Anhad

'Situation in Kashmir and Way Forward' - Press Release

anhad e-admin — 2010-08-11T07:51:53Z

Anhad
23, Canning Lane, New Delhi

Press Release

11 August 2010, New Delhi

A Panel Discussion and Press Conference “Situation in Kashmir and Way Forward” was organized by ANHAD on August 10 at Press Club of India in New Delhi. It was chaired by eminent Historian Uma Chakravarty with Panel comprising of Prof Siddiq Wahid (Vice Chancellor, Islamic University of Science and Technology, Avantipora, Kashmir), Anuradha Bhasin (Executive Editor, Kashmir Times) Sayeed Mallik (Senior Journalist), Tanveer Hussain Khan (Youth Activist, Anhad) and Vrinda Grover (Human Rights Lawyer). Expressing grave concern over the political inaction of Government of India in holding the situation Siddiq Wahid said, “Kashmir is a dispute that challenges the definition of sovereignty between Kashmir and the rest of the India. This is the high time and opportunity before the Civil society of India that believes in democratic ideals but unfortunately having cursory understanding of the situation in Kashmir owing to the biased reporting by main stream media, to connect cords with the people of Kashmir.” People are tired of the words and speeches that had never been followed with correct political actions. There is so much anger in them against India. “All the democratic institutions including Judiciary have failed to deliver. The gross human rights violations by the state and security agencies was never even questioned or objected by the Government of India. Entire generation has been born and brought up in the stifled environment of rapes, random arrests, blatant shooting outs, nocturnal raids, disappearances, encounters etc, and they have always witnessed ugly face of Indian democracy”, said Anuradha Bhasin. Taking a dig at Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh's much touted willingness to resolve the issue of Kashmir, senior Journalist Sayeed Malik said that his motivation lies in the silence he has worn in the last 60 days by not responding to the deaths of 51 civilians comprising mainly of teenagers and youth. He also said that People of Kashmir are constantly living under the shadow of fear for the last 20 years, earlier it was the Militancy and now Indian State responsible for that fear. Tanveer Hussain Khan, a young activist from Kashmir expressed the rationale behind the anger of the young Kashmir who have been consistently denied any political dialogue and have been targeted with tear gas shellings or bullets at point blank range. He quoted, “All the ATM banks were fixed with the maximum withdrawal limit of Rs. 1000/- on the day of relaxation on August 8, 2010 in the curfew after 7 days” an incident stating the ugly and mean level of oppression of Indian State. “People in the rest of India cannot imagine what it is to live in an occupied territory filled heavily with Army, Security Agencies, Paramilitary forces and so on” , said Vrinda Grover. She also said that, “Government of India had been bluffing with the people of Kashmir for so many years, running away from its responsibility by denying the right to Justice to the people and the civil society of India is complicit in the crimes of Indian State by keeping silence”. A collective voice from the platform emerged that there is a dire need to break the cycle of breach of trust of 62 years, as it is going to be now or never situation.

51 persons including children and women have been killed in the Kashmir Valley, locked out by hartals and curfews, in the last two months. On June 11 Tufail Ahmed Mattoo a 17 year old student died, while returning home from tuition in Srinagar's downtown, due to an injury caused by tear-gas shell. This incident triggered protests and anger began spilling on the streets with stone pelting youth engaging armed policemen and CRPF. The stone pelting initially limited to some pockets of Srinagar and a few rural areas was met with disproportionate force like targeted tear-gas, lathi-charge, random arrests, raids and even lethal firing. Several youth were injured. Within a week, two people were shot dead by the security forces, one while he was attending another victim's funeral procession. Three deaths in quick succession multiplied the rage across the Valley.

The protests, peaceful or with stone pelting, have only grown in size and fury. Over these last two months, more security troops have arrived in the highly militarized state of Kashmir, the army has held flag marches and public protests responded to by unrestrained and disproportionate firing and teargas shelling. The human toll as it stands today is 51 dead and hundreds injured many of them with bullet wounds and tear gas shells inflicted above the waist. Many of those killed and injured have been innocent bystanders, including 2 nine-year-old children. It is quite evident that the Jammu and Kashmir state police and the CRPF are not working in accordance with established standards of crowd control, which makes it obligatory for them to respect the right to life of the protestors.

Both the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Government of India are responsible for precipitating the crisis. The state government abandoned its people and took no measures to rein in the police and security forces. The Central government caused greater provocation by labeling the protests as engineered by cross border terrorist outfits and branding the angry youth and those slain as ‘paid miscreants'.

The women and men protesting in the streets of Kashmir valley understand this callous and undemocratic approach of the state and central governments against a background of twenty years of unrelenting violation of basic human rights. Fake encounter killings, torture, rapes, arbitrary arrests, illegal detentions and enforced disappearances and a denial of justice each time has contributed to the deep sense of alienation and anger.

The refusal of the Central Government, in New Delhi, to address the political conflict in Kashmir and to repeatedly talk about the morale of the security forces rather than the right of the Kashmiris to justice, lies at the heart of this uncontrollable rage.

We call upon the Government of India and the state government to take the following measures immediately:

To ensure restraint by all security forces and respect for right to life in responding to protests. Zero tolerance for any disproportionate or targeted use of force by the security forces.

The repeal and withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the Public Safety Act, which grant impunity to the security forces

Immediate and time bound measures to initiate criminal prosecutions, legal proceedings, grant of sanction for prosecution against all security personnel indicted for human rights violations including enforced disappearances, extra judicial killings, and rape.

Constitute a credible commission to enquire into the complaints of human rights violations including the killing of civilians in the recent public protests.

These measures will have to be followed up with systematic reduction of troops from Kashmir and a sustained and meaningful dialogue with Kashmiris.

Repression and killings will not 'calm down' Kashmir

anhad e-admin — 2010-07-08T17:47:11Z

STATEMENT RELEASED ON JULY 8, 2010

ANHAD
23, Canning Lane, New Delhi
Tel.: 23070740/ 22

It is a matter of grave concern and anguish that no sensitive measures have been taken by the Central Government in response to the ongoing deaths, injuries and killings in cold-blood of civilians in Srinagar and Anantnag districts of Jammu and Kashmir, including young girls and boys, most of them innocent, peaceful protestors, or even just bystanders. And consequently both North and South regions of the valley are on flame. To make matters worse, the Army, along with para-military forces, have been issued orders to shoot at sight to uphold the almost relentless curfew — basically to block protests against the continuing spiral of non-stop and indiscriminate killings of innocent civilians. The presence of army and security forces dominates the Valley and reinforces the deep-rooted angst of people. The reality is that democracy is under severe strain and is almost absent in many parts in this state, despite an elected government backed by the Centre holding the reigns of power at Srinagar.

ANHAD and many other concerned civil society groups in India want the governments in the state and Centre to come out clean — urgently and immediately — and explain if this is indeed a democratic and constitutional method of handling a manifold and multiplying crisis in a highly sensitive region. Obviously, the establishment thinks that branding it as mere law and order problem and repression and killings would 'calm down' the situation as sensitive and grim as that of Jammu and Kashmir. This will be like choking tens of thousands of people into the silence of absolute suffering and blind rage. Will this violence ever stop, and will we ever find the root causes for a political solution based on consensus, understanding, mutual harmony and human rights?

Tuesday began with protests against one death which led to the second death and then suddenly, Srinagar was back under curfew. The cycle of violence has spun out of control all over again. Last week witnessed a similar series of killings taking its toll in Anantnag district where people were killed in clashes with security forces since they were not allowed to protest against the killings of civilians. This has become a tragic and vicious circle of hopelessness.

Instead of issuing any statement of sympathy or concern or wisdom, our highest offices of governance in the country, are only pushing for an escalation in the number of deployment of security forces. This clearly indicates the callous attitude of the governments in Delhi and Srinagar. Such acts of brutality are in complete violation of the law of the land and constitutional rights of the people that have resulted in mass outrage and alienation of large sections of the civilian population in Kashmir.

These are unarmed, non-violent citizens, who are being treated with such blatant and indiscriminate use of military force — why? Is there no other way to negotiate with civil unrest? And what is the root cause of this civil unrest if not the brutalities executed by the police and para military forces? And what about cases of atrocities committed on people who are not even protesting?

There is no excuse for such cruelty. Despite repeated assurances by the central and state governments of zero tolerance towards human rights violations, the fact remains that little has been done to punish those responsible for such heinous and gross violations. This organised insensitivity and vacillation to act firmly against such elements is bound to put a question mark on the credibility of the State and its track record in terms of human and democratic rights of the people, as enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Mere rhetoric and institution of official enquiries is not enough to restore the shattered and shaken confidence of the people. It is imperative that the central and state authorities take firm and visible action against those responsible for unleashing this brutish violence on innocent people. Any delay will only compound the alienation and anger of the people — resulting in irrefutable damage to the peace process in the Valley and elsewhere in the state.

ANHAD expresses serious concern over the absolute antipathy and lack of political initiative displayed by the UPA-led central government in response to the situation in the valley. They should learn some lessons from history. People cannot be won over or suppressed at gun point. Certainly, the people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve a more rational, humane, visionary and sensitive response from the Indian State.

We demand from the Central and the State governments to:

• Take immediate action to prevent further loss of life and property

• Put an end to the violence perpetrated by the security forces with immediate effect.

• Immediately appoint an independent and impartial time bound Commission of Enquiry to look into the killings of peaceful civilians & human rights violations

• Initiate an inquiry into instances of attacks on ambulance services

• Ensure security of the journalists both of local and national media

• Ensure freedom of expression and press

• Immediately start a political dialogue with various stake holders

Endorsed By:

Aashima Subberwal- Delhi University
Abeer Gupta - filmmaker
Adnan Nabi – Kashmir
Alana Hunt – Artist
Ali Asghar – Social Activist, Hyderabad
Amit Sengupta, Journalist, Delhi
Amrita Nandy – SANGAT
Anil Choudhury- Peace
Anjali Thomas – Student DU
Anjum Rajabali, Cinema Script writer
Ankita Dash – Student DU
Appu Esthose Suresh - The Sunday Guardian, Delhi
Aqsa Anjum – Delhi
Arindam Jit Singh – Team Nishan
Arun Kumar Tiwari – Anhad
Aslam Khan – Student, Jamia Milia Islamia
Astha Rajan – Anhad
Atique Farooqui – Lucknow
Avinash Kumar-Oxfam India
Biju Mathew – Professor of Business, Rider University, NJ, USA
Bindia Thapar - Architect/Illustrator, New Delhi.
Bobby Kunhu – Researcher and Writer
Colin Gonsalves-Human Rights Law Network
David Devadas - Senior Journalist
Dev Desai – Gujarat
Dhananjay Tripathi – South Asians for Human Rights
Dunu Roy – Hazards Centre
Fahad Shah, journalist, Srinagar
Faizen Haider Naqvi - Businessman, Delhi
Gauri Dasan Nair – Senior Journalist, kerala
Gowher Nabi Gora – J and K
Harsh Dobhal- Human Rights Law Network
Harsh Kapoor – South Asia Citizens Web
Inder Salim – Activist
Indu Prakash Singh- IGSSS
John Dayal- General Secretary, All India Christian Council
Kallol Bhowmik - Spl Correspondent Ajir Dainik Batori and Eastern Chronicle
Kalpana Tikku
Kashif-ul-Hoda - Editor, TwoCircles.net
Madhu Chandra - All India Christian Council & North East Support Centre & Helpline
Madhura Chakrvoraty – Student Jadhavpur University, West Bengal
Maia Barkaia – JNU student
Manas Arora – Student, IP College of Engineering
Manisha Sethi – Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association
Manisha Trivedi – Anhad Gujarat
Manjit Singh Roperia – Student Hissar
Mansi Sharma-Anhad
Moggallan Bharti – JNU student
Mohan Kumawat- Anhad
Mohd. Ali - Delhi Correspondent of news website TwoCircles.net
Mudassir Kawa, Activist, Srinagar
Mukul Manglik – Historian Delhi University
Murli Natarajan, South Asia Solidarity Initiative, USA
Mushtaq Koka, Activist, Srinagar
Naazim Mohammed – Social Activist, Bangalore
Nadim Nikhat - Centre for Social Justice, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Navaid Hamid -Social Activist
Neha Dhole, Aman Trust, New Delhi
Prasad Chako- NCDHR
Pratap Singh Negi, Anhad
Prativa Thomas – Amnesty International, UK
Prem Dangwal – Anhad Mumbai
Prof Anuradha Chenoy, JNU, Delhi
Prof Kamal Mitra Chenoy, JNU, Delhi
Prof. KN Panikkar, Historian
Raj Gopalan – Trivandrum, Kerala
Ram Puniyani – Ekta, Mumbai
Rashid Ali – Freelance Journalist
Rima Aranha
Rohit Sinha – Student DU
Rupal Oza, South Asia Solidarity Initiative
Sabir Hussain – Jammu and Kashmir
Sachin Pandya – Anhad Gujarat
Sania Hashmi – Anhad
Sanjay Sharma – Anhad
Sanjeev Mahajan, CA, USA
Saqib Sana - Mumbai
Seema Duhan-Anhad
Shabir Hussain – Srinagar, J &K
Shabnam Hashmi- social activist, Anhad
Shahnawaz Malik – Lucknow
Shaweta Anand, Journalist and Researcher
Sheeba Aslam Fehmi – Researcher JNU
Shesh Narain Singh-Senior Journalist
Shoaib Khan – Srinagar, J&K
Shrish Chandra – Lucknow University
Shweta Tripathi – Programme Officer, SHRUTI
Sohaib Niazi – Student, Jamia Milia Islamia
Sohail Hashmi-Social Activist
Sonam Gupta - Anhad
Sonia Jabbar- Independent Filmmaker
Tanveer Hussain Khan -Anhad Kashmir Coordinator
Thulasi Kakkat – Photographer, Kerela
Uma Chakravarty- Academician
Vijayan- Delhi Forum
Vrinda Grover- Human Rights Lawyer, Supreme Court
Waqar Kazi – Anhad Mumbai
Wasim Khan, NJ, USA
Yasmeen Qureshi, Human Rights Activist, CA, USA
Zafar Abbas – journalist, Delhi
Zafar Agha, journalist, Delhi


Statement on Kashmir Released on 8 July 2010: (PDF Version)

Statement issued by ANHAD on the recent killings of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir

anhad e-admin — 2010-06-29T18:46:31Z

Anhad expresses its deep shock and anguish over the sad and unfortunate killings of nine young boys in the last two weeks in Jammu and Kashmir, where the Valley has seen a sharp escalation of police and para military atrocities, leading to many deaths and injuries. Scores of youngsters and innocent people have been killed. Even a brazen case of yet another fake encounter at the hands of a rogue army official has come to light. These acts of brutality, in complete violation of the law of the land and constitutional rights of the people, have resulted in mass outrage and alienation of large sections of the civilian population in Kashmir. These are unarmed, non-violent citizens, who are being treated with such blatant and indiscriminate use of military force — why? Is there no other way to negotiate with civil unrest? And what is the root cause of this civil unrest if not the basic premise of police and para military brutality? And what about cases of atrocities committed on people who are not even protesting? There is no excuse for such cruelty. Despite repeated assurances by the central and state governments of zero tolerance towards human rights violations, the fact remains that little has been done to punish those responsible for such heinous and gross violations. This organised insensitivity and vacillation to act firmly against such elements is bound to put a question mark on the credibility of the State and its track record in terms of human and democratic rights of the people, as enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Mere rhetoric and institution of official enquiries is not enough to restore the shattered and shaken confidence of the people. It is imperative that the central and state authorities take firm and visible action against those responsible for unleashing this brutish violence on innocent people. Any delay will only compound the alienation and anger of the people — resulting in irrefutable damage to the peace process in the Valley and elsewhere in the state.

Tanveer Hussain Khan
Shabnam Hashmi
Mansi Sharma
Seema Duhan

Citizens Statement on the NHRC clean chit to Special Cell on Batla House

anhad e-admin — 2009-07-23T13:08:47Z

Media Release - 23 July 2009

Statement on the NHRC report on the alleged encounter at Batla house

On 20th May, the Delhi High Court, acting on a petition filed by the People's union for democratic rights and Anhad, had asked the National Human rights commission to conduct their own inqury into the alleged Batla House encounter of September 2008 and give a report upon it. This order of the High Court was made after the High Court was shown reports of four independent organisations into the encounter, including the report of PUDR, the Delhi union of journalists, the Jamia Teachers Solidarity group, all of which seriously questioned the version of the Delhi police regarding the encounter. These reports and the petition filed by the PUDR had pointed out several specific problems with the version of the Delhi police. In particular, the following questions were raised about the version of the Delhi police.

If these boys were killed in a genuine encounter, how did the 17-year-old boy Sajid have four bullet holes on the top of his head, which could only happen if the boy was made to sit down and shot from above.
How is the skin peeled off from Atif's back? This was clearly visible in the photograph taken before his burial which is annexed to the PUDR petition. Obviously Atif had been tortured before being killed.
How are the other blunt injuries on the bodies of the boys explained by the police version of the encounter?
If the police knew in advance (as they claimed) that these boys in the flat were the terrorists involved in the Delhi and other bomb blasts, why did Inspector Sharma go in without a bullet proof vest?
How could 2 of the boys escape from the flat which had only one exit (two doors next to each other) and from a building which had only one exit?

It was expected that in these circumstances, the NHRC, would conduct its own investigation into the matter. The report dated 20th July 2009 of the NHRC given to the High Court on 22nd July, however shows that far from conducting any investigation into the matter, the NHRC has merely relied upon the Police reports for their report. They have not even examined or investigated the above questions which were squarely raised in the PUDR petition on which the High Court order was issued to the NHRC. They have not even examined Saif, the third boy picked up by the police from the flat, nor even any of the witnesses of the Batla house area who had deposed before the People's Tribunal. They have just swallowed the police version hook, line and sinker. And this is despite the fact that there has been no independant police investigation or even a Magisterial enquiry into the encounter as mandated by the NHRC's own guidelines.

It is extremely unfortunate that the premier Human Rights Body set up to investigate Human Rights violations is becoming a rubber stamp for the police. The same attitude of the NHRC was evident when the Supreme Court asked the NHRC to investigate allegations of Rape and Murder against the Salwa Judum. The NHRC send a team of essentially police officers who spoke mainly to the local police and other officials and gave a white washing report.

The time has come to seriously reexamine the manner of appointment of members of the NHRC and its powers. The present system of appointment by a committee of Prime Minister, Home Minister, Speaker and Leader of Opposition etc. is not working satisfactorily. All of them seem to want a toothless and tame body which will not question those in power.

Since the NHRC report does not address or answer the disquieting questions raised by the several independent fact finding reports about encounter, it is therefore essential that there be an investigation into the "encounter" by an SIT appointed by the Delhi HIgh Court.

Signed by:
Shabnam Hashmi (Anhad)
Moushumi Basu (Secretary, PUDR)
Dr. Anoop Saraya (Jan Hastakshep)
Harsh Mander (Director, Center for Equity Studies)
Sreerekha & Tanvir Fazar (Jamia Teachers Solidarity Group)
Colin Gonsalves (Director, Human Rights Law Network)
Arundhati Roy (Writer)
Kavita Krishnan (CPI ML Liberation)
Kamini Jaiswal (Advocate)
Mehtab Alam (Association for the protection of democratic rights)
Prashant Bhushan (Advocate)
Harsh Dobhal (Human Rights Law network)

'No Double Standards in the Fight Against Terrorism'

anhad e-admin — 2008-10-03T02:18:00Z

An earlier version of the following statement was first circulated for the 28th September 2008 meeting organised by a group of citizens at the Press Club, Raisina road, New Delhi. The revised final version endorsed by 88 signatories is as follows:

In recent months the country has witnessed a spate of terrorist attacks in different cities as well as organised communal violence against religious minorities in several states.

We the undersigned strongly condemn all these acts of violence that have resulted in loss of life and grievous injury to scores of innocent people. It is clear that whoever is responsible for such violence should be severely punished under Indian law and all measures be taken to protect the lives of ordinary citizens under threat from their activities.

We find it deeply disturbing however that the Indian government as well as concerned state governments have adopted double standards in dealing with the two equally deadly phenomenon of terrorist bombings and communal violence.

On one hand throughout the country Muslim youth are being targeted, without any or little evidence, as responsible for terrorist attacks. In our view there is a concerted attempt by the Indian police, sections of the media and certain political parties to portray all members of the Muslim community as 'terrorists and extremists' - to be arbitrarily arrested, tortured and killed in fake encounters.

On the other hand Hindutva extremists behind the communal violence in Orissa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh against Christian populations are being allowed to go scot-free. The term 'terrorism' is never associated with the Hindutva extremist outfits like the Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad or the Shiv Sena despite their clear and acknowledged role in the murder and injury of hundreds of innocent Indian citizens.

This includes not just citizens from religious minorities but also anyone who happens to differ from the Hindutva extremists. While a vast majority of the Hindu population is peaceful and tolerant of diversity those upholding the politics of 'Hindutva' are misusing symbols and beliefs of the Hindus to impose a fascist majoritarian dictatorship on the country.

Hindutva religious terrorists have also been found time and again planting bombs in Muslim religious places or localities in Nanded and Malegaon in Maharashtra, Tenkasi in Tamil Nadu and suspected of carrying out the heinous bomb blasts on the Samjhauta Express in 2007. The recent attacks on Christian religious institutions are in fact openly claimed by Hindutva terrorist groups, like the Bajrang Dal, in front of television news cameras and yet no action is taken against them.

It is in this context of utter hypocrisy of the Indian and state governments towards what really constitutes terrorism that we would like to demand the following:

1) An immediate ban on all organisations and individuals carrying out or inciting communal violence particularly the Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Shiv Sena. Investigation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for involvement in terrorist activities and prosecution of its members if found guilty;

2) Stringent punishment for those organising or participating in communal violence against Christians or carrying out forcible 're-conversion' in Orissa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and other parts of the country;

3) Special investigation by an independent body of the involvement of Hindutva extremist organisations in terrorist activity such as planting explosives, manufacturing arms and mobilising mob attacks on religious minority populations;

4) Disbarment from contesting national or state elections, by the Election Commission, of political parties found guilty of using religious, regional, linguistic hatred and violence to further their electoral fortunes;

5) Setting up of an independent judicial commission to inquire into the indiscriminate arrests, torture and killings of youth belonging to the Muslim community. Investigation of the unlawful activities of the 'special cells' and 'anti-terrorist squads' of the police and if necessary their disbandment

6) Payment of adequate compensation to each person, from all communities, arrested, tortured, injured or killed on false charges by the Indian police; prosecution of police officers guilty of planting evidence and framing false charges against innocent people;

7) Initiation of action on the recommendations of the Srikrishna Commission Report, expediting of pending cases against those involved in the demolition of the Babri Masjid and speedy justice for the survivors of the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat.

8) A ban on regional chauvinist organisations such as the Maharashtra Navnirman Samithi of Raj Thackeray responsible for attack, injury and murder of North Indians living in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.

9) Prosecution of bar association office bearers who have expelled members of the legal fraternity taking up cases of human rights violations or of those upholding the right to legal aid of those accused of terrorist activities and involvement.

10) Prosecution of media groups and outlets found guilty of defaming individuals and communities while reporting on the phenomenon of terrorism in the country.

1. A Sohaib
2. AC Michael
3. AK Ramakrishnan
4. Ali Bin Ahmed
5. Amitabh Pandey
6. Anand Patwardhan (Film maker)
7. Angela Farooq
8. Anil Chaudhary (Peace)
9. Anil Sadgopal (Educationist, Bhopal)
10. Apoorvanand (Lecturer, Delhi University)
11. Arif Azam Khan
12. Asad Zaidi (Writer & Publisher)
13. Ashish Nandy (CSDS)
14. Avinash Kumar
15. Azra Razzack
16. Dr Anuradha Ghosh
17. Dr John Dayal (Member, National Integration Council, Govt of India)
18. Dr Sabu M George
19. Dunu Roy (Ecologist)
20. Dushyant Bhai (AVHRS, Vadodara)
21. Farah Farooqi
22. Father T.K.John (Vidyajyoti College of Theology)
23. Fr Cedric Prakash (Director, Prashant)
24. Fr Dominic Emmamuel
25. Ghanshyam Shah (Historian, Ahmedabad)
26. Hanif Lakdawala (Sanchetna, Ahmedabad)
27. Harsh Dhobal ( Human Rights Law Network)
28. Harsh Kapoor (South Asia Citizens Web)
29. Harsh Mander (Aman Biradari)
30. Hiren Gandhi (Samvedan Cultural Programme, Ahmedabad)
31. Hozefa(Aman Samudaya, Ahmedabad)
32. Iftikhar Ahmad Khan (Professor of History, Vadodara)
33. Iqbal A Ansari (Social Activist)
34. Jagadish (New Socialist Alternative, Bangalore)
35. Jaya Mehta (Sandarbh Kendra, Indore)
36. Jenis Francis
37. Jitendra Chauhan
38. Jitendra Kumar
39. John Chathanatt (Vidyajyoti College)
40. Joys Sebastian
41. JunaidBhai Pathan(United Education Charitable Trust, Vadodara)
42. K Dasgupta
43. Kamla Bhasin (SANGAT)
44. Kavita Srivastava (PUCL, Rajasthan)
45. Mallika Sarabhai (Darpana Academy, Ahmedabad)
46. Manisha Sethi (Lecturer, Jamia Millia Islamia)
47. Manohar Singh
48. Manoj Verma
49. Mansi Sharma (ANHAD)
50. Mukul Mangalik
51. Nafisa Ali Sodhi (Social Activist)
52. Nalini Taneja (Delhi University)
53. Neelabh Mishra
54. Neshat Kaisar (Lecturer, Jamia Millia Islamia)
55. Nithiya
56. Omar Farooq
57. Pallavi Deka (General Secretary, JNUSU)
58. Poorva Bhardwaj (Nirantar)
59. Prabhu Ghate
60. Pradeep Bhattacharya
61. Praful Bidwai
62. Prasad Chacko (Activist, Ahmedabad)
63. Professor S. Hasan Mahmud (Vadodara)
64. Ranjit Abhigyan
65. Ravi Shankar Mishra
66. Rohit Prajapati (Activist, Gujarat)
67. S Waheed
68. Sachin Gupta
69. Salem Nusrat Ahmed
70. Sanjeev
71. Saroop Dhruv (Darshan, Ahmedabad)
72. Satya Sivaraman (Journalist)
73. Senthal
74. Shabnam Hashmi (ANHAD)
75. Sheba George (SAHR WARU, Ahmedabad)
76. Shivraj
77. Sivapriyan
78. Sonia Jabbar (Independent journalist)
79. Sumit Sarkar (Historian)
80. Tanika Sarkar (Historian)
81. Tanveer Fazal (Lecturer, Jamia Millia Islamia)
82. Tapan Bose(Social Activist)
83. Trupti Shah(Activist, Gujarat)
84. V.Srinivasan (Chennai Metro Union)
85. Vijay Parmar (Janvikas, Ahmedabad)
86. Vineet Tiwari (Madhya Pradesh Progressive Writers Association, Indore)
87. Waqar Qazi (Samvedan Cultural Programme, Ahmedabad)
88. Yusuf Shaikh (AIQM, Vadodara)

Villagers of Nandapeda at risk in Dangs Gujarat

anhad e-admin — 2008-09-17T11:14:48Z

URGENT ATTENTION

National Human Rights Commision (NHRC)
National Commission for Minorities
Political Leaders
National Media

Today morning a battery of Forest officers and police descended on the village of Nandapeda near Ahwa in the Dangs, Gujarat. They pulled out the doors and the windows, pulled out the wooden ballis which support the roof; they pulled out wood from the roof of the huts of the villagers. The forest department decided late night that it was illegal wood and they must recover it.

The ATS meanwhile rounded up a few people.

Nandapeda is the only village with majority Muslim population in the Dangs district, considered the poorest district in the whole of India.

The government has been pressurizing the Muslims to convert to the Hindu religion or face eviction from their land.

Some of the residents of this village moved the Gujarat High Court against the government's pressure of converting and changing their religion.

The families have been living in the village for over 100 years.

On June 13th 2008 a senior officer had called a meeting in Ahwa and asked them to change their religion or vacate the land.

After this meeting police and forest officers had been harassing them. Police have been searching old cases registered against any person of the community and asking them to furnish bail papers. The police targeted 33 people against whom some petty crime or a scuffle with the neighbors was registered.

Claiming that repeated representation before authorities for regularization of their land has been in vain, petitioners requested the court to restrain the government from pressurizing them to convert from their religion. Justice Jayant Panchal had in July sought explanation in this regard from the secretary in-charge, district collector and the village sarpanch.

After hearing all parties, Justice Anant Dave admitted the case on September 11, 2008 and ordered to maintain status quo on the disputed land.

On the next day the police captured approximately 80 villagers for transporting cattle into Maharashtra and also apprehended some villagers who were going on motorcycles using the reason of cow slaughter, though there were no cattle in the tempo.

The villagers gathered. There was a clash between the villagers and the police. People were beaten on both the sides. One policeman was also beaten up. Police then opened fire and a number of villagers got bullet injuries. They were taken to Ahwa civil hospitals. The relatives were not allowed to meet them. Police apprehended eight villagers for beating a policeman and though a local lawyer went for their bail, it was not given.

Next day the police came and in the name of combing operation attacked and ransacked the village. Villagers were beaten up brutally including women and children. All men fled to the jungles. The police not only took away all the goods but before going they poured kerosene into the eatable good so that they could not eat anything too.

VHP proposed a rally on 15th [september].

After a lot of pressure the VHP rally was stopped but they declared a Bandh on 16th [september].

The VHP gave a deadline to the collector it is heard to get the village vacated.

Today morning as already mentioned the forest department and the forest department swooped in.

The villagers need urgent help and intervention. I have been personally informing various state politicians and centre about the developments.

Shabnam Hashmi
September 17, 2008

An Open Letter to the Prime Minister of India

Shabnam Hashmi — 2008-09-15T10:46:10Z

September 15, 2008

New Delhi

Dear Dr. Manmohan Singh,

The blasts in Delhi (September 12, 2008) are another in the series of tragic blasts in which scores of people have been killed. We strongly condemn the blasts and demand a proper, unbiased investigation into the same. We demand that the guilty be punished. At the same time it seems that our investigating agencies are ignoring some thing very crucial in the matters of investigating the acts of terror.

The acts of terror have been occurring and Home Ministry is watching helplessly. While the current investigation is totally focused around SIMI, many an alleged culprits have been put behind the bars, despite which now some unknown entity Indian Mujahideen seems to have been projected as being responsible for the current ones. At the same time another stark truth is being deliberately sidelined and undermined. And that relates to the blasts done by Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jagran Samiti. We fail to understand as to why the investigation authorities are turning a blind eye to some of the well established facts.

1. In a serious case of blasts in Nanded in April 2006 two Bajarang Dal workers died when making bombs. Similar incidents of bomb blasts were witnessed in many places around that time, Parabhani, Jalna and Aurangabad in Maharashtra. Most of these were in front of the mosques. The Nanded investigation 'leads' were not followed. On the contrary the investigation in that direction was not pursued at all. The attitude of police in this investigation has been totally lax. Social activists made the complaint about this to Human Rights commission. The commission summoned the Superintendent of police, Nanded, in its hearing held on 17th June. The SP failed to turn up for hearing! There seems to be a deliberate cover up of this important finding of Maharashtra Anti terrorist Squad. ATS did investigate the links of the dead with Bajrang Dal, an RSS affiliate. At the same time the injured were visited in the hospital by the top brass of local BJP and associates. Local BJP MP told the police not to harass those related to the culprits in the wake of the Bajrang Dal involvement in the bomb making. In Nanded, ATS also found fake moustache and pajama kurta, the idea being that the culprits will dress like a Muslim while doing these black deeds.

2. A bomb blast took place at the RSS office at Tenkasi, in the Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu on January 24. After a thorough investigation, the Tamilnadu Police had arrested 7 persons belonging to Sangh Parivar outfits. They had confessed that they indulged in this terror act to instigate the local Hindu population against the Muslims.

On further investigation, the Tamilnadu Police arrested Siva Alias Sivanandam, who is the General Secretary of Hindu Munnani at Kadayanallur, a neighbouring town of Tenkasi. Formed in 1980, Hindu Munnani is a frontal organisation of Sangh Parivar operating in Tamilnadu.

Siva, who has earlier worked in quarries in the neighboring state of Kerala had supplied the ammonium nitrate and other raw materials for preparing the bombs.

3. The bombs which exploded in Gadkari Rangayatan on 4th June 2008 injured seven people. Again Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad succeeded in nabbing the culprits. The culprits were part of Hindu Janjagaran Samiti (HJS), an outfit of Sanatana Ashram in Panvel. These culprits were also involved in other blasts, in Vashi, Panvel and Ratnagiri. We have not heard anything about the further tracing of this very important lead.

4. On 24th August, in Kanpur two Bajrang Dal workers died while making bombs. Rajiv alias Piyush Mishra and Bhupinder Singh were killed while making crude bombs on Sunday afternoon.

On 25th August, Monday, police recovered some crude hand grenades, lead oxide, red lead, potassium nitrate, bomb pins, timers and batteries from the spot, inside a hostel in Kalyanpur area of Kanpur, about 80 km from Lucknow. No further investigation, why?

Every time there is a bomb blast immediately the agencies and the media declare that it is done by some Muslim organization without any proof. Hundreds of innocent young boys are picked up, what follows are illegal detentions, torture, arrests, harassment of families, forcing the families and victims to sign blank papers. For years these helpless victims are tortured in jails, denied legal aid, even lawyers who try and fight their cases are attacked openly in courts. Their images tarnished for life time. If they are lucky they get let off after years as neither the agencies or the police have any proof against them. The cacophony of stricter laws rises so that a police can extract a confession by third degree torture and present that as evidence. Through this systematic vilification campaign the process of demonization of minorities continued unabated.

If we look at the timing of the terror attacks it is very clear that one and only one political outfit is gaining from it and that is Sangh. With their eyes on the central government their agenda of polarizing the voter is going ahead successfully.

On the other hand there are constant attacks on minorities on one pretext or another. Orissa thousands of Christians have been attacked, rendered homeless, their homes ransacked and looted and burnt down, churches attacked and even orphanages are not left alone.

Karnataka a similar picture is emerging. We have personally briefed very senior people in the government and the Congress party about the Karnataka situation and that it might explode but nothing was done and we have seen what has happened yesterday.

While we write to you now, the police are firing at Muslims in Yakutpura in Vadodara. Yesterday during the Ganpati procession a local dargah was broken down and shops of Muslims looted and ransacked. Already one boy has died and many are injured.

Last few days the only Muslim village Nandepeda in the Dangs, Gujarat has been attacked, ransacked. Villagers have been beaten up brutally including women and children. All men have fled to the jungles. The police not only took away all the goods but before going they poured kerosene into the eatable good so that they could not eat anything too. A proposed VHP rally today was stopped after spending 4 hours on the phone and pressuring various police departments.

UPA had formed the National Integration Council under tremendous pressure. The first agenda papers which were prepared, if you remember, were highly communal and objectionable. A number of us had raised it during the meeting and the Home Minister had replied' treat them as scrap' in your presence. Probably the Home Minister realized that people like us were too uncomfortable to have in the NIC, who would raise these questions. The NIC was never convened again. It was supposed to meet every six months.

The country unfortunately has been given on a platter to the Sangh and the government looks helplessly in providing security to ordinary citizens whether they are victims of terror attacks or victims of the constant attacks by the Sangh Parivar's various outfits.

We hope you will intervene and question why are such clear cases of involvement of RSS affiliates in terror attacks being ignored. It seems the investigating authorities deliberately want to cover up the role of RSS affiliates in these acts of terror. Can the real truth behind the dastardly acts come out without properly investigating these incidents, where the culprits' involvement is very clear? We urge upon you to instruct the investigating authorities to pursue the investigation in an unbiased, honest and professional manner. The life of innocent citizens is at stake and such irresponsible cover will definitely prevent the real truth from coming out. For the sake of fairness, honesty and the values of our constitution, we need to pursue these cases in their logical direction.

Can we look forward to you, Mr. Prime Minister to make your Government to rise above partisan attitude and unravel the truth behind the blasts which are rocking the country in a painful way?

Sincerely

Shabnam Hashmi, Member, National Integration Counci

Ram Puniyani, Social Activist, and writer

5 Years of ANHAD: 2003-2008

anhad e-admin — 2008-09-06T16:05:00Z

ANHAD and Its Activities

ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy) was formed in the first week of March 2003 in response to the Gujarat communal carnage of 2002. ANHAD was conceived less as an organization and more as a platform and a very loose movement, which is absolutely action oriented.

ANHAD was conceived less as an organisation and more as a platform and a very loose absolutely action oriented movement. ANHAD is neither a structured and highly resourced organisation nor a centralised movement capable of large-scale popular mobilisation. It, however, tries to combine the elements of both by collaborating with existing organisations and movements and by undertaking local level activities. The former enables ANHAD to develop creative co-operation with people's organisations and social movements working in different areas of social, cultural and political concerns, the latter opens up for secular mobilisation the space hitherto uncolonised by communalism.

Like any other progressive voluntary organisation the work of ANHAD keeps evolving with experience.

Anhad is registered as a trust (Regd. No.-1708/ 4/ 3127/13-25 dated 6.3.2003) and has seven trustees.

K N Panikkar, historian and social commentator, Founding Trustee
Shubha Mudgal, musician, Trustee
Kamla Bhasin, activist and writer, Trustee
Saeed Akhtar Mirza, film maker and writer, Trustee
Harsh Mander, activist and writer, Founding Trustee
Ram Puniyani, writer, social activist, Trustee
Shabnam Hashmi,social activist, Founding and Managing Trustee

• Major Activities during the past Five Years ANHAD has worked during the past five years mainly at the following levels:

1. Organizing Residential Political Training Camps
2. Producing campaign material for disseminating secular and democratic values
3. People's Action for Public Policy and Law
4. Organizing Seminars, Conventions
5. Providing an Open Creative Platform for Youth
6. Cultural Events for Peace, Communal Harmony and Justice
7. Working with Diaspora and work beyond borders
8. Community Work

1. Residential Political Training Camps

Sudden spurt of violence and hate in Indian society, a new notion of nationalism based on fear and feelings of besiege and a process of exclusion to redefine the boundaries of social structure has corroded the very foundation on which the constitution of the country was based. The processes more pronounced in certain parts than the other have immensely disturbed intellectuals, artists and social activist. Many have risen to the occasion and have come together to constitute organizations all over the country essentially in defense of democratic values, peace and tolerance. Anhad, in collaboration with large number of activist organizations has been organising residential training camps in different states.

Anhad has been able to mobilise the best minds of the country to interact with the local grass root activists.

The main aim of these camps is to sensitise the participants around the issues related to communalism, to counter prejudices, to plan actions and strategies for building an atmosphere of peace and justice. This is a very slow and long term process of educating people but we feel that there is no alternative in front of us. If we have to change the political discourse in this country, if we have to remove hatred, we will have to educate more and more people. We have organised over 50 camps during the past five years. This is our major concern area, whatever we do we consider this as the most important exercise in building secular cadre and getting people into the secular fold who have otherwise not been a part of the secular network, as well as equipping the secular cadre with enough knowledge to counter hate propaganda and also to provide a much wider vision of the contemporary situation.

1. Jaipur, Rajasthan from May 5-14, 2003
2. Surat, Gujarat-May 15-19, 2003
3. Godhra, Gujarat- May 16-20, 2003
4. Himmatnagar, Gujarat- May 17-21, 2003
5. Chotila, Gujarat- May 18-22, 2003
6. Kutch, Gujarat- May 19-23, 2003
7. Ahmedabad, Gujarat- May 20-24, 2003
8. Delhi - June 4-8, 2003
9. Bhopal, (M.P.) - July 22-26, 2003
10. Hyderabad, (A.P.) Aug. 26-30, 2003
11. Delhi- October 8-12, 2003
12. Udaipur, Rajasthan - Oct. 8-10, 2003
13. Delhi- October 26-30, 2003
14. Mathura, April 5, 2004
15. Ahmedabad, August 20-21, 2004
16. Kalol, August 21-22, 2004
17. Mathura, July 11, 2004
18. Bhubaneshwar, August 28-29, 2004
19. Ayodhya, September 17-18, 2004
20. Kolkata, September 25-26, 2004
21. Hyderabad, October 2-3, 2004
22. Mathura, October 13, 2004
23. Hyderabad, October 30, 2004
24. Delhi, October 30-31, 2004
25. Churu, December 7-10, 2004
26. Chindwara, January 10, 2005
27. Trivendrum, January 12-14, 2005
28. Mathura, February 18, 2005
29. Ayodhya, March 12, 2005
30. Goa, August 12-16, 2006
31. Koba, Gujarat, December 19-27, 2006
32. Membdabad, December 19-27 2006
33. Vadodara, December19-27 2006
34. Memdabad, January 15-25, 2007
35. Ahmedabad, January 15-25, 2007
36. Gandhinagar January 15-25, 2007
37. Devgarh Baria January 22-23, 2007
38. Ahmedabad May 6-June 5, 2007- Month long residential training Camp
39. Ahmedabad July 10, 2007
40. Ahmedabad September 12, 2007
41. Ahmedabad September 18-20, 2007
42. Ahmedabad October, 2-4, 2007 Training for Youth Reporters

2. Producing campaign material for disseminating secular and democratic values

At a very early stage it was realized that giving intensive inputs to the activists does conscientise them but is not sufficient to equip them permanently. The arguments and the data that effectively opposes the ideology of hate had to be put in black and white. Scanning of available books and articles revealed that most of this literature dealt with the issues of bigotry at a highly intellectual plane, which made them inaccessible to the grassroot worker. ANHAD decided to publish its own material in easy understandable language. Anhad has produced and disseminated thousands of books, video cds, exhibitions, leaflets over the past 5 years.

List of Published Material

Sampradayikta by Ram Punyani Gujarati
Hamare Geet Hindi
Anhad Pustak Mala Part I-VI Gujarati
Sampradayikta by Ram Punyani Hindi
The Hidden Apartheid English (book)
The Hidden Apartheid English (a set of 50 posters)-3000 copies
Gandhi Ki Hatya : Doosri Baar by Ram Punyani Hindi
In the Name of Rama by Aabid Surti English
Dark Leaves of the Present Edited by Shabnam Hashmi & Angana P Chatterji English
In Search of Faith Unconquered by Manasa Patnam and Sahir Raza- English
Gujarat 3 Years Later- English
In Defense of Our Dreams- a set of 15 documentary lectures- 1000 copies
Un Sapnon Ki Khatir- a set of 15 docu-lectures-Hindi- 1000 copies
In Defence of Democracy- an exhibition of 60 panels- English, Hindi, -Gujarati, Marathi, Urdu, Telugu, Punjabi and Bengali
In Defence of Democracy- a folder exhibition- 1000 copies
In Defence of Democracy- Book form- Gujarati-4000 copies/ Hindi-1000 copies
Secular Voices- Video CD -1000 copies-Stop Hate Campaign
Creating Democracy Celebrating Diversity- Audio CD- 500 copies
Rajasthan ki schooli kitabon main jansanghar-1000 copies
Untold Story of Hindukaran (Proselytilation) of Adivasis (Tribals)in Dang -Gujarat-1000 copies
Hindustan main fascism ki pehchaan- 1000 copies
Is India really Shining- 1000 copies
National Consultation on Communalism Report-1000 copies
The Uprooted: joint production-1000 copies each in Hindi, English and Gujarati
Creating Democracy Celebrating Diversity-1000 copies
Posters & Leaflets: close to one lakh posters and at least 50 lakh leaflets produced and distributed

Hidden Apartheid: An Exhibition on the Dalit Human Rights

A 50-poster creatively communicative exhibition dealing with issues related to atrocities on Dalits in India was inaugurated by the former President of India, Sh. K R Narayanan in Delhi. This exhibition was organized in collaboration with NCDHR. The National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) is part of a wider struggle to abolish “untouchability” and to “cast out caste”.

In Defence of Our Dreams Docu-Lectures

Due to the limited number of experts, paucity of funds and vast geographical spread of the country it is not possible for us physically to meet all the requests for holding camps or workshops that we constantly receive. The hurdle could only be over come by the use of modern technology. Anhad decided to hold two special workshops, one in Hindi and one in English language, in Delhi. 30 lectures were delivered during these workshops. The lectures along with the discussion that followed was recorded on video format. We edited and released a set of 15 docu-lectures in English on March 31, 2004. All the programmes were converted to VCD format for mass production. ‘In Defence of Our Dreams' has been produced by Gauhar Raza. The Hindi version Un Sapnon ki Khatir was released on March 23, 2005.

In Defence of Our Democracy An Exhibition

The exhibition highlights those aspects from the Indian history and culture which talk of pluralism. Exhibition is broadly divided into the following sections: the legacy of the freedom movement, the vision of a secular India as enshrined in our constitution, the threat to secular fabric by communal and fundamentalist forces, the myth of minority appeasement and the reality behind conversions, the status of minorities, the attack on minorities, our composite cultural heritage and the need to preserve it.

The exhibition has 60 panels 2x3 feet size. Its printed on flex. The exhibition was produced in English, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, Punjabi and Bengali. It was inaugurated in Delhi by Javed Akhtar on December 6, 2005. The exhibition has been conceived and researched by Shabnam Hashmi and designed by Pervez. It has been already exhibited over 100 places across India and has been seen by thousands of people. Later the exhibition was converted into a folder in A 3 size and more than 500 sets were sold to the Central Scools. Different organisations also bought about 50 sets. The same exhibition was converted into a book size and 4000 copies were printed in Gujarati and 1000 in Hindi. These are distributed to the participants of the political training camps.

3. People's Action for Public Policy and Law –Public Hearings, Tribunals, Fact Finding Teams, demonstrations, dharnas etc.

Apart from its direct work on secular education, cultural action for pluralism, secularism and democracy, and youth activism, Anhad sees a major role for itself in building continuous civil society pressure for public policy and law for secular democracy and social justice. ANHAD works as a strong pressure group and is constantly intervening in policy making, organizing media campaigns, releasing statements, sending fact finding teams and organizing tribunals, sending memorandums, organizing protests, demonstrations, dharnas and so on.

August 29, 2003 - Letter to the President of India in defence of Nafisa Ali
October 8, 2003 - Affidavit to Supreme Court of India to reopen 2000 closed cases in Gujarat
November 18, 2003 - Meeting in support of Mallika Sarabhai, Delhi
January 6,2004 - Signature campaign against attack on Bhandarkar Institute
January 13, 2004 - Meeting to discuss civil society's intervention in the general election
April 11, 2004 - Protest meeting against attack on Youth Aman Karwan-Delhi
June 1-2, 2004 - Meeting of NGOs in Ahmedabad, Baroda, Godhra-preparation of Charter of Demands
June 8, 2004 - Petition to Arjun Singh
June 23, 2004 - Memorandum to the NCERT text book review committee
July first week - Delegations to PM, HM and Sonia Gandhi
July 10-13, 2004 - Deleg to J Reddy, Reconst CBFC, inclusion of video doc in film fest
July 11, 2004 - Petition to HM on the situation in Manipur
July 23, 2004 - letter to DG UNESCO to stop award to Rajput
July 29, 2004 - Pota Repeal Demonstration
August 28, 2004 - Condemning attack on Nikhil Waghle
September 10, 2004 - Statement on Census Report
October 8, 2005 - Protest Demonstration against POTA- Delhi
December 6, 2004 - Demonstration at the Parliament demanding repeal of POTA with retrospective
December 7, 2004 - Release of the Communal Crimes Act Draft- drafted in collaboration with HRLN, Jan Andolan and CSSS
January 20-21, 2005 - Consultative Meeting on Communal Crimes Act
Feb 7, 2005 - Release of UC Banerjee Committee Report, Delhi
February 11, 2005 - Release of UC Banerjee Committee Report, Patna February 26, 2005 - Representation to WIPRO requesting them not to participate in the funding event for Hindutva forces in the USA
March 11, 2005 - Protest against American Express for sponsoring Modi's programme in US
March 19, 2005 – Open letter to Prime Minister by Shabnam Hashmi
January 3rd, 2006 Press conference & Release of Report on Dangs
January 26-27, 2006 National Consultation on Communalism in Delhi attended by over 250 activists
October 17th, 2006 Consultation on The Report of the Committee Appointed by the Central Government to Review the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958
April 04, 2007 Antarik Visthapit Haq Rakshak Samiti –Public Hearing in Delhi
April 24, 2007 Organised demonstration against Babu Bajrangi in Ahmedabad
June 16, 2007 Consultation meeting on Communal Violence Bill
June 24, 2007 Organised protest against BJP attack on the student of MS University, Vadodara
July 07, 2007 Protest demonstration at Gujarat bhawan after the attack on Anhad Peace festival
September, 2007 Visit and fact finding report on the attack on 6 villages in Surat district
October 11, 2007 Press Conference in Delhi on the issue of Farmers Suicides in Gujarat
October 12, 2007 Led the delegation of the families of farmers from Gujarat to meet the UPA Chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Member of Planning Commission Mrs Sayeda Hameed and the Chairperson of NHRC Former Chief Justice of India Mr Rajendra Babu.
November 27, 2007 Organised a silent protest in the support of Tasleema Nasreen in Delhi with other organizations.
January 17, 2008 Organised the released of the report “Unmistakenably Sangh” by The Campaign To Stop Funding Hate Department of School Education & Literacy, MHRD has sanctioned Jan Shikshan Sansthan to Anhad in Tangdhar, District Kupwara, J&K. Due to Anhad's intervention a Kendriya Vidyalaya has been sanctioned for Tangdar.

Independent People's Tribunal on Rise of Fascist Forces and the Attack on the Secular State
New Delhi: March 20-22, 2007

About three hundred women and men from different states of India who had confronted communal campaigns and experienced its brutality had assembled in Delhi from 20-23 March to give their testimony to an independent people's tribunal organized by a Delhi based voluntary organization, ANHAD and Human Rights Law Network. They consisted of people who have suffered mental and physical torture, driven out of their homes and have lost their dear and near ones. The testimonies rendered by them before the tribunal have clearly demonstrated that communalization is on a fast track in the country and a take over of the state by fascist forces is a distinct possibility. They shared their pain and anguish the myriad ways in which communal forces are expanding their sphere of influence, both through propaganda and coercion.

Those who deposed before the tribunal came from 16 states. These included: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Manipur, West Bengal, Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir. Their depositions were supported by affidavits and documents. These depositions clearly brought out the strategies employed by the communal forces to further their influence both in the rural and urban areas.

Most of these activities led to serious violations of human rights and dignity of women. Although, these atrocities are locally specific, there are certain uniform, discernible tendencies. The deionization of minorities, both Muslims and Christians, and their consequent marginalization and physical attack has been noticed all over the country. It is particularly important that the states in which the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is in power like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, this has been quite widespread. The victims of communal aggression have failed to get any help form the state. The role of the police is particularly dubious, as in most cases, the victims were not even able to file FIR. Often it is noticed that the victims are turned into perpetrators of crime. As a result the minorities feel a sense of helplessness. In most states the testimonies indicate that a situation akin to that of Gujarat is developing.

Another unfortunate trend is the ghettoization of the minorities since they feel that they are not safe in the mixed localities they tend to seek safety in the company of co-religionists. This actually increases a fear psychosis. Moreover, it tends to destroy the secular character of social life.

Several other disturbing trends were noticed across the states. Some of these are:

• Systematic clearing or dispossession of lands belonging to the minority communities.

• Communalisation of bureaucracy, especially lower level officials, police and district administration and the injustice faced by the minority communities at their hands.

• The emergence of a clear pattern of activities by Hindutva forces to ferment troubles where there may have been none.

• Inroads being made by Hindutva forces among the oppressed, i.e. the Dalits and the Tribals and the hinduisation of their cultural practices.

• The hurdles faced in advocating justice for the minority communities.

• The criminal justice system in several states appears to be under the influence of Hindutva forces. Consequently we see clear initiatives of false cases being foisted against innocent Muslims and they are being forced to undergo repression behind bars. Also no or inadequate compensation was provided to the victims and medical assistance to the injured was denied.

• Saffronisation is increasingly impacting on economic activity. Ghettoisation through socio-economic boycott renders these communities further vulnerable to other forms of violence.

• The criminal justice system has failed to protect the rights of minorities and has failed to punish the perpetrators.

• The textbooks are saffronsiationed.

• Testimonies underlined an increasing role of religious leaders in communal mobilization.

Several pamphlets with anti-minority propaganda were circulated in different states.

The Jury of the Tribunal consisted of the following: Prof. K.N. Panikkar, Justice Suresh, Justice S.N. Bhargava, Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, Ali Asghar, Syeeda Hameed, Prof. Akoijam Bimol, Prof. Subhranjan Dasgupta, Nikhil Wagle, Kumar Ketkar, Dr. Sandeep Pandey, Annie Raja, Gagan Sethi, John Dayal, Justice Hosbet Suresh, Vincent Manoharan, Dr. Angana Chatterjee, Dr. K. M. Shrimali, Dr. Ram Puniyani, Henri Tiphagne, Prof. Kamal Mitra Chenoy, Jaya Mehta, Dr., Prof. Purshottam Agarwal, S. Irfan Habib, Sheetla Singh, Uma Chakravarty, Dr. R Vashum, Lalit Surjan.

Tribunal Organized by: ANHAD and Human Rights Law Network (HRLN). Supported by: Aman Samudaya, AVHRS, Insaaf, Janvikas, Peace, People Research Society, PUCL Rajasthan, Sandarbh, Vikas Adhyayan Kendra.

Public Statement released at the National Consultation on The Communal Violence (Prevention, Control & Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, 2005 organized by ANHAD, With inputs from Justice Ahmadi, Farah Naqvi and Gagan Sethi (CSJ) on June 16, 2007 in New Delhi

The completion of three years of the UPA Government is an opportune moment to take stock of what the Government has achieved in terms of justice for communal crimes. The demand for a law on communal violence emerged from a brutal record of recurring violence in our country, the increasing occurrence of gender-based crimes in communal conflagrations, and complete impunity for mass crimes. The reasons are many - lack of political will to prosecute perpetrators, State complicity in communal crimes, lack of impartial investigation, and lack of sensitivity to victim's experiences. But there is also, crucially, the glaring inadequacy of the law. Today, despite huge strides in international jurisprudence, India continues to lack an adequate domestic legal framework, which would allow survivors of communal violence to seek and to secure justice.

The UPA Government's Common Minimum Programme (CMP) had promised to give the citizens of this country a ‘comprehensive legislation' to fill this legal vacuum. We were promised a legislation that would strengthen the hands of the citizens in the struggle against communalism, and allow us to prosecute for mass crimes committed with political complicity and intent. While the country does need a strong law on communal violence, this present Bill is totally misconceived. What we have before us today is a dangerous piece of legislation called the Communal Violence (Prevention, Control & Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill 2005, which will not only fail to secure justice for communal crimes, but will actually strengthen the shield of protection enjoyed by the State, its political leaders and its officials for their acts of omission and commission in these crimes. It is a Bill, which conceives of communal violence as a ‘one time' event rather than as a long-term politically motivated process, and seeks to prevent it only by giving greater powers to (often communally tainted) State governments. Further, it continues to perpetuate the silence around gender-based crimes.

It is a travesty that a Bill of such fundamental importance in addressing the challenges posed to the secular character of our society and polity, was drafted by the Government without any real consultative process involving civil society. At this National Consultation on the Communal Violence (Prevention, Control & Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill 2005, we the undersigned, reject this Bill in its entirety. The assumptions of the Bill are so flawed that it cannot be remedied by amending a few components. We therefore reject this Bill and ask the Central Government to forthwith set up a Drafting Committee to formulate an entirely new bill on communal violence, with the active participation of civil society through an open, transparent, and public process. Eminent jurists, civil society activists, academics and legal experts who have engaged on the ground and in court rooms with communal crimes must be part of such a process. A statute which is sincere about addressing gaps in criminal jurisprudence, must base itself on the experiences of victims of communal violence over the last 60 years, the recommendations of various Commissions of Enquiries and international covenants to which India is a signatory.

The statement was endorsed by:

Justice A M Ahmadi, former Chief Justice, Supreme Court
Justice Hosbet Suresh, former Judge, Mumbai High Court
Justice K K Usha, former Chief Justice, Kerala High Court
Justice Rajinder Sachar, former Chief Justice, Delhi High Court
Justice Sardar Ali Khan, former Judge, AP High Court
Professor K.N. Panikker, former VC, Shree Shankaracharya University, Kerala
Nandita Das, Actor
Aruna Roy, MKSS
Prof.K. Satchidanandan(Writer,Activist, former Secretary, Sahitya Akademi)
Ghanshyam Shah
Harsh Mander, Social Activist (Aman Biradari)
Professor Rooprekha Verma, former VC Lucknow University
Colin Gonzalves, Supreme Court Advocate, Delhi
Dr. Ram Puniyani, Social Activist, Mumbai
Professor Kamal Mitra Chenoy, JNU, Delhi
Apoorvanand, Delhi University
Anil Chaudhary, PEACE, Delhi
John Dayal, Senior Journalist & Social Activist, Delhi
V.N. Rai, IPS, Lucknow
K.S. Subramanian, former IPS, Delhi
P.J.G Nampoothiri, former NHRC Spl Rapporteur, Gujarat
Ali Asghar, COVA
Dr. Abdul Salam
Zafar A. Haq, FFCL, Delhi
M. Hilal, FFCL, Delhi
Abid Shah
Uma Chakravarti, Feminist Historian, Delhi University
Hanif Lakdawala, Sanchetna, Gujarat
Prasad Chacko, Action Aid, Gujarat
Kavita Srivastava, Social Activist, Rajasthan
Mehak Sethi, Lawyers Collective, Delhi
Ajay Madiwale, HRLN, Delhi
Avinash Kumar, Oxfam, Gujarat
Ravindra, Lawyers Collective, Delhi
Sophia Khan, Safar, Gujarat
Vrinda Grover, Advocate, Delhi
Usha Ramanathan, Senior Law Researcher, Delhi
Madhu Mehra, Partners for Law in Development, Delhi
Harsh Kapoor, sacw.net, France
Iftikhar Ahmad Khan, Reader, M.S. University of Baroda, Baroda
Dr. Pratixa Baxi, JNU, Delhi
Asad Zaidi, Three Essays Publications
Nalini Taneja, Delhi University
Rohit Prajapati, Baroda
Trupti Shah, Baroda
Zakia Johar, Action Aid, Gujarat
Henri Tiphagne, Executive Director, Peoples' Watch
Niti Saxena, AALI, Lucknow
Saumya Uma, WRAG, Mumbai
Devika Biswas, Sancalp
N.B.Sarojini, SAMA, Delhi
Nandini Sunder, Delhi University
Soma K.P
KK Tripathy, Butterflies
Harsh Singh Lohit
K.A. Salim
Sharafudheen M.K.
Jahnvi Andharia, Anandi, Gujarat
Dunu Roy, Hazards Centre
Nasiruddin, Journalist, Hindustan
Gauhar Raza, Anhad, Delhi
Vineet Tiwari, MP Progressive Writers Association, Indore
Dr. Jaya Mehta, Sandarbh Kendra, Indore
Anjali Shenoy
Harsh Dobhal, Combat Law
Indu Prakash Singh, Actionaid India
Kshetrimayum Onil, Reachout
Asmita Asawari
Shabnam Hashmi, Anhad, Delhi
Gagan Sethi, Janvikas, Gujarat
Farah Naqvi, Delhi

4. Organizing Lectures, Seminars and Conventions

In order to stimulate intellectual debate surrounding issues that shape communal mindset, Anhad has organised over 20 major seminars during the past fiva years. Intellectuals from all over the country were invited to these seminars. Anhad has always believed that all its activities should be guided by well thought of and intellectually sound strategies, therefore we lay special emphasis on such debates.

February 28, 2004 - Two years of Gujarat- a convention- Delhi
July 29, 2004 - Rebuilding Justice and Hope in Gujarat-Seminar
September 29, 2004 - Towards an Agenda For Secular Education
October 4, 2004 - Why Remember Gandhi Today? –seminar
November 14, 2004 - Taimoor Bandey's lecture at Anhad
Oct 01, 2005- Seminar on “Media and Challenges” in Lucknow
January 26-27, 2006 National Consultation on Communalism in Delhi attended by over 250 activists
March 10-11, 2006 Seminar in Gujarat Social Forum- Communal Ideology and Resistance
April 22nd, 2006 Seminar: Injustices in the Name of Fighting Terrorism at IIC, Delhi
June 30, 2006 Seminar-Re imagining the City, Re imagining the Nation
July 22, 2006 Seminar- Combating Communal Ideology September 2nd, 2006 Seminar: International Brotherhood of Fascism at IIC, Delhi
September 3rd, 2006 Rethinking Secular Intervention: Consultative Meeting of senior activists on Communalism at IIC, Delhi
October 5-8th, 2006 National Youth Convention & Festival at Delhi attended by 300 youth delegates from across 25 states
November 12, 2006 Seminar at Indian Social Forum: Assault on Secular Democracy in Contemporary India
February 01, 2007 Seminar on Internally displaced people in Gujarat. Release of the report ‘The uprooted Caught between existence and denial'
February 19, 2007 ‘Godhra Exposed' Lecture by Mukul Sinha in Delhi.
April 22-23, 2007 Youth Convention in Ahmedabad
September 23, 2007 Youth Convention in Himmat Nagar, Gujarat
October 22, 2007 Youth Convention in Ahmedabad
November 06, 2007 Seminar in Srinagar ‘Role of Media in a Conflict Zone'

THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT WAS ADOPTED AT THE NATIONAL MEETING Rethinking Secular Intervention ORGANISED BY ANHAD IN NEW DELHI ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2006

The people of India are passing through deeply troubled times. During its term as part of the NDA led alliance, behind its superficial facade of moderation, was a cynically and recklessly engineered communal divide. The elections in the summer of 2004 were therefore no ordinary elections. The ordinary people of India recognized that its outcomes would decisively influence in many ways the destinies of our nation and its people. These elections would either return and further legitimise, or else reject the band of determined, highly motivated people and organizations that had mounted in recent decades an unprecedented assault and challenge to the very idea of India.

During the India's long struggle for freedom from British colonial rule, the mainstream of popular support lay with Gandhi, and shared his vision of a resolutely secular nation, with equal rights of citizenship for people of every faith, community, caste, colour and gender. The Constitution of India, drafted by one of India's most revered leaders from a people traditionally subjected to the most savage caste discrimination, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, established the secular, socialist and democratic foundations of the new nation.

Psuedo-religious extremist organisations have challenged this vision of India, more aggressively since the 1980s. Their mobilisation is organised predominantly around the symbol of a medieval mosque, the Babri Masjid. In recent decades, this incendiary intensely sectarian dispute over a tiny patch of land in Ayodhya has come to dominate national public life in India, successfully hegemonising electoral politics, and displacing authentic people's democratic struggles for a more just, egalitarian and humane world.

The entire Muslim community has been systematically demonised, especially in the hearts and minds of large sections of the influential middle class, as implacably unpatriotic, regressive, unreliable and violent. The manufacture of hatred has extended, especially in distant tribal regions of central India, to other minority groups like Christians. Textbooks have been re-written, and popular cultural forms like cinema distorted, to propogate a false, dangerously communal, undemocratic, patriarchal and inegalitarian vision of our history and cultural legacy.

In this moment of historic crisis, unprecedented in modern India, democratic institutions both of the state and the people stand eroded, corrupted, unsteady or weak. Fascist and anti-democratic politics have been legitimized by the opportunism - or communalisation – of segments of the media and much of the political establishment, except of the left. The resistance by progressive segments of civil society are greatly weakened by their divisiveness and passivity.

The brutal carnage in Gujarat and its aftermath awakened sections of humane and secular public opinion in the country, to the over-riding imperative to reclaim and restore the pluralistic foundations of our society and polity. It alerted us to the levels of communal poison that have been fostered in our society; the mobilisation of legions of young people by psuedo-religions fundamentalist organisations; and the failure of large sections of the state, the political class and even progressive civil society organisations to confront, resist and reverse sectarian mobilisation around ideologies of hatred and divide.

The Congress-led UPA alliance was catapulted to power by a people who quietly and decisively rejected the politics of hate and the assaults that these had mounted on the secular democratic idea of India. It needed to recognise the deep significance of this moment in our political and social history, that its actions would influence profoundly the future course our country will take. Its two years in office shows little awareness of its responsibility to future generations.

The first set of unmet expectations relate to reclaiming healing and justice to the survivors of Gujarat, who were denied even elementary reparation and rehabilitation by an unashamedly hostile government. As legal justice is openly subverted and economic boycott and fear persist, no hand has reached out from the central government or parties to wipe their tears. There is no rehabilitation package, no measures to secure independent investigation, prosecution and trial. State impunity stands unchanged. Life has not improved in any way for the survivors of the state sponsored carnage a year after the government came to power.

There was hope that at least the brazen misuse of POTA, applied exclusively in Gujarat against the minorities, would be corrected by a retrospective repeal of the draconian legislation. The law was allowed to die, but all those charged under it by the previous regime continue to languish in jails under its anti-democratic provisions. Indeed, the Modi government has made fresh arrests under POTA even after the meaningless repeal.

Many hopes were pinned to the law on communal violence promised in the CMP, to prevent the recurrence of state impunity in communal massacres like Gujarat. The expectation was a law that would strengthen the hands of citizens by codifying the mandatory duties of the state to prevent and control communal violence, and to secure reparation and legal justice. Instead, the government has produced a draft that adds to the powers of the state, including measures from POTA and the Armed Forces Act that, far from protecting minorities, notoriously have been used against them.

There is a dangerous conspiracy of silence in the ruling political establishment about the continued hate mobilization of the Muslims by the Sangh organizations, and the attacks on Christians in many parts of the country. Communal tempers are mounting dangerously in states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The Sangh schools continue to propogate hate in young minds, through falsifying history and demonizing minorities. Several of these schools are resourced by overseas supporters of the Sangh, and many are even state-funded.

In this decisive moment in our country's history, wanton failures by the central government to defend the secular fabric of our land and to restore the faith, confidence and equal rights of minorities, constitute a profound betrayal of the people's mandate

Prof.KN Panikkar, Kerala
Prof.Romila Thapar, New Delhi
Nandita Das, New Delhi
Kanchan Sinha,Lucknow
Jimmy Dabhi, Ahmedabad
Rooprekha Verma, Lucknow
Prasad Chacko, Ahmedabad
Hiren Gandhi, Ahmedabad
Subhash Gatade, New Delhi
Ram Puniyani, Mumbai
M. R. Pathan,Vadodara
Girish M. Das,Ahmedabad
Yusuf Shaikh,Vadodara
G. F Malik,Baroda
Maya Valecha,Baroda
Asad Zaidi.Gurgaon
Mukul Sinha, Ahmedabad
Nirjhari Sinha, Ahmedabad
Iftikar Ahmed Khan,Baroda
Xavier Manoharan,Gujarat
Shankar Gopalakrishna,New Delhi
Mohammad Arif, Varanasi
Zakia,Ahmedabad
Ali Asghar,Hyderabad
Gagan Sethi,Ahmedabad
Yogesh Deewan,Hoshangabad
Vineet Tiwari,Indore
Deepak Bhatt,Bhopal
Javed Anis,Bhopal
Nasiruddin,Lucknow
Shailendra Kumar,Jharkhand
Anuj Kumar, Ranchi
Hari Om Prasad,Delhi
Hanif Lakdawala,Ahmedabad
Sheba George,Ahmedabad
Avinash Kumar,Ahmedabad
Kavita Srivastava, Jaipur
Manan, Ahmedabad
Amjad Ahmed, Srinagar
Preeti Verma, New Delhi
Deepika D'Souza, New Delhi
Kiran Shaheen, New Delhi
Shabnam Hashmi, New Delhi

5. Providing an Open Creative Platform for Youth

Young sensitive citizens are disturbed by the culture and politics of violence that surrounds them - violence that one faces everyday on the streets, at home, in college, in the state and in the country. They are worried and want to make a change. They are tired of being stereotyped as indifferent, because in fact they deeply care.

Anhad provides a vibrant and creative platform to share such concerns – for young minds, a space without boundaries where each one can voice their opinions and ideas without fears.

Anhad's youth platform is envisaged as an ongoing activity conceptualised, designed, executed by and for the youth in campuses and schools around the country. The main aim is to make ‘peace' a movement with immediacy and meaning for young people, and not just a remote idea or theory. The message of peace is spread through Open House Discussions, Film Screenings, Debate and Poetry Competitions, Theatre Performances, Photography Exhibitions, etc.

During the past five years Anhad has organised major creative campaigns at the national level involving youth.

Walk for Peace

On 18th November, 2003 more than 100 college students from the majority community, for the first time in their lives, reached the Shah Alam dargah in Ahmedabad under the banner of Youth for Peace. Shah Alam is a dargah revered by ordinary people of all faiths, but it was also the largest relief camp after the carnage, home to more than 12000 women, men and children who were rendered internal refugees because of the pogrom. Most urban educated youth in Ahmedabad had failed to take a stand on the 2002 carnage in Gujarat. The Walk for Peace from Shah Alam to Sanskar Kendra in Ahmedabad was therefore a very significant symbolic step taken by young people of diverse faiths to reclaim their collective humanity. In many ways, it broke both mental and physical barriers.

Youth Aman Karwan : Meri Awaz Suno

It was an epic expedition undertaken by students to appeal to the youth of India to spread the message of peace in the country. The Youth Aman Karwan was flagged off in Delhi on April 7,2004 and it covered 15000kms. It passed through Jaipur, Ajmer, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Nadiad, Godhra, Vadodara, Surat, Mumbai, Nagpur, Raipur, Bhubneshwar, Vishakhapatnam, Vijaywada, Hyderabad, Anantpur, Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Katni, Allahabad, Lucknow, Dehradun, Jallandhar, Kathua, Patni Top, Batot, Ramban, Jammu, Udhampur, Srinagar, Mand Gaon, Ludhiana and Kurukshetra. It returned to Delhi on May 7, 2004.

The students between the age group of 14-21 spoke different languages, came from different economic and cultural backgrounds. Some came from ordinary families, some from middle, upper middle classes, others were homeless children.

They conducted press conferences and public meetings in every city to get their message of peace and harmony across to as many people as possible. Youth Aman Karwan was supported by around 25 organisations all over India. Some of them are CRY, ActionAid, Prashant, Navsarjan, NCDHR, PUCL, Sadbhavna ke Sipahi, Akhil Bharatiya Rachnatmak Sangh, Secular Collective, COVA, Muslim Youth of India, Deshbakht Yadgar Committee, Deshbandhu, Aasha, Satya Shodhak Sangh, Aman Samuday, Media Artists, Sarokar, Lokshahi Bachaho Youth Aman Karwan

Anhad started its 'Restore Democracy' campaign in Gujarat in February 2007.

Anhad , in collaboration with approximately 15 Gujarat based organizations, flagged off three Youth Karwans on June 5th which travelled to 630 villages across Gujarat, covering 25 districts. The young volunteers after reaching a village first displayed the exhibition which they were carrying, the exhibition had panels on our independence struggle, on the contribution of Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh, the exhibition had several panels on the Indian Constitution and our composite culture. the exhibition also had a large number of photographs on two huge panels exposing the myth of Vibrant Gujarat. The youth volunteers then organised public meetings in the villages and talk about the conditions in present Gujarat both economical, and the constant attack on the democratic rights and on the freedom of expression. They screened documentaries and feature films.

In one day one group covered 3-4 villages, so together they covered about 11-15 villages depending on the distances between the villages and the terrain of the district which they cover on a particular day.

They distributed more than 5 lakh leaflets and one lakh copies of the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.

One of the Karwan's was attacked in Amreli district. The administration tried to put anti national activity charges on the young volunteers and it took us five hours to get the youth members out of the illegal detention. The impact of this campaign can be assessed by a news item published three days ago in a regional daily asking the BJP youth to combat Anhad. Rupala, the state BJP chief is quoted in the news item as saying that Anhad has brought 1000 young people from other states to campaign against the govt . We definitely consider it as a compliment if our 30 young volunteers from Gujarat are giving an impression of being a 1000 strong contingent.

January 8, 2004 - Premiere of Final Solution, Delhi
April 7- May 7, 2004 - Youth Aman Karwan
August 24, 2004 - Public Screening of Final Solution
August 31, 2004 - Launch of Third Act - Youth for Peace
November 17, 2004 – Screening of the film-Crossing the Lines:Kashmir, Pakistan, India by Pervez Hoodbhoy and Zia Mian
November 15, 2004 - Essay Competition for students, Delhi
November 25, 2004 - Creative Writing Competition for students in Mumbai, Y4P
July 15, 2005- Screening of the film “Manipur-Shadows of Freedom” in Delhi
April 18th, 2006 Essay Competition in Srinagar- Save Dal Lake
May 12-14, 2006 Workshop for the Volunteers for Kashmir in Delhi
May 18th, 2006 Elocution in Srinagar university- Kashmiri Youth: Dreams and Future
February 04, 2007 Announcement of ‘SMS Parzania Contest' in Gujarat
February 12, 2007 Announcement of Competition ‘Creating Democracy Celebrating Diversity' inviting young creative minds to create any product that promotes the value of Communal harmony, Democracy, Peace, Fraternity, Diversity and Secularism.
February 15, 2007 Announcement of Stop Hate Campaign for College/School Students by creating messages of peace and communal harmony

March 24, 2007 Interaction of the winners of of ‘SMS Parzania Contest' with Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika in Mumbai
April 01, 2007 Launch of one Computer cum Creative centre in Uri, J&K
April 01, 2007 Launch of Youth centre in Srinagar
April 23, 2007 Organised first public screening of Parzania in -Ahmedabad
May 01, 2007 Launch of one Computer cum Creative centre in -Tangdhar, J&K
May 01, 2007 Started five Youth centres in 6 villages in District Uri, J&K. Started three Women Empowerment Centres in three villages in District Uri
May 06, 2007 Organised a TV Talk show for Doordarshan
June 01, 2007 Started five Youth centres in five villages in District Tangdhar, J&K Started three Women Empowerment Centres in three villages in District
June 04, 2007 Flag off of Youth Aman Karwan in Gujarat Tangdhar
July 06-08, 2007 National Student's Peace Festival in Ahmedabad
July 14, 2007 Student's Film Festival in Srinagar attended by 500 students
August, 2007 State level competitions for college students: 1. should students Take Part in Politics 2. Should Education be privatized 3. Relationship between Politics of Hate and growing Violence against Women
September, 2007 Organised a creative writing competition for the school students in Kashmir
November 14, 2007- Motorcycle Rally covering 22 district headquarters
December, 2007 Television advertisement on ETV

6. Cultural Events for Peace, Communal Harmony and Justice

Anhad actively celebrates the secular, multi-layered cultural traditions of India, emphasizing that all creative endeavor upholds the values of secularism and pluralism. Anhad in collaboration with many other organisations organised the following events during the past five years :-

July 1, 2003 : Communal Harmony Day

In 2003, Anhad declared July 1 as the day For Communal Harmony in Gujarat. July 1st is dedicated to the memory of Vasant Rav and Rajab Ali who gave their lives to preserve peace in Ahmedabad. Anhad mounted a major peace festival on that day at the Tagore Hall. The festival continued well over 7 hours and was attended by thousands of young students and local residents. Those who participated in the programme include Shubha Mudgal, Aditi Mangaladas, Aditi Desai and artists from Darpana Theatre Academy and Mrigya fusion band. Special exhibitions were put up and posters and t-shirts were released on the occasion.

September 27, 2003 Delhi : Peace Concert Was attended by over 3,500 young students from schools and colleges of Delhi. The concert of vocal and instrumental music continued for more than four hours in the evening. Luminaries like Nandita Das, Harsh Mander, Tarun Tejpal and Shubha Mudgal delivered short messages of peace. The concert created history as Shubha Mudgal and Indian Ocean decided to perform together on the spot.

November 30, 2003 Ahmedabad : Peace Concert

The response of the young students of Ahmedabad was over whelming, over 5000 students attended the concert. To see such response in a city like Ahmedabad that had only recently been mute witness to one of the most brutal pogroms in recent Indian history, gave a lot of hope. Dignitaries like Mallika Sarabhai, Martin Macwan, Harsh Mander were present to support the cause of peace and communal harmony.

January 7, 2004 Delhi : Unity Concert

A Unity concert was organised on January 7, 2004. The evening started with a street play by ‘Safdar Rang Manch' based on women's issues and communalism “ Touch the sky”. Manu Kohli a young singer, Zohra Segal, Gauhar Raza and a dalit group Shakti from Tamil Nadu performed in front of a large crowd. The evening was brought to a close by the music legend Usha Uthap. Raju Rajgopal, Chair Promise of India, Tarun Tejpal and Harsh Mander spoke on the occasion. Unity concert was organised in collaboration with Promise of India. Promise of India is a global community of Indians rededicating themselves to a democratic, secular, pluralistic and united India.

March 20, 2004 Delhi : Women Artist for Peace, Justice and Harmony The evening started with the songs by Artists Unlimited an independent youth forum for the promotion of arts, run by and for students followed by a performance by Ananya Chatterjee in the oddisi style of classical dance depicting issues in the lives of women of color, particularly women of South Asian origin. Then there was a ‘tarranum' rendition of poems by Zehra Nigaah, a famous urdu poet from Pakistan. Faiz was sung by Manu Kohli a trained ghazal singer that was followed by women's liberation songs by Eva Warberg a documentary filmmaker and also a songwriter. Samina Ahmed, Samina Rehman and Salima Hashmi from Pakistan presented a skit based on the Hudood Law. The evening was concluded with songs from India's best–known female Hindustani vocalist Shubha Mudgal. The programme was organised in collaboration with Jagori, V Day and Sangat.
Jagori, linked to the women's movement is a documentation & resource center on women-related issues.
Sangat is the acronym for ‘‘South Asian Network of Gender Activists and Trainers''.
V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls.

December 11, 2004 Delhi : Artists for Human Rights, Justice and Peace Anhad observed Human Rights Day in collaboration with Jagori and Sangat. Performance include ‘‘Two Women'' Street Play by Third Act, ‘‘Shanti ke Doot'' by Springdales School, Pusa Road, Bangla Band from Bangladesh, Indian Ocean, Poetry recitation by Vimal Thorat & Gauhar Raza.

Rock the Nation Concert - Youth for Peace, organized a unique event called “Rock the Nation” on November 29, 2004 in collaboration with Nehru Yuvak Kendra Each band had to compose one original composition on the theme of communal harmony and peace. Each band was given 30 minutes performance time.

Some of the bands that rocked the night were Paradigm Shift, Alter Ego, Brain Deads, Descant, The Supperfuzz Bigmuff, Prestorika, Nomads, Hell Bound Harmony, Oritus, Illusion. The Judges for the day were Mr. Rahul Ram (Indian Ocean), Mr. Sharat Srivastava, Mr. Sachin Gupta (Mrigya),

Mr. Ashwini Verma (Euphoria) & Dilip Ramachandran (Parikrama). Sh. Sunil Dutt, Minister of Sports & Youth affairs and actor Rahul Bose attended the programme and gave away the prizes to the winners of Essay Writing Competition, another competition organized by Youth for Peace.

Tribute to Wali Gujarat- On the fourth anniversary of the Gujarat massacre of 2002 Anhad organized a programme in memory of Wali Gujarati whose dargah was demolished during the 2002 carnage.

July 1, 2003 - Cultural Event in Ahmedabad for Communal harmony
September 27, 2003 - Peace Concert-Launching of Youth For Peace, Delhi
November 30, 2003 - Peace Concert-Ahmedabad- Youth For Peace
January 7, 2004 - Unity Concert-Event- Delhi
March 20, 2004 - Women Artists for Justice, Peace & Harmony-Event
March 23, 2004 - Bhagat Singh's Birthday- meeting, cultural tribute
July 1, 2004 - Communal Harmony Day in Ahmedabad
November 29, 2004 - Rock the Nation- - A competition of Rock Bands, Youth For Peace- Event, Delhi
December 11, 2004 - Human Rights Day celebrated in collaboration with Jagori, Sangat
August 06, 2005- 60 years of Hiroshima Peace Concert in Delhi
March 1, 2006 A Tribute to Wali Gujarati- An event of poetry, music, theatre, dance and films at Ahmedabad
June 30, 2006 An Evening of Dance, Poetry and Music
July 22, 2006 Communal Harmony Day in Ahmedabad- 60 Years of Martyrdom Vasant Rajab : A Symbol of Communal Harmony An Evening of Poetry and Music
October 08, 2007 Martyr's day Concert of Rock Music
November 30, 2007 Celebrated South Asian Women' Day for Peace, justice and Harmony with Sangat and other organizations.
December 10, 2007 Celebrated Human Rights Day with Sangat at IIC, Delhi

7. Work with Diaspora & Beyond National Borders

Anhad works in close collaboration with a large number of organisations of Indians based in US/UK and Canada. Anhad also hosts delegations from other countries. The major areas of collaboration include :
• Influencing the Indian diaspora, especially the youth, to promote values of pluralism, secularism, peace and justice.
• Building larger far more inclusive social and cultural platform and spaces for secular non-resident Indians and organisations to meet and work together.
• Organising active engagement of youth of Indian origin, in social justice issues and efforts, both in India and other countries.
• Recruiting volunteer teams mainly youth of Indian origin and young Indian students and professionals as Friends of Anhad.
• A series of workshops by Anhad for youth community leaders from various organisations that on pluralism, justice and identity.
• Cultural events for messages of pluralism and justice (e.g. film festivals, music concerts and theatre)
• Designing internship programmes in Indian (from 6 weeks to one year) for young people.
• Coordinating lecture tours of eminent experts from India on questions related to secularism, peace and justice.
• Anhad Delegation to Pakistan: Prof. KN Panikkar, Harsh Mander, Nandita Das, Gauhar Raza, Shabnam Hashmi, Soumya Sen
• The delegation began its eight-day tour from Lahore and also visited Karachi and Islamabad. The itinerary included meetings with most major non-governmental organisations and social activists, lectures by Prof. Panikkar and Mr. Mander and meetings with writers, poets, artists and intellectuals from across the border. Screenings of Nandita Das's film “Earth'' and Gauhar Raza's documentaries, “In the Dark Times'' and “Evil Stalks the Land''.
• The main aim of the delegation was to work out long-term relationships with groups and activists, artists and intellectuals who are working on same issues. This is an effort to work for rational thinking, against prejudices, against hatred on both sides of the borders by working with ordinary people and grass root workers.
• During the past four years Anhad has hosted three delegations from Pakistan one Goodwill Mission of NRI's from US and UK, a delegation of senior journalists from US.

February 1-7, 2004 - Anhad delegation to Pakistan
February 16-20, 2004 - Exhibition of Pakistani painters, sculptors
July 24-25, 2004- Hosted Delegation of senior journalists from USA
November 14, 2004 - Taimoor Bandey's lecture at Anhad
November 17, 2004- Visit of Romanian Princess
November 17, 2004 – Screening of the film-Crossing the Lines:Kashmir, Pakistan, India by Pervez Hoodbhoy and Zia Mian
January 1-5, 2005 - Indo-Pak Goodwill Delegation
February 4-7, 2005 - Hosting Youth Delegation from Pakistan
February 26, 2005 - Representation to WIPRO requesting them not to participate in the funding event for Hindutva forces in the USA
March 11, 2005 - Protest against American Express for sponsoring Modi's programme in US
March 19, 2005 – Open letter to Prime Minister by Shabnam Hashmi
February 24, 2007 Hosted a meeting of intellectuals with Mr. Richard Howitt, Member European Parliament.
January 17, 2008 Organised the released of the report “Unmistakenably Sangh” by The Campaign To Stop Funding Hate

8. Community Work

In November 2004, Anhad took the responsibility for supporting the education of 25 children from Gujarat. These children belong to the displaced families affected by the 2002 carnage and have not been able to return to their villages. Their studies were disrupted for over two years. The students lived in Delhi for two years and studies in Delhi. Now all ofthem have been placed in local schools in Gujarat.

Anhad now supports the education of 150 students in Gujarat.

Anhad worked extensively during the Tsunami and in Kashmir. It mobilised relief material for Tsunami victims and earthquake victims in Kashmir.

Anhad is doing extensive work in remote villages of Kashmir.

Chronological List of Anhad Activities

December, 2004 - Fund raising for Tsunami, visit to the area
January 8, 2005 - Visit to tsunami hit areas, fund raising
January 20-Feb 4, 2005 - Youth For Peace works in Tsunami hit village
Oct-Nov, 2005 Worked in earthquake affected areas in Kashmir
May 15-June 10 30 University students work in over 40 villages in the earthquake villages in Uri and Tangdar Sponsorship of students in Gujarat We supported the education of 54 students in Gujarat with the support of FFCL, Peace, IMRC and Mr. Harsh Singh Lohit
March 22-30, 2007 Conducted Survey by team of experts in District Uri, J&K to assess the situation in the aftermath of Earthquake in 2005.
April 01, 2007 Launch of one Computer in Uri, J&K
April 10-15, 2007 Conducted Survey by team of experts in District Tangdhar, J&K to assess the situation in the aftermath of Earthquake in 2005.
May 01, 2007 Launch of one Computer in Tangdhar, J&K
May 01, 2007 Started three Women Empowerment Centres in three villages in District Uri
June 01, 2007 Started three Women Empowerment Centres in three villages in District Tangdhar

Save Democracy Campaign Gujarat

1. Convention of the Internally Displaced
2. Screen Parzania Contest
3. Event in Bombay with Parzania caste: Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika and winners
4. Screening of Parzania
5. Demonstration demanding Babu Bajrangi's arrest
6. Demonstration in Vadodara
7. State Level Youth Convention, Ahmedabad
8. Theater and Political Training Workshop
9. Preparation of exhibitions
10. TV talk show for Doordarshan
11. Youth Karwans –three karwans covered- 630 villages
12. Survey of the Internally displaced families
13. National Student's Festival
14. State level competitions for college students: 1. should students Take Part in Politics 2. Should Education be privatized 3. Relationship between Politics of Hate and growing Violence against Women
15. Youth Convention for North Gujarat, Himmat Nagar
16. Visit and fact finding report on the attack on 6 villages in Surat district
17. October 2, distribution of roses and a Gandhi card at teen darwaza
18. Martyr's day Concert of Rock Music
19. Training for Youth Reporters and vernacular journalists
20. Youth Convention for Central Gujarat
21. Motorcycle Rally covering 22 district headquarters
22. Opening of an exhibition on the status of women
23. 10 day campaign in Maninagar-Modi's constituency covering 80,000 households and 5 corner meetings + one cultural programme at Dakshini Chawk. Save Democracy Rally
24. Television advertisement on ETV
25. Leaflets: Preamble of the Indian Constitution- one lakh copies, Myth of Vibrant Gujarat- 3 lakh, Vadodara freedom of expression leaflet- 25,000, vadodara-poster- 1,000, Gandhi leaflet- 2,50,000- walk in his footsteps and not those of his killers, Gandhi card- 6,000, motorcycle folder- 2,5 lakhs, appeal signed by ten women- 50,000, maninagar leaflet-1,50,000, maninagar leaflet colour- 5 lakh, minority leaflet-50,000, leaflet on data related to women-50,000, youth convention leaflets-2 lakh, competition leaflets all put together- one lakh

'State Ka Order Hai'

Shabnam Hashmi — 2008-08-29T09:58:32Z

'STATE KA ORDER HAI'

A Report by Shabnam Hashmi

An Independent Fact Finding Team visited Indore on August 5, 2008 to inquire into the incidents of July 3-4, 2008 and its long term affect

The Team comprised of:

Dr Syeda Hameed: Member, Planning Commission, Govt of India

Shabnam Hashmi: Member, National Integration Council, MHA, Social Activist

The following account is compiled and written by Shabnam Hashmi on the basis on the one day visit, testimonies of the close relatives of those who died , testimonies of the injured and individual and group discussions with the local human right activists, and an analysis of the media reports of the above period which were submitted to the IFFT.

Dr Syeda Hameed as member of the Planning Commission will be looking at the long term affect of these incidents. The present account deals with the findings and recommendations.

The team visited the following areas:

Juna Risala

Sindhi Colony

Khajrana

Khajrana Village

The following victims / relatives of the victims deposed before the team:

Juna Risala

1. Nazneen- mother of the deceased Mohd Rizwan

2. Abdur Rehman- Advocate and uncle of the deceased Mohd Rizwan

3. Salman Ahmed- 18 yrs, B Com Final- Bullet Injury

4. Gulam Ahmed Khan- locality leader

5. Irshad Khan-19 yrs, bullet Injury

6. Gulrez-19 yrs- bullet injury

7. Rafik s/o victim Alla Baksh – injured- bullet injury

8. Faiz-17 yrs-s/o victim-Aijazul Hasan, bullet injury

9. Nizamuddin, Father of the deceased Zeeshan

10. Salma Parveen, Mother of the deceased Zeeshan

11. Mohd Hanif Pyare Mian employer of the deceased Zeeshanal

12. Members of the local community ( approx 40 people)

Sindhi Colony

1. Khattumal Makhija father of the deceased Hem Chand Makhija

2. Sheela Devi Makhija mother of the deceased Hem Chand Makhija

3. Shanker Tejwani friend of the deceased Hem Chand Makhija

Khajrana

1. Mehrunnisa mother of the deceased Imran- 17 yrs

2. Abdul Rafiq father of the deceased

3. Zaibunnisa- grand mother of the deceased Imran

4. Members of the local community ( approx 10 people)

Khajrana Village

1. Nana Patel father of the deceased Anwar Patel- 19 yrs

2. Mohd Imtiaz brother of Mehmood

3. Rasheeda, Wife of Mehmood

4. Shama Bi, Mother of Mehmood

5. Members of the local community ( approx 50 people)

The team met the following officials:

District Magistrate

Superintendent of Police

Additional District Magistrate

I am writing the account of what we saw and heard. One day is neither enough to understand and grasp the intensity of any communal attack nor to share the grief of the victims. The background of the Amarnath dispute has been contributed in the report by Dr Ram Puniyani.

Background

Amarnath yatra has been one of the major religious tourism activities of the J & K state, well managed by the local population, mainly Muslims of the area, till 2001 when Shri Amranath Shrine Board (SASB) was formed and it took over the arrangements of the pilgrimage. SASB had Governor of the state as the chief and Governor's Principal Secretary as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Gradually the SASB started asserting beyond its mandate, e.g. going on to construct shelters and structures on Pehalgam Golf Course, mainly due to the clout of the Governor who headed this body. In 2005 SASB, contrary to the laws, was granted the permission to use the forest land for the tourists. Incidentally, CEO's wife was the forest officer who cleared this highly illegal demand of the shrine board. This started the process, which ultimately went out of hands of the local government. While Government initially opposed the order of the forest department, the high court stayed Government's decision. Following this the state Govt. transferred the land to SASB and then cancelled it.

BJP and VHP gave a nation wide call to observe Bharat Bandh on July 3, 2008 on the Amarnath land transfer issue.

July 3 & 4, 2008-Incidents in Indore

Indore is the largest city of Madhya Pradesh. It is situated on the Malwa Plateau, just south of the Satpura Range. It is the commercial centre of Madhya Pradesh.

Indore was engulfed in violence for several days after the BJP & VHP gave a call for a Bharat Bandh. What Indore witnessed was well orchestrated mayhem planned by the Sangh against the minority community with the full connivance of the state administration.

RSS and various Sangh organizations under its umbrella have been vitiating the atmosphere of the city for several years. Though the city has a long history of co-existence of various communities and a rich syncretic culture, the systematic communalization of the society has been underway especially since the BJP came to power in the state in 2003.

The pattern of the violence that took place in Indore on July 3 & 4, 2008 clearly reminds us of the systematic planning of the Sangh to eliminate and marginalize the Muslim community on the pattern of the Gujarat carnage of 2002, the only difference being of the scale and the provision of the relief after the attacks.

The SP and the Collector visited the Indore RSS office on July 2nd evening as well as on July 3, 2008 morning.

Even before July 3, 2008 Bharat Bandh, the Sangh members raised highly abusive and provocative slogans in front of some mosques. In Mukeripura and Malwah Mill area slogan shouting was done at the prayer time. Processions with naked swords were also taken out on July 2 in minority areas.

The collector and SP both new to the area , they had joined a month earlier, said in an interview that they did not expect the kind of violence that took place on July 3, 2008. The question is were the incidents of July 2 not an indication enough or did they visit the RSS office to take a brief?

On July 3rd, 2008 in Khajrana colony some small tea shops owned by Muslims were open. About 25 people from the Sangh went there and asked them to shut the shops. The crowd vandalised the shops and beat up the shop owners. They raised highly provocative slogans .A scuffle took place and the attackers also got hurt in that. They returned to the Patidar mohalla and called out to people and a mob collected. They started pelting stones and slowly stone pelting started from both the sides. Police arrived on the scene and threw tear gas shells. The mob retreated towards the Ganpati Mandir.

Between 11 and 11.30 the VHP and Bajrang Dal members started attacking any Muslim that came on the road with hockey sticks. The Muslims for going anywhere have to use this way as there is no other road to go out. Any Muslim that came on the road was surrounded and brutally beaten up, after checking their identity if it was not too obvious. Approximately 50 Muslims including children , women and old were beaten up and injured. The injured covered with blood started coming towards the village mosque. Police did not take any steps to stop the beatings and humiliation of the Muslims. The Muslims went to the police station to ask for help but the Police did not respond. VHP and other supporters were there in large number. Stone pelting started from both the sides. Soon firing started resulting in three deaths (all Muslims) and 19 injured (all Muslims).

As the fact finding team drove towards the Khajrana village we were shocked to see a house which had more than 20 bullet holes. It is a clearly one sided attack since all deaths and majority of the injured are from the minority community. The police had not arrested anyone when we visited the place.

We asked the SP and the Collector how many licenses for the firearms have been issued in the recent past. They decided not to reply to the questions. According to our enquiries more than 2,000 licenses have been issued in the last two years and one hardly need to guess who the beneficiaries would be.

Almost simultaneously the VHP, Bajrang Dal and other goons entered various Muslim dominated areas (Badwali Chowk, Ranipura, Lodhipura, Mukeripura, Narsinghbazar, and Khajrana) shouting provocative slogans, misbehaving with local residents. The police stood and watched.

All shops belonging to the Muslims were attacked. Medical shops belonging to Muslims were attacked. Bengali speaking Muslims were especially targeted.

Violence that erupted on July 3, 2008 took the lives of four people. Imran ( 17yrs) killed by the Police in front of Khajrana Thana, Anwar Patel, Mehmood and Sharif Patel all from the Khajrana village.

Anwar was 19 years, worked as a help in Fatima Patel's clinic. He was hanging the clinic's washed linen when the bullet hit him. Nemichand Patidar an active member of the BJP shot him. The bullet pierced through his body, entering near the eye and coming out near the stomach. FIR was lodged by his father Nana Patel. He is an eye witness to the killing of his son. No arrests have been made.

Mehmood was near the spot where Muslims had started coming in after being beaten up by the VHP goons. He got up on a building to see what was happening. Stone pelting was going on. Santosh Patidar's bullets hit him according to an eye witness. 9 bullets had pierced his body. Police took him to a hospital. His Medico Legal Report or the Post Mortem report was not given to the family. FIR was lodged. No arrests have taken place. Had it been a reverse case we can imagine the number of people who have been arrested.

We met Mehmood's wife and mother who were inconsolable. Mehmood's small son and four daughters face a bleak future as he was the only bread earner of the family.

Hem Chand Makhija, 25 yrs, was a commission agent in the anaaj mandi (wheat market). He lived in Sindhi Colony with his parents, wife and a brother. He was playing cricket when his friends ( Shankar Tejwani-30 yrs and others) came and called him to go with them and join the VHP Bandh Procession. They parked their car at Lodhipura and joined the procession in Mukeripura. The place is about 5 kilometers from the Sindhi colony where he lived. The processionists were shouting slogans: Go back to Pakistan. Stone pelting started. Police threw tear gas shells. When the tear gas shells were thrown according to Shankar Tejwani they ran towards Laxman Singh Gaur's house as that was the place they knew well. Incidentally Lakshman Singh Gaur was the BJP minister till last year when he died in a road accident. In the melee the friends got separated. After sometime when Shankar Tejwani started looking for Hem Chand, he saw someone bringing him on a cartwheel. According to him and Khattu Mal Makhija, Khem Chand's father, he died of a bullet injury. The family has not seen the Post Mortem report. We could not find any eye witness.

Funeral procession of a young boy Imran (17 yrs), who was dragged and killed outside Khajrana Thana by a policeman ( Shailendra) by placing his barrel of the gun in his mouth ,was lathi charged, even though the family had curfew passes for 25 people. Police prevented 'Namaz-e-janaza' on the pretext that women threw stones at them. They lathi charged and used teargas. The father of the boy Abdul Rafiq was badly beaten up by the police when he was carrying his dead son to the kabristan.

When we pointed it out to the SP and the Collector that the policeman who murdered Imran in broad daylight has not been suspended or arrested, they replied that the woman (Imran's mother-Mehrunissa) was arrested in drug peddling that is why she is naming him. Her being arrested for drugs peddling does not change the fact that her 17 year old son was killed in broad daylight. The 11 year old younger brother Shahrukh is an eye witness to the murder. The family had not been able to get a Post Mortem report till the day we visited them.

It is also very important to narrate here that the 500 meter walk from our car to Mehrunissa's house was so filthy we could barely walk with our sandles continuously slipping on the mud and filth and when we returned after spending about 40 minutes our feet looked as if we have been working in open muddy fields for days.

We asked the collector what happens to the development money and why it never finds its way to the colonies where minorities live. We were told that the road is in the pipeline but when it will be built is a big question. I was reminded about the rehabilitation colonies where 5000 internally displaced families live in Gujarat. They have not been able to return back to their villages even after 6 years of the Gujarat carnage 2002. Only after a long struggle by the Antarik Visthapit Hak Rakshak Samiti and several rounds of meetings that we held with the NHRC, NMC and other agencies the Principle Secretary, Gujarat was sent a notice by the NHRC to improve the living conditions of the colonies.

Despite the mindless violence that took place on July 3rd and took many innocent lives, the district administration was not prepared to put an end to it. Many parts of Indore witnessed fresh violence and killings on July 4, 2008.

The areas of Mukeripura, Khajrana, Badwali Chowk, Lodhipura, Mukeripura, Narsinghbazar, and Khajrana were put under curfew after the July 3 violence.

In Juna Risala the policemen themselves resorted to firing. Not all of them in police uniforms. Many in plain clothes and off duty joined the firing. According to local people RAF helped the bandh supporters. Every group of bandh supporters was armed and escorted by the police.

A group of people were returning home after the namaz around 2-2.30pm. There was stone pelting going on near the mosque. There has been a long pending property dispute near the jinsik chauraha. According to local people the situation was not such that the police had to open fire. 8 people got hit by the bullets. Two died and the rest were injured. Majority of the injuries are in the upper part of the body contrary to any norms of crowd dispersal and management. Even if there was a huge crowd, which according to all the people whom we spoke to was not there, police could have first used the tear gas, then rubber bullets, fire in air, fire first on the legs. Many people named the constables Yashwant, Neeraj and Jitendra who fired indiscriminately on innocent boys and others killing two and injuring 6.

Someone screamed at one of the constables who were firing indiscriminately at people: Why are you shooting at innocent people?

The constable replied: State Ka Order Hai.

The injured when taken to the hospitals by the local community were surrounded in one hospital by the Bandh supporters who did not let the hospital treat any Muslim patient. There were also complaints about some doctors giving out dated medicines and injections to the patients in a government hospital. It reminded me of the VHP leaflet which was given to me in 1994 by a senior politician. The leaflet had instructions for the doctors in detail on similar lines. At that time we firmly believed that a doctor cannot do it. But we have seen both in Gujarat and now in Indore that the communal thought has seeped into some of the professionals even in this noble profession.

Mohd Rizwan, 22yrs, s/o Abdul Rahman died of a bullet injury. We met his mother, grandmother and his uncle- Abdur Rehman. His mother and grandmother were inconsolable.

Zeeshan, 18 yrs also died. Zeeshan worked with Mohd Hanif Pyare Mian who has an electric shop. Zeeshan was one of Pyare Mian's finest pupils and was very hard working. A number of people who had crowded into Zeeshan's small house echoed the same fact that the police firing was absolutely uncalled for. The situation was not such that it could force the police to fire.

Gulam Ahmed Khan, one of the residents of Juna Risala responded to the crises and carried many patients to the hospital on a motorcycle one by one. He reached Rajshree hospital with a patient and before the doctors could tend to the patient he was surrounded by about 20 Bajrang Dal members. They shouted: No Muslim patient will be treated here. Swarup Gaur and Harsh Gaur were among the crowd of attackers. They were armed with lathis and some with even swords. Gulam Ahmed Khan thought for a moment that his end has come but the uproar attracted local Marathi women, who came and fought with the Bajrangis and rescued Gulam Ahmed Khan and the patient. They asked Gulam Ahmed Khan to go to another hospital as they could not guarantee his safety.

Gulam rescued many patients and transported them to the nearby hospitals. His kirana shop remained closed for over 20 days as he had no time to sit there.

Gulam narrated to us that people from different communities have lived together in Juna Risala. They actively participate in each other's functions and on daily basis to. The two communities have close ties and this is something which is unacceptable to the Sangh outfits.

Gulam registered an FIR against the three constables who fired at people. They have not been arrested nor suspended, though a SDM level enquiry has been orderd.

State has filed an FIR against Gulam & others under sections 147/ 148/ 149/ 307 and 353.

From our experience of other states and the last 10 years trends we have seen that places where people from various communities visit like the dargahs, colonies where they live together in harmony are especially targeted by the Sangh and now more and more supported by the local police as was evident in Juna Risala. During the Gujarat carnage of 2002 hundreds of dargahs were demolished including those of the famous urdu poet Wali Gujarati and even Ustad Fayaz khan's mazar in Vadodara was vandalised. RSS's latest attack is on Sufis and Sufism. They came out with a big article in their mouth peace Organiser a few months ago attacking the whole Sufi tradition. The Sangh's intentions are very clear; do not leave any space where people can interact with each other. The segregation and ghettoisation breeds fear against the 'other' and it becomes much easier to spread myths and demonize a whole community.

Faiz is a young 17 year old boy with innocent eyes and a childish face. He has science subjects and studies in 12th. The marks will decide his future. With cut off percentages of colleges crossing all limits during the past few years no student can afford to loose even a few days in the present time and day. Fiaz has not attended school for over a month. Aijazul Hasan (age 44) was shot at from close range. The bullet hit his stomach. The intestine has been damaged. He already had two operations and will undergo another surgery after a month. Aijazul who is an auto dealer has not been able to open his shop for over a month.

Constable Yashwant shouted- Neeraj I will pull the trigger first. Neeraj replied: No let Jitendra do it. His aim is very good.

His aim was an 18 year old young B Com final student of Christian Eminent College. Salman Ahmed was returning after saying his prayers around 2.30pm. He heard a commotion and when he looked back he saw 3-4 policemen come out of chauthi paltan and fire. One bullet hit him.

According to the community members all the three constables have a history of misbehaviour with the local residents as well as communal attitude.

Rafik (22yrs) s/o Alla Baksh was injured in firing. He was hit at the thigh joint and had to undergo an operation.

Gulrez (19yrs) - an air condition repair worker got the bullet from the back. He saw policemen in plain clothes firing. According to the locals they even used private fire arms. They had hid themselves behind the bushes and they bent on their knees and took aim at the people returning from the mosque.

Incidents were also related which were very encouraging. While the three policemen mentioned earlier shot, killed and injured people there was constable Avasthi who helped Gulam in taking the patients to the hospital on his motorcycle. From the local neighbourhood a number of people from the Hindu community helped and participated in the funeral of the young boys who were killed.

Haroon Bhai, the owner of Mayur Hospital, offered his free services to all those, who were injured in the riot. According to local Human Rights activist Vineet Tiwari, Haroon told them that total 27 injured were admitted officially in Mayur Hospital, during that period. Out of these 24 cases were of gunshots. All 27 were Muslims. One person, who was the driver of Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), felt uneasy and restless, so he was sent to the hospital. He was on Glucose drip.

After July 3rd , 2008 incidents some areas, as already mentioned above, were put under curfew After the large scale violence on July 4, 2008 the whole city was put under curfew.

While the whole city including Narsinghbazar was under curfew, the mohalla Chatripura literally next door was witnessing a religious procession. The administration allowed a Rath Yatra of the Venkatesh Mandir. 3000 strong procession was allowed to go through those very lanes and roads which had witnessed mayhem a day before. Sumitra Mahajan, BJP MP from Indore and MLA Mahendra Hardia participated in the procession. Sumitra Mahajan danced Garba in front of the Rath in the lanes which were soaked in the blood of the minority community.

Findings:

1. The violence that took place in Indore on July 3 & 4, 2008 was pre planned as part of the Sangh's larger agenda of reducing the minority community as second class citizens and to break the economic backbone s well as humiliate the community.

2. The RSS played an active role in planning the simultaneous attacks in various localities.

3. The police provided cover to the Sangh attackers during the attacks on the minority community.

4. The police broke all norms of crowd dispersal and management by opening fire on people in Juna Risala.

5. The administration has played a biased role in not arresting the culprits.

6. The state apparatus is threatening those community leaders who have stood up against the injustice by trying to put the charges on them that they are associated with SIMI.

7. Linking innocent people with SIMI is used as a weapon by the police to frighten the minority community.

8. Those police personnel who want to work objectively are under tremendous pressure from the RSS and the BJP politicians.

9. Relief in most cases has been given. The rehabilitation process in under way.

Recommendations:

1. An immediate enquiry by the sitting Chief Justice of the High Court into the incidents of July 3& 4, 2008 in Indore.

2. Suspension of the police officers involved in firing in Juna Risala.

3. Sensitisation workshops of the police personnel on issues surrounding communalism, democracy, Indian constitution.

4. Action against the local RSS head, MP and local MLA for masterminding the violence.

5. Identify doctors who gave expired medicines and injections to the Muslim patients and immediately start criminal proceedings against them.

6. Rehabilitation package to include education of the dependent children of the deceased.

Press Release - Tribunal on the Atrocities against Minorities in the Name of Fighting Terrorism

anhad e-admin — 2008-08-26T04:58:49Z

Press Release

People's Tribunal on the Atrocities Committed against Minorities in the Name of Fighting Terrorism

Hyderabad, August 24, 2008: A three-day People's Tribunal concluded here today after recording testimonies of over 40 victims who have been arrested, harassed and tortured by police and State security agencies in violation of standard legal procedures in the name of fighting terror.

This fight against terrorism, victims emphasized, has veered more around witch hunting of Muslims rather than curbing terrorism, thus robbing people of their liberty and freedom and making them more insecure than ever before. The real culprits, they said, often roam freely whereas the poor and gullible Muslims are picked up and thrown into jails at whims and fancies of the powers that be. Victims after victims, who have undergone harassment and torture without any evidence permissible in the court of law against them, deposed before the tribunal — comprising country's eminent personalities including former judges, lawyers and renowned social activists – and narrated their tales of woes to the shock and anguish of hundreds of audience.

The security-centric State is empowering itself ever more while robbing citizens of freedom and security. The underlying theme emerged that invariably, only people from one community are arrested; only organisations of one sort are blamed and motives too similar are rattled most of the times. The State agencies responsible for such crimes exercise incredible impunity and are never questioned.

The deponents comprised primarily those who were arrested by the police on various charges of acts of terrorist violence and related crimes, but were later let off due to lack of evidence. Those who are accused of such crimes and are in jails were represented by their close relatives. Invariably, all those who deposed, belonged to Muslim community. In addition to verbal testimonies, some of the deponents also submitted copies of documents pertaining to the cases.

After hearing them carefully, the jury issued its interim report emphasizing that a large number of innocent young Muslims have been or are being victimized by the police on charges of terrorism in gross violation of law. The People's Tribunal showed that police, intelligence agencies and even judiciary are constantly compromising civil liberties and constitutional rights all over India. Innocent people are being arrested, illegally detained, tortured and forced to confess complicity in terrorist acts with which they have no connection whatsoever. It seems that the Indian state has become an apparatus that willfully ignores the basic human rights of minorities in the country.

It would also appear from the testimonies, that many times the police rushed to the press immediately after nabbing some person and dole out the stories of their success and relate the progress of the investigations. The media without any means or wherewithal to check the stories and racing against deadlines reproduced this police version ad verbatim. The result of this was that the public would often get the impression and assume that the culprits and even the mastermind of an act of terrorist violence had been arrested. They would thereby reach the conclusion that they were safe from further acts of violence. This myth would only be shattered after another fresh bout of terrorist act.

The direct fallout of this high voltage publicity, it would seem from the testimonies, is that the accused would often times fail to get proper legal support. At least two lawyers appeared before the tribunal narrating their tales of woe after they took up the case of persons who were accused of acts of terrorism by the police. The lawyers told the jury that at the local bar association passed resolutions that no one from the local bar would represent the accused and neither would any one from outside come and do the same. These two lawyers who defied the ban were beaten up.

It is the collective responsibility of society, the tribunal emphasized at the end of three days, to ensure that the merchants of terror are punished but at the same time society has to take care that deep rooted prejudices do not develop against certain sections - so much so that these sections start wondering whether they are part of this society at all or not.

Press Release PDF

Press Release

People's Tribunal on the Atrocities Committed against Minorities in the Name of Fighting Terrorism