of Commissions and Tribunals with or without time limits. None of those observations and recommendations is binding upon the Governance that appointed such bodies with Heads .The time lags and drags on all by itself and hopes become dupes for us.
But silence of the innocent victims keeps talking, recording, noting, interacting, assuring the victims; extending help in the ‘areas of operation’ marked, identified and attacked by the near fascist outfits. And now, we have victims and witnesses from 15 states, that broke their silence, opened up and deposed before the Independent Peoples’ Tribunal.
The IPT that convened 3 day meet from 20th to 22nd March 2007 in Delhi for such victims, witnesses and strife of NGOs, has brought out the well recorded depositions in its broad band Report .It contains sharp comments from well known Authors, journalists, political thinkers, Humanists and Law people who were invitee Members of Jury to listen and note whatever horror stories the victims shared with them in open sessions.
The Report that contains around 415 pages, has 280 pages exclusively reserved for those true speakers from 15 states that fell victims to the communal politics as if they belonged to a nation where secularism is almost unknown !.
Noorjehan from Gujarat says,” Seeing the situation, the people were staying in the camps married off the raped girls ,some only 15 or 16 years old to any random guy in the camp…They are confined to homes and some of them have committed suicide. They used to wear jeans and T-shirts now they have been confined to the veil”.
An alert citizen from Goa in his deposition observed that Muslims from south Goa sought some land for burial but were given land in a part where there are no Muslims at all. Catholics opposed the move. No. of schools taken over by RSS outfits in Goa have now become centers for spreading hate- the- other- religion types. When Muslims groups requested for land to set up schools to impart modern education, they were denied it arguing that the schools would be used to teach terrorism! (2..)
2.
The Govt .of Goa sanctioned pensions for some RSS persons glorifying them as freedom fighters for Goa’s independence when RSS never had been party to Free Goa movement at all! Now doubt, the secular weave of Goa is being crushed under iron heels of fascist outfits and the cultural terrorism has become a tourist spot.
Come to the depositions from the victims from Rajasthan and you will be taken aback if you dare read what the people in the state under BJP grip have been facing for the whole two decades. Anti Christian movement has influenced the people from the majority sects .Saffronization of Education material and institutions, glorification of atrocities on women, hate-the-other-religion etc. have made in roads under BJP regime. Among other things, two myths are carefully spread through school books;
J& K State Govt. is a terrorist Govt. the present Govt. appeases Muslims!
One may recall the fact that it’s Gujarat State Govt. that sponsored and unleashed pogroms against Muslims in 2002 and that’s not included in the books for 10th std. in the state!
The atrocities unleashed on poor farmers from Muslim and Dalit sects in the state by the outfits and SRPs in Sangur and Nandigram areas have brought to fore the other side of the CPM Govt.in West Bengal. The state that holds 27% Muslims has jobs for just 4% for them and that includes just 1% for higher posts. The Chief Minister observes,’” This is so because Muslims learn in Madarassas and their education level is poor”. In one of the depositions it is stated that 96% of the Muslim children are learning in standard schools that impart formal education all over .They all appear for SSC Board exams in lakhs and still they lag behind due to other reasons .The reason that never comes up for debate is, the overall scornful attitude maintained by ‘other’ Bengal people. While deposing before the Jury, one of the eminent activists from Kolkata said that there’s a proverb in Bengali language “Kill them not by hands, but by disallowing them their right to earn their livelihood “.
The report has covered some awesome and constraining facts on how RSS outfits have entered the CPM’s Red guarded zone and been conducting hidden agenda that contains, re-conversion, glorification Hindu life and Culture etc. with sheepish support from upper middle sects in the state. The names and works of secular and rationalist writers and thinkers have been wiped out or ignored in a convenient way.
Orissa is another state now in the steel grips of the near Nazi outfits.
Angana Chatterjii during her deposition informed that the state has been witnessing a new face of fascism since 1990 and this has happened not just because RSS types succeeded in covering potential areas destined to remain backward, but also due to the fact that the other parties and people claiming to be secular etc. have failed in preventing such anti -societal moves from happening.
There’s another novel gimmick in vogue. Accordingly, there are two types of Muslims; Old Muslims .who are committed’ to Pakistan and New Muslims are those who are “committed” to Bangla Desh! And the myth has come to stay around without any problem or side effects. Christians being stark enemies here, face the most brutal attacks as if they are just two legged animals roaming around with syringes in their hands full of un-distilled water for conversion.
The state has witnessed communal riots and attacks since 1964 and no wonder about it when RSS outfits have covered more than 12000 villages in the course of time, with no Police to jot down FIR s anywhere.
So the line of battle is clear; RSS on one side; Muslims, Christians and tribal one the side with state Govt. praying for the formers victory.
It means one more Gujarat in the making in due course.
The story of Chhatisgarh is more horror some.
The activists from the newly carved out state have reported over the state of affairs. The state once known for fertile lands and tribal belts with unique cults of their own has now become popular for wrong reasons. It’s affected by the struggle between haves and have- nots for those lands in possession of tribal, wanted by Corporate Heads or their agents .The struggle is further fuelled by on –going violent attacks by naxalites and state sponsored modus operandi named ‘Salwa Judum” which means ‘Holy war’. The foot soldiers on the both sides are obviously from tribal communities and we have no reported figures of the deaths in such encounters. The whole tension has been initiated, launched and unleashed by the RSS outfit known as Vanavaasi Kalyan Ashram.
While reading through the pages, you feel like asking one more question for which there’s no immediate answer; whether the Mini-state is carved out to uplift the tribal or wipe out them forever for the modern state-nation?
And only tribal instincts can lead you towards some glimpses of the answer, if you have one!
The reportage on the eventualities in J & K adds few hundred more innocent deaths and killings both by extremists and CRPF on special duty there in our data on hand. ‘Call them terrorists and kill them ‘has become a norm of life for fear stricken Kashmiriats for whom death has become friendlier than the life of their own. The democratization in Pakistan has hardly changed the conditions in the valley where blood streams more than mineral water. The depositions won’t even bring tears as our eyes have dried up too!
”Death walks here in corridors of the ruling sects and streets.. “said someone while lamenting the stories of atrocities before the Juries.
The NE states at present are known more for suppression of human rights .With no tangible better future in view , the tribal belts have witnessed on going gun fights between the Central Police Force and the terrorist groups on the other side ,all trained in ambush and black belt style attacks. The activists from Manipur and Nagaland have reported all on where-is-as-it-is basis and their deposition makes us learn about an old proverb in new context; everything is fair in war.
The book has covered lot of material from U.P. This is a state where the voting class extends its support to secular parties and non-secular ones simultaneously both during state and national elections .Now it’s BSP’s Raj under Mayawati who has secured enough bargaining power with Centre. The state once known for it’s proud role in the freedom struggle involving both Hindus and Muslims and the state with credit for more Prime Ministers than other states around, has become a den for communal politicians especially since 1992 during which Babri Mosque was
demolished by the BSP’s supporters and outfits. In addition to such communal politics, the state is witnessing un-reported atrocities against subjugated sects and castes. Issues like Reservations for OBCs etc. have ignited unique hatred in the minds of middle sects and castes against lower sects and castes. Love affairs and marriages between religions and castes are treated harshly without any scant regard for fundamental rights and human values or individual aspirations.
The representatives from southern states have shared observations and experiences which are slight distinct from the northern states .But their reports and presentations incorporated in the book under review ,speak out volumes of communal violence. The fascist dragon has already been crawling in the southern states.
The very concept ‘nation’ has no room for a particular religion or path. It belongs all with various religions and paths promoted by saints and philosophers with a history of synchronized cultures that appeals them. For them, they are a nation now. Even Society never evolves around a single religious thought but many of them; society is made of communities and communal harmony and amity ensures their co-existence and mutual furtherance. You may find temples, darga and Churches in the same parts or huddled together in the same building like we see them in Kerala. If the religion is a matter of faith or a way to express one’s gratitude towards the Almighty, it‘s a personal matter and each individual is free to deal with it as he or she pay please.
We have no historical evidences that stand for or speak out for “One nation-One religion –one culture” and the myth has been dissected and rejected a No. of times by eminent social scientists and rational thinkers and more or less rejected myth by the people who have upgraded their social common sense. Religion happens to be a personal matter and it’s an accepted fact both in modern state and citizenship. It means the roots of communal politics and its ideology and the outfits carrying it out in most brutal and humiliating manner are hidden elsewhere. These roots have uprooted the very concept of humanity and civic sense .The more you are civilized, the more you get fascinated by the hate based politics that advocates status-quo for subjugated sections of the same society and nation as a whole comprising of such societies and communities
.The communal politics (Indian version of fascism) is determined to wipe out the on going movements for socio-economic and gender justice ensured by Indian Constitution irrespective of religion, caste, creed, gender, language and region. It has torn into pieces the secular weave of the people and has succeeded in setting the communities and sects against one another .it has instilled scorn and hatred among the people and enjoys watching them at each other’s throats.
Apart from the communal politics we have witnessed during last two decades, we have come to learn to stay put with something called cultural terrorism around. This newer phenomena has brought sense of relief for the ruling sects and middle class in India and sense of brutal fear for the subjugated castes and minority communities. The Indian middle class that accounts for around 40 % by 2007 end
5.
was expected to be sensible enough to allow the deprived sections to get empowered and join the various development schemes and streams .Thanks to the Indian secular democracy that enabled the Indian middle class to upgrade their socio-economic levels during last sixty years. But hold on. The same middle class is busy in relating it’s identity in the pages of glorified pages of Indian History that talks about Manusmriti, Brahmanism and a social system based on eternal in-equality. The class has pushed out saints and pulled in Swamis and mahantas or tigers in the clothes of saints.
This has resulted in Rise of Fascism in India and people affected by it, came up to depose themselves before the IPT in Delhi that compiled every word and sentence shared by the deponents and the REPORT is with us .
It contains all you wish to know about Fascism.
Please read it when you are home alone in the midnight with a single light on .It’s more horror some than those late nite terror movies you might have watched in family. Now read about the families that were attacked and raped, killed and burnt alive by the living ghosts of Fascism… in the various labs of Hindu Raastra around you!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rise of Fascism in India: Victims of communal violence speak
A Report of the Independent Peoples Tribunal.
Published by; Human Rights Law Network. New Delhi
( In asso. with Anhad New Delhi.
PP.415 Price ;Rs.450/-
|
