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Reflections on the Jadavpur protests

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Jadavpur Protest

– by Saurobijay Sarkar, Sanhati

Unprecedented is too mild an epithet to describe the Saturday rally by Kolkata students. The number is most conservatively [by the police] 80,000 and by watchers 1,10,000 and more because no one can count the real number as the end of the rally could not even come out of Nandan complex when the starting was getting fully drenched at the end point in Mayo Road where it was blocked. The torrential rain catapulted the spirit of the rally to dizzy heights. Every single participant shouted slogans – the most popular one was the one that went viral throughout India – “hok hok hok kolorob” – some say it is the direct poetic translation of “Halla bol”!

Students surged up and above- all without any specific banner and yet filled up with all RED slogans, Inquilab Zindabad, Lal salaam, Comrade , jab lal lal lal laharayega, hosh thikana mil jaiga”, were some snippets and variations of Hok Kolorob!

Why did the students of Kolkata flare up? A girl student were forcibly abducted in one of the boys hostel and molested by 10 odd students. After rescue every door of the authority was knocked and they were pushed back turned around. The VC appointed an enquiry committee, two women representatives of which actually intimidated the victim and her parents! Students had it enough, they besieged the VC. At around 2’0 clock in the night, VC called the police and they ran amok with the students. Every present girl student was molested. The male students were so brutally smashed that led 20 of them injured, two of them still languishing in the local hospital. 37 arrested including one girl.

This was the cause of flaring. First it was the Jadavpur students who rallied on the first day with 5000, on the second day 10,000 and on the final day that is on 20th crossed lakhs. They came from every college and institution possible. Those who never ever thought to join politics, walked along completely drenched with slogans and songs. The authorities [government, police and VC et al] spread all kinds of rumours, invectives, threats and dis-information! All these were washed out in that torrential rain. Students demand – resignation of VC, Pro-VC and Register and clean apology from the Commissioner or Police and the education minister! The movement will go on till they clinch victory. University has a grinding halt! – This is the anatomy of the movement!

Students of all hues came and joined. Came in the alumni, came in “outsiders” , came in students from all institutions, those who are not students walked along too! All under the leadership of the students, not one single untoward incident, not one vituperative remark to the guarding police personnel, with a wonderful management Kolkata was Occupied! The map was redrawn with the isobaric line of Kolkata joining Dhaka, Tahrir Square, Greece, Europe and Washington, Berkeley, New York- the “occupy map” has now one more entry and the contour is redrawn!

One incident- flared the entire India up! Students of IIM, IITs, IISc, JNU, DU who have bagged confirmed very high pay packet risked to walk along! Walked along those students who did not feel insecure and inferior for their non-elite mark of their institutions! Every one joined, shared and every one of them was a leader! They brought in their parents; they broke the steel-still barricade of their home-prohibitions. They found their AZADI in the rally-“Chin ke lenge AZADI” resounded the corridors of Kolkata! Kolkata was born again!

The author is a Jadavpur University alumnus.

Politics of Saffron Brigade

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The victory of Narendra Modi led BJP government has brought with it a flurry of almost daily assaults of communal violence, inflammatory speeches and statements. Prime Minister Modi, whose government was ushered in on the promise of ‘good days’, has maintained complete silence on these issues.

Nakul Singh Sawhney from Newsclick speaks to Subhash Gatade about the growing instances of communal assaults to analyse the politics of both majority and minority communalism and why secular forces have failed to curb them.

Imam slapped, pushed to the ground in Gujarat, for remarks on ‘Garba’ festival

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Imam-Mehdi-Hasan-slapped

Ahmedabad: Sufi cleric, Imam Mehdi Hasan was slapped and pushed to the ground by a member of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Thasra court campus in Kheda district on Wednesday. The imam was arrested from his home in Rustampura area in Thasra taluka on Tuesday for his controversial remark on the Hindu ‘Garba’ festival, which he reportedly referred to as “demonic” and asked Muslim youths to refrain from participating in the “un-Islamic festival”.

According to local sources, about 200-250 workers of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) held demonstrations outside the court against him.

The incident took place on a day when Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home Rajnikant Patel issued a statement that there was no question of banning Muslims from entering garba venues as demanded by the VHP and the Bajrang Dal.

It was after this demand that Imam Hasan speaking to Gujarat daily Sandesh, termed the nine-day ‘Garba’ festivities “demonic” and criticised commercialisation of the event. His statement provoked a police complaint and his subsequent arrest on Tuesday.

The whole controversy started early this month, when a BJP legislator in Madhya Pradesh, called for a ban on Muslims from entry to the yearly ‘Garba’ celebrations, or the Gujarati dance festival to be held in several northern states in October.

Mehdi Hasan Modi

Incidentally, Imam Hasan was the same cleric, who in 2011 had offered a Muslim skullcap to the then chief minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi, which the latter had refused to wear it.

Imam sent to Judicial custody

Police have arrested Rakesh Patel, the VHP worker, who slapped the Imam. The Imam was arrested under IPS 295C under which he could be jailed for three years. Principal Civil Judge P. V. Bhatt sent the Imam to 14 days’ judicial custody as he refused to hire a counsel to defend himself and also refused to seek bail.

Canara Bank declines to take over Amanath Bank, depositor's fate lies in balance

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Amanath-Bank

Bangalore: After months of speculations and backdoor negotiations, Canara Bank has finally decided against taking over the beleaguered Amanath Co-operative Bank (ACB) today, much to the shock of depositors and well wishers.

According to sources close to Nasheman, Canara Bank’s board made the announcement at a court hearing here, retracting its earlier intention to take over the co-operative in August last year.

Despite numerous attempts, Nasheman was unable to contact Canara Bank officials to get a confirmation on their announcement, however, according to Karnataka Wakf Protection Joint Action Committee president, Sardar Ahmed Quraishi, “the merger will not take place.”

Following directives from RBI last year, to either merge the crisis hit Amanath Bank with another bank, or in failure of which – the liquidation of the bank, Canara Bank had come forward to take over the bank. However, since its announcement, the issue has become a political potboiler, with former Union minister C K Jaffer Sharief filing a petition against the merger and seeking CBI probe into the bank’s affairs.

Although it’s unsure, why Canara Bank decided to go against the merger, when even the Karnataka high court had given a green signal to take over ACB, according to terms approved by the Reserve Bank of India in early August this year, but inside sources told Nasheman that the Bank had waited long enough, and did not wanted to be involved in the politics surrounding it any longer.

Disappointed depositors

The announcement made by Canara Bank last year, had brought a ray of hope to over 2 lakh 30 thousand depositors and customers, whose life savings was stuck in ACB, after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in its position had restricted the bank from allowing withdrawals of more than Rs. 1,000 in six months, leaving depositors in the lurch.

However, with Canara’s new decision, depositors are disappointed and blame the state’s minority Muslim leaders to the bank’s debacle.

Rasool Wazir, a bank depositor said, “my entire family has deposits in the bank, we are not sure, if we will ever get back our money. These politicians have played a dirty game with the lives of the people”.

“Will they (politicians) pay for our livelihood? Will they take the responsibility?” asked Altaf Siddiqui another depositor.

The next court hearing will be held next week.

Supreme Court calls for independent probe in police encounters

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The court also said that information about the alleged accused or his whereabouts by the informant will be recorded in writing or in electronic form.

The court also said that information about the alleged accused or his whereabouts by the informant will be recorded in writing or in electronic form.

New Delhi: Calling for an independent and impartial probe, the Supreme Court Tuesday said that in police shooting cases, the investigation into the incident will be undertaken either by the state CID or the police station other than the one involved in it.

An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice R.M. Lodha said the report of the probe will be sent to the magistrate and to the state Human Rights Commission or the National Human Rights Commission as the case may be.

The inquiry into the “encounter”, the court said in its judgment Tuesday, will be conducted by an officer who is senior to those involved in it.

The court also said that information about the alleged accused or his whereabouts by the informant will be recorded in writing or in electronic form.

(IANS)

The word 'Hindu' invented by Muslims: Veerappa Moily

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veerappa-moily

Bangalore: Former Karnataka chief minister and union minister M. Veerappa Moily stirred up a controversy, when he said that the word ‘Hindu’ was invented by the Muslims in the medieval age.

He was speaking at a book launch event at Central College here on Sunday.

He said, “The word Hindu was invented by the Muslims. They wanted to separate people living in India from them. They called us Hindus. There is no mention of the word Hindu in our Vedas and Upanishads.”

Former prime minister and JD(S) leader H. D. Deve Gowda criticized Moily for bringing up the issue. Reacting to Moily’s statement, he said, “I request people like Moily not to raise such issues. Why are we going back to ancient times, medieval age etc? Can’t we live peacefully?” .

Hindutva extremist and Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik, whose party members had raised Pakistan’s national flag in 2012 on a government building in  Sindgi, near Bijapur, Karnataka and then accused the Muslim community for the mischief, too condemned Moily’s statement.

100 days of Modi points to emergent disaster – An independent report released in the US

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Yogi Adityanath

– by Ghadar Alliance

The Ghadar Alliance, a US-based educational/watchdog coalition created by concerned citizens in the wake of the BJP victory, today released a comprehensive ‘100-day report’ evaluating the performance of the Modi government’s first 100 days in office. The report, titled “Fast Track to Troubling Times,” is being released as Modi prepares for his first visit to the US as India’s Prime Minister. Modi’s US tour begins on September 26th.

The report is the first independent ‘people’s’ report to be published since Modi came into office, and identifies the economy, religious extremism and human rights as grave areas of concern. “We have been very careful and meticulous in collecting data only from public sources to build an evidence-based and fully data-driven report,” said Raja Swamy, economic anthropologist and one of the authors of the report. “When it comes to the economy, our report shows that the new administration wants to eliminate all democratic protections in favor of corporate giveaways and ripoffs. One example of this are the amendments that the Modi regime has proposed to the Land Acquisition Act of 2013 that do away with meaningful safeguards for those losing land, especially for India’s poor, marginal peasantry and indigenous peoples. The proposed amendments accept in-toto all corporate demands and eliminate existing safeguards. From the evidence available, can we not conclude that the minimal protections for ordinary people are being wiped out to favor corporations?” he added. The report is replete with such detail as it compares the Modi budget with the previous United Progressive Alliance budget, and points to such facts as the BJP government’s plan to raise four times more money through the ‘sale of State assets’ than the previous government did.

The report highlights the empowerment of violent gangs of the supremacist Hindu Right under the Modi dispensation. In the three months since Modi took charge, there have been over 600 cases of anti-minority violence in one single state, Uttar Pradesh (a state in the North), and several cases of forced ‘reconversion’ of Dalits (India’s so-called untouchable castes) to Hinduism. “If there is one thing that is clear already it is that under Modi, Hindu supremacist gangs will virtually rule the streets. There is a palpable sense of insecurity today among minorities, Dalits and women as non-state actors have turned hyper-aggressive, and Modi, through his consistent silence and refusal to hold offenders accountable, has given tacit approval” said Anu Mandavilli of the San Jose Peace and Justice Center and a co-founder of the Ghadar Alliance. “The privileging of economic growth as the primary goal functions to dictate an amnesia about Modi’s Gujarat record with US investors eager to capitalize on the Indian market,” added Professor Snehal Shingavi, also a co-founder of the Ghadar Alliance. “And for many of us born and raised in a racialized US context, the targeting of minorities in India by Hindu reactionaries uncomfortably corresponds to our own experiences with anti-immigrant racism here.”

The report compares the first 100 days of the new government with Modi’s 12 years of rule in Gujarat. “Examining Modi’s first 100 days in the context of his record in Gujarat reveals a number of disturbing parallels, and these parallels legitimize the report’s predictive capacity,” said Mandavilli. The report is the first in a series of actions that the Ghadar Alliance is initiating to keep a consistent and critical focus on the BJP/RSS from outside India. The Founding Committee of the Alliance is intergenerational, of multiple faiths, of diverse professions and geography. “We represent the true diversity of India rather than the narrow homogeneity of Modi supporters lining up to welcome him here in the US,” said Dr. Swamy.

Dalits 'created' by Muslims, says RSS

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Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

New Delhi: In a brazen attempt to woo Dalits into their fold, and concoct a version of history, which would put even the most conspiratorial in the country to shame, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has sought to attribute the birth of communities long oppressed as “untouchables”, to “Muslim invasion” in medieval times.

Three top RSS leaders, Bhaiyyaji Joshi, Suresh Soni, and Krishna Gopal, have articulated these views in their forewords to three books, authored by BJP spokesman Vijay Sonkar Shastri and released by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat recently — “Hindu Charmakar Jati”, “Hindu Khatik Jati” and “Hindu Valmiki Jati”.

The Sangh leaders claimed that these castes had come into existence due to atrocities by foreign invaders and did not exist in Hindu religion earlier.

According to Joshi, ‘shudras’ were never untouchables in Hindu scriptures. ‘Islamic atrocities’ during the medieval age resulted in the emergence of untouchables, Dalits and Indian Muslims.

He further elaborated, “To violate Hindu swabhiman (dignity) of Chanwarvanshiya Kshatriyas, foreign invaders from Arab, Muslim rulers and beef-eaters, forced them to do abominable works like killing cows, skinning them and throwing their carcasses in deserted places. Foreign invaders thus created a caste of charma-karma (dealing with skin) by giving such works as punishment to proud Hindu prisoners.”

Another top RSS functionary, Suresh Soni, echoed the same: “Dalits had their genesis during Turks, Muslims and Mughal eras. Today’s castes like Valmikis, Sudarshan, Majhabi Sikhs and their 624 sub-castes came into being as a result of atrocities against Brahmins and Kshatriyas during Medieval or Islamic age,” he wrote.

Krishna Gopal, Sah-sarkaryavah, RSS, went on to bolster the Sangh’s new found agenda saying, “In pre-historic and Vedic age, Khatik castes have been recognized as Brahmins who affected sacrifices. It may be noted that before the advent of Muslim invaders, there is no reference to rearing pigs in India. It was a vocation adopted by Hindus to defend their religion.”

How these RSS functionaries came to these conclusions, and what historical sources did they base their “reasearch” on, is, like all other Hindutva theories – unexplained, but it is clear that the outfit is trying to intensify its efforts to unite various caste and sub-castes under one Hindu identity, in an attempt to create, a Hindu Rashtra.

The Dalits, according to many sociologists, are considered the most oppressed community in the world. In many parts of India, communities considered “high caste”, continue to persecute the so-called “low caste” as “untouchables”.

To this day, the community is forced to clean the human waste of “high caste” people and carry it on their heads, and in some areas, they are not allowed to wear shoes or walk on the road, used by the “high caste”.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, had advocated conversion to other religions, as the only solution for the annihilation of caste. However, Hindutva forces, fearing nibbling down of Hindu population, has always sought to bring back the community into the Hindu fold, although only superficially.

"Agitation against land-grabbing to continue"

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Deve-Gowda

Bangalore: Former prime minister and JD(S) leader H. D. Deve Gowda has lent his support to the agitation launched by freedom fighter H. S. Doreswamy and JD(S) former MLA A. T. Ramaswamy against land-grabbing in the State.

He appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, against evicting poor landless farmers who had encroached upon “negligible” portion of government land for their livelihood, and asked the government to take action against the “land-sharks” who have allegedly encroached thousands of acres of government land.

Addressing a press conference in Bangalore on Saturday, Gowda said he wanted to join the struggle lead by Doreswamy, but stayed away as his involvement would give the issue a political colour. He said, Doreswamy being a person who dislikes being associated with any political outfit, he stayed away from joining him in the protest. “However, I do believe that land-grabbing has to be stopped,” he said.

Protesters with H S Doreswamy on an indefinite sit-in against land-grab in front of Town Hall, Bangalore.

Protesters with H. S. Doreswamy on an indefinite sit-in against land-grab in front of Town Hall, Bangalore.

H. S. Doreswamy is on an indefinite sit-in with farmer-activists of the Anti-Land Grabbing Action Committee in front of Town Hall for the past 15 days.

Speaking to Nasheman, A. T. Ramaswamy, said “around 20 thousand acres of land has been encroached illegally by land grabbers in around Bangalore, and over 4 lakh acres of government land across the state has been encroached by producing fake documentation.”

He demanded an immediate legal action against such criminals under the Goonda Act and to form special courts to take quick action against such cases based on his ‘Ramaswamy Joint Legislature Committee on Encroachments in Bangalore Urban District, 2007’ report.

Doreswamy has warned the State government that if no measures are taken in a week, he and his fellow protesters would intensify their agitation.

He said, “We give seven days to the Government to respond, failing which we will intensify our fight. We are not afraid of going to jail to save public land from land-grabbers.”

The protestors told Nasheman, that agitation against land-grabbing will continue if no action against land grabbers are not taken.

Mass Arrest in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh: Black days of Emergency are here?

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Poet and Maoist ideologue Varavara Rao and several others were taken into preventive custody after they went ahead with a public meeting of the ‘Pratyamnaya Rajakeeya Vedika’.

Revolutionary poet Varavara Rao and several others were taken into preventive custody after they went ahead with a public meeting of the ‘Pratyamnaya Rajakeeya Vedika’.

The following is a press statement from the Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations (CDRO), issued in public interest following the arrest of revolutionary poet Varavara Rao and other activists.

The AP and Telangana State governments have coercively prevented the one day convention of the FORUM FOR ALTERNATIVE POLITICS in Hyderabad on 21 Sep 2014 from being held. This is a most condemnable, undemocratic and unconstitutional acts of the two governments.

The meeting was scheduled between 10 am and 5pm and speakers from other states were invited to participate in the meeting.

The convener of the forum, Mr Varavararao and a few other activists, have been taken in to custody by the police. Mr Kalyanrao , senior member of VIRASAM was arrested in Dachepalli (Guntur district) who was on his way to Hyderabad to the attend this meeting. Mr. Chilaka Chandrashekar (General Secretary APCLC) and many other leaders of peoples’ organizations were picked up from their houses and have been detained in Machvaram police station (Guntur district). Mr. Suresh Narayanrao and other office bearers of APCLC were detained in Kachguda police station in Hyderabad city. About fifteen members of Chytanya Mahila Samakya were also arrested and detained. Twenty Passenger Trains have been cancelled to prevent people from attending the convention in Hyderabad. It is reported that about 300 people have been arrested including the members of the Forum. Bojjaa Tarakam and Prof. Haragopal were not allowed to reach the venue of the meeting and were asked to return to their houses by the police and have been forced to remain indoors.

The police claim that the arrests are being made as preventive measure and had information that the Forum for Alternative Politics is a front Organisation of the Maoist Party. Since the mass organizations are banned they do not allow any kind of meetings conducted by them. Anticipating the situation Mr. Varavararao had moved a petition but it has been rejected by the High Court. Encouraged by the High court order the police surrounded the venue and erected barricades to prevent the people to reach and enter the venue (Sundaraiah Vignan Bhavan). A delegation of APCLC made efforts to meet the Chief Minister and request him to direct the police not to arrest the activists and give permission to hold the meeting. But the CM did not give an appointment to the delegation. Attempts were also made to meet the Home Minister and the Commissioner of Police but to no effect. The attitude of the government and the police is extremely hostile. They are determined to disturb the meeting and create a panic among the common citizenry. After frantic parleys the Home Minister spoke to a delegation and then the police agreed to free the activist but only after 9 pm attesting the unconstitutional and undemocratic intent of the government not to let the FORUM’s meeting happen.

Revolutionary poet Varavar Rao and G. Padma Kumari releasing a poster of proposed public meeting at Hyderabad for floating `Forum for Alternative Politics' at a press meet in Warangal on Monday. Photo: M. Murali, The Hindu

Revolutionary poet Varavar Rao and G. Padma Kumari releasing a poster of proposed public meeting at Hyderabad for floating `Forum for Alternative Politics’ at a press meet in Warangal on Monday. Photo: M. Murali, The Hindu

A few days back only the FORUM FOR ALTERNATIVE POLITICS was formed by several intellectuals with Mr.Varavararao as its convener. The object of the forum is to inform the public about revolutionary politics and revolutionary parties and to subject the models of development and mainstream politics to a radical political scrutiny. Whatever be the politic of the FORUM, it has the constitutional guarantee to pursue it in constitutional manner. The government of Telangana or its police may have problems with the members of the FORUM but it has no authority whatsoever to curb its constitutional guaranteed rights to pursue its politics. It is their democratic right to engage in practice their politics within the bounds of the constitution of India. The government and the police are subverting the constitution by preventing the Forum from holding the meeting.

It will be in order here to remind the AP/Telangana governments that the Supreme Court of India in some of its decisions made observations that to sympathize with even the Maoist Politics and subscribing to its ideology are not offences. Then what is the fault of the FORUM???

Characterising the FORUM as front organization of Maoist Party and banning its meetings and activities is not only unconstitutional but also undemocratic. The arrest all over the state reminds us the days of Emergency.

Further the dream that formation of new Telangana state will guarantee the basic rights and a repression-free society is cruelly shattered within hundred days.

WE Demand

That all the arrested persons must be released immediately. That the forum must be allowed to conduct meetings and other activities freely. The state must restrain from curbing civil and political rights of the citizens.

C. Chandrasekhar (CLC, Andhra Pradesh), Paramjeet Singh (PUDR, Delhi), Parmindar Singh (AFDR, Punjab), Phulendro Konsam (COHR, Manipur) and Tapas Chakraborty (APDR, West Bengal)

(Coordinators of CDRO).

Constituent Organisations: Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC); Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR, West Bengal); Bandi Mukti Morcha (West Bengal); Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR, Mumbai); Coordination for Human Rights (COHR, Manipur); Human Rights Forum (HRF, Andhra Pradesh); Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti (MASS), Assam; Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR); Organisation for Protection of Democratic Rights (OPDR, Andhra Pradesh); Peoples’ Committee for Human Rights (PCHR, Jammu and Kashmir); Peoples Democratic Forum (PDF, Karnataka); Peoples Union For Democratic Rights (PUDR, Delhi); Peoples Union for Civil Rights (PUCR, Haryana) and Campaign for Peace & Democracy in Manipur (CPDM), Delhi.

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