TARGET

Suicide of the Human Race

2009-11-29T18:05:00.000-08:00

By-Prem P. Verma

The human race in its maddening search for technological success and material comforts has self-willed itself to extinction. According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, ‘species keep on evolving towards the goal of constant survival’, unless, of course, they wish themselves to extinction as happened in the case of the dinosaurs and similar gigantic creatures. Today’s human beings, knowingly or unknowingly, have taken the resolve to a path of suicide and ultimate disappearance from the face of the earth (how much Mother Nature will rejoice at this event!).

Consider the following –• The rich, the powerful, the educated urban elite along with the leaders with vested interest, constituting a minority of the human population, continue to believe that economic development is the cure all for all that is plaguing the humans society despite the stark fact that all this present model of economic development has given us –

a) Hunger – The number of hungry people in the world has gone
up from 843 million in 1990 to more than 1.0
billion
b) Poverty – There have been 270 million deaths due to poverty
in the world since 1990
c) Disparity – The richest 16% of the world’s population receives
84% of the world’s annual income
d) Earnings – 1.2 billion people in the world earn less than $1 per
day
e) Drinking water – 1.1 billion people have no access to safe
drinking water in the world
f) Illiteracy – 1.3 billion people in the world are illiterate
g) War deaths – There have been 4 million war deaths since 1990
in the world and unending wars continue to be
fought
• Despite the green revolution with a second green revolution being planned by the developing nations, we continue to shut our eyes to the fact that –
- The use of fertilizers and pesticides have made our soil infertile
- The hybrid and genetic seeds, promising ever-increase in crop production have led to disappearance of indigenous seeds developed by nature over centuries
- Forced purchase of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides by poor farmers have resulted in indebtedness and consequent suicides in the rural community
- The fertilizer, pesticide and seed Companies have ironically amassed unlimited wealth from the same land from which the farmer has been unable to eke out a living despite 24-hours of physical toil and hard labour
- The hand that produces our food continues to wither away whereas we become fatter and fatter

• We all know that food is a must for our survival, yet we insist on the farmer giving up his fertile land for large and heavy industries, mega-power plants, large dams, highways , airports, etc., thus reducing the acreage for our food production, all this with the false hope that more food can be produced with less land with our ‘brilliant’ technological advancement

• We continue to direct all our so-called development process to urban centres, creating employment opportunities there, resulting in massive migration of rural youth to urban areas. This mirage of development and running after the non-existent golden egg by the rural youth is producing bulging and unmanageable cities with squalid slums which are bursting at the seams and becoming centres of constant discontent and violence.

• We continue to label anger and discontent against the current development process as naxalism, Maoism, terrorism, etc., thus setting up two opposite sides for violent combat intent on destroying each other to produce the silence of peace without human beings. It is interesting to observe that of all the animal species, human beings seem to be the only one who are intent on killing one another through the violent process.

• We are obsessed with the thought that one race is superior to another, one ideology is better for the entire human race, one method of thinking must take precedence over others and consequently wage wars and battles to gain the high ground, sacrificing lives in the process. Paradoxically, we swear by the non-violence of Gautam Budha, Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Tolstoy, Rabindranath, Nelson Mandela, Dalai Lama and a host of other personalities whom we deify.

• We continue to believe that economic development is far superior to such mundane ideas as social development, moral growth, human values, community involvement, family unity, self-sacrifice, truth and non-violence. Money is our god and he can defeat all other inferior gods. The educated sincerely believe that end justifies any means, lies and dishonesty are all right if they help us to achieve our money goals, there is no such thing as good or bad, self is far more important than others on the planet and so on.

• We refuse to ponder over the above vital issues facing mankind in our mad rush fior increased wealth, power, monopoly, dictatorship, unlimited consumption and insatiable greed. We have no time to pause and ponder over the devastation we have created because our goal continues to be that pot of gold over the horizon.
Incidentally, someone has suggested, perhaps jokingly, I hope, that the human race has evolved into a species with genes that are now programmed to take the human race to extinction and mankind has become unknowingly self-destructive.

If all above is really true, why should not the human race become extinct? If not, why are we afraid to debate the issues openly? Dialogue not silence is the answer. Are you willing?- Author is the founder of Jharkhand Alternative Development Forum

Racial Bias

2009-10-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

By-Amitabh Thakur

Friends,

A "The Star"( Canada) story titled "Racial bias exists on police force, chief says" published on Sep 30, 2009 says that seven years ago, the Toronto police union fervently denied racial bias existed within its ranks and was prepared to sue those who claimed otherwise but today the Chief Bill Blair himself acknowledges that racial profiling is a problem. That's why a panel of community leaders and legal experts gathered at the new police college for a diversity conference hosted by the Toronto Police Service to discuss issues of diversity and racism among police officers.
The Star says that in 2002, when it ran a series of award-winning articles exposing racial bias on the force, then-chief Julian Fantino flatly denied it existed. The police union launched a $2.7 billion class-action libel lawsuit against the Star.
Efforts had been made in the past to address the subject, but progress was minimal. In the early 1990s, the board passed its first race relations policy. An outside consultant was brought in to develop and design diversity training for officers. It was also around this time that chief William McCormack created an aboriginal peacekeeping unit.
Before Blair's time, white males made up between 85 and 90 per cent of the average recruitment class. Today, women and visible minorities account for anywhere between 40 and 60 per cent of new officers.
The majority of police forces across the country operate some form of race relations unit. In addition, many are finding innovative ways to train officers. In York Region, the service has created a Places of Worship Tour, a program that takes its officers to various religious centres across the region.
Are these steps relevant and pertinent for our country as well?

Transparency and the media

2009-08-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

It is of great importance for the public to know who the owners of the newspapers and the channels are and what their primary source of funding is. It is also important to know who is on the Boards of these enterprises, says PADMAJA SHAW.

Parliament elections are over. The verdict is unambiguous. The new government has presented its budget. And the corporate media are once again hounding the already schizoid government on `reforms' and `disinvestment'. Much like the `now-on-now-off' reforms from the government, the urgently needed reform in the attitude of the corporate media is also on `loose contact'.

The aggressive anchors of some English channels seek to push their stock-market fetish (what one could call the ESOP-speak) down the throats of the unsuspecting viewers and the reluctant ministers who surface on their programmes. One could dismiss this as part of an effort to fill airtime, but for the fact that often such programming raises conflict of interest issues as well.

For instance, a leading channel (with a private airline for its business partner) is orchestrating a loud campaign on disinvestment in public sector airlines to the extent of questioning whether government should be running airlines. The channel should have scrolled its association with the private airline as a disclaimer while telecasting the two interviews with the Minister for Civil Aviation. The tone of the anchors is, `what is good for us is good for India'. There was a completely biased interview with the Civil Aviation Minister by a younger anchor a few days back that is followed up with an interview of the minister by the channel's boss.

The owner of the channel was deriding the public sector airlines as the worst in the world. While some may agree, it is still his opinion. He held a one-on-one argument with the Civil Aviation Minister on why the private airlines should be supported by whatever means – bail out, buy equity, whatever. The gist of the channel head's argument is: `It is a waste of public money if the government supports Air India, but it is the right of the private sector to get support from the government.' The flamboyant owners can then go ahead and fly a plane-load of models to exotic locations to produce an exclusive calendar of bikinied beauties while talking of fiscal discipline, lay offs and salary cuts for the employees of Air India! Even in the United States of America, from where all the corporate role models seem to
emerge, there is great public awareness and criticism about profligate corporate bosses rewarding themselves for lousy management. The worst part of the interview was the anchor pushing his case by saying, "Ask anyone, ask any foreigner what they think of Air India". Is that how disinvestment decisions are made in India? Ask any foreigner?

The minister in this case held his ground admirably (whatever the policy outcome, after such relentless pressure from an interested party) in both the interviews.

The same channel also was orchestrating the candidature of one of their Directors for the post of President of India some time back. The person may be iconic and of impeccable credentials, but the channel still needs to let the public know of his particular relationship with it. Incidentally, no other channel was plugging for him so hard. One wonders how many viewers were aware of this when they were asked to vote on the campaign. While one is deeply appreciative of the commonsense of
the person on the street in not falling for such campaigns, nevertheless the over all ethical issue remains. Think what would be said of Doordarshan if it ran an orchestrated campaign to promote one of the eminent directors on its board of governors! Such influence peddling would be unethical journalism by any standards.

On a related issue, there is much debate on transparency in public life in a democracy. Often media, the primary champions of transparency confine the idea to state and central government institutions. But the private sector, which ultimately is run on public money anyway, sees itself outside all frameworks of accountability, more so the media industry, which strong-arms public and policy agenda on many issues with varying degrees of success.

For instance, there are over a dozen TV news channels and several newspapers in Andhra Pradesh. Except for a few owned by prominent people, little is known about the antecedents of the investors of the rest. Very few of these have updated websites. Those that do have websites like TV9 have removed detailed information about their investors, who happen to include Srini Raju (erstwhile CEO of Satyam and boss of iLabs – which seems to have changed its name to Peepul
Capital) and others. (Only iLabs is mentioned, no mention of the other directors and their background).

The websites of both ETV and RTV, which clearly state ownership and information about the other businesses the channels are involved in, are exceptions. Some of the websites (HMTV, for instance) are still under construction.

It is of great importance for the public to know who the owners of the newspapers and the channels are and what their primary source of funding is. It is also important to know who is on the Boards of these enterprises, the stakes they have and the terms of their engagement with the enterprise, as sometimes it is these people who surface on the same channels as experts.

Broadcast legislation should mandate it as a licensing requirement for channels in the public interest that the information about the entire board of directors and their antecedents should be placed in public domain. Now only listed companies have their information so available. But it takes a highly motivated, savvy search to discover the information. This information should be made easily available to people who visit their websites, as has been made mandatory for state-run
institutions under the RTI Act.

In a country where every piece of printed material, including 1/8 demi pamphlets are mandated to carry information on the source, the publisher and the printer, major news operations that sway public opinion are allowed to operate without the minimum requirements of transparency. It is not enough that the government agencies know who they are licensing to spread information and entertainment. The audience has a greater need to know to put the information they receive in perspective.

If we accept journalism as a special category of business that is allowed sweeping powers to access and disseminate information, it is also necessary to treat it as a special category of business with special requirements to practice transparency. It cannot be allowed to hide behind the excuse of private domain information.

And lastly, an idle comparison of Doordarshan with the private channels: Doordarshan may shoddily promote the cause of a party in power and change colours as soon as a new dispensation takes over. We know it may profit an individual officer in some way while it does not do much good for the channel.

But the ownership of private channels is not up for assessment every five years. They indulge in unapologetic self-promotion and promotion of the interests of their corporate cronies and political friends for profit and political clout as long as they are the owners of the enterprise. This routine strategy is occasionally flagged with a good investigative story or documentary, absolving the channels of their long-term responsibility to the viewer. (Is poverty alleviation possible through crony capitalism?) If tomorrow the channels get into financial trouble, must the government treat them on par with Doordarshan and provide liquidity to `save the industry'? (mediavigil)

Duplicate Obama in Indonesia

2009-08-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

Most wanted car jacker Bakkarwala arrested

2009-07-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

Delhi’s most wanted car jacker, Manoj Bakkarwala, was arrested by the Special Cell. The police have claimed that he is involved in more than 500 car thefts in the past 11 years. His four associates, including a Punjab Police constable, were also arrested.

“We got information that Bakkarwala was disposing off stolen cars in Chandigarh and identified a hideout of one of the receivers. On July 14, police spotted a stolen car driven by the receiver. They were arrested from Najafgarh area,” the police said. The Commissioner of Delhi Police, Y S Dadwal said with Bakkarwala’s arrest, they have now arrested 19 members of the gang. “He is the most wanted carjacker sought by Delhi, Chandigarh and Haryana Police. A reward of 50,000 was on him.” One of Bakkarwala’s associates, Parveen, 24, was also arrested.

Bakkarwala’s arrest followed the arrest of three persons — Sarwan Singh, 34, the Punjab Police constable, Prabhsharan Singh, 31, and Gurcharan Preet Singh, 23 — from Chandigarh on July 13. Two sophisticated English pistols were recovered from Bakkarwala’s possession. The police said Bakkarwala is an expert in driving cars and preferred to steal late at night or early in the morning, preferably on wide roads with no traffic signals so that he could escape easily.
“He has a lavish lifestyle and has a girlfriend in Haryana who is doing MBA,” the police said. “Manoj has been bearing all her expenses, including tuition fees, for the some time now.” Dadwal added that Bakkarwala also used to change his accomplices from time to time and constantly changed his hide-outs. The carjacker, who allegedly started his criminal life in 1998 along with one Makhan, was first arrested in 1998 and then in 2003. He continued with his criminal activities once he was out on bail. In 2007, he was arrested by the Gurgaon police but escaped in July 2008 with the help of Parveen.

On May 8 this year, he managed to give the slip to the South Delhi police in Kanjhawala area when a police party spotted him in an Endeavour car. He was also hurt in a brief encounter. Dadwal said after escaping from Kanjhawala, Bakkarwala went to Chandigarh. The police said Prabhsharan is unemployed and currently pursuing LLB while Parveen, who allegedly sold the stolen vehicles to Sarwan Singh, is a school drop-out. Delhi Police has also invoked Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Bakkarwala.

Manoj Bakkarwala is a B.C. of Police Station Nangloi and is involved in more than 200 cases of carjacking/auto-lifting. Earlier, on two occasions, he had escaped from the police custody, once from Gurgaon Police and second time from the custody of Special Cell, Delhi Police.

He is a very desperate criminal and has many accomplices in different parts of NCR who undertake sensational cases of carjacking. He has an expertise in driving and prefers to commit crime late at night, preferably on wide roads having no traffic signals so that after committing the crime he could easily escape. He is fond of lavish lifestyle and luxurious vehicles. He used to stay in the rented houses in the different cities like Dehradoon, Karnal, Haridwar etc. To evade the police net, he keeps changing his accomplices from time to time.

Wear and tear

2009-06-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

By- Dr Nutan Thakur

From the various news that we are getting from across the world, it seems what a person can or shall wear is also slowly acquiring social relevance and has spilled from the realm of a completely private matter to something that concerns everyone else. To quote only a few examples, the Talibans and many such retrograde organizations have been issuing fatwa and firman for long warning the women and girls not wear all kinds of "western" dresses as also to strictly comply with the Purdah as prescribed by the rules of Shariat and other Islamic conventions. Going to the other extreme we have France where initially the government had banned the Sikhs from wearing turbans because they do not want any person to present a distinct look which they feel acts like a hindrance to the making of a homogenous society.

Extending it further, Sarkozi, their flamboyant President has only recently not only banned the women from wearing Purdah in public but has also come out in the open, with harsh words which condemn the system of purdah as being an unwanted and unwarranted burden imposed on the Muslim women, which is acting as a hindrance to their path of equality. Not to be left out, the Uttar Pradesh Principal's Council came with a diktat that tried to put a ban on girls wearing jeans and T-shirts etc in the colleges. The reason cited was that such a dress acted as a factor that increased the possibilities of girls being molested or ill treated. The order was promptly overruled by the State government to ward-off an unsavoury embarrassment.
Thus we find all kinds of dress-codes and dress related diktats coming up in all kinds of societies and this tendency seems to have increased in the recent times. The question is- "Are such dress-codes warranted?" Isn't it that imposing any kind of dress related limitation is something that should strictly be avoided save in such places which necessitate some kind of uniform for their job requirements. I mean, a woman in sarees or burqas can't work as a air-pilot nor can she work in a security-related Commando force. But save in such conditions, whenever any kind of dress-code is imposed, its only effect is that of stifling and congesting the normal pace of societal life. It acts as a restraining agent to the proper prospering of society and gives arbitrary and undeserving authority to a few people to act as moral-police. This is certainly bad for society, whether it is done in the way the Talibani have been imposing or even the way Sarkozi has promulgated. If a Muslim woman feels that she should wear burqa, I don't think the State should come in its way to define and interfere in a matter that is purely religious in nature. Much worse is the way the Talibanis, the hardliners, the Al-Quada people and all such other backward looking organizations have been pronouncing and implementing all sorts of abhorrent and abominable dress codes on hapless girls and women.
One interesting similarity in most of the cases is that such restrictions are being imposed on the women folk only. While the men are hardly being touched (except may be the Sikh vase in France), all these organizations never give any opportunity to come up with more and more restrictions on the women folk. Is this proper? Isn't it a clear sign of gender bias and the hiatus between the positions occupied by a man and a woman in our society? It is high time such tendencies were given up. in all circumstances and people be made free to wear a dress of their choice.(mediavigil)

The Lavalin Case- Rethinking over section 197 CrPC

2009-06-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Note: Procedural Establishments Under The Code Of Criminal Procedure, 1973: Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 gives protection to a person who is still a Public Servant at the time the prosecution is launched, and also when he is no longer a public servant. This is to protect the Public Servant from a case being filed against him after his retirement. When the government servant or the employee is not removable from his office without the sanction of the Central Government, then the same is necessary. Sanction under this section is not necessary before a Public Servant could be prosecuted for an offence of bribery under Section 161 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. There are three facets in the consideration of the protection given by Section 197 of the Cr.P.C. to the acts done by public officers. (i) The act complained attaches to it the official character of the person doing it; (ii) The official character or status of the accused gave him an opportunity of doing the act, and (iii) The offence is committed at a time when the accused was engaged in his official duty.

By- Nutan Thakur

Pinarayi Vijayan is the state Secretary of the Kerala CPI(M) and is also the member of the Central Polit bureau, which is the highest decision making body of the Party. The 19th Congress of the CPI(M) had elected a 87 member Central Committee, which on April 03, 2008 elected a 15 Member Polit Bureau. Pinarayi Vijayan is a member of both these.

The other members of this Polit Bureau include such stalwarts as the General Secretary Prakash Karat along with his wife Brinda, Sitaram Yechury, Biman Basu, Manik Sarkar, the two CPI(M) Chief ministers Buddhadev Bhattacharya and V S Achuthanandan along with others. He is thus among the most important members of the CPI)M).

The so-called Lavalin case relates to memorandum of understanding (MoU) Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) signed with SNC-Lavalin, a Canadian company in August 1995. During the initial period of the contract, G. Karthikeyan of the Congress Party was the Minister for Electricity. Later during further contracts in February 1997 Pinarai Vijayan was the Minister for Electricity.

Later the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) found that Lavalin was only a consultant intermediary and not the original equipment manufacturer and that the supply of goods and services was made by other firms at a much higher cost leading to excess expenditure. According to the CAG, various avoidable (and at times deliberate) failures on the part of the Board and the government to properly execute the deal resulted in heavy losses to the government of an amount nearly Rs 25 crores.

On 16 January 2007, Kerala High Court ordered a CBI enquiry into the scandal. On February 19, 2008, the CBI informed High court of Kerala that the investigation was progressing and hinted at the complicity of former Electricity Ministers Pinarayi Vijayan and G. Karthikeyan.

On 21 January 2009, the CBI filed a progress report on the investigation in the Kerala High Court where it named Pinarayi Vijayan as the 9th accused. A total of 11 persons have been arraigned.

As per CBI's version Vijayan, while serving as Electricity Minister between May 1996 and October 1998, colluded with K. Mohanachandran, Principal Secretary (Power) in a criminal conspiracy already in motion in the matter of awarding supply contracts of the projects to Lavalin.

The investigations revealed that the supply contract for renovation and modernisation of the Panniyar, Shengulam and Pallivasal hydel projects was given to SNC Lavalin at an exorbitant rate and the per MW cost for the same was the highest. This caused a loss to the Government of Kerala with corresponding wrongful. Thus CBI requested an order for prosecuting Vijayan.

Thus came the question of Prosecution. As per our statues, section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure deals with prosecution of Judges and public servants. Section 197(1) states that when any person who is or was a Judge or Magistrate or a public servant not removable from his office save by or with the sanction of the Government is accused of any offence alleged to have been committed by him while acting or purporting to act in the discharge of his official duty no court shall take cognizance of such offence except with the previous sanction of the concerned government.

There are two important Supreme Court judgements in this regards, both exactly opposite to each other. While in the state of Uttar Pradesh vs. Paras Nath Singh, the Supreme Court has ruled that a public servant cannot be given the protection of sanction under Section 197 CrPC if he is facing allegations of indulging in criminal offences.

The Court said that forgery, criminal conspiracy, cheating and taking gratification cannot form part of official discharge of duty by a public servant saying-''A public servant, however, is not entitled to indulge in criminal activities,''. The apex court also noted, "It is no part of the duty of a public servant while discharging his official duties to commit forgery of the type covered by the aforesaid offences. Want of sanction under Section 197 of the code is therefore no bar."

At the same time, in another case related to some senior police officers of Maharashtra another bench of the SC had held the prosecution of these officers under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) illegal, on the ground that the accused cannot be prosecuted without proper prior sanction.

The CPI (M) leadership and the workers, both at the Center and in the state of Kerala have refused to take this prosecution lightly decided to fight it out. While the Press Statement in its statement dated June 8, 2009 said that the CBI case "is politically motivated" and that "it is unfortunate that the Governor of Kerala decided to grant permission to the Central Bureau of Investigation to initiate prosecution proceedings" , the workers on the street took the message wholeheartedly and went for a heavy rampage and large-scale ransacking and violence.

Previously Vijayan had also issued threats of retaliation and punishment to K. Gopalakrishnan, Editor, Mathrubhumi Malayalam for having played a lead role in exposing and pursuing the Lavlin case.

Thus all these efforts are being made to save a person who is primarily being seen as an accomplish in a criminal case where he has supposedly misused his official position to cause heavy losses to the State exchequer. This from a party that has always boasted of belonging to the toiling masses- the workers and the peasants. But more important than the individuals, it is the basic legal postulate that I want to harp upon. Do we really need section 197 of the CrPC?

Isn't this provision of law being misused persistently or is being used selectively for political ends? For the same criminal acts, the governments and the authorities go by different yardsticks. Against some they grant the prosecution sanction while for others they withhold it for years.

From all this, it seems that this provision of section 197 CrPC is primarily being misused or is being used for specific purposes. At least, it shall be scrapped for cases related with forgery, misappropriation, cheating, misuse of official positions for wrongful gains etc. This is something that is immediately required.(mediavigil)

Obama reinforces presumed religious identities

2009-06-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

Marieme Helie Lucas asks, 'Where are women and secularists of Muslim countries in Obama's speech in Cairo?' (WLUML Networkers/SIAWI)

It is beyond doubt that many people around the world, of various political opinions and creeds, will feel relieved after the speech the President of the USA delivered in Cairo today. It is apparently a new voice, a voice of peace, quite far from Bush's clash of civilisations. But is it so?

I presume that political commentators will point out the fact that Obama equates violence on the part of occupied Palestinians to violence on the part of Israeli colonizers, or that he has not abandoned the idea that the United States should tell the world how to behave and fight for their rights, or that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is reduced to a religious conflict, or that he still justifies the war in Afghanistan, etc...

All those are important issues that need to be challenged. However, what affects me most, as an Algerian secularist, is that Obama has not done away with the idea of homogeneous civilisations that was at the heart of the theory of the 'clash of civilisations'. Moreover, his very American idea of civilisation is that it can be equated to religion. He persistently opposes ' Islam and the West' (as two entities/civilisations), ' America and Islam'(a country vs. a religion); he claims that 'America is not at war with Islam'. In short 'the West' is composed of countries, while ' Islam' is not.

Old Jomo Kenyatta used to say of British colonizers: "When they came, we had the land, they had the Bible; now we have the Bible, they have the land." Obama's discourse confirms this: religion is still good enough for us to have, or to be defined by. His concluding compilation of monotheist religious wisdom sounds as if it were the only language that we, barbarians, can understand. These shortcomings have adverse effects on us, citizens of countries where Islam is the predominant and often the state religion.

First of all, Obama's discourse is addressed to 'Islam', as if an idea, a concept, a belief, could hear him; as if those were not necessarily mediated by the people who hold these views, ideas, concepts or beliefs. As Soheib Bencheikh, former Great Mufti of Marseilles and now Director of the Institute of High Islamic Studies in Marseilles, used to say: "I have never seen a Qur'an walking in the street..."

Can we imagine for one minute that Obama would address himself to ''Christianity' or to 'Buddhism'? No, he would talk to Christians or Buddhists – to real people, keeping in mind all their differences.

Obama is essentialising Islam, ignoring the large differences that exist among Muslim believers themselves, in terms of religious schools of thought and interpretations, cultural differences and political opinions. These differences indeed make it totally irrelevant to speak about 'Islam' in such a totalizing way. Obama would not dare essentialise, for instance, Christianity in such a way, ignoring the huge gap between Opus Dei and liberation theology...

Unfortunately, this essentialising Islam feeds into the plans of Muslim fundamentalists whose permanent claim is that there is one single Islam – their version of it – one homogeneous Muslim world, and subsequently one single Islamic law that needs to be respected by all in the name of religious rights. Any study of the laws in 'Muslim' countries show that these laws are pretty different from one country to the other, deriving not just from different interpretations of religion, but also from the various cultures in which Islam has been spreading on all continents, and that these supposedly Muslim laws are rooted, as well, in historical and political factors including colonial sources*, which are obviously not divine .

This is the first adverse consequence of Obama's essentialising Islam and homogenising Muslims: as much as he may criticize fundamentalists – who he calls 'a minority of extremists' – he is using their language and their concepts. This is unlikely to help the cause of anti-fundamentalists forces in Muslim countries.

It follows suite that Obama talks to religions, not to citizens, not to nations or countries. He assumes that anyone has to have a religion, overlooking the fact that in many instances, people are forced into religious identities. In more and more 'Muslim' countries, citizens are forced into religious practice **, and pay for dissent with their freedom and sometimes with their lives. It is a big blow to them, to their human rights, to freedom of thought and freedom of expression, that the President of the USA publicly confirms the view that citizens of countries where Islam is the main religion are automatically Muslims (unless they belong to a religious minority).

Regardless of the fact that one is a believer or not, citizens may choose not to have religion as the main marker of their identity; for instance, they may choose to give priority or prominence to their identity as citizens. Many citizens of 'Muslim' countries want to leave religion in its place and divorce it from politics. They support secularism and secular laws, i.e. laws democratically voted for by the people, changeable by the will and vote of the people; they oppose unchangeable, ahistorical, supposedly divine laws, as a process that is alien to democracy. They oppose the political power of clerics.

Obama is claiming to defend democracy, democratic processes, and human rights. How can this fit with addressing whole nations through their supposed, hence imposed, religious identities? Where is the place for secularists in Obama's discourse – for their democratic right to vote in laws rather than have laws imposed upon them in the name of God, for their human right to believe or not to believe, to practice or not to practice? Secularists simply do not exist. They are ignored. They are made invisible. They are made 'Muslims'. Not just by our oppressive undemocratic governments, but by Obama too... And when he talks of his own fellow citizens, these `Seven million American Muslims', has he asked them what their faith is or is he assuming faith based on geographical origin?

In this religious strait-jacket, women's rights are limited to their right to education, and Obama distances himself from arrogant westerners by making it clear that women covering is not seen by him as an obstacle to their emancipation – especially if it is 'their choice'... Meanwhile, Iran is next door, with its morality police that jail women whose hair slips out of the aforementioned covering, in the name of religious laws. And what about Afghanistan or Algeria where women were abducted, tortured, raped, mutilated, burnt alive, killed for not covering***?

At no point does he raise the issue of who defines culture, who defines religion, who speaks for 'the Muslims' – and why they could not be defined by individual women themselves, without clerics, without morality police, without self-appointed, old, conservative, male, religious leaders – if their fundamental human rights were to be respected. Obviously, Obama trades women's human rights for political and economic alliances with 'Islam'... 'Islam' definitely owns oil, among other things.

No, this discourse is not such a change for an American President: Obama remains within the boundaries of the clash of civilisations/religions. How can this save us from the global rise of religious fundamentalism, which this discourse was supposed to counter? He claims that "as long as our relationship is defined by differences, this will empower those who sow hatred.../... promote conflict...", but the only thing he finds we have in common is "to love our families, our communities, our God..." Muslim fundamentalists will not disown such a program. In God we trust....

Shooting the messenger

2009-06-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

If the media is reporting the misuse of force by the state government against protesters is it unprofessional? NASEER A GANAI on Omar Abdullah’s outburst over the Shopian coverage.

Jun 06, 2009

On June 1, 2009, when Kashmir was on boil against the alleged rape and murder of two women in Shopian district of South Kashmir by security forces, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah addressed a press conference.

In Shopian the women went missing on May 29 after they set out for the apple orchards near the fields. Their bodies were found on the morning of May 30 on the riverside. The family members and the residents alleged that members of the security forces raped the women and then murdered them. The incidents evoked widespread protesters across Kashmir valley in which over 300 people have been injured, four of them are critical and one has succumbed to injuries.

Back to the press conference of June 1, held by the chief minister. The CM said his government enjoys credibility among people and he would sacrifice power for the sake of credibility. However at the same press conference he contradicted himself when he said people have no faith on the institutions of the State and even if the government would come up with the findings about killing of the two women, people will not believe the findings of the government. Then he announced a judicial probe. So far, fine.

But he didn't stop there. The chief minister asked the media not blow trivial issues out of proportion, and to use the word 'alleged' when the allegation has not been proved. He referred to an incident in which an army truck hit a scooter outside the 15 Corps headquarter killing a youth. He said people lodged protests against the accidental killing and blocked the road and media gave it full coverage.

On the same day, he said, three other incidents involving civilians took place in valley but no one protested against them. The chief minister is forgetting that the army represents the State and as he rightly pointed out, people have no faith in institutions of the State. So they believed that the army vehicle deliberately hit the scooter and killed the youth. Hence, widespread protests and the local media coverage.

Abdullah then went on to comment on the media reportage of the Shopian incident saying that some news channels were reporting "Bandh in the valley against the rape and murder of two women by security forces." He wanted to know: how did they establish that rape has taken place when his government has not yet been able to establish either rape nor the murder? He asked the media to be balanced.

But the question is, if the media is carrying the version of people of the Shopian district and family members of the two women, is it doing something wrong? If the State government has not been able to tell people of J&K who are protesting for last four days, whether the women have been subjected to rape or not, is it fault of media?

The police have not registered the rape and murder case despite the Supreme Court of India ruling last year: "In a given case, even if the doctor, who examined the victim, does not find [any] sign of rape, it is no ground to disbelieve the sole testimony of the prosecutrix." Now if the media is reporting about the misuse of force by the State government against the protesters is it unprofessional?

Doctors say that within 15 minutes it can be established whether rape has taken place or not but the State government that claims it has credibility among of people has failed to establish the cause of death of the young girls even after four days of the incident. And instead of accepting its incompetence it is trying to blame the media, particularly the local media and cable news networks in the valley. The State needs a scapegoat and it finds it in media here.

Last year when pro-freedom marches started in Kashmir the State acted in the same manner. In August 2008 over a million people marched upto the United Nations Militarily Observers Group office in Srinagar calling for independence. The million-man march embarrassed the Government of India and the State Government. So the government took two steps.

First, it went for undeclared curfew that has now become the norm, putting the whole valley under siege. Undeclared curfew is curfew without a formal announcement. In a situation of undeclared curfew, lawyers say there are more chances of killing as civilians don't know that stepping out would cost them with their lives. Last year the government placed barbed wires across the streets and highways and restricted the movement of people. It didn't allow anyone to come out. Almost all separatist leaders were booked under the Public Safety Act, under which a person is kept in jail without trial for 2 years. This year it followed same technique of undeclared curfew.

Its second step last year after curbing the movement of people was to curb the media. It closed down all cable news channels without issuing any order. In J&K, the State does not believe in written orders. It just tries to bring the 'order' without issuing any order. Democracy Zindabad!

The cable news channels, which were giving full coverage to protests and government action against protesters, were only allowed to work after they were forced to sign an agreement that they would show only to people what government wanted people should view. Here lies the difference between the sate and the national media: in Kashmir the media are being forced to comply with the State policies. The New Delhi-based news channels and newspapers comply with the State policies about Kashmir willingly.

However the cable news channels did not stick to that agreement this month when they saw thousands on streets protesting against the alleged rape and murder. They showed everything. Protests, statements and of course the government version. Now they have been asked to follow last year's guidelines. If they fail to, the government can close them down.

Last year the State government acted against the newspapers as well. It didn't allow journalists to move out of their homes, and those who came out had their identity cards torn, while many were thrashed. This way, it stopped publication of all newspapers across Kashmir valley for over eight days.

In Kashmir protesters accuse media of not giving enough space to them and the security forces beat them up for "inciting the masses." For the last two years over a dozen photo journalists, camera men were thrashed and beaten up by the security forces while doing their professional work. Number of times photo journalists have gone for sit-in against the atrocities of police and security forces against them but situation never improves for them. At times they get thrashing from people as well.

Last year when scores journalists were thrashed by the security forces for covering protesters in Sopore, the Srinagar-based journalists who were working for local, national and international media groups; perhaps for the first time, issued a statement. The September 2008 statement says it all:

"In the aftermath of the Amarnath land controversy, members of press in Kashmir have been coming under serious attack by the personnel of CRPF and in some measure by the crowds. We have reasons to believe that the attacks happen by deliberate design of the State agencies. When the governor N N Vohra was informed about these attacks, he pleaded ignorance and, in presence of some members of press and the secretary information, instructed the Director General of Police not to let such attacks to continue.

However, to cite just one instance, the attacks continued the next day, confirming our suspicion that the attacks are carried out by design. Journalists have faced irrational demands from CRPF personnel manning the streets like "you are not carrying a curfew pass for your camera." Such instances could tell volumes.It seems Omar too wants journalists in Kashmir to carry curfew passes for their cameras. (mediavigil)

Man sentenced to life for Mehar Bhargav's murder

2009-06-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

Lucknow : A local court here awarded life imprisonment in connection with the Meher Bhargava murder case on Friday. According to the sources, Sunny Rawat, the prime accused in Meher Bhargava murder case, was found guilty, but the court acquitted three other accused due to lack of substantial evidence. Sunny Rawat shot at Meher Bhargava when she resisted an attempt to molest her daughter-in-law.

Sunny Rawat, arrested in connection with the Mehar Bhargava murder, confessed before the media to having fired the fatal shot at her in a fit of rage. ‘Yes, I fired the shot,' Rawat told reporters here after which he was produced before a local court as the main suspect. Rawat, who was presented by police at a news conference, claimed Mehar threatened him and his accomplices with dire consequences and also abused him following which he shot her in a fit of rage. ‘She (Mehar) used filthy language which I could not bear and fired at her,' he said.

He alleged that it was Pramod Singh who passed lewd remarks about Mehar's daughter-in-law near the stairs of their house on February 28 after which she scolded Singh and threatened to call the police.The family driver, Ganga Prasad, identified Rawat as the one who had fired the fatal shot after Rawat and another youth Sanjay Menon were arrested.

The four men, identified as Sachin Pahadi, Pramod Singh, Amit Singh and Jaiprakash came down from K D Singh's flat, where they had been drinking the previous night. The accused tried to flee when Meher threatened to call the police. When Meher's driver chased them, Sachin Pachadi shot at her. Two of the accused, Sachin and Amit, have a criminal history, with Sachin already having two murder charges against him. The reward on Sachin has been increased from Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000, according to Hazratganj inspector D K Rai. Amit has cases lodged against him at Mughalsarai police station in Chandauli district. While Jaiprakash and Pramod have been arrested, Amit and Sachin are still missing.

Meher Bhargava was the 50-year old wife of senior Congress leader Luv Bhargava. A little more than an month after she was shot, barely metres from the Lucknow police superintendent's office, she succumbed to injuries and died at 6.15 pm on March 25th at the Apollo Hospital where she was admitted.

Cassette king killer arrested in Dhaka

2009-05-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

Abdul Rauf Merchant, who was convicted for killing audio king Gulshan Kumar in 1997, and had absconded has been arrested in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Merchant had been released on furlough when he went absconding since Saturday, May 23, 2009.Merchant, a resident of Mumbra suburb of Thane near Mumbai, was released on furlough for 14 days by the Bombay High Court last month on condition that he would report to police every day.

Merchant reported for a week but had thereafter stopped coming to Mumbra police station, Joint Commissioner of Police, Rakesh Maria said, adding efforts were on to trace him."We have got certain clues about his whereabouts but at this stage we cannot disclose anything", Maria said. Furlough is leave granted to a convict every two years for a fortnight to visit his family and return to jail after expiry of the period.

Merchant had filed a petition from jail asking for release on furlough. The court had allowed his plea after advocate Farhana Shah argued his case as amicus curiae.This is for the first time that Merchant was released from jail on furlough after he was given life sentence for killing Gulshan Kumar. Merchant was convicted in 2001, while 18 other accused were acquitted by the trial court as policecould not prove conspiracy charges against them.

Civil rights activist Binayak Sen gets bail

2009-05-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Binayak Sen, a doctor accused by authorities of links with Maoist rebels, in a high-profile case that saw a host of Nobel laureates call for his freedom. Sen, 59, was jailed about two years ago in Raipur, capital of Chhattisgarh on accusations he passed notes from an imprisoned Maoist leader.

Chhattisgarh is one of the centres of a Maoist insurgency that stretches across a swathe of eastern and central India.Sen, who has won international fame for running health clinics for poor villagers in this tribal region, denies the charges. He has also been critical of government-backed tribal militia that were formed to battle Maoist insurgents.

Lower courts had previously turned down his bail plea. But on Monday Supreme Court Justices Markandeya Katju and Deepak Verma granted bail to Sen. The prosecution did not contest his bail plea. Last year, the Global Health Council, an association of health organisations and workers, announced he was the winner of the 2008 Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights. After that 22 Nobel prize-winning scientists appealed to the Indian government to release Sen and let him travel to Washington D.C. to collect the award.

The Nobel laureates spanned around three decades of winners, including economists, chemists and doctors.They said the laws under which Sen had been jailed fell short of international human rights standards. Maoist rebels say they are fighting for the rights of the poor and landless. They regularly kill policemen and attack government establishments.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the four-decade-old Maoist rebellion as the single biggest threat to India's internal security. It has killed thousands of people. Human rights groups had launched a high-decibel campaign, including on social network websites and through emails, to demand Sen's release."I am very happy that my personal ordeal is over, the judiciary has stood up for what is correct," Ilina Sen, the accused doctor's wife,told reporters.

CPI seeks withdrawal of all cases against Binayak Sen
Welcoming the bail granted by Supreme Court to prominent civil rights activist Binayak Sen, CPI today asked the government to set him free by withdrawing all cases against him."Foisting of cases against such eminent persons is a shame on our democracy. The time has now come for the government to withdraw all cases against him and he must be set free immediately," party National Secretary D Raja told here.
The Apex court today ordered the release of Sen, who was lodged in a Chhattisgarh jail since two years. A prominent PUCL leader, Sen was arrested by the Chhattisgarh police for allegedly colluding with certain naxalite leaders, a charge denied by the activist. Raja also demanded dismantling of the private anti-Naxal army Salwa Judum, saying even Home Minister P Chidambaram had earlier admitted that this outfit was a "non-state actor".(mediavigil)

SIT and witness protection‎

2009-05-23T07:24:00.000-07:00

By-Dr Nutan Thakur

R K Raghavan's statement in Gandhinagar (Gujarat) that "witness protection will be given the highest priority during trial" and that all witnesses will "be getting adequate protection" is a welcome one. More so because he is the head of the Special Investigation team (SIT) that has been constituted by the Supreme Court to investigate into the Gujarat riots and recently has also been assigned the task of looking into the various complaints against the Chief minister Modi, many of his close associates and some important government functionaries as well.

Not that everyone is satisfied with the SIT's job so far and more often than once, figures have been raised against its functioning, where it has been felt that it has not come up to the expectations of the people in its process of trying to bring the culprits before the Court. And yet, this is what we have and thus every one of us, who knows that Gujarat is the worst example so far of the State sponsored violence and mayhem in our country, are pinning our hopes on the SIT.

Through these words Raghav has tried not only to assuage the feelings of the devastated and brutalized victims but has also tried to instill some sort of confidence in them to come up and speak the truth. He exhorts them by saying that "they need not fear anyone." How much does he really mean when he speaks these brave-sounding words and how much of it would actually be implemented on the ground during the long processes of trial, no one knows but the fact that witness security is being recognized as an important issues and steps are being taken to ensure it, is itself something to feel good about. Moreover, it also brings forth the fact that even the Supreme Court and SIT, as its assisting body, realizes the possibility of such things happening in Modi's land.

One more thing that the SIT must do is to complete the arduous and difficult task assigned to it by the Supreme Court as regards investigating into the roles of the bigwigs including the all-powerful and invincible-looking Narendra Modi and his lieutenants. It seems easier than done because of the kind of complete hold that the government enjoys in the State, with its kind of brute majority which naturally makes the affected persons feel helpless and despondent, with no one to really look at for support, save the public spirited persons and social activists. It will be difficult to come out with concrete evidence that would nail down these persons but if the SIT is able to do anything in this regards, it would be truly great service to the Nation.(mediavigil)

Shame on Indian Government

2009-05-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

Every year on 14th Aug (Pakistani Indipendence Day), Pakistani flag is hosted every where in Kashmir, including the govt. buildings and on 15th Aug, same people burn the Indian flag.

A Kashmiri separatist leader burning the Indian Flag

Shock and anger on pro-Hindutva websites

2009-05-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

"The BJP does not impress Hindus any more, and it manages to frighten non-Hindus. Not a combination to win India." B.RAMAN gives a flavour of the discussion on the election results on pro-Hindutva web sites. May 18, 2009

There has been a lot of discussion going on for the last 12 hours or more in the pro-Hindutva web sites in India and abroad about the stunning failure of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to do well in the just-concluded elections to the Lok Sabha, the lower House of the Indian Parliament, and the dramatic success of the Congress (I). The pro-Hindutva elements, which regularly visit these web sites and make their postings, are in an astonishing state of shock. There is more introspection already going on in these web sites than in New Delhi and State capitals and there is more loud-thinking than in the endless debates in our TV channels. It is more interesting and educative to read these postings in the web sites than to listen to the blah, blah, blah of the spokesmen of different parties and the so-called analysts who
have congregated in New Delhi.

2. As one goes through these web sites, one is struck by the admiration of many pro-Hindutva elements over the way the Congress (I) has managed to give a youthful image to the party and over the quality of the intellect and powers of articulation of the youth brigade of the Congress (I). There is a grudging admiration even for Rahul Gandhi. Some admit that he has made an impact on the nation as a whole. Others insist
that his impact is confined to Uttar Pradesh.

3. Many have compared the youthful image of the Congress (I) to the tired and aging image of the Hindutva leaders. Where are the young people in the BJP, the posters have been asking. The majority are agreed that L.K.Advani was a bad choice to lead the election campaign. They allege that instead of surrounding himself with youthful faces and intellects, he surrounded himself with old pensioners from different government services and the armed forces who were unable to read the mind of the Indian youth.

4. A perusal of many of these postings shows that the angry pro-Hindutva elements do not look upon younger BJP leaders such as Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Shourie etc as representing the newly rising Indian youth. They dismiss them as middle-aged backroom manipulators and not genuine representatives of young India.

5. Many of the postings say that Advani made the election campaign a personality-based one and not an issue-based one, which was a serious mistake. Interestingly and significantly, many admit that the just-concluded election has shown that Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, has no national stature. The fact that he has been able to galvanise the Gujaratis in Gujarat and outside does not mean that he will be able to galvanise the rest of India. They feel that one of the biggest problems of the BJP is that it has not been able to produce a leader of national stature after Atal Behari Vajpayee, the former Prime Minister. It has produced a number of good regional leaders, but they are not in a position to expand their appeal beyond their region and beyond their respective communities.

6. I am reproducing below some examples of the kind of comments I picked up from my browsing:"I think BJP should dismantle, and regroup under a new name, new leadership, with a bit more conviction (I mean the mental kind, not legal) and spine. Bottom line: The BJP does not impress Hindus any more, and it manages to frighten non-Hindus. Not a combination to win India."

" How do old people like Advani answer to the aspirations of the youth and also how can they 'connect' to a grandfatherly figure when a much older figure like me sees him as an anachronism. Are you going to inspire the youth so that they will vote for Advani in 2014? I see it in simple terms: Manmohan Singh kept Advani engaged while the Congress youth brigade engaged the voters. This is a classic military tactic though I don't believe the Congress worked it out as a strategy. But that was the effect and people should learn from it and plan for the future. What worked in the 80s will not work with the voters today many of whom were not born then or were small children. The electorate is not static. As you going to take them back to the 80s? Also, the BJP is being ill-served by some of its 'intellectuals', who talk smoothly on TV and score debating points, but have no clue about the electorate. This
is soothsaying, not problem solving. A defeat of this magnitude is due to a fundamental shift, not minor issues like whether Modi or Vajpayee would have made a better speaker. I already see futile talk that BJP made a tactical error by bringing in Narendra Modi as speaker and so forth. This is like a drowning man clutching at straws. This shows that the BJP doesn't know what hit them-- the youth brigade.
Where is a BJP youth brigade that can engage Rahul, Sachin Pilot, Jyotirmayi Scindia and so forth? Why did the BJP fail to cultivate them even with its vast cadre? It has five years to focus on this issue.

Bringing up a cadre of young leaders should be the first priority of BJP-RSS. It should allow them some freedom and not put them in an ideological straitjacket. That will nip talent in the bud. My concern is more for future generations than the fortunes of any political party. Where are the future leaders? I hope people are listening. I will bring this up with some people I know and also mention it in a couple of presentations."

" The BJP has to be a party for all communities if it has to be a truly national party. A party that has India's interests as its priority and delivers on development will have no problems getting the support of a large section of Christians and Muslims. All that the BJP has to do is remove the institutional bias against Hindus that exists in govt circles. That's all Hindus ask of them."

"I am not a Hindu though I have Hindu heritage. I was looking forward to INC's defeat mostly because I vehemently am opposed to the idea of dynasty. India is a republic not a monarchy. I am seriously disappointed by the disastrous performace of BJP.

You are in the trenches against an enemy more powerful and more organized moving against you and as you are running low on ammunition, you don't want traitors in your rank. You also don't want ultra patriots among you who might do serious damage to your battle plan. It is almost like giving the enemy your ammo stock even while you are running low yourself. Varun Gandhi played that spoiler. He may have made a tactical error in judgement but the moment the national and international media
caught of that it brought about strategic implication. Sadly, the BJP's reaction was hew and haw without clear and concise action/reaction.

Remember how GWB disowned Trent Lott? That is what leadership is. Does not matter how charismatic a person is and how popular he/she might be but the moment he/she steps out of line.....he/she however capable must be gone. In 1991 the Deputy Commander of all US forces arrayed against Iraq made a statement to the press about how the war would be waged. Norman Swarzkoff fired him even though he was said to be a brilliant war planner because he went to the press without approval. Despite being friendly with the Bush family he was fired nevertheless. BJP officials did not show leadership when it was needed.

India has the world's largest twenty something population. Many of these are urbanized or dream of being urbanized. Many move to urban areas in search for that extra rupee. Many of these even in the country are fascinated by Bollywood and its regional cousins. Admit it. Materialism, westernization and its associated fashionals/influence is ever expanding. In light of these developments, it would have been prudent for BJP to endear itself among this demographic. Beating up couples on their Valentine dates or trashing pubs/nightclubs will alienate these
folks. The Hindu forces should be geared to fight Talibanization and not become like the Taliban. Believe it or not, of all the good things you do one small infraction is all that is needed for the media to show you like a demon. The zealots played into the hands of the media like fools.

For a youngster in Madras who has heard of BJP and other Hindu right movements, he would know little of what great work these movements are doing in Gujarat or Haryana. But he would hear from the media when a couple on a Valentine date get beaten up. That would be his impression of the HIndutva movement. Like the the old saying....a drop of ink is enough to spoil a bucket of milk. Also, in light of this twenty something demographics, where are the young blood faces in the BJP? This is the largest twentysomething population in the world and largest voting block in the country. Eighty-something year old Mr. Advani, no disrespect to him and his huge contribution to the country, but there is a disconnect and I don't think he instils much confidence among the young crowd.

All these time Rahul Gandhi and his sister went around charming whoever that could be charmed. Lets admit it. We humans are visual animals. It is nature and no matter how indoctrinated we are otherwise this will forever be dominant. In 2009, the India voter wants to see someone like him/her. Regardless of MMS, Rahul was the featured face of the INC in this election. Then the allienation and division among Hindus. Given that Hindus are intrinsically secular, stealth must have been the operative word. You cannot charge around like a bull.

People however worried about their Hindu religion will be seriously repulsed. You should win the heart and mind of people via stealth instead of repulsing them. Does the BJP stand for all Hindus or some Hindus only? If a man does not do his husbandly duties, his wife will not sit and wait around. She is bound to seek the arms of another willing man. And there are no shortage of men who will not think twice of doing the deed when a vulnerable or willing housewife arrives on the scene. This is the same with the controversy surrounding conversion.

Why do people convert to another religion? Can we all agree that the reason they convert is because the new religion offered them hope and other related benefits that the original religion did not offer? You can cry till your lungs burst about the activities of the evangelists but as long as you have a vulnerable population that you hardly care except that they convert to another religion....the ants will keep moving to where the sugar is. Its the law of nature that you cannot change. Until HIndus themselves take the initiative to empower and help the downtrodden and vulnerable among them....these same vulnerable and downtrodden will be played for their votebanks by the cunning foxes.For a party that desires to change the nation, the party must first instil change in the party. Does not matter how INC does business or XYZ party does business....its about time the BJP does business differently and stand out as a force of positivity. Have a national referendum to select a party candidate just like the US primary. This will galvanize the rank and file and allow everyone a chance to vote their leader and give every party member a voice. Be the agent of change instead of giving lip service to it.On the whole all these news about goondas beating up people, color tv or sack of rice or money in exchange for vote stinks bigtime. What happened to the spiritual Indian? Does this prove that Hindu influence is depleting? No wonder HIndutva lost its appeal?Lastly, you cannot fight corruption by being less corrupt. You are either incorruptible or corruptible. BJP needs to stand as an incorruptible
party that is for good governance."

A caveat: Not all these people who post in these web sites are necessarily Hindutva cadres or sympathisers. There are some who feel more comfortable with the strategic thinking of the BJP on national issues than with that of the Congress I(I), but they cannot be characterised as pro-Hindutva.(The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt.of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai)

LTTE Chief Prabhakaran shot dead

2009-05-19T03:21:00.001-07:00

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran was on Monday shot dead by Sri Lankan special forces as he tried to stage a dramatic breakout from the army encirclement, a military spokesman said.

"They (LTTE leaders) were all killed by the army during combat. They did not commit suicide. We are now in full control of the country," military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.Army chief Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, who is considered to be the strategist who plotted the current military campaign against the LTTE, said, "Our armed forces have militarily defeated the LTTE and freed the nation from three decades of terror".

His spokesman Nanayakkara said, "We believe Prabhakaran was amongst those 250 LTTE cadres who were killed. No DNA tests are to be carried out. We are identifying the bodies based on the intelligence information we have".

The Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, General Sarath Fonseka, has confirmed that LTTE chief Prabhakaran’s body has been found on Tuesday morning by the Lankan troops. The terror chief’s body was found by the 53 Division troops led by Major General Kamal Goonarathne, Sri Lankan military sources said. A Lankan military spokesman also said that Prabhakaran was in uniform and there were bullet wounds on his head.

Latest report emerging from the war zone reveals that Prabhakaran’s body has been recovered and it has been flown to an Army camp in Colombo for DNA testing and to confirm it medically.At the time of filing this report it is learnt that Sri Lankan Army has so far recovered more than 35 dead bodies of the Tigers and they continue to collect more bodies.

It is learnt that except for Dwaraka, the only daughter of Prabhakaran who is away somewhere in Dublin for her higher studies, said to be holding a Swedish Nationality Passport, all the other members of the family - Prabhakaran (father), Charles Anthony (son), Balachandran (son) and Mathivathani(wife) have deceased according to an unconfirmed report emerging from an army source, who wanted to remain anonymous.

In the meantime, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa who arrived early this morning and received a heroic welcome at the international airport at Katunayake, will not be delivering an address to the nation as earlier planned. According to a source in the Presidential Secretariat, it is now learnt that he will be filing a report in the Sri Lanka Parliament on Tuesday 19 May, regarding victory over the Tamil Tigers and the end of the three decade old scourge of terrorism in the country.

Supreme Court awards techie Rs 1cr damages for medical negligence

2009-05-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

In the first judgment of its kind, the Supreme Court on Thursday awarded Rs1 crore to a software engineer who became a paraplegic because of medical negligence.A bench of justice BN Agrawal, justice HS Bedi, and justice GS Singhvi ordered the Hyderabad-based Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) to pay the money to Infosys engineer Prashant Dhanaka, who was paralysed waist downwards while undergoing treatment at the institute.

Justifying the payment of compensation, the court said the sum was justified "keeping in mind that a brilliant career had been cut short and there is, as of now, no possibility of improvement of his physical condition". Reacting to the verdict, Dhanaka said, "I am happy justice has been done." But he said he was examining the possibility of filing a review petition for greater compensation.
"This is not for my family, which is there to offer me love and affection; it is to support the costs being incurred from the time I get up till late night when I have to wake up every three hours to prevent bed sores from worsening," he said. "I need two attendants and a driver. There are also the daily costs on physiotherapy and occupational therapy." Dhanaka's parents said they were "unhappy and shocked" over the "inadequate" compensation.
"We had claimed Rs7.5 crore after carefully calculating the expenses we had incurred over 18 years. But I am shocked as we never expected the court's verdict to direct just an amount of Rs1 crore as compensation. We have already spent more than that," said his mother Indira Seshadri. Dhanaka was a 20-year-old student in 1990 when he was admitted to the NIMS, a government-aided hospital, for treatment of a tumour in the chest cavity. He left the hospital seven months later in a wheelchair, permanently disabled.
In 1993, he moved the National Consumer Redressal Commission seeking compensation of Rs4.56 crore. The commission held the institute, its director, as well as the professors of cardio-thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, and general medicine guilty on various counts. The commission held that though it was not an emergency, the doctors failed to conduct the necessary pre-operative tests that would have indicated the need to involve a neurosurgeon.

While removing the tumour the surgeon noticed erosion of the vertebrae and called in a neurosurgeon. By then the spinal cord had been damaged, resulting in paraplegia. Further negligence resulted in the patient developing a urinary tract infection, septicaemia, pulmonary infection, and bed sores, necessitating a seven-month hospital stay. The commission awarded him compensation of Rs15.5 lakh, to be paid by the institute. Dhanaka then moved the apex court seeking Rs7.57 crore from the NIMS.
The Supreme Court bench recorded its "deep appreciation" of Dhanaka for arguing his own case. "He remained unruffled and behaved with dignity and equanimity and pleaded his case bereft of any rancour or invective against those who, in his perception, harmed him," the justices observed.

CRPF recruitment scam and Naxal violence

2009-05-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

By-Dr Nutan thakur

With the arrest of the IG of CRPF Pushkar Singh along with the Commandant Yajbinder Singh we come across another recruitment scam in our country. A constable Mukesh Kumar has also been arrested along with these senior officers of the force, considered as among one of the Elite forces in India. Mukesh Kumar's wife Swati has also been arrested, from whose custody a huge amount of cash (nearly 70 lakh rupees), which is certainly much more than can be expected from a Constable having a salary, including all kinds of perks, of not more than twenty to twenty five thousand rupees per month. As per the information received so far, this amount had been taken in lieu of recruitment of Constables for the Anti-Naxal Force in Korba, Madhya Pradesh. A cash of Rs. 23 lakh were recovered from the IG Pushkar Singh's house. This is apart from the various other documents and assets recovered from his different households.
Interestingly it is not the IG and the Commandant but the Constable Mukesh Singh who is being considered as the kingpin of the entire scam. Does it not tell the shameful state of affairs of these so-called elite forces where their IGs are being led and fed by the Constables to do all such dirty tricks of making money by recruiting sub-standard persons after taking money from them. The result of such recruitment is bound to be disastrous. Considering the fact that these Constables were being inducted for the Anti-Naxal forces, one can very well understand why our Para-military forces are proving to be so ineffective not only in curbing the menace of Naxal violence but also in saving their own skins in all the Naxal onslaughts. Only yesterday 11 persons have been killed which includes two CRPF personnel in a landmine blast by Naxals in the Dantewada district in Chattisgarh. We have the greatest sympathy for the poor CRPF personnel, the other policemen as also the innocent citizen who get killed in these different Naxal attacks but have the least regard for the senior police officers who go on to recruit substandard police personnel to earn some extra money, never for once thinking about the security of the country, the effectiveness of these people and the adverse impact such inductions are going to make in the police force ion the days to come.
Even more shameful is the conduct of S S Gill, the DGP of CRPF who till now was apparently quite oblivious of these developments till the time, CBI, an outside agency came to know of these events and got these people arrested before the CRPF could even wink. Now that these officers have been arrested Gill comes up with the classic statement of goofiness when he says that the matter is being looked into and attempts are being made to bring about the required amendments in the recruitment process to check such repetitions in the future.

CBI-Closed Bureau of Investigation

2009-05-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

BY-Dr NUTAN THAKUR

Two of the recent actions of the CBI have helped it reach the lowest level of its credibility. The first of these is the Sikh rioting case of 1984 and the second the most recent one is the equally infamous Bofors. So much so that they have added much credence to the words of voluble Amar Singh when he calls the CBI as the Congress Bureau of Investigation. Thankfully, even the Congress Party does not do much to dispel this notion when one of its senior leaders, Digvijay Singh, who has remained the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for two consecutive terms comes out in open to threaten another Chief Minister by showing the deadly fangs of this Institution, in almost the same tone and tenor that Shashi Kapoor's words had when he had delivered those famous lines in Deewar- "Mere paas Maa hai" (I have mother with me). Thus while the police inspector in that film had his mother to shield him, the Congress (or for that matter any ruling establishment) seems to have the CBI as their last refuse.
Let us first look at what the CBI did in the 1984 rioting case.

Everyone knows that Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler along with the now deceased H K L Bhagat went openly out not only to assist the rioters, but to initiate and propagate the entire event, which was no less a state-orchestrated pogrom than the Gujarat riots. The purpose of these people were two-fold. The first was to use the situation to produce a Hindu-Sikh divide and to use this voter's polarization to their advantage in the coming Lok sabha elections. successfully. But more important was to gain some brownie points in the eyes of Rajiv Gandhi whose infamous statement about the little tremors as a result of a falling Banyan tree had already made his preference clear. This triumvirate, along with several other lesser minions played havoc for days in the most dirty and dastardly fashion. Yet, it takes the CBI more than 25 years to come to any conclusion. And what results do they arrive at- that there is not enough evidence again Kumar and Tytler. This too again at a time when the General elections are in process and the Government is not sure of its retuning back. Could there be a more blatant example of the clear-cut misuse of the powers of the CBI? This entire act was managed so secretly that it could have simply passed unnoticed. It took a shoe to be thrown at the Home Minister for the Nation to know of this chicanery. The CBI is still speaking in double tones as regards the case, to much so that no one knows where exactly it stands on this issue. If this is what the CBI has brought its stature and reputation to, it has no one except itself to blame.

The second case is no less more glaring. Bofors is a chapter that the Gandhi-Nehru family would never like to remember. Yet, this weapon has the inbuilt capability of bouncing back. The latest in this series of headlines in the long list of deliberate mishandling is the act of the CBI of asking the Interpol to drop the name of Ottavio Quatroccchi from the list of the most wanted persons. How could the CBI do this to our Nation? in a case that has become the byword for corruption at the highest level, in which even the then Prime Minister himself was accused and even implicated in the earlier stage of investigation, and where it is common knowledge that Quatrocchi played the chief facilitator of this sleaze, does it suit the CBI to act as a benefactor to the same person who owes so much explanation to us? Again, here, as in many other cases in which CBI plays the hide and seek game in its two-forked manner, while clearing the name from Interpol list, the CBI goes to the Court and asks for two months time to decide on the further course of action. What is this? What right do the officers of this investigative agency have to reduce it to a farce?
The CBI's performance in all the cases of political nature has been very poor, at least in the last few years. Whether it is the Mulayam Singh Yadav disproportionate assets case or Mayawati's Taj corridor and DA case, the CBI has been seen to be shifting its stand as per the political weather. When the person is out of favour with the Central government, the agency suddenly acquires wings and starts playing the prosecutor with the highest sense of urgency and alacrity. But the moment the same person becomes inevitable for the government, with the power of influencing its policy decisions, the CBI starts playing a radically different tune. Is this what is expected from a body like the CBI? Is this anything less than being shameful?

These are the questions the CBI will have to think over and will have to answer, not only to itself but to the entire country. And it shall never expect the Government of the day to come to its assistance in this regards. this is because every government would always love to use the CBI to achieve its political goals and would never hesitate to dictate it as long the organization is willing to oblige. But had the CBI officers joined this premier organization to enjoy its privileges, perks and prestige only to pawn their conscience before these hankering and hovering politicians? (mediavigil)

IIT Kanpur receives mysterious mails

2009-05-05T06:04:00.000-07:00

Faculties and students of IIT-Kanpur have received mysterious mails alleging corruption by its director, prompting the institute to set up an inquiry. The mail, raising questions on the character of IIT-Kanpur's director Sanjay Govind Dhande, has details about his alleged properties abroad. It was sent on Monday from the email-ID of a student who is currently on leave."The mails have been sent by hacking the the e-mail ID of Jyoti Sharan, a first-year student of IIT-Rajasthan which runs from the same campus," Dhande said on Tuesday. Jyoti is currently on leave and has gone to his home in Chennai, he said. The sender, who identified himself as Manish, has given details of alleged corruption by the director and has also targeted his family in these mails.
The institute has set-up a team of cyber experts to check the mail and ascertain the identity of the sender, Dande said adding, police is also investigating the case. He also said the team suspects that some insider may be involved in the incident. Meanwhile, he denied all the charges leveled against him in the mail, saying it is an attempt to assassinate his character and malign the image of the IIT. (pti)

Secret Bank Accounts

2009-05-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

In most recent times I first heard Joseph Stiglitz, currently Chairman, UN Task Force on Global Financial Crisis (set up in November 2008 by President, UN General Assembly) raise the issue of secret back accounts in the presence of Somnath Chatterjee, Speaker, Lok Sabha at Mavlankar Hall, New Delhi while delivering Tenth D T Lakdawala Memorial Lecture titled "Crises Today and the Future of Capitalism" and free market fundamentalism on December 20, 2008. Stiglitz said: “Self-regulation is an oxymoron. Banks said they knew how to manage risk and needed no regulation. What they knew was how to create risk. There is so much of blame to go around that they can all lay claim to it.”

What was stated by Stiglitz was articulated in the backdrop of the the global financial crisis and certain European actions. In March, 2008, the 27 Finance Ministers of the European Union (EU) displayed renewed determination to crack down on tax havens that trade in secrecy and facilitate tax dodging at the expense of honest taxpayers around the world. The Ministers discussed measures to strengthen information exchange, limit secrecy, and increase pressure on countries like Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Singapore that too often help tax dodgers avoid paying their fair share.

Compelling members of US Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to say, "We applaud the EU's leadership, and call on the United States to strongly support the EU tax haven effort, and begin work with other international groups like the G-8 to combat offshore tax abuses. The U.S. Congress should also advance the worldwide clampdown on tax havens by enacting the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act. "Each year, in the United States alone, offshore tax evasion produces an estimated $100 billion in unpaid taxes that could help pay for health care, education, and more. It's time to put an end to offshore tax dodging that robs the U.S. Treasury of needed funds. "

Earlier, Stiglitz had called for an end to bank secrecy in November, 2006, at Columbia University, New York.

Stiglitz connected the issue to concerns about globalization he has addressed in several books. He said, “We are now facing in globalization a really interomesting challenge that we have global companies who are trying to shape legal structures that allow them safe havens in one way or another so that they can get the protections they want when they are operating in Ecuador and every other country but that they can when they misbehave retreat to the Caymans Islands, to other places and be relatively immune from prosecution.”

Elsewhere he has said, “It was so clear that the reason $500 billion is in the Cayman Islands is not because the Cayman Islands provides a better climate for banking than New York City. You might be able to grow better sugar cane in the Cayman Islands, but not -- why is it better for banks? There’s clearly only one reason why banking goes on in the Cayman Islands. It is because it is a place where people can avoid taxes, regulations of all kinds. The question is, ‘Why is it that we pass regulations to stop certain behavior but we clearly condone, allow for these tax havens to continue?’ When I say ‘allow it,’ it really is an active position.”

Caymans, 45,000 people, 600 banks, World’s fifth largest financial center

Now while the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has released an interim report outlining action to bring back Indian wealth hoarded in secret Swiss bank accounts and other tax havens if BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) forms the government after the elections, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)[CPI(M)] says, "The BJP led Government did nothing to review the tax avoidance treaty (Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement) with Mauritius during its tenure despite repeated demands by the CPI (M)." The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) has issued a statement BJP’s Swiss Accounts Task Force Report: A Self Goal

Even prior to the release of the Swiss Accounts Task Force Report, Sucheta Dalal, a senior business journalist wrote on April 7, 2009 "it is a fact that Indian money in Swiss banks is staggeringly high and could range from $500 billion to $1,400 billion (Rs70,00,000 crore)." She added, Ever since the Reserve Bank of India allowed Indians to invest $200,000 abroad, these bankers could solicit business openly. Contrary to what has been said, people and politicians do not have to make a detour to Switzerland to open, withdraw or transfer money from their accounts.

A study by Washington based Global Financial Integrity: “The GFI study shows that during the period from 2002 to 2006, annually $27.3 billions were stashed away from India”. If this is true, then nearly $55 billion worth of illicit transfers occurred in the two year period, 2002 to 2004.(mediavigil)

Software engineer held for rape

2009-05-02T04:59:00.000-07:00

A 26-year-old IT professional has been arrested here for allegedly raping and filming a 23-year-old law graduate, the police said Thursday adding that they are probing his involvement in three similar cases.

Dushyant Verma, who stays with his parents in Maharani Bagh, was arrested April 20 for raping the woman at his house April 18.
The victim told the police that she had met Verma, a software engineer with EDAG - a German automobile design company in Gurgaon - over a social networking site in April and became friends.
Following this, they planned to meet up at some restaurant. However, at the last minute, Verma insisted that she should come over to his Maharani Bagh residence, saying that he had already ordered food.
Dushyant sent his servant out on the pretext of getting some food and raped her. He also filmed the whole sequence to blackmail her into maintaining silence over the incident, she said in her complaint.
“He threatened to put the clipping on the internet,” she said.
The victim told about the incident to her sister, who then took her to an NGO. A case was registered April 20 at the New Friends Colony police station and the accused was arrested.
The police said they have recovered at least three clippings of the accused having sex with different women from his laptop, but none featuring the victim.
“We have also recovered a CD in which the accused had merged the three clippings of his own with other pornographic clips. We are trying to identify the women in the videos and whether they would be willing to file complaints against the accused,” said a policeman investigating the case. (IANS)

'Punishment by Trial' Threatens Democracy

2009-04-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

The text of a letter written by the venerable Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, former Supreme Court Judge, to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, dated April 17, 2009:(The Case of Dr. Binayak Sen: Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer)

I would like to bring to your attention a case of grave injustice which is a cause of much shame to Indian democracy: that of Dr. Binayak Sen, the well known paediatrician and defender of human rights.

This good doctor has been incarcerated in a Raipur jail for nearly two years now under the Chhattisgarh State Public Security Act, 2005. Among the charges against Dr. Sen, who is renowned worldwide for his public health work among the rural poor, are "treason and waging war against the state."

Chhattisgarh State prosecutors claim that Binayak, as part of an unproven conspiracy, passed on a set of letters from Narayan Sanyal, a senior Maoist leader who is in the Raipur jail, to Piyush Guha, a local businessman with allegedly close links to the left-wing extremists. He was supposed to have done this while visiting Sanyal in prison both in his capacity as a human rights activist and as a doctor treating him for various medical ailments.

The trial of Dr. Sen, which began in a Raipur Sessions Court late April 2008, has, however, not thrown up even a shred of evidence to justify any of these charges against him. By March 2009, of the 83 witnesses listed for deposition by the prosecution as part of the original charge-sheet, 16 were dropped by the prosecutors themselves and six declared 'hostile', while 61 others have deposed without corroborating any of the accusations against Dr.Sen. Irrespective of the merits of the case against Dr. Sen, there are very disturbing aspects to the way the trial process has been carried out so far.

As if all this were not enough, Dr. Sen has also been repeatedly denied bail by the Bilaspur High Court (in September 2007 and December 2008). And the Supreme Court of India rejected his special leave petition to have the bail application heard before it (in December 2007).

Given the paucity of evidence in the trial of Dr. Sen so far, in all fairness the Raipur court should have dismissed the case against him altogether by now. Certainly the weakness of the prosecution's position should entitle him to at least grant of bail. Dr. Sen is a person of international standing and reputation, with a record of impeccable behaviour throughout his distinguished career. In May 2008, in an unprecedented move 22 Nobel Prize winners even signed a public statement calling him a 'professional colleague' and asking for his release.

Normally bail is refused only in cases where courts believe an accused can tamper with evidence, prejudice witnesses or run away. In Dr. Sen's case none of these apply, as shown by the simple fact that at the time of his arrest he chose to come to the Chhattisgarh police voluntarily and made no attempt to abscond despite knowing about his possible detention.

Today Dr. Sen, a diabetic who is also hypertensive, is himself in urgent need of medical treatment for his deteriorating heart condition. In recent weeks his health has worsened and a doctor appointed by the court to examine him recommended that he be transferred to Vellore for an angiography and perhaps, if needed, an angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft without further delay.

Instead of recognising their social contributions, the Indian state, by wrongly branding Dr. Sen and many other human rights defenders like him as 'terrorists', is making a complete mockery of not just democratic norms and fair governance but its entire anti-terrorist strategy and operations.

The repeated denial of bail which results in 'punishment by trial' constitutes an even graver threat to Indian society. The sheer injustice involved will only breed cynicism among ordinary citizens about the credibility and efficacy of Indian democracy itself.[mediavigil]

IPS SAJI MOHAN : NOW AND THEN‏

2009-01-30T05:20:00.000-08:00

Saji Mohan, the 1995 batch IPS officer from Jammu and Kashmir cadre who recently had been the deputy director in Enforcement Directorate's Kochi unit and who had served as NCB's zonal director in Chandigarh for two years (2007-08) and under whom several seizures of heroin were made in the region has been recently arrested by the Mumbai ATS. This has been the first instance of a senior IPS officer being arrested in a crime of the magnitude of drug trafficking. The investigation is under progress and newer facts might emerge. A question that might be of interest is how Saji has so far been presented in the media before and after this incidence.Here I present a few references concerning Saji as found in the media after and before his arrest.

By-AMITABH THAKUR*

NOW-SAJI MOHAN

"Saji Mohan, the senior IPS officer who was arrested in Mumbai on the charge of selling heroin, had ironically carved for himself an image of a anti-narcotics crusader who had exposed alleged police-drug mafia nexus in Chandigarh."
"In July last, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal office headed by him had come out with discloures about several Chandigarh police personnel being allegedly involved in drug peddling. The NCB had said many policemen had deep links with the drug cartel and that illegal drug trade was being carried out in connivance with the police in the region. Subsequently, Chandigarh police had suspended five of its personnel suspected to be involved in a drug racket. The action was taken on the basis of a report submitted by the NCB of which Mohan was then the Zonal Director. "
"Asked if police will have a relook at the cases of the suspended policemen, Chandigarh's Inspector General of Police S K Jain said, "We will take the new development (Mohan's arrest) into account".
"During his stint in Chandigarh, Mohan had initiated a number of de-addiction campaigns in the tricity (Chandigarh and its satellite towns of Panchkula and Mohali) in which he involved the area police and many educational institutes."
"Cracking down on the drug problem in the tricity, the IPS officer had spearheaded many operations by raiding medical shops that led to the seizure of banned injections and drugs."
"Sources in Mohali police said there was a lack of coordination between the force and bureau during Saji Mohan's stay." "Mohali SSP Jatinder Singh Aulakh claimed all operations were carried on without any assistance from the bureau. Sources said following the IPS officer's arrest, Mohali police is thinking of reinvestigating the
cop-smuggler nexus."
"IG (Zonal) CSR Reddy said they could study the case again with a different perspective. ``But first, we will wait for the ATS reports on Saji Mohan.'' "Not wishing to be named, a senior police official said they were not offered any assistance by NCB during drug recovery on four different occasions. Police officials said though the NCB headquarter was only a few miles from the district, both hardly ever worked in tandem. "

Previous Posts:

"4 kg heroin seized in Chandigarh (July 24th, 2008)
Sleuths of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Thursday arrested a man and recovered from him four kg of heroin, worth Rs.40 million in the international market.
"A close-knit network of heroin traffickers is run by a group based in Pakistan and their kingpin is a Pakistani national who is at present lodged in a Punjab jail," NCB zonal director Saji Mohan told mediapersons. "They bring this heroin via Amritsar. Some Nigerians are the main buyers who further take it to European markets," he said. "We are keeping a close watch on the activities of that Pakistan
national and of the Nigerian who was expected to come to receive this
consignment," Mohan said."

"Heroin haven" (Ramesh Vinayak June 13, 2008)
Law enforcement agencies in Punjab, Jammu and Rajasthan have intercepted about 465 kg of heroin in the first-half of 2008, which is roughly a fivefold increase over the corresponding period of 2007.
"Seizures have increased because there is more stuff flowing from Pakistan," says Saji Mohan, zonal director, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Chandigarh. Enforcement agencies find it hard to net the "big fish" running the cross-border narcotic syndicates. "Mostly smalltime carriers and peddlers are arrested," adds Saji. "

"NCB seizes cocaine, charas worth Rs 1.5 cr ( 15 August 2008)
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Chandigarh Zonal Unit today seized 110 grams of Cocaine and 5 Kg of Charas, worth about Rs 1.5 crores in the international market, from two persons at the roundabout of Sector 39 here today, while they were traveling in a black Scorpio. Dr. Saji Mohan, Zonal Director, NCB, said that on interrogation, Suresh revealed that he was a drug peddler since last eight years, and
have been selling Cocaine and Charas to addicts and club-goers in the party circuit, majority of them hailing from affluent families."(mediavigil)

*SP(Intll),Faizabad

BSP MLA Shekhar Tiwari held for Murder of PWD Engineer

2008-12-25T06:42:00.000-08:00

PWD engineer Manoj Gupta was beaten to death allegedly by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Shekhar Tiwari's supporters in Uttar Pradesh.The incident occurred at engineer's house in Dibiyapur village of Auraiya district of the state over a PWD contract dispute.
Engineer's wife Sashi Gupta filed a report in local police station alleging some unidentified men barged into their house and beat up her husband.The men locked her in the bathroom and ruthlessly beat Gupta, the complaint said.The complaint further said BSP MLA Shekhar Tiwari came to the spot and later dropped severely injured Gupta to a nearby police station.From the police station, he was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead. Additional Superintendent of Police Sureshwar Mishra said MLA Tiwari who was absconding has been booked, along with two others. Reports said, Tiwari was trying to extort money from Gupta for birthday celebrations of UP Chief Minister Mayawati. Gupta had however refused to pay the amount.

Kasab to confess before magistrate

2008-12-24T05:00:00.001-08:00

The Centre has asked the Maharashtra Government to get an in-camera judicial confession of Ajmal Amir Qasab, the lone surviving terrorist in the Mumbai attacks, before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CRPC that can be legally valid for pursuing the case in courts.
Once his confession is recorded, the government will consider the demand of the foreign governments to allow their agencies to independently interrogate him, the sources said, referring to the demand made by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday to let his Scotland Yard sleuths talk to him.Sources said India is open to questioning of Qasab by foreign agencies like Scotland Yard and FBI, but not immediately as it may impinge upon the ongoing investigations by the Mumbai Police.
First his confession be recorded before a court and then the foreign agencies will be given an access to him as that will help further in nailing Pakistan's lies about those who carried out the carnage in Mumbai, sources said.They said the government already has an hour-long video-taped confession of Qasab, copies of which have been provided to the US and the UK and also presented before the United Nations Security Council to get its fiat issued to Pakistan.
The video tape, however, has no legal value and hence the need to record the confession before a magistrate, the sources said. Though the government has not provided this confessional evidence to Pakistan so far, sources said it must have, however, already reached Islamabad [Images] through the international interlocutors as also from its representative in the United Nations where the video tape is available. They said the government will be, however, forwarding the confession that Qasab makes before the court to Pakistan.
Sources said the External Affairs Ministry would forward a lengthy letter written by Qasab to the Pakistan High Commission and also urge upon it to take the custody of the bodies of the nine other terrorists lying in the JJ Hospital mortuary in Mumbai. All these terrorists were Pakistani national and hence it is imperative on the High Commission's part to take back their bodies to hand over them to their families in Pakistan for burial, sources added.

Kasab’s custody till jan 6
Ajmal Kasab - the lone terrorist captured alive after the 26/11 terror strike in Mumbai - has once again sought the help of the Pakistan High Commission for a lawyer, but Pakistan is still refusing to accept his nationality.On Wednesday, Kasab told the magistrate who was presiding over his custody hearing that he wanted to contact the Pakistan High Commission for his legal defence.
This is the second time that Kasab has asked Pakistan for legal aid - more than sufficient proof that he is a Pakistan national. The first time that he had done this was when he had written a letter to the Pakistan High Commission, a few days ago.Kasab has also been booked in the case of hijacking a Skoda car near Girgaum Chowpatti and fleeing in the same car along with another terrorist and remanded to police custody till January 6, 2009 by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate NN Shrimangle on Wednesday.In his letter he had claimed that he and the other terrorists who had been killed in the attacks were Pakistani and had sought a meeting with the Pakistan High Commission. However, Islamabad did not pay heed to his request, saying he was not a Pakistani.

UP engineer lynched by BSP MLA

2008-12-24T04:36:00.000-08:00

An executive engineer of the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department was beaten to death allegedly by a BSP MLA and his supporters after he is believed to have refused to pay them a huge sum for birthday celebrations of Chief Minister Mayawati next month.
BSP MLA Shekhar Tiwari and his two associates - Manoj Tyagi and another surnamed Bhatia - forcibly entered the house of engineer MK Gupta at Gail Vihar Colony in Diviapur police circle here last night and started beating him up severely, according to a report lodged with the police by his wife Shashi Gupta.
It said they locked Shashi in a bathroom and continued beating her husband and later left the seriously injured engineer at Diviapur police station in the district, about 100 kms from Kanpur. Gupta was declared dead after being taken to a hospital."An FIR under various sections of the IPC, including 302 (murder), has been lodged against the MLA and his two associates at Diviapur police station," Station House Officer Hoshiyar Singh told us. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Brijlal said in Lucknow that the MLA called up the police station at around 3 am saying a man was indulging in "hooliganism" and that action should be taken against him."The MLA later left the seriously injured engineer at the police station at around 3.30 am and went away.
An FIR is being registered against the MLA and others and the guilty will not be spared," he told reporters."We are looking for Tiwari, who is absconding," he said. Though police refused to comment on the motive of the murder saying that investigation was on in the case, family members of Gupta alleged that Rs 50 lakh was demanded from him by the MLA as donation for celebrations of party chief Mayawati's birthday falling on January 15.Senior police officials, including the Inspector General and the DIG of Kanpur Zone, have reached the spot to probe the incident.Police sources said that the issue of how the police personnel dealt with the situation would also be looked into.
Protesting against the incident, PWD engineers across the state have decided to go on a strike, UP Engineers Association General Secretary SS Niranjan said.The engineers have demanded that a compensation of Rs 25 lakh be paid to the family of the deceased and his wife be given pension equivalent to the last salary drawn by him, he said. The engineers have also sought an assurance from the government that adequate security would be provided in future to the field staff.
Demanding the immediate arrest of Tiwari, Samajwadi Party state president Shivpal Singh Yadav alleged that a target of collecting Rs 1000 crore was set by the Chief Minister for party MPs, MLAs and ministers.Terming Auraiya incident as a result of "pressure" on BSP leaders to collect money to meet the target for Mayawati's birthday, Yadav claimed that even police officers were involved in "extorting" money for the event."The occurrence of Auraiya-like incidents will continue in the state if the Chief minister herself keeps setting targets for collecting money for her," he said.(pti)

Arbitrary and illegal arrest of Lenin Roy

2008-12-15T07:19:00.000-08:00

-Dr Nutan Thakur

Lenin Kumar Roy, the editor of Nishan, a Left oriented quarterly magazine published from Bhuvaneshwar (Orissa) was arrested on 07-12-2008 around 1-1.30 P.m and sent to jail on charges of writing provocative literature which as per the police version and the official report would disturb communal peace and harmony. The police did not stop here. It also arrested two employees of Sovan Press, Bhubaneswar, after conducting a raid on it for printing the book `Dharma naanre Kandhamalre Raktara Nadi' published by Lenin Kumar. This was done at the Sahid Nagar Police Station. When the activists came to know of this from Mrs Rumita Kundu, Lenin's wife, they contacted the officer in-charge of police station in the night who told them that he had been picked up for verification and he would be released within one hour or so.
In the meantime, the police was planning something nefarious. They were writing down documents preparing grounds for his so-called "Maoist links". The said book was alleged to be `Maoist literature'. Next day, he was produced in the court and the police alleged crime under Section 153-A and 295-A of IPC which relate to `publishing provocative literature which can disturb communal peace and harmony'. The police cited page 38 to 41 of the above book. And what do those pages have in them? They produce a letter allegedly written by the RSS to its members for anti dalit, anti minority activities and also have some of Lenin's comments on this.
So, in India (and particularly in Orissa) it is a crime to write anything against the RSS or to produce an RSS letter or to comment upon it- more so if the government is supported by the BJP!
But the actual reason goes even more deeper. In reality, Lenin had become a pain in the neck for the Navin Patnaik government which has completely failed in protecting the minority rights in the Kandhamal episode and has proved to be blatantly partisan and completely ineffective on law and order front. Unfortunately, he has been consistently raising voice of dissent for last one year or so in the pages of Nissan on all these related matters, a fact that was to great distaste of the establishment, be it the Chief Minister and his party or the supporting ally BJP. In August 2008, Nishan was labeled as a Maoist organ by SP Jagatsinghpur though the editor had protested this allegation.
This is not the lone instance of the Orissa government coming up heavily against the dissenting members of the intelligentsia and the media who are critical about the government's activities. A few months ago, Rabindra Prasad Panda, a prominent Oriya writer, was sent to jail by the Orissa government for writing a book, using
similar Sections of the IPC.
Thus as the NDTV has rightly said- "Orissa cops have taken the term gag order to a new level altogether." I am never able to understand what does the police force in this Nation want to prove by arresting people like Lenin Ray. Is it not completely shameful and highly deplorable and atrocious? What is Lenin's fault- that he writes Maoist literature, that he speaks the language of Marxism, Leninism and Communism? Is this a free country we are living in?
I don't think there can be anything more condemnable than this- to arrest a magazine's Editor just because he sympathizes for a cause which every right-minded must be and internally is. I have not seen any sensitive person in the world who is not sympathetic to the poor and the downtrodden, who does not want all these differences and economic disparities and exploitations to end, who wants every
person to be able to live a good life.
While the police force of this country is completely helpless before the terrorists and the extremists who kill them whenever they feel like, they never leave a chance to arrest such law-abiding and righteous persons who have a definite purpose in their life and are sacrificing it for the common man.
I don't know what will happen to our country where such local dictators who only want bards and sycophants around them. While it can be the case with the political persons, how can this be true also with the intellectuals and the Media? Is this the way our Constitution makers had envisaged our Chief Ministers and governments to behave? The Media is known as the fourth estate and the watchdog of a democratic society. But can any society function properly if its chosen representatives are so intolerant, biased, personally stymied and spiteful as to pursue matters on a personal level and stop any person from expressing his/her views.
Lenin's arrest is a blot on our society and must be resisted by each one of us as an example of complete dictatorship. Is this a free Nation?

CRIME AGAINST WOMEN

2008-12-13T06:17:00.000-08:00

INCIDENCE RATE

2006 : 1,64,765 2006 : 14.7

2007 : 1,85,312 2007 : 16.3

• Andhra Pradesh reported 13.3% of total such cases in the country (24,738 out of 1,85,312). Tripura reported the highest crime rate (30.7) closely followed by Andhra Pradesh (30.3) as compared to the National average rate of 16.3.

• The proportion of IPC crimes committed against women towards total IPC crimes has increased during last 5 years from 7.6% in 2003 to 8.8% during 2007.

• Madhya Pradesh has reported the highest number of Rape cases (3,010) accounting for 14.5% of total such cases reported in the country.

• Andhra Pradesh has reported 30.3% (3,316) of Sexual Harassment cases followed by Uttar Pradesh 26.3% (2,882).

• Only Bihar (56) and West Bengal (5) have reported cases of Importation of Girls.

• Tamil Nadu reported 33.6% of cases under Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (1,199 out of 3,568).

• Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act cases decreased by 23.2% (from 1,562 in 2006 to 1,200 in 2007).

• Andhra Pradesh with 1,005 cases has accounted for 83.8% of cases under Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act at the National level.

• No case under Sati Prevention Act was reported across the country during the year 2007.

• Incest Rape cases decreased by 6.0% in 2007 over 2006 (from 431 in 2006 to 405 in 2007).

• West Bengal reported 28.1% of total Incest Rape cases (114 out of 405).

• Offenders were known to the victims in 92.5% of Rape cases (19,188 out of 20,737).

• Among 35 mega cities, Delhi city reported 29.5% (524 out of 1,775) of total Rape cases, 31.8% cases (1,021 out of 3,207) of Kidnapping & Abduction of Women, 15.6% cases (111 out of 711) of Dowry Deaths, 14.2% cases (1,711 out of 12,031) of Cruelty by Husband and Relatives and 21.5% cases (744 out of 3,463) of Molestation.

• 49.9% conviction was reported in the country in Sexual Harassment cases (3,708 convictions out of 7,436 cases in which trial werecompleted).

List of Dead and wounded in Mumbai Terror attack

2008-11-29T08:15:00.000-08:00

most tragic incidents in India's history

2008-11-28T06:14:00.000-08:00

by-AMITABH THAKUR
Though this does not concern our group exactly, but as we are all aware, the incidents in Mumbai, which are still not completely over, in which ATS chief of Mumbai Police Hemant Karkare -- who was investigating the Malegaon blast case, Additional Commissioner Ashok Kamte, noted encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar, ATS sub-inspector Sudhir Dalvi and many other police officers were killed in different accidents during a series of encounters in Mumbai, must be among the most tragic and gruesome incidents in Independent India's history. This is more bizarre and unthinkable than I could even have dreamt.
54-year-old Mr. Karkare, who was the 1982 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, held a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Vishveshvarayya Regional Engineering in Nagpur. Before joining ATS, he was aslso with the RAW (the external intelligence wing of our country) for nine years . For a long time, he also served in the
Naxalite-infested Chandarpur area of the state. He had solved the serial bomb blasts in Thane, Vashi and Panvel. He was credited for the stunning revelations in the investigation of the September 29 blast in Malegaon goes to his credit. He was known for his discipline and fair investigation. During the Malegaon investigation, Karkare had told his officers not to create false evidence, said, "We have done our job and it is for the court to decide." During the Malegaon enquiry, he was subjected to a lot of criticism from many quarters. He even got a threat of his house getting blown up. His brave act of fighting the terrorists ended in tragedy Additional police commissioner Ashok Marutirao Kamte had served as Commissioner of Police for Solapur District earlier to his current posting. He was an IPS officer of 1989 batch. He also got killed in a shootout at the Metro Cinema in Mumbai long with Hemant Karkare and Vijay Salaskar. He was a Graduate from The Rajkumar College, Rajkot in 1977, was a body builder and power-lifter who had won six gold and silver medals in power-lifting and held three records for the sport. He was also DCP, Zone 1in Mumbai, and was known as a key officer in the state police, who had always been in the thick of the action.

Vijay Salaskar, who was reportedly sidelined for the last two years for unearthing the gutka-underworld nexus, was recently attached to the crime branch, where he currently headed the anti-extortion cell. An officer of the 1983 batch, Salaskar in his 24 years of service has eliminated many criminals. Amar Naik, Jaggu Shetty, Sadhu Shetty, Kundan Singh Rawat, Zahoor Makhanda are some of the gangsters who had fallen to Salaskar's bullets. He was also known to have acted in a real tough manner against Arun Gawli. He had killed his two trusted men, Sada Pawle and Vijay Tandel, in 1997 during an enclounter. Gawli remained rightly scared of Salaskar all through.
There can be no denial to the fact that this is not only a great moment of tragedy for India but is also one for the highest concern. We must pay our highest tributes to these slain police personnel who laid their lives for the sake of their nation-making the supreme sacrifice and must also pray for the peace of all the departed souls.

Terrorist attack in Mumbai

2008-11-27T06:47:00.000-08:00

THE sheer scale and audacity of the assault were staggering. Gangs of well-armed youths attacked two luxury hotels, a restaurant, a railway station and at least one hospital. Gunfire and explosions rang through Mumbai overnight on November 26th-27th and through the next morning. By Thursday November 27th more than 100 people were reported to have been killed, and the toll seemed likely to rise. Several foreigners, including some from America, Japan and Britain, were among the dead. So were over a dozen policemen, including Mumbai’s chief counter-terrorism officer. Up to 100 hostages, including selected American and British guests, were alleged to be held hostage inside a hotel.

Even in a city—and country—with a grim record of terrorist violence, these were extraordinary scenes. The attacks started at around 10.30pm on Wednesday, when gunmen started shooting and throwing grenades at Mumbai’s main Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station. Television footage showed two men shooting at random as they drove through nearby streets in a stolen police jeep.

Around the same time, a bomb was reported to have exploded in a taxi parked near the city’s main airport. More or less simultaneously, gunmen speaking Hindi and Urdu, the language of many north-Indian Muslims and of neighbouring Pakistan, stormed two hotels—the Taj Mahal and the Trident Oberoi—and Café Leopold, a restaurant popular with tourists. Police outside the Taj Mahal, India’s most famous hotel, lapped by the Arabian Sea, said gunmen arrived there by inflatable dinghy. In the early hours, a gunfight erupted on Marine Drive, the scenic coastal road seen in so many Bollywood films, in which another Mumbai police chief was killed.

As dawn broke, flames were rising from the domed roof of the Taj Mahal. Navy and army commandos, who had retaken the hotel’s lower floors and killed two terrorists, reported bodies in many rooms and perhaps half a dozen terrorists still living. A trickle of terrified employees and guests, some with gunshot wounds, continued to flee the building. One fugitive, Amit, a hotel-restaurant manager, said his chef had been hit by three bullets and many colleagues remained inside. A few badly-injured survivors were wheeled from the hotel on brass luggage-trolleys. By midday on Thursday most of the hostages were reported to have been released from the hotel, although there were reports of further shooting.
Meanwhile at the nearby Trident Oberoi, as many as 100 hostages were reported still to be held. Gunfire and explosions were reported from the upper storeys of the building.There seemed little doubt that the attackers were Muslim militants of some description, but their exact provenance was unclear. Responsibility was claimed by a previously little-known group called the Deccan Mujahideen. Speaking to Indian television by telephone, a gunman holding hostages in the Trident Oberoi demanded that Muslim prisoners, including those captured in Kashmir, should be released from Indian jails. “Release all the mujahideens, and Muslims living in India should not be troubled,” he said.
In the past five months India has suffered from a spate of Islamist militancy, with bomb-blasts in half a dozen cities, including Delhi, Bangalore and Jaipur. A home-grown Muslim terrorist group, the Indian Mujahideen, has been blamed for the spree, in which over 150 people were killed. In a chilling, 14-page admission of responsibility for the Delhi bombings in September, the Indian Mujahideen castigated the counter-terrorism efforts of Mumbai’s police, and promised Mumbaikars future “deadly attacks”.
As India’s first indigenous Muslim terrorist group—so they have often been described—the Indian Mujahideen are a worrying sign. They seem to have evolved from a decade-long campaign by Pakistan-based militants, including many fighting an insurgency in Kashmir, to incite India’s 140m Muslims to revolt. These groups have been held primarily responsible for half a dozen major terrorist attacks in Mumbai in recent years. In 1993 local Muslim gangsters backed by Pakistan-based militants set off 13 near-simultaneous bomb-blasts in the city, killing more than 250 people. In 2006 another co-ordinated bombing spree on Mumbai’s railway killed over 180 commuters. A Pakistan-based group, Lashkar-e-toiba, was blamed at the time.
This week’s attacks in Mumbai seemed different, however. Attacks by bands of gunmen on numerous targets, instead of the mere laying of bombs, and the seizure of so many hostages, led to speculation, unsupported by evidence, that local militants in India could not have mounted the attacks without considerable foreign help. And the targets chosen—world famous hotels and Western tourists—was a new phenomenon for India, despite being a pattern familiar from attacks directed or inspired by al-Qaeda elsewhere in the world.
Al-Qaeda has often threatened to launch strikes on India. In 2006 Arab terrorists belonging to the organisation were foiled in an attempt to set off bombs in Goa, India’s main destination for foreign tourists. Among the targets of the latest attacks was a Jewish religious centre in southern Mumbai which was reported to have been attacked by the gunmen. Police said that an Israeli rabbi and his family were among a group being held as hostages in a nearby apartment block.
Despite these worrying signs, Indian officials have so far resisted suggestions that Indian Muslims are being radicalised and joining a global jihad. Many refer approvingly to the observation of George Bush that Muslims from India have not in general turned up to fight the infidels on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. But security analysts have meanwhile despaired at the unpreparedness of India’s security agencies to counter a domestic Islamist threat. Whether or not al-Qaeda was behind the latest attack, that happy complacency must now have ended. (reuters)

Statement of BHRPC on the Death of a young journalist

2008-11-26T05:25:00.000-08:00

Barak Human Rights Protection Committee (BHRPC), a human rights organisation based in Silchar, Assam expresses agony and grave concern at yet another cruel and untimely death of a young journalist caused by unidentified gunmen. Mr. Jagjit Saikia, a Kokrajhar (Assam) based reporter, who worked with "Amar Asom", a local daily in the Assamese language, was reportedly shot at by miscreants on November 22 afternoon in Kokrajhar town which caused his death. BHRPC categorically condemns this cowardly act and sends condolences to the family members of the deceased journalist and extends solidarity with the media fraternity.

BHRPC sees it not only as another blow to the media, which is regarded as a pillar of democracy, but also as the naked manifestation of the brutality to which the continuous assault on the right to freedom of thought and expression guaranteed under
Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India has reached. The State and Union Governments are under obligations in International Human Rights Law as well as duty bound under the Law of the Land to ensure the exercise of this inalienable human right by its citizens. It is evident from this and other such incidence of attack on the media and the people's right to freedom of expression including the incidence of death of Konsam Rishikanta, a trainee sub-editor of The Imphal Free Press, an English daily of Manipur on 17 November, at the hands of unidentified shooters that the Indian State is miserably failed to protect basic human rights of the citizens.

BHRPC urges the Union and State Governments:
1. To conduct prompt, objective and transparent investigations into both of the incidents.
2. To bring the perpetrators of these ghastly acts to book and punish them as per law.
3. To pay adequate compensation to the dependants relatives of the deceased.
4. To ensure security of the life of journalist.
5. To protect the right to freedom of expression and thought of the people by going hard on those elements who pose threat to it. BHRPC also wrote Urgent Appeal to the Prime Minister of India sending copies to the Home Minster of the Union Government of India,Chief Minister of Assam and others conveying these demands.(by-Waliullah Ahmed Laskar, Liaison Officer,Silchar,Assam,India)

Murder of a young journalist

2008-11-26T05:13:00.000-08:00

A young journalist Konsam Rishikanta Singh in Manipur . He was killed on 17 November 2008 near Second Sangai Home, Langol Hill range by unknown armed personnel suspected to security forces. Not even twenty, Konsam was Junior Sub-editor, Imphal Free Press and was also pursuing B.Sc. 1st Year, Standard College, Kongba. The autopsy conducted at the morgue of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences stated that the body bored three bullet injuries one below the chin and two at the chest. He belonged to a very ordinary family. His father holds a Diploma in Electrical Engineering but is unemployed and mother is a housewife.
He has two unmarried sisters. He was good in studies, hard-working and was an idealistic person. He dropped out from college in the year 2007 so that his sister could continue her studies without isturbances. He demise has caused great irreparable loss to the family.
The killing of the young, energetic, struggling and dedicated journalist Konsam Rishikanta Singh in Manipur, supposedly by the bullets of the Armed Force personnel, is another sad and condemnable incidence on the face of Indian democracy. No one knows how many innocent people these defence personnel have killed in their bloodthirsty way. What is even more hurting and serious is the manner in which these forces behave in the aftermath of such incidents. Instead of taking the responsibility and iterating their commitment to take the guilty personas to task, these forces believe in the only policy they know best- " to out rightly reject such accusations and to start cribbing about the poor, hostile and tough conditions in which they are forced to work".
The end result is always that the poor and helpless people are forced to keep their mouth shut and to accept their fate as it is. This has happened so many times and this might happen again in the case of Konsam Rishikanta. Thus, it is very important that all of us, who are in any way, concerned with the Human Rights activities and are in the field of intellectual field and social justice, musty join hands together and resist such one-sided extreme highhandedness and outlandish/ criminal behaviour of the Armed personnel and must struggle to get the accused punished.
On 18 November 2008, the All Manipur Working Journalist Union (AMWJU) held an emergency meeting at the Manipur Press Club and condemned the killing. In the afternoon, a silent rally was taken out and a memorandum was submitted to the Chief Minster of Manipur with the following demands:
Constitute a judicial inquiry to find out and punish the culprit(s) Award compensation to the bereaved family as per center's scheme for victims of terrorist violence. Ensure a sense of security in the minds of journalist and take necessary measures for protection of the working journalists of the State. But so far the Government of Manipur has not come out with any concrete steps, I fully agree with the three demands put forth by the Manipur Journalist association. But it seems to me that even more important is the basic requirement of registering an FIR in this regards, if it has not already been registered, as per the free will of the slain journalist's family members. It is only then the wheel of law will start moving at all. (Dr Nutan Thakur)

Two arrested in Panchkula rape case

2008-11-25T06:42:00.000-08:00

Three persons, including the arrested, were booked for the crime after a case was registered based on a complaint filed by the 35-year-old woman against them on Sunday. Police today arrested two army personnel for allegedly raping the wife of an IAF cadre at the Western Command hospital in Haryana's Panchkula district.
"The two main accused-Hottam Singh and Iftikhar Khan, working as nursing attendants at the army hospital, have been arrested and further investigations are on," Senior Superintendent of Police (Panchakula) Sandeep Khirwar said over phone.Three persons, including the arrested, were booked for the crime after a case was registered based on a complaint filed by the 35-year-old woman against them on Sunday.A defence spokesperson said the two main accused belonged to Army Medical Corps and were posted at the hospital which falls in Chandimandir, the Army's Western Command headquarters.Panchkula police have moved a formal request to the army, seeking the custody of the two accused as they are army personnel.The police had also recorded the victim's statement before the judicial magistrate in Panchkula.Police said that in her complaint the victim, who is a native of Bihar and is currently residing in Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) quarters at Panchkula, alleged that she had gone to the hospital in Chandimandir on Saturday for physiotherapy.

Once she was through with the treatment, she went to see one of her relatives who was admitted in the hospital. On her way, she was dragged to a nearby room by three men who raped her.While Hottam Singh, a native of Madhya Pradesh is working as the documentation in-charge of the neuro-surgical ward, Iftikhar, a resident of Bihar, joined the nursing staff of the same ward around seven months back.

The victim, in her complaint, alleged that Singh also asked her not to disclose the incident to anyone and threatened that it had been recorded and the footage would be made public in case she did so.The woman has been living with her son after her husband was recently transferred to Jamnagar Air Force Station in Gujarat.A FIR had been registered under various sections of the IPC, police said. (pti)

Two MBA students held for kidnapping 15 year old Boy

2008-11-25T01:54:00.000-08:00

In a kidnapping case in Delhi, six students including two MBA students were arrested on Sunday evening by the South Delhi police. The accused had kidnapped a 15-year-old student of Gyan Bharti school and were demanding a ransom of Rs 80 lakh to cover up their losses in the share market.

According to the police, the two MBA students had planned the kidnapping along with a cousin to make up huge losses suffered by them in the share market. The trio had also hired some criminals to execute their plot. The 15-year-old Class IX student was on his way to school on Thursday morning along with a friend when Rohit, Piyush, Dilip and Ramesh accosted the two in their silver Hyundai Getz car. As per the plan, the men asked the two about the way to the teenager’s house. The teenager readily agreed to accompany them home, taking them to be distant relatives. The men drove away instead to a secluded house at Sukhrali village in neighbouring Gurgaon and locked up the teenager in a room. The house had been taken on rent from one Suresh Ahlawat on the pretext of using it as a godown and Rs.15,000 had been paid as advance.

When the boy did not return home after school, his brother-in-law got a case registered at the Saket police station. Soon the family started receiving ransom calls demanding Rs.80 lakh for his release. The teenager’s father had died a year ago and he had been living with his mother and a sister in Saket. During investigation, the police found that the Haryana registration number of the car was a fake. They were then tipped off that a car with four young men and a schoolboy had been spotted in Sector 17 of Gurgaon.“Following the input, the police team carried out house-to-house enquiries and the car was found parked in a plot belonging to Suresh Ahlawat in Sukhrali. Based on Suresh’s interrogation one of the accused was identified as a friend of the teenager’s first cousin. He was questioned and he confessed to having kidnapped the boy along with his friends Piyush and Rohit. The three had hired a gang for Rs.1 lakh,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) H. G. S. Dhaliwal on Monday.
The cousin had a longstanding property dispute with the teenager’s family and bore a grudge against them. He purportedly discussed his plan to kidnap the boy with Rohit and Piyush, whom he had met at a hairdressing saloon in Gurgaon and struck a friendship. Rohit and Piyush, both MBA students, readily agreed as they had suffered heavy losses in the share and property market and wanted to recoup as much as they could. Saloon owner Praveen Kashyap also joined the trio to make some quick money and introduced them to Dilip and Ramesh, who had a criminal past. (the hindu)

DRIVEN BY GREED
Piyush Jain (24) is an MBA student in IMT Ghaziabad. His friend Rohit Chopra (24), enrolled in Ignou’s MBA course, is a property dealer in Gurgaon. The duo together lost around Rs 80 lakh in market meltdown. That was the ransom demand to Arjun’s mother Kidnapping allegedly conducted by 21-year-old Bharat Jhamb, Arjun’s first cousin. He was reportedly unhappy with his share of ancestral property that got divided 3 years ago between his father and Arjun’s father. (tnn)

ATS is torturing me, says Sadhvi Pragya

2008-11-24T21:04:00.000-08:00

Malegaon bomb blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur filed an affidavit in a Nashik court, accusing the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of torturing her and violating her human rights.
In her six-page affidavit before the court of Joint Senior Civil Judge H.K. Ganatra, Pragya demanded an inquiry into her "physical, mental and psychological torture" by ATS officers, her illegal detention, and narco-analysis tests conducted on her.Terming her arrest as "politically motivated", she said she was beaten up so badly that at one point, she contemplated committing suicide.She said her disciple Bhim Singh Pasricha, whom the ATS picked up along with her Oct 10, was ordered by the police to beat her up with a stick and a belt.

Complaining that the ATS sleuths too beat up both of them, she told the court that she was given only liquid diet, lodged in a hotel and admitted to two hospitals in Mumbai before her formal arrest.The judge said he would give his ruling on the allegations of torture Nov 29."The ATS police came to pick me up from Bhim Singh’s residence in Surat on October 10 for interrogation and suggested that I took my father along,” the Sadhvi said in the sworn affidavit. She said she declined to bother her father in view of his old age and suggested that Bhim Singh would accompany her instead.“For the first two days after my detention, the police kept shouting at me. They asked me about the motorcycle (in which the bomb that exploded in Malegaon was placed). I told them I don’t know anything as I had sold the vehicle," she said.The 38-year-old woman, who is receiving maximum media attention and support from a cross-section of Hindutva orgainsations, said that when the ATS sleuths did not get any information from her in two days, they ordered Bhim Singh to beat her with a stick and a belt on her fore-arms and feet. He refused to do this, saying she was his guru.

Noting that her disciple had to finally comply with the police's orders when they beat him up, Pragya said: “Bhim Singh beat me up softly, and infuriated at this, two ATS officers - one, named Khanvilkar, and another with a moustache - beat me up hurling filthy abuses." She said she and Bhim Singh were taken to Hotel Rajdoot in Nagpada Oct 15 and lodged in two rooms. “I was then admitted to the Sushrut Hospital in Dadar (in Mumbai) and then to another hospital on a hill," she said in the affidavit.She said the cops forced her to call a woman disciple from her mobile and tell her that she was alright. She added that on account of "the custodial violence/torture, mental stress, anxiety that were developed in the process, I was subjected to, I developed acute abdominal and kidney pains. I lost my appetite, became nauseous and giddy and prone to having bouts of unconsciousness".

Mahesh Jethmalani, senior counsel representing Pragya, said she had made the allegations against the ATS "on oath" and now the court's directions on it were awaited."She was not allowed proper access to her lawyers, that's why she has filed it now," Jethmalani told IANS in the evening, when asked about the delay in filing the affidavit.Pragya said she was "totally innocent of any offence whatsoever" and accused the ATS of violating her human rights.She contended that while initially she was "painted as a sinister mastermind of the Malegaon blast, that role has now been reassigned by the ATS to Lt. Col. Shrikant Prasad Purohit".

The court, meanwhile, extended the judicial custody of the sadhvi and seven other accused till Nov 29.Special public prosecutor Ajay Missar, representing the ATS of the Maharashjtra police, argued for extension of remand for the accused on grounds that the investigations into the Sep 29 Malegaon blast, which left six dead and 20 injured, were still continuing.[IANS]

Lady raped at Army Hospital

2008-11-24T02:37:00.000-08:00

An airman's wife was raped at the Command Hospital Chandimandir Cantonment of Army's Western Command near Chandigarh on Friday 22nd of november' 2008. A case was registered on next day.
Panchkula Superintendent of Police Sandeep Khirwar confirmed that a criminal case has been registered."Criminal case under Sections 376, 506, 294, 354 of IPC has been registered against the accused. She has been medically examined. But no one has been named so far. Army has given positive response and helped with investigation," Sandeep Khirwar said."Preliminary tests have been done and the tests by forensic labs are still to come in," he added.
The 38-year-old victim, who had gone for physiotherapy, was allegedly dragged to an empty room near the Neurological Ward and raped by the duo.The lady reportedly told police that a third person was filming the entire incident. After raping the woman, all the three threatened her and asked her not to disclose the incident else they would circulate the video clip. Police sources, however, say that they have not arrested the accused as all are from the armed forced and police will have to liaison with the defence authorities. Army officials have extended support to the police saying they will cooperate in the investigations.Meanwhile, Defence Ministry has contested the rape charge. A ministry official said that the medical examination of the alleged victim under supervision of Haryana Police did not confirm rape.(dna)

'Lady don' of Hyderabad arrested

2008-11-22T05:39:00.000-08:00

A woman history sheeter, who has evaded the law for the last four years, was arrested and sent in judicial custody, police said. The Malkajgiri police here executed a non-bailable warrant pending against her since 2004. A case was registered against Farah Fatima, also known as the `lady don' of Hyderabad, under IPC Section 309 (attempt to suicide) as she had attempted to commit suicide inside the police station after being picked up as part of investigation in a criminal case, police added. Farah has been sent to Chanchalguda jail here, Malkajgiri ACP R Ravinder Reddy said.

Who is LADY DON?
If you spot a woman zooming by on a motorbike, think twice before confronting her. For you never know, you may be talking to Farah Fatima-the lady Don of Hyderabad, who was recently arrested for threatening a businessman to pay extortion money.Leader of a gang of 22, she is known to be the queen of extortion and murder. A motorbike entry and a shower of expletives often herald her arrival. Says deputy police commissioner, Harish K Gupta, “She is a very aggressive woman and there are always a dozen guthka packets hidden in her dupatta or burkha. Hyderabad has not seen lady criminals of this type whose language and mannerisms even put us to shame.”

The businessman, whom Fatima threatened, went to the police and registered a complaint against her. Says Gupta, “She would go at night on her motorbike to the businessman’s house and ask him to pay money. In many such cases, the businessmen pay up and do not even complain.” Fatima is presently cooling her heels in judicial custody and the police are happy that they have some reprieve from her. Short in stature, Fatima has been booked as a rowdy sheeter since 1992. Her first husband, Mir Khaisar Ali, introduced her to the world of crime.

Interestingly, Fatima not only has a SSC certificate but also a nursing degree. “It is just greed for easy money that made her step into this business,” claim the police. Ali taught Fatima her tricks of extortion, land grabbing and “settling” of disputes. As the gang members grew in number so did the influence of Fatima. The police allege that Fatima killed Ali over a land dispute.In the early 1990s Fatima used to operate only in Cyberabad and near Maula Ali. But after the death of Ali, she shifted base to Old City. She also married one Sujjad Ali who helped her in the functioning of the gang. In the old city, Fatima was flooded with requests from a large number of landowners to help them evict tenants. This set up a flourishing business for her. But those who could not take it any more, sent anonymous petitions to the police commissioner’s office. These made the cops book a case against her in 1992. Later they also booked her under the Dangerous Activities Act. Now they are keeping a close tab on her activities before the Ganesha festival, so that the gang’s extortion activities can be contained during the time. (TOI)

Rahul was not shot from close range

2008-11-22T05:15:00.001-08:00

Putting an end to all speculation surrounding the death of Patna migrant Rahul Raj Singh (25), the ballistics report on the case has given a clean chit to the Mumbai police. Rahul was shot dead after he held a BEST bus hostage on October 27. CM Vilasrao Deshmukh had asked for a probe to find out whether Rahul was shot at point blank range.
The State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL), Kalina, handed over the report to the police yesterday. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria confirmed receiving it and said, "Rahul's clothes that were sent for examination have not shown any black powder residue around the entry points of the bullet injuries and the shooting did not take place within the powder range." Powder range, a ballistic term, means a three metre distance from the target. The police have also sent Rahul's skin samples for testing to the SFSL. A forensic expert explained that Rahul's skin would be tested only for the presence of gunpowder. Forensic experts have given a clean chit to the police team which shot dead Rahul Raj, a Patna resident who hijacked a BEST bus at Kurla on October 26' 2008. There was a political uproar following the shooting and some Bihar politicians had alleged that the youth was shot dead in cold blood. The state government then launched a formal inquiry into the shooting.

The chemical analysis report said that there was absence of blackening and powder residue around the periphery of bullet holes on Raj's skin. It further says that the injuries are far "beyond the powder range of the weapon''. This means that the bullets were fired from a distance of at least four to five metres. The three firearms -- a 303 rifle and two 9 mm pistols -- from which the bullets were shot at Rahul, were sent for ballistic examination. The ballistic expert report which is also attached with this report says that the police weapons were in perfect working condition, ruling out the theory that the firing was from close range.

Four bullets, all fired from pistols, hit Rahul on his chest and face.

The FSL expert also examined the BEST bus frame which was pierced by some bullets in the exchange of fire. "After examining everything in minute detail, it is now concluded that the police team fired from a safe distance of around five metres and above,'' said an FSL official on condition of anonymity. The officials of Grant Medical College also told chief secretary Johny Joseph during the inquiry that prima facie, Raj was not shot from pointblank or close range.

Rahul Raj, who had held the BEST bus passenger hostage on October 26, on Andheri Kurla road was gunned down by the police. Rahul Raj had claimed that he had come to kill MNS chief Raj Thackeray over latter's drive against Biharis. Rahul had tried to strangulate the bus conductor and had even fired two rounds in which a passenger Manoj Bhagat received a bullet injury. A day after the post-mortem, Dr B G Chikhalkar, part of the post-mortem team, had said there was a dark mark around the bullet injury on the face, indicative of the fact that the bullet was fired from close range. But Dr Chikhalkar, who had repeated this statement on TV, soon retracted what he had said.

Leaky journalism

2008-11-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

It is abundantly clear that the Police use the media to cover up unprofessional and weak probes. Should the media oblige whether it involves Jihadi terrorists or Saffron terrorists? Asks S R RAMANUJAN Nov
18, 2008.
Thanks to the over-zealous investigative agencies of different states, not just the Mumbai ATS, and the collusion of the TRP-dependent television media with such agencies for "leaks", the image of the media, especially the news channels, is deteriorating at the same speed with which they "break" the news, reliable or not so reliable.Just prior to Malegaon blasts in September this year, we were fed with liberal doses of "jihadi terror" stories and the anti-terror squads in different states came out with quite a few "master-minds" and "kingpins". Each blast, whether in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Delhi, or Hyderabad had a master-mind of its 0wn. The Police and the politicians stopped pointing fingers across the borders and started looking inwards. The focus shifted from LeT, HuJI etc to SIMI, Indian Mujahudeen and Islamic Security Force. Our police always take to the extremes, either they stand as silent spectators as we saw in Chennai Law College or overact with no rhyme or reason as they had been rounding up Muslim youth till Muslim anger erupted after the
Batla House encounter.
Of course, there is a temporary lull now. The only difference is that the "master-minds" have taken a different hue. However, this trend prompted certain civil society groups to express concern over media's "demonization" of communities. In a discussion organised by "Peace Hyderabad", participants felt that description as "kingpins" and "masterminds" of those allegedly behind terrorist violence only "helped in internalising them in public perception"... "Such descriptions
begin immediately after Police pick up Muslim youth at random and much before the beginning of a proper court trial." The electronic media, in particular, came in for sharp criticism for its "ignorance-tinged" reporting on terror targeting a community. A view that emerged at the meet was that the media was getting influenced
unquestioningly by the findings of intelligence and enforcement agencies.
Investigations into the Malegaon blast case by the Mumbai ATS may or may not be in the right direction and the tools they used may not be legally valid or even scientific according to some forensic experts. But how does the electronic media behave while reporting these investigations?
It is no better than the Arushi Talwar murder case. In the Arushi case, both the UP Police and the CBI bungled very badly and resorted to deliberate leaks to suit its warped findings. Finally, the media which dished out salacious information on the basis of leaks had egg all over its face. The coverage also prompted the Supreme Court to observe that the media was acting as "super investigative agency". Certainly, the cops were using the media to cover up the loopholes in their
investigation.
The probe into Malegaon blasts was no different. The media was taken for a ride and what was worse, the media obliged the cops most willingly in their race for numbers by passing on to us the "leaks" handed out to them by the Mumbai ATS.
It started with `Sadhvi' Pragya Singh Thakur who was first labeled as the "mastermind" behind the Malegaon blasts. Then, this role was shifted to Lt Col Srikanth Prasad Purohit. Now, we are told it was "Dayanand Pandey" who masterminded all the blasts in the country targeting a particular community. The run-up to this stage of investigation was a great comedy.
After the Sadhvi, the focus shifted for a while to one Asimanand and his ashram in Dangs in Gujrat. Television showed us the visuals of the Ashram which was supposedly raided by Mumbai ATS. It was reported that the Swami of this ashram provided his vehicle and driver to `Sadhvi' to tour the districts. Subsequently, we did not hear
anything about this Swami nor did the media pursue it further.
The real media drama or rather trial started when the Public Prosecutor filed a petition in the Nashik Court for permission to interrogate a spiritual leader of Uttar Pradesh. Unfortunately for the media, the Prosecution lawyer did not reveal the identity of the spiritual leader. This let loose a very wild guess work and the reporters put on their "super investigative" hat and began the operations. The first
media "suspect" was the BJP MP from Gorakhpur Yogi Adityananda and the anchors started screaming that the" terror investigation leads to the doors of the BJP". To give credence to this, another BJP MLA from Tulsipur in UP, Mahant Kaushalendra was also included in the list of "suspects" quoting "sources".
The media reports provoked the firebrand Yogi Adityananda to dare the Union Home Minister and the Maharashtra Home Minister to arrest him. Reacting to this, a television channel wondered what sort of a law maker is he to say hell to the law enforcing agencies. On the same day, the Yogi was also on a panel discussion. The anchor donned the role of an investigator and started interrogating him on the screen. It appeared as if even the professional investigators had to learn a lesson or two from this anchor.
When the Yogi issue became too hot, the ATS clarified that no politician was involved and that only one spiritual leader was on their radar. Puzzled at this development, the channels dropped Yogi and began the search for another spiritual leader. This time, they zeroed in on a swami who is frequently found on the faith channels giving discourses.
He read out a prepared statement to the media stating he might have met `Sadhvi' Pragya once or twice since he had initiated her into "Sanyas" like thousands of others in the Kumbh Mela and that "she can be hanged if she was found guilty".
With this, the media was getting exasperated and then the "leak" came that the ATS was looking for one "Dayanand Pandey", a Jammu-based self-styled spiritual leader. First, a story was put out that the UP Police was not cooperating with the Mumbai ATS in apprehending "Pandey". And this was denied by the UP Police. A terrorist, as a perceived logic, should operate under different names.
Isn't it? So, the media started saying "Dayaanand Pandey, alias Sudhkar Dwivedy alias Swami Amritanand Dev and that he had many faces. However, The Hindu reported "his name had earlier been disclosed as Dayaanand Pandey, but following calls from DGP's office late on Wednesday night, it was given as Sudhakar Dwivedy, son of Dayanand Dwivedy. He had taken the name Amritanand and became Peethadeeshwar of the Sharada Sarvagya Peeth in Jammu" But, there was no correction
forthcoming in the channels which earlier made his father's name as his alias name. Normally, when someone in the Hindu tradition takes to "sanyas", he changes his name. So much for accuracy of facts even while naming a person! The latest "leak" that was fed to the nation by ATS, courtesy media, was that ATS was looking at the possibility of Lt Col Purohit's links to Samjhauta Express and the blasts at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad. Obviously, the ATS does not seem to be doing its home
work.
Let us take the blasts in Hyderabad. The local dailies reported on September 6, 2008 that one sheikh Abdul Kaleem revealed during narco analysis test conducted at the Forensic Lab in Bangalore in the presence of Spl Intelligence Team of Hyderabad Police that he was responsible for providing 100 sim cards used by terrorists in the Mecca Masjid, Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat blasts. The Police also accused him of having contacts with Bangladesh terrorists. Kareem also revealed that there must be more explosive hidden in the city for further blasts as RDX and ammonium nitrate in a massive amount have been smuggled from abroad to the city for the three blasts in Hyderabad. Imran, another accused revealed during narco test and brain mapping test that massive explosives have been concealed in his house and it includes ammonium
nitrate that was used in Mecca Masjid, Lumbini Park and Gokul chat blasts.
The narco tests, both on Lt Col Purohit and Kaleem/Imran, were conducted in the same forensic lab on two different occasions and in two different cases. Now, which is correct? Either the Mumbai ATS or Hyderabad Police is misleading the nation.
Throughout Sunday, the channels have been putting out stories that Lt Col Purohit sourced RDX from the army for Samjhauta Express blasts in February 2007. Well, what we were told in 2007 was a different story.
The Delhi Police which probed the Samjhauta blasts did not say RDX was used. On the contrary, they were of the view that "incendiary devices" were used and not bombs. Now, on Monday, Times of India tells us "ATS denies RDX in Samjhauta blast". Well, did the ATS say in the first place that RDX was used? Who `invented' the use
of RDX ?
Read on the Times report(Nov 17): "Public Prosecutor Ajay Misar had on Saturday told a Nashik court that pilfered RDX was used in the Samjhauta blast. But on Sunday, he blamed the media for "wrong interpretation". I told the court that the Police have to find out whether the 60 kg RDX was used in some blasts across the country,
including the Malegaon blast."
The ATS chief Hemant Karkare also disowned the report. He said "I don't know what Misar has told the court. We have not mentioned the use of RDX (in the Samjhauta case) in the remand papers. Even the Army has rubbished the claim of ATS stating that the army does not use RDX for making bombs and that Lt Col Purohit was not an expert in bomb making. Where does this leave the media now after they bombarded the
viewers with the news linking Purohit to Samjhauta case for two days?
It is abundantly clear that the Police use the media to cover up unprofessional and weak probes. Should the media oblige whether it involves Jihadi terrorists or Saffron terrorists? Is it not time that the media evolves a code of conduct for reporting criminal investigations so that it does not slip up so badly as in the recent past?
It may be quite relevant to point out here what the Chief Justice of India said recently. He had criticised the Police tendency to reveal information to the media during the investigation as it encroaches upon the right to privacy. He also observed while participating in a workshop in Mumbai that freedom of the press means people's right to know CORRECT (emphasis mine) news. Further, in a different context, the Supreme Court also held that a person's reputation is an inseparable
part of his fundamental right to life and liberty. This applies equally to everyone, whether he is a small time SIMI activist or a sadhu or an army officer.
If the media, especially the electronic ones, has to retrieve its tattered image before it is too late, it has to come out with well-defined guidelines, based on a broad consensus, for coverage of criminal investigations. No government is going to tell the investigators not to indulge in premature disclosure of facts pending
the submission of charge sheets before the judicial bodies because any government's tool is "leaks" that suit them politically.(mediavigi)

Securing live-in relationships

2008-11-21T03:33:00.000-08:00

The Maharashtra government recently approved a proposal where a woman in a live-in relationship for a "reasonable period" of time would get the status of a "wife". RAMESH MENON has more.

16 November 2008
Archana Baxi loves Delhi. Living in the big city gives her the anonymity she did not enjoy in her village in Punjab where she grew up. In Delhi, no one asks her prying questions like why she isn't married yet or what she does with her huge salary or why she lives in with her boyfriend - who shuttles between Delhi and Mumbai.
Archana only dreads her mother's periodic visits to the city because, like all mothers, Baxi senior voices her concerns on her daughter's living arrangement. She worries about what would become of Archana if her boyfriend decided to break off with her one day.
However, in what can be termed as a progressive move that will have a far-reaching impact, the Maharashtra government recently proposed an amendment in the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) that would give a woman in a live-in relationship the right to seek maintenance post-desertion. Of course, it would need the Centre's stamp of approval before it can become a law. So, while it may be some more time before legal support for women in long-term live-in relationships across India comes into force, Archana's mother can at least lay some of her fears to rest.
The Maharashtra government recently approved a proposal where a woman in a live-in relationship for a "reasonable period" of time would get the status of a "wife". The approval came on the heels of the recommendations of the Justice Malimath Committee, which said that if a man and a woman are living together as husband and wife for a "reasonably long period", the man shall be deemed to have married the woman according to customary rights of either party.
The Malimath Committee was formed by the Centre to suggest reforms in the CrPC. However, only Maharashtra has shown interest in protecting the rights of women in polygamous relationships by working towards implementing some recommendations. The Centre has comfortably chosen to ignore them as they are bound to raise the hackles of the moral police.
When the proposed amendment was announced, critics immediately sprung up to say that the move would encourage men and women to get into multiple relationships outside of marriage. However, one of the major reasons for this move was that numerous women were finding it very difficult to get any assistance from men who had deserted them after living with them on the promise of marriage in the future. In many cases, the women did not even know that the man they had been living with was, in fact, already married.
As per the Malimath Committee recommendations, the state government, therefore, wants the CrPC to be amended so that the word 'wife' under Section 125 includes a woman living with a man like his wife for a "reasonably long period". This will ensure that these women are entitled to alimony.
Points out Mumbai-based writer Rajendar Menen, who has widely written on relationships, "I am sure people are living-in all over India surreptitiously. It is like corruption and visiting sex workers. But it is great that the government is finally accepting live-in relationships. It is a step in the right direction."
When the amendment comes through, it will, for the first time, protect the interests of women who have been taken for a ride by uncaring men. But the state has yet to clarify how long the "reasonably long period" should be. And this ambiguity many feel may give rise to bigamy. Menen says, "As time passes, marriage, as an institution, will get less important. It has already lost ground. A lot of people in urban settings are living together. They don't trumpet the fact, that's all. As women get more empowered and don't rely completely on men for financial support, they will begin to choose their partners for reasons other than monetary support. Thankfully, the balance is shifting now and men no longer call the shots."
Menen however is guarded on the pace and universality of the change. "But women's empowerment is a long and slow process, and all this will take time in India which lives in so many diverse time, cultural and economic zones" he says.
Live-in relationships are definitely more glamorous and easy but marriage has its advantages as well. Nick Powdthavee of the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick in England carried out a study of 9,704 married people at the university in 2005. The study revealed that married people were deriving happiness from each other's happiness unlike those who were just living together. The research also indicated that marriage encouraged the habit of sharing among spouses who stood by each other in both good and bad times.
Yet, living-in is a popular concept among the young. In fact, even those who are not involved in such a relationship are all for it. Aloke Gupta, a Mumbai-based software engineer, is not in a live-in relationship, but says, "There is nothing wrong with a live-in situation. Different people see marriage differently. Some use it to lose their virginity, some to get dowry; some see it as a business deal, some to have children, and so on. Only a few marry for love. So a live-in relationship makes so much sense."
Menen adds, "The problem with marriages in India are the expectations. There are in-laws and an extended family - they all want different things from you. For example, during Diwali, I may just want to go and relax by the seaside. I can do this if I am single. But if I am married, I would have to be with my wife and visit people I don't want to meet, shop for gifts, and participate in rituals I do not believe in."
But while for many people living-in is a matter of personal choice, there are youngsters today who see it as a means of rebelling against their families or society. Two people should live together only if they are in love and seriously committed to each other, not to merely share a pad and save on expenses like food and travel. They also have to be strong enough to face social drama, as most people in India still do not accept such relationships.
Unfortunately, in cities like Delhi, Bangalore and Pune there are many young people -especially in the BPO industry - who get into a live-in relationship just to neutralise their boredom. While some end up formalising their tie with a marriage certificate, for many things go sour and they just move on.
Given this reality, the Maharashtra government's move to give women the right to seek maintenance post-desertion should be welcomed. Ramesh Menon is a journalist and documentary film maker.(Women's Feature Service)

Shivsena moves Bombay highcourt against Sadhvi’s ‘torture’

2008-11-20T07:05:00.000-08:00

A Shiv Sena activist Thursday filed a public interest petition before the Bombay High Court seeking an inquiry into Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragnya Chandrapal Singh Thakur’s charge that anti-terrorism squad officials were torturing her.The petition, filed by Shilpa Deshmukh, the Sena’s woman leader from Dadar, central Mumbai, has sought action against the Maharashtra police Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for “gross misuse and abuse of its powers” in the investigations into the blast case, her lawyer V.P. Patil told us.
The petition is expected to come up for hearing before Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar next Thursday, he said. Sadhvi Pragnya, 38, and eight other accused, alleged to be part of a radical Hindu terror network, are in ATS custody for their suspected role in the blast in Malegaon town of Maharashtra Sep 29 that left six dead and 20 injured. In her petition, Deshmukh has contended that the ATS officials have been behaving in a “high-handed” manner in the investigations against the sadhvi. She also said that only male officers are probing the case against the sole woman accused, and questioned why there are no women investigators.
She has demanded that the entire investigation into the blast should be withdrawn from the ATS and handed over to the state Crime Investigation Department (CID), Patil said.In this context, she referred to the sadhvi’s affidavit filed before the Nashik Court this week, accusing the ATS of ill-treatment, physical and mental torture in confinement, and her prayers to the court, demanding narco-analysis tests on ATS officials.
The petition also raised objections to the manner in which ATS chief Hemant Karkare keeps revealing sensitive details of the investigation to the media. It has also pointed out that Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil, who holds the home portfolio, recently commended the ATS investigations as going in the “right direction”. The petitioner questioned whether Patil was conducting the investigations, and also how the home minister could make such an observation before the media, particularly since the matter is sub-judice.(IANS)

a piece on radioactive contamination scandal in India & France

2008-11-20T06:54:00.000-08:00

*Where are the Indian workers suffering from radioactive radiation?*

France's Nuclear Safety Authority has alerted the Indian authorities about the radioactive buttons. It said, the lift buttons contained traces of radioactive Cobalt 60. Radiological safety division of India's Atomic Energy Regulatory Board is investigating the concerns raised by France's Nuclear Safety Authority. The original complain was from Otis firm, a French subsidiary of the US company. The factory belonging to Mafelec company, which delivers the buttons to Otis noticed in early October. *Nuclear Safety Authority classed the incident at a factory of the Mafelec firm in the east-central town of Chimilin at level two on the seven-level International Nuclear Event Scale. *It said that of 30 workers exposed, 20 had been
exposed to doses of between one mSv (milli-Sievert) and three mSv. The maximum permitted dose for workers in the non-nuclear sector is one mSv.
The *Hazardous* Waste (*Management*, Handling and *Transboundary* Movement) *Rules*, 2008 is a declaration to the hazardous waste traders that the Indian Government offers no resistance to transboundary movement of hazardous and radioactive materials. It does not matter if it comes without prior decontamination in the country of export in manifest contempt of Supreme Court's directions in its order dated 14 October, 2003 in Writ Petition (Civil) 657 of 1995.
Atomic Energy (Safe Disposal of Radioactive Wastes) Rules, 1987 deals with the radioactive waste. There framers of both the Rules were oblivious to a situation where hazardous waste (recyclable metal scrap, according to Environment Ministry) and the products made out of it would be contaminated with radioactive materials.
*Hazardous* *Waste* *Rules* lays down the procedure for import of hazardous waste and how it would facilitate the same by providing administrative mechanism to ensure that even Port and Customs authorities ensure compliance when hazardous waste is imported by paying lip service seeking "safe handling". After creating the loophole it says, Custom authorities would take samples as per Customs Act 1962 prior to clearing the assignments. Technical Review Committee of MoEF as noted in the Rules should now show its sense of purpose by finding out where did the radioactive materials come from in the lift buttons made of scrap steel.
The case illustrates how even the new Rules remain full of loopholes. One would have been surprised, had it not been so because the Ministry defines hazardous waste as recyclable metal...and then asks agencies Customs and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board to probe the consequences of the flawed Rules. The Hazardous Waste Rules do not apply to radioactive waste as covered under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 (33 of 1962)and rules made thereunder. *Consequently, Atomic Energy (Safe Disposal of Radioactive
Wastes) Rules, 1987 apply to it.*
But neither the Hazardous Waste Rules nor the Safe Disposal of Radioactive Wastes Rules seem to have foreseen a situation where metal scrap products are found to be contaminated with radioactive materials although while providing the definition, the Radioactive waste Rules, it says, "radioactive waste" means any waste material containing radionuclides in quantities or concentrations as prescribed by the competent authority by notification in the official gazette".
*Safe Disposal of Radioactive Wastes Rules* also provides for a "Radiological Safety Officer" who can advise the employer regarding the safe handling and disposal of radioactive wastes and on the steps necessary to ensure that the operational limits are not exceeded; to instruct the radiation workers engaged in waste disposal on the hazards of radiation and on suitable safety measures and work practices aimed at minimising exposures to radiation and contamination, and to ensure that adequate radiation surveillance is provided for all radiation workers and the environment.
Neither Environment Ministry, Labour Ministry nor the Atomic Energy Ministry provides for Radiological Safety Officer in the scarp metal yards. Radiological Safety Officer has to carry out such tests on conditioned radioactive wastes, as specified by the competent authority;to ensure that all buildings, laboratories and plants wherein radioactive wastes will be or are likely to be handled/produced, conditioned or stored or discharged from, are designed to provide adequate safety for safe handling and disposal of radioactive waste. He has to help investigate and initiate prompt and suitable remedial measures in respect of any situation that could lead to radiation hazards; and ...to ensure that the provisions of the Radiation Protection Rules, 1971 are followed properly.
In France, the 20 workers who suffered the radioactive radiation has been found and are being treated (if there is a treatment), our Environment Ministry, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and Labour Ministry must now trace the Indian workers who suffered due to radiation while working with the metal scrap (from the scrap yard, re-rolling mills to the lift steel button manufacturing) that was contaminated with radioactive material.
The failure of the Ministries concerned is too stark to remain unnoticed.There is an urgent need to rewrite the present Rules that is more concerned about human health than hazardous waste trade. Likes of R K Vaish who drafted the Rules must be made accountable. The issue must be dealt with at a much higher level than is case now. There is no quick fix solution.(mediavigil)

Miss Meerut Priyanka singh is a lesbian: Relatives

2008-11-19T06:07:00.000-08:00

In a new twist to the Meerut double murder case, relatives of the prima-facie Priyanka Singh have alleged that she is a lesbian and demanded CBI inquiry into the case.Earlier, former Miss Meerut has retracted from her statement, saying she is innocent and has not killed her parents.
Priyanka's family members are suspicious about her inseparable friendship with Anju and a lesbian angle is also being viewed upon. Priyanka's aunt (bua) has also demanded her narco and DNA test.However, both Priyanka and Anju are separately held in judicial custody.Priyanka and her friend Anju are the prime accused in the double murder of the former's parents - father Premveer Singh and mother Santosh.
As per the police theory, on November 10, Priyanka visited her parents' home at Prayag Colony in Meerut along with Anju on the pretext of getting her mark sheet. However, an altercation took place during which Priyanka throttled her mother. Hearing the commotion, her father, a retired Junior Engineer, rushed to the room but he too was killed by the duo with the help of a kitchen knife. Post murder, both the girls fled with valuables and dumped the knife in a drain.Priyanka and her friend Anju are the prime accused in the double murder of the former’s parents - father Premveer Singh and mother Santosh.
As per the police theory, on November 10, Priyanka visited her parents’ home at Prayag Colony in Meerut along with Anju on the pretext of getting her mark sheet. However, an altercation took place during which Priyanka throttled her mother. Hearing the commotion, her father, a retired Junior Engineer, rushed to the room but he too was killed by the duo with the help of a kitchen knife. Post murder, both the girls fled with valuables and dumped the knife in a drain.
With the arrest of both the accused, it was discovered that both Priyanka and Anju belong to broken families and have been victims of family abuse. Priyanka nurtured a deep grudge against her father who teased her for being an illegitimate child. During her stint at a South Delhi Polytechnic, Priyanka came across Anju and they soon became close friends.
With Priyanka Singh’s U-turn, her relatives are asking for a CBI inquiry into the case. Priyanka’s family members are suspicious about her inseparable friendship with Anju and a lesbian angle is also being viewed upon. However, both Priyanka and Anju are separately held in judicial custody.(samay)

Fact File of the Cop that Killed Rahul Raj

2008-11-19T05:33:00.000-08:00

ACP Mohammed Javed, the police officer who allegedly did not try to negotiate with the gun-toting Rahul Raj before shooting him dead on a BEST bus at Kurla on Monday morning, was himself in the police net once.
Javed, who led the operation against 23-year-old Rahul, who had taken about 15 passengers on an Andheri-Kurla bus hostage at Bair Bazar in Kurla (west), and was the first one to shoot at him, had been arrested in connection with the multi-crore Telgi scam in 2004. He was later discharged for lack of evidence.
Javed, then an ACP with the Anti-Corruption Bureau, had been arrested by the special task force probing the Telgi scam for dereliction of duty amounting to connivance. After his arrest on January 2, 2004, he was suspended. Investigators, however, did not find enough evidence to sustain the charges against him and he was discharged from the case
after it was transferred to the CBI.
P.S.: In October 2006, the prime accused in the stamp paper scam worth $500 million plus, Abdul Karim Telgi, named Sharad Pawar as one of the politicians involved. This was revealed in a leaked video-tape of Telgi's narco-analysis test - now in the possession of the media - conducted in 2003, before the CBI took over the probe in 2004.The opposition had asked for Pawar's resignation after alleging he was involved in a multi-crore scam involving wheat imports.
Raj Thackeray is drawing his political and fiscal support from Sharad Pawar and Pawar's followers like R R Patil, Maharshtra's Deputy Chief Minister ordered the killing of Rahul Raj. Another of Pawar's partyman Praful Patel now says, non-Maharastrians should respect the sentiment and culture of the state. He advocated the "sons of the soil"
ideology and warned that if there was no "redrawing of balance" between Maharashtrians and others, "the people will themselves do it". Not surprisingly they have rejected the demand for chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's removal and Thackeray's immediate detention under National Security Act (NSA).
Sharad Pawar and his partyman escaped the cabinet meeting where ministers from Bihar made the demand for arrest of Raj under NSA which was endorsed by even Congress ministers. NCP has justified R R Patil's "bullet-for-bullet" theory and the killing of Bihari youth Rahul Raj.
G.R. Khairnar, former Deputy Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, made a series of accusations against Sharad Pawar for being involved in corruption and protecting the criminals.(mediavigil)

Crime and the media

2008-11-19T05:22:00.000-08:00

We in the media need to seriously interrogate our approach towards crime and justice and ensure that we are not abetting the former and negating the latter, says KALPANA SHARMA

Nov 04, 2008
It is fascinating to watch how the Sangh Parivar is reacting to the current investigation into the Malegaon and Modasa bomb blasts, where a Hindu right-wing group is suspected of being responsible. Various leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and other organisations are busy chastising the media for condemning those suspected of involvement even before they have been tried. Yet the same people were part of the chorus that pronounced judgment on every bomb blast even before forensic evidence had been gathered, naming the involvement of either Pakistan's ISI or calling it "Islamic" or "Jehadi" terrorism. And none of them were concerned that the media too tended to go along with such conclusions and produced voluminous reports on "terrorists" and "master-minds" even though these men were also mere "suspects".
The questions that the media has to confront, whether covering Malegaon and "Hindu terror" or the earlier blasts in Ahmedabad or Jaipur and "Islamic terror", are precisely the same: What is the job of the media? Should it report every speculative statement made by the police and by politicians, either officially or unofficially, when such incidents take place? Or should it try to balance such statements with reporting that conveys the uncertainties and nuances of investigations into crime, where there is no certainty until adequate evidence has been collected?

Last month, Chief Justice of India K. G. Balakrishnan also gave a pertinent reminder to the media about its role in reporting crime and on-going investigations. Speaking at a workshop organised by the Bombay High Court on Sunday, October 19 on "Reporting of Court Proceedings by Media", he said, "Privacy of the person must be protected. Sometimes damaging information is revealed during the investigation. It adversely affects people's right to a fair trial".He also reportedly criticised police officers revealing information to the media during investigation and said that this encroached upon the right to privacy.

The point that has to be debated and considered is not whether the media should report what the police reveals about a crime under investigation but how it should report it. We also need to question whether the police should leak to a few chosen journalists, or publicly release, incremental information on investigations into
crimes. Sometimes the information is not just incremental, it is also unsubstantiated and later contradicted by the police. But in the meantime, the individual involved is victim to grievous injustice, judged without a fair trial.

As far as the media is concerned, the norms of reporting on crime, or terror, should not differ. If suspects are picked up for a crime, they are precisely that – suspects. Until a case is made out that will hold in a court of law, we in the media cannot name them as "murderer", "thief", "cheat" or even "terrorist". Regardless of what the police reveal to the public, based on their investigations or confessions of these suspects, the media must qualify what it reports.
That is the only guarantee for the innocent amongst these suspects to have any chance of rebuilding their lives if they are proved innocent, or if the police are unable to establish their guilt. These norms have been well established and just because we now live in a more competitive media environment, they surely should not be abandoned.
Yet, even a cursory survey of both print and broadcast would reveal how easily some of these norms have slipped or even disappeared altogether. Their absence does nothing to enhance the credibility of the media.

We should be equally disturbed at the way various police units are rushing to the media with information. During the Arushi murder case, the police was shown up clearly to have crossed the line. The media could argue that it had no option but to report what the police said. But it is also evident that some of the media used the police information to dramatise the ghastly murder to increase their viewership. In the process, where was the individual's right to privacy or a fair trial?

The rash of media briefings, official and unofficial, continues unabated in the terror investigations. Why are they necessary? Do people need to know every detail about on-going investigations or is it more important to investigate and produce credible results? Today, ordinary people are genuinely confused about what really is going on and inevitably, there are questions raised about the credibility, and
even efficiency, of the various police forces. This is not the result of some inherent suspicion in the minds of people about the police.It is the consequence of the manner in which the police have exposed themselves by putting out half-baked information into the public domain through the media.

Apart from the terror investigations, media briefings are gradually becoming the norm amongst police in different cities even for minor crimes. For instance, earlier this month, the Mumbai police held a media briefing where they paraded a 10-year-old boy suspected of being responsible for spreading a rumour about people being kidnapped as part of a kidney racket. The boy apparently confessed. His father was also present at the briefing. The juvenile offender was photographed and the police officer gave his name and other details even though this is prohibited under the Juvenile Justice Act.

This particular briefing cannot be dismissed as an aberration, the action of a police officer bitten by the publicity bug. It raises the same questions as in the terror investigations -- is the police using the media because the media feeds off such information or is the media's aggressive demand for information on crime forcing the police to go public?

Another offshoot of the issue emphasised by the Chief Justice impinges on women who are victims of violence. When the rape of the nun in Kandhamal, Orissa, was first reported, no paper gave away her name or identity. And rightly so. Even when she spoke to some television channels, there was no hint of where she was, or who she was. But in subsequent days, some newspapers tracked down her family, carried
photographs of the village where they lived, gave details of the location of the village, quoted her father and brother, giving their full names. In other words, every bit of information short of the name of the victim was reported. (Even if she went public later, the earlier conduct of the media is highly questionable.) Can this be explained away as the inevitable consequence of a competitive media? How does such reporting conform to the Chief Justice's appeal for the individual's right to privacy? Should we just conform to the letter of the rule of not revealing the identity of rape victims or do we also have a responsibility to adhere to the spirit that informed that rule?

These are questions that the media must address. We need to seriously interrogate our approach towards crime and justice and ensure that we are not abetting the former and negating the latter.[The writer is an independent journalist based in Mumbai] (mediavigil)

Former 'Miss Meerut' sent to judicial remand for double murder

2008-11-19T01:48:00.000-08:00

Once feted as 'Miss Meerut', 25-year-old Priyanka Singh was on Tuesday remanded in 14days judicial custody by a court here for the brutal murder of her parents, police said. Priyanka and her friend Anju were produced in a Meerut court, which sent them to judicial remand.
On November 10, Priyanka had throttled her mother in a fit of rage and knifed her father when he tried to intervene. Her friend Anju was with her throughout, said police. Her mother had apparently refused to hand over some family papers and other personal articles to her, and also taunted her. This angered the girl and she throttled her mother to death. When her father Premvir Singh tried to stop her, the girls grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed him. The two fled the spot, said Rakesh Jolly, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Meerut. According to police, Priyanka used to hate her father for taunting her as illegitimate. Sources close to Priyanka's mother Santosh said that the girl was born of her relations with her husband. But Premvir Singh suspected Santosh of having illegitimate relations. “It's extremely tragic and unfortunate that first the mother and later the daughter were subjected to taunts and harassment by Premvir because of his suspicion," a relative of Santosh said.
Harassed by her family, Priyanka had begun searching for a new place to live in Amroha with the help of her friend Anju. Here Anju's cousin Ajendra tried to molest her. She had to face the same situation at Noida while hunting for a job, police said. Priyanka had been crowned 'Miss Meerut' in 2005 by then SSP Anju Gupta. Captain Bhagwan Dass Gupta, one of the organisers of the show of the Mishika Group, said: "We did not imagine that the girl would revolt against her family like this. She must have been burning from inside."
Psychologists say Priyanka's extreme step was not due to a sudden fit of rage but the outcome of being subjected to prolonged harassment by her family members. “Prolonged physical or mental torture can lead to aggression and anger among people, which after a period of time can erupt in this kind of violence,” Meerut-based psychologist Poonam Deodatt said.
“A child expects a lot from her parents, but instead when she is subjected to harassment and torture, the child starts harbouring feelings of hatred for them. Generally, daughters are attached a lot to their parents. But when instead of love and security, they are tortured, it is very likely that they could resort to extreme measures,” she said. The taunts that she was illegitimate must have rankled a lot. “When this happened over a period of time, she might have resorted to the murder,” said another noted psychologist Purnima Sahai. (sify)

2008-11-18T07:15:00.000-08:00

Scurrilous insinuations about raped nun An Oriya daily owned and edited by a BJD MP has published a number of articles questioning the veracity of the rape, and making other insinuations. PRAMODINI PRADHAN of PUCL, Orissa asks whether such violations of Press Council guidelines should be allowed to go unchallenged.
Nov 06, 200
In the last few weeks, the issue of the alleged rape of a nun has been a subject of media attention, particularly in the local media. But if we look at how a section of the media has launched a seemingly motivated campaign vilifying the alleged victims, it is a matter of serious concern. While the role of the media in the larger context of the ongoing crisis in Kandhamal needs to be examined, I am responding here to the issue of nun's rape, which one newspaper has put it as the 'main issue'.

In a local Oriya daily, Dharitri, which is owned and edited by Tathagatha Satpathy, a sitting MP (BJD) from Orissa, a number of articles have been published questioning the veracity of the allegation of rape. The Samaj, another Oriya daily, has been carrying reports arguing that the allegation of rape is a blatant lie. No doubt, it is the duty and right of the press to bring out all facts relevant to a particular issue if there is sufficient reason/evidence to believe that it is true and its publication will be for public good. This is the standard norm of professionalism for the press as set by the Press Council of India.

Had the newspapers under discussion confined its writings to the facts of the matter to prove that the allegation of rape is false nobody would have objected to it. What is objectionable and condemnable is that the arguments put forward in these articles/reports are not confined to the relevant facts of the matter but have delved into the private space of the individuals concerned, questioning the sexual life of the victims. For the information of those who haven't had the chance to read these writings I am giving below the gist of the arguments as reported by these newspapers.

* In the medical reports, there is no sign of violence or forced action on any private parts of her body;

* On the other hand, there was evidence of she having a physical relation with one person within 24 hours preceding the incident (of the medical test)

* But the doctors didn't get any evidence of she being 'enjoyed' by more than one man;

* Further, the semen found on her body didn't have the sperm in it and this could be so only in case of elderly, old or impotent persons;

* Two lady doctors have conducted the medical test of the nun and have given the view that prior to the incident the nun was an experienced one in sexual intercourse;

* The forensic tests, done on the clothes that the nun was wearing during the time of rape, do not show any evidence of rape;

* Going by her statement to the press, it seems she had no such regrets.

The fact that even after the newspapers have reported about the character of the nun and have the evidence to prove that the allegation of rape is a blatant lie, the Christian community has not protested any of these reports. Their silence proves that they have accepted what the newspapers have reported.

It needs to be noted that the newspapers have made a reference to the case of another alleged rape of a nun which took place in 1999 in Orissa. As in the present case, the newspapers have questioned the sexual integrity of the concerned nun in the earlier case, quoting the medical report which, 'after examining the private parts' of the victim, reportedly mentioned that the 'unmarried nun' was not only not raped but 'she was experienced in having sexual intercourse with man'.

The Press Council of India has clear guidelines for the Press while reporting crime involving rape of women. But none of these is being followed by these newspapers.

By publishing such defamatory writings the publishers and editors of the concerned newspapers have clearly violated the norms of responsible journalism. While this matter should be brought to the notice of the Press Council of India, I think the response of the civil society organizations, women's groups and concerned individuals will matter most if we want to see the media refrain from such scurrilous writings while reporting incidents of rape. Judging a victim of rape by her past or present sexual life continues to be the norm in our society. In the present instance, before the case is admitted in the courts of law, the newspapers have tried the case and pronounced the judgement – the victim is condemned to be guilty on the basis of her sexual life. ---By Pramodini Pradhan (mediavigil)

Journalistic Fascism

2008-11-18T06:16:00.000-08:00

Ajit Sahi is an investigative reporter with the New Delhi-based Tehelka magazine. He recently published several startling reports clearly indicating that scores of innocent Muslims, including some former members or associates of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), across the country have been falsely implicated by the police, intelligence agencies and the media as being behind various terror attacks. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand, he talks about how influential sections of the Indian media are playing a major role in demonizing Muslims today.

Q:You have been associated with the media for several years now. How do you see the way in which the so-called 'mainstream' Indian media responds to or projects Muslims and Islam, particularly in the context of the recent spate of bomb attacks, in which the media, despite the absence of evidence, has blamed Muslims and Muslim organizations for?

A: I think the media does not want to recognize or admit it, but it sees these issues from basically a Hindu, or at least a non-Muslim, point of view. I tell my media friends that if they were Muslims they would not believe any of this media propaganda about Indian Muslims taking to terrorism, or at least would be greatly suspicious of these claims, because these claims are largely dubious and false. They typically answer is, 'No, we are secular, liberal and progressive. We are not communal'. But I do not agree, of course. I think the way they respond necessarily indicates that they are influenced by their not being Muslim. A hidden anti-Muslim bias pervades the media, although media persons who like to call themselves secular and liberal would hate to admit this. This is reflected, for instance, in the fact that in most cases of Muslims arrested on grounds of terrorism, all that we have are 'confessions' before the police, which are not admissible as evidence before courts, because obviously such 'confessions' are often false and procured after brutal torture. But the media simply projects these statements as supposed evidence, and then weaves this picture of Muslims as terrorists.

At the same time, there is a distinct lack of willingness in large sections of the media to recognize the very obvious and very deadly fact of terrorism being engaged in by people linked to the Hindutva camp. Thus, for instance, there is huge evidence against Narendra Modi of being responsible for the massacre of Muslims in 2002, and if it was somewhere else in the world Modi would have been tried as a criminal, and would probably have been sentenced to death or a hundred years in prison. (For the record, I am opposed to capital punishment.)
I mean, he should be tried under international criminal law and charged with 'ethnic cleansing', but, of course, our supine, so-called 'mainstream' media is not demanding this. You really can't expect anything else from India's week-kneed so-called intellectuals. They do not have the guts to correctly describe Hindutva as it really is—as fascism, in the same league as Nazism.
Q: How do you explain what you have referred to as the deep and pervasive anti-Muslim bias in large sections of the Indian media?

A: One reason for this, of course, is that there are very few Muslims in the so called 'mainstream' media, even in those newspapers, magazines and TV channels that see themselves as 'progressive' or 'liberal'. Now, some might say that this is because there are relatively very few well-educated or well-qualified Muslims, but I don't buy that argument. Surely, if you have a staff of a hundred people it should not be difficult to find twelve or fourteen educated Muslims to employ to reflect the proportion of Muslims in the Indian population. But I would be surprised if any of the so-called 'mainstream' papers have even half that proportion of Muslims among their staff.

The argument is also often made that ensuring a proper representation of the Muslims or the marginalized castes; the Dalits and the Adivasis, in the media would impact on the media's quality or merit. I think this cry about merit is the biggest hoax. After all, we all know that appointments in government services and even so often in the private sector are often not made on the basis of any sort of merit at all. Give me another story! I'd rather believe that the British are going to come back to rule India than swallow the claim that appointments are always made on the basis of merit.

In India, merit basically has come to stand for those who can speak and write in English. Many of these so-called 'meritorious' people in the media have come straight out of universities or have done some media course in some Western institute. They have little idea of the Indian society. Because they are the English-speaking, they rarely have an insider's connect with the community they report on. In fact, they take pride in that fact and in distancing themselves from 'ordinary' people.They think that not having anything to do with non-English-speaking Indians sets them in a position to comment on our society. I think this is really despicable and tragic. And they style themselves as 'liberal' and 'unprejudiced', and claim to be 'objective' about marginalized groups, about Muslims or Adivasis or Dalits, but actually have deep-rooted prejudices about them, which many of them do not even realize they have. These subconscious biases are often much more dangerous than
consciously held prejudices.

Let me cite a personal instance. After I had published some reports in Tehelka exposing the lies of the media and the police about several innocent Muslims, some of who are said to have been associated with SIMI, and who had been wrongly branded as 'terrorists', the TV channel NDTV24x7 did a half hour programme on SIMI. They interviewed, among others, Praveen Swami, who works for the Hindu, and me. They used one sound bite of mine where I said that I had seen the judgments of the previous hree tribunals on SIMI and had found them to be bad judgments, because they lacked evidence and had based their opinion on statements made by the accused before the police, which is not admissible as evidence in a court of law. After my sound bite, they showed Praveen Swami who justified the ban on SIMI saying something to the effect that terrorist outfits are not corporate organizations that hold board meetings and pass resolutions authorizing terror attacks, and so obviously would be careful not to leave any evidence. He also suggested that India should modify the law so that statements given to the police is accepted as evidence.

After the programme was broadcast, I sent an SMS to the producer who had recorded my interview. I drew her attention to Praveen Swami's long-standing record as virtually a spokesman for the Intelligence Bureau. I mean, I would not even call him a journalist. He is, at best, an agent of the state, simply parroting the statements of the police and the intelligence bureau. That's copying-and-pasting, not serious journalism. I also wrote this NDTV producer that she ought to be careful before advocating that confessions made to the police be accepted as evidence, for that would unleash mayhem in the country. After all, we all know how false statements are often forcibly procured by the police from innocent people after brutally torturing them.

This NDTV producer replied to me, saying that like all complex questions, this one, too, had two sides to it, and so she had used Praveen Swami's statement to counter my
view. Now I fiercely respect her and my editorial independence, but talking about another side to a story about innocent people being wrongly targeted and branded as 'terrorists' would be like seeking to portray the 'other' side to the massacre of innocent people in Jallianwala Bagh by interviewing the man behind it, General
Dyer.

Now, mind you, this is the case with a serious TV channel like NDTV24x7, not some irrational, jingoistic channel like India TV or Aj Tak or IBN7. And the programme was sending out subtle messages that clearly appeared to back Praveen Swami's position, with the voiceover commentary on terrorism being accompanied by images of madrasas, bearded men and burkha-clad women that seemed to aim at creating and reinforcing the image of Muslims as terrorists. Now, this is just one example of a
huge number of such portrayals of Muslims in the media.

Q: How do you think this sort of portrayal of Muslims in the media can be countered?

A: The media is a reflection of the middle class of any country. It is the middle class that inhabits the media. So, unless the dominant views in a middle class change, the media cannot change substantially. People have to be sensitized to realities, but this is not what the media is really doing. This can only happen when there is a fair representation of all social groups, including religious communities and castes, in the media. But, like India's bureaucracy and the judiciary, the Indian media has a very heavy over-representation of 'upper' caste Hindus, who are otherwise a numerical minority in our society.

I am reminded of a brilliant though acerbic correspondence American journalist Alexander Cockburn recently had with Tom Brokaw, who is now anchoring NBC's Meet The Press show following the death of its host Tim Russert earlier this year. The simple question that Cockburn asked Brokaw repeatedly is: how come Meet The Press always has a white male as its host? Why doesn't NBC appoint a black journalist, of whom there are many who are also very qualified, as the next MTP host? Of course, after
exchanging two mails, Brokaw had lost his temper and was hurtling inanities – because there is no convincing explanation except white racism to Cockburn's question.

The Indian news media has become even more blatantly communal and anti-Muslim in recent decades. A turning point came when LK Advani became Minister for Information and Broadcasting in the Janata Party Government under Morarji Desai in 1977. That gave a tremendous boost to the RSS, which started pushing in large numbers of hardcore RSS-walas into various newspapers. Before that, the Hindutva ideology was considered so demeaning that people would not even discuss it in their drawing rooms. It was considered a pathetic contrast to the uplifting moral ideology of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, which aimed at healing our society and
nation-building. I mean, sanctifying the RSS ideology with religiosity is like matching Hitler with Gautam Buddha. But things began to change rapidly from the 1980s onwards, and now ultra-chauvinist forces have become very powerful and deeply entrenched all over in Indian media. This has to be seen in conjunction with the way that capitalism has unfolded in India. Rapacious capitalism and neo-imperialism go
hand-in-hand with divisive bigoted religious fervor and nationalist jingoism.

Q: In which way does nationalist jingoism feed into anti-Muslim biases?

A: I think there is a very clear and direct relationship between the two. The sort of nationalism that is being projected by the Hindutva lobby is fiercely anti-Muslim. It is premised on a Brahminical worldview. It projects Muslims, but also all non-Hindus and those Hindus who do not agree to its ideology, as 'anti-national'. The Hindutva groups say they are willing to accept Muslims so long as they don't "look Westward". This is a cunning strategy aimed at forever stoking the flames of divisiveness. For what is a Muslim worth if he doesn't look westward, toward Mecca? Isn't it bizarre to argue that capitalism is good to globalize but Islam must only localize?

Also, the Hindutva lobby is obsessed with military power and the desperate lust for India to be recognized as a 'super-power'. But the irony of the thing is that while it brands Muslims as 'anti-national', there are an overwhelming number of middle-class Hindu families in this country whose sons and daughters have gone, or who want to go, to settle in the US and thereby turn their backs to India. Strange as it may seem, NRI Hindus are one of the fiercest backers of Hindutva lobby that pushes son-of-the-soil nationalism. I think that it is these people who have abandoned India for the American life that are pathetically anti-national. Why shouldn't they be first asked to show their patriotism toward India by returning to the motherland? I
mean, how do you turn your back on your parents, on the land of your birth, its mountains, the air and the rivers of the country that nurtured you, and defect to America, a country founded on genocide and still practicing it on a global scale, and yet be not considered anti-national?

Q: To come back to the question of how and why large sections of the so-called 'mainstream' Indian media have become so communal, what other factors do you see at work?

A: I think we need to go back a bit in history to understand this. Before 1947, the English-language media was solidly pro-British, including papers like the Times of India, and even many of those that were owned by Indians. They wanted to be close to the centre of power, and that remains the same even today. But an influential section of the vernacular media joined the freedom struggle, especially after the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa in 1915. A spirit of social service and sacrifice motivated such publications, as indeed they infested the national mood. Within such media, too, there was this notion that for the sake of the country and truth one should be prepared to put all at stake. So many publishers and editors went to jail for challenging British authority.

After 1947, our law-makers were aware of the dangers of leaving the media completely in the hands of their owners and unprotected journalists who could be susceptible to
manipulation. So, they enacted the Working Journalist Act, which determined that journalists' salaries and said their working conditions would be regulated not by the owners of media houses but by rules laid down by a wage board, headed by a retired high court judge, every few years. Journalists could not be sacked at the whim of the owners. For many years, this system worked fine. The modern post-Independence history of the Indian press has very many proud moments of workers' strikes called to force the hands of the proprietors to pay due wages of the workers as prescribed by a wage board. But all this began to change dramatically when Samir Jain, the inheritor of the Times of India group in 1988, began to offer journalists many times their salaries if they willingly left the wage board system and came on board on a simple hire-and-fire contract.

Soon the virus caught on in the entire industry and, as a result, the Working Journalist Act is now dead. So are the trade unions. Media organizations are now typical corporations centered on the profit motive and not on, what Obama called in his victory speech, "service and responsibility". Instead, the goal of all Indian media is to maximize profits.

All this was bound to change the quality of journalists.

Earlier, many newspapers and journals were edited by leading literary figures whose stature went far higher than those of the proprietors'. Editors of The Times of India
group, Girilal Jain and, before him, Sham lal, were stalwarts to whom Samir Jain's father, Ashok Jain, duly deferred. TOI publication Dharmyug had the literary giant Dharmvir Bharati as editor whose epochal writings 1950s onwards, such as Gunahon Ka Devata and Andha Yug, are still the benchmark for quality writing in Hindi literature. It is unbelievable today that a group like TOI, which now focuses entirely on profits and publishes the most banal news, published the Hindi journal Dinman, which was the pinnacle of intellectual discourse in Indian society as late as just 25 years ago.

The one not unexpected consequence of journalists losing the protection of the Working Journalist Act is that they have become much more susceptible to pressures and manipulation. They are now hired on a contract basis and can be dismissed whenever the owners want. That, indeed, is the norm in any newspaper or TV news office. Journalists have little or no job protection, and are at the mercy of a class of owners who are hugely compromised, many engaged in dubious business deals, hobnobbing with politicians, aspiring for the Rajya Sabha, running their media houses to further selfish economic interests. This loss of journalistic integrity has provided a tailor-made situation for what I call 'journalistic fascism'.

Q: What do you mean by that term?

A: By this I mean a sort of extreme jingoism to the point of schizophrenia, wholly devoid of reasoning and empiricism, playing on completely wrong and insensible biases and prejudices and seeking to prove these as 'sensible'. And this is well illustrated in the case of the fiercely anti-Muslim biases that characterize large sections of even the so-called 'mainstream' media. Let me give you an instance. When the SIMI case was being heard in the Supreme Court a Muslim friend was sitting at the back of the media room when he overheard some journalist friends – Hindus –
abusing India's Muslims in the vilest terms, branding them as traitors who deserved to be expelled from India, and so on. He was stunned. These were his friends, right? I mean, you might expect this sort of stuff to be said in an RSS shakha, certainly not from so-called top national-level journalists sitting in the media room
of the Supreme Court?

The most devastating consequence of the changing media ethic that sees maximization of profits, rather than social service, as their primary objective is to be seen in how journalists have been displaced in media houses by sales and marketing teams as effective decision-makers. Often, leading staffs in these teams have stronger bases and far larger pay packets than even the top editorial persons.

And the principle drive of these sales and marketing bosses is to maximize circulation or viewership, which then translates into higher profits. Like the tabloids of London, this can only mean a shortcut to sensationalism, by playing on and further magnifying basest prejudices, and this holds true as regards the issue of anti-Muslim prejudices as well.

Let me cite an instance. After the 19 September Batla House police encounter in Delhi's Jamia Nagar, some friends in an English TV news channel ran a half-hour prime time show raising all the doubts about the police claim that the two alleged terrorists shot down had killed Inspector MC Sharma. The show in the very next half-hour was, however, devoted to the many awards Sharma – a dubious police officer anyway with many "encounters" under his belt – had received in his lifetime. The first show got a viewership of around a fifth of the latter, and so from the next day they decided to adopt only the line on which the second story was based, thus pandering to the prejudices of the viewers because they found that profitable.

So you see, no matter what the hunks and babes of TV news tell you in their TV promos about how fiercely independent they are, the truth is that it is increasingly the marketing and sales teams that decide what shows should be made and broadcast or what articles and views should be published, or what should be 'consumed'. I am sure you know that readers and viewers are now called 'consumers' internally in the media
houses. I know that – I grew up in that environment and practiced it until I realised what I was doing and bolted from it. If you go to the office of any of the scores of TV channels that have cropped up you can see this for yourself. The entire process of deciding what programmes to do is based on what ratings, in terms of viewership, they are likely to get. These channels are staffed by men and women
barely beyond teenage, who are given hefty salaries but who have little or no knowledge of and empathy for their own societies, particularly for the poor and the oppressed. Many of such journalists are intellectual pygmies, not more intelligent and aware than George Bush.

In other words, all this talk of 'socially responsible media' is just for public consumption. So, to expect any kind of 'society first' attitude from this media is simply foolish.

In the US, if there is the rabidly right-wing Fox News and the Weekly Standard, there is at least a Los Angeles Times, and countless other liberal media projects. But in India, one simply despairs to find a single liberal media outfit that talks the language of sanity and practices the journalism of truth, at least on the issue of Muslims.

Q: What do you think Muslim organizations should do to counter the demonization of the community in the media?

A: To expect that the media, the courts, the police and the politicians would deliver on their own is futile. For this, one has to build public pressure. Muslim organizations and ordinary Muslims must get out of this sense of victimization in which they are trapped. I can empathise with them, given the concerted assaults on their lives and liberties. But they alone can bring themselves out of it. They have to mobilize their community and battle, without doubt in a non-violent way, for their
civil rights as Indians. What can they do? Well, if a hundred Muslims were to arrive in a courtroom when an innocent Muslim, falsely accused of being a terrorist, is brought before the magistrate, there would be immense pressure on that magistrate to record the statement of the accused instead of leaning the way of the police and sending him back with the police, to be tortured more. Mahatma Gandhi repeatedly said that none could be a slave if he was not willing. So, Muslims need to get out of their siege mentality, and stand up and speak from a position of fearlessness. After all, how many innocent Muslims can the police keep arresting or shooting down in fake encounters? During my travels, across India and recently even overseas, I remind my Muslim brothers of the non-violent resistance exemplified in the life of
the Prophet Muhammad, who agreed to a compromise with his Meccan opponents in the Treaty of Hudaibiyah and risked his leadership, but did not give up the peaceful approach. As an unarmed Prophet it was more difficult for his Meccan opponents to deal with him, and because of this he was able to change their hearts so much that the next year he triumphantly entered Mecca totally peacefully and the Meccans accepted Islam.

I know it is easy to pontificate. After all, I am a Hindu and I don't need to dread the evil state and the public bias that our Muslim brothers face. Yet, my advice to my Muslim brothers is to give up fear, anger and bitterness. This is a moral fight if ever there was one, and we must understand that though we are ranged against them, even the perpetrators of such horrific injustice on innocent Muslims are its victims.

Muslims must seek to build pressure on the judiciary and to engage with the Hindu middle-class and the media. But my biggest fear is, and I sincerely hope this does not turn out to be true, if the oppression of Muslims continues unabated they might find themselves pushed to the wall and might then react through counter-violence. And if, God forbid, this happens, because the entire system has failed Muslims, including the police, the courts, the politicians and the media, and they have been
denied justice and hope, then it would spell disaster for them as well as for the country. I am not being an alarmist, just realistic. It is time that the leaders of this country, or those who call themselves so, wake up to this danger ahead.

Q: You have investigated scores of cases of Muslim youth, many of them said to be former members or sympathizers of the banned SIMI, who, you have found, have been falsely accused of being responsible for various terror acts. Can you summarise your findings?

A: I have seen some 150 such cases, and these are meant to be the really serious or major ones. In none of these cases is there much, or, in the vast majority of the cases, any, evidence to establish the guilt of the accused. In fact, if anything, there is overwhelming evidence to establish the innocence of most of the accused.

Q: So, then, who do you think might be responsible for many of the deadly blasts that have taken place across India recently? In some cases, as the recent revelations about the Modassa and Malegaon blasts suggest, could Hindutva terror groups be involved?

A: I can't answer that question without firm evidence, but I would not be surprised if there is a link between the sudden increase in the incidence of such bomb blasts and the nearness of the Parliamentary elections. I think an in-depth study also needs to be made of the timing of such blasts. For instance, Manmohan Singh survives the no-trust vote in Parliament on July 22 and just three-four days later bombs go off in Bangalore and Ahmedabad. Then, a day after the fraudulent Nanavati
report on the Godhra train fire is released, Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal held a press conference showing hidden camera's video of a petrol pump attendant in Godhra admitting he was bribed by the police to falsely accuse Muslims of buying petrol from him to burn the train.
Nanavati had premised his entire finding on the testimony of this petrol pump attendant, who we conclusively proved – in his own words – to have lied after taking a bribe. That press conference was broadcast live in the afternoon. It would certainly have become a big story for the news networks in the evening. But just about half an hour after the press conference, a bomb went off in South Delhi's
Mehrauli. And the media effectively dumped Tehelka's startling revelations to vacuously report on the Mehrauli blast. So, I think there is an urgent need to do a detailed study about precisely when such blasts happen, and perhaps on the
basis of that we can think of some causal relationships.

We must understand that it is not just the hardcore Hindutva outfits that are seeking to cash in on this rhetoric of terrorism. Look at the horrendous way in which
even in Congress-ruled states such as Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi innocent Muslims are being hounded in the name of countering terrorism, at the same time as the Congress is soft-pedalling the issue of Hindutva terrorism for fear of losing Hindu votes. The Congress is no less a pathetically scheming party than the BJP.

Q: Some people have raised the possibility of groups like the CIA or Mossad being involved in acts of disruption in India in order to destablise the country and to drive it further into the embrace of America and Israel. How do you
see this argument?

A: On this I am wary of speculating anything, because I like to speak on the basis of evidence. But, yes, I would like the CIA's operations in India to be explored. We need to know a lot more about the CIA than we presently do.Unfortunately, many of us are blind to the reality of how shameless America and the CIA have been since the past century. The CIA has for long been involved in engineering internal strife
all over the world. US expansionism and imperialist hegemony is premised on promoting internal instability abroad. We know, for instance, how the CIA trained the Pakistani ISI and Osama bin Laden to fight the Russians. And now there's talk about the Americans and Israelis working with the Indian armed forces in counter-insurgency operations, and a separate institution for this has been set up somewhere in Mizoram. America and Israel have done everything in their power to bring hatred
upon their own countries. So why do we want to be in their league? Look at where Pakistan has reached—almost to the point of civil war—by siding with America. Do we want to go the same way? I,for one, do not.

Q. What do you feel about the 'Indian Mujahideen' and another outfit with a similar-sounding name that has been blamed for the Assam blasts? Do you think these are real organizations or are they, as some people allege, simply fictitious and perhaps a creation of the Hindutva lobby and/or the intelligence bureau? Is there any sold proof that these outfits do actually exist?

A. Once again, I can't say they don't exist without incontrovertible proof that indeed these are only a figment of the police's imagination. But the fact is that the
credibility of the Indian police and intelligence agencies is, as far as I am concerned, questionable, to put it mildly.Can you remember the last time the police in India genuinely cracked a case without public pressure, or came up with the truth, or did not try to implicate a wrong guy? I will take you back six years when
Delhi-based journalist Iftikhar Geelani was arrested by the Delhi Police and accused by the Intelligence Bureau of spying for Pakistan. The poor man spent seven harrowing months in Tihar Jail, on which he wrote a book, My Days In Prison. It turned out that the entire case against Geelani (not to be confused with Prof. SAR Geelani of the Parliament attack case) was fabricated by the IB. The secret and
classified document that the IB claimed was found on his computer was a document that was published by an Islamabad institute and widely circulated, including in India. In fact, so malicious was the IB that they altered the document to make it a look as if it was from the Indian government.

So, coming back to Indian Mujahideen, if the Indian security agencies and the police have a watertight case against this outfit, then why don't they bring the evidence
to the public domain? Why are they always racing to hold a press conference and plant stories of their claims through pliant journalists like Praveen Swami but never forthcoming with evidence? How do we know for sure that the e-mails that the
government claims were sent by IM were actually sent by it?

At this point, I must tell my Hindu brothers and sisters of the Indian middle class – many of who appear to be resolutely behind the IB and the police insofar as the Muslim-as-terrorists theories are concerned – that they should be careful in allowing their prejudices to get the better of their reasoning. I mean, just look at how the American white, Christian middle class plumbed for all the deceitful lying that George Bush did in order to get their support to attack Afghanistan and Iraq. When people ask me why would IB and the police lie, I ask them, why do they think George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice lied and continue to lie? After all, these were the top leaders of the world's most powerful
'democracy'. So let's not be naïve and reject the possibilities that the Indian Mujahideen does not exist.

Q. You say the timings of the blasts need to be studied and point to the fact of the sudden increase in these blasts as the elections draw closer, thus suggesting a possible causal relationship. Can you elaborate on precisely which
political forces/parties might stand to gain from these blasts, which, in turn, might shed some light on this possible causal relationship?

A. I must make this clear that I am not suggesting that any political party is behind the bomb blasts, though BJPleader Sushma Swaraj did stunningly seemed to suggest that the Congress might be behind the Ahmedabad blasts of July 26 this year. But isn't it obvious which parties stand to gain from the politics of polarizing that follows such terror attacks? It is obvious that the BJP gains a lot from consolidating an anti-Muslim bias among at least the urban Hindus by raising the fear of unchecked terrorism arriving at our doorstep. We now have the very interesting case unfolding in Maharashtra with the arrest of hardcore Hindutva elements for the September blasts in Malegaon. But, as I said, the Indian police cannot be trusted, and the entire Malegaon case could well be a political stunt by a desperate Congress party, which rules Maharashtra, to counter the political mileage that the BJP was hoping to draw from the blaming of Muslims for the other terror attacks.--By Yoginder Sikand (mediavigil)

The trouble with relying on police sources

2008-11-18T01:03:00.000-08:00

These days, two kinds of sensational events dominate our media: bomb blasts and large scale mob violence. But the difference in the way the media has handled them is glaring. Laziness and deadline pressure are at least partly responsible for the communal stereotypes perpetrated by the press says JYOTI PUNWANI.
What if Abdus Subhan Qureishi, now known as `Tauqeer', turns out to be not India's `Osama', as he is being labeled, but just another young fanatic who left home and job to pursue religion, and is now too scared to come back?
Does this possibility sound bizarre? Why? Because the ATS can't be wrong? After the July 11, 06 blasts, three of the many `masterminds' and `key links' arrested by the ATS soon after the blasts – Mumtaz Choudhury from Navi Mumbai, Khalid Ahmed from Madhubani and Akhmal Hashmi from Srinagar - were discharged by it within three months for lack of evidence. Their arrests had been announced by the ATS as `major breakthroughs'. The media had gone ballistic the same way they are doing now over the `techie bombers' allegedly responsible for all the recent blasts.Like we've forgotten these and other `desh drohis' who had dominated the media just two years back, `Tauqeer' and the other `new faces of jehad' may also be forgotten by us as some other sensational event takes over. Maybe their families should just have patience and bear with the blinding spotlight till then. (A mail from Azamgarh informs us that Atif Ameen's father died three days after his son was killed in the Delhi `encounter' that is still creating headlines.) After all, sensationalism is an intrinsic part of the media. And Muslims aren't its only targets. Celebrities and crime, for example, make for fantastic copy and visuals. Salman Khan, Maria Susairaj, Manu Sharma, Sanjeev Nanda –the list of those who complain of being `targeted' is endless.
Old-timers will remember the sensational incident in which theatre giant B V Karanth allegedly set on fire actress Vibha Mishra in Bhopal. The police allowed a few reporters into the room where Karanth was about to confess – of course without his knowledge. His confession was then flashed in the newspapers. The entire theatre world accused the press of "trial by media', of being used by the police, of insensitivity… More recently, the Shivani Bhatnagar killing made headlines, with the wife of the accused police officer R K Sharma calling a media conference to refute the `confession' the police claimed he had made, and daring the media to question BJP leader Pramod Mahajan on his role in the murder. As she lashed out, flashbulbs focused on Sharma's two teenaged daughters, waiting to meet their father in custody.

Sensationalism –not animus against Muslim Personal Law, as Urdu journalists allege - also dictated the continuous coverage received by the Imrana case. Rape within the family, an outrageous fatwa by mullahs (who are, let's admit, the media's favourite whipping boys), a woman who fights back – what more do you need for a Page One story? It may be recalled that the Roop KAnwar sati episode also dominated the front pages for weeks, with editorials and feature pages condemning the Hindu leaders who defended the burning alive of an 18-year-old bride, as shrilly as they had the maulvis who declared Imrana haraam for her husband after her father-in-law raped her.
These days, two kinds of sensational events dominate our media: bomb blasts and large scale mob violence. But the difference in the way the media has handled them is glaring. While the media relays the smallest detail about the lives of India's alleged `new terror techies'- down to their Orkut posts, it is deafeningly silent about details of those who have been continuously burning churches and attacking Christians in Orissa, Karnataka and Kerala. The irony is that the church-burners revel in brandishing their weapons in front of the camera, while the alleged Muslim bombers operate in secrecy.

The media has chosen instead to focus on the New Life evangelists –the alleged provocation for the attacks on Karnataka's churches. While it is important to know what provokes violence, we don't find a similar scrutiny of VHP leader Swami Laxmananand Saraswati's record, that might help understand what may have led to his killing.

One obvious reason for this skewed emphasis is that the police, who tell the media everything about alleged Muslim terrorists, don't do the same about violent Hindu extremists - not even about their leaders. Of course the police isn't one homogenous entity, but across the country, their behavior is disturbingly similar on this count.

Compare the manner in which the ATS in Mumbai publicly profiled the Muslims picked up for the July 11, 2006 train blasts, and its silence on the RSS members arrested in the Nanded blasts in 2006, who it has also accused of perpetrating blasts outside mosques in Maharashtra since 2003. Again consider this: the day after any bomb blast, the police blame SIMI, LeT, HuJI… but in the charge-sheet filed in the Thane blasts case this year, the ATS has not even mentioned the organization to which the accused belonged, the Sanatan Sanstha, run by the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti.

If the media continues to rely primarily on the police in its bomb blasts reportage, Azamgarh will gain notoriety, but Nanded, Kanpur and Tenkasi will get no special attention. (Thanks to the media, what Azamgarh now symbolizes needs no explanation. Nanded, Kanpur and Tenkasi are all places where RSS members were arrested for making and/or planting bombs.) Time and again, the police version of communal violence in Mumbai/Maliana/Bhagalpur/Punjab/ Kashmir has been proved wrong. The police force of these places has been indicted by sitting and retired judges for communal conduct. Why then does the media choose to treat whatever the police say as gospel truth? Is it just laziness, and the race for `breaking news'? How much easier –and more importantly, quicker - it is to get the story from the police than actually go to the place and get as comprehensive a picture as possible.Laziness and deadline pressure are at least partly responsible for the communal stereotypes perpetrated by the press. Urdu journalists allege that only two kinds of Muslim voices, always of the same persons, get heard in the English press: liberal and conservative. True, the ambivalent views of the average Muslim rarely make it to the newspapers because s/he isn't easily available for `quotes' on the phone! Also, it's mostly the liberal Muslim who writes in English. Who will bother to translate? Similarly, if pictures of only burqah-clad and topi-wearing Muslims are published, it's often because these are immediately identifiable as Muslims and their pictures are always available in newspaper libraries. Actually sending a photographer to the nearest college or call centre, computer repair office or timber mart – places where Muslims abound – is just too much trouble.

Besides, many of the Muslims working there may not fit the popular image of a Muslim, and that instant identification appears to be very important for the media. So be it Imrana or education, Eid or elections, you have the same black burqah, beard and rows of bent namazees. Even when the majority of signatories at a street corner campaign in Mumbai on the Srikrishna Commission Report were non-Muslims, the cameraman chose to click the only burqah-clad signatory, making what was as much a human rights issue into a purely Muslim issue.
But what explains the headlines and use of language? It is revealing that even after it was clear that Hindu terrorists were responsible for the Thane blasts, no newspaper used the word `terrorist' or even `extremist' in the headlines to describe them; the most they said was `Hindu radicals'. What makes English journalists use terms of endearment for the likes of rabble rousers such as Bal Thackeray and Uma Bharti? When does the Babri Masjid become a `disputed structure' and an economic blockade of the Kashmir Valley imposed in the glare of cameras, an `alleged blockade'? And what makes them devote more space to the violent protests against the mutilation and murder of a Dalit teenager and her family in Khairlanji, than to the barbaric act itself?
Recent reports revealed that `reserved category' students have fared better than many general category (hence automatically `meritorious') students in the IIT entrance exam; that while reserved students who score zero in one subject will now get in (thanks to further lowering of cut-off marks for them) , many general students scoring zero have already got in. Guess what the headlines were: not the discovery of the truly meritorious performance of the SCs/STs/OBCs, but the lowering of the cut-off into these `hallowed'' institutes.
So is there truth in the allegations of communal bias that were being made long before the `Indian Mujaheedin's emails made them into headlines? (They should have added caste bias.) Yet, can we ignore the fact that this is the same media that exposed the RSS' violence in Gujarat, and that shows its revulsion whenever Hindutva goons act as violent censors? In Gujarat 2002, even the Hindi channels went all out against the massacre of Muslims.
Nor is the Urdu press free of communal bias and actual rabble rousing. The most recent example was the regret expressed by leading Urdu dailies that Taslima Nasreen wasn't attacked more brutally, when her meeting was disrupted in Hyderabad. If the English press dutifully publishes the police version of every bomb blast – that Muslims are behind it , the Urdu press is at the other extreme. It attributes the blasts to anyone – RSS/security agencies/Naxalites/USA/Mossad – but Muslims. Not all Muslims agree; indeed, some were so disgusted by the Urdu press' refusal to acknowledge the possibility that Muslims could be responsible for the 2006 train blasts, that they switched to the `communal' English press.
However, the Urdu press can harm only its readers, which in itself has repercussions for everyone. Imagine the harm done by the English media! Before asking Muslims to introspect, shouldn't the media do so? (mediavigil)

Asaram Bapu lies exposed

2008-11-18T00:39:00.000-08:00

Dear Reader,
I would like to introduce to real victims of asaram & tales we have beard when we were inside asaram ashram with a ebook called SHAITAN BANA ASARAM . We don't belong to any party, but yes we are Hindu's and ashamed that hindu thekedaars didn't came to help victims of asaram.
As we are not writers like you, so we have only written in basic spoken language, BUT we have attached some court copies of court cases against asaram to show you that his crimes are not form today, or he didn't became criminal just after the murders of the two boys. There are number of unreported deaths & dead bodies are burnt by saying it was haadsa (accident). Like when one time we were digging in Ahmedabad ashram then we digged a bit deeper the person died, no where it was reported. It was just declared as accident not even FIR was done or any post mortem was done. In each of the ashrams all over India if you can take any of the old sadhak in confidence then he will reveal all of his secrets. What you see form outside it's not at all inside. there are number of horror stories & fear factor given to each sadhak.

Any one who was ever able to get out is living under fear of being murdered as asaram has political connections. Each inmate who is out was beaten at his house by 50-60 sadhaks who had came to their house to put the family in fear. Those who came on TV are threatened now.
I would request you to please look in details, go to his ashram with open mind and see the un humane mind prison asaram has made for thousands of people.
I sincerely hope you can involve some Human Rights Organizations with you while doing investigation for this.
We speak from our heart and mental torture what we had beard and others are bearing now, their first weapon they use is GURU KI NINDA KARNE WALA NARAK MEIN PAHUNCH JATA HAI. Then asaram writes bogus stories how he blessed some one who took deeksha form him, means paid him membership fees and did fasting in his name instead of god.
This is very serious issue, as people living in ashram are made slaves forever life. Britisher left India but asaram tied people to work in his factories and his organization in the name of Guru Sewa. he is all about thug, he is not sadhu , as he has sex with devotees which we are willing to go to narco test and provide details when where with who he had sex with. See each of his victims is willing to go to Narco test but asaram won't come for narco rather he himself is saving even the suspects from narco.

After breaking families and taking over their family assets, he had started exploiting family members female devotees to spread his message to recruit more in their local residential areas. As seen on TV families are broken & they have still not been united, rather asaram now to save his dirty face trying to put dispute in religions itself. In all of the shakti pardarshan rally's he is organizing in local residential areas, he is distributing small pamphlets which clearly says that all sajish was done by Christian missionaries, & foreign hands are involved.
In his pamphlets he spreads superstition that there is we should only believe him because he has 8lakh sadhaks ? After having 8 lakh sadhak it gives him a license to do goondaraaj ? No parent will ever want to send their child to his ashram then come on TV to beg from him after 14 yrs. He published his own paper, his own magazine, which get's internally distributed through area wise managers samitis. In all of his 4 pages of news papers he publishes, laughable matters is that you should stop thinking & don't believe in Media is showing about victims of asaram, don't believe in victims, just belive in what asaram is saying.
About Adiwasi & Garib junta ka bhala he writes please ask people who have left him after working in his ashram jail for 10-15 years, we can explain you exactly how just by spending under 1 lakh and distributing matches, agarbatti, candle & 1 kilo rice asaram makes over 4 crores in one of his bhandara for adivasi. In return every time he eyes some land to be grabbed, and PR activity is done.
You really need to think that a person who is so thick skin that he personally has humiliated mothers who are asking for her son back, a person who filed FIR against them for cheating is threatened to be murdered, Rape victim who is out is being character assassinated isn't all these signs of power full people playing politics. Some are breaking country on the basis of dharam, some on state language, but asaram was breaking families over guru sewa in superstition now he has also joined in breaking country by alleging that victims belongs to Christian communities. (this is all to bhramit people so he can get support from party's fighting over Orrisa issue).
In his pamphlet he also took Mahatma Gandhi's name but he forgot Mahatma Gandhi fought for slaves to get them free from British raj, but parents are crying out loud on TV and in front of all of his ashrams that their children are made slaves for life in andhwishwas of asaram ki sewa.
Because public is now aware of his criminal activities & frauds, so they are removing his photographs & have diminished from the nautanki in the name pravachan he used to organize,but asaram has started a new propaganda now. now he has started SHAKTI PARDARSHAN RALLIES in which he puts his large photograph & stops traffic in major cities on main roads and with loud voice of loudspeakers he is desperately trying to woo people's attention. This is all tactics used by politicians not by dharmik gurus. Sad part is due to some illiterate, & superstitious people whole community & samaj is suffering. Please look in details posted in SHAITAN BANA ASARAM , or in ASARAM KI KALI KARTUTS . All victims who ever came on TV asking for help are still looking for justice.
As a writer I hope you will help the victims to get justice in your way. Please feel free to take my writing and write in your own way. No copyrights so it's all yours.(Amrut Prajapati) Wed, Nov 5, 2008

Custody of eight Malegaon blast accused extended

2008-11-17T06:43:00.000-08:00

The judicial remand of eight of the ten accused, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, in the Malegaon blast case has been extended till November 29 as a court rejected the Gujarat police's plea for interrogation of nine of them.
The ATS, which produced the eight arrested persons in the case before the jam-packed court of Additional Judge H K Ganatra, sought extension of their judicial remand stating that investigations are on.
Special counsel for ATS Ajay Misar argued before the court that since investigation into the blast was still on, the judicial remand of the accused should be extended.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat Police approached the court for interrogation of nine of the ten accused, which was denied. Deputy Superintendent of Police K K Mysorewala represented the Gujarat Police.
Sadhvi Pragya's lawyer filed an application before the court alleging the ATS had ill treated her besides torturing his client.
Another accused in the case, Major (retd) Ramesh Upadhyay told the court that he was not allowed to send letters, seeking legal help, to his family members in Pune.
Upadhyay said he was not being allowed to communicate with his family which was against the "principle of natural justice".
He also accused the ATS of not providing him certain facilities, applicable under the jail rules.
Sadhvi Pragya, whose lawyer had filed the application on her behalf in English, sought the court's permission to translate the same in Hindi as she didn't understand the language.
She told the court, packed with reporters and policemen besides curious onlookers, that she does not even know what she is being charged for.
"Mujhe Maloom nahi mera kasoor kya hai, (I don't know what my crime is)," she said.
Dozens of Shiv Sena activists had gathered outside the court shouting in support of the sadhvi who was the first to be arrested by the ATS.
The investigation into the case came under media and public scrutiny after a serving Army Lt Colonel and certain Hindu religious leaders were arrested in this connection.
With assembly elections in some big states just around the corner, the case has also acquired political colour with the BJP and the Sangh Parivar calling the arrests of the Hindu leaders as "inspired by political motives".
The Congress on the other hand has maintained that the law should take its own course.
Maharashtra Director General of Police A N Roy had earlier told that "at least three persons are still wanted in the September 29 Malegaon blast case in which ten persons have been arrested so far," adding investigations are still going on. (PTI)

Sisters killed in name of honour

2008-11-15T06:54:00.000-08:00

A manhunt for the accused in the double murder of industrialists in Dadri is still on, a day after the incident. According to the police, Mahesh Rathi, cousin of the murdered Omveer Rathi, is still absconding along with two other alleged accomplices.
Mahesh allegedly shot Omveer and his brother-in-law, Vicky after a heated argument related to running the factory in which the two deceased and the accused were partners.
According to Gautam Buddha Nagar SP (rural) Surender Verma, a meeting had taken place in the evening to settle the dispute over running the factory between the three partners. “There were six people in the boardroom when Mahesh shot Omveer and Vicky. Both injured were rushed to Yashoda Hospital in Ghaziabad where they were dead on arrival,” said the SP. He said Golden Rathi Star Industries Ltd, the iron rod-making unit was closed for quite some time as it was incurring losses. The partners wanted to settle the dues of the unit and sell the property.
According to the eyewitness who lodged an FIR with the Noida police, Mahesh Rathi wanted to re-open the unit located at Dujana road of Dadri, to be able to retrieve his money and then withdraw. Omveer and Vicky, who were each 25 per cent partners in the factory, were not willing to make it operational. Mahesh was holding 50 per cent share in the factory.
“Mahesh shot at my cousin and his brother-in-law,” reads the FIR lodged by Sunil Sharma at Dadri police station. Two other people Sugam and Ravi have also been named in the FIR. Sugam is Mahesh’s brother-in-law.
Both families live in Gurgaon. “Mahesh is a resident of DLF Phase II whereas, Omveer with his family lives in DLF Phase I. We have sent teams to Ghaziabad, Palam and Gurgaon to track the three named in the FIR,” Verma added.

What is the matter?
Two teenage girls were shot dead by their cousin in a case of honour killings Thursday 6th november in Surajpur locality of this suburb of the national capital, the police said. The alleged killer, Sonu, has been arrested and has confessed to shooting the girls, the police added.According to Greater Noida district police superintendent S.K. Verma, the two girls - Pinky (16) and Sonam (15), students of class 11 and class 9 - went to Aligarh Saturday with a couple of boys without telling their family. The girls were the daughters of brothers Om Prakash and Gopi Chand.
When the girls called an acquaintance from Aligarh, their family members intercepted the call and came to know about their location. The family, including their 23-year-old cousin Sonu, went to Aligarh and brought the girls back home Monday.
“The two girls had eloped on an earlier occasion also. Sonu was always conscious about the family’s honour and couldn’t tolerate the sisters fleeing with anyone and destroying the family’s reputation. The family knew Sonu’s traits and so after bringing them back from Aligarh, they kept the girls at a secluded place to fend off any wrongdoing by the enraged Sonu,” said Senior Superintendent of POlice (Gautam Budh Nagar) R.K. Chaturvedi.
Sonu is son of Sri Chand, brother of Om Prakash and Gopi Chand.
“Sonu went to Sonam’s house Thursday morning and also called Pinky. He kept asking them with whom they had eloped and why. Then an angry Sonu first shot Sonam with a .315 bore country-made pistol and then fired at Pinky. The fathers of both the girls were away when this happened,” Chaturvedi said.
The bodies of the two girls were taken to Gopi Chand’s house, barely 100 metres away from that of Om Prakash, before the police came onto the scene.
Though they lived in three separate houses, Gopi Chand, Om Prakash and Sri Chand were a close-knit family and that is why Sonu could not tolerate the sisters damaging the family’s reputation, the official added.
While Gopi Chand owns a grocery shop in Surajpur, Om Prakash owns a medical store. Sonu runs a mobile repairing shop in the locality.
Sonu was arrested after a case of murder was filed against him by Om Prakash in the Surajpur police station.
“Sonu has confessed to the murders. Though Sonu is under our custody, he seems totally unrepentent and unremorseful. He still believes what he did was right for his family’s image. We are also questioning him about who the boys were with whom the two girls had eloped,” Chaturvedi added. (ndtv.com)