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Showing posts with label Protest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Protest. Show all posts
August 16, 2023
December 22, 2022
February 26, 2021
Poster announcing call for candlelight vigil for Justice - one year after communal violence in North east Delhi | 26 Feb 2021
Names of organisers of the above event is unknown ; this poster was received on WhatsApp
March 05, 2020
February 05, 2020
India: Gandhi and the Hindutva Right From Nehru to Patel and Ambedkar, the saffron party has appropriated freedom-fighters or tarnished legacies. . - subhash gatade
newsclick.in
Gandhi and the Hindutva Right
From
Nehru to Patel and Ambedkar, the saffron party has appropriated
freedom-fighters or tarnished legacies. Gandhi, however, poses a
different problem.
- subhash gatade
‘Death ends all enmity’ (Marnanti Vairani) goes a maxim in Hinduism.
The story also
goes that when Ravana was on death bed, Ram had even asked Laxman to go
to him and learn something which no other person except a great scholar
like him could teach him, declaring that though he has been forced to punish him for his terrible crime, ‘you are no more my enemy’.
It is a different matter that Hindutva supremacists
-- who are keen ‘to transform Hinduism from a variety of religious
practices into a consolidated ethnic identity’ -- are believers in the
exact opposite.
For
them, once the enemy is dead, the enmity flares up without any limits.
They have no qualms that their adversary is no more to defend himself/
herself.
It
has been more than five and half years that they are in power at the
Centre and we have been witness to complete vilification, demonisation
and obfuscation of many of their adversaries, all great leaders of the
anti-colonial struggle. Of course, few were found to be ‘lucky’ enough
that were promptly co-opted/appropriated by them, of course, in a
sanitised form.
Thus
Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, who spent more
than 11 years in British jail, and was a darling of the youth, and was
chosen by Mahatma Gandhi as his successor, and without whose visionary
role independence in India could never have been imagined, stands
obfuscated and demonised.
Whereas
the likes of Sardar Patel, BR Ambedkar and Gandhi are being co-opted
and attempts are on surreptitiously and not so surreptitiously to
package and present them as icons of the Hindutva movement itself. As an
aside, one needs to mention here that it has been years that Gandhi and
Ambedkar have been included in their list of ‘Pratahsmarniy’ (worth remembering in the morning).
Interestingly,
there is a dual move vis-a-vis Mahatma Gandhi, the ‘greatest Hindu of
his times’ -- where one is witness to his ongoing stigmatisation, and
simultaneous co-option/appropriation.
One
can recall how it started with reduction of the Mahatma as an icon of
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (October 2014) -- and brushing aside his legacy of
anti-colonial struggle, or the way Khadi Village Industries Commission,
without any qualms, substituted Gandhi’s photo with that of Narendra
Modi, who, according to a senior Minister in Haryana’s cabinet, had
become a greater brand of Khadi than Gandhi. Or Gandhi’s killer,
Nathuram Godse, the first terrorist of independent India, being called a
‘patriot’ on the floor of the House, or his increasing glorification in
the country and plans to establish temples to Godse in different parts
of the country. The stigmatisation even went to the extent of his
assasination being ‘re-enacted’ in Aligarh by activists of a fringe
Hindutva formation etc.
The latest in series happens to be utterings of the ‘motor mouth’ senior MP of BJP, Ananth Hegde.
Speaking
at a public event in Bengaluru, Hegde described the freedom struggle
led by Mahatma Gandhi as "drama" and said his "blood boiled" when he
read history and "such people came to be called Mahatma".
Hegde,‘an
admirer of Nathuram Godse’, even castigated the whole freedom movement
and the freedom fighters, who had “asked the British how they should
fight for freedom”. According to him the independence movement was
“adjustment, understanding, 20-20 (cricket)”. “Those who never saw a
lathi nor received a blow from a lathi are today described as freedom
fighters in the pages of history,”
As
expected, the outrageous statements made by Hegde, who was even a
cabinet minister in the last Modi cabinet, received widespread
condemnation. There were calls to take action against him. One also
learnt that formally the BJP leadership was said to be uncomfortable
with Hegde’s remarks, which has still failed to take any action against
Pragya Thakur who had glorified Gandhi’s assassin many a time, and it
has supposedly issued a notice to him to explain his remarks.
What
is worth underlining is that despite the gravity of the remarks which
can be construed as creating disaffection between communities, latest
reports mention ‘no sedition case — the preferred weapon these days — had been slapped against Hegde’
Would
it be correct to say that Hedge’s remarks were just a slip of the
tongue or were deliberately made to provoke controversy to deflect
attention from the government’s immediate troubles? Looking at his
seniority in the party and his many outrageous statements earlier, which have even led to cases being filed against him earlier, it would be difficult to believe that they were inadvertent or so.
Remember,
there is nothing surprising as far as statements by Hegde are
concerned, which not only denigrate Mahatma Gandhi but also the great
freedom struggle. They resonate with the essential concealed disdain
towards the anti-colonial struggle of the Indian people which, according
to them, brought to power ‘pseudo-seculars’ and their allies and did
great harm to the cause of a Hindu nation. Instances galore show how
its’ founders ridiculed the martyrs and made fun of people’s struggle.
This is Hedgewar, the founder member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Patriotism
is not only going to prison. It is not correct to be carried away by
such superficial patriotism.(CP Bhishikar, Sanghavariksh Ke Beej: Dr.
Keshavrao Hedgewar, Suruchi, 1994, p. 21.
Here is a quote from Golwalkar, the second supremo of RSS about martyrs:
There
is no doubt that such men who embrace martyrdom are great heroes and
their philosophy too is pre-eminently manly. They are far above the
average men who meekly submit to fate and remain in fear and inaction.
All the same, such persons are not held up as ideals in our society. We
have not looked upon their martyrdom as the highest point of greatness
to which men should aspire. For, after all, they failed in achieving
their ideal, and failure implies some fatal flaw in them. (M.S.
Golwalkar, Bunch of Thoughts, Sahitya Sindhu, Bangalore, 1996, p. 283)
Third,
any student of the independence struggle knows that it is a ‘weak
point’ as far as Hindutva formations in general, or RSS in particular,
are concerned. Much has been written on the fact that not only did RSS
not participate in that struggle and focussed itself on ‘organising
Hindus’, but that it even deterred its own activists from joining it.
Interestingly,
there is a strong commonality between Hindu communalists as well as
Muslim communalists. Neither the Hindu communalists, led by the likes of
Savarkar and Golwalkar nor the Muslim communalists, led by the likes of
Jinnah, participated in ‘Quit India’ movement. Their support to the
British rule also becomes evident when one witnesses that it was the
same period when Hindu Mahasabha was running coalition governments in Bengal and parts of today’s Pakistan with Muslim league.
Coming
back to the denigration of Gandhi, a key question arises why the Sangh
Parivar and its affiliated organisations cannot stop this double move
vis-a-vis Gandhi, where they want to appropriate him, co-opt him as well
as vilify/demonise him simultaneously.
One
can recall an interesting analysis by an educator with background in
positive psychology and psychometrics when Hindu Mahasabha activists
were arrested along with their leader, Puja Shakuni Pandey, for enacting
the scene of Gandhi’s assassination in front of cameras and sharing it
online. The video of the said incident went viral where Puja Pandey,
called ‘Lady Godse’ by her followers, was found shooting at Gandhi's effigy and celebrating his assassination.
Rohit Kumar had asked:
This
is Hindutva’s heyday. The RSS reigns supreme. Gandhi has officially
been co-opted and reduced to a pair of glasses and a broom, so why so
much hatred for a man who is dead, and for all practical purposes gone
from the body politic?
Or has he?
It looks like hate, but could it actually be fear?
Explaining
the nuances of behavioural psychology which describe hatred and fear to
be two sides of the same coin, he had further asked:
Could
it be that the spirit of the Mahatma is alive and well, walking the
streets and alleys of India? Satya and ahimsa, as we know, were the
‘weapons’ with which he waged his ‘war’. Is it possible that over the
past five years, every time the Hindutva organisations and leaders have
seen those two most powerful of all ‘weapons’ in action, they have also
seen the spectre of Gandhi?
Looking back, one can see merit in his argument.
How
does one explain the Modi-Shah regime, one which looked triumphant till
just the other day, being put on the defensive suddenly? The victory of
2019 -- with more number of seats and an increased percentage of votes
-- followed by the triumphalism associated with triple talaq move,
followed by the overnight dissolution of a state from the map of India,
throwing to the bins the agreement reached with the Kashmiri people
decades ago and the Ayodhya judgement, everything looks remote now.
Why
it is that millions of Indians -- young and old from different
sections, regions and strata of society -- suddenly rose up to defend
the Constitution, rejecting the anti-constitutional move to make
religion a criteria of citizenship. Why it is that the Preamble of the
Constitution, which was drafted when Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime
Minister of India, a man which the saffrons have demonised umpteen
times, could suddenly become a rallying point of this upsurge of the
masses? Why is that Shaheen Bagh --the historic protest by women
discriminated since centuries on the basis of religion and gender - has
emerged as a new symbol of non-violent resistance, and is inspiring
similar such protests the country over?
September 27, 2019
September 27, 2019 Protest Against Modi outside the UN Press Releases by Coalition Against Fascism in India (CAFI)
Coalition Against Fascism in India (CAFI)
MEDIA ADVISORY
NEW YORK CITY, NY — (9/26/19) Indian Americans To Protest As Narendra Modi Speaks at U.N.
Thousands of Indian Americans will hold a massive protest near the United Nations headquarters on September 27, 2019 when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing the U.N. General Assembly.
WHAT: Rally to Protest UNGA Visit of Prime Minister Modi
WHEN: Friday, September 27, 9 a.m.
WHERE: Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, 245 E 47th St, New York, NY 10017
The protests are called by the Coalition Against Fascism in India (CAFI), that includes Indian American organizations dedicated to defending human rights and democracy in India, and are endorsed by anti-fascist, anti-racist, secular, and environmentalist groups.
“Narendra Modi’s government has been orchestrating a pogrom of hate and violence against Muslims and Dalits in India,” CAFI said in a statement on September 26. “Recently, it has disenfranchised 7 million Kashmiris. It has also rendered nearly 2 million people stateless in Assam and is building detention centers to imprison them.”
CAFI added: “Mr. Modi’s anti-poor, anti-minority government has also been cracking down on all forms of dissent and all those who question its politics of hate. Its economic policies have resulted in escalating poverty and the highest unemployment rate in half a century. These events in India concerns all of us who live in the United States.”
CAFI said Mr. Modi’s politics was no different from President Trump’s: “When Trump spoke at Mr. Modi’s rally at Houston it made their overlap more evident than ever.”
CAFI demands that Mr. Modi restore Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Art. 370, end Kashmir’s military occupation, and respect Kashmiris’ right to decide their future; repeal the Public Safety Act and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA); terminate the National Register of Citizens; halt the lynchings of Dalits, Muslims and Adivasis; repeal the draconian laws misused against Adivasis, Dalits, minorities, environmentalists and the working classes; free political prisoners such as the physically challenged Prof. G.N. Saibaba and those in the Bhima Koregaon case; and withdraw false cases against anti-caste activists such as Anand Teltumbde.
The CAFI protest is co-sponsored by:
• Alliance for a Democratic and Secular South Asia
• Hindus for Human Rights
• India Civil Watch
• Indian American Muslim Council
• The Boston Coalition
Endorsed by: Black Lives Matter (Greater New Y0rk); Campus Anti-Fascist Network; Central New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America; Democracy, Equality and Secularism in South Asia (DESSA), Winnipeg; East India Defense Committee (EIDC), Vancouver; India Civil Watch (ICW-Canada); International Action Center; International League of Peoples’ Struggles; International South Asia Forum (INSAF), New York; Jewish Voice for Peace NYC; MICAH Institute; Party for Socialism and Liberation, Boston; Philadelphia Socialists; Philadelphia South Asian Collective Popular Resistance; Punjabi Literary and Cultural Association, Winnipeg; South Asia Research and Resource Centre (CERAS), Montreal; South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy (SANSAD), Vancouver; South Asian Women's Community Centre (SAWCC), Montreal; and Women of Diverse Origins.
Protest Location:
CONTACT:
(917) 518-2441
outreach@iamc.com
cafiusa2019@gmail.com
Twitter @Hum_CAFI_hai
Facebook www.facebook.com/HumCafiHain
Coalition Against Fascism in India (CAFI) is a coalition of various organizations dedicated to defending human rights and democracy in India, and are endorsed by anti-fascist, anti-racist, secular, and environmentalist groups.
o o o
INDIAN AMERICAN COALITION ANNOUNCES U.N. PROTEST AGAINST MODI
PRESS RELEASE
Demands include end to Kashmir’s lockdown, repeal of draconian laws, halt to mob lynchings
Renowned U.S. historian Audrey Truschke to join protest
NEW YORK, September 26 — Thousands of Indian Americans will be massing outside the United Nations headquarters here on Friday, September 27, from 9 am onwards, to protest the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak at the General Assembly.
The protest is being organized to draw global attention to Mr. Modi’s “anti-poor and anti-minority” government, the Coalition Against Fascism in India (CAFI), the lead organizer, said in a statement released here on Thursday, September 26.
“Narendra Modi’s government has been orchestrating a pogrom of hate and violence against Muslims and Dalits in India,” CAFI’s release said. “Recently, it has disenfranchised seven million Kashmiris. It has also rendered nearly two million people stateless in Assam and is building detention centers to imprison them.”
CAFI added: “Mr. Modi’s anti-poor, anti-minority government has also been cracking down on all forms of dissent and all those who question its politics of hate. Its economic policies have resulted in escalating poverty and the highest unemployment rate in half a century. These events in India concerns all of us who live in the United States.”
Audrey Truschke. History professor at Rutgers University, who will join the protest, said communities and individuals protesting “have experienced, often personally and painfully, the cataclysmic results of his hateful brand of extreme nationalism: Hindutva.
“Hindutva is a bigoted political ideology with many victims. India’s religious minorities, especially Muslims, have faced increasing disenfranchisement and violence during Modi’s tenure. The Modi government has ruthlessly attacked the media, academics, and others who dare to speak out. In some cases, Modi has successfully silenced people he deems problematic, most recently subjecting the entire population of India-controlled Kashmir to a communications blackout that has lasted nearly two months already.
“The Modi government has been clear in its message that criticizing, or even merely accurately describing, Hindutva comes with increasing risks, which makes the scale and diversity of the current protests all the more astonishing. I urge global leaders to listen, not only to Modi, but to those he has not yet managed to silence.”
Said Mohammad Jawad, National General Secretary of Indian American Muslim Council: “We are not anti-India or anti-Hindu. We are only demanding basic human rights that the Constitution of India guarantees for all citizens. The Modi government follows the RSS’s Hindutva ideology which is responsible for all atrocities and lynchings against the minorities. These need to stop and the perpetrators prosecuted.”
Added Sunita Viswanath, Co-Founder of Hindus for Human Rights: “We will keep raising our Hindu voice of protest against the fascist policies of the Modi government and their unabated human rights atrocities such as lynchings, rapes, murders, arrests of dissenters, Islamophobia, National Register of Citizens and the siege of Kashmir under siege. This government is destroying Indian democracy in the name of Hinduism. As Hindus, as Indians, and as people of conscience, we say ‘Not In Our Name’."
Kerala-based Dalit rights activist Ajaya Kumar who is visiting New York and will join the protest, said Mr. Modi’s government has dismantled the “very democratic institutions that we had laboriously built… He has dragged the country's politics back to the medieval age. The minorities, Dalits, Adivasis and every other identity that does not fit into Hindu Nationalism faces a serious threat, and dissenting voices are targeted.”
Hawk Newsome, Chairman, BLM Greater New York, said: “We stand united against governments that exploit the most vulnerable.” They, too, will join the protest.
New York-based Musician Sunny Jain, who will perform at the protests, said Mr. Modi’s Hindu nationalistic ideology was “simply divisive and inciting aggression towards minorities, namely Muslims. I condemn nationalism from Trump to Modi and urge all artists, South Asians and people to raise their voice against these hurtful ideologies.”
James Sues, Executive Director, Council on America-Islamic Relations (CAIR), New Jersey, said that the Modi government had “illegally stripped” the people of Kashmir of their autonomy, and called for a reinstatement of the Indian Constitution’s Article 370 that gave Kashmir a special status and that was last week scrapped by Mr. Modi. “We call on world leaders of conscience to reject the fascist agenda of Mr. Modi and the BJP and stand with the marginalized minorities of India,” Mr. Sues said.
The Thamizh Diaspora of America in coalition with CAFI will be protesting for:
- Justice For Thoothukudi and the 15 lives killed on 4/22/18 for protesting against a powerful copper smelter owned by Anil Agarwal of London who is a BJP donor.
- Shut down the copper Sterlite Permanently
- Ban NEET to prevent student suicides,
- Hands OFF Activists
- Stop Hydrocarbon Extraction in TN,
- Stop Environment destruction
- Stop Farmers’ Land grabbings
- Save Cauvery Delta, Stop the unfair New Educational policy, Stop mob lynchings and religious hatred, Stop military occupation in Kashmir, Stop violence against women and children, Stop all abuse of power and fascism in India
CAFI includes Indian American organizations dedicated to defending human rights and democracy in India. Many civil rights groups have endorsed the protests.
CAFI demands that Mr. Modi’s government restore Art. 370 that granted Jammu and Kashmir a special status, end Kashmir’s military occupation, and respect Kashmiris’ right to decide their future; repeal the Public Safety Act and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA); terminate the National Register of Citizens; halt the lynchings of Dalits, Muslims and Adivasis; repeal the draconian laws misused against Adivasis, Dalits, minorities, environmentalists and the working classes; free political prisoners such as the physically challenged Prof. G.N. Saibaba and those in the Bhima Koregaon case; and withdraw false cases against anti-caste activists such as Anand Teltumbde.
The CAFI protest is co-sponsored by Alliance for a Democratic and Secular South Asia, Hindus for Human Rights, India Civil Watch andIndian American Muslim Council.
Other organizations that have endorsed the protests are: Black Lives Matter (Greater New Y0rk); Campus Anti-Fascist Network; Central New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America; Democracy, Equality and Secularism in South Asia (DESSA), Winnipeg; East India Defense Committee (EIDC), Vancouver; India Civil Watch (ICW-Canada); International Action Center; International League of Peoples’ Struggles; International South Asia Forum (INSAF), New York; Jewish Voice for Peace NYC; MICAH Institute; Party for Socialism and Liberation, Boston; Philadelphia Socialists; Philadelphia South Asian Collective Popular Resistance; Punjabi Literary and Cultural Association, Winnipeg; South Asia Research and Resource Centre (CERAS), Montreal; South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy (SANSAD), Vancouver; South Asian Women's Community Centre (SAWCC), Montreal; and Women of Diverse Origins.
CONTACT:
(917) 518-2441
outreach@iamc.com
cafiusa2019@gmail.com
Twitter @Hum_CAFI_hai
Facebook www.facebook.com/HumCafiHain
MEDIA ADVISORY
NEW YORK CITY, NY — (9/26/19) Indian Americans To Protest As Narendra Modi Speaks at U.N.
Thousands of Indian Americans will hold a massive protest near the United Nations headquarters on September 27, 2019 when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing the U.N. General Assembly.
WHAT: Rally to Protest UNGA Visit of Prime Minister Modi
WHEN: Friday, September 27, 9 a.m.
WHERE: Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, 245 E 47th St, New York, NY 10017
The protests are called by the Coalition Against Fascism in India (CAFI), that includes Indian American organizations dedicated to defending human rights and democracy in India, and are endorsed by anti-fascist, anti-racist, secular, and environmentalist groups.
“Narendra Modi’s government has been orchestrating a pogrom of hate and violence against Muslims and Dalits in India,” CAFI said in a statement on September 26. “Recently, it has disenfranchised 7 million Kashmiris. It has also rendered nearly 2 million people stateless in Assam and is building detention centers to imprison them.”
CAFI added: “Mr. Modi’s anti-poor, anti-minority government has also been cracking down on all forms of dissent and all those who question its politics of hate. Its economic policies have resulted in escalating poverty and the highest unemployment rate in half a century. These events in India concerns all of us who live in the United States.”
CAFI said Mr. Modi’s politics was no different from President Trump’s: “When Trump spoke at Mr. Modi’s rally at Houston it made their overlap more evident than ever.”
CAFI demands that Mr. Modi restore Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Art. 370, end Kashmir’s military occupation, and respect Kashmiris’ right to decide their future; repeal the Public Safety Act and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA); terminate the National Register of Citizens; halt the lynchings of Dalits, Muslims and Adivasis; repeal the draconian laws misused against Adivasis, Dalits, minorities, environmentalists and the working classes; free political prisoners such as the physically challenged Prof. G.N. Saibaba and those in the Bhima Koregaon case; and withdraw false cases against anti-caste activists such as Anand Teltumbde.
The CAFI protest is co-sponsored by:
• Alliance for a Democratic and Secular South Asia
• Hindus for Human Rights
• India Civil Watch
• Indian American Muslim Council
• The Boston Coalition
Endorsed by: Black Lives Matter (Greater New Y0rk); Campus Anti-Fascist Network; Central New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America; Democracy, Equality and Secularism in South Asia (DESSA), Winnipeg; East India Defense Committee (EIDC), Vancouver; India Civil Watch (ICW-Canada); International Action Center; International League of Peoples’ Struggles; International South Asia Forum (INSAF), New York; Jewish Voice for Peace NYC; MICAH Institute; Party for Socialism and Liberation, Boston; Philadelphia Socialists; Philadelphia South Asian Collective Popular Resistance; Punjabi Literary and Cultural Association, Winnipeg; South Asia Research and Resource Centre (CERAS), Montreal; South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy (SANSAD), Vancouver; South Asian Women's Community Centre (SAWCC), Montreal; and Women of Diverse Origins.
Protest Location:
CONTACT:
(917) 518-2441
outreach@iamc.com
cafiusa2019@gmail.com
Twitter @Hum_CAFI_hai
Facebook www.facebook.com/HumCafiHain
Coalition Against Fascism in India (CAFI) is a coalition of various organizations dedicated to defending human rights and democracy in India, and are endorsed by anti-fascist, anti-racist, secular, and environmentalist groups.
o o o
INDIAN AMERICAN COALITION ANNOUNCES U.N. PROTEST AGAINST MODI
PRESS RELEASE
Demands include end to Kashmir’s lockdown, repeal of draconian laws, halt to mob lynchings
Renowned U.S. historian Audrey Truschke to join protest
NEW YORK, September 26 — Thousands of Indian Americans will be massing outside the United Nations headquarters here on Friday, September 27, from 9 am onwards, to protest the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak at the General Assembly.
The protest is being organized to draw global attention to Mr. Modi’s “anti-poor and anti-minority” government, the Coalition Against Fascism in India (CAFI), the lead organizer, said in a statement released here on Thursday, September 26.
“Narendra Modi’s government has been orchestrating a pogrom of hate and violence against Muslims and Dalits in India,” CAFI’s release said. “Recently, it has disenfranchised seven million Kashmiris. It has also rendered nearly two million people stateless in Assam and is building detention centers to imprison them.”
CAFI added: “Mr. Modi’s anti-poor, anti-minority government has also been cracking down on all forms of dissent and all those who question its politics of hate. Its economic policies have resulted in escalating poverty and the highest unemployment rate in half a century. These events in India concerns all of us who live in the United States.”
Audrey Truschke. History professor at Rutgers University, who will join the protest, said communities and individuals protesting “have experienced, often personally and painfully, the cataclysmic results of his hateful brand of extreme nationalism: Hindutva.
“Hindutva is a bigoted political ideology with many victims. India’s religious minorities, especially Muslims, have faced increasing disenfranchisement and violence during Modi’s tenure. The Modi government has ruthlessly attacked the media, academics, and others who dare to speak out. In some cases, Modi has successfully silenced people he deems problematic, most recently subjecting the entire population of India-controlled Kashmir to a communications blackout that has lasted nearly two months already.
“The Modi government has been clear in its message that criticizing, or even merely accurately describing, Hindutva comes with increasing risks, which makes the scale and diversity of the current protests all the more astonishing. I urge global leaders to listen, not only to Modi, but to those he has not yet managed to silence.”
Said Mohammad Jawad, National General Secretary of Indian American Muslim Council: “We are not anti-India or anti-Hindu. We are only demanding basic human rights that the Constitution of India guarantees for all citizens. The Modi government follows the RSS’s Hindutva ideology which is responsible for all atrocities and lynchings against the minorities. These need to stop and the perpetrators prosecuted.”
Added Sunita Viswanath, Co-Founder of Hindus for Human Rights: “We will keep raising our Hindu voice of protest against the fascist policies of the Modi government and their unabated human rights atrocities such as lynchings, rapes, murders, arrests of dissenters, Islamophobia, National Register of Citizens and the siege of Kashmir under siege. This government is destroying Indian democracy in the name of Hinduism. As Hindus, as Indians, and as people of conscience, we say ‘Not In Our Name’."
Kerala-based Dalit rights activist Ajaya Kumar who is visiting New York and will join the protest, said Mr. Modi’s government has dismantled the “very democratic institutions that we had laboriously built… He has dragged the country's politics back to the medieval age. The minorities, Dalits, Adivasis and every other identity that does not fit into Hindu Nationalism faces a serious threat, and dissenting voices are targeted.”
Hawk Newsome, Chairman, BLM Greater New York, said: “We stand united against governments that exploit the most vulnerable.” They, too, will join the protest.
New York-based Musician Sunny Jain, who will perform at the protests, said Mr. Modi’s Hindu nationalistic ideology was “simply divisive and inciting aggression towards minorities, namely Muslims. I condemn nationalism from Trump to Modi and urge all artists, South Asians and people to raise their voice against these hurtful ideologies.”
James Sues, Executive Director, Council on America-Islamic Relations (CAIR), New Jersey, said that the Modi government had “illegally stripped” the people of Kashmir of their autonomy, and called for a reinstatement of the Indian Constitution’s Article 370 that gave Kashmir a special status and that was last week scrapped by Mr. Modi. “We call on world leaders of conscience to reject the fascist agenda of Mr. Modi and the BJP and stand with the marginalized minorities of India,” Mr. Sues said.
The Thamizh Diaspora of America in coalition with CAFI will be protesting for:
- Justice For Thoothukudi and the 15 lives killed on 4/22/18 for protesting against a powerful copper smelter owned by Anil Agarwal of London who is a BJP donor.
- Shut down the copper Sterlite Permanently
- Ban NEET to prevent student suicides,
- Hands OFF Activists
- Stop Hydrocarbon Extraction in TN,
- Stop Environment destruction
- Stop Farmers’ Land grabbings
- Save Cauvery Delta, Stop the unfair New Educational policy, Stop mob lynchings and religious hatred, Stop military occupation in Kashmir, Stop violence against women and children, Stop all abuse of power and fascism in India
CAFI includes Indian American organizations dedicated to defending human rights and democracy in India. Many civil rights groups have endorsed the protests.
CAFI demands that Mr. Modi’s government restore Art. 370 that granted Jammu and Kashmir a special status, end Kashmir’s military occupation, and respect Kashmiris’ right to decide their future; repeal the Public Safety Act and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA); terminate the National Register of Citizens; halt the lynchings of Dalits, Muslims and Adivasis; repeal the draconian laws misused against Adivasis, Dalits, minorities, environmentalists and the working classes; free political prisoners such as the physically challenged Prof. G.N. Saibaba and those in the Bhima Koregaon case; and withdraw false cases against anti-caste activists such as Anand Teltumbde.
The CAFI protest is co-sponsored by Alliance for a Democratic and Secular South Asia, Hindus for Human Rights, India Civil Watch andIndian American Muslim Council.
Other organizations that have endorsed the protests are: Black Lives Matter (Greater New Y0rk); Campus Anti-Fascist Network; Central New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America; Democracy, Equality and Secularism in South Asia (DESSA), Winnipeg; East India Defense Committee (EIDC), Vancouver; India Civil Watch (ICW-Canada); International Action Center; International League of Peoples’ Struggles; International South Asia Forum (INSAF), New York; Jewish Voice for Peace NYC; MICAH Institute; Party for Socialism and Liberation, Boston; Philadelphia Socialists; Philadelphia South Asian Collective Popular Resistance; Punjabi Literary and Cultural Association, Winnipeg; South Asia Research and Resource Centre (CERAS), Montreal; South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy (SANSAD), Vancouver; South Asian Women's Community Centre (SAWCC), Montreal; and Women of Diverse Origins.
CONTACT:
(917) 518-2441
outreach@iamc.com
cafiusa2019@gmail.com
Twitter @Hum_CAFI_hai
Facebook www.facebook.com/HumCafiHain
September 09, 2018
Activists disrupt Hindu supremacist conclave in Chicago - Press Release from AJA
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July 31, 2018
Announcement:: Freedom From Hatred And Violence - Join The Protest on 9 August, 2018 (New Delhi)
Notinmyname Delhi
Dear Friends,
The Not In My Name group in Delhi has called for a protest on 9 August against the unabated mob attacks on minorities. As you are aware Dalit groups have given a call for nation wide strike and the farmers are doing a jail bharo abhiyan on 9 August. We felt that the campaign against mob lynching should also join the protests and raise the issue of communal violence and the free reign given to private militias. Please find below the announcement. Kindly spread the word. We are working on the social media campaign for the protest and the announcement should be up soon. We hope similar protests will be organised in other parts of the country and we can collectively assert our demand - Nothing Less Than Freedom from Hatred and Violence!
In Solidarity!
Saba Dewan | Asif | Sanjay Kak | Siddharth Rai | Banojyotsna Lahiri | Rahul Roy | Mandeep Raikhy | Michael Williams | Nitish Arora | Anatya Vallabh | Lokesh Jain | Devalina Kohli
Bharat Jodo|Do or Die!
Nothing Less Than Freedom From Hatred And Violence
Join The Protest on 9 August, 2018
#NotInMyName
Venue: Parliament Street, New Delhi
Date & Time: Thursday 9 August | 6:00 PM
In the past four years India has been bruised and brutalised by an unending cycle of violence against minorities and Dalits. Vigilantism in the name of cow protection has resulted in the death of 34 people and has left scores injured. Every day in some part of India a Muslim, Christian or a Dalit is either being killed or injured because engineering hate has become the central plank of political mobilisation. Falsehoods, fake news and manufactured data are being utilised to create fear and insecurity all across the country. Citizens have been encouraged to take law in their own hands and form private militias to fight an imaginary enemy who it is being claimed is a threat to Hindus. The fear psychosis has now led to a complete breakdown of law and order with indiscriminate attacks on strangers based on rumours of child kidnapping. Rape is being used as a weapon of war, to instill fear, to claim domination.
India is being ripped apart by hate. Mohsin, Akhlaq, Junaid, Alimuddin, Asifa, Rakbar and so many others are not just names but lives cut short, families destroyed. Through them a message of fear, victory and hatred is being sent to communities they belong to. Political leaders are seen openly garlanding those convicted of lynching, defending vigilantism as the duty of Hindus, leading rallies in support of criminals and issuing threats of more violence. Every day we read of ongoing cases against vigilantes being diluted, willfully compromised and mismanaged. Is this the India of our dreams? A country which is now being referred to as Lynchistan in mainstream media.
On 9 August 1942 inspired by Gandhi ji's call to – Do or Die - lakhs of Indians across the country had come out of their homes, staked their all to be part of the Quit India movement with Nothing Less Than Freedom as their demand. Today India is again confronted with a Do or Die moment in its tryst with democracy. Either we stand up against hatred and violence and say that it is Not In My Name or we will all perish.
The time has come to re-pledge ourselves to build an India that belongs to all; an India that has no space for discrimination based on religion, caste, gender or any other social difference. Babasaheb Ambedkar had reminded us that political democracy established through the value of one man one vote does not establish a social democracy unless inequality is removed. The politics of hate that surrounds us today is about maintaining inequalities, about ensuring the dominance of those who stand against the promises of the Indian constitution. Today we have to declare that we want Nothing Less Than Freedom From Hatred! Bharat Jodo! Do or Die!
We demand –
1. Immediate implementation of the Supreme Court directives of 17 July 2018 to prevent vigilantism.
2. Exemplary prosecution of all political and public figures who through action or speech support vigilantism.
3. Immediate dismissal of the government of Rajasthan for its failure to protect citizens against hate crimes.
4. Immediate financial support to all who have suffered attacks by vigilante groups.
5. An independent central monitoring mechanism of all vigilante cases in different parts of the country to ensure justice and a fair trial.
Dear Friends,
The Not In My Name group in Delhi has called for a protest on 9 August against the unabated mob attacks on minorities. As you are aware Dalit groups have given a call for nation wide strike and the farmers are doing a jail bharo abhiyan on 9 August. We felt that the campaign against mob lynching should also join the protests and raise the issue of communal violence and the free reign given to private militias. Please find below the announcement. Kindly spread the word. We are working on the social media campaign for the protest and the announcement should be up soon. We hope similar protests will be organised in other parts of the country and we can collectively assert our demand - Nothing Less Than Freedom from Hatred and Violence!
In Solidarity!
Saba Dewan | Asif | Sanjay Kak | Siddharth Rai | Banojyotsna Lahiri | Rahul Roy | Mandeep Raikhy | Michael Williams | Nitish Arora | Anatya Vallabh | Lokesh Jain | Devalina Kohli
Bharat Jodo|Do or Die!
Nothing Less Than Freedom From Hatred And Violence
Join The Protest on 9 August, 2018
#NotInMyName
Venue: Parliament Street, New Delhi
Date & Time: Thursday 9 August | 6:00 PM
In the past four years India has been bruised and brutalised by an unending cycle of violence against minorities and Dalits. Vigilantism in the name of cow protection has resulted in the death of 34 people and has left scores injured. Every day in some part of India a Muslim, Christian or a Dalit is either being killed or injured because engineering hate has become the central plank of political mobilisation. Falsehoods, fake news and manufactured data are being utilised to create fear and insecurity all across the country. Citizens have been encouraged to take law in their own hands and form private militias to fight an imaginary enemy who it is being claimed is a threat to Hindus. The fear psychosis has now led to a complete breakdown of law and order with indiscriminate attacks on strangers based on rumours of child kidnapping. Rape is being used as a weapon of war, to instill fear, to claim domination.
India is being ripped apart by hate. Mohsin, Akhlaq, Junaid, Alimuddin, Asifa, Rakbar and so many others are not just names but lives cut short, families destroyed. Through them a message of fear, victory and hatred is being sent to communities they belong to. Political leaders are seen openly garlanding those convicted of lynching, defending vigilantism as the duty of Hindus, leading rallies in support of criminals and issuing threats of more violence. Every day we read of ongoing cases against vigilantes being diluted, willfully compromised and mismanaged. Is this the India of our dreams? A country which is now being referred to as Lynchistan in mainstream media.
On 9 August 1942 inspired by Gandhi ji's call to – Do or Die - lakhs of Indians across the country had come out of their homes, staked their all to be part of the Quit India movement with Nothing Less Than Freedom as their demand. Today India is again confronted with a Do or Die moment in its tryst with democracy. Either we stand up against hatred and violence and say that it is Not In My Name or we will all perish.
The time has come to re-pledge ourselves to build an India that belongs to all; an India that has no space for discrimination based on religion, caste, gender or any other social difference. Babasaheb Ambedkar had reminded us that political democracy established through the value of one man one vote does not establish a social democracy unless inequality is removed. The politics of hate that surrounds us today is about maintaining inequalities, about ensuring the dominance of those who stand against the promises of the Indian constitution. Today we have to declare that we want Nothing Less Than Freedom From Hatred! Bharat Jodo! Do or Die!
We demand –
1. Immediate implementation of the Supreme Court directives of 17 July 2018 to prevent vigilantism.
2. Exemplary prosecution of all political and public figures who through action or speech support vigilantism.
3. Immediate dismissal of the government of Rajasthan for its failure to protect citizens against hate crimes.
4. Immediate financial support to all who have suffered attacks by vigilante groups.
5. An independent central monitoring mechanism of all vigilante cases in different parts of the country to ensure justice and a fair trial.
April 08, 2018
March 30, 2018
India - Uttar Pradesh: Call to join sit-in fast against UP Govt's move to withdraw cases from accused of Muzafarnagar riots
JOIN DHARNA UPWAS
31st March, 2018, Saturday, outside Muzaffarnagar Court
In a shocking development, the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is in process of withdrawing cases from the workers/leaders of BJP who are accused of Muzzaffar Nagar riots that occurred in 2013. This state led impunity will create a sense of fear among the common masses as well as will also add to the vulnerability of the minority communities which are always at the receiving end of actions of hatred. This decision not only reflects the biased politics of Yogi Government but also state hooliganism. This is an illegal act and clear disregard of the Constitution. Recently Chief Minister Yogi in a statement during in the state legislature found to be favouring ‘Ram Rajya’ over ‘Socialism’. The decision about the withdrawal of cases has a lot of inspiration from this ideology of the BJP government in UP. National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) strongly condemn this act of the UP government.
Program: One day fast and sit-in followed by a press conference.
Timing: 10.00am-2.00am.
Date: 31st March, 2018
Place: Outside Muzaffarnagar Court
Manesh Kumar Gupta,
(098371 44590)
Uttar Pradesh Convenor, NAPM
Vimal Bhai,
(09718479517)
National Convenor, NAPM
शामिल हो। धरना उपवास
"31 मार्च 2018, शनिवार, मुजफ्फरनगर कचहरी "
मुजफ्फरनगर दंगों के संगीन आरोपियों को उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार अपराध मुक्त करने की प्रक्रिया चला रही है। इतना ही नही उत्तर प्रदेश की योगी सरकार सिर्फ उन्ही लोगों के ऊपर से प्रकरणों को हटाने की तैयारी मे है जो भाजपा के कार्यकर्ता या नेता है | यह कृत्य पक्षपात की राजनीति तो दर्शाता है ही, साथ-साथ सत्ता का गलत इस्तेमाल करके सरकारी गुंडा-गर्दी को भी| इन संगीन मामलों में नामदर्ज लोगों को सरकारी संरक्षण से आम व्यक्ति के मन में भय का भाव बढा है खासतौर पर अल्पसंख्यक तबके में जो हमेशा नफरत का शिकार होता है| यह पूर्ण रूप से खुले-आम कानून और संविधान का उल्लंघन है | हाल ही मे मुख्यमंत्री योगी ने राम राज्य को समाजवाद से ऊपर समझने वाला बयान दिया है | प्रकरणों को हटाने का मामला इस विचारधरा से ही प्रेरणा लेता दिख रहा है | जन आंदोलन का राष्ट्रीय समन्वय इस कृत्य का विरोध करता है।
कार्यक्रम: एक दिनी धरना व उपवास होगा और उसके बाद प्रेस वार्ता की जाएगी ।
समय: सुबह 10.00 से 2:00 बजे तक
स्थान: मुजफ्फरनगर कचहरी के बाहर
दिनांक: 31 मार्च, 2018
मनेष कुमार गुप्ता। (098371 44590)
उत्तर प्रदेश समन्वयक, जन आंदोलन का राष्ट्रीय समन्वय
विमलभाई (09718479517)
राष्ट्रीय समन्वयक, जन आंदोलन का राष्ट्रीय समन्वय
31st March, 2018, Saturday, outside Muzaffarnagar Court
In a shocking development, the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is in process of withdrawing cases from the workers/leaders of BJP who are accused of Muzzaffar Nagar riots that occurred in 2013. This state led impunity will create a sense of fear among the common masses as well as will also add to the vulnerability of the minority communities which are always at the receiving end of actions of hatred. This decision not only reflects the biased politics of Yogi Government but also state hooliganism. This is an illegal act and clear disregard of the Constitution. Recently Chief Minister Yogi in a statement during in the state legislature found to be favouring ‘Ram Rajya’ over ‘Socialism’. The decision about the withdrawal of cases has a lot of inspiration from this ideology of the BJP government in UP. National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) strongly condemn this act of the UP government.
Program: One day fast and sit-in followed by a press conference.
Timing: 10.00am-2.00am.
Date: 31st March, 2018
Place: Outside Muzaffarnagar Court
Manesh Kumar Gupta,
(098371 44590)
Uttar Pradesh Convenor, NAPM
Vimal Bhai,
(09718479517)
National Convenor, NAPM
शामिल हो। धरना उपवास
"31 मार्च 2018, शनिवार, मुजफ्फरनगर कचहरी "
मुजफ्फरनगर दंगों के संगीन आरोपियों को उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार अपराध मुक्त करने की प्रक्रिया चला रही है। इतना ही नही उत्तर प्रदेश की योगी सरकार सिर्फ उन्ही लोगों के ऊपर से प्रकरणों को हटाने की तैयारी मे है जो भाजपा के कार्यकर्ता या नेता है | यह कृत्य पक्षपात की राजनीति तो दर्शाता है ही, साथ-साथ सत्ता का गलत इस्तेमाल करके सरकारी गुंडा-गर्दी को भी| इन संगीन मामलों में नामदर्ज लोगों को सरकारी संरक्षण से आम व्यक्ति के मन में भय का भाव बढा है खासतौर पर अल्पसंख्यक तबके में जो हमेशा नफरत का शिकार होता है| यह पूर्ण रूप से खुले-आम कानून और संविधान का उल्लंघन है | हाल ही मे मुख्यमंत्री योगी ने राम राज्य को समाजवाद से ऊपर समझने वाला बयान दिया है | प्रकरणों को हटाने का मामला इस विचारधरा से ही प्रेरणा लेता दिख रहा है | जन आंदोलन का राष्ट्रीय समन्वय इस कृत्य का विरोध करता है।
कार्यक्रम: एक दिनी धरना व उपवास होगा और उसके बाद प्रेस वार्ता की जाएगी ।
समय: सुबह 10.00 से 2:00 बजे तक
स्थान: मुजफ्फरनगर कचहरी के बाहर
दिनांक: 31 मार्च, 2018
मनेष कुमार गुप्ता। (098371 44590)
उत्तर प्रदेश समन्वयक, जन आंदोलन का राष्ट्रीय समन्वय
विमलभाई (09718479517)
राष्ट्रीय समन्वयक, जन आंदोलन का राष्ट्रीय समन्वय
November 14, 2017
October 01, 2017
September 23, 2017
‘Stand up for Gauri, Stand up for freedom, Stand up for harmony’ | Sit-ins at Gandhi statues across states of India on 2nd Oct & joint national rally on 5 October 2017 in Delhi
Appeal and note on gauri for sharing in mail and whatsapp
Dear Friend,
When Protest was held in Bangalore on the 12th September, there were-- at different estimates-- between 15000 to 30000 persons.
Can Delhi not match the scale at its national proportion ?
Let all of us stand together.
For all further details, please contact LALITHA (copied in this mail)
You will be happy to know that writers from 70 countries have passed a unanimous resolution at the PEN International Congress meeting in Ukraine on the 21st September strongly condemning the attack on media and thinkers.
You will also be happy to know that hundreds of students in Maharashtra will carry out a protest from the 1st to the 5th October. They are meeting in Nashik on the 24-25th Septmber to decide on their Collective Action
In solidarity
Ganesh Devy
-----------------------------------------
Dear friends/comrades
Do kindly pass on this appeal
· To prominent people in your state requesting them to serve as
signatories for the national call and also try to be present on 5th rally
in Delhi for only that can mount the pressure. Pl let us know about this
aspect through call or mail by 24th, a day before the press meet is fixed
to the maximum extent possible and keep the efforts on until 4th Oct.
· To all concerned people to participate actively in the rally ready
with their slogans, placards, songs etc.
The time, venue where we meet and the actual programme will be chalked out
on 25th September, 3 days from now and intimated to you soon after.
With warm regards
Lalitha
Forum against the killing of Gauri Lankesh
An appeal
Dear Concerned and Conscious Citizens,
The assassination of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh has evidently rung a
strong alarm. Though the chain of resolve to condemn and resist the
dastardly act exhibited across the nation is encouraging, much more needs
to be done to counter the terror acts and save the precious dissident
democratic spaces from the onslaught of fascist forces.
The assassination of Gauri Lankesh, two years after a similar horror was
perpetrated on scholar M.M.Kalaburgi in Karnataka, we believe, is not an
isolated act. Murder of rationalists in the very same fashion in
Maharashtra had given the warning signals much before. And these killings
are inseparable from the chain of killings of Daliths and Muslims in the
name of ‘cow protection’, ‘religion’ etc. It is the dangerous continuation
of the spread of right wing ideology which has started in 1990s.
Being a founder member of Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike [The Communal
Harmony Forum, Karnataka], Gauri Lankesh was actively involved in the
resistance against reactionary forces along with other progressive sections
of Karnataka who had responded pro-actively and consistently to counter the
growth of such trend in the society. Many are the earnest, serious and
brave attempts being made across India by very many organizations, groups
and even individuals to expose and oppose the dreadful forces who are a
threat to a unified and just society. Yet the above assassinations and
other developments clearly demonstrate that whatever has been done is just
not sufficient to counter their terror. The major concern is the limited
spread of the organized resistance among wider and diverse Civil Society
Institutions in Karnataka and entire India in fact.
It has often been pointed out that, in spite of land slide electoral
mandate garnered by right wing forces, nearly two third voters showed their
opposition to rise of the authoritarian right wing. Yet the practical
efforts to identify the discrete oppositional bases and to mobilize such
civil society dissidence to consolidate a formidable coalition of left,
liberal and democratic forces have been slow and desperate. But after the
killing of Gauri Lankesh a stronger reaction has come from different
quarters of the society which include Artists (including ‘main stream’
cinema), Journalists, ex-civil service officers, legal fraternity including
former judges, Academicians, Religious heads (especially the Viraktha
Basava tradition Swamijis of Karnataka), LGBT community etc and more
serious resolve is shown by diverse streams across the nation, as never
before. Youth and students formed the major chunk of the different
mobilisations against this killing. These facts are clearly underlined by
any number of ongoing protests, spontaneous outpour of common people into
the streets and a whole shower of creative and angry resistance in social
media. This amply demonstrates that, the ‘Optimism of Will’ to resist
divisive forces is alive and uncompromisingly rising the voice of dissent.
The Symbolic Black we wore for mourning has transformed in to ‘The Black of
resistance’.
Hitherto history indicates that, wherever it may be, a severe blow to any
fascism and dictatorship could be dealt only through the widest possible
united front of all who firmly stood to oppose it. The ascendance of
rightist elements not only in India but world over forewarns us of the
grave risks to all democracy and harmony. As Dickensian saying goes “It is
the time of despair, it is the time of hope”. So, NOW is the time to
respond to our inner call. NOW is the time to cease and weave a network of
fraternity to halt right wing terrorism from sowing and spearheading
desperation, death and destruction.
We earnestly appeal to all citizens who have shown the courage to say NO to
perpetuators of terror, to come in clusters and build a broad, democratic
coalition to rescue Freedom and Democracy from onslaught of Right Wing
Fascism. We appeal to every individual and collective, all those who think
and feel for the future of humanity as a whole, to come forward and support
the voice of Unity for a harmonious and Vibrant Society.
As the first step in this process, we request one and all to join hands in
the All India decentralized but coordinated Dharna in front of Gandhi
statues/memorials or such other public place on Oct 2nd to condemn Gauri’s
killing. Secondly, we request that people be mobilised in every state for
the centralized rally in Delhi on 5th Oct, when it would be exactly one
month from the date of killing. Already existing initiatives to hold
protest meetings within the state on the said date may be held accordingly
thus strengthening the protest voice. Elsewhere and also in addition to
intrastate protests it will be good to organise a section of the people for
the central rally as well, to the maximum extent possible.
The immediate necessity to pursue this joint effort is to:
Demand that the police investigation primarily focuses on the most probable
killers and the real political actors behind them as is the normal
procedure. The most probable killers here are obviously only those who were
Gauri’s main adversaries, the most retrogressive forces which had
threatened to kill Gauri and which have justified and celebrated her
killing. And the state government in Karnataka expedites action in this
direction by all means.
To insist above all that it is the utmost responsibility of the offices
that are supposed to safeguard the constitutional values to discharge their
duty impartially. But unfortunately the present dispensation in the centre
is unashamedly upholding and supporting the forces which are destroying
communal harmony and democratic values that are entrenched in our society.
Hence it is all the more necessary that ‘we the people of India’ apply
moral and political pressure on the prevailing regime, such that an
unbiased enquiry is conducted not only to arrest the criminals behind the
acts but also the extra constitutional forces behind them.
The programme in Delhi thus is very necessary and important to exert
pressure on the central government, to reach our voice to those in the
higher echelons of power, who are willfully acting deaf and dumb in this
vital matter that has moved the entire country. And this calls for the
direct participation of all conscientious well-known citizens of our land
in the forefront of the rally, to lend a stronger voice to that of the
assembled people.
We once again appeal to each of you and all of you to join us on
OCTOBER 2nd in respective state and on OCTOBER 5th in Delhi and thus
‘Stand up for Gauri, Stand up for freedom, Stand up for harmony’
The common slogan shall be: ‘Those who killed Gandhi killed Gauri’
Dear Friend,
When Protest was held in Bangalore on the 12th September, there were-- at different estimates-- between 15000 to 30000 persons.
Can Delhi not match the scale at its national proportion ?
Let all of us stand together.
For all further details, please contact LALITHA (copied in this mail)
You will be happy to know that writers from 70 countries have passed a unanimous resolution at the PEN International Congress meeting in Ukraine on the 21st September strongly condemning the attack on media and thinkers.
You will also be happy to know that hundreds of students in Maharashtra will carry out a protest from the 1st to the 5th October. They are meeting in Nashik on the 24-25th Septmber to decide on their Collective Action
In solidarity
Ganesh Devy
-----------------------------------------
Dear friends/comrades
Do kindly pass on this appeal
· To prominent people in your state requesting them to serve as
signatories for the national call and also try to be present on 5th rally
in Delhi for only that can mount the pressure. Pl let us know about this
aspect through call or mail by 24th, a day before the press meet is fixed
to the maximum extent possible and keep the efforts on until 4th Oct.
· To all concerned people to participate actively in the rally ready
with their slogans, placards, songs etc.
The time, venue where we meet and the actual programme will be chalked out
on 25th September, 3 days from now and intimated to you soon after.
With warm regards
Lalitha
Forum against the killing of Gauri Lankesh
An appeal
Dear Concerned and Conscious Citizens,
The assassination of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh has evidently rung a
strong alarm. Though the chain of resolve to condemn and resist the
dastardly act exhibited across the nation is encouraging, much more needs
to be done to counter the terror acts and save the precious dissident
democratic spaces from the onslaught of fascist forces.
The assassination of Gauri Lankesh, two years after a similar horror was
perpetrated on scholar M.M.Kalaburgi in Karnataka, we believe, is not an
isolated act. Murder of rationalists in the very same fashion in
Maharashtra had given the warning signals much before. And these killings
are inseparable from the chain of killings of Daliths and Muslims in the
name of ‘cow protection’, ‘religion’ etc. It is the dangerous continuation
of the spread of right wing ideology which has started in 1990s.
Being a founder member of Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike [The Communal
Harmony Forum, Karnataka], Gauri Lankesh was actively involved in the
resistance against reactionary forces along with other progressive sections
of Karnataka who had responded pro-actively and consistently to counter the
growth of such trend in the society. Many are the earnest, serious and
brave attempts being made across India by very many organizations, groups
and even individuals to expose and oppose the dreadful forces who are a
threat to a unified and just society. Yet the above assassinations and
other developments clearly demonstrate that whatever has been done is just
not sufficient to counter their terror. The major concern is the limited
spread of the organized resistance among wider and diverse Civil Society
Institutions in Karnataka and entire India in fact.
It has often been pointed out that, in spite of land slide electoral
mandate garnered by right wing forces, nearly two third voters showed their
opposition to rise of the authoritarian right wing. Yet the practical
efforts to identify the discrete oppositional bases and to mobilize such
civil society dissidence to consolidate a formidable coalition of left,
liberal and democratic forces have been slow and desperate. But after the
killing of Gauri Lankesh a stronger reaction has come from different
quarters of the society which include Artists (including ‘main stream’
cinema), Journalists, ex-civil service officers, legal fraternity including
former judges, Academicians, Religious heads (especially the Viraktha
Basava tradition Swamijis of Karnataka), LGBT community etc and more
serious resolve is shown by diverse streams across the nation, as never
before. Youth and students formed the major chunk of the different
mobilisations against this killing. These facts are clearly underlined by
any number of ongoing protests, spontaneous outpour of common people into
the streets and a whole shower of creative and angry resistance in social
media. This amply demonstrates that, the ‘Optimism of Will’ to resist
divisive forces is alive and uncompromisingly rising the voice of dissent.
The Symbolic Black we wore for mourning has transformed in to ‘The Black of
resistance’.
Hitherto history indicates that, wherever it may be, a severe blow to any
fascism and dictatorship could be dealt only through the widest possible
united front of all who firmly stood to oppose it. The ascendance of
rightist elements not only in India but world over forewarns us of the
grave risks to all democracy and harmony. As Dickensian saying goes “It is
the time of despair, it is the time of hope”. So, NOW is the time to
respond to our inner call. NOW is the time to cease and weave a network of
fraternity to halt right wing terrorism from sowing and spearheading
desperation, death and destruction.
We earnestly appeal to all citizens who have shown the courage to say NO to
perpetuators of terror, to come in clusters and build a broad, democratic
coalition to rescue Freedom and Democracy from onslaught of Right Wing
Fascism. We appeal to every individual and collective, all those who think
and feel for the future of humanity as a whole, to come forward and support
the voice of Unity for a harmonious and Vibrant Society.
As the first step in this process, we request one and all to join hands in
the All India decentralized but coordinated Dharna in front of Gandhi
statues/memorials or such other public place on Oct 2nd to condemn Gauri’s
killing. Secondly, we request that people be mobilised in every state for
the centralized rally in Delhi on 5th Oct, when it would be exactly one
month from the date of killing. Already existing initiatives to hold
protest meetings within the state on the said date may be held accordingly
thus strengthening the protest voice. Elsewhere and also in addition to
intrastate protests it will be good to organise a section of the people for
the central rally as well, to the maximum extent possible.
The immediate necessity to pursue this joint effort is to:
Demand that the police investigation primarily focuses on the most probable
killers and the real political actors behind them as is the normal
procedure. The most probable killers here are obviously only those who were
Gauri’s main adversaries, the most retrogressive forces which had
threatened to kill Gauri and which have justified and celebrated her
killing. And the state government in Karnataka expedites action in this
direction by all means.
To insist above all that it is the utmost responsibility of the offices
that are supposed to safeguard the constitutional values to discharge their
duty impartially. But unfortunately the present dispensation in the centre
is unashamedly upholding and supporting the forces which are destroying
communal harmony and democratic values that are entrenched in our society.
Hence it is all the more necessary that ‘we the people of India’ apply
moral and political pressure on the prevailing regime, such that an
unbiased enquiry is conducted not only to arrest the criminals behind the
acts but also the extra constitutional forces behind them.
The programme in Delhi thus is very necessary and important to exert
pressure on the central government, to reach our voice to those in the
higher echelons of power, who are willfully acting deaf and dumb in this
vital matter that has moved the entire country. And this calls for the
direct participation of all conscientious well-known citizens of our land
in the forefront of the rally, to lend a stronger voice to that of the
assembled people.
We once again appeal to each of you and all of you to join us on
OCTOBER 2nd in respective state and on OCTOBER 5th in Delhi and thus
‘Stand up for Gauri, Stand up for freedom, Stand up for harmony’
The common slogan shall be: ‘Those who killed Gandhi killed Gauri’
August 23, 2017
July 17, 2017
Under aegis of Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA) Indian Americans Protest Against Mob Lynchings in India
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July 04, 2017
India: Polics seize giant 125 kilo soap arrest Dalit activists who were to gift the soap to Yogi aditynath
The Telegraph, 4 July 2017
Giant soap stings Yogi
Giant soap stings Yogi
Our Special Correspondent
Adityanath
Lucknow, July 3: Yogi Adityanath's government pulled 45 Dalits from Gujarat off a train in Jhansi last evening to prevent them handing the chief minister a 125kg soap to "cleanse his mentality" towards the community.
The visitors meant to protest Uttar Pradesh officials' move of distributing soap, shampoo and perfume among a village's Dalits in May so they could "take a bath" and "smell good" ahead of a visit by Adityanath.
Today, as Dalit activist and retired IPS officer S.R. Darapuri called a news conference here to protest the Gujarat Dalits' detention, he was arrested with eight others on the charge of planning to march to Adityanath's bungalow to hold a dharna. The activists were released after four hours against personal bonds.
The 30 men and 15 women Dalits from Gujarat, marshalled by social organisations, were headed from Ahmedabad to Lucknow on the Sabarmati Express, carrying a 125kg soap shaped in the Buddha's image as a gift for Adityanath.
State and railway police offloaded all 45 at Jhansi station, seized the soap and lodged the detainees at the Matatila guesthouse. They were sent back to Ahmedabad on the Sabarmati Express this morning.
Government officials had handed two soaps, a sachet of shampoo and a bottle of perfume to each Musahar Dalit family at the Dinapatti locality of Mainpur-Kot village, Kushinagar district, a day before Adityanath's May 25 visit, media reports had said.
The Musahars, the poorest among the Dalits, had alleged they had been asked to "cleanse ourselves" and sprinkle perfume on their bodies before attending the chief minister's anti-encephalitis vaccination programme in their village.
The reports had led the Opposition to accuse Adityanath and his government of practising " a new untouchability" and demand an apology from the chief minister and a case against him for insulting the community.
Today, as Darapuri was about to address the media at the Lucknow Press Club, a large number of policemen entered the premises and took him and eight associates into custody.
"We are arresting them under the apprehension they would create a major law-and-order problem in the state capital," additional superintendent of police Vikas Chandra Tripathi said.
Among those arrested were P.C. Kureel, retired state government engineer, and Ramesh Chandra Dixit, retired Lucknow University professor.
While being taken to a police bus, Darapuri told reporters he wanted to condemn the detention of the Dalits from Gujarat.
"Adityanath is promoting untouchability in the state. The way the Dalits of Kushinagar were asked to take a bath was alarming. And now Adityanath is muzzling us," Darapuri, who had retired a decade ago as an inspector-general of police and is now a member of the Bundelkhand Dalit Sena, said. "We have every right to register our protest in a democratic manner. The state government is intentionally targeting Dalits: the Saharanpur clashes (with Thakurs) are proof of the chief minister's hatred for Dalits."
Tripathi, the officer, claimed the police had intelligence that Darapuri and his supporters would march to the chief minister's residence, 3km away, and sit on a dharna.
Giant soap stings Yogi
Giant soap stings Yogi
Our Special Correspondent
Adityanath
Lucknow, July 3: Yogi Adityanath's government pulled 45 Dalits from Gujarat off a train in Jhansi last evening to prevent them handing the chief minister a 125kg soap to "cleanse his mentality" towards the community.
The visitors meant to protest Uttar Pradesh officials' move of distributing soap, shampoo and perfume among a village's Dalits in May so they could "take a bath" and "smell good" ahead of a visit by Adityanath.
Today, as Dalit activist and retired IPS officer S.R. Darapuri called a news conference here to protest the Gujarat Dalits' detention, he was arrested with eight others on the charge of planning to march to Adityanath's bungalow to hold a dharna. The activists were released after four hours against personal bonds.
The 30 men and 15 women Dalits from Gujarat, marshalled by social organisations, were headed from Ahmedabad to Lucknow on the Sabarmati Express, carrying a 125kg soap shaped in the Buddha's image as a gift for Adityanath.
State and railway police offloaded all 45 at Jhansi station, seized the soap and lodged the detainees at the Matatila guesthouse. They were sent back to Ahmedabad on the Sabarmati Express this morning.
Government officials had handed two soaps, a sachet of shampoo and a bottle of perfume to each Musahar Dalit family at the Dinapatti locality of Mainpur-Kot village, Kushinagar district, a day before Adityanath's May 25 visit, media reports had said.
The Musahars, the poorest among the Dalits, had alleged they had been asked to "cleanse ourselves" and sprinkle perfume on their bodies before attending the chief minister's anti-encephalitis vaccination programme in their village.
The reports had led the Opposition to accuse Adityanath and his government of practising " a new untouchability" and demand an apology from the chief minister and a case against him for insulting the community.
Today, as Darapuri was about to address the media at the Lucknow Press Club, a large number of policemen entered the premises and took him and eight associates into custody.
"We are arresting them under the apprehension they would create a major law-and-order problem in the state capital," additional superintendent of police Vikas Chandra Tripathi said.
Among those arrested were P.C. Kureel, retired state government engineer, and Ramesh Chandra Dixit, retired Lucknow University professor.
While being taken to a police bus, Darapuri told reporters he wanted to condemn the detention of the Dalits from Gujarat.
"Adityanath is promoting untouchability in the state. The way the Dalits of Kushinagar were asked to take a bath was alarming. And now Adityanath is muzzling us," Darapuri, who had retired a decade ago as an inspector-general of police and is now a member of the Bundelkhand Dalit Sena, said. "We have every right to register our protest in a democratic manner. The state government is intentionally targeting Dalits: the Saharanpur clashes (with Thakurs) are proof of the chief minister's hatred for Dalits."
Tripathi, the officer, claimed the police had intelligence that Darapuri and his supporters would march to the chief minister's residence, 3km away, and sit on a dharna.
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