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Coalition Against Genocide | Ph/Fax: 443-927-9039 | 7000 Security Blvd. Suite 110 | Windsor Mill | MD | 21244
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Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Leading US Congressmen introduce a Resolution on "Religious Freedom in India" -and specially on GUJARAT!
Thursday, November 07, 2013
JUSTICE FOR ALL CAMPAIGN (Nov 23-24) ALLAHABAD
Justice for All Campaign
End Impunity, Ensure Accountability
End Impunity, Ensure Accountability
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Invite
Dear Friend,
Several groups and individuals have come together from all over India and will be meeting at Allahabad on November 23-24 2013(Saturday-Sunday) to launch a visible public campaign for the immediate tabling of the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011in Parliament forthwith. Several Individuals and groups involved with humanrights issues among various communities will be spearheading the tabling of the Bill.
SAY NO to Violence, YES to Justice and Peace are the slogans of this campaign that will be launched at a national level Campaign this November.
- Expedite Tabling of Prevention of Communaland Targeted Violence Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill 2011
- Join the Campaign at Allahabad November23-24 2013
The arrangementsfor stay for all the outstation delegates have been made at the following places:
1.Sadhana Sadan(Opp. St. Josephs College) Tashkant Marg, opp. Company Babh, Allahabad.
2.G. B.Pant Institute for Social Sciences, Jhunsi, Allahabad.
3.Homes of Friends.
All outstation delegates may contact the camp office at Allahabad or local contacts whose phone numbers are given below. Please copy all email correspondence toteestateesta@gmail.com
Venuefor the seminar: Jagat Taran College 32, Amarnath Jha Marg,George Town, Allahabad.
Venuefor public meeting: Prayag Sangeet Samiti 12C, Kamla NehruRoad, Civil lines, Allahabad.
Issued by Justice for All Campaign Ad Hoc Committee: Teesta Setalvad(Convenor), Dr Amarjit Singh Narang,
Irfan Engineer, Aslam Ghazi, MaulanaBurhanuddin Qasmi, Maulana Daryabadi, Dolphy D'Souza, Farid Shaikh,
HaroonMozawala, Javed Anand, Keval Ukey, Kaushik Sangahvi, Rahul Bose, Sumedh Jadhav,Yusuf Muchhala.
&
Peoples’Union For Civil Liberties(PUCL), Progressive Writer Association, Jan Sanskriti Manch, Institute for Social Democracy(ISD), Jagrit Samaj, Aazadi Bachao Andolan, Istri Mukti Sangathan, New Socialist Initiative, Shahri Garib Sangharsh Morcha, Human Rights Law Network, Josh and Firaq Literary Society,Sambhav.
Camp Office at ALLAHABAD: CareerCoaching,13, Kamla Nehru Road, Civil Lines, Allahabad.
Local Contact Persons:
AnshuMalviya (9415812917) e-mail: anshumalviya@yahoo.com
UtpalaShukla (9415828093) e-mail : utpalashukla@gmail.com
Zafar Bakht(9839054009) e-mail : zafarbakht@rediffmail.com
Shahnaz(9415368943)
Prof. AliAhmad Fatimi (9415306239)
All India Contact : c/oSabrang, Nirant, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu, Mumbai 400049;
Telephone: 91- (0)22,6602288/26603927; Email: teestateesta@gmail.com , www.sabrang.com
Summary
After the genocidal pogrom of Gujaratin 2002, UPA I in its Common Minimum Programme assured India’s minorities of a special law and well defined crimes to ensure that the perpetrators of mass andtargeted violence are punished and fair reparations are made mandatory. This promise has been kept in cold storage. The recent perpetrated violence in thefour districts of Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Shamli and Meerut demand that India’s political case are made to fulfill this long overdue promise. India’s National Advisory Council (NAC)drafted a bill in June 2011 aimed at tackling communal and targeted violence and delivering justice and compensation to victims. The proposed Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill 2011 brings in categories like sexual offences, hatepropaganda, dereliction of duty and culpability of officials within its ambit,widening the spectrum of crimes that constitute communal violence.
While the Bill seeks to prevent all forms of violence against all communities, the many incidents of violence targeting religious minorities in the past three decades – e.g., Nellie, Assam (1983),Delhi (1984), Kashmir (1989), Bhagalpur (1989), Mumbai (1992-93), Gujarat(2002) and Kandhamal, Orissa (2008) – as well as the failure of the police and justice systems to punish the guilty show the need for such a law to ensure accountability, due process, reparation, and protection of these peoples’ human rights. These constitutional guarantees have been repeatedly denied and it seems the state machinery is complicit inacts of communal violence, both by commission and omission.
The inaction on the proposed bill (almost 2 years since its drafting) would seem tosupport this allegation. Civil society groups in India are now campaigning for the NAC draft bill to be tabled andtaken up in Parliament.
Campaign Launch
To strategise how to ensure and expedite thetabling of the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill 2011 in the Parliament a National Campaign meet has been planned at Allahabad on November 23-24, 2013. We request you to attend and make this campaign successful.
Background
There is a history of targetedviolence in India in the past three decades.To name a few: Nellie, Assam(1983), Delhi (1984), Kashmir (1989),Bhagalpur (1989), Mumbai (1992-93), Gujarat (2002) and Kandhamal, Orissa(2008) . The attacks were made onIndia's religious minorities: Muslims,Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs, Christians.Tamilians in Karnataka and Biharis in Maharashtra are examples oflinguistic minorities who have suffered. Dalits and Adivasis too are frequentvictims. The Khairlanjee massacre of Dalits in 2006 or the Ramabai Nagar police firing in 1998, both in Maharashtra,are cases in point.
The attacks are also allegedly state-sponsored and state-condoned. Moreover, when it comes to following the Rule of Law and ensuring accountability and due process afterbouts of such targeted violence, the local administration and the police have been found tardy and wanting, failing to deliver justice and punish theguilty. Local sources opine thatsuccessive governments have been guilty of serious crimes of omission and commission.
Apparently there is what they call an “institutionalized riot system”. The November 1984 massacre of Sikhs provides agood illustration. Victims were unableto get the local police to protect the lives of their family members orproperty. They were unable to file aproper complaint in the police station.Senior police officers, bureaucrats and ministers, who got reports fromall across the city, state and country, did not act immediately to ensure thetargeted minorities were protected.Incendiary language against the victims was freely used. Women who were raped or sexually assaultedgot no sympathy or assistance. When theriot victims formed makeshift relief camps, the authorities harassed them andtried to make them leave. The victimshad to struggle for years before the authorities finally provided some compensation for the death, injury and destruction they suffered. As for the perpetrators of the violence, they got away since the police and the government did not gather evidence, conductedno investigation and appointed biased prosecutors, thereby sabotaging thechances of conviction and punishment.
On a smaller scale, all victims of organized,targeted violence — be they Tamils in Karnataka or Hindi speakers in Maharashtra or Dalits in Haryana and other parts of the country — know fromexperience and instinct that they cannot automatically count on the localpolice coming to their help should they be attacked. Overfifteen years ago, a serving, senior police officer made a stunning statement:“No riot can last for more than 24 hours unless the state wants it tocontinue”. T his statement has since been endorsed by a number of seniorpolicemen and political leaders.
What this means is simple. Ifthe police and administration were to be held directly responsible for thefailure to impartially enforce the Rule of Law, perpetrators of recurringviolence would be halted in their tracks.If the law could give fair reparation commensurate to the loss and to becompulsorily paid within a time-frame, the future would not benefit rioters. Ifsenior officers were held responsible for dereliction of duty they would ensureaccountability from themselves and the men and women they command.
The proposedPrevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Accessto Justice and Reparations) Bill 2011 (PCTV) isa first step towards addressing these incidents of targeted violence, a modestcontribution towards ensuring that India's citizens enjoy the protection of thestate regardless of their religion, language or caste. It was framedby the National Advisory Council (NAC) and released in June 2011. Sources also feedback that it is a hugeimprovement over a bill originally drawn up by the United Progressive Alliancegovernment in 2005.
The PCTV bill sets out to protect religious andlinguistic minorities in any state in India, as well as the Scheduled Castesand the Scheduled Tribes, from targeted violence, including organizedviolence. Apart from including the usualIndian Penal Code (IPC) offences, the NAC draft modernizes the definition ofsexual assault to cover crimes other than rape and elaborates on the crime ofhate propaganda already covered by Section 153A of the IPC. It also broadens the definition ofdereliction of duty — which is already a crime — and, for the first time inIndia, adds offences by public servants or other superiors for breach ofcommand responsibility.
Another important feature is the dilution of thestandard requirement that officials can only be prosecuted with the priorsanction of the government. The PCTV billsays no sanction will be required to prosecute officials charged with offenceswhich broadly fall under the category of dereliction of duty.
Likewise, the Bill fills the lacuna of compensation for thoseaffected by communal and targeted violence.Today, the relief that victims get is decided by the government on an adhoc and sometimes discriminatory basis.Sections 90 and 102 of the PCTV bill rectify this by prescribing an equalentitlement to relief, reparation, restitution and compensation for all personswho suffer physical, mental, psychological or monetary harm as a result of theviolence, regardless of whether they belong to a minority group or not.
The PCTV bill also envisages the creation of a NationalAuthority for Communal Harmony, Justice and Reparation. The authority's role will be to serve as acatalyst for implementation of the new law.
Citizensof India and human rights groups battling communalism have had a major role indebating and highlighting the need for this Bill. Today we need to cometogether to ensure that these collective efforts are not in vain, that the Billis tabled before Parliament. Those opposing the Bill are those responsible forcommunalizing the public sphere and fomenting communal violence. Given thefierce opposition to such a Bill, it became imperative that it be brought backinto the focus. We need to take up the challenge and launch a nationwidecampaign, at regional and national levels.The campaign now aims at focusing on the need to get the broad parametres contained in the NAC draft bill, re-worked into a government Bill and tabled in the Rajya Sabha.
SAY NO to Violence, YES to Justice and Peace
Teesta Setalvad
'Nirant', Juhu Tara Road,
Juhu, Mumbai - 400 049
http://teestasetalvad.
www.cjponline.org
www.gujarat-riots.com
www.sabrang.com
Sunday, November 03, 2013
Saturday, November 02, 2013
"GOOD-BYE DEAR JACKIE!" (Remembering a FRIEND on ALL SOULS DAY )
“GOODBYE”, DEAR JACKIE !
Dear Jackie,
Ever since I got the call from Austin on Thursday morning telling me that you were no more, I have just been too numbed for words! The news of your sudden death has shocked us all - your beloved wife Leela, your loving children Alka and Austin and their families: Kevin, Darin, Edwin, Ethan, Ian and Ingrid and all the rest of us: family and friends, gathered here today – and those far away!
Everything at this moment seems unreal: like a bad dream which will hopefully pass away. It is so difficult and painful for us to accept that you are no longer here Jackie; that you just had to leave us so suddenly, swiftly and silently.
But then, we do accept that our life here is but a pilgrimage. All of us are here today and gone tomorrow. As Christians, we do believe in the resurrection, that all of us are called to eternal life. In some ways, the hollowness that we experience at this moment is mitigated by the fact that we will unite with you one day.
So at this moment, we gather together as one family to celebrate what you have meant to each one of us during your life here on earth – warm and tender memories of a husband, a father, a grandfather, a friend, a companion, a colleague, a neighbour.
Last night, I was wondering what to say at this homily today. Like a film the many years that we have known each others just rolled by - almost twenty five perhaps, if not more! I cherish those happy moments we spent together; but at this moment I want to highlight just three remarkable qualities which were you Jackie.
- Sincerity
Our world today is fraught with hypocrisy and a lack of authenticity. So a person like you Jackie who has always been so sincere, so very genuine - was like a breath of fresh air. There was a kind of transparency that always radiated from you; a special joy which one felt when in close proximity of you. In your life there were no pretensions. You did not try to hide anything nor did you try to put on any airs. You were always just yourself Jackie! That is what drew people to you. There were people like me, who were just happy to be your friend or to call you theirs. From your sincerity, there always exuded a genuine warmth, something special, which your immediate family always experienced in you.
- Sensitivity
The sincerity in you Jackie also made you a very sensitive person; always loving and caring, responding to the needs of the others. It was this sensitivity, which made you always available for others. Last night, as we celebrated your memory in a special family Eucharist, I asked each of your four grandsons Kevin, Darin, Ian and Ethan - this one question – “What did granddad mean to you?” The answers were spontaneous and genuine: “he loved us”; “he accompanied us”; “he played with us”; “he took me to the park”; “he accompanied me to my karate classes”; “he spent time with us”; “he talked to us”. This, Jackie is the best tribute that anyone can get. Out of the mouths of babes flow words of truth. There are indeed so many all around who have experienced your sensitivity during your life here on earth. We thank you Jackie for this.
- Simplicity
Whenever I think of you Jackie, I am reminded of St. Joseph. St. Joseph, we know was a simple and just man. There was a profound simplicity in you Jackie: In your demeanour, the way you came across to people; your unassuming nature was definitely something special. All of us needed to learn this from you. Yes Jackie, there was a touch of class in your simplicity. You were unobtrusive yet you became a comfort-zone for many. There was something about your simplicity Jackie, which had an ‘old-world-charm’, a kind of a quiet which belonged to the distant shores of Karwar. In your simplicity you were always there for all.
So dear Jackie, as you lie here in front of us – Leela, Alka, Austin, Ingrid, Ethan, Ian, Darin, Kevin and Edwin and this large crowd who have come to pay their respects to you, we thank you for the sincere, sensitive and simple life you led here on earth. These 3 S’s in fact highlight your SELFLESSNESS throughout your life.
There are several questions all of us ask this moment: Why did you have to go away so suddenly dear Jackie and so swiftly and so silently? Why did you choose to go away when all were so unprepared, with no a hint or trace of any warning from you? Why did you choose to say your last ‘goodbye’ in the midst of all your immediate family? Why did you choose the very time I happened to be in the United States in spite of my own programmes being rescheduled at so many different times? Yes dear Jackie, there are many questions indeed and we will always search for the answers. But even in death, you wanted to trouble no one – that was typical of you Jackie!
We are all going to miss you very, very much, dear Jackie:
Leela, Alka, Austin, Ingrid, Ian, Ethan, Edwin, Kevin and Darin will miss you in ways unknown to others because you have been a loving husband, a devoted father and a doting grandfather.
My colleagues at ‘Prashant’ are shocked and saddened to hear the news of your death! They will miss those many fleeting visits with a ‘hi-and-bye’ from you, with a wave of hand and that very special smile you had reserved for us.
And there are many others who will miss you in a countless different ways!
Above all Jackie, I will miss dearly someone who regarded me as his closest friend and to which I reciprocated without hesitation.
In the Gospel of today Jesus tells us, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, though he die, shall live”. (John 11:25) Yes, Jackie, we believe, that at this moment, you are there with the angels and the saints enjoying the eternal happiness to which you have been called.
Thank you, Jackie for being with us and accompanying in the journey of life here on earth.
Thank you for being that wonderful husband, father and grandfather and above all I thank you for being a true friend.
Goodbye dear friend – till we meet again!
-Fr. Cedric Prakash sj
This homily was delivered on 12th October, 2013 at the Funeral Mass for Mr. Jackie Fernandes at St. David the King, Catholic Church, Princeton. NJ, USA. Mr. Jackie Fernandes expired in Princeton on 10th October, 2013.
This homily was put in text – form, a few days later)
Friday, November 01, 2013
Greetings for DIWALI and the NEW YEAR!
MAY THIS FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
ILLUMINE OUR HEARTS, MINDS and SOULS ....
So that we ALL
COURAGEOUSLY SEEK and LIVE
THE TRUTH and WHAT IS RIGHT
"(May) the light of faith is (be) concretely placed at the service of justice, law and peace."(Pope Francis)
May Faith, Charity and Hope reign in the hearts of ALL!
HAPPY DIWALI! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
with our warm wishes
with our warm wishes
Fr. Cedric Prakash sj
Director
and ALL at
"PRASHANT" (A Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace)
Hill Nagar, Near Kamdhenu Hall, Drive-in Road, Ahmedabad - 380052,Gujarat, INDIA
Tel :+91 (0)79-27455913/66522333
Hill Nagar, Near Kamdhenu Hall, Drive-in Road, Ahmedabad - 380052,Gujarat, INDIA
Tel :+91 (0)79-27455913/66522333
Cell : 9824034536
Blog: www.humanrightsindia.in
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