India : Letter to State Election Commissioner, Telangana state regarding Incident of 7 Dec 2018 - when MIM MLA warned officials about verifying veiled women's facial identity

 

Hyderabad  22 sep 2020

To

The State Election Commissioner

Telangana state

Hyderabad

Sub:  7 december 2018 election day - telangana assembly - What happened when contesting candidate from karwan assembly asked the officials at Polling Station-75, Karwan AC, to comply with rule and check veiled women's photo electoral identity by a women officer as laid down in the election rules?

Ref:  https://www.thehansindia.com/news/cities/hyderabad/hyderabad-congress-leaders-come-to-blows-during-meeting-645245

With reference to above news item, it is mandatory as per election rules, that veiled women's photo identity should be checked by a female officer so that the choice of women to cast their franchise with a veil as well as the mandatory exercise of establishing the genuinity of any voter by checking with photo electoral rolls as well as the photo identity card and the facial identity is thoroughly undertaken. 

As such citizens who believe in free and fair electoral process should not have objections to avail of the facility of women election officials verifying veiled women's facial identity to comply with the laid down rules.

But contrarily, on 7th december 2018 on election day of telangana assembly, the MIM MLA from karwan Janab kausar mohiddin, brazenly violated election rules, and had stormed into the polling booth PS-75 along with more than dozen unauthorized people and warned the officials against any checking, questioned the co-contesting candidate what rules and who are you.  further, one of the unauthorized persons warned the candidate against speaking for rules.

Upon continuous petitions from the contested candidate  to Chief Electoral Officer, Telangana, from 7 december 2018 onwards, the DGP Telangana office and Hyderabad Police Commissioner office had submitted two inquiry reports to the CEO, Telangana.

Both the reports that are attached herewith for reader's perusal, are received from CEO Telangana dated 4 april 2019 and 30 march 2019 containing from DGP office and Hyderabad Commissioner office inquiries, respectively.

As per Hyderabad Police Commissioner inquiry report,The illegality and grave violation of unauthorized entry is documented as:

'sri Kauser Mohiuddin, AIMIM party, a contested candidate and current MLA of Karwan Constituency entered the PS No.75 at about 1030 hrs along with the group of about L0 people.' 

Whereas, the threats to election officials, contested candidate upon asking for implementation of verification of veiled women's photo identity, has been documented as :

'Both Dr. Lubna Sarwath and Sri kauser Mohiuddin had discussion among themselves and with the presiding officer about the poll process for about a minute and sri Kauser Mohiuddin and others left the place. One person from the group while leaving had a brief discussion with Dr. Lubna Sarwath on poll process,'

Further, the DGP Inquiry report documented as follows:

'The petitioner aLleged that on 07-12-2018, while she was informing the presiding officer on the discrepancies of non checking of the identitY of the veited women, despite the APO is a woman officer, Sri Kauser Mohiuddin, the then-MLA Candidate and now MLA, Karwan ConstituencY from AIMIM PartY, had barged into Polling station-75 along with group of people and threatened the presiding officer and then threatened petitioner also.  Similarly sri Kausar Mohiuddin, MLA warned the presiding officer  not to stop any women from voting and not to check any women by removing their veil and checking their identity.  He then questioned the petitioner, who she was and threatened her not to quote any rules and then he left.
One of the persons in his gang told the petitioner that it will not be good, if she keeps quoting rules'

Further, the inquiry is documented as follows:

'1) Presiding officer:- sri renneti Bharani Kumar ASo, (panchayath Raj Department, Tetangana State Secretariat) of p.S.No.75, stated that on election day i.e., 07-12-2018 at about 10.30 AM, petitioner entered into potting station and enquired about polling arrangements and atso checking the process of Mustim community women voters. He explained the petitioner that they will follow the guidelines issued by ECl. After some time, other contested candidate of Karwan Assembly constituency by name Mr- Kauser Mohiuddin, AIMIM party also entered inside the polling station atong with a group of about 10 people, to enquire about polling process. He also explained the polling process to Mr. Kauser Mohiuddin and both the petitioner and Mr. Kauser Mohiuddin started discussion on the guidelines to be followed during polling process. This discussion took place for about a minute.  However, during that time as a
measure of peacefu[ conduct of potting, he directed one of his polling personnel to call the police assigned for law and order duties at ps No.75.'

Socialist Party(India) appeals to all political parties and citizens to comply with all election guidelines including the guidelines laid for facial verification of veiled women voters with their photo electoral rolls and photo identity cards.  SP(I) encourages discussion and consensus to comply with the rules in an amicable manner and exhorts desisting from breaking the rule.

Its every citizen's ethical duty to comply with every election rule, towards preservering the democracy of our country, at the heart of which lies the conduct of free and fair polls with an authentic and purified electoral rolls.

with upcoming GHMC elections, We trust State Election Commission ensures that no candidate would face the situation faced by dr lubna sarwath for trying to uphold fairness in voting, nor should polling be allowed in any polling station without the mandatory verification of voter with the photo electoral identification. 

We trust the SEC will lay down explicitly the strict action that awaits candidates and citizens who do not comply with this rule and those who stop from compliance of the rule.

best

dr lubna sarwath

state general secy,

Socialist party (India)

India - More Religion in Politics: In Telangana, Swami Paripoornananda may join BJP, fight election

Telangana: Swami Paripoornananda may join BJP, fight election

State-level BJP leaders, while maintaining that Paripoornananda has not yet joined the party officially, said that his joining will give the BJP a new Hindutva face, like UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath

Oct 09 2018. 03 53 AM IST

Yunus Y. Lasania

 

https://www.livemint.com/Politics/3zc2lapavbgKFcBEvVqHOO/Telangana-Swami-Paripoornananda-may-join-BJP-fight-electio.html

India: Telangana state formation Led to More Hindu-Muslim Polarisation: Survey

• Sunday, October 18, 2015

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T-state Led to More Hindu-Muslim Polarisation: Survey

By Express News Service - HYDERABAD

Published: 21st April 2014 08:21 AM

Last Updated: 21st April 2014 03:06 PM

A survey of Telagana Muslims, commissioned by the People’s Pulse, a Hyderabad-based organisation, has found that after the formation of Telangana state, polarisation between Muslims and Hindus has become sharper.
The survey done by Ajay Gudavarthy of the Centre for Political Studies, JNU, indicated that this phenomenon was on account of sizeable and concentrated population of Muslims in the state. The dominant Hindus community is looking at the Muslims’ demand for socio-economic benefits and political representation as an aggressive re-assertion, after remaining subdued in the united Andhra Pradesh.
Ajay collected opinions from various sections of the Muslim community which constitutes 12.5 percent of the population in Telangana, as per 2001 census. The survey sought to know the Muslims’ perception of their own state of Telangana; whether there are sections opposed to statehood; whether Telangana will become prone to communal polarisation or will people become more secular and identity with the composite culture, often referred to as Ganga-Jamuna Tehjeeb.
Political Power: The survey found that the crux of the polarisation of Muslims and Hindus begins with the political representation that Muslims see as an immediate panacea for many of their problems. Hindus perceive this as an undue assertion and it is based on the premise that Muslims should get tickets from the political parties in constituencies where they are in sizeable number, like Bodhan in Nizamabad district (39 percent) and Mahbubnagar (20 percent).
In the outgoing 294-strong Assembly, there are only 11 Muslim members, of whom six are from MIM. Among the 42 Lok Sabha members, only one is a Muslim (MIM). Political parties are reluctant to allot tickets to Muslims because they are afraid they cannot win. If they are fielded, Hindus polarise against them.
The Muslims have a growing feeling that they are being marginalised when it came to representation in legislative houses. They also refer to how TRS candidate Ibrahim had lost a byelection in Mahbubnagar. Several Muslims see the defeat of Ibrahim strong enough reason to polarise against Hindus.
Police Action: Seeds of hostility were sown during the Police Action against the then Nizam. Nizam’s private militia, the Razakars, had unleashed a reign of terror and it is estimated that about two to three lakh Muslims were killed during police action.
The fall of Nizam led to a drastic decline in the social, political and economic condition of Muslims. Their percentage came down to five in government employment from 40 and their lands were taken over by Reddis and Velamas.  The Telangana movement did not appeal to Muslims because it is all about land, water and other agrarian issues.
Like day or night does not matter to the blind, Muslims do not hope to benefit in any way from a smaller Telangana state. Muslims also fear that in Telangana state, they would become more vulnerable since right wing forces like RSS, VHP and BJP are likely to grow.
Those interviewed had expressed the opinion that in Telangana, communal polarisation is near complete. Khammam and Warangal districts are said to be the least communal because of the presence of Andhra culture and Left parties, while Mahbubangar is the most communal.
A school assistant and supporter of MIM said: “Muslims have been robbed by the Hindus. So, why should Muslims feel anything if Telangana Hindus are robbed by Hindus from the Andhra region?” This explains why the Telangana movement did not appeal to Muslims. As one of the Hindu respondents said: “Muslims are quiet because they have been put in their place. Otherwise they begin to dominate the Hindus.” Due to this perceived threat, there is no sympathy for Muslims in general.
As Dalits cannot win from a general constituency even today, Muslim cannot win elections from a general constituency. One respondent said: “There is a possibility of Dalits gradually shifting to the BJP. In Mahbubnagar, they have already formed BJP Dalit Morcha.”

source URL: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/T-state-Led-to-More-Hindu-Muslim-Polarisation-Survey/2014/04/21/article2180781.ece

India: Separate commission for minority women mooted in Telangana

Separate commission for minority women mooted

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/separate-commission-for-minority-women-mooted/article6689419.ece?homepage=true

It’s time to mentor men, say speakers at a workshop while talking about atrocities against women

The need for a separate commission to look after the welfare of minority women and a round-the-clock helpline to attend their grievances are among the several suggestions put forth for addressing the problems besetting the fair sex.

Women activists belonging to different minority communities highlighted the problems faced by women at a workshop organised by the State Minorities Commission here on Saturday. Many speakers expressed anguish at the ‘sustained silence’ on part of women whenever atrocities were committed against them. “Time we mentor the men,” said Amena Kishore, Professor, Maulana Azad Chair, MANUU.

Abid Rasool Khan, Chairman, State Minorities Commission, shared the anguish of the speakers and asked the participants to identify the core issues facing minority women. Their recommendations should reach the Commission within a fortnight and after holding wider discussion, the same would be forwarded to the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments.

He wanted the women intellectuals to discuss the need for setting up of fast track courts to deal with cases of violence against women, the talaq and khula cases, harassment of Muslim women, the moneylenders issue in old city. He also wanted them to debate the pros and cons of the uniform civil code proposed by the Centre and come up with their recommendations.

Dr. Shugufta Shaheen, Associate Professor, MANUU, saw no point in talking about minority women since women as such were a marginalised lot. She wanted emotional violence to be addressed since it left deeper scars.

The silence on the part of women was mostly due to the stigma attached to acts of sexual abuse. While the perpetrators went scot-free, the victims suffered ignominy. She felt the matter should be addressed more as a gender and human rights issue than just as a women’s issue.

Dr. Amena Kishore pointed out how Muslim women were seen as opposing the religion when they raised their voice. This happened due to ‘misreading’ of the holy Quran by some misguided men. She wanted women to open up and tell their real time stories.

Lissie Joseph, State Regional Coordinator, Domestic Workers Movement, called for promoting the culture of breaking silence. Rubina Mazhar, CEO, Safa, suggested sensitisation of men, pre-marital counselling, community-based helpline, access of women to mosques in times of need and accountability of Qazis.

Anita Narayanasamy, managing trustee, Sankalp –Women’s Support Alliance, said the voice of minority women needs to be heard as often the larger good of the community was focused upon. Most studies on women in India did not touch upon Muslim women as it was presumed that their Personal Law would govern them.