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[1] PAKISTANI ANTI-CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE ESCALATES DURING HOLY WEEK Sources: Compass Direct News, Assist News Service Christians in Pakistan spent a tense Easter holiday as Pakistani Muslim and Christian leaders worked to defuse tensions in Punjab province following rumors of “blasphemy” that initiated mob action against the Christian community during Holy Week. Celebrants of Mohammed’s birthday in Toba Tek Singh turned violent on Sunday, April 1, in response to false claims that Christian men had attacked Muslims and desecrated a sticker bearing Mohammed’s name. Other reports indicate the conflict began with a disagreement between an 11-year-old Christian who refused to play with two Muslim youths on the playground. The parents got involved and false claims spread from there. Regardless of the cause, Sharing Life Ministries Pakistan reported that some 2,000 Muslims attacked a Christian neighborhood, stoning houses and “torturing Christian men, women and children.” Another Christian source confirmed the details of the attack except for the number of attackers, estimating that it was closer to just 80. “Christians ran to save their lives, and some of them hid themselves in their houses, but even then the Muslim extremists kept on stoning,” said local believer Irum Gill. She said that “dozens” of Christians had been injured and a handicapped Christian named Ratan Masih was unable to flee the mob and was badly beaten. North of there, in the capital of Islamabad, hard-line Muslim cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz threatened to unleash a wave of suicide attacks if the Pakistan government tries to counter his bid of enforcing Islamic laws in the federal capital through vigilante Islamic courts. The action is opposed by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. ---- [2] From: Sukla Sen <suklasen@yahoo.com> Date: Tue Apr 10, 2007 Subject: Stalinist Terror in West Bengal and Popular Resistance I/IV. From: bhaskar gupta <gupta_bh@yahoo.com> Date: Apr 9, 2007 6:14 PM Subject: CPI(M) Attack on Keshab Mukherjee, Editor, Swadhin Bangla Protest Meeting on 12th March, 2007, 8B Bus Stand, Jadavpur Dear Friend, On 7th April, Saturday, an armed violent mob, claiming allegiance to CPI(M) , brutally attacked a street corner meeting of APDR arranged to protest against the genocides and atrocities at Singur, Nanigram and other places of West Bengal. The incident happened at about 7-30 pm near 8B bus stand at Jadavpur in front of a large number of common people. Even the pedstrians, who tried to protest, were mercilessly beaten up. Women were nor spared either. Keshab Mukherjee, editor of 'Swadhin Bangla', had been greviously injured and is still rocvering in hospital from rib fracture, head inury and other very serious injuries. Let us all unequvocally condemn in the harshest tone such fascist assault on democratic rights with a view to throttle any voice of discontent through terrorization. A protest meeting to voice our condemnation has been arranged at 8B bus stand at Jadavpur on 12th March 2007. Please join the meeting and invite everybody with democratic ethos to the same. Bhaskar Gupta II. From a friend: Students opposed to the CPM/SFI/Nandigram massacre decimated the SFI in polls at the Nandigram College Students Union. They fought under a non-party banner, much like BUPC. After more than 12 years, SFI was routed! News just in. For once, SFI/CPM cannot cry that their opposing students fell to false propaganda. These students represent the truth that PD articles try to hide by its propaganda. They are the college students of Nandigram. Yes, Nandigram, where the Congress won the assembly seat only ONCE in the last 40 years, yes people, only ONCE IN 40 YEARS. III. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070410/asp/calcutta/story_7626253.asp Strike fizzles out on JU campus - SFI at Writers' with assault complaints, pledged drastic steps A STAFF REPORTER Jadavpur University (JU) defied the students' strike on Monday, called by the SFI to protest vandalism on the campus on the night of April 5. Elsewhere in the city, classes were disrupted on campuses where the SFI controls the students' union. SFI supporters at JU could not prevent classes from being held, despite attempts at convincing students to join the protest. The bandh-supporters even tried to form a barricade at one of the gates, but police deployed outside the campus were quick to disperse them. Members of the SFI state committee met chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at Writers' Buildings in the afternoon and sought his intervention in restoring normalcy at JU, on the boil since We the Independents (WTI) swept the science faculty election. In their memorandum to the chief minister, the leaders alleged that two supporters were beaten up at JU and five at Jogesh Chandra College. "The chief minister promised drastic steps to restore a democratic atmosphere at JU," said Apurba Chatterjee, SFI state secretary. At Medical College and Hospital, SFI supporters tried to close a classroom but were outnumbered by students wanting to attend class. Most classes were suspended at Calcutta University. At Presidency College, 10-odd SFI supporters put up posters and shouted slogans, but classes were held as usual. Members of the JU Karmachari Sansad, observing an indefinite ceasework demanding arrest of those who had ransacked their office on April 5, refused to unlock the classrooms. But that had little effect, as teachers opted to take classes in their offices. By 11 am, the 100-odd SFI supporters trying to enforce the bandh seemed to have lost steam, as representatives of the students' unions of all three faculties arranged for the classrooms to be opened. The Jadavpur University Teachers' Association organised a sit-in on the campus in support of two of their colleagues accused of beating up WTI members, but only 100 of the 1,000-plus teachers could be seen at the venue. The SFI supporters quit the university gates by noon, but announced in the evening that they would hold a rally on the campus on Tuesday. Students, teachers and non-teaching staff members of other institutions have been invited to the meeting. Students expressed fear that outsiders are being brought in only to assault anti-SFI students. IV. From: "ekak matra" <ekakmatra at yahoo. com The Jadavpur University Incident on 5 April You must be concerned about the entire incident that took place throughout the day of 5th April. It was the day when the results of the student union elections of FETSU and SFSU were to be declared. It must be mentioned in this regard that the AFSU results were oust just a couple o days back and the year old Forum for Arts Students won over SFI in all the 4 seats, which SFI were holding for the past decade. On the 5th, as SFSU results came out, expectedly SFI was white washed in all the 4 seats by WTI. Then as the FETSU result counting was going on, the victorious WTI, along with general students brought out a victory rally, which is a very common feature. Now as it reached ‘science club’. All SFI members, along with a 100 of staff members of the CPM staff union, came out with banners, flags of CPM and rods, pretending to bring out a rally. It must be noted here that the rally was issueless. The presence of more than 100 plus staff members at that point f time in their union office without any prior planning is also unexplainable. And finally the presence of large number of sticks and CPM flags, planted in iron rods demonstrated their well planned intentions. It was not long before a tussle broke out, and it also be added that two teachers of Mathematics department took noticeable roles in bashing his own students. A complain has been lodged against them with the authority. Then with the intervention of some responsible student and staff members further trouble was averted. Such hostile behavior of the CPM staff union is not new. The SFI which is extremely marginalized in the entire JU campus has often depended on such unfair tricks to assert their presence and to try and intimidate the general students. We have heard of the condemnable role of the staff union in the 1996, when at night the lights were cut off inside the Aurobindo Bhavan during a movement and the students were brutally beaten up. We still remember their hostile role in the students’ movement of 2001 and on the fasting students during the exam system movement of 2003. When everything else fails, the police tries to crack our morale, as in the 2005 movement, but only manage to crack just a few bones. Each such incident only makes the student more organized and determined. The 1996 incident brought into existence WTI, the 2005 incident led to the formation of FAS. And today we can see their mass support and acceptability. Democratic Students’ Front also consolidated its roots among the general students after an incident of massive police brutality in a movement in 1978 and has ever since been a very strong movemental organization of the students. Coming back to the incidents of 5th April, after the tussle that left several of the Science Faculty students badly bleeding and bruised, the general students of JU accompanied them to the Vice Chancellor to report against the unacceptable act of the two teachers of Science Faculty. Then the FETSU election results came out and DSF won as easily as the past 30 years in all the 5 seats. That night as two WTI members were returning to their homes, they were identified by some SFI members and staff members and were picked up by local CPM goons. They were heavily beaten up to the extent that one of them fell unconscious. As the news spread, a mass of some 200 students rushed to the spot and discovered them lying in pools of blood by the roadside and one of them unconscious. They were immediately taken by few to Bangur Hospital. The rest of the outraged and fuming students went out of control and spontaneously ransacked the science-club. I do not believe that after finding friends beaten up to unconsciousness by the road side, one could have controlled such a step. Nor would have anyone present wanted to. The next morning news brought to us a picture of messed up ‘Science Club’ with banners of SFI , CPM and a picture of late CPM leader Mr. Anil Biswas lying on the floor. This is sure to create confusion about the name of Science Club. The SFI being heavily marginalized in the campus have chosen it as their address in the university, just beside the CPM union-room of the university staff. Ever since all activities of the science club has stalled. However the annual budget is being efficiently consumed in some invisible activities. The club room is used as a store-room for SFI hoardings and leaflets, and is decorated with pictures of CPM leaders. Repeated attempts by general students to be a member of Science club to do some science oriented activity have been denied by the Science Club president who happens to be a SFI ‘leader’. This has led to formation of parallel club in FETSU, which recently concluded its national Tech Festival. While Science Club came up with its’ own Tech Fest, which saw a performance by CHANDRABINDOO!!!!! Thus it is evident that students feel a sense of alienation from this ‘club’ and looks upon it as a SFI party office. The students of JU well understand the reality, and know how to answer to this false propaganda of the SFI. They never have and never will fall for the cheap political stunts of the SFI. They will consolidate further and oust the remnants of SFI from every nook of the University. We want a healthy and peaceful atmosphere in the Campus. ----------- [3] From: humanrights <human.rights.india101@gmail.com> Date: Tue Apr 10, 2007 Subject: Party Games: Nandigram, CPM and Human rights *www.indianexpress.com/story/26169.html* *Party games *YOGENDRA YADAV Posted online: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 0000 *Between Nandigram and a party that swears by human rights and lofty democratic ideals lies vast hypocrisy. * Nandigram did not surprise me. I was anguished and angry but not surprised. I had heard the story of Alipurduar from Jugal Kishore Raybir. This dalit activist, a believer in Gandhian non-violence, was the founder of UTJAS, (Uttar Bango Tapsili Jati O Adibasi Sangathan) an organisation of dalits and adivasis of north Bengal. Through the 1980s it demanded greater regional autonomy and justice for sons of the soil. Not only did the government turn a deaf ear, the ruling party launched an offensive against them, branding them 'separatist' or 'bichhinatabadi'. The story of Alipurduar goes back to January 10 1987, twenty years before Nandigram. On that day, UTJAS had organised a rally of what they estimated to be about 50,000 people in Alipurduar, the headquarters of Cooch Behar district. As the rally started, they noticed something unusual: The police was nowhere in sight. Soon the rallyists found themselves surrounded by and under attack from the armed cadre of the CPM. The rally was dispersed as unarmed protesters were beaten and chased. The police surfaced, only to arrest the victims, once the party cadre had finished their job. They say Jugal Raybir's commitment to non-violence prevented a blood bath that day. But that day also marked the end of the rise of UTJAS as a political challenge to the Party. For the next few months, the UTJAS cadre was hounded by the police, attacked by the CPM and not allowed to hold even indoor meetings. This dalit movement wilted under the onslaught of the state, police and Party. That prepared the ground for the rise of militant outfits like the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation. But that is a different story. Note the parallels between Nandigram and Alipurduar: The Party faces a political challenge, decides to nip it in the bud and executes an onslaught in sync with the police and administration. The only difference this time was that there was unexpected resistance. And that an anti-SEZ movement makes more news today than a dalit movement did twenty years ago. There were no Gopal Gandhi or Tanika and Sumit Sarkar then to point out that the emperor had no clothes. Nandigram may not have been the worst case of police firing. We have seen similar incidents in Orissa, Rajasthan and UP in recent times. West Bengal is certainly not the only state where the ruling party uses the state machinery to crush its political rivals. Om Prakash Chautala could still teach the CPM a lesson or two in this game. But there is one thing Chautala never did. He never talked of human rights and lofty democratic ideals. A Chautala could not have issued the injured yet clinical statement that the CPM's Politburo did after the Nandigram killings. The cold-bloodedness of the statement reminds you of the BJP top brass's reaction after Gujarat. This gap between the CPM's preaching and practice did not surprise me. I have been looking at Christophe Jaffrelot's research on the social profile of MLAs in India. His analysis shows that the proportion of upper caste MLAs is on the decline all over the country since the 1960s. There is only one exception: In West Bengal the proportion of upper castes has increased in the state assembly after 1977, after the Left Front came to power. A coincidence? Not if you calculate the caste composition of successive Left Front ministries: About two thirds of the ministers come from the top three jatis (Brahman, Boddis, Kayasthas). Perhaps you did not notice that West Bengal was the last major state to come out with an OBC list to implement Mandal. You might say, the CPM believes in class, not caste. Fair enough, but then why is the CPM in Delhi so aggressive about championing Mandal? Why does it present itself as more Mandalite than thou? Or read the data supplied by the West Bengal government to the Sachar Committee. With 25.2 per cent of Muslim population, the state government has provided just 2.1 per cent of the government jobs to Muslims. West Bengal has the worst record of all Indian states in this respect. Gujarat has just 9.1 per cent Muslims and has 5.4 per cent Muslims among government employees. The irony, of course, is that the CPM was the first party to come out with a statement demanding implementation of the Sachar Report! Will the CPM stop playing games? A few months ago the Party held an unprecedented State Secretariat meeting to discuss the Cricket Association of Bengal elections. The CM was openly backing Kolkata's police chief only to be opposed by his own sports minister and Jyoti Basu. The Party finally declared that the CPM will not play politics with games, at least not with cricket. But what about playing games with politics? Will the CPM stop that as well? Perhaps we should ask: Can the CPM stop playing games? Or are these games essential for survival for a party that has lost touch with the times, has lost faith in its own ideology and has come to fear its own cadre and election machine. Satyajit Ray's Shatranj ke Khiladi was a brilliant depiction of the games nobility played at the time of its historic decline. Alimuddin Street may not have time for such bourgeois indulgence, but the point of this film would not be lost on an avid cinema buff like Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Sometimes it is not the player who plays the game; it is the game that consumes the player. The writer is a political scientist at the CSDS, New Delhi ------------ |
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| << April10, 2007 - [India Thinkers Net]BJP CD ,Nandita Haskar's book ,Medha arrest etc |
April12, 2007 - [India Thinkers Net] EC & BJP ,Maudani ,Tendulkerian economics etc >> |
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