Daily News and Analysis
November 16, 2008
by Linah Baliga
Activists from 40 organisations meet to press for Rule of Law, communal harmony
The Communal Violence Bill pending with the Centre’s Standing Committee is incomplete and shouldn’t be passed, activists present at a peace rally held at Shivaji Park on Saturday, said.
Over 20,000 people gathered at the venue to protest divisive politics and communal disharmony, and evoke awareness about the importance of Rule of Law and the enforcement of human rights. More than 40 organisations from different communities participated in the meeting, called Sadbhawana Melawa. “This rally isn’t against politicians or any specific religion. When we ask Fascist forces why they behave the way they do, killing people in Orissa and Karnataka, they say it’s because the Christian community converts people. But the government shows that the number of Christians has dwindled,” said Dolphy D'souza, president of the Bombay Catholic Sabha.
“This state has an anti-conversion law, but there isn’t a single case of forced conversion. We manage more than 40 per cent of convent schools and social centres, where we talk about love and harmony.”
According to Teesta Setalvad, secretary of the Citizens for Justice and Peace, “The targetting of Christians and other minority communities started in 1998. The culture of impunity is what repeats the cycle. The guilty should’ve been punished then. Instead, Indian democracy has been reduced to a ‘mobocracy’.” She added that the guiding principle of democracy is not just to vote, but strict implementation of the Rule of Law.
“This means that those in power must wield their power and the law must work against the mighty and the powerful,” she added.
Viren Shah, owner of Roopam stores, who represented the traders in the city, said: “I’m here because mob violence affects traders and forces them to shut shops, which in turn, affects their business. Nobody except the state government and the BMC has the right to insist on Marathi signboards and posts,” he said.
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