Can global peace and harmony be a reality?

Dr Ajit Kumar Verma

Dr Ajit Kumar Varma, CNS Columnist
I am writing this as I am deeply pained by all the atrocities, killings, aggression and war rampant in different parts of the world. All this mad frenzy of violence and killing, which is going on all around us, has been present there in varying degrees since civilization began. Recent acts of terrorism have escalated it to new despicable heights. Nations are now discussing ways and means of countering the nefarious acts of terrorism. But most discussions on peace centre around ways of subjugation and suppression of the 'enemy'. Now there are talks of waging a war on terror.

The hanging over, let us now find out who organized the attack?

Photo credit: CNS, citizen-news.org

Dr Sandeep Pandey
[हिन्दी] (Note: From the case of Liaquat Shah it is amply clear how police, for taking credit, implicate surrendered militants as terrorists. Had it not been for the vocal protest of J&K police and CM Omar Abdullah the country would have believed that Liaquat came to carry out blasts in Delhi during Holi. Now the question is who planted the arms and ammunition in Old Delhi? Some of us believe that Afzal Guru's case was similar to that of Liaquat's. The STF and Special Cell of Delhi Police made him a scapegoat. In this country the police, to hide its incompetency, has been known to implicate innocent people in false cases even in other matters.)

Growing support to indefinite fast for farmers and labourers on Day IV

[हिंदी] The indefinite fast and demonstration in support of demands of farmers-labourers organized by Socialist Party jointly with National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), Lok Rajniti Manch, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Rihai Manch, Special Teachers and Guardians Association, entered its fourth day today. Two social activists are on an indefinite fast: Dr Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay Awardee and Vice President of Socialist Party; and Anil Mishra, social activist.

Indefinite fast: Demand to raise minimum wage to Rs 440 a day for farmers, labourers

Photo credit: Rajeev Yadav

[हिंदी] Noted social activist and Magsaysay Awardee Dr Sandeep Pandey began an indefinite fast in support of demands of farmers and labourers of unorganized sector and underprivileged children on Sunday, 23rd December 2012 in Lucknow opposite Vidhan Sabha. One of the key demands is: Rs 440 daily minimum wage for labourers of unorganized sector. In last 20 years, although the wage of service class has gone up by twenty times, the wage of labourers of unorganized sector has hardly risen by three times. Just like the labourer is unable to get reasonable wage, the farmers too are unable to get the minimum support price for their crop.

Unbiased, independent inquiry must for bomb blasts and communal violence

"Unbiased and independent inquiry must be held in every incident of bomb blasts and communal violence" said Suresh Khairnar who is a noted social activist, and has been working against communalism since Bhagalpur riots 1989. Suresh Khairnar has been part of fact-finding missions in bomb blast incidents like Malegaon 2006, Nanded 2006, Nagpur RSS HQ 2006, Malegaon 2008, Khairlanji 2008 (dalit atrocity), Mecca Masjid (Hyderabad) 2006, Batla House 2008 and over 60 communal riots, is in the city Lucknow.

26/11 Verdict brings solace to Indian Muslims

The Recent verdict pronounced by a Mumbai court in 26/11 terrorist attack case has brought a solace to the Indians Muslims. Whereas the verdict has convicted Kasab and his operatives in Pakistan, it has acquitted Faheem Ansari and Shaikh Sabahunddin Ahmed who were falsely implicated by Bombay police as Indian co-conspirators to prove their theory of connivance of home grown players. Bombay police had charged the Duo with offences of conspiracy and involvement in terrorist attack. Read more

West Bengal authorities put media's credibility at stake

West Bengal authorities put media's credibility at stake

A growing outrage is palpable from the civil society against the abuse of media's credibility to arrest Chhatradhar Mahto, the leader of Lalgarh movement in West Bengal, India.

The West Bengal police and authorities disguised as a fake media representative and with the assistance of a local media personnel, managed to reach Chhatradhar Mahto. Mahto was arrested then.

Dr Vishnu Rajgadia, Secretary of Jharkhand RTI Forum and a noted social activist, took the initiative with support from National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) leaders to begin a signature petition campaign demanding the Prime Minister of India to intervene and stop this trend which is jeopardising the credibility of media in India. Citizens have mobilized individuals to sign a petition against the misuse of media's credibility in West Bengal to arrest Mahto. The signature petition got hundreds of signatures from citizens in a short span of time (signature petition is online here). Prominent among those include the Magsaysay Awardee (2002) Dr Sandeep Pandey, noted Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) activist and adviser to Supreme Court Commissioner on Right to Food Arundhati Dhuru, filmmaker Anand Patwardhan,

"The West Bangal police has misused the credibility of media to arrest a leader of Lalgarh movement, Chhatradhar Mahto on 26 September 2009. This is very objectionable as it is a misuse of the credibility and good name of the media. This is also an encroachment in the autonomy of Media" says Dr Vishnu Rajgadia.

"This will create various problems for the journalists including the threat of their life during reporting in any so-called disturbed area. Therefore, we request you all to consider signing the online petition to protest the misuse by West Bengal police and to support a law to prevent such possibilities" further adds Dr Rajgadia, who began the petition on behalf of several human rights organizations.

It poses serious questions on the way police is functioning in a democratic country. Draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and other such Acts which are rule of the law in other states like Chhattisgarh, have only caused seemingly irreparable damage to social democratic fabric.

When media used disguise to conduct sting operations, the authorities took them to task and hardly any concrete action has come out of the evidence collected thereby in public interest. However authorities shamelessly have used the disguise of media and put media's credibility at risk in West Bengal.

"In a democratic country like India, each and every institution has its own duties as well as each of them have been provided certain space, authority and liberty to execute their responsibility. No institution has any right to encroach the autonomy of other institution" says the petition.

"The media persons are visiting in various remote areas including "Disturbed" fields and they also have to meet with various people including any accused person to collect news and to expose various socio-political-economic conflicts of the society. The media has a credit to keep its sources secret and to not harm somebody during their news gathering process" further states the petition.

"Therefore, the act of West Bengal Government through its CID and Police is totally unethical and unjust. It has created a big threat to the media persons especially for them who are visiting to various remote areas of so-called insurgency. Now, every body will suspect the identity of even the genuine media persons putting them at grave risk" says the petition.

The petition also demands a law in place to prevent any such abuse of media in future. Hope effective measures to safeguard media from any such misuse in future get in place as soon as possible.

[To sign the petition, click here or go to: http://www.petitiononline.com/wbmisuse/petition.html ]

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Human Rights Watch Report – Broken System: Indian Police, Status and Reforms

Human Rights Watch Report – Broken System: Indian Police, Status and Reforms

Introduction
At 4:00 p.m. on 4th August in the P.G. Block of the St. Joseph’s College of Arts and Science, Bangalore, amidst the buzz of students, faculty etc., were some luminaries of the state judiciary and police. They were invitees for the Karnataka release of the Human Rights Watch report “Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse, and Impunity in the Indian Police” followed by a panel discussion on police reform. Organized in coordination with South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (www.sichrem.org) and supported by Transparency International - Karnataka Chapter, this event started on time unlike some others involving state representatives.

After Manohar Ranganathan, SICHREM’s Programme Coordinator welcomed the audience, Mathew Philip, Director, SICHREM introduced the panel. Releasing the 118 page report, available at http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/india0809web.pdf, Tom Porteous, Director, Human Rights Watch (HRW), London summarized its findings and recommendations. The document highlights ongoing violations by Indian police and the lack of accountability fuelling abuse. It also examines how abysmal everyday police working conditions contribute to and even encourage human rights violations although the former must not justify the latter in any way. Broken System calls for a comprehensive overhaul of police law and practices in order to hold the force accountable, significantly reduce its violations, and build professional, motivated and ethical police forces that successive central and most state governments have promised but failed to deliver for decades.

Most state police forces operate outside the law, lack sufficient ethical and professional standards and necessary equipment, are overstretched and outmatched by criminal elements, and cannot cope with increasing demands and public expectations. Their violations include arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, threats and extrajudicial killings sometimes for professional security and growth. HRW interviewed more than 80 police officers of varying ranks, 60 victims of police abuses, and discussed with numerous experts and civil society activists. Releasing it here was significant as field research was conducted across 19 police stations in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi.

Although most officers know the legal boundaries, many believe that unlawful methods are necessary for crime investigation and law enforcement. Also, many cut caseloads by refusing to register crime complaints as superiors pressurize them for quick resolution. Further, colonial police laws that enable routine interference in police operations corrode public confidence in the force. India’s traditionally marginalized groups like the poor, women, Dalits, religious and sexual minorities are particularly vulnerable to police abuse and imprisonment for alleged crimes. However, police often fails to investigate crimes against them as they can’t bribe, lack social status and political connections.

Ensuring that police officers abusing human rights will face appropriate punishment regardless of rank is critical. The Indian government elected in May has promised to pursue police reforms actively which are overdue despite the Supreme Court’s landmark 2006 judgment mandating it, suggesting that officials have not yet accepted its urgency. "Broken System" detailed recommendations for police reform drawn from studies by government commissions, former Indian police, and Indian groups, including the following:

• Read suspects their rights if arrested or detained, increasing institutional acceptance of these safeguards

• Exclude from court any evidence obtained by torture or inhuman treatment in suspect interrogations

• Bolster independent investigations into complaints of police abuse and misconduct through national and state human rights commissions and police complaints authorities

• Improve training and equipment, including strengthening the crime-investigation curriculum at police academies, training low-ranking officers to assist in crime investigations, and providing basic forensic equipment to every police officer

Panel Discussion
Tom Porteous and Justice (Retd.) M.F. Saldanha moderated the discussion in which all speakers reiterated the HRW report’s findings and recommendations. They agreed that:

• Police officers at all levels must practise self-regulation and handle victims, suspects and prisoners (under trial, convicted, etc.) compassionately. While some seniors are unethical, the juniors sometimes abuse citizens to settle personal disputes. Police ill-treating religious minorities and women and colluding with similar offenders is rampant in Karnataka and nationwide. Delayed and/or few preventive or corrective measures often encourages them to continue such misdemeanour and also perpetrate extrajudicial acts.

• Many citizens hardly know the law and don’t hold police personnel accountable or respect them. They rarely report dowry violence, child marriage, female foeticide or other heinous crimes fearing repercussion and socio-cultural taboos about seeking legal assistance/ intervention.

• Politicians, authorities, etc., interfere in the policing and legal processes to protect themselves, family, friends, etc. and also misuse them for personal gain and tasks, breeding corruption.

• Junior officers and those deployed in rural areas often work in fairly inhuman conditions for extremely long hours with minimal daily/weekly breaks. Further, frequent and unanticipated transfer of jurisdiction and duty demoralize them.

• Police reforms are critical but complex and multidimensional requiring commitment and understanding. And, they must percolate to the lowest rungs and the force must be empowered to operate independently and act constitutionally.

• Attitude of policy/law makers and their approach to implementing legal provisions must change drastically. Importantly, they ought to be committed to human rights in all spheres.

Making his introductory remarks, Justice S.R. Nayak, Chairperson, Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) stated that the current ratio is 1 police officer per 1027 civilians and that India has not yet signed the International Convention against Torture unlike 145 other countries. In what seemed a frustrated outburst against the government, he said that an order passed in 2005 to reconstitute the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (after a 14 year gap) was implemented only in 2007 with no office space allotted and only skeletal staff. Basic facilities were provided much later.

S.T. Ramesh, Additional DGP (Recruitment & Training), Karnataka responded that merely enhancing infrastructure and training programmes is insufficient and ineffective and the Indian Police Act (1861) is archaic and parts of the Indian Penal Code are nearly 100 years old. He highlighted that Karnataka police has decent infrastructure including good Information and Communications Technology, DNA Centre, Child Welfare Officers and State Juvenile Protection Unit. All staff under go gender sensitivity training in a centre in Yelahanka and evaluated by an independent agency. The recent scheme to provide them good residential facilities is very encouraging.

In a speech as inspiring as his actions, Justice N. Santosh Hegde, Lokayukta, Karnataka exhorted the participants to start a citizens’ movement. He emphasized that the SHRC cannot function with insensitive, untrained staff. The Supreme Court’s directives in 2006 to tackle corruption are pending implementation in Karnataka and elsewhere and the Prevention of Corruption Act created in 1947 is neither followed properly nor amended as necessary. While Scandinavian countries recently celebrated the 200th anniversary of selecting of a national ombudsperson India is yet appoint one although in 1976, Morarji Desai suggested creating a Lok Ayukta in every state and a national Lok Pal.

Justice (retd.) M.F. Saldanha, Chairman, Transparency International India and former Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court quoted a brief encounter with a tired young police officer in Bangalore continuing on early morning duty despite a long night. He stated that it is our responsibility to implement the HRW report’s recommendations for overhauling the Indian Police force.

The former DGP and IG of Karnataka, R. Srikumar reminded everyone that police personnel are also human beings with personal lives and needs, not uniformed criminals. Police inspectors are sometimes transferred more than thrice in 7 months. A sub-inspector who should handle only 60 cases actually does 300 greatly impacting investigation time and quality - contempt cases are often pending for 3 years. A young recruit who was posted to plain clothes VIP security duty within 6 months of his first appointment felt demoralized as it deprived him the honour of uniformed duty at a police station.

Despite the high crime rate in our society, case registration is low. Introducing the Dial 100 facility (independent of telephone service provider), a call centre for free case registration, is expected to increase the registration rate. Also, there is a plan to identify crime stoppers to interface with citizens. Relating an instance of his own son being unable to lodge a police complaint even after identifying himself, he urged the public to act now to ensure a better future.

According to Nina Nayak, Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) declaration of 45,000 children missing annually in India is grossly underestimated as many cases are unreported. She narrated incidents of shocked parents of missing children approaching Child Welfare Committees after facing police apathy. Society must report child sexual abuse (CSA), trafficking and mistreatment by police and demand appropriate punitive action and rehabilitation/recovery instead of remaining silent. She suggested building constructive police contacts/leaders through youth in society.

Talking poignantly about female victims of domestic violence, Dr. V.S. Elizabeth of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) stressed that they approach the police only when their immediate family does not help and commit suicide when everyone fails them. Many believe that the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA, 2005) threatens the traditional Indian family. She remarked that while the police must be sensitized about women’s issues society should also treat them in a respectable and humane manner as women’s rights are nothing but human rights!

At the end, some citizens participating in the programme who raised some questions on police laws and practices and the KSHRC’s functioning didn’t receive satisfactory answers. They believe that the report merely reiterated known facts about the police force considering news and entertainment media regularly reports/portrays them. Further, they felt that the state was handing over its responsibility to citizens instead of calling for joint action.

Pushpa Achanta
(The author is a freelance writer, a Fellow of Citizen News Service (CNS) Writers' Bureau, and a community volunteer based in Bangalore, India)

A fake encounter

A fake encounter
Dr Sandeep Pandey, SR Darapuri, Aridamanjit Singh

There are reasons to believe that the killing of two alleged Pakistani terrorists by NOIDA police and UP ATS in the early hours (2:15 am) of Republic Day, 26th January, 2009, was a fake encounter and that these two killed are probably the same Kashmiri youth who are mentioned in the account ‘A Conscience Encountered’ reproduced below which had exposed a planned encounter in October, 2008, in Lucknow. It is possible that these two youth had become a liability for the police and therefore were eliminated. Reasons that this encounter appears to be fake are:

(1) The Pakistani identity is not conclusively established. The names given out by police and ATS are Abu Ismail and Farooq. One passport recovered from them is in the name of Ali Ahmad. Farooq has made a dying declaration that he and Ismail are Pakistani nationals. The police are yet to name a terror outfit to which the two belonged. The DIG Meerut claimed that the terrorists also had two identity cards in the name of students of two Indian institutions. (Two Kashmiri youth who were to be encountered in October were kept in Meerut – see the following account).

(2) Two AK-47 were recovered from the terrorists which were not used in self defence even when police used fire. (These guns are probably the same as ones bought for the planned October encounter in Lucknow – see the following account).

(3) There are conflicting claims about chase before the terrorists were shot dead. ATS claims that terrorists were chased from the Amity University check post, 6 km from Sector 97 in NOIDA whereas the NOIDA police claims that they were chased for 25 kms from Lal Kuan in Ghaziabad that would have crossed at least 5 police posts on the way. None of the police posts intervened.

(4) Sector 97 in NOIDA has also been the site of two other recent encounters.

(5) The terrorists had stopped at a NOIDA tea stall to ask for directions from a man, who coincidentally was a police informer.

(6) The Gypsy used by police in the encounter had a few number plates lying inside which were seen immediately after the encounter. The Gypsy has since gone missing.

(7) There is one bullet hole on the windshield of the Gypsy which could not have been caused by the AK-47s, the only firearm recovered from the terrorists, whereas there are no bullet marks on the Maruti 800 used by the terrorists.

(8) The credibility of the operation was questioned immediately on following two days by two national dailies.

Dr Sandeep Pandey, SR Darapuri (9415164845) and Aridamanjit Singh (9466283343)
People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), UP
Reference: ‘New Encounter in an Old Bottle’ by Neha Dixit, ‘Tehelka’, 14 February, 2009, Vol. 6, Issue 6, p. 23-24.

Dr Sandeep Pandey: Magsaysay awardee (2002), noted social activist and President, People's Union for Human Rights (PUHR)
SR Darapuri: Inspector General (IG) Police (retd) and Vice President of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), UP
Aridamanjit Singh: Deputy Commandant (retd), Border Security Force (BSF)
--------------------

From the archives:
A CONSCIENCE ENCOUNTERED

I’ve often been blamed by friends and colleagues for not keeping secrets to myself. It has been my practice to share information with people whenever I feel my conscience burdened. From my experience I can say that whenever I’ve, under such circumstances, shared the truth, it may have put some people in inconvenient positions but in the long run it proved to be right thing to do. But, I must confess, I’ve never encountered something as big as this. Till now it has been only very personal things or at the most matters dealing with my friends or colleagues. But the information I possess now is of societal and national significance. I’m revealing it because it can save two lives. I’m quite aware, that in the process, I’m raising a finger at the departments concerned with internal and external security of the country and can possibly attract some punitive action too. But when I weighed the pros and cons of this I was convinced that if by revealing this information lives of two youth can be saved then I must do it. I must take the risk.

The UP Police in a planned joint operation with the army is likely to kill two Kashmiri youth (obviously Muslim), already picked up and in their custody somewhere in Meerut , in an ‘encounter’ with these ‘dreaded terrorists.’ The drama would be enacted in the Lucknow cantonment area, the most plausible location for an anti-national to be encountered in. Two AK-47 guns, already bought from Nepal and brought through the Bahraich route, would be shown to have been recovered from these ‘terrorists.’ Very high level police officials and Colonels of the Army are involved in planning this Jamia Nagar encounter equivalent of UP level operation. An encounter specialist, posted at the Cantonment Police Station till recently, has been chosen to implement the design. Recently, UP police has been presented in poor light because of contradictory (and competitive) claims made by Delhi and Mumbai police for having arrested terrorists which they claim were responsible for bomb blast incidents in UP. The question raised then is who are the people the UP police has arrested earlier who are being claimed to be responsible for these same incidents. UP police doesn’t want to remain behind in the game of bravery now being played by police elsewhere. They are anxious to demonstrate that they too can carry out high profile encounter operations like the one at Jamia Nagar in Delhi . It is a different matter that civil society groups and some media have questioned the bona fides of the Jamia Nagar operation itself and the credibility of the government is at stake.

The objective of the above operation is to bring laurels to UP police. The operation would be justified in the name of national interest. UP is under pressure because it has been projected as the breeding ground for terrorist. The UP police wants to show that it is doing its part in countering terrorism.

If this is true then nothing can be more shameful. Most of the newspaper reading citizens would go along with the police version and not question it in the national interest if such an operation takes place. However, I’ve decided that my commitment to my nation is in ensuring justice to its citizens or at least questioning what is not just. Killing of innocent citizens in such operations or incidents like hunger deaths and farmer suicides are all government’s responsibility and no such incident can be pardoned.

However, if what I’ve written above is totally based on imagination run wild and doesn’t have an iota of truth in it then I’ll be most relieved person, because I shudder to think that responsible government institutions could be engaged in such gross things. I obviously apologize to the police and army for having questioned their integrity. But the fact of the matter is that police has lost so much credibility in this country that I thought it fit to bring out the matter in open for the sake of two Kashmiri youth. We hope that not only they will not be ‘encountered’ but no innocent will be subjected to such a fate, ever.

[Dr Sandeep Pandey is a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) for emergent leadership, member of National Presidium, People's Politics Front (PPF), heads the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and did his PhD from University of California, Berkeley, USA. He taught at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur before devoting his life to strengthening people's movements in early 1990s. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com. Website: www.citizen-news.org]

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VidyaGyan for brilliant rural students

VidyaGyan for brilliant rural students
Alka Pande

The happiness of 11 year old Supriya knew no bounds and why not after her wish to continue her studies is fulfilled despite her father’s inability to pay for it.

Supriya became the proud student of sixth grade at VidyaGyan – the world class school in a remote village of Bulandshahr in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Supriya had always been very good in studies but her father Raj Kishore – who is a daily wage earning labourer – was helpless in letting his daughter continue her studies as he could not afford to purchase the books or pay the tuition fee.

VidyaGyan is an initiative of Shiv Nadar Foundation, which aims to provide an opportunity to meritorious students of the rural areas – who could not continue their studies due to poverty – to study further.

While the Education Bill of the UPA government which promises free education to all children till class twelfth – is yet to get implemented, the VidyaGyan school offers to bear the complete cost of a student’s studies from grade sixth to grade twelfth on CBSE curriculum.

Last week the first school of VidyaGyan was inaugurated at Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh in the presence of VidyaGyan Board members including Shiv Nadar, the founder of HCL, TSR Subramanian, the former Cabinet Secretary to the government of India and Rossini Nadar, the Executive Director and CEO of HCL Corporation. Former captain of Indian cricket team Kepi Dev too was present at the function.

VidyaGyan is a radical concept that aims to induct and transform meritorious rural children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, providing them free, world class education - allowing them to transcend the disadvantages they face. In partnership with the government of Uttar Pradesh, VidyaGyan will select rural toppers who are economically disadvantaged and provide them with world class education.

"There is a huge potential among rural students, which goes unrecognised because they do not get opportunities - so we decided to give these rural toppers the means to achieve their true potential and be at par with their urban counterparts", said Subramanian.

The first batch of 200 rural toppers of the fifth grade state board exam have joined sixth grade in VidyaGyan, Bulandshahr from across 20 districts of Uttar Pradesh. In a span of 5-6 years the school will scale up each year to grade twelfth. VidyaGyan endeavours to establish 7 such schools across 71 districts in Uttar Pradesh to provide quality education and mentor to 5,000 students from the rural areas of the state.

The VidyaGyan board member Roshni Nadar said, "The initiative will cover all expenses for students and focus on their holistic personality development by providing them the best school infrastructure with sports facilities and highly qualified instructors."

Speaking on the occasion, Shiv Nadar, Chairman, Shiv Nadar Foundation said, "I have known the power of education in transforming lives and decided to give back to society what it has given to me – education."

The Shiv Nadar Foundation has been established by Shiv Nadar, the Founder of HCL - a $5 billion leading Global Technology and IT Enterprise, which employs over 60,000 employees across 23 countries. The Foundation is committed to the creation of a more equitable, meritocracy based society and to empower individuals to bridge the socio-economic divide. The Foundation aims to achieve these primarily through outstanding educational institutions, which provide meritorious students from all walks of life the opportunity to receive world class education.

Alka Pande
(The author is a senior journalist)

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The Spring Of Despair And The Winter Of Hope

The Spring Of Despair And The Winter Of Hope

The sultry Saturday afternoon of 7th August, saw around 70 odd academicians, social activists, writers, journalists and other members of civil society gather in the Academic Staff College of Lucknow University, for intense deliberations on state sponsored terror.

The programme, chaired by Professor (Dr) Nishi Pandey, Director, Academic Staff College and Dean, Students' Welfare, University of Lucknow, started with a reading by Shahira Naim (a senior journalist working with Tribune who received the 2nd International KCK Merit Award for Excellence in Journalism 2009) of her thought provoking and award winning article ‘Azamgarh: District In Discomfort’. It focussed on the infamous Batla House Encounter of Delhi, in which two ‘alleged’ terrorists (belonging to Azamgarh district) were killed along with a police officer. This, coupled with a few other happenings, senselessly branded Azamgarh as the ‘nursery of terrorism’ and a centre of religious orthodoxy, just as Bhojpur was called the cultivating ground of Naxalism in the late 70s.

The dubious role of the police in the Batla house incident raised many an eyebrow. Unfortunately, the National Human Rights Commission has recently given a clean chit to the police, cocking a snook to all evidences pointing to the contrary.

The animated discussion which followed this reading set the ball rolling for the screening of the internationally acclaimed film ‘Terror Storm’ by Alex Jones. This film (based on documentary proofs and recorded evidences) goes one step ahead of ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ in indicting the US Government of stage managing the bombing of the World Trade Centre.

Without mincing any words, Alex Jones elaborates on State sponsored ‘False Flag Operations’ with the sole aim of controlling the minds of the people by instilling fear in them.

Hitler’s subterfuges in Germany; US actions in Vietnam, Cuba, Iraq and in its own territory; the Madrid and London bombings of 2004 and 2005; the Babri Masjid demolition and the Godhra carnage incidents in India --- all point to sleek government involvements carried out to perfection. The flag operations scare people into believing government rhetoric, filling their minds with hatred and dividing them on caste/communal lines. This prepares the ground to achieve the states’ nefarious objectives of ousting elected governments and/or maligning a particular sect/community for partisan and economic gains.

We are living in an age where, the sunshine of wisdom is darkened by clouds of foolishness, the age of incredulity overshadows the age of belief. There is mistrust and fear in the air we breathe. Our confidence in the police (the so called custodians of law and order), the judiciary and the executive has been eroded to the extent that we have become indifferent to their wicked demeanor in these turbulent times. Terror is being fuelled by state and society alike. We do not know when we will come under the police scanner, (particularly if we are young and belong to the minority community); we do not know when one of our own family will exterminate us (in the name of honour killing) if we dare to challenge age old orthodoxies (like not bringing enough dowry or marrying outside our caste); we do not know when we will be branded as anti social and anti national if we dare to question the government for the atrocities committed against marginalized sections of society (as has happened to the likes of Sharmila Irom and Binayak Sen). We cringe at the fate which would befall us (as happened to Manjunath) if make an attempt to fight the corruption so rampant in all walks of life . So our senses are dulled into a state of suspended animation and toe the line rather than swim against the tide.

Meanwhile fake encounters, incarceration of innocents, exploitation of dalits and heinous crimes against women continue unabated. We prefer to turn a blind eye to them and rather talk of the rising prices of pulses and the Target Rating Point (TRPs) of television soap operas/reality shows. Occasionally we also speak the bitter truth, and that too not for a noble cause, but for money (a la Sach Ka Samna).

One needs to ponder a little more as to why the development index of regions rich in natural resources is abysmally low and as to why these areas become the breeding grounds of people’s reactionary movements turning violent (like in the Punjab, Bihar and the North East). Without endorsing violence, all of us have to work towards a more just social order where everyone lives in harmony, without predating upon each other. If we have the will we can do it. Amen.

Shobha Shukla

(The author is the Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS), has worked earlier with State Planning Institute, UP, and teaches Physics at India's prestigious Loreto Convent. Email: shobha@citizen-news.org, website: www.citizen-news.org)

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Law turns lawless in Uttar Pradesh

Law turns lawless in Uttar Pradesh
Anjali Singh

Lucknow: Is the state of UP ready to accept the fact that there is a problem with Uttar Pradesh Police Force? Or are they comfortable condoning the acts of brutality that are becoming a frequent occurrence now. The khaki brigade is running rampant and nothing seems to be done to reign them in either.

With another custodial death taking place in Hanspura Police station in Kanpur of a labourer Jung Bahadur Singh, the incident brings home the point of how uncontrolled the law enforcers are now in state of UP. Their tyrannical attitude is more than evident in cases like the one of a small time labourer who was thrashed to death for a crime as petty as some bricks being stolen by his two minor sons.

In a serious violation of human rights the incident comes close at heels of the UP Police implicating five innocent people for torching the house of UP congress Chief Rita Bhaguna Joshi.

While not a single accused the police claim to have arrested from the spot of the crime are in any way related to the crime, there seems to be no one ready to take action against the false arrests. Though the UP Congress Chief has been openly condemning the arrests, she has demanded a CBI inquiry into the issue.

As per Akhilesh Singh, Spokesperson UP Congress, “She has also filed a petition in the High Court against the unlawful arrests and from August 1 we will start a jail bharo andolan if our demand for a genuine high level CBI inquiry is not granted. We have personally visited the family of the arrested and have given them our word that innocent people will not be allowed to be made scapegoats in a government sponsored crime. The police is obviously involved in the arson as well which will come to light only when a CBI inquiry is conducted.”

A fact which is also corroborated by SR Darapuri, IPS (retd) and former Inspector General (IG) police and Vice President, Public Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL), UP, a human rights organization that has constituted a 5 member team to investigate the five arrests made, “The investigating team has began preparing the report. Based on our findings and I can confidently say that the arrests made are false. Innocent people have been implicated and charged with arson which can get them life imprisonment if convicted. Though the CB CID has interrogated those accused, it very obvious that they are innocent. The police have picked these five just to show that they are prompt in their action as it’s the matter of a politician from the ruling party. Infact there were no spot arrests made three people Inder Kumar, Shiv Kumar and Guddu Yadav all relatives and residents of Neel Matha, Lucknow Cantt were booked at the Sadr Cantt police station. They were brought there after they had family brawl over water. They were kept sitting at a tempo stand in Sadr where a police jeep picked them up and send them to jail. The other two were in a motor accident and went to the Hussainganj police station on their own and ended up being arrested and charged with arson under Section 436 IPC. This is the way actual culprits were allowed to go scott free.”

Stressing further on the fact that the crime the five have been booked for is a heinous crime and face very serious implications for it despite the fact that they had not committed the offense. Darapuri adds, “PUCL in its report will demand that a CBI inquiry be conducted in the matter apart from demanding a judicial inquiry as well. We will also ask for strict action against those police personnel responsible for implicating innocent people falsely. Compensation from the state will also be asked for the victims and their family who are from a very improvised background. “

Also on the agenda of the PUCL report will be scrutinizing the role of agencies like the National and State Human Rights Commission who do not play stringent role in ensuring that such serious human rights violations do not go unpunished in the country.

Adds Vandana Mishra, who is also on the five member PUCL Team constituted to investigate the matter, “The report we present will definitely help the case of the five accused to prove their innocence in the court of law. While as per our inquiry conducted there it is very obvious innocent persons are being implicated PUCL’s effort will be to ensure that no injustice is done.”

But what has caused the UP Police to take on such an autocratic stance in the state?

As per Anjali Singh, Director, Saaksham Foundation, and member, PUCL, who is also on the investigating team of PUCL, “The Uttar Pradesh Police goes by the motto ‘Protection of Good and Destruction of the bad.’ But with the UP Police Force now topping the list of human rights violations, their motto seems to have been reversed. And when it’s the largest police force in the world, we indeed need to sit up and take stock of where the Khaki Brigade is heading as a law enforcement agency and does it take its role seriously when it comes to protecting those who are innocent. As per a study by Human Rights Features, a publication that raises the Voice of the Asia Pacific Human Rights, it came to light that the Police abuse of authority is so prevalent in Uttar Pradesh as it has an inordinate amount of power and discretion delegated to them by the legal system, the political climate and society in general. The internal reward system, which provides monetary incentives or promotions for carrying out extrajudicial executions, also acts as a catalyst. Systemic and endemic corruption in the police and within the political and judicial agencies exacerbates the problem and ensures that such crimes go unpunished.”

In short it is the poverty stricken, the dalits and illiterate sections of society, generally become sitting ducks of such a system. The lack of access to the few difficult legal remedies that actually exist further emboldens the police force that is already out of control.

Feels IB Singh, Senior Advocate ,High Court, who has been addressing such issues, “No body is above the law, not even the police. The IPC(Indian Penal Code) has numerous sections that come into effect when the rights of a citizen is violated. Though there are no separate laws drawn up in case of violations by the police, the fact remains that the existing sections are applicable on the khaki brigade as well. Section 504 IPC, Section 506, Section 323 and Section 325 IPC which deals with assault, harassment, registering fraudulent cases, corruption and extortion all can be used to bring erring police personnel to book.”

But is the BSP led state government interested in doing? With the way things are being done in UP, it does not seem so.

Anjali Singh
(The author is a Special Correspondent to Citizen News Service (CNS) and also the Director of Saaksham Foundation. Email: anjali@citizen-news.org)

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Manmohan Singh breaks new path in Indo-Pak relations

Manmohan Singh breaks new path in Indo-Pak relations
Dr Sandeep Pandey

[To listen to the audio podcast of this article, click here]

The worst fears of some of us have now been confirmed. Pakistani society, politicians and media has always been talking about the involvement of Indian intelligence agency RAW in fomenting trouble inside Pakistan . First it was in Sindh, particularly in Karachi . Now people say there is no doubt about Indian involvement in Balochistan and some say that RAW is also supporting Baitullah Mehsud in NWFP. Questions are being raised on unusually high number of Consulate offices opened by India in Afghanistan . The involvement of CIA and Mossad is also not ruled out. There is a speculation that Baitullah Mehsud could not have survived for so long since the US drone attacks began if it was not for the support of one or more of foreign intelligence agencies and/or military help.

Asif Ali Zardari has now openly admitted that the Talibans are creation of Pakistan . The terror that Pakistan exported has now come back to it. Until it was limited to NWFP it was not seen as a major problem. But now that it has the potential of taking over Islamabad , Rawalpindi and Lahore even the military and intelligence which were not too keen on taking on the home grown terrorists have been forced, partly because of US pressure but primarily due to threat it poses to them, reluctantly but decisively to come around to confront them. When Zardari makes a bold statement he obviously has the approval of military and intelligence.

The terrorist groups in Af-Pak region whether al-Qaeda, Taliban or Lashkar-e-Toiba were propped up by the US and Pakistani governments. They received arms & ammunition, money and training from military professionals. The association of terrorist groups with Pakistani government during the military regime was so close that some former military officials are part of terrorist set ups and terrorists have infiltrated the Pakistani establishment. One reason why the governments, whether Punjab or Federal, in Pakistan is reluctant to take action against Hafiz Saeed, the LeT founder, is that he can become a cause of much embarrassment for the establishment there if he decides to open his mouth.

But the question is after the present Pakistani establishment has made up its mind to confront the terrorist groups and US has relentlessly pursued the terrorists even going to the extent of launching attacks inside the sovereign territory of Pakistan, how are the terrorists holding fort? One would assume that the lot which was trained to fight the Russians would be old enough to be combatants now. So, even if there is supply of money from Saudi Arabia or somewhere or plenty of drug trafficking money is available, and there are youth from central Asia, southern Punjab (Pakistani) and from all around the world ready to be trained as jehadis who is providing them the training in use of modern methods of warfare? Is CIA playing a double game? Peace in the area would make the justification of US military presence in the region untenable. And it is no secret that US wants to be involved not only in the Af-Pak region but also in Kashmir . We’re not talking about George Bush. We’re talking about Barack Obama. Even before Obama’a victory results became public he had already announced his intention of appointing a Kashmir aide. Why on earth is an uninitiated US President interested more in Kashmir than his own country?

But what would be disturbing for most educated self-righteous middle class Indians, who have always seen India as a peaceful country and Pakistan as source of all trouble, is the revelation that India could have a role in instigating violence inside Pakistan . The joint bilateral statement issued from Sharm-el-Sheikh has reference to Pakistan having information on threats to Balochistan. Pakistan sees it as diplomatic victory. The response in India is that of shock, especially from the hawks. But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has displayed rare courage and insight in saying that he is willing to discuss any issue with Pakistan . He has also encouraged Pakistan to take action against perpetrators of November 26, 2008, incident in Mumbai without linking it to resumption of composite dialogue. As a leader of the senior (in terms of experience with democracy) and bigger nation only he could have been expected to be magnanimous. And he has lived up to his role. He has breached the parochial approach which constrains progress on India-Pakistan official relations.

Manmohan Singh has merely acknowledged something which is common knowledge in Pakistan . But Pakistan will have to provide concrete proof of RAW’s involvement in Balochistan or elsewhere in Pakistan just like India has done in the case of Mumbai incident. But this is only a trivial matter. It is an open secret that ISI and RAW have been working at cross purposes.

What Manmohan Singh has achieved as a statesman is that he has set out to define a new paradigm in which India-Pakistan relations will be discussed. For the first time in the history of the two nations he has laid the grounds for India and Pakistan to work together to solve the common problems, including that of terrorism. The US has already given an indication of this by asking India to provide help to Pakistan . And why not? If India can develop close ties with Afghanistan and provide financial help to it and Pakistan can derive help from the US , India and Pakistan , if they can shed their historical baggage, can cooperate as friendly neighbours. Pakistan , where receiving US aid is a government policy now, can enjoy a more democratic relationship with India . Can we conceive of RAW and ISI working together, like both of them have a working relationship with CIA, to root out terrorism from the region? Pakistan , being the smaller and more insecure of the two nations, would warn up to India only if it feels comfortable. The long adversarial relationship between the two has dried up all the trust. Manmohan Singh has certainly made Yousuf Raza Gilani and Pakistan feel that they can do business with India .

Note: The author is back from a week long trip to Pakistan in July, 2009.

[Dr Sandeep Pandey is a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) for emergent leadership, member of National Presidium, People's Politics Front (PPF), heads the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and did his PhD from University of California, Berkeley in control theory which is applicable in missile technology. He taught at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur before devoting his life to strengthening people's movements in early 1990s. He can be contacted at: ashaashram@yahoo.com. Website: www.citizen-news.org]

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HINDI - version of this article at Hindi CNS

Chhattisgarh government ignores Supreme Court, still supporting killings!

Chhattisgarh government ignores Supreme Court, still supporting killings!

CHHATTISGARH GOVERNMENT IGNORES SUPREME COURT, STILL SUPPORTING KILLINGS, DRIVING PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMES

In October 2008, the Government of Chhattisgarh assured the Supreme Court that it would rehabilitate all villagers who had been affected and displaced by Salwa Judum and Naxalite violence. Till date nothing has been done. Instead, the government continues to encourage and support killings, rapes and the destruction of people's homes and villages.

• The Supreme Court's orders to register cases for the atrocities committed in the area, as well as to engage in rehabilitation, have been totally ignored. The Chhattisgarh government has not rehabilitated a single village in the seven months since the rehabilitation order was passed.

• On May 17, 2009, the offices of the only organisation that has attempted any rehabilitation at all – Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, run by the Gandhian Himanshu Kumar – were demolished by over 500 policemen with a few hours' notice.

• Mr. Kumar has since been warned by the SP of Dantewada that the government intends to implement a “Sri Lanka model” in the area and that he should leave the district if he values his life.

• A fact finding team of the People's Union for Civil Liberties that visited the area in the wake of the demolition, including senior journalists and well known human rights lawyers and activists, found that the demolition was clearly unwarranted and intended to penalise the organisation for its opposition to Salwa Judum and its efforts in rehabilitating villagers. The interim report of the fact finding team is being released at this press conference.

• Meanwhile, the Salwa Judum continues to engage in rapes, killings and arson, such as the attack on the villages of Biayampalli and Badepalli on April 25, 2009 when 10 and over 20 houses were burnt respectively, the looting of residents of village Gorkha on 23 february 2009, and the burning of grain stores of village Chinger on March 9 2009. Most recently, in June, village Kamaram was attacked.

• Even though the Government has admitted in the Supreme Court that the Salwa Judum is an armed organisation that has burnt houses and destroyed property, it continues its support for this illegal militia. The Chhattisgarh government has till date not made a single statement dissociating itself from the Salwa Judum, nor have the police taken any action against its members or leaders.

The Chhattisgarh government continues to engage in open, brazen and unconstitutional attacks on the rights of lakhs of innocent men, women and children.

Himanshu Kumar from Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, Dantewada, Sumit Chakravarthy, Veteran Journalist and Editor Mainstream, Arundhati Roy, the booker prize-winner and social activist and Prof. Nandini Sundar, University of Delhi, addressed the media representatives. An open letter to the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh protesting these atrocities is also being released at this press conference. Simultaneously, an open letter to the CPI (Maoist) is being released, asking them to desist from acts of abduction and killing, and anything, which could interfere with the process of peaceful return and rehabilitation of villagers.

A fact-finding report conducted in October 2008 by a group of independent women professionals detailing cases of rape is also being circulated, as background information. Let the new UPA Government which says it believes in widespread participation by women take note of what it is helping to support in Chhattisgarh.

Jonathan Mann Awardee Binayak Sen released on bail today

Jonathan Mann Awardee Binayak Sen released on bail today

Bail was granted to the paediatrician Dr Binayak Sen who was jailed in Raipur prison since more than two years now, on alleged false charges of abetting maoist activities in Chattisgarh, sedition and waging war against the state.

"This committed advocate of civil liberties has spent over three decades in the service of some of the poorest and most underserved communities and raised his voice relentlessly against atrocities in the State of Chhattisgarh. The imprisonment of Dr Binayak Sen is symbolic of gross injustice and violation of democratic values by the State and the suppression of the voices of human rights defenders" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and member, National Presidium, Lok Rajniti Manch (People's Politics Front - PPF).

The ‘Jonathan Mann for Global Health and Human Rights’ Awardee (2008) Dr Binayak Sen, who is a well-known paediatrician and human rights defender in Chhattisgarh, had completed two years on 14 May 2009 in a Raipur prison.

"Last year, twenty-two Nobel laureates from around the world had appealed to the Indian government to allow Dr Binayak Sen to receive the 2008 Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights in person at the end of May 2008. But Indian government denied the permission and Dr Sen's wife had received the coveted global health award on his behalf" informed the firebrand social activist Arundhati Dhuru, who is also the national convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM).

Dr Binayak Sen of Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India, who has helped establish a hospital serving poor mine workers in the region, founded a health and human rights organization that supports community health workers in 20 villages, and is the general secretary of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has been imprisoned in Raipur for two years now without trial as a result of unproven allegations that he was a naxal courier. Not only Dr Sen denies committing any crime, but his lifetime contribution to strengthen democracy and fight for the most underserved communities defies such accusations. The public pressure was mounting in many parts of the world demanding release of Dr Binayak Sen and undoubtedly his release today on bail will give a positive ray of hope.

The PUCL-Chhattisgarh Unit, with Dr. Binayak Sen's active leadership as its General Secretary, had exposed the government sponsored so-called campaign Salwa-Judum in Chhattisgarh which legitimizes extra-constitutional violence and pits adivasis against adivasis.

In Lucknow, a candle light vigil was held in Hazratganj to mark the two years of Dr Sen's imprisonment and to up the demand for his release. Many civil society organizations including Uttar Pradesh Voluntary Health Association (UPVHA), Vatsalya, Sahayog, Humsafar, Health-Watch, Samadhan, Asha Parivar, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), Lok Rajniti Manch (People's Politics Front - PPF) had jointly called for the release of Dr Sen.

"The activists were not only demanding release of Dr Sen who was released today but also that the draconian Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act should be repealed in the undercover of which grotesque human rights violations take place in the state and the Salwa Judum be winded up. Both the other demands are still pending" said SR Darapuri, who is the Vice President of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) in UP.

- Bobby Ramakant

Justice where art thou? Two years of Dr Binayak Sen's imprisonment

Justice where art thou?
Two years of Dr Binayak Sen's imprisonment

Jonathan Mann awardee (2008) Dr Binayak Sen, who is a well-known paediatrician and human rights defender, will complete two years on 14 May 2009 in a Raipur prison on false charges of abetting Maoist activity in Chhattisgarh, sedition, and waging war against the State. This committed advocate of civil liberties has spent over three decades in the service of some of the poorest and most underserved communities and raised his voice relentlessly against atrocities in the State of Chhattisgarh. The imprisonment of Dr Binayak Sen is symbolic of gross injustice and violation of democratic values by the State and the suppression of the voices of human rights defenders.

Not only in India, but in countries around the world the pressure is mounting for the release of Dr Sen.

Last year, twenty-two Nobel laureates from around the world had appealed to the Indian government to allow Dr Binayak Sen to receive the 2008 Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights in person at the end of May 2008. But Indian government denied the permission and Dr Sen's wife had received the coveted global health award on his behalf.

Dr Binayak Sen of Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India, who has helped establish a hospital serving poor mine workers in the region, founded a health and human rights organization that supports community health workers in 20 villages, and is the general secretary of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has been imprisoned in Raipur for more than a year now without trial as a result of allegations that he violated state antiterrorism laws. Not only Dr Sen denies committing any crime, but his lifetime contribution to strengthen democracy and fight for the most underserved communities defies such accusations.

The PUCL-Chhattisgarh Unit, with Dr. Binayak Sen's active leadership as its General Secretary, had exposed the government sponsored so-called campaign Salwa-Judum in Chhattisgarh which legitimizes extra-constitutional violence and pits adivasis against adivasis.

Activists like Dr Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and member, National Presidium, Lok Rajniti Manch (People's Politics Front - PPF) are leading a candle light vigil in Lucknow, India, to mark the completion of 2 years of Dr Sen's imprisonment and demand his release. Similar protests and demands for his release are being echoed from communities across the country. Let's hope these voices reach the corridors of power.

- Bobby Ramakant

Save human lives in Sri Lanka

Save human lives in Sri Lanka

SAVE HUMAN LIVES, HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY IN SRI LANKA! SUPPORT TAMIL'S STRUGGLE FOR SELF DETERMINATION!

STOP WAR AND WAR CRIMES!

The situation in Sri Lanka is alarming. Despite a two days ceasefire on the occasion of the Tamil New Year, and despite innumerable appeals to the Sri Lankan government, President Mahinda Rajapaksha has made it clear during the recent visit of UN Special Envoy Vijay Nambiar on 17th April 09 that he is not ready to abandon his line of "war to the finish".

The Tamil civil population in the Vanni is in an absolutely desperate situation without food, water and medical supplies and under frequent attack in the so-called safe zone. Those who manage to leave (many don't want to, for complex reasons), encounter extremely discouraging conditions in the transit camps. Families are separated, disappearances of males of a certain age group are rampant, women face violations and informers try to track down political affiliations, which lead to further disappearances, while food, water and medical supplies leave a lot to be desired. Those who stay in the Vanni do so under manifold compulsions and there are daily deaths in large numbers due to lack of food, water, medical supplies and violent interference. Since 20th April, more people have come out of the so called safe zone, so that more ferocious massacres can be expected in the Vanni Region.

The argument that the LTTE has a vested interest in the presence of the civil population cannot be used as an excuse for the ongoing human rights violations by the State. The war has to end in order to end war crimes and enable a sustainable democratic process.

It is known that the Indian economic and military aid to the Sri Lankan government has been of a high order, presumably "to keep the Chinese at bay". We also remember from the over quarter of a century of armed conflict that the fratricidal tendencies among Tamil groups have been encouraged and enhanced by material aid and training through the RAW and other Indian intelligence outfits over the years. So the injury inflicted from the Indian side is much larger than only the involvement of the IPKF. Actually Priyanka Gandhi has a point when she says to the press that the murder of her father was caused by people's unbearable suffering.

We appreciate that the tone of the Indian Government has changed over recent weeks due to vast protest in India and abroad. However this is not enough. We have reasons to believe that words and deeds often do not tally. Political parties are using the issue to garner votes. There have been numerous protests by democratic organisations over the past three months, demanding to stop the war. People have had demonstrations, hunger fasts, appeals, conferences, road blocks, human chains, petitions galore. In Tamil Nadu, there have been several self immolations. Over the past one week (since 13th April 09), a group of twenty women in Chennai belonging to different organisations have been on an indefinite fast for PEACE in Sri Lanka, which has ended now in response to the appeal of many organizations not to add to the ongoing death toll but to decentralize the struggle an spread it, as the response from the Sri Lankan government is extremely cynical and shelling is going on in the “safe zone” according to UN sources.

On behalf of NAPM and PPF we wholeheartedly support this struggle. We have raised the issue extensively in our pre-election manifesto and campaign in Tamil Nadu from 23 to 31st March .National Conveners of NAPM have endorsed the demands for Peace, democracy and sovereignty of Tamils in Sri Lanka in their national Conveners meeting in Nagpur on March 1st, 09. NAPM Tamil Nadu has had rasta roko, arrest and fast on February 21 and a massive human chain on March 19th, 09. We also participated in the International Working Class Protest on April 8th, 09. We will not cease to raise the issue at national and international level. We will integrate the issue in all our campaign during pre-election time and also in the long term.

However, we appeal to our sisters to end their fast, as the conflict of decades cannot be solved over night and the aim is to save human lives and end the death toll, not to add to it. Let us abide by the slogan of the Tamil women from Batikaloa:

WE WILL END THE WAR

WE WILL PROTECT LIVES

BY THIS, WE WILL MAKE THE VICTORY OURS.

- We demand an immediate durable and unconditional ceasefire to enable peace negotiations.

-We demand formation of credible teams of international human rights activists, medical personnel and social workers to be present in the process of helping the civil population in the Vanni to get access to food, water and medical supplies and to safeguard their human rights, sanity and dignity in the transition. Special care needs to be taken to protect, women, children and youth.

-We demand de-mining and restoration of villages so that peoples right to return to their homes can be safeguarded and implemented.

We demand a political process in which all communities will be able to participate with confidence and equal rights, irrespective of ethnicity, language, caste, creed and gender.

-The Tamil people's right to self-determination must be respected and implemented.

-Disappearances and other violence must end and freedom of the press must be guaranteed. The working classes must be able to form organisations and struggle for people's rights to Life and Livelihood.

Yours sincerely,

Medha Patkar- NBA and National Alliance of People’ Movements, Gabriele D- National Alliance of People’s Movements, P. Chennaya- APVVU, National Alliance of People’s Movements , Aruna Roy- MKSS, National Alliance of People’s Movements, Sandeep Panday – National Alliance of People’s Movements , Anand Mazgaonkar- National Alliance of People’s Movements, Ulka Mahajan- Sarvhara Jan Andolan, National Alliance of People’s Movements, Ajit Jha – People’s Political Front, Surekha Dalvi- People’s Political Front, Yogender Yadav, Mukta Srivastava, Dr. Sunilam- Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Rajendra Ravi- National Alliance of People’s Movements , Gita Ramakrishnan- Campaign for Unorganized sector workers , NAPM , Ramaswamy R. Iyer, Vimal Bhai, Himalaya Bachao Andolan, Shaktiman Ghosh, Sudipto Moitra, National Hawkers Federation, Ram Narayan Kumar, Onil Kshetriymayum, Jagmohan Singh, World Sikh News, Harsh Mander, Kiran Shaheen, Shashwati Goswami IIMC Delhi, Bipin Rai Himalaya Bachao Andolan, Rita Manchanda, Babu Sundra, Rabin Chakraborty, Amit Bhaduri, JNU Delhi, R.N. Nayak, Gilbert Rodrigo, G.Vasantha (Guides), Selvin Mary Hyderabad, Rifat Mumtaz, Sukla Sen, Ekta, Mumba, S.P.Udayakumar Nagarkoil, Nalini Nayak , Sewa Trivandrum, Gautam Bandyopadhyay, Nadi Ghati Morcha, Chhattisgarh, S. P. Udayakumar, MONLAR, Srilanka