(Indian Express
March 21, 2007)
To invest in future, Sena chief woos NCP: join hands
Rakshit Sonawane / Mahesh Mhatre
Posted online: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 0000 hrs Print Email
Mumbai, March 20: When Bal Thackeray used a book-release function at his home today to declare that a Shiv Sena alliance with NCP could work wonders for Maharashtra, he was not just reiterating an old view. Timed as it was with NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s statement of being open to tie-ups with any party and days after the NCP joined hands with the Sena to keep out the Congress in the Pune municipal corporation, Thackeray was outlining future possibilities.
“Pawar is an old friend and I have been saying that if the two parties come together, we can do a lot in the state... it will be in the interest of Maharashtra’s development,” Thackeray said. “We have an alliance with the BJP, but I don’t think there is any need to consult them (the BJP). I am open for an alignment with the NCP.”
Thackeray has in the past made overtures to the NCP. In 2005, at the release of his photo-biography edited by nephew Raj Thackeray, he had publicly asked Pawar to join hands with the Sena for the welfare of the state. Pawar, who was present at the function, had rejected the offer. Later, in 2006, Thackeray had written an editorial in the Sena mouthpiece, Saamna, advocating the need for the Sena and the NCP to join hands.
What adds significance to Thackeray’s remarks now is that they come three days after Pawar’s statement at Baramati that “I am open for alliance with any party, including the Shiv Sena.” Pawar’s overtures towards the Sena came after the formalisation of an alliance between the two in the Pune municipal corporation.
This arrangement could well be replicated in elections for zilla parishad presidents in towns like Nanded (where Congress minister Ashok Chavan is the NCP rival) and Chandrapur (where Naresh Puglia of Congress is seen as a stumbling block by the NCP).
The “declarations of friendship” have also coincided with the results of elections to 27 zilla parishads in which the Congress managed to increase its tally, though marginally, over the NCP. Of the 1,647 seats, the Congress won 487, while the NCP took 480 seats.
The NCP emerged as the single largest party in the last Assembly elections (winning 71 seats in the House of 288, while the Congress won 68). But in the last two years, the Congress tally has jumped to 73, making it the largest party, courtesy former Sena leader Narayan Rane who defected to Congress and engineered the crossover of Sena MLAs. For the NCP, the rise of the Congress is alarming as both rely on the same votebank.
That Thackeray and Pawar are friends has been proved a number times. In June last year, the NCP joined hands with the Sena and the BJP to get industrialist Rahul Bajaj elected to the Rajya Sabha, ensuring the defeat of the official Congress nominee Avinash Pande.
In September last year, when Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule filed papers for the Rajya Sabha, she was elected unopposed as the Opposition led by the Sena did not field a candidate. Thackeray had then blessed her candidature, recalling how Pawar had once dropped by for dinner with Supriya.
Since the dynamics of a local bodies’ elections is entirely different from Assembly or Lok Sabha elections, there have been unusual alliances in the past — the Sena-BJP forming alliances with either the Congress or the Sena.
But the situation is different now. The Sena, shattered by revolts of Raj Thackeray and Narayan Rane, needs to consolidate its position before the Assembly polls in 2009. The Sena is also having problems with its ally BJP, especially after the death of Pramod Mahajan. The NCP too has problems with ally Congress which is gaining in numbers.
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March 20, 2007
Testimonies of Godhra victims at People's Tribunal
(The Hindu
March 21, 2007)
Documenting testimonies of Godhra victims
Smriti Kak Ramachandran
"Government shying away from recognising growth of fascism"
# Over 200 victims, activists testify before Independent People's Tribunal
# Concrete evidence of people's experiences
NEW DELHI: Yet to fathom the difference between a prison and a cage, Mohammed Zaheer Iqbal's five-year-old son thinks that his father lives in a cage. Iqbal is one of the 221 people arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and now languishing in jails in Gujarat.
"Whenever our son misses his father, I take him to the jail where Iqbal is lodged. The little boy thinks that we are visiting his father in a cage," said Afrin, who has been fighting for the release of her husband.
In the capital on Tuesday to narrate her story that is being documented at the Independent People's Tribunal (IPT), Ms. Afrin said: "My husband was taken away for an inquiry by the Crime Branch officers in 2003. When he was picked up in the dead of night, we were assured that he will return home in the morning. He never came home, instead he was charged with the conspiracy of carrying a tiffin bomb. When that case was discharged, they promptly slapped another case, this time he was accused of being an ISI agent."
Ms. Afrin alleged that the families were not even allowed to be present at hearings.
Driven out of village
Another victim of the communal violence in Gujarat, Niyaz Ben Malek, who now lives in Rahat Colony, recalled how she was driven out of her village Ognaj by people who grew up with her sons. "I have filed a case against the people who attacked us with tridents and swords, my houses have been razed and all I have got is a compensation of Rs. 2,500 against the loss of property worth Rs. 10 lakh."
Harrowing experiences
Sharing their harrowing experiences during the riots that followed the Godhra carnage, over 200 victims, activists and academicians from across 17 States have come together to testify before the IPT.
Their testimonies on the rise of fascist forces in India will later be released as a report.
"We are documenting the testimonies of these people, trying to make sense of it and present it as concrete evidence of people's experiences. We will try to reflect on what happened and also suggest what can be done," said Akoijam Bimol, who, along with Subharanjan Dasgupta, Nikhil Waghle and Sandeep Pandey, is a member of the jury on Gujarat.
Accusing the Government of "shying away from recognising the growth of fascism in the country," Shabnam Hashmi of non-governmental organisation Anhad said: "At this two-day event, we are trying to show that fascism is on the rise and not just in Gujarat. But surprisingly both the civil society and the Government are refusing to acknowledge it. These testimonies will help us push for action."
Organised by the Human Rights Law Network and Anhad, the IPT is being supported by organisations such as Aman Samudaya, Antarik Visthapit Hak Rakshak Samiti (Gujarat), Insaaf,
and People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).
March 21, 2007)
Documenting testimonies of Godhra victims
Smriti Kak Ramachandran
"Government shying away from recognising growth of fascism"
# Over 200 victims, activists testify before Independent People's Tribunal
# Concrete evidence of people's experiences
NEW DELHI: Yet to fathom the difference between a prison and a cage, Mohammed Zaheer Iqbal's five-year-old son thinks that his father lives in a cage. Iqbal is one of the 221 people arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and now languishing in jails in Gujarat.
"Whenever our son misses his father, I take him to the jail where Iqbal is lodged. The little boy thinks that we are visiting his father in a cage," said Afrin, who has been fighting for the release of her husband.
In the capital on Tuesday to narrate her story that is being documented at the Independent People's Tribunal (IPT), Ms. Afrin said: "My husband was taken away for an inquiry by the Crime Branch officers in 2003. When he was picked up in the dead of night, we were assured that he will return home in the morning. He never came home, instead he was charged with the conspiracy of carrying a tiffin bomb. When that case was discharged, they promptly slapped another case, this time he was accused of being an ISI agent."
Ms. Afrin alleged that the families were not even allowed to be present at hearings.
Driven out of village
Another victim of the communal violence in Gujarat, Niyaz Ben Malek, who now lives in Rahat Colony, recalled how she was driven out of her village Ognaj by people who grew up with her sons. "I have filed a case against the people who attacked us with tridents and swords, my houses have been razed and all I have got is a compensation of Rs. 2,500 against the loss of property worth Rs. 10 lakh."
Harrowing experiences
Sharing their harrowing experiences during the riots that followed the Godhra carnage, over 200 victims, activists and academicians from across 17 States have come together to testify before the IPT.
Their testimonies on the rise of fascist forces in India will later be released as a report.
"We are documenting the testimonies of these people, trying to make sense of it and present it as concrete evidence of people's experiences. We will try to reflect on what happened and also suggest what can be done," said Akoijam Bimol, who, along with Subharanjan Dasgupta, Nikhil Waghle and Sandeep Pandey, is a member of the jury on Gujarat.
Accusing the Government of "shying away from recognising the growth of fascism in the country," Shabnam Hashmi of non-governmental organisation Anhad said: "At this two-day event, we are trying to show that fascism is on the rise and not just in Gujarat. But surprisingly both the civil society and the Government are refusing to acknowledge it. These testimonies will help us push for action."
Organised by the Human Rights Law Network and Anhad, the IPT is being supported by organisations such as Aman Samudaya, Antarik Visthapit Hak Rakshak Samiti (Gujarat), Insaaf,
and People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).
Newsreport on inquiry report re Curchorem-Sanvordem Goa riots
(Herald - Goa
March 20, 2007)
Probe indicts none, says riots pre-planned
BY HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, MARCH 20 – The Magisterial inquiry which went into the Curchorem-Sanvordem communal riots in early March last year, has concluded that “it is intuitively and logically reasonable to presume” that there was a pre-planned and pre-conceived orientation to the communal riots but in the absence of any tangible evidence, it is not possible to identify or pinpoint the actual persons or organisations responsible for it.
The inquiry report submitted by the North Goa District Collector and District Magistrate Nikhil Kumar was made public by the government on Tuesday.
Going through the issue in detail, the Magistrate said the violence that occurred on March 3-4 was in the nature of an eruption which was precipitated due to the building up of continuous tension and strain between the two communities – Hindus and Muslims — over the past many months.
In December 2005, there was resentment among the majority community over the construction/renovation of an alleged illegal structure used as madrasa in Guddemol village situated in a government property.
The pressure-cooker scenario continued to exacerbate culminating in the demolition of the illegal structure on March 1. The subsequent proposed peace march by the Muslim community and spiteful rumour mongering about influx of armed outsiders of the Muslim community from Bhatkal, etc, resulted in violence, loot and arson on March 3-4, the report said.
The State government had asked the District Magistrate to conduct the inquiry by an order dated May 10 after the communal riots in Cuchorem-Sanvordem on March 3-4, 2006 had caused a scar on Goa’s communal harmony.
The report also highlights the failure of the police, village panchayat, and other authorities in nipping such situations in the bud before they go out of hand. Remedial measures are also suggested by the Magistrate to prevent such incidents from occurring in future.
March 20, 2007)
Probe indicts none, says riots pre-planned
BY HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, MARCH 20 – The Magisterial inquiry which went into the Curchorem-Sanvordem communal riots in early March last year, has concluded that “it is intuitively and logically reasonable to presume” that there was a pre-planned and pre-conceived orientation to the communal riots but in the absence of any tangible evidence, it is not possible to identify or pinpoint the actual persons or organisations responsible for it.
The inquiry report submitted by the North Goa District Collector and District Magistrate Nikhil Kumar was made public by the government on Tuesday.
Going through the issue in detail, the Magistrate said the violence that occurred on March 3-4 was in the nature of an eruption which was precipitated due to the building up of continuous tension and strain between the two communities – Hindus and Muslims — over the past many months.
In December 2005, there was resentment among the majority community over the construction/renovation of an alleged illegal structure used as madrasa in Guddemol village situated in a government property.
The pressure-cooker scenario continued to exacerbate culminating in the demolition of the illegal structure on March 1. The subsequent proposed peace march by the Muslim community and spiteful rumour mongering about influx of armed outsiders of the Muslim community from Bhatkal, etc, resulted in violence, loot and arson on March 3-4, the report said.
The State government had asked the District Magistrate to conduct the inquiry by an order dated May 10 after the communal riots in Cuchorem-Sanvordem on March 3-4, 2006 had caused a scar on Goa’s communal harmony.
The report also highlights the failure of the police, village panchayat, and other authorities in nipping such situations in the bud before they go out of hand. Remedial measures are also suggested by the Magistrate to prevent such incidents from occurring in future.
Programme - Tribunal on the Rise of Fascist Forces in India and the attack on Secular State
Independent Peoples’ Tribunal on the Rise of Fascist Forces in India and the attack on Secular State
Venue: Indian Social Institute, 10 Lodi Road Institutional Area,
Lodi Road, New Delhi-110001
OVER 200 VICTIMS, ACTIVISTS AND ACADEMICIANS FROM ACROSS 17 STATES TESTIFY BEFORE THE INDEPENDENT PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL ON THE RISE OF THE FASCIST FORCES IN INDIA.
DATE TIME Plenary Session
Screening of the Documentary: In The Dark Times (16 minutes)
by Gauhar Raza
Prof. K N Panikkar, Prof Upendra Baxi, Justice Hosbeth Suresh, Prof. Akoijam Bimol
March 20 10-11.30
STATE JURY
12.00-6.00pm
PANEL 1 Gujarat Prof. Upendra Baxi
Prof Akoijam Bimol
Prof Subharanjan Dasgupta
Nikhil Waghle
Dr. Sandeep Pandey
PANEL 2 Madhya Pradesh & Jharkhand Prof. KN Panikkar
Gagan Sethi
Annie Raja
Vishnu Nagar
John Dayal
PANEL 3 Rajasthan Justice Hosbeth Suresh
Vincent Manoharan J.
Dr. Rooprekha Verma
Dr. Angana Chatterjee
6.15-8.00 Screening of Documentary Final Solution by Rakesh Sharma
March 21 9.30-10.15 Members of the Jury Speak on the findings of the Previous Day
10.30-4.30pm PANEL 1 Orissa and Karnataka Justice KL Sharma
Dr. KM Shrimali
Dr. Ram Puniyani
John Dayal
Henri Tephange
PANEL 2 Tamil Nadu and Kerala, West Bengal Prof. KN Panikkar
Nikhil Waghle
Prof. Kamal Mitra Chenoy
Jaya Mehta
PANEL 3 Chattisgarh, Maharashtra
Justice SN Bhargava
Asghar Ali Engineer
Ali Asghar
Syeda Hameed
Vincent Manoharan J.
5.00- 7.00 An evening of Protest Poetry and Music
March 22 9.00-10.00 Members of the Jury Speak on the findings of the Previous Day
10.00-4.00pm PANEL 1 J & K, Manipur, Nagaland Justice KL Sharma
Ayo Jajo Aier
Prof. Purushottam Aggarwal
Kumar Ketkar
John Dayal
PANEL 2 Goa and Uttar Pradesh Justice R B Mehrotra
Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer
KM Shrimali
S. Irfan Habib
Ali Asghar
Sheetla Singh
PANEL 3 A National Perspective
Presentations by: Sukumar Muralidharan, Shankar Goplakrishnan, Priya Sreenivasa, Anil Choudhary, Dr. Angana Chatterjee, Apoorvanand, Poorva Bhardwaj, Deepta Bhog, Tehmina Arora Justice SN Bhargava
Uma Chakravarty
Henri Tephange
Ashok Vajpayee
Lalit Surjan
4.30-6.00 CONCLUDING SESSION AND PRESS CONFERENCE
ROOM NUMBER MARCH 20 MARCH 21 MARCH 22
MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR GUJARAT CHATTISGARH AND MAHARSHTRA NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
CONFERENCE ROOM no. 207
2ND FLOOR MADHYA PRADESH & JHARKHAND ORISSA AND KARNATAKA J& K , MANIPUR, NAGALAND
CONFERENCE ROOM no. 313
3RD FLOOR RAJASTHAN TAMIL NADU, KERALA, WEST BENGAL GOA AND UTTAR PRADESH
Venue: Indian Social Institute, 10 Lodi Road Institutional Area,
Lodi Road, New Delhi-110001
OVER 200 VICTIMS, ACTIVISTS AND ACADEMICIANS FROM ACROSS 17 STATES TESTIFY BEFORE THE INDEPENDENT PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL ON THE RISE OF THE FASCIST FORCES IN INDIA.
DATE TIME Plenary Session
Screening of the Documentary: In The Dark Times (16 minutes)
by Gauhar Raza
Prof. K N Panikkar, Prof Upendra Baxi, Justice Hosbeth Suresh, Prof. Akoijam Bimol
March 20 10-11.30
STATE JURY
12.00-6.00pm
PANEL 1 Gujarat Prof. Upendra Baxi
Prof Akoijam Bimol
Prof Subharanjan Dasgupta
Nikhil Waghle
Dr. Sandeep Pandey
PANEL 2 Madhya Pradesh & Jharkhand Prof. KN Panikkar
Gagan Sethi
Annie Raja
Vishnu Nagar
John Dayal
PANEL 3 Rajasthan Justice Hosbeth Suresh
Vincent Manoharan J.
Dr. Rooprekha Verma
Dr. Angana Chatterjee
6.15-8.00 Screening of Documentary Final Solution by Rakesh Sharma
March 21 9.30-10.15 Members of the Jury Speak on the findings of the Previous Day
10.30-4.30pm PANEL 1 Orissa and Karnataka Justice KL Sharma
Dr. KM Shrimali
Dr. Ram Puniyani
John Dayal
Henri Tephange
PANEL 2 Tamil Nadu and Kerala, West Bengal Prof. KN Panikkar
Nikhil Waghle
Prof. Kamal Mitra Chenoy
Jaya Mehta
PANEL 3 Chattisgarh, Maharashtra
Justice SN Bhargava
Asghar Ali Engineer
Ali Asghar
Syeda Hameed
Vincent Manoharan J.
5.00- 7.00 An evening of Protest Poetry and Music
March 22 9.00-10.00 Members of the Jury Speak on the findings of the Previous Day
10.00-4.00pm PANEL 1 J & K, Manipur, Nagaland Justice KL Sharma
Ayo Jajo Aier
Prof. Purushottam Aggarwal
Kumar Ketkar
John Dayal
PANEL 2 Goa and Uttar Pradesh Justice R B Mehrotra
Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer
KM Shrimali
S. Irfan Habib
Ali Asghar
Sheetla Singh
PANEL 3 A National Perspective
Presentations by: Sukumar Muralidharan, Shankar Goplakrishnan, Priya Sreenivasa, Anil Choudhary, Dr. Angana Chatterjee, Apoorvanand, Poorva Bhardwaj, Deepta Bhog, Tehmina Arora Justice SN Bhargava
Uma Chakravarty
Henri Tephange
Ashok Vajpayee
Lalit Surjan
4.30-6.00 CONCLUDING SESSION AND PRESS CONFERENCE
ROOM NUMBER MARCH 20 MARCH 21 MARCH 22
MAIN HALL GROUND FLOOR GUJARAT CHATTISGARH AND MAHARSHTRA NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
CONFERENCE ROOM no. 207
2ND FLOOR MADHYA PRADESH & JHARKHAND ORISSA AND KARNATAKA J& K , MANIPUR, NAGALAND
CONFERENCE ROOM no. 313
3RD FLOOR RAJASTHAN TAMIL NADU, KERALA, WEST BENGAL GOA AND UTTAR PRADESH
Book Review: Secularism Not yet a lost cause
(Book Review / The Hindu
March 20, 2007)
Not yet a lost cause
K. N. PANIKKAR
Secularism in Asia and Eastern Europe which have histories of multiculturism and religious strife
THE FUTURE OF SECULARISM: T. N. Srinivasan — Editor; Oxford University Press, YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi-110001. Rs. 595.
The recent literature on secularism has certain predictability. It is either concerned with its European origin and its consequent irrelevance to societies like India or concentrates on the inadequacies of secular practices of the state. What happens at the ground level, particularly in political practice and social relations is often missing.
The essays, collected together in this volume, substantially depart from this well-trodden path. They are different in two significant ways. Firstly, beginning with the editor himself who, though very briefly, locates secularism as a philosophical doctrine, the concept of secularism receives critical consideration. Secondly, most of the essays are detailed empirical enquiries into secular political practice in different countries in Asia and Europe, which affords a comparative perspective. The latter form a distinct contribution of this volume.
South Asia
The major part of the book deals with South Asia. There are six essays on South Asia, five on India and one on Pakistan. Among the rest two are on Indonesia, one on Iran and one on Yugoslavia. Collectively they offer considerable insight, through empirically rich and theoretically nuanced studies, into the complex relationship between secularism, nationalism and religion, set in different ideological and political contexts. The implication of invoking religion in politics has different possibilities and implications in different systems. It may lead to entirely different consequences in a democracy like India or dictatorship like Pakistan or a controlled polity like Indonesia. Yet, in all of them the process of secularisation of polity and society is likely to be adversely affected by the intrusion of religion into politics. That is the idea, either explicit or implicit, running through all essays, which provides a unity for the volume.
The first part of the book on South Asia has five essays on India. The tone of the volume is set by two excellent essays in this section by Rajiv Bhargava and Romila Thapar. In a theoretically- nuanced piece Rajiv Bhargava, while dismissing that secularism is conceptually flawed argues that it faces an internal threat due to the failure to "realise the distinctive character of Indian secularism." These distinctive characteristics which he identifies are the "full-blooded self-recognition of its multi-value character" and the rejection of the claim that "separation must mean strict exclusion and neutrality." The distinctiveness of Indian secularism, Bhargava argues, can be understood only when the cultural background and social context are properly understood.
In India
Romila Thapar's essay, "Is Secularism Alien to Indian Civilisation", complements Rajiv Bhargava's thesis in as much as it brings out the proto-secular trends in Indian history. Thapar views secularism as a process of "gradual change affecting not just politics but the social and cultural life of society." She suggests that the "notion of secularisation of society is more appropriate than the limited notion of the ideology of secularism." Viewed in that light Indian society, like all other societies, have undergone a process of secularisation, particularly as a part of modernisation. Although she does not directly engage with the arguments of "anti-secular secularists" like T. N. Madan and Asish Nandy her essay is a powerful refutation of their argument.
The commentator on Thapar's essay, Shyam Sunder, points out that secularism is best seen not as a state of affairs, but as a value, a structural dimension, in human societies. The relationship between caste and communalism is a relatively unexplored and untheorised area. The recent communal conflagrations like that of Gujarat in which the lower castes had actively participated adds urgency to a proper understanding of this evolving connection.
In a brief but interesting essay Dilip Menon argues that communalism is a "deflection of the central, unaddressed issue of violence and inegalitarianism within the Hindu religion" and that communalism is the highest stage of casteism. He also locates communal violence in the context of lower caste mobility and assertion. This is an attractive proposition which however requires much more empirical substantiation than what is marshalled in the essay. Most of the ideas and arguments, in these essays are tested in the remaining essays on predominantly Muslim societies like that of Pakistan and Indonesia. In them the relationship between religion, nationalism and secularism form the main focus.
In the Balkans
In a brief but excellent exposition of the Yugoslovian situation Amila Buturovic demonstrates the inter-relationship between the three and examines its consequences as unfolded in the Balkans. The essays in this volume possibly do not provide a clear indication about the future of secularism. What they all highlight is the tension that secularism is facing in these societies, particularly in the wake of the rise of fundamentalism and militancy, and the efforts to cope with it.
The editor rightly observes that secularism is facing a serious threat in all these societies under discussion. Hindu communal forces have made considerable headway in India, Pakistan lost its initial urge for secularism and religious conservatives established their hold on the state. Although Indonesia is not an Islamic state, the radical conservative Islam has been on the rise. Despite such tendencies secularism is a powerful idea, which continues to engage the political discourse in all these countries. Secularism, both as an idea and as a practice has considerable vitality and therefore is not a lost cause. The essays provide enough proof for this optimism.
Failures of Reconciliation in Gujarat
(Economic and Political Weekly
March 10, 2007)
Living in Times of Fear and Hate
Failures of Reconciliation in Gujarat
No authentic reconciliation is possible unless it is based on
four components: (i) acknowledgement, (ii) remorse,
(iii)reparation, and (iv) justice. None of these have taken
place in Gujarat afterthe 2002 pogrom.
by Harsh Mander
March 10, 2007)
Living in Times of Fear and Hate
Failures of Reconciliation in Gujarat
No authentic reconciliation is possible unless it is based on
four components: (i) acknowledgement, (ii) remorse,
(iii)reparation, and (iv) justice. None of these have taken
place in Gujarat afterthe 2002 pogrom.
by Harsh Mander
March 19, 2007
Bajrang Dal leader hauled up for abducting women who married outside the community
(The Telegraph
March 20, 2007
SC notice to Bajrang Dal leader
OUR LEGAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, March 19: The Supreme Court today issued notice to Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi and several members of a trust he heads for allegedly abducting Patel women from Gujarat who had married outside their community and forcing them to remarry.
The notice, also sent to the Gujarat and Maharashtra governments, came on petitions by a number of people who said their wives had been abducted by activists of the Navchetan trust.
Ajay Nikam, Raju Medige, Prashant Samudre and several others had moved the apex court after Bombay High Court had dismissed their petitions seeking a directive to authorities to produce their missing wives.
The high court, they said, had dismissed their plea though an inquiry it ordered had indicted Bajrangi, a Patel who wants to keep his community pure, and recommended registration of an FIR against him.
The inquiry report, by a senior police officer, stated that the women said they were living separately from their husbands voluntarily but the “consent appeared to be under pressure”.
The petitioners said the victims refused to testify against the trust in open court as they were accompanied by dozens of activists. One aggrieved husband said his wife was placed under house arrest and then the activists “arranged a divorce” and forced him to sign some papers.
March 20, 2007
SC notice to Bajrang Dal leader
OUR LEGAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, March 19: The Supreme Court today issued notice to Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi and several members of a trust he heads for allegedly abducting Patel women from Gujarat who had married outside their community and forcing them to remarry.
The notice, also sent to the Gujarat and Maharashtra governments, came on petitions by a number of people who said their wives had been abducted by activists of the Navchetan trust.
Ajay Nikam, Raju Medige, Prashant Samudre and several others had moved the apex court after Bombay High Court had dismissed their petitions seeking a directive to authorities to produce their missing wives.
The high court, they said, had dismissed their plea though an inquiry it ordered had indicted Bajrangi, a Patel who wants to keep his community pure, and recommended registration of an FIR against him.
The inquiry report, by a senior police officer, stated that the women said they were living separately from their husbands voluntarily but the “consent appeared to be under pressure”.
The petitioners said the victims refused to testify against the trust in open court as they were accompanied by dozens of activists. One aggrieved husband said his wife was placed under house arrest and then the activists “arranged a divorce” and forced him to sign some papers.
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