Full Text - GODHRA CARNAGE - JUSTICE TEWATIA REPORT

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Full Text - GODHRA CARNAGE - JUSTICE TEWATIA REPORT

FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

GODHRA AND AFTER

A Field Study by Justice D. S. Tewatia, Dr. J. C. Batra, Dr. Krishan Singh
Arya, Shri Jawahar Lal Kaul, Prof. B. K. Kuthiala COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS AND HUMAN RIGHTS, A-208, Surajmal Vihar, Delhi 110 092 Phone
2374816, fax [phone], Email ***@ndf.vsnl.net.in) GOVERNING BODY FOR
THE TERM 2001-03: Chairman: Shri Shanta Kumar, Parliamentarian, Palampur
Vice-Chairmen: Justice D S Tewatia, Jurist, Gurgaon Shri Chaman Lal Gupta,
Parliamentarian, Jammu Shri Y D Ahuja, Academician, New Delhi Secy.
General: Shri Shyam Khosla, Journalist, New Delhi Secretaries: Prof. B K
Kuthiala, Academician; Hisar Shri R K Sharma, Journalist, New Delhi Shri
Kumar Rakesh, Journalist, New Delhi Treasurer: Shri R Chandiwala, Chartered
Accountant, New Delhi Members: 1. Shri A. R. Kohli, Governor of Mizoram,
Aizwal. 2. Dr Harsh Vardhan, Medical Administrator, New Delhi 3. Dr N K
Trikha, Journalist, New Delhi 4. Dr Ajay Kumar, Physician, New Delhi 5.
Shri A N Misra, Journalist, Nagpur 6. Mrs. Sudesh Bhatia, Academician, New
Delhi 7. Prof. Shivaji Sarkar, Academician, New Delhi 8. Dr. J C Batra,
Senior Advocate, New Delhi 9. Shri Vikas Mahajan, Advocate, New Delhi 10.
Dr. J B Goyal, Academician, New Delhi 11. Shri Joseph Gathia, Social
Activist, New Delhi 12. Shri Pradeep Thakur, Journalist, Gaziabad 13. Dr.
K. C. Pandey, Teacher, Gaziabad PREFACE The Council for International
Affairs and Human Rights is deeply concerned over the Godhra carnage that
consumed 58 pilgrims, including 26 women and 12 children, returning from
Ayodhya when the Sabarmati Express carrying them was torched near Godhra
railway station and the subsequent sectarian violence. These gory incidents
shocked the nation to no end. Torching alive innocent citizens is in total
violation of Indian values and traditions and is a blot on the fair name of
this ancient civilization. It is a gross violation of human rights of
innocent citizens who were roasted alive or brutally killed or maimed for
no fault of theirs. The Gujarat tragedy is too deep for tears. An in-depth
and objective study to understand the conspiracy, if any, that led to the
burning alive of pilgrims and the killing of innocent citizens that took
place is several parts of Gujarat is the need of the hour. It is equally
important to identify the evil forces that were instrumental in
accomplishing the "mission".

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The civil society needs to evolve ways and means to resolve the communal
divide that has become a festering wound and poses a serious threat to
human rights. It is of utmost importance to know how the administration
responded to the challenge and what the role of the political parties,
social organisations, the intelligentsia and the media was. It is in this
context that the Governing Body of the Council that met at Delhi on March
22, 2002 decided to send a team to conduct a field study into the communal
strife in Gujarat. Justice D. S. Tewatia, Vice-Chairman of the Council and
a former Chief Justice of Calcutta and Punjab and Haryana High Courts, is
the leader of the team. Other members are: Dr J C Batra, senior advocate,
Supreme Court of India, Dr. Krishan Singh Arya, Academician, Chandigarh,
Shri Jawahar Lal Kaul, former Assistant Editor, Jansatta, Delhi, and Prof.
B K Kuthiala, Dean, Faculty of Media Studies, G. J. University Hisar.. It
has produced a comprehensive report dealing with numerous aspects of The
team left for Gujarat on April 1 and returned on April 7, 2002. The team
conducted a scientific field study into the horrendous happenings in Godhra
and other parts of Gujarat and collected enormous evidence in the form of
interviews and documentsthe tragedy. It was not possible for the team to
uncover each and every dimension of the tragedy due to constraints of time
and resources. But it has done a wonderful job in the limited time and
resources available to it. The Council is extremely grateful to Justice
Tewatia and his team for conducting the study and producing a comprehensive
report. The Council hopes that its labours will not go waste and that
authorities concerned, the intelligentsia and the media as also the common
citizens will take serious note of the conclusions and recommendations made
by the team. A careful reading of the report will help sift fact from
fiction and identify rumours and canards that have been spread by vested
interests. The report, one hopes, will enable the nation to have a correct
perspective of the forces behind the tragedy and the elements that
exploited it for partisan considerations. The Council is grateful to the
members of the team, the representatives of various organisations of Hindus
and Muslims of Gujarat, concerned citizens who came forward to narrate
details of incidents and provided evidence and the local authorities that
ensured that the team conducted the study without any hindrance. Shyam
Khosla, Secretary General. April 26, 2002 CONTENTS S No Chapter 1. 2. 3. 4.
Introduction Data Collection Godhra incident Facts and inferences Page 1 5
9 22

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5. 6. 7. Communal riots in Gujarat Conclusions Recommendations 25 35 40

INTRODUCTION NEED FOR AN OBJECTIVE ANALYTICAL STUDY Finding the truth is
the ultimate objective of any intellectual exercise. Be it a fact-finding
mission, analysis of social, political or economic processes or a spiritual
journey the edifice of truth is built on the facts. In sciences experiments
are conducted to generate new information, which forms the basis for the
enunciation of new theories and principles. Facts become sacred, inferences
and opinions must arise from the information of the past and the new data
gathered. Neutrality in the selection of past data, in the process of
gathering new information and also in the process of analysis and
derivation of inferences is fundamental to any objective intellectual
endeavor. UNIPOLAR THOUGHT PROCESS Any exercise to search for truth has to
make a beginning without any predispositions. Objectivity is lost if the
past attitudes and aptitudes of the seeker of truth colour the vision and
the analyst becomes blind to a set of information bits and another set of
data is visualized as being greater than its real worth. In research
hypothesis are stated and the researcher has a mind-set wherein based on
dispassionate analysis of gathered data the stated hypothesis is either
proved to be right or wrong. Incorrect derivations and inferences would
arise if the researcher were emotionally or ideologically inclined to prove
or disprove a given hypothesis. Truth is the first casualty of such an
exercise. Intellectual honesty demands observations, analysis and
derivations that are free from the personal or group prejudice and likes
and dislikes of the analysts. Unfortunately in today's India the vocal,
articulate and dominant sections of thinkers and analysts have become
predictable. Even before an exercise of analysis of events and processes
begins it is possible to almost correctly forecast the inferences and
conclusions that are likely to be drawn by the individuals, groups or
organizations. A newspaper would publish editorials and articles supporting
and proving only one point of view. The outcome of the discussion is
predictable depending upon the television channel that is hosting it. Even
in the case of simple journalistic reporting the personal predispositions
of the reporter glare prominently in the news stories. The questions asked
clearly indicate the ideological inclinations of the interviewer. So much
so that even the organizations created under the statutes of the
Constitution become partisan and their contentions are blind to a set of
data and hyper-responsive to another set of facts. Unipolar thought process
of Indian analysts and commentators has become a practice rather than an
exception.

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QUEST FOR TRUTH When the problems of the nation receive skewed notice from
its intellectuals the analysis cannot be realistic. Not only the problems
get politicized, the analysis too is coloured with the vision of the
analyst. If the diagnosis of the problem is faulty, the solution is bound
to be unrealistic and misdirected. When a physician commits error in the
diagnosis of an ailment, he fails to cure the disease and may give birth to
new problems. The country today needs better treatment by its
intelligentsia. It is the dharma of the intelligentsia to be objective and
search and state the truth and only the truth. If we look back and
introspect the achievements and failures of the nation after independence
three facts clearly emerge. First, there was acute shortage of food grains
and the country had to import wheat. It posed a serious challenge. The
farming community and the scientists responded magnificently and we are now
faced with a problem of plenty. Second, whenever the nation faced an
external threat our jawans lived up to our expectations and defended our
borders at the cost of their lives. It is a matter of pride for us that
jawans and kisans that constitute the majority of the population brought
glory to the country. The scientists too have taken the country to new
heights, be it innovations in farming practices, atomic and space research
or information technology. FAILURE OF GOVERNING CLASS Third, in most of the
cases when a task came before the governing class of the society that
includes bureaucracy and politicians, mismanagement, failures and
deceptions are the outcome. The ruling class failed to manage the massive
surplus produced by the farmers. The contradiction is that while millions
of tonnes of wheat is rotting, a large chunk of our society is denied two
square meals a day. It is a sad commentary on the governing class.
Successive Governments lost on the table the gains achieved by our jawans
in the battlefields. A vast majority of the people has contributed towards
the growth and development of the country during fifty-five years of
independence but a minuscule minority comprising the political class,
bureaucracy, intelligentsia and the media have let the country down. The
tragic fact is that despite India being a democratic polity, a small
minority of the elite controls the destiny of the nation. The
intelligentsia, professionals and the media failed to provide the link
between the vast majority of patriotic and duty conscious citizens and the
governing class. They were supposed to keep a watch and provide policy and
action options without prejudice. But what did

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they do? They lost their moorings and became a part of the governing class
and diverted their intellect for perpetuation of the exploitative and self-
serving elite class. Whereas kisans, jawans and scientists have more than
met the challenges of nation building the intelligentsia along with
politicians and bureaucrats have miserably failed to deliver the goods.
ALTERNATE ACTION PLAN Independent India inherited the problem of
disharmonious relationships between Hindus and Muslims. Amongst many other
major problems communal disharmony has been a serious issue before the
nation after independence. There were certain inherited realities and
solutions were to be found within those parameters. The managers of free
India have miserably failed to solve this problem. In fact, they have
accentuated the problem and widened the gulf between the two largest
communities living in the country. The disease aggravated as the decades
passed largely because of the wrong medication. Is not the continuation of
communal tensions between two major communities of the country an adverse
comment on the performance of our ruling class, intelligentsia and the
media? The answer is an assertive YES. The inhuman burning of the Indian
citizens traveling in a train at Godhra on the morning of February 27, 2002
and whatever followed in Gujarat and elsewhere is an evidence of the
mismanagement of the communal divide between two major communities of the
country. The political class having made appropriate noises to please their
respective constituencies will go back to its Kumbhkarani sleep to be woken
up only when another carnage takes place. When a physician fails to cure
certain ailment he looks for an alternative action plan and even takes a
second opinion. But not our rulers. INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONALS But do our
thinkers, planners and implementers ever sit back and ponder over their
failures? They sing the same songs with perhaps new music. Instead of
looking for their own failures they once again refuse to see the reality
and selectively isolate the data to prove their own, many times repeated
and widely known viewpoints. They are blind to their skewed perceptions.
They are either unaware or willfully remaining unaware of the need for an
alternate course of action. It was in this backdrop that the Council for
International Affairs and Human Rights decided to depute a Study Team of
conscientious and independent professionals to conduct a field study in
Godhra and other areas affected by sectarian violence. The team comprised:
1. Justice D. S. Tewatia, former Chief Justice, Calcutta High Court and
Punjab and Haryana High Court. 2. Dr. J. C. Batra, Senior Advocate, Supreme
Court of India. 3. Dr. Krishan Singh, Academician. 4. Shri Jawahar Lal
Kaul, Veteran Journalist. 5. Prof. B. K. Kuthiala, Dean Faculty of Media
Studies, G J

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University, Hisar. DATA COLLECTION VISITS INTERACTION AND DOCUMENTS The
team reached Ahmedabad on 02. 04.02 in the morning by train and visited
three affected areas and some of the relief camps. At all the places team
members interacted with the members of the public freely without
intervention of any officials, government or otherwise. On 03.04.02 the
team went to Godhra and five delegations from both communities and also of
mixed composition presented their views and facts to the team. The team
then went to the Godhra Railway Station and interviewed the officials and
some other witnesses of the burning of the S-6 Coach of the Sabarmati
Express in the morning of 27.02.02. The site where the train was initially
stopped and stoned was also visited. The team also minutely observed the
burnt S-6 coach. The officials of the Fire Brigade who were involved in the
fire fighting on the morning of 27.02.02 were also interviewed. The
localities adjacent to the railway station along with the sites where
demolition of structures illegally erected was carried out on 27.02.02
during the curfew hours were also visited. The team also visited a Girls
High School at Godhara where Muslims from rural hinterland had migrated for
safety. In the evening the team had a meeting with the District Collector,
Godhra along with other officials. The District Collector made a
presentation of the actions that the district administration had taken
after the incident near the railway station. Information was also provided
in response to the questions raised by the members of the team. Prime
Minister was to reach Godhra the next day and the team left for Vadodara
late at night, as it did not want to be an obstacle in the arrangements
being made for his visit. RELIEF CAMPS OF HINDUS AND MUSLIMS On 04.04.02
the team was in Vadodara where it visited five relief camps of both the
communities and seven areas, which were the scenes of arson, fire and
violence during the last month. Team also exposed itself to ground
situations by visiting some sensitive areas where either: a. two
communities lived face to face with each other in different localities. b.
a small number of families of one community lived in neighborhood and
surrounded by a large number of the families of the other community. c. two
communities lived in the same locality, both in significant numbers with
houses of both communities randomly distributed. The team visited some of
the areas, which have been evacuated by the residents because either they
were attacked or they apprehended an attack. To have the exposure to the
realities the team also visited

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some areas where curfew was imposed. Permission to visit such areas was
taken from the appropriate authorities. In the afternoon the Commissioner
Police, Vadodra and District Collector Vadodra met the team along with
other officials. The team members were updated with the information
regarding the management of situation till that day. The officials also
answered the queries of the team. At 5.00 pm the team met with the
representatives of various media organizations - both print and electronic.
About thirty media persons were present and an informative interaction took
place. The team had taken a conscious decision not to address a press
conference, as it did not want to express unprocessed, half-baked and
impressionistic opinions. THE GOVERNOR & THE CHIEF MINISTER MEETING In the
evening thirteen(13) delegations consisting of 121 citizens met the team
and presented their viewpoints and information. The delegations included
not only the members of both the communities but ranged from the
Association of Hoteliers to a group of adivasis to affected Muslim and
Hindu women. On 05. 04.02, the team once again visited the affected areas
to see the change in the ground situation in two days after the team has
visited on 02. 04.02. Here once again the team spoke to common persons at
the affected sites. In the afternoon the team had an in-depth discussion on
the situation in the state with Shri Narendra Modi, Chief Minister,
Gujarat. After meeting the Chief Minister, the team met the Police
Commissioner, Ahmedabad. He gave some data about the preventive arrests
(3046), booked (1807), FIRs lodged (636) killed (267 including 58 in police
firing) and rounds fired by police (2842). In the afternoon seven
delegations - five from Ahmedabad and two representing state level
organizations briefed the team of their version of the incidents,
perceptions and possible remedial measures. Total number of citizens, both
Muslims and Hindus, present in these meetings was 91. During and after
dinner some important persons of the minority community met the team
members personally and provided useful information. A retired judge of the
High Court belonging to the Muslim community also apprised the team of his
perception of the communal riots. He himself is a victim as his house was
burnt a few days ago. In the morning of 06. 04. 02, team members went out
individually to interact informally with common men to feel the pulse of
the people. At noon the team went to Raj Bhawan to meet Shri Sunder Singh
Bhandari, Governor, Gujarat where a very useful interaction took place.
OBJECTIVITY IN OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS In the evening the members boarded
a train back to Delhi from where the team members dispersed to their
respective stations. At this point of time every team member carried a
heavy load of information, views and images of realities. For a week the
team members engaged themselves in the process of sieving facts from
fiction, correlating

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data with perceived realities and an objective dispassionate analysis. On
15.04.02 and also on 19.04.02 the team met in Delhi and after sharing each
other's analysis the report has been penned down as a collective effort. It
would also be worth mentioning that the Study Team has used both audio and
video systems to record images of ground situation, evidence, and narration
of the events by victims and witnesses and interviews. Some of these
recordings were done with an explicit assurance given by the team to use
the material only for the purposes of analysis and hall not be made public.
Similarly a load of printed and handwritten documents have also been
collected both from official and privates sources. Use of Internet has also
been made extensively to interact and surfing for collection of relevant
information. All this information about the methodology is being provided
so that the consumers of this information can evaluate the observations and
analysis of the team independently. The strengths and weaknesses are both
laid out and there is no attempt to pronounce hasty judgments without any
scientific analysis or even without collating the information with other
members of the study team. It did not visit the affected areas to
strengthen the beliefs and perceptions of its members in a partisan manner,
but it went with an open mind and a clean state and allowed the facts to
speak for themselves. The objectivity of observation and analysis has been
coupled with the honesty and integrity of scientific process of deducing
and theory propositions. GODHRA INCIDENT : BURNING ALIVE OF 58 INDIAN
CITIZENS TRAVELLING IN COACH S-6 OF SABARMATI EXPRESS Train numbers 9164,
9166 and 9168 have been named Sabarmati Express after the name of the
Sabarmati Ashram established by Mahatma Gandhi to experiment and propagate
his philosophies of non-violence and swadeshi. The train runs up to
Ahmedabad, from Faizabad (9164) on Saturdays, from Muzaffarabad (9166) on
Wednesday, Friday and Monday and from Varanasi(9168) on Thursday, Sunday
and Tuesday. It covers Lucknow, Gwalior, Bhopal, Indore and Dahod is its
first halt in Gujarat. After traveling 74 km in 2 hrs and 19 minutes from
Dahod the train is scheduled to arrive at 0255hrs at Godhra. After Godhra
it halts at Vadodra, Anand and Nadiad reaching Ahmedabad at 0700hrs
INNOCENT PILGRIMS On 26.02.02 Sabarmati Express started from Faizabad about
225 minutes late. On that fateful day, about 2300 pilgrims were travelling
by the train. Most of them were returning from Ayodhya where they had gone
for either participating in the shila-pujan or for the purana ahuti of the
ritual jap of Ram-naam that the devotees began one month in advance at
their respective places. There were other passengers in the train including
members of the Muslim community. However, it has been reported that most of
the Muslim passengers got down at Dahod Railway Station and rest of them at
Godhra and it appears that when the train was torched there were no Muslim
passengers on the train except the elements who were to stop the train by
pulling the chain as part of a conspiracy to burn the pilgrims alive.

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CHAIN PULLED AND VACUUM PIPE CUT At 07.42 hrs the train stopped at Godhra
Railway Station. After about five minutes, the train started to move but
stopped for a few moments as some passengers could not board the train. It
finally left the station but came to halt about 700 metres away from the
station as some one had pulled the chain. The vacuum pipe between the
Coaches No. S-6 and S-7 was cut thereby preventing any further movement of
the train. Miscreants threw bricks and stones at the train as soon as it
left Godhra Railway Station. The stoning intensified after it finally
stopped about 700 metres from the station. The passengers of the train,
particularly Coaches S-5, S-6 and S-7, were the main targets. The
passengers reportedly shut the windows and doors to protect themselves.
Burning missiles and acid bulbs were thrown on and in the coaches. One such
acid missile landed in Coach S-7 and a fire started which the passengers
were able to extinguish. But the attack continued and more burning missiles
were thrown into the Coach S-6. FIFTY EIGHT PILGRIMS ROASTED ALIVE Soon, S-
6 caught fire and within minutes it was in flames. Passengers who managed
to get out of the burning compartment were attacked with sharp weapons and
stoned. They received serious injuries. Some of them got out through the
windows and took shelter below the coach. After some time (between 20
minutes and 40 minutes) fire engine arrived at the scene and took about
half an hour to extinguish the fire. Inside the coach, 58 charred bodies
were found. These included 26 women and 12 children. Those who had seen the
charred bodies shiver even weeks after the incident while recalling the
gory scene. Even a cursory look at the photographs of the charred bodies is
a chilling experience. Forty-three (43) injured persons were rushed to the
Civil Hospital at Godhra with different degrees of burns. The train left
Godhra at about 1230 hours minus Coach S-6, 58 dead and 43 injured. The
question why a large number of Hindus were roasted alive at the hands of
Muslim crowds at Godhra and also what was the motivation to enact such a
ghastly act needs to be answered. There is strong logic supported by direct
and circumstantial evidence that enables the team to assert without an iota
of doubt that the entire action was carried out on the behest of then
Government of Pakistan. The primary objective was to create Hindu-Muslim
communal conflagration in India. The reasons why Pakistan would resort to
such acts are: 1. Hindu-Muslim communal riots in India would have echo in
Bangladesh, and would help in cleansing of Hindus from that country
resulting in further straining of relations with India. The communal
rioting will provide yet another excuse for India bashing. The reaction in
Bangladesh will add fuel to the already communally tense situation in
India. It would ultimately give sustenance to the "Two Nation Theory". 2.
Hindu-Muslim riots in India would further accentuate alienation of Kashmiri
Muslims, thereby creating further space in Kashmir for Pakistan's nefarious
activities against India.

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3. Hindu-Muslim riots in India would tend to adversely affect India's
present friendly relations with Afghanistan. It is worth mentioning here
that Prime Minister of Afghanistan had in a television interview while
responding to a question about the nature of Afghanistan's relations with
India observed, "That would depend upon how India treats its Muslim
minority". Incidentally, the Prime Minister of Afghanistan was in Delhi on
the fateful day the train was torched. 4. Situation at the Indo-Pak border
is extremely critical and volatile. A little misunderstanding or even an
unintended move can lead to a war between the two countries. Hindu-Muslim
riots in such a situation would come handy to weaken our defences as the
army would have to be withdrawn from the borders to combat riots. The army
is normally summoned to assist the civil authorities when the situation
worsens as happened during recent riots in Gujarat. With a view to maintain
law and order, two Brigades of army were deployed in various parts of the
state thereby leaving a portion of our border uncovered or weakly
protected. To cite an example, if the troops deployed on the Katch border
are withdrawn our defences in that area become weak and border more porous
thereby increasing the danger of infiltration by jehadis and smugglers
dealing with drugs and arms. What would please more the hostile neighbour
and ISI than weak defences and porous borders and what can be a better
mechanism than creating a situation where Indian army's attention is
diverted because of its deployment in riot-hit areas. All patriotic and
nationalist forces, demanding deployment of army to assist the civil
authority for one reason or the other, need to look at the situation from
this angle as well. 5. Hindu-Muslim riots increase the alienation of the
saner elements among Kashmiri Muslim and add to the support base of
terrorist outfits sponsored, armed and financed by ISI. Terrorism and
insurgency get a shot in the arm. In the event of a war between the two
countries these subversive groups can play havoc. 6. Hindu-Muslim riots
create tensions and misunderstanding between India and Muslim countries
with which India has developed understanding and goodwill. By provoking
communal violence, Pakistan wants to isolate India in the international
community and tarnish its image as a pluralistic and democratic society.
Another question that needs systematic analysis is: Why Godhra? Why did
Pakistan choose to enact this ghastly act at a small, little known town of
Godhra? On the basis of information gathered from various sources the team
identifies the following reasons for choosing Godhra for this carnage: The
rate of growth of Muslim population in Godhra is much higher than the
national growth rate of Muslim population. At present the estimated ratio
of Hindu-Muslim population ranges from 60:40 to 48:52. In any case, it is
an established fact that Godhra has a very large Muslim

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population. Most of them live on both the sides of the railway station in
depth. In normal course, the Sabarmati Express was to arrive at Godhra
Railway Station at 02.55 am. The conspirators must have chosen the place
with a view to complete their operation "Burn the train" at the dead of
night when most of the passengers would be asleep. They must have planned
to accomplish their evil "mission" unhindered and with impunity. Godhra has
the dubious distinction of having a large number of Muslim fundamentalists
and jehadi elements. Godhra is neither a Muslim pilgrim center like Ajmer
nor a Muslim educational center like Aligarh and Deoband. The local Muslims
are not economically affluent either, yet this town had hosted three
istema'- religious congregations. In one of the istema', Muslim
representatives from more than hundred countries participated. The holding
of international congregations on such a massive scale gives credence to
the commonly held perception that there has been a massive inflow of
foreign money into Godhra. One Shri Haji Bilal, a Congress member of
Nagarpalika, who has been booked by the police as the executor of the
carnage, has been, according to locals, proudly proclaiming himself to be
"Bin Laden of Godhra". President of the District Congress Committee, Farooq
Malla and Congress activist and member of Godhra Nagarpalika, Abdul Rehman
Dhatia, are amongst those booked for the carnage giving credence to reports
that local Congressmen were actively involved in the burning of the train.
The next question is: Why was this particular train chosen for torching?
The team provides the following answer: This particular train was chosen
because the 2300 pilgrims were returning from Ayodhya on this train.
Torching and burning alive a large number of Hindu pilgrims (including
women and children) was intended to let loose a tide of indignation and
provocation of horrendous proportion in Hindu population resulting in
intended ignition of the communal tinder box, causing wide spread Hindu-
Muslim riots all over the country. However, the train got late and the
miscreants were able to burn only one compartment instead of the entire
train and (contrary to the expectations of their Pakistani masters) the
communal riots were confined to only a part of Gujarat. The evidence that
leads to the conclusion that the torching of Sabarmati Express on the
morning of 27.02.02 was pre-meditated can be stated as: The train took only
three minutes, as per the statement of the Stationmaster, form the platform
to the place where it was stopped by pulling the chain at a distance of
about 700 metres. It is impossible for a mob of about 2000 persons carrying
acid bulbs and highly combustible

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liquids to converge within three minutes that too in the early hours of the
morning. The conspirators had done their homework. They ensured that the
mob gets enough time to accomplish the misdeed. Had the train stopped
because of chain pulling, the driver could have re-started the train after
it was attacked by the mob. In order to ensure that the train would not
move even an inch, the conspirators had deputed certain persons to cut the
vacuum pipe. Consequently, the train could not move before the pipe was
repaired. In order to establish the correct chronology of events the Study
Team collected information from: 1.) Staff at the Railway Station, Godhra.
2.) District Administration 3.) Passengers traveling in Sabarmati Express
on 27.02.02 in S-6 4.) Passengers traveling in Sabarmati Express on 27. 02.
02 other than in S-6. 5.) Staff of the Fire Brigade, Godhra. 6.) Others who
were witness to the later part of the incident. 7.) Reports in local,
regional and Delhi Press. STAFF OF RAILWAY STATION GODHRA The staff at the
Railway Station Godhra told the team that no serious quarrel took place on
the platform when the train halted there for about 05 minutes. Immediately
after the train started moving it stopped and few left-out passengers
boarded the train and it started again. A mob of about 1000 Muslims ahead
of the Railway Station started pelting stones and other missiles on the
train. The train after moving about 700 metres stopped once again but with
a jerk as a result of chain pulling. The vacuum-pipe of the Coach No. S-6
was cut. The mob had by then swelled to more than 2000. They stoned the
train and also threw burning missiles, concentrating on S-6 and S-7. Soon
the Coach S-6 was seen burning and the flames reached outside the coach in
no time. Railway Police rushed to the scene and after initial hesitation
fired in the air to disperse the mob. There was no impact on the mob that
did not disperse even after firing in the air and kept shouting slogans and
throwing missiles at the police and the crowd comprising railway officials,
passengers of the other coaches of the train and bystanders. Fire brigade
reached the site after about half an hour (from the time of the departure
of the train from the platform). It took about half an hour to extinguish
the flames and cool down the S-6 coach. District administration reached the
spot after the fire had almost been extinguished and the mob had withdrawn
to a distant place but was still shouting slogans. All through voices were
heard on loudspeakers from both the sides of the railway track inciting the
mob to kill and burn the infidels (kafirs) and the enemies of Bin Laden.
With the help of civilians, the injured were taken to the Civil Hospital
and the dead were brought out and counted. Burnt bodies of passengers were
identified with the help

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of other passengers of the train including those of S-6 who had escaped
unhurt or were not seriously injured. DISTRICT ADMINSTRATION, GODHRA As per
the presentation made by the Collector of Panchmahal at Godhra, the
Sabarmati express arrived at Godhra Railway station at 7.43 am (scheduled
arrival at 2.55 a.m.). Train departed at 7.48 a.m. and was stopped at a
distance of 1km from Godhra railway station by pulling chain at "Signal
Faliya". A mob of about 2000 miscreants attacked the train with stones and
firebombs. Bogies no S/5 and S/6 were set on fire, bogies S/6 was
completely burnt with 58 passengers in it including 26 women, 12 children
and 20 men roasted alive. D.S.P. rushed to the spot as soon as he got the
information about the incident. Relief work started immediately by the
Collector. Arrangements for firefighters were made. Along with the
arrangements of Ambulance Van and ST Buses from RTO, team of three doctors
rushed to the site. Twentyfive passengers were treated on site. Food
packets, drinking water was made available to stranded passengers. 43
injured passengers were shifted to civil hospital. Police fired 14 rounds
and 30 teargas shells to prevent the mob from causing further damage.
Curfew was imposed in the town at 10.55am. Collector with senior railway
officers entered the burnt carriage to assess the casualties – 58 dead
bodies found. Train departed for Ahmedabad with the rest of passengers at
12.40 pm. Inquest & postmortem of all bodies was done by 4.30 pm. Bodies
dispatched at 10.30 pm to Civil hospital, Sola, Ahmedabad. PASSENGERS
TRAVELLING IN SABARMATI EXPRESS ON 27.02.02 IN COACH NO S-6 Kamala (name
changed in view of threats received and bomb attack on her a day before she
was interviewed by the Study Team on O4.02.02), a college student, went to
Ayodhya along with her parents and two sisters to perform the purana ahuti
of the Rama jaap her mother was doing for the last one month. The family
boarded the train at Faizabad in Coach no S-6 on 26.02.02 at about 0800
hours. There were many passengers on the train who were chanting Rama naama
and occasionally chanting "jai Sri Rama". In the morning of 27.02.02 the
train was at Godhra railway station and as soon as it moved, a barrage of
stones were thrown at the compartment. Terrified and taken aback, the
passengers closed the windows. The train stopped for a few moments and
minutes the train stopped with a strong and the luggage. The train
continued to Mob outside the train was pounding upon again started. After
about 2-3 jerk rattling the passengers be stoned with great intensity. the
windows and doors.

Somebody from outside the train was able to open a window and threw a
burning object into the compartment. It fell on the luggage and the fire
started. Some passengers stated stamping on the fire, but more

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burning objects were thrown in as the mob broke open more windows. Some
liquid was also poured in from the windows, which intensified the fire.
Iron grills of some windows were detached from one side and bent to pick up
the passengers luggage. This luggage was set on fire and thrown back into
the coach. The passengers were terribly shaken and shouting for help. Some
of them were able to open the door and get out. Soon the entire coach was
gutted. Smoke was so thick that it was impossible to breathe or see
anything. She looked for her family members in vain and dropped out of the
train from a window whose grill had been bent and detached from one side.
Lying of the ground she could breathe a little and saw a huge mob with
swords and iron rods hurling abuses at Hindus. She moved below the coach
from where she was rescued after sometime. She may have remained
unconscious for some time. She later identified the charred bodies of her
mother, father and two sisters. One sister was an engineer and the other
was a commerce graduate. The same train took her to Ahmedabad where she now
lives with her younger sister. She has already got Rs. 50,000 as relief and
expects more. She told the team that she had heard certain Muslims saying
that a lot of trouble was caused to them because of her narration of the
Godhra tragedy and that she would be eliminated. A bomb was thrown into the
room in which she was sleeping a day before the team met her. Fortunately,
it did not explode. The matter was reported to the police who are
investigating the case. Raghu (name changed for reasons of security of the
witness) was traveling in Coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express on 27.02.02
and his narration of the events is similar to those of Kamala. When the
coach was set on fire he went up on the upper berth in the hope that the
fire will soon be extinguished. But when he got choked because of the thick
smoke he moved from one upper berth to another towards the door but the
flames frustrated his first attempt to jump out. He returned and after some
time made a desperate attempt and was able to reach the door where a
passenger whom he had earlier seen in the train dragged him outside. He
fell unconscious and was given water and sugar by a lady who was managing
the passengers belonging to Ahmedabad. Though he felt dizzy he received no
burn injuries except that his hair was partly burnt. His father and uncle
were burnt alive in the same coach. PASSENGERS TRAVELLING IN SABARMATI
EXPRESS ON 27.02.02 IN COACHES OTHER THAN S-6 Shakuntla (name changed
because of security reasons) narrates a story similar to that of Kamala and
Raghu except that she was traveling in Coach S-7 and she was looking after
a group of pilgrims from Ahmedabad. She got down at Godhra Railway Station
and saw many pilgrims bidding each other Jai Rama ji ki as the first
greeting in the morning. Some passengers took tea and one of the vendors
angrily asked them not to make a noise. The pilgrims did not respond and
got into the train as it had started moving. As some lady passengers were
not able to board, the train stopped for a few moments and again steamed-
off when the left-out passengers boarded.

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Along with the stones a burning missile landed in S-7 in which she was
traveling but the fire was put out without much effort. After some time the
train again stopped with a great jerk and shouts of ‘maaro-maaro’ came
from outside. She could not tell the approximate number of persons in the
mob as all the windows were closed. Someone using a mike was inciting the
mob to kill and loot the kafirs and the enemies of Bin Laden. Through a
slit in the window she saw a part of the mob with iron rods and swords.
There was tension and suspense in the compartment No one knew what was
happening or what would happen to him or her the next moment. After some
time both the shouts of the crowd and the voice on the mike stopped.
Shakuntla along with some other passengers got out and saw S-6 in flames.
There were some injured and perplexed passengers outside. The mob had
withdrawn a few hundred yards away. The fire engine arrived and the fire
was put off. The mob kept throwing stones at the train from a distance. A
few policemen were also there but they did nothing to protect the
passengers. More and more passengers assembled near the burning coach and
urged the police to take action against the miscreants but the police did
nothing. Crying and shouting Shakuntla took out her bangles and offered
them to the two policemen with rifles. The policemen fired a few shots in
the air. That did not deter the mob. When more police came and the fire was
put out several passengers along with some policemen chased the attackers.
Some persons told the police that the attackers had taken shelter in a
nearby garage. The police hesitated to enter the garage. When the policemen
on duty did not take any action, some passengers and locals entered the
garage. But it was too late as the miscreants had by then escaped from
another door on the other side of the garage. Shkuntla helped the
authorities to identify some of the bodies and returned to Ahmedabad by the
same train. STAFF OF THE FIRE BRIGADE, GODHRA Shri Pradeep Singh s/o Shri
Bhola Singh, Motor Driver, Fire brigade, Godhra & Shri Vijay Kumar s/o Shri
Ram Chander Sharma, Fireman, Fire Brigade, Godhra (names mentioned with the
consent of the witnesses) said they reported for their shift duty at 0800
hrs on 27.02.02. One of the major vehicles was out of order, as its clutch-
plates had been taken out a few days earlier. On their arrival on 27.02.02
in their office they found that one of the nuts that connects the pipe to
the water tank of the other fire engine was also missing. By the time they
had put the nut in place a message about the fire in the train was
received. The Driver along with the firemen rushed towards the spot but on
the way a mob led by Haji Balal, a Congress member of the Godra
Nagarpalika, stopped the vehicle and did not allow it to proceed any
further. A tall well built young man stood in front of the vehicle. The mob
started pelting stones at the vehicle. A fireman sitting in the front seat
had to take shelter behind the driver. The headlights and

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16
the windowpanes of the vehicle got damaged. Fearing for his own, and his
crew's, life the driver drove the vehicle through the mob, as it was not
possible to move backwards. The mob gave in but by that time precious 15-20
minutes had been lost. The vehicle reached at the site and crew saw one of
the compartments blazing. The fire was brought under control in about half
an hour. Fireman Vijay Singh reported that he saw one woman trying to come
out. He covered himself with a blanket and tried twice to reach the lady
but the flames were too hot and high and he could not enter the coach. He
is deeply disappointed and said some lives could have been saved if the
miscreants had not delayed the arrival of the fire engine. Both the
witnesses stated that they were sure that the acts of demobilizing one of
the vehicles and removing the nut of the connection of the pipe with the
water tank were premeditated and the Congress member of Ghodhra
Nagarpalika, Haji Balal, who is also chairman of the Vehicle Committee of
the Nagarpalika, had hatched the conspiracy. Haji Balal had been visiting
the fire station at night for the past few days on the pretext of watching
films on the television. They also stated that had the train reached during
the night, the entire train would have been burnt. Both the witnesses also
said that the manner in which the bodies were charred and the furniture and
luggage burnt indicates the use of some highly inflammable material like
solvent in addition to petrol, diesel and kerosene. The fire-crew informed
the team that although they had reported the damage to the vehicle to their
seniors no formal complaint had been registered. They also reported having
received a threatening call warning them not to give statements about the
obstruction to the fire engine by a crowd on 27.02.02. As the fire-station
has a call identification system, they know who made the threatening call.
The Study Team also inspected the Coach S-6. There was no evidence of any
stove in the compartment. Although the Team was surprised to find two
plastic jerrycans that have been referred to in the report submitted by a
team of CPI(M). Wonder of wonders is that while the entire coach got burnt
roasting alive the passengers, two plastic jerrycans remained intact. It
seems to be a deliberate attempt to plant evidence that is a very serious
offence. OTHERS WHO WERE WITNESS TO LATER PART OF THE INCIDENT It is
natural that when an incident of such a gravity happens many citizens
gather at and near the place of incident. While visiting the affected areas
and the relief camps the team members kept on searching for the persons who
had been the witness to at least some part of the incident. Three such
persons could be contacted and interviewed. All of them reported of the
inability of the police to take action against the mob. The firing in the
air was reluctant and no one saw firing of teargas shells or use of lathis
as claimed by the police. REPORTS IN LOCAL, REGIONAL AND DELHI MEDIA

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The Study Team went carefully through the reports of the gory incidents
published in 22 newspapers and 9 newsmagazines. There is so much variance
in the reporting of the events in these publications that it is impossible
to draw out a cohesive and acceptable chain of events. The reports vary
from an accusation that the fire was stage-managed in order to malign the
Muslim minority to an assertion that all Muslim passengers were asked to
get down before Godhra by the conspirators. Since the team had reasonably
credible evidence from direct witnesses it decided not to analyze the media
reports for reconstruction of the chronology of events. GODHRA INCIDENT-
ANALYSED : FACTS AND INFERENCES There has been so much said, written and
broadcast about the Godhra incident that it is difficult to distinguish
between facts, halftruths, innocent imagination and motivated lies. Media
and interested parties have selected, distorted and added fiction to the
story to prove their respective points of view. Unfortunately,
professionalism took a back seat as media persons, factfinding commissions
and administrators, by and large, failed to maintain the fairness,
neutrality and objectivity expected from them. To engage in a dispassionate
analysis the Study Team has divided all the facts relating to this incident
into four categories: 1. 2. 3. 4. Indisputable facts. Facts that appear to
be true but need verification. Information that appears to be untrue.
Mysteries.

INDISPUTABLE FACTS 1. On 27.02.02 Sabarmati Express from Faizabad reached
Godhra more than four hours late. 2. There were more than 2000 Hindu
pilgrims on this train. 3. No serious dispute took place at the platform at
Godhra between the passengers and the vendors. 4. The entire train was
stoned right after it left the platform at Godhra and it continued even
after it was stopped at Signal Faliya. 5. Firebombs, acid bulbs and highly
inflammable liquid(s) were used to set the coaches on fire that must have
been stored already for the purpose. 6. Miscreants succeeded in torching
only one coach. 7. The conspirators did not allow the fire fighting staff
to reach the burning train expeditiously. 8. The iron grills of the windows
of S-6 were broken and bent from outside. 9. Fifty-eight passengers of
coach S-6 were burnt to death by a Muslim mob and that one of the
conspirators was a Congress Councillor, Haji Balal. 10. The train was
stopped by pulling the chain and the vacuum pipe was cut. 11. Someone used
the public address system exhorting the mob to kill kafirs and enemies of
Bin Laden. 12. Assembly of a mob of about 2000 Muslims in three minutes
could not have been spontaneous.

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13. The attack on Sabarmati Express on 27.02.02 was pre-planned and pre-
meditated. It was the result of a criminal conspiracy hatched by a hostile
foreign power with the help of local jehadis. FACTS THAT NEED VERIFICATION
1. There was a conspiracy to reduce the effectiveness of the fire fighting
system of Godhra municipal committee. 2. The mob that burnt the coach had
Muslims from outside the town as well. 3. Firearms were used by the mob. 4.
Police could have caught or killed some of the miscreants at the spot. 5.
Local politicians and elected representatives took active part in
instigating the mob. 6. Railway Police at Dahod sent a message to Godhra
Railway police that some Muslim youths on board Sabarmati Express were
likely to create mischief at Godhra. 7. Head of a passenger of S-6 coach
was cut when he tried to get out of the window. The head was later thrown
back into the coach to burn. INFORMATION THAT APPEARS TO BE UNTRUE 1. Some
women passengers are missing. 2. Some women passengers were raped or
molested. 3. Passengers had pulled the beard of a vendor at Godhra Railway
Station. 4. Passengers carried weapons with them. 5. Railway staff connived
with the miscreants. 6. The pilgrims had taunted certain Muslims of Godhra
while returning from Ayodhya. 7. Police firing while they were burning the
coach killed two Muslims. SOME MYSTERIES 1. Assistant Collector, Godhra (a
young Muslim from eastern UP) goes on leave two days before the incident
and does not return till the middle of the March while the district of his
posting was aflame with communal riots. 2. The unusual growth rate of
Muslim population in Godhra. 3. Absence of information with the District
officials about the number of arms licenses issued. 4. Abnormally large
number of passports issued to the residents of Godhra. 5. Presence of a
very large number of persons without ration cards in Signal Faliya and
Polan Bazar areas of Godhra. 6. A large number of unemployed Muslims in
Godhra have mobile phones. 7. Very high traffic of telephone calls from
Godhra to Pakistan (mainly Karachi) before 27.02. 02. 8. Holding of istema
- religious gatherings - at Godhra that were attended by foreigners in
large numbers. COMMUNAL RIOTS IN GUJARAT AFTER 27.02.02

BOTH SPONTANEOUS AND PLANNED BUT A TRAP OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

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The news of the events of 27. 02.02 at Godhra at about 0800 hrs spread like
wild fire all over the country by the afternoon. The television media,
which has the advantage of instantaneous reporting, played its role in
disseminating the information about this carnage. Nothing happened for
almost twenty-four hours, though the situation was said to be very tense.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad gave a call for statewide bandh to protest against
the Godhra carnage. Communal violence erupted almost simultaneously on
28.02.02 in many parts of the state when the charred bodies, the injured
and the passengers travelling in the ill-fated train reached their homes.
It became more intense during next twentyfour hours and started subsiding
after that. After 01.03.02 there were only stray incidents of communal
violence in certain parts of the state. On 15.03.02, after shila-daan
ceremony at Ayodhya by Ramchandra Paramhans, processions of Rama-dhun were
taken out all over Gujarat. The participation on these occasions was very
large in Gujarat, presumably as a reaction of what had happened in Godhra.
The Rama-dhun processions at many places including Ahemdabad and Vadodra
became the points of communal tensions once again and the communal tension
that was subsiding again flared up. Although the Muslim elders had assured
the police at Vadodra that peace would be maintained at all costs, the
processions were stoned from a mosque. The intensity of the attack proves
that these were premeditated. The attack was so massive that the police had
a tough time handling it. The state once again came under the grip of
communal riots. The rioting was very intense for about three days.
Sectarian violence, however, continued in several parts of the state even
three days after the attack on Hindu procession at Vadodra. Incidents of
violence on a large scale were initially reported from Ahmedabad and
Vadodara towns and the districts of Panchmahals, Sabarkantha and Mehsana.
Later it spread to other areas also. However the communal violence was
mainly confined to Central and North Gujarat. Saurashtra and South Gujarat
remained relatively peaceful. There was no communal violence in almost one
half of Gujarat. The team was told that when the charred bodies of the dead
reached their families or the news of their killings reached the relatives,
friends and neighbors attacked the nearby Muslim establishments. Similar
incidents took place when chautha and kriya ceremonies of the dead were
solemnised. Gujarat has a long history of communal riots. The first such
riot has been reported in 1714. After independence major riots broke out on
several occasions since 1969. Jagmohan Reddy Commission of Inquiry of 1969
and Dave Commission of Inquiry of 1985 analysed the causes and consequences
of communal tensions in great details. Serious rioting occurred in 1970 and
also in 1992-93. According to official data, Gujarat witnessed 443 major
communal incidents between 1970 and 2002. Another characteristic of the
communal frenzy in Gujarat is that it has always taken a long time to
return to normalcy. For instance in Godhra itself in 1985 curfew remained
imposed for about a year. Communal disturbance in 1985 continued for more
than five months from February to July 1985.

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The Study team has not gone into the facts and figures of the number of
persons killed, injured and displaced, the loss of property destroyed and
the number of cases related to molestation of women, if any. It is not
because these facts are not important but because the team lacked the time
and resources to go into these details. However the Study Team has analysed
the situation for: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Administrative response Deployment
of Army Relief and resettlement measures Confidence building measures
Socio-economic profile of the rioting mobs Involvement of vanvasis Role of
media

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSE Based on the information collected from official
and non-official sources at Godhra, Ahemdabad and Vadodara the Study Team
is of the considered opinion that: 1. The local administration did not
respond with speed to the Godhra carnage. The police remained a passive
spectator and hesitated to use force against the miscreants. It made no
attempt to apprehend the leaders of the mob that indulged in burning alive
innocent pilgrims returning from Ayodhya. However, the administration took
preventive measures after the VHP gave a call for Gujarat bandh in protest
against the attack on the train. 2. In Godhra, Vadodara and Ahmedabad the
police tried to control the rioting mobs but, more often than not, failed,
as the police were outnumbered - the mobs were unexpectedly large and the
police were inadequately armed. In certain cases, the mob carried more
lethal weapons that the police had. 3. The administration was not prepared
to handle massive migration of riot affected people of both the communities
and did not have any idea of the quantum of the relief and rehabilitation
work required. 4. Co-ordination between the administration and the NGOs was
inadequate. 5. Training and drills for managing communal tensions was
conspicuous by its absence in a state that periodically witnesses communal
frenzy. 6. Socio-psychological understanding of the communal divide is
lacking amongst the officials. 7. The adverse comments on the transfers of
officials in the media and not so much the actual transfers demotivated the
official machinery. 8. At many places policemen did commendable work of
protecting life and property. 9. Policemen, by and large, responded to the
situation without communal bias.

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DEPLOYMENT OF ARMY There has been lot of comments on the timing of the
deployment of army in various urban and rural areas in Gujarat after the
outbreak of violence. Although the team did not have enough time to go into
the question in depth, the information made available to it shows that
there was no delay on the part of the Gujarat Government in summoning and
deployment of troops. A comparison with the past is presented for a proper
perspective. 1. By the afternoon of 28.02.0 it was clear that the communal
violence has spread widely and the situation had become so alarming that it
was unlikely to be controlled by the police and paramilitary forces. 2. On
28.02.02 at 4.30 p.m. the Chief Minister announced at a press conference
that the State Government has decided to call army to assist the civil
administration. 3. By evening the Union Government had given instructions
for the deployment of two brigades in Gujarat. 4. Defense Minister air-
dashed to Ahmedabad at midnight and had a meeting with the Chief Minister
to discuss deployment of the army. 5. The army had to be withdrawn from the
country's border with Pakistan despite the fact that the troops are
deployed in full strength in eyeball-to-eye-ball situation on Indo-Pak
borders. 6. Withdrawal of army from the border may have weakened the
country's defensive and offensive strategies. 7. Within less than 24 hours
at least one brigade of Indian Army had air-landed at Ahmedabad. In a
meeting at 0800hrs in which Chief Minister, Defence Minister, army generals
and civil officers participated, the formal plan for the deployment of the
army was approved. Magistrates who must accompany the army were appointed
and by 11 a.m. on 01.03.02 the actual deployment of army at sensitive
points had begun. 8. The second brigade was deputed to Rajkot and Vadodara
on 01.03.02 by that night. 9. Columns allotted to Godhra reached there in
the morning of 02.03.02. 10. Army went back to barracks on 10.03.02. 11. In
1969 rioting started on 18.09.69 and army was called in on 21.09.69. 12. In
1985 the riots started on 15.04.85 and the army was called in on 16.04.85.

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RELIEF AND REHABILITATION MEASURES 1. Many persons of both the communities
whose houses were burnt or destroyed fled and came to the nearby towns for
shelter. 2. Many persons who feared an attack on them also fled and
gathered in nearby towns. 3. The State Government arranged for shelters
called Relief Camps to provide safe temporary shelter to the displaced
persons. 4. Many voluntary organizations of both the communities also
opened Relief Camps for the displaced persons. 5. The Government managed
some camps while other camps were run by the voluntary organizations. 6.
Most of the inhabitants in the camps remained unoccupied, leading to idle
talk and further reinforcement of views on communal basis. 7. The
inhabitants did not feel confident and safe to go back to their respective
habitations. According to the State Government following is the information
about the camps: District NumberOfCamps NumberOfInmates 68100 5200 4526
1441 2648 8091 10938 12753 113697

Ahemdabad 44 Anand 13 Dahod 6 Kheda 3 Mahesana 6 Panchmahals 7 Sabarkantha
13 Vadodara 11 State Total 103 CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES

1. In affected areas deployment of police or other forces was very scanty.
2. Residents of the sensitive areas were living in an environment of fear.
3. The mutual mistrust between Hindu and Muslim population is on the
increase. 4. Longer the stay in the camps more is the feeling of anxiety
and uncertainty. 5. In affected areas, sensitive areas and relief camps
there was no publicity material appealing and advising for communal harmony
and peaceful co-existence 6. The Information and Public Relations machinery
of the state did not disseminate words of assurance and appeals by the
Prime Minister, Chief

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Minister and others that are likely to have a soothing effect on the hurt
psyche of the people. 7. Presence of the reports of arson in newspapers and
repetition of such reports on television affected negatively the process of
confidence building. 8. Most of the voluntary and social organizations were
working on sectarian lines and hardly worked for creating an environment of
communal harmony. 9. Efforts of some of the officials to bring both the
communities together and arrive at a compromise failed, as the amount of
antagonism against each other is very high. 10. Rumours spread like wild
fire increasing the level of anxieties. SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILES OF THE
RIOTING MOBS (Based on information collected from officials and public; no
direct observation) 1. Muslim mobs predominantly included persons of lower
socio-economic strata. 2. Muslim mobs included many known faces but number
of persons not earlier seen in the locality was also very large. 3. Hindu
mobs, especially during the first week of March, comprised a mix of people
belonging to lower, lower middle and upper middle socioeconomic strata of
the society. 4. Involvement of upper middle class Hindus in arson and
looting is a phenomenon seen for the first time in the country. 5. The
Hindu mobs appeared to be more interested in destroying the property of
selected establishments of Muslims. It was reported that a chain of
restaurants with Hindu names and owned by a Muslim family was targeted
because of the perception that lot of money from gulf countries had been
invested thereby putting Hindu competitors at a disadvantage. 6. Another
new phenomenon reported to the Study Team was the presence and active
participation of women in the mobs. INVOLVEMENT OF TRIBALS Earlier in
Gujarat, tribals never got involved in the Hindu-Muslim riots. However,
their involvement in pos-Godhra riots added a new dimension to the communal
violence. In rural areas the vanvasis attacked the Muslim moneylenders,
shopkeepers and the forest contractors. They used their traditional bow and
arrows as also their implements used to cut the trees and grass while
attacking Muslims. They moved in groups and used coded signals for
communication. Two factors seems to have contributed to this disturbing
phenomenon: 1. A delegation of tribals told the Study team that the Muslim
moneylenders, shopkeepers and forest contractors have been exploiting the
tribals for decades. They charged exorbitant rate of interest to money
loaned to tribals. In certain cases the rate of interest is as high as 50
per cent per year. Having got into this never-ending vicious circle of
loans, the tribals have been reduced to the status of bonded labour.
Tribals working as Muslims.

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The accumulated anger of years of exploitation became explosive when
moneylenders sexually exploited their womenfolk. The tribals are no longer
allowed to use forest produce that has been their sustenance for centuries.
This too fuelled the feelings of anger, hatred and revenge among them. 2.
Tribals have, of late, become conscious of their Hindu identity because of
the awareness campaign launched by VHP and other Hindu outfits. Burning
alive of Hindu pilgrims by a Muslim mob at Godhra provided the spark for
the fire of revenge and hatred. It may be mentioned that these are only
exploratory postulations, scientific anthropological, economic and
sociological analysis is required to understand the changed behavior of
tribals. ROLE OF MEDIA The Study Team received a large number of complaints
against biased reporting, non-objective attitude and anti-Gujarat
conspiracy of Delhi Media. The team felt it necessary to objectively
observe and analyse the role of Media both regional and English language
newspapers published from metropolitan cities. It also solicited comments
about the role of media from about 500 persons with whom the members of the
team interacted. The team's observations are: 1. Local and regional papers
at times seemed to be emotionally surcharged and lost sight of objectivity.
However, Gujarati newspapers, by and large, were factual in day to day
reporting. 2. The editorial pages of local and regional newspapers
maintained a balance in projecting all viewpoints. 3. Newspapers published
in English from Delhi invariably editorialised the news. Direct and
indirect comments in the news writing were so telling that the personal
likes and dislikes of the news reporters were too obvious to be missed. 4.
English language newspapers published from Delhi appeared to have assumed
the role of crusaders against the State Government from day one. It
coloured the entire operation of news gathering, feature writing and
editorials. 5. The edit pages of English language press carried comments
that clearly indicated biases: a. against the State Government of Gujarat,
b. in favour of Congress, leftist parties and the secularist intellectuals,
c. indifferent to the carnage at Godhra, d. against the Hindu
organizations, and e. against the NDA government at the Center. 6. Most of
the national newspapers and news channels played down the of Godhra carnage
and projected it as a result of provocation by pilgrims. Not many reporters
were deputed to dig out facts or to do follow-up stories. This resulted in
large number of editorials and articles that projected Godhra as a reaction
to provocation by karsevaks' and riots in rest of the state as "state
sponsored terrorism". 7. A distorted image of sectarian violence in the
state was projected by the electronic and print media based in Delhi. 8.
Repeated telecasts of arson violence contributed in spreading the tension
to unaffected areas. TV channels ignored warning from officials and kept
telecasting communal riots like infotainment.

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9. Coverage of Machhipiti in Vadodara is an example. One national news
channel went overboard to telecast police firing at Machhipit as if it had
taken place in Ahmedabad. 10. On 27.02.02 the Government of Gujarat
announced a compensation of Rs. 2 lakh for the next of kin of victims of
Godhra carnage. There were protests about discrimination between Hindu and
Muslim victims and the Government announced on March 9 that all victims
would get Rs one lakh. Yet, as late as the first week of April a
Congressperson in USA cited a report in an Indian newspaper to accuse the
Government of discriminating against minorities in the grant of
compensation. The newspaper concerned did not care to inform its readers of
the correct situation. 11. The code of ethics prescribed by the Press
Council of India was violated by the media with impunity. It so enraged the
citizens that several concerned citizens in the disturbed areas suggested
that peace could return to the state only if some of the TV channels were
closed for some weeks. 12. Media did not help to cool down the tempers. It
failed to act as a platform for a dialogue between the Hindus and Muslims
on the one hand and between the people and the establishment on the other.
The Study Team is of the considered opinion that the media in general
failed to perform as conscious and socially responsible gatekeepers of
information. It followed in the footsteps of an American journalist who
said, "My job is to report the facts. I give a damn to the consequences".
Telecasting images that spread hatred and instigated violence is unhealthy,
but their repeated telecast is lethal. The media acted as an interested
party in the confrontation, not a neutral reporter of facts. The team was
alarmed at the intensity of hostile attitude among the people of the state
for Delhi press and television news channels. This attitude was especially
articulated by delegations of intellectuals like lawyers, doctors, and
businessmen. Even the tribals complained that the media had no time to hear
their tale of their agony and was spreading canards against the Hindus.
CONCLUSIONS TERRORISM NURTURED BY COMMUNAL DISHARMONY The Godhra carnage
and related incidents make a typical case study of international designs
and conspiracies to weaken India as an emerging world power. Analysts and
professional strategists of all ideological inclinations converge on one
forecast that India is going to be a major player on the international
scene sooner rather than later. The global community also realizes the
inevitability of India becoming an important economic and military power.
In such a situation it is but natural that nations hostile to India or its
adversaries make all out efforts to create impediments in this process.
Their strategy is to keep India engaged in communal and caste strife so
that the nation's focus on development is defused and its endeavour to

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emerge as a super-power is thwarted. It would surprise no one if Pakistan
with the tacit support of not-so-friendly neighbours and world powers
hatches conspiracies to destablise and weaken the Indian State. A careful
and in-depth analysis, if carried out with an open mind, would throw open
an action plans where terrorist activities appear to be merging with the
already existing strong antagonism between Muslims and Hindus. Our hostile
neighbour, sometimes in the guise of a friend, keeps on creating wounds on
the body polity of our nation. Creation and perpetuation of Kashmir problem
is one such example. The support to the authoritarian regimes in Pakistan
by USA and European countries speaks volumes about the super power's
commitment, or lack of it, to democratic values. Godhra and the wide spread
communal violence in Gujarat in recent weeks is a part of this nefarious
design. The Study Team concludes: 1. Burning of 58 Hindu pilgrims at Godhra
on 27.02.02 was an act of international terrorism carried out with the evil
objective of pushing the country into a communal cauldron. 2. The plan was
to burn the entire train with more than two thousand passengers in the wee
hours of February 27, 2002. It was a terrorist action plan that partly
failed. The perpetrators of the terrorist acts received support from jehadi
elements operating from Godhra. These included some Congress members of the
Nagarpalika. 1. Preparations for enacting Godhra carnage were made in
advance.

2. There were no quarrels or fights between Hindus and Muslim passengers on
the train. 3. There were no quarrels or fights between the vendors and the
Hindu pilgrims on the platform of Godhra Railway Station. 4. The intention
of the mob was to put to death all the pilgrims travelling by the
Sabharmati Express. 5. The fire fighting system available in Godhra was
weakened and its arrival at the place of incident willfully delayed by the
mob with the open participation of a Congress Councillor, Haji Balal. 6.
The demographic changes in Godhra in recent years have made it a center for
jehadi activities. 7. The Army was requisitioned and deployed in time.

8. The police was on many occasions overwhelmed by the rioting mobs that
were massive and carried more lethal weapons than the police did. 9. Police
did not have the training and know-how to mange situations of communal
strife witnessed in the state in recent weeks. 10. Barring a few
exceptions, the police was not found to be communally motivated.

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11. Frequent deployment of army for internal management weakens the defence
of our international borders and facilitates infiltration from across the
border. 12. The local administration and police at Godhra did not take
adequate and prompt action even after the receipt of information about the
attack on the train by an armed mob. The local police was reluctant to use
force against the rioting mob and made no attempt to arrest the leaders of
the gang. 13. The local administration and the police should have been on
the alert in view of the demographic and political changes taking place in
the town. 15. The administration in Godhra, Ahmedabad and Vadodra was on
the whole sensitized to the plight of Muslim minorities in their respective
areas. However, the police failed to protect the citizens from frenzied
mobs indulging in arson, looting and killing. 16. The relief work was
carried out by establishing relief camps for victims of the riots. There
are separate camps for Hindus and Muslims. Refugees are not satisfied with
the facilities available in the camps. 17. Riot-affected citizens belonging
to both the communities are reluctant to go back to their homes due to
communal tension and apprehensions about violence. 18. Although Gujarat is
a state notorious for communal riots, the bureaucracy and the police are
not trained to handle communal riots and to take pre-emptive action to
prevent sectarian violence. 19. Alternate strategies to mange communal
divide have not been worked out. 20. Adverse media reports about role of
officials affected their performance and de-motivated them. Several
officers were reluctant to take firm action. 21. Gujarati language media
was factual and objective. Yet its propensity to highlight the gory
incidents in great details heightened communal tension. 22. English
language media, particularly the Delhi Press, is perceived by the Gujaratis
to be biased. The information disseminated by it was neither balanced nor
impartial. 23. By converting half-baked news stories into major headlines,
print as well as electronic media widened the psychological hiatus between
Muslims and Hindus. 24. By disseminating half-truths and lies, the media
played no mean role in distorting country's image in the World. 25. The
credibility of the media both electronic and print is at dangerously low
ebb in Gujarat.

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The sectarian violence in Gujarat that began in Godhra on 27.02.02 can be
divided into four phases: 1. The first phase was Godhra incident which was
planned and executed by a combination of external and internal jehadi
forces. It lasted for less than an hour. 2. The second phase was the
reaction of Godhra where Hindu pilgrims were roasted alive in the train.
The backlash was very intense for 3-4 days. However, sporadic incidents
continued for several weeks. 3. The third phase began on 15.03.02 after a
Muslim mob attacked a Hindu procession chanting Rama-dhun. Extensive media
coverage of this attack provoked yet another round of communal riots that
lasted for 4/5 days. 4. Sectarian violence continues even more than a month
after Godhra. This fourth phase of violence has no provocation or
justification other than to sustain the "Remove Modi" campaign. It is the
constitutional duty of the State Government to protect citizens and
maintain law and order. It is also in the partisan interest of the ruling
party in the state to put an end to the communal violence as its continuity
in office depends on how soon and how effectively it combats violence. It
is, therefore, hard to reject Chief Minister's contention that the Congress
party that has a vested interest in getting him sacked is perpetuating the
communal violence by provoking stray incidents. Thus the Study Team
concludes: 26. Communal violence in Gujarat has become politicized, and
instead of treating it as human tragedy it is being used to get political
mileage by political parties. 27. Loaded statements made by political
leaders propounding their action plans increases the hiatus between Muslims
and Hindus. 28. Continued communal violence in Gujarat has tarnished the
image of the country in international field thereby reducing its status and
bargaining power. Western countries jealous of India's growing clout in the
international community have used the riots to interfere in our internal
affairs. The Centre has taken some steps to stem the rot but the role of
the opposition is negative. It is encouraging Muslim outfits to involve
foreign powers in their "oust Mody" campaign. 29. On the world canvass
today strong indicators are visible that point to a concerted effort by
jehadi forces to slow down everincreasing importance of India in the world
affairs. 30. There are also concerted efforts to disintegrate India,
politically as well as emotionally. 31. There are elements within the
country that help and collaborate with the forces inimical to India.

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32. The governing class in India is ignorant or willfully blind to the
threat perceptions posed by the jehadi forces. RECOMMENDATIONS ALTERNATE
PLAN OF THOUGHT AND ACTION India cannot escape taking the responsibility of
failure to manage the relationship between Hindus and Muslims just by
pleading that the problem was inherited from the colonial rulers and the
Muslim invaders. Fifty-five years is a long enough period to resolve the
issue. Unfortunately, no serious effort has been made to bring Hindus and
Muslims closer. On the other hand, certain parties for partisan
considerations have exploited the hiatus between the two communities.
External agencies fuel the fire of hatred but they succeed only because
there are weaknesses within the country. International designs find a ready
response from within the civil society as there is a fertile ground for
separatist tendencies to grow. Traditional methods of conflict-resolution
having failed, new systems need to be employed to convert communal mistrust
into national affection and brotherhood. New approaches are required to
convert the weaknesses into strength. A minority as large as the second
largest Muslim country should not feel alienated nor should the majority
community be made to feel that the minorities were appeased at its cost.
The amount of time, energy, effort and other resources that the country
spends for managing the communal conflicts and failing again and again, if
gets diverted to the process of growth and development, India can become a
land of plenty and prosperity. But the old problems must be seen from new
angles and unorthodox measures taken. The intelligentsia will have to come
up with new yet realistic principles and theories of social systems that
are based on ground realities. They must stop romanticizing the miseries of
the nation. The bureaucracy have to devise action plans that show results
within their lifetimes and cease to give extensions to the problem solving
systems. The politicians have to look for alternate means of winning
elections and stop treating citizens as mere voters to be used only as
pawns in the hands of politicians. The nation must accept that Hindus and
Muslims have no options but to live together. There are only two options.
One, to live in amity and the other to live in mutual hostility. Saner
elements in the two communities would prefer the first option. Every action
and situation that carries the potential of disturbing the mutual amity
have to be identified and weeded out. The problem is complex and
multifaceted and solution is bound to be difficult and elusive. But the
country has a large storehouse of brains that can find solutions to still
harder problems. New faces have to be entrusted this job. So a different
set of persons who look at the

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problems from new angles and propose a mix of curative and preventive
measures is the need of the hour. In view of the enormity of the cancerous
problem of communal conflicts and the field experience of recent happenings
in Gujarat the Study Team proposes to recommend a. b. c. long term measures
short term measures and immediate steps to be taken

LONG TERM MEASURES 1. Following groups be constituted to study the problems
of communal conflicts in the country: c. Diagnostic Team: to investigate
the genesis of the process of communal conflict and identify key problem
areas d. Curative Team: to determine the solutions for the problems
identified by the diagnostic team e. Preemptive Action Team: to prepare
action plans so that existing tensions do not flare up and also to ensure
that no new conflict situations arise. The teams should comprise of social
scientists, conflict managers, jurists and media persons. 2. Participation
in the acts of communal violence should be treated as a crime of as serious
nature as an act of terrorism. In no case, communal violence should be
allowed to become a lucrative vocation. 3. Deployment of army for internal
law and order should be confined to the situation of internal emergency.
The enemies of the country should not be allowed to use communal violence
as a strategy for withdrawal of army from the border. 4. In the states,
police forces on the lines of rapid action force be created for deployment
during riots and natural disasters. 5. Election laws need to be amended so
that the politicians are not able to use caste or religion for nurturing
vote banks. Once the politicians are aware that vote banks based on caste
or religion would not serve their purpose, a major portion of the communal
problem will disappear. 6. A citizens standing committee be constituted to
keep a watch on the communal situation so that if and when communal tension
in any part of the country tends to increase the administration is warned
to take preventive measures. Such committees need to be constituted at
State, District, Block and Village levels.

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SHORT TERM MEASURES 7. Several laws and orders passed by the successive
governments have remained on paper only. Two such laws are directly related
with maintenance of communal peace: a. The order to ban the use of loud
speakers in religious places as well as in processions. b. the law to
regulate the sale of property by the members of one community to the other
in communally sensitive areas. It is recommended that the above orders
should be implemented and indirect sale deeds such as on power of attorney
should also be taken care of. All encroachments in important public places,
busy markets, religious places, near railway stations and bus stations as
well as on highways especially at the entry points to the cities should be
cleared. 8. 9. c. d. It is recommended that the orders for the ban of loud
speakers be put to practice with the cooperation with the leaders of
various communities. An inquiry commission should be set up to inquire
into: Economic and social exploitation of tribals in the state. Recommend
ways and means to stop their exploitation

10. Rehabilitation is not merely a physical act of placement of families.
Serious efforts need to be done to restore the emotional state of mind. The
village and mohalla majorities should be intimately involved in the work of
rehabilitation. 11. Gujarat must conduct a review of its police force,
which appears to be ill-equipped to handle communal violence at the level
of recent riots. Special training needs to be given in crowd control
methods.

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IMMEDEATE STEPS TO BE TAKEN 12. The case of issuance of disproportionate
number of passports in Godhra be investigated. 13. Punitive fines be
imposed on the residents of localities where communal violence erupts after
a notified date. 14. Media should use itself as a platform for creating
harmonious relationships between different communities. Its crusade, if at
all, should be for or against the processes and not for or against
individuals. 15. Persons living in relief camps should be provided safe
habitations. Community leaders should be actively involved in managing the
rehabilitation. 16. Persons booked for communal violence must be prosecuted
quickly and given exemplary punishment so that it acts as a deterrent. 17.
An independent commission should examine the role of media, both electronic
and print, during the communal violence in Gujarat. 18. A code-of-conduct
should be developed for the media both for general news gathering and news
presentation and during the communal riots. Till the time new code is
adopted the guidelines given by the Press Council of India for covering
communal tensions should be followed. 19. Television news channels have
very significant influence on the minds of the viewers. If the channels so
desire they can provide a healing touch to the wounded population of
Gujarat. Indian news channels also have the professional talent required
for the job. It is suggested that the television news channels take the
roles of crusaders for peace. 20. A situation of continuous dialogue needs
to be created in every habitation in Gujarat by establishing citizens peace
committees. It has been proved that regular communication links reduces
antagonism between warring groups.

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End of forwarded article from:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/29259865/Gujarat-Riots-Tewatia-Report

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

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Full Text - GODHRA CARNAGE - JUSTICE TEWATIA REPORT

FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

GODHRA AND AFTER

A Field Study by Justice D. S. Tewatia, Dr. J. C. Batra, Dr. Krishan Singh
Arya, Shri Jawahar Lal Kaul, Prof. B. K. Kuthiala COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS AND HUMAN RIGHTS, A-208, Surajmal Vihar, Delhi 110 092 Phone
2374816, fax [phone], Email ***@ndf.vsnl.net.in) GOVERNING BODY FOR
THE TERM 2001-03: Chairman: Shri Shanta Kumar, Parliamentarian, Palampur
Vice-Chairmen: Justice D S Tewatia, Jurist, Gurgaon Shri Chaman Lal Gupta,
Parliamentarian, Jammu Shri Y D Ahuja, Academician, New Delhi Secy.
General: Shri Shyam Khosla, Journalist, New Delhi Secretaries: Prof. B K
Kuthiala, Academician; Hisar Shri R K Sharma, Journalist, New Delhi Shri
Kumar Rakesh, Journalist, New Delhi Treasurer: Shri R Chandiwala, Chartered
Accountant, New Delhi Members: 1. Shri A. R. Kohli, Governor of Mizoram,
Aizwal. 2. Dr Harsh Vardhan, Medical Administrator, New Delhi 3. Dr N K
Trikha, Journalist, New Delhi 4. Dr Ajay Kumar, Physician, New Delhi 5.
Shri A N Misra, Journalist, Nagpur 6. Mrs. Sudesh Bhatia, Academician, New
Delhi 7. Prof. Shivaji Sarkar, Academician, New Delhi 8. Dr. J C Batra,
Senior Advocate, New Delhi 9. Shri Vikas Mahajan, Advocate, New Delhi 10.
Dr. J B Goyal, Academician, New Delhi 11. Shri Joseph Gathia, Social
Activist, New Delhi 12. Shri Pradeep Thakur, Journalist, Gaziabad 13. Dr.
K. C. Pandey, Teacher, Gaziabad PREFACE The Council for International
Affairs and Human Rights is deeply concerned over the Godhra carnage that
consumed 58 pilgrims, including 26 women and 12 children, returning from
Ayodhya when the Sabarmati Express carrying them was torched near Godhra
railway station and the subsequent sectarian violence. These gory incidents
shocked the nation to no end. Torching alive innocent citizens is in total
violation of Indian values and traditions and is a blot on the fair name of
this ancient civilization. It is a gross violation of human rights of
innocent citizens who were roasted alive or brutally killed or maimed for
no fault of theirs. The Gujarat tragedy is too deep for tears. An in-depth
and objective study to understand the conspiracy, if any, that led to the
burning alive of pilgrims and the killing of innocent citizens that took
place is several parts of Gujarat is the need of the hour. It is equally
important to identify the evil forces that were instrumental in
accomplishing the "mission".

2

The civil society needs to evolve ways and means to resolve the communal
divide that has become a festering wound and poses a serious threat to
human rights. It is of utmost importance to know how the administration
responded to the challenge and what the role of the political parties,
social organisations, the intelligentsia and the media was. It is in this
context that the Governing Body of the Council that met at Delhi on March
22, 2002 decided to send a team to conduct a field study into the communal
strife in Gujarat. Justice D. S. Tewatia, Vice-Chairman of the Council and
a former Chief Justice of Calcutta and Punjab and Haryana High Courts, is
the leader of the team. Other members are: Dr J C Batra, senior advocate,
Supreme Court of India, Dr. Krishan Singh Arya, Academician, Chandigarh,
Shri Jawahar Lal Kaul, former Assistant Editor, Jansatta, Delhi, and Prof.
B K Kuthiala, Dean, Faculty of Media Studies, G. J. University Hisar.. It
has produced a comprehensive report dealing with numerous aspects of The
team left for Gujarat on April 1 and returned on April 7, 2002. The team
conducted a scientific field study into the horrendous happenings in Godhra
and other parts of Gujarat and collected enormous evidence in the form of
interviews and documentsthe tragedy. It was not possible for the team to
uncover each and every dimension of the tragedy due to constraints of time
and resources. But it has done a wonderful job in the limited time and
resources available to it. The Council is extremely grateful to Justice
Tewatia and his team for conducting the study and producing a comprehensive
report. The Council hopes that its labours will not go waste and that
authorities concerned, the intelligentsia and the media as also the common
citizens will take serious note of the conclusions and recommendations made
by the team. A careful reading of the report will help sift fact from
fiction and identify rumours and canards that have been spread by vested
interests. The report, one hopes, will enable the nation to have a correct
perspective of the forces behind the tragedy and the elements that
exploited it for partisan considerations. The Council is grateful to the
members of the team, the representatives of various organisations of Hindus
and Muslims of Gujarat, concerned citizens who came forward to narrate
details of incidents and provided evidence and the local authorities that
ensured that the team conducted the study without any hindrance. Shyam
Khosla, Secretary General. April 26, 2002 CONTENTS S No Chapter 1. 2. 3. 4.
Introduction Data Collection Godhra incident Facts and inferences Page 1 5
9 22

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5. 6. 7. Communal riots in Gujarat Conclusions Recommendations 25 35 40

INTRODUCTION NEED FOR AN OBJECTIVE ANALYTICAL STUDY Finding the truth is
the ultimate objective of any intellectual exercise. Be it a fact-finding
mission, analysis of social, political or economic processes or a spiritual
journey the edifice of truth is built on the facts. In sciences experiments
are conducted to generate new information, which forms the basis for the
enunciation of new theories and principles. Facts become sacred, inferences
and opinions must arise from the information of the past and the new data
gathered. Neutrality in the selection of past data, in the process of
gathering new information and also in the process of analysis and
derivation of inferences is fundamental to any objective intellectual
endeavor. UNIPOLAR THOUGHT PROCESS Any exercise to search for truth has to
make a beginning without any predispositions. Objectivity is lost if the
past attitudes and aptitudes of the seeker of truth colour the vision and
the analyst becomes blind to a set of information bits and another set of
data is visualized as being greater than its real worth. In research
hypothesis are stated and the researcher has a mind-set wherein based on
dispassionate analysis of gathered data the stated hypothesis is either
proved to be right or wrong. Incorrect derivations and inferences would
arise if the researcher were emotionally or ideologically inclined to prove
or disprove a given hypothesis. Truth is the first casualty of such an
exercise. Intellectual honesty demands observations, analysis and
derivations that are free from the personal or group prejudice and likes
and dislikes of the analysts. Unfortunately in today's India the vocal,
articulate and dominant sections of thinkers and analysts have become
predictable. Even before an exercise of analysis of events and processes
begins it is possible to almost correctly forecast the inferences and
conclusions that are likely to be drawn by the individuals, groups or
organizations. A newspaper would publish editorials and articles supporting
and proving only one point of view. The outcome of the discussion is
predictable depending upon the television channel that is hosting it. Even
in the case of simple journalistic reporting the personal predispositions
of the reporter glare prominently in the news stories. The questions asked
clearly indicate the ideological inclinations of the interviewer. So much
so that even the organizations created under the statutes of the
Constitution become partisan and their contentions are blind to a set of
data and hyper-responsive to another set of facts. Unipolar thought process
of Indian analysts and commentators has become a practice rather than an
exception.

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QUEST FOR TRUTH When the problems of the nation receive skewed notice from
its intellectuals the analysis cannot be realistic. Not only the problems
get politicized, the analysis too is coloured with the vision of the
analyst. If the diagnosis of the problem is faulty, the solution is bound
to be unrealistic and misdirected. When a physician commits error in the
diagnosis of an ailment, he fails to cure the disease and may give birth to
new problems. The country today needs better treatment by its
intelligentsia. It is the dharma of the intelligentsia to be objective and
search and state the truth and only the truth. If we look back and
introspect the achievements and failures of the nation after independence
three facts clearly emerge. First, there was acute shortage of food grains
and the country had to import wheat. It posed a serious challenge. The
farming community and the scientists responded magnificently and we are now
faced with a problem of plenty. Second, whenever the nation faced an
external threat our jawans lived up to our expectations and defended our
borders at the cost of their lives. It is a matter of pride for us that
jawans and kisans that constitute the majority of the population brought
glory to the country. The scientists too have taken the country to new
heights, be it innovations in farming practices, atomic and space research
or information technology. FAILURE OF GOVERNING CLASS Third, in most of the
cases when a task came before the governing class of the society that
includes bureaucracy and politicians, mismanagement, failures and
deceptions are the outcome. The ruling class failed to manage the massive
surplus produced by the farmers. The contradiction is that while millions
of tonnes of wheat is rotting, a large chunk of our society is denied two
square meals a day. It is a sad commentary on the governing class.
Successive Governments lost on the table the gains achieved by our jawans
in the battlefields. A vast majority of the people has contributed towards
the growth and development of the country during fifty-five years of
independence but a minuscule minority comprising the political class,
bureaucracy, intelligentsia and the media have let the country down. The
tragic fact is that despite India being a democratic polity, a small
minority of the elite controls the destiny of the nation. The
intelligentsia, professionals and the media failed to provide the link
between the vast majority of patriotic and duty conscious citizens and the
governing class. They were supposed to keep a watch and provide policy and
action options without prejudice. But what did

4

5
they do? They lost their moorings and became a part of the governing class
and diverted their intellect for perpetuation of the exploitative and self-
serving elite class. Whereas kisans, jawans and scientists have more than
met the challenges of nation building the intelligentsia along with
politicians and bureaucrats have miserably failed to deliver the goods.
ALTERNATE ACTION PLAN Independent India inherited the problem of
disharmonious relationships between Hindus and Muslims. Amongst many other
major problems communal disharmony has been a serious issue before the
nation after independence. There were certain inherited realities and
solutions were to be found within those parameters. The managers of free
India have miserably failed to solve this problem. In fact, they have
accentuated the problem and widened the gulf between the two largest
communities living in the country. The disease aggravated as the decades
passed largely because of the wrong medication. Is not the continuation of
communal tensions between two major communities of the country an adverse
comment on the performance of our ruling class, intelligentsia and the
media? The answer is an assertive YES. The inhuman burning of the Indian
citizens traveling in a train at Godhra on the morning of February 27, 2002
and whatever followed in Gujarat and elsewhere is an evidence of the
mismanagement of the communal divide between two major communities of the
country. The political class having made appropriate noises to please their
respective constituencies will go back to its Kumbhkarani sleep to be woken
up only when another carnage takes place. When a physician fails to cure
certain ailment he looks for an alternative action plan and even takes a
second opinion. But not our rulers. INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONALS But do our
thinkers, planners and implementers ever sit back and ponder over their
failures? They sing the same songs with perhaps new music. Instead of
looking for their own failures they once again refuse to see the reality
and selectively isolate the data to prove their own, many times repeated
and widely known viewpoints. They are blind to their skewed perceptions.
They are either unaware or willfully remaining unaware of the need for an
alternate course of action. It was in this backdrop that the Council for
International Affairs and Human Rights decided to depute a Study Team of
conscientious and independent professionals to conduct a field study in
Godhra and other areas affected by sectarian violence. The team comprised:
1. Justice D. S. Tewatia, former Chief Justice, Calcutta High Court and
Punjab and Haryana High Court. 2. Dr. J. C. Batra, Senior Advocate, Supreme
Court of India. 3. Dr. Krishan Singh, Academician. 4. Shri Jawahar Lal
Kaul, Veteran Journalist. 5. Prof. B. K. Kuthiala, Dean Faculty of Media
Studies, G J

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University, Hisar. DATA COLLECTION VISITS INTERACTION AND DOCUMENTS The
team reached Ahmedabad on 02. 04.02 in the morning by train and visited
three affected areas and some of the relief camps. At all the places team
members interacted with the members of the public freely without
intervention of any officials, government or otherwise. On 03.04.02 the
team went to Godhra and five delegations from both communities and also of
mixed composition presented their views and facts to the team. The team
then went to the Godhra Railway Station and interviewed the officials and
some other witnesses of the burning of the S-6 Coach of the Sabarmati
Express in the morning of 27.02.02. The site where the train was initially
stopped and stoned was also visited. The team also minutely observed the
burnt S-6 coach. The officials of the Fire Brigade who were involved in the
fire fighting on the morning of 27.02.02 were also interviewed. The
localities adjacent to the railway station along with the sites where
demolition of structures illegally erected was carried out on 27.02.02
during the curfew hours were also visited. The team also visited a Girls
High School at Godhara where Muslims from rural hinterland had migrated for
safety. In the evening the team had a meeting with the District Collector,
Godhra along with other officials. The District Collector made a
presentation of the actions that the district administration had taken
after the incident near the railway station. Information was also provided
in response to the questions raised by the members of the team. Prime
Minister was to reach Godhra the next day and the team left for Vadodara
late at night, as it did not want to be an obstacle in the arrangements
being made for his visit. RELIEF CAMPS OF HINDUS AND MUSLIMS On 04.04.02
the team was in Vadodara where it visited five relief camps of both the
communities and seven areas, which were the scenes of arson, fire and
violence during the last month. Team also exposed itself to ground
situations by visiting some sensitive areas where either: a. two
communities lived face to face with each other in different localities. b.
a small number of families of one community lived in neighborhood and
surrounded by a large number of the families of the other community. c. two
communities lived in the same locality, both in significant numbers with
houses of both communities randomly distributed. The team visited some of
the areas, which have been evacuated by the residents because either they
were attacked or they apprehended an attack. To have the exposure to the
realities the team also visited

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some areas where curfew was imposed. Permission to visit such areas was
taken from the appropriate authorities. In the afternoon the Commissioner
Police, Vadodra and District Collector Vadodra met the team along with
other officials. The team members were updated with the information
regarding the management of situation till that day. The officials also
answered the queries of the team. At 5.00 pm the team met with the
representatives of various media organizations - both print and electronic.
About thirty media persons were present and an informative interaction took
place. The team had taken a conscious decision not to address a press
conference, as it did not want to express unprocessed, half-baked and
impressionistic opinions. THE GOVERNOR & THE CHIEF MINISTER MEETING In the
evening thirteen(13) delegations consisting of 121 citizens met the team
and presented their viewpoints and information. The delegations included
not only the members of both the communities but ranged from the
Association of Hoteliers to a group of adivasis to affected Muslim and
Hindu women. On 05. 04.02, the team once again visited the affected areas
to see the change in the ground situation in two days after the team has
visited on 02. 04.02. Here once again the team spoke to common persons at
the affected sites. In the afternoon the team had an in-depth discussion on
the situation in the state with Shri Narendra Modi, Chief Minister,
Gujarat. After meeting the Chief Minister, the team met the Police
Commissioner, Ahmedabad. He gave some data about the preventive arrests
(3046), booked (1807), FIRs lodged (636) killed (267 including 58 in police
firing) and rounds fired by police (2842). In the afternoon seven
delegations - five from Ahmedabad and two representing state level
organizations briefed the team of their version of the incidents,
perceptions and possible remedial measures. Total number of citizens, both
Muslims and Hindus, present in these meetings was 91. During and after
dinner some important persons of the minority community met the team
members personally and provided useful information. A retired judge of the
High Court belonging to the Muslim community also apprised the team of his
perception of the communal riots. He himself is a victim as his house was
burnt a few days ago. In the morning of 06. 04. 02, team members went out
individually to interact informally with common men to feel the pulse of
the people. At noon the team went to Raj Bhawan to meet Shri Sunder Singh
Bhandari, Governor, Gujarat where a very useful interaction took place.
OBJECTIVITY IN OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS In the evening the members boarded
a train back to Delhi from where the team members dispersed to their
respective stations. At this point of time every team member carried a
heavy load of information, views and images of realities. For a week the
team members engaged themselves in the process of sieving facts from
fiction, correlating

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data with perceived realities and an objective dispassionate analysis. On
15.04.02 and also on 19.04.02 the team met in Delhi and after sharing each
other's analysis the report has been penned down as a collective effort. It
would also be worth mentioning that the Study Team has used both audio and
video systems to record images of ground situation, evidence, and narration
of the events by victims and witnesses and interviews. Some of these
recordings were done with an explicit assurance given by the team to use
the material only for the purposes of analysis and hall not be made public.
Similarly a load of printed and handwritten documents have also been
collected both from official and privates sources. Use of Internet has also
been made extensively to interact and surfing for collection of relevant
information. All this information about the methodology is being provided
so that the consumers of this information can evaluate the observations and
analysis of the team independently. The strengths and weaknesses are both
laid out and there is no attempt to pronounce hasty judgments without any
scientific analysis or even without collating the information with other
members of the study team. It did not visit the affected areas to
strengthen the beliefs and perceptions of its members in a partisan manner,
but it went with an open mind and a clean state and allowed the facts to
speak for themselves. The objectivity of observation and analysis has been
coupled with the honesty and integrity of scientific process of deducing
and theory propositions. GODHRA INCIDENT : BURNING ALIVE OF 58 INDIAN
CITIZENS TRAVELLING IN COACH S-6 OF SABARMATI EXPRESS Train numbers 9164,
9166 and 9168 have been named Sabarmati Express after the name of the
Sabarmati Ashram established by Mahatma Gandhi to experiment and propagate
his philosophies of non-violence and swadeshi. The train runs up to
Ahmedabad, from Faizabad (9164) on Saturdays, from Muzaffarabad (9166) on
Wednesday, Friday and Monday and from Varanasi(9168) on Thursday, Sunday
and Tuesday. It covers Lucknow, Gwalior, Bhopal, Indore and Dahod is its
first halt in Gujarat. After traveling 74 km in 2 hrs and 19 minutes from
Dahod the train is scheduled to arrive at 0255hrs at Godhra. After Godhra
it halts at Vadodra, Anand and Nadiad reaching Ahmedabad at 0700hrs
INNOCENT PILGRIMS On 26.02.02 Sabarmati Express started from Faizabad about
225 minutes late. On that fateful day, about 2300 pilgrims were travelling
by the train. Most of them were returning from Ayodhya where they had gone
for either participating in the shila-pujan or for the purana ahuti of the
ritual jap of Ram-naam that the devotees began one month in advance at
their respective places. There were other passengers in the train including
members of the Muslim community. However, it has been reported that most of
the Muslim passengers got down at Dahod Railway Station and rest of them at
Godhra and it appears that when the train was torched there were no Muslim
passengers on the train except the elements who were to stop the train by
pulling the chain as part of a conspiracy to burn the pilgrims alive.

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CHAIN PULLED AND VACUUM PIPE CUT At 07.42 hrs the train stopped at Godhra
Railway Station. After about five minutes, the train started to move but
stopped for a few moments as some passengers could not board the train. It
finally left the station but came to halt about 700 metres away from the
station as some one had pulled the chain. The vacuum pipe between the
Coaches No. S-6 and S-7 was cut thereby preventing any further movement of
the train. Miscreants threw bricks and stones at the train as soon as it
left Godhra Railway Station. The stoning intensified after it finally
stopped about 700 metres from the station. The passengers of the train,
particularly Coaches S-5, S-6 and S-7, were the main targets. The
passengers reportedly shut the windows and doors to protect themselves.
Burning missiles and acid bulbs were thrown on and in the coaches. One such
acid missile landed in Coach S-7 and a fire started which the passengers
were able to extinguish. But the attack continued and more burning missiles
were thrown into the Coach S-6. FIFTY EIGHT PILGRIMS ROASTED ALIVE Soon, S-
6 caught fire and within minutes it was in flames. Passengers who managed
to get out of the burning compartment were attacked with sharp weapons and
stoned. They received serious injuries. Some of them got out through the
windows and took shelter below the coach. After some time (between 20
minutes and 40 minutes) fire engine arrived at the scene and took about
half an hour to extinguish the fire. Inside the coach, 58 charred bodies
were found. These included 26 women and 12 children. Those who had seen the
charred bodies shiver even weeks after the incident while recalling the
gory scene. Even a cursory look at the photographs of the charred bodies is
a chilling experience. Forty-three (43) injured persons were rushed to the
Civil Hospital at Godhra with different degrees of burns. The train left
Godhra at about 1230 hours minus Coach S-6, 58 dead and 43 injured. The
question why a large number of Hindus were roasted alive at the hands of
Muslim crowds at Godhra and also what was the motivation to enact such a
ghastly act needs to be answered. There is strong logic supported by direct
and circumstantial evidence that enables the team to assert without an iota
of doubt that the entire action was carried out on the behest of then
Government of Pakistan. The primary objective was to create Hindu-Muslim
communal conflagration in India. The reasons why Pakistan would resort to
such acts are: 1. Hindu-Muslim communal riots in India would have echo in
Bangladesh, and would help in cleansing of Hindus from that country
resulting in further straining of relations with India. The communal
rioting will provide yet another excuse for India bashing. The reaction in
Bangladesh will add fuel to the already communally tense situation in
India. It would ultimately give sustenance to the "Two Nation Theory". 2.
Hindu-Muslim riots in India would further accentuate alienation of Kashmiri
Muslims, thereby creating further space in Kashmir for Pakistan's nefarious
activities against India.

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3. Hindu-Muslim riots in India would tend to adversely affect India's
present friendly relations with Afghanistan. It is worth mentioning here
that Prime Minister of Afghanistan had in a television interview while
responding to a question about the nature of Afghanistan's relations with
India observed, "That would depend upon how India treats its Muslim
minority". Incidentally, the Prime Minister of Afghanistan was in Delhi on
the fateful day the train was torched. 4. Situation at the Indo-Pak border
is extremely critical and volatile. A little misunderstanding or even an
unintended move can lead to a war between the two countries. Hindu-Muslim
riots in such a situation would come handy to weaken our defences as the
army would have to be withdrawn from the borders to combat riots. The army
is normally summoned to assist the civil authorities when the situation
worsens as happened during recent riots in Gujarat. With a view to maintain
law and order, two Brigades of army were deployed in various parts of the
state thereby leaving a portion of our border uncovered or weakly
protected. To cite an example, if the troops deployed on the Katch border
are withdrawn our defences in that area become weak and border more porous
thereby increasing the danger of infiltration by jehadis and smugglers
dealing with drugs and arms. What would please more the hostile neighbour
and ISI than weak defences and porous borders and what can be a better
mechanism than creating a situation where Indian army's attention is
diverted because of its deployment in riot-hit areas. All patriotic and
nationalist forces, demanding deployment of army to assist the civil
authority for one reason or the other, need to look at the situation from
this angle as well. 5. Hindu-Muslim riots increase the alienation of the
saner elements among Kashmiri Muslim and add to the support base of
terrorist outfits sponsored, armed and financed by ISI. Terrorism and
insurgency get a shot in the arm. In the event of a war between the two
countries these subversive groups can play havoc. 6. Hindu-Muslim riots
create tensions and misunderstanding between India and Muslim countries
with which India has developed understanding and goodwill. By provoking
communal violence, Pakistan wants to isolate India in the international
community and tarnish its image as a pluralistic and democratic society.
Another question that needs systematic analysis is: Why Godhra? Why did
Pakistan choose to enact this ghastly act at a small, little known town of
Godhra? On the basis of information gathered from various sources the team
identifies the following reasons for choosing Godhra for this carnage: The
rate of growth of Muslim population in Godhra is much higher than the
national growth rate of Muslim population. At present the estimated ratio
of Hindu-Muslim population ranges from 60:40 to 48:52. In any case, it is
an established fact that Godhra has a very large Muslim

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population. Most of them live on both the sides of the railway station in
depth. In normal course, the Sabarmati Express was to arrive at Godhra
Railway Station at 02.55 am. The conspirators must have chosen the place
with a view to complete their operation "Burn the train" at the dead of
night when most of the passengers would be asleep. They must have planned
to accomplish their evil "mission" unhindered and with impunity. Godhra has
the dubious distinction of having a large number of Muslim fundamentalists
and jehadi elements. Godhra is neither a Muslim pilgrim center like Ajmer
nor a Muslim educational center like Aligarh and Deoband. The local Muslims
are not economically affluent either, yet this town had hosted three
istema'- religious congregations. In one of the istema', Muslim
representatives from more than hundred countries participated. The holding
of international congregations on such a massive scale gives credence to
the commonly held perception that there has been a massive inflow of
foreign money into Godhra. One Shri Haji Bilal, a Congress member of
Nagarpalika, who has been booked by the police as the executor of the
carnage, has been, according to locals, proudly proclaiming himself to be
"Bin Laden of Godhra". President of the District Congress Committee, Farooq
Malla and Congress activist and member of Godhra Nagarpalika, Abdul Rehman
Dhatia, are amongst those booked for the carnage giving credence to reports
that local Congressmen were actively involved in the burning of the train.
The next question is: Why was this particular train chosen for torching?
The team provides the following answer: This particular train was chosen
because the 2300 pilgrims were returning from Ayodhya on this train.
Torching and burning alive a large number of Hindu pilgrims (including
women and children) was intended to let loose a tide of indignation and
provocation of horrendous proportion in Hindu population resulting in
intended ignition of the communal tinder box, causing wide spread Hindu-
Muslim riots all over the country. However, the train got late and the
miscreants were able to burn only one compartment instead of the entire
train and (contrary to the expectations of their Pakistani masters) the
communal riots were confined to only a part of Gujarat. The evidence that
leads to the conclusion that the torching of Sabarmati Express on the
morning of 27.02.02 was pre-meditated can be stated as: The train took only
three minutes, as per the statement of the Stationmaster, form the platform
to the place where it was stopped by pulling the chain at a distance of
about 700 metres. It is impossible for a mob of about 2000 persons carrying
acid bulbs and highly combustible

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liquids to converge within three minutes that too in the early hours of the
morning. The conspirators had done their homework. They ensured that the
mob gets enough time to accomplish the misdeed. Had the train stopped
because of chain pulling, the driver could have re-started the train after
it was attacked by the mob. In order to ensure that the train would not
move even an inch, the conspirators had deputed certain persons to cut the
vacuum pipe. Consequently, the train could not move before the pipe was
repaired. In order to establish the correct chronology of events the Study
Team collected information from: 1.) Staff at the Railway Station, Godhra.
2.) District Administration 3.) Passengers traveling in Sabarmati Express
on 27.02.02 in S-6 4.) Passengers traveling in Sabarmati Express on 27. 02.
02 other than in S-6. 5.) Staff of the Fire Brigade, Godhra. 6.) Others who
were witness to the later part of the incident. 7.) Reports in local,
regional and Delhi Press. STAFF OF RAILWAY STATION GODHRA The staff at the
Railway Station Godhra told the team that no serious quarrel took place on
the platform when the train halted there for about 05 minutes. Immediately
after the train started moving it stopped and few left-out passengers
boarded the train and it started again. A mob of about 1000 Muslims ahead
of the Railway Station started pelting stones and other missiles on the
train. The train after moving about 700 metres stopped once again but with
a jerk as a result of chain pulling. The vacuum-pipe of the Coach No. S-6
was cut. The mob had by then swelled to more than 2000. They stoned the
train and also threw burning missiles, concentrating on S-6 and S-7. Soon
the Coach S-6 was seen burning and the flames reached outside the coach in
no time. Railway Police rushed to the scene and after initial hesitation
fired in the air to disperse the mob. There was no impact on the mob that
did not disperse even after firing in the air and kept shouting slogans and
throwing missiles at the police and the crowd comprising railway officials,
passengers of the other coaches of the train and bystanders. Fire brigade
reached the site after about half an hour (from the time of the departure
of the train from the platform). It took about half an hour to extinguish
the flames and cool down the S-6 coach. District administration reached the
spot after the fire had almost been extinguished and the mob had withdrawn
to a distant place but was still shouting slogans. All through voices were
heard on loudspeakers from both the sides of the railway track inciting the
mob to kill and burn the infidels (kafirs) and the enemies of Bin Laden.
With the help of civilians, the injured were taken to the Civil Hospital
and the dead were brought out and counted. Burnt bodies of passengers were
identified with the help

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of other passengers of the train including those of S-6 who had escaped
unhurt or were not seriously injured. DISTRICT ADMINSTRATION, GODHRA As per
the presentation made by the Collector of Panchmahal at Godhra, the
Sabarmati express arrived at Godhra Railway station at 7.43 am (scheduled
arrival at 2.55 a.m.). Train departed at 7.48 a.m. and was stopped at a
distance of 1km from Godhra railway station by pulling chain at "Signal
Faliya". A mob of about 2000 miscreants attacked the train with stones and
firebombs. Bogies no S/5 and S/6 were set on fire, bogies S/6 was
completely burnt with 58 passengers in it including 26 women, 12 children
and 20 men roasted alive. D.S.P. rushed to the spot as soon as he got the
information about the incident. Relief work started immediately by the
Collector. Arrangements for firefighters were made. Along with the
arrangements of Ambulance Van and ST Buses from RTO, team of three doctors
rushed to the site. Twentyfive passengers were treated on site. Food
packets, drinking water was made available to stranded passengers. 43
injured passengers were shifted to civil hospital. Police fired 14 rounds
and 30 teargas shells to prevent the mob from causing further damage.
Curfew was imposed in the town at 10.55am. Collector with senior railway
officers entered the burnt carriage to assess the casualties – 58 dead
bodies found. Train departed for Ahmedabad with the rest of passengers at
12.40 pm. Inquest & postmortem of all bodies was done by 4.30 pm. Bodies
dispatched at 10.30 pm to Civil hospital, Sola, Ahmedabad. PASSENGERS
TRAVELLING IN SABARMATI EXPRESS ON 27.02.02 IN COACH NO S-6 Kamala (name
changed in view of threats received and bomb attack on her a day before she
was interviewed by the Study Team on O4.02.02), a college student, went to
Ayodhya along with her parents and two sisters to perform the purana ahuti
of the Rama jaap her mother was doing for the last one month. The family
boarded the train at Faizabad in Coach no S-6 on 26.02.02 at about 0800
hours. There were many passengers on the train who were chanting Rama naama
and occasionally chanting "jai Sri Rama". In the morning of 27.02.02 the
train was at Godhra railway station and as soon as it moved, a barrage of
stones were thrown at the compartment. Terrified and taken aback, the
passengers closed the windows. The train stopped for a few moments and
minutes the train stopped with a strong and the luggage. The train
continued to Mob outside the train was pounding upon again started. After
about 2-3 jerk rattling the passengers be stoned with great intensity. the
windows and doors.

Somebody from outside the train was able to open a window and threw a
burning object into the compartment. It fell on the luggage and the fire
started. Some passengers stated stamping on the fire, but more

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burning objects were thrown in as the mob broke open more windows. Some
liquid was also poured in from the windows, which intensified the fire.
Iron grills of some windows were detached from one side and bent to pick up
the passengers luggage. This luggage was set on fire and thrown back into
the coach. The passengers were terribly shaken and shouting for help. Some
of them were able to open the door and get out. Soon the entire coach was
gutted. Smoke was so thick that it was impossible to breathe or see
anything. She looked for her family members in vain and dropped out of the
train from a window whose grill had been bent and detached from one side.
Lying of the ground she could breathe a little and saw a huge mob with
swords and iron rods hurling abuses at Hindus. She moved below the coach
from where she was rescued after sometime. She may have remained
unconscious for some time. She later identified the charred bodies of her
mother, father and two sisters. One sister was an engineer and the other
was a commerce graduate. The same train took her to Ahmedabad where she now
lives with her younger sister. She has already got Rs. 50,000 as relief and
expects more. She told the team that she had heard certain Muslims saying
that a lot of trouble was caused to them because of her narration of the
Godhra tragedy and that she would be eliminated. A bomb was thrown into the
room in which she was sleeping a day before the team met her. Fortunately,
it did not explode. The matter was reported to the police who are
investigating the case. Raghu (name changed for reasons of security of the
witness) was traveling in Coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express on 27.02.02
and his narration of the events is similar to those of Kamala. When the
coach was set on fire he went up on the upper berth in the hope that the
fire will soon be extinguished. But when he got choked because of the thick
smoke he moved from one upper berth to another towards the door but the
flames frustrated his first attempt to jump out. He returned and after some
time made a desperate attempt and was able to reach the door where a
passenger whom he had earlier seen in the train dragged him outside. He
fell unconscious and was given water and sugar by a lady who was managing
the passengers belonging to Ahmedabad. Though he felt dizzy he received no
burn injuries except that his hair was partly burnt. His father and uncle
were burnt alive in the same coach. PASSENGERS TRAVELLING IN SABARMATI
EXPRESS ON 27.02.02 IN COACHES OTHER THAN S-6 Shakuntla (name changed
because of security reasons) narrates a story similar to that of Kamala and
Raghu except that she was traveling in Coach S-7 and she was looking after
a group of pilgrims from Ahmedabad. She got down at Godhra Railway Station
and saw many pilgrims bidding each other Jai Rama ji ki as the first
greeting in the morning. Some passengers took tea and one of the vendors
angrily asked them not to make a noise. The pilgrims did not respond and
got into the train as it had started moving. As some lady passengers were
not able to board, the train stopped for a few moments and again steamed-
off when the left-out passengers boarded.

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Along with the stones a burning missile landed in S-7 in which she was
traveling but the fire was put out without much effort. After some time the
train again stopped with a great jerk and shouts of ‘maaro-maaro’ came
from outside. She could not tell the approximate number of persons in the
mob as all the windows were closed. Someone using a mike was inciting the
mob to kill and loot the kafirs and the enemies of Bin Laden. Through a
slit in the window she saw a part of the mob with iron rods and swords.
There was tension and suspense in the compartment No one knew what was
happening or what would happen to him or her the next moment. After some
time both the shouts of the crowd and the voice on the mike stopped.
Shakuntla along with some other passengers got out and saw S-6 in flames.
There were some injured and perplexed passengers outside. The mob had
withdrawn a few hundred yards away. The fire engine arrived and the fire
was put off. The mob kept throwing stones at the train from a distance. A
few policemen were also there but they did nothing to protect the
passengers. More and more passengers assembled near the burning coach and
urged the police to take action against the miscreants but the police did
nothing. Crying and shouting Shakuntla took out her bangles and offered
them to the two policemen with rifles. The policemen fired a few shots in
the air. That did not deter the mob. When more police came and the fire was
put out several passengers along with some policemen chased the attackers.
Some persons told the police that the attackers had taken shelter in a
nearby garage. The police hesitated to enter the garage. When the policemen
on duty did not take any action, some passengers and locals entered the
garage. But it was too late as the miscreants had by then escaped from
another door on the other side of the garage. Shkuntla helped the
authorities to identify some of the bodies and returned to Ahmedabad by the
same train. STAFF OF THE FIRE BRIGADE, GODHRA Shri Pradeep Singh s/o Shri
Bhola Singh, Motor Driver, Fire brigade, Godhra & Shri Vijay Kumar s/o Shri
Ram Chander Sharma, Fireman, Fire Brigade, Godhra (names mentioned with the
consent of the witnesses) said they reported for their shift duty at 0800
hrs on 27.02.02. One of the major vehicles was out of order, as its clutch-
plates had been taken out a few days earlier. On their arrival on 27.02.02
in their office they found that one of the nuts that connects the pipe to
the water tank of the other fire engine was also missing. By the time they
had put the nut in place a message about the fire in the train was
received. The Driver along with the firemen rushed towards the spot but on
the way a mob led by Haji Balal, a Congress member of the Godra
Nagarpalika, stopped the vehicle and did not allow it to proceed any
further. A tall well built young man stood in front of the vehicle. The mob
started pelting stones at the vehicle. A fireman sitting in the front seat
had to take shelter behind the driver. The headlights and

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the windowpanes of the vehicle got damaged. Fearing for his own, and his
crew's, life the driver drove the vehicle through the mob, as it was not
possible to move backwards. The mob gave in but by that time precious 15-20
minutes had been lost. The vehicle reached at the site and crew saw one of
the compartments blazing. The fire was brought under control in about half
an hour. Fireman Vijay Singh reported that he saw one woman trying to come
out. He covered himself with a blanket and tried twice to reach the lady
but the flames were too hot and high and he could not enter the coach. He
is deeply disappointed and said some lives could have been saved if the
miscreants had not delayed the arrival of the fire engine. Both the
witnesses stated that they were sure that the acts of demobilizing one of
the vehicles and removing the nut of the connection of the pipe with the
water tank were premeditated and the Congress member of Ghodhra
Nagarpalika, Haji Balal, who is also chairman of the Vehicle Committee of
the Nagarpalika, had hatched the conspiracy. Haji Balal had been visiting
the fire station at night for the past few days on the pretext of watching
films on the television. They also stated that had the train reached during
the night, the entire train would have been burnt. Both the witnesses also
said that the manner in which the bodies were charred and the furniture and
luggage burnt indicates the use of some highly inflammable material like
solvent in addition to petrol, diesel and kerosene. The fire-crew informed
the team that although they had reported the damage to the vehicle to their
seniors no formal complaint had been registered. They also reported having
received a threatening call warning them not to give statements about the
obstruction to the fire engine by a crowd on 27.02.02. As the fire-station
has a call identification system, they know who made the threatening call.
The Study Team also inspected the Coach S-6. There was no evidence of any
stove in the compartment. Although the Team was surprised to find two
plastic jerrycans that have been referred to in the report submitted by a
team of CPI(M). Wonder of wonders is that while the entire coach got burnt
roasting alive the passengers, two plastic jerrycans remained intact. It
seems to be a deliberate attempt to plant evidence that is a very serious
offence. OTHERS WHO WERE WITNESS TO LATER PART OF THE INCIDENT It is
natural that when an incident of such a gravity happens many citizens
gather at and near the place of incident. While visiting the affected areas
and the relief camps the team members kept on searching for the persons who
had been the witness to at least some part of the incident. Three such
persons could be contacted and interviewed. All of them reported of the
inability of the police to take action against the mob. The firing in the
air was reluctant and no one saw firing of teargas shells or use of lathis
as claimed by the police. REPORTS IN LOCAL, REGIONAL AND DELHI MEDIA

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The Study Team went carefully through the reports of the gory incidents
published in 22 newspapers and 9 newsmagazines. There is so much variance
in the reporting of the events in these publications that it is impossible
to draw out a cohesive and acceptable chain of events. The reports vary
from an accusation that the fire was stage-managed in order to malign the
Muslim minority to an assertion that all Muslim passengers were asked to
get down before Godhra by the conspirators. Since the team had reasonably
credible evidence from direct witnesses it decided not to analyze the media
reports for reconstruction of the chronology of events. GODHRA INCIDENT-
ANALYSED : FACTS AND INFERENCES There has been so much said, written and
broadcast about the Godhra incident that it is difficult to distinguish
between facts, halftruths, innocent imagination and motivated lies. Media
and interested parties have selected, distorted and added fiction to the
story to prove their respective points of view. Unfortunately,
professionalism took a back seat as media persons, factfinding commissions
and administrators, by and large, failed to maintain the fairness,
neutrality and objectivity expected from them. To engage in a dispassionate
analysis the Study Team has divided all the facts relating to this incident
into four categories: 1. 2. 3. 4. Indisputable facts. Facts that appear to
be true but need verification. Information that appears to be untrue.
Mysteries.

INDISPUTABLE FACTS 1. On 27.02.02 Sabarmati Express from Faizabad reached
Godhra more than four hours late. 2. There were more than 2000 Hindu
pilgrims on this train. 3. No serious dispute took place at the platform at
Godhra between the passengers and the vendors. 4. The entire train was
stoned right after it left the platform at Godhra and it continued even
after it was stopped at Signal Faliya. 5. Firebombs, acid bulbs and highly
inflammable liquid(s) were used to set the coaches on fire that must have
been stored already for the purpose. 6. Miscreants succeeded in torching
only one coach. 7. The conspirators did not allow the fire fighting staff
to reach the burning train expeditiously. 8. The iron grills of the windows
of S-6 were broken and bent from outside. 9. Fifty-eight passengers of
coach S-6 were burnt to death by a Muslim mob and that one of the
conspirators was a Congress Councillor, Haji Balal. 10. The train was
stopped by pulling the chain and the vacuum pipe was cut. 11. Someone used
the public address system exhorting the mob to kill kafirs and enemies of
Bin Laden. 12. Assembly of a mob of about 2000 Muslims in three minutes
could not have been spontaneous.

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13. The attack on Sabarmati Express on 27.02.02 was pre-planned and pre-
meditated. It was the result of a criminal conspiracy hatched by a hostile
foreign power with the help of local jehadis. FACTS THAT NEED VERIFICATION
1. There was a conspiracy to reduce the effectiveness of the fire fighting
system of Godhra municipal committee. 2. The mob that burnt the coach had
Muslims from outside the town as well. 3. Firearms were used by the mob. 4.
Police could have caught or killed some of the miscreants at the spot. 5.
Local politicians and elected representatives took active part in
instigating the mob. 6. Railway Police at Dahod sent a message to Godhra
Railway police that some Muslim youths on board Sabarmati Express were
likely to create mischief at Godhra. 7. Head of a passenger of S-6 coach
was cut when he tried to get out of the window. The head was later thrown
back into the coach to burn. INFORMATION THAT APPEARS TO BE UNTRUE 1. Some
women passengers are missing. 2. Some women passengers were raped or
molested. 3. Passengers had pulled the beard of a vendor at Godhra Railway
Station. 4. Passengers carried weapons with them. 5. Railway staff connived
with the miscreants. 6. The pilgrims had taunted certain Muslims of Godhra
while returning from Ayodhya. 7. Police firing while they were burning the
coach killed two Muslims. SOME MYSTERIES 1. Assistant Collector, Godhra (a
young Muslim from eastern UP) goes on leave two days before the incident
and does not return till the middle of the March while the district of his
posting was aflame with communal riots. 2. The unusual growth rate of
Muslim population in Godhra. 3. Absence of information with the District
officials about the number of arms licenses issued. 4. Abnormally large
number of passports issued to the residents of Godhra. 5. Presence of a
very large number of persons without ration cards in Signal Faliya and
Polan Bazar areas of Godhra. 6. A large number of unemployed Muslims in
Godhra have mobile phones. 7. Very high traffic of telephone calls from
Godhra to Pakistan (mainly Karachi) before 27.02. 02. 8. Holding of istema
- religious gatherings - at Godhra that were attended by foreigners in
large numbers. COMMUNAL RIOTS IN GUJARAT AFTER 27.02.02

BOTH SPONTANEOUS AND PLANNED BUT A TRAP OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

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The news of the events of 27. 02.02 at Godhra at about 0800 hrs spread like
wild fire all over the country by the afternoon. The television media,
which has the advantage of instantaneous reporting, played its role in
disseminating the information about this carnage. Nothing happened for
almost twenty-four hours, though the situation was said to be very tense.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad gave a call for statewide bandh to protest against
the Godhra carnage. Communal violence erupted almost simultaneously on
28.02.02 in many parts of the state when the charred bodies, the injured
and the passengers travelling in the ill-fated train reached their homes.
It became more intense during next twentyfour hours and started subsiding
after that. After 01.03.02 there were only stray incidents of communal
violence in certain parts of the state. On 15.03.02, after shila-daan
ceremony at Ayodhya by Ramchandra Paramhans, processions of Rama-dhun were
taken out all over Gujarat. The participation on these occasions was very
large in Gujarat, presumably as a reaction of what had happened in Godhra.
The Rama-dhun processions at many places including Ahemdabad and Vadodra
became the points of communal tensions once again and the communal tension
that was subsiding again flared up. Although the Muslim elders had assured
the police at Vadodra that peace would be maintained at all costs, the
processions were stoned from a mosque. The intensity of the attack proves
that these were premeditated. The attack was so massive that the police had
a tough time handling it. The state once again came under the grip of
communal riots. The rioting was very intense for about three days.
Sectarian violence, however, continued in several parts of the state even
three days after the attack on Hindu procession at Vadodra. Incidents of
violence on a large scale were initially reported from Ahmedabad and
Vadodara towns and the districts of Panchmahals, Sabarkantha and Mehsana.
Later it spread to other areas also. However the communal violence was
mainly confined to Central and North Gujarat. Saurashtra and South Gujarat
remained relatively peaceful. There was no communal violence in almost one
half of Gujarat. The team was told that when the charred bodies of the dead
reached their families or the news of their killings reached the relatives,
friends and neighbors attacked the nearby Muslim establishments. Similar
incidents took place when chautha and kriya ceremonies of the dead were
solemnised. Gujarat has a long history of communal riots. The first such
riot has been reported in 1714. After independence major riots broke out on
several occasions since 1969. Jagmohan Reddy Commission of Inquiry of 1969
and Dave Commission of Inquiry of 1985 analysed the causes and consequences
of communal tensions in great details. Serious rioting occurred in 1970 and
also in 1992-93. According to official data, Gujarat witnessed 443 major
communal incidents between 1970 and 2002. Another characteristic of the
communal frenzy in Gujarat is that it has always taken a long time to
return to normalcy. For instance in Godhra itself in 1985 curfew remained
imposed for about a year. Communal disturbance in 1985 continued for more
than five months from February to July 1985.

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The Study team has not gone into the facts and figures of the number of
persons killed, injured and displaced, the loss of property destroyed and
the number of cases related to molestation of women, if any. It is not
because these facts are not important but because the team lacked the time
and resources to go into these details. However the Study Team has analysed
the situation for: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Administrative response Deployment
of Army Relief and resettlement measures Confidence building measures
Socio-economic profile of the rioting mobs Involvement of vanvasis Role of
media

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSE Based on the information collected from official
and non-official sources at Godhra, Ahemdabad and Vadodara the Study Team
is of the considered opinion that: 1. The local administration did not
respond with speed to the Godhra carnage. The police remained a passive
spectator and hesitated to use force against the miscreants. It made no
attempt to apprehend the leaders of the mob that indulged in burning alive
innocent pilgrims returning from Ayodhya. However, the administration took
preventive measures after the VHP gave a call for Gujarat bandh in protest
against the attack on the train. 2. In Godhra, Vadodara and Ahmedabad the
police tried to control the rioting mobs but, more often than not, failed,
as the police were outnumbered - the mobs were unexpectedly large and the
police were inadequately armed. In certain cases, the mob carried more
lethal weapons that the police had. 3. The administration was not prepared
to handle massive migration of riot affected people of both the communities
and did not have any idea of the quantum of the relief and rehabilitation
work required. 4. Co-ordination between the administration and the NGOs was
inadequate. 5. Training and drills for managing communal tensions was
conspicuous by its absence in a state that periodically witnesses communal
frenzy. 6. Socio-psychological understanding of the communal divide is
lacking amongst the officials. 7. The adverse comments on the transfers of
officials in the media and not so much the actual transfers demotivated the
official machinery. 8. At many places policemen did commendable work of
protecting life and property. 9. Policemen, by and large, responded to the
situation without communal bias.

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DEPLOYMENT OF ARMY There has been lot of comments on the timing of the
deployment of army in various urban and rural areas in Gujarat after the
outbreak of violence. Although the team did not have enough time to go into
the question in depth, the information made available to it shows that
there was no delay on the part of the Gujarat Government in summoning and
deployment of troops. A comparison with the past is presented for a proper
perspective. 1. By the afternoon of 28.02.0 it was clear that the communal
violence has spread widely and the situation had become so alarming that it
was unlikely to be controlled by the police and paramilitary forces. 2. On
28.02.02 at 4.30 p.m. the Chief Minister announced at a press conference
that the State Government has decided to call army to assist the civil
administration. 3. By evening the Union Government had given instructions
for the deployment of two brigades in Gujarat. 4. Defense Minister air-
dashed to Ahmedabad at midnight and had a meeting with the Chief Minister
to discuss deployment of the army. 5. The army had to be withdrawn from the
country's border with Pakistan despite the fact that the troops are
deployed in full strength in eyeball-to-eye-ball situation on Indo-Pak
borders. 6. Withdrawal of army from the border may have weakened the
country's defensive and offensive strategies. 7. Within less than 24 hours
at least one brigade of Indian Army had air-landed at Ahmedabad. In a
meeting at 0800hrs in which Chief Minister, Defence Minister, army generals
and civil officers participated, the formal plan for the deployment of the
army was approved. Magistrates who must accompany the army were appointed
and by 11 a.m. on 01.03.02 the actual deployment of army at sensitive
points had begun. 8. The second brigade was deputed to Rajkot and Vadodara
on 01.03.02 by that night. 9. Columns allotted to Godhra reached there in
the morning of 02.03.02. 10. Army went back to barracks on 10.03.02. 11. In
1969 rioting started on 18.09.69 and army was called in on 21.09.69. 12. In
1985 the riots started on 15.04.85 and the army was called in on 16.04.85.

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RELIEF AND REHABILITATION MEASURES 1. Many persons of both the communities
whose houses were burnt or destroyed fled and came to the nearby towns for
shelter. 2. Many persons who feared an attack on them also fled and
gathered in nearby towns. 3. The State Government arranged for shelters
called Relief Camps to provide safe temporary shelter to the displaced
persons. 4. Many voluntary organizations of both the communities also
opened Relief Camps for the displaced persons. 5. The Government managed
some camps while other camps were run by the voluntary organizations. 6.
Most of the inhabitants in the camps remained unoccupied, leading to idle
talk and further reinforcement of views on communal basis. 7. The
inhabitants did not feel confident and safe to go back to their respective
habitations. According to the State Government following is the information
about the camps: District NumberOfCamps NumberOfInmates 68100 5200 4526
1441 2648 8091 10938 12753 113697

Ahemdabad 44 Anand 13 Dahod 6 Kheda 3 Mahesana 6 Panchmahals 7 Sabarkantha
13 Vadodara 11 State Total 103 CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES

1. In affected areas deployment of police or other forces was very scanty.
2. Residents of the sensitive areas were living in an environment of fear.
3. The mutual mistrust between Hindu and Muslim population is on the
increase. 4. Longer the stay in the camps more is the feeling of anxiety
and uncertainty. 5. In affected areas, sensitive areas and relief camps
there was no publicity material appealing and advising for communal harmony
and peaceful co-existence 6. The Information and Public Relations machinery
of the state did not disseminate words of assurance and appeals by the
Prime Minister, Chief

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Minister and others that are likely to have a soothing effect on the hurt
psyche of the people. 7. Presence of the reports of arson in newspapers and
repetition of such reports on television affected negatively the process of
confidence building. 8. Most of the voluntary and social organizations were
working on sectarian lines and hardly worked for creating an environment of
communal harmony. 9. Efforts of some of the officials to bring both the
communities together and arrive at a compromise failed, as the amount of
antagonism against each other is very high. 10. Rumours spread like wild
fire increasing the level of anxieties. SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILES OF THE
RIOTING MOBS (Based on information collected from officials and public; no
direct observation) 1. Muslim mobs predominantly included persons of lower
socio-economic strata. 2. Muslim mobs included many known faces but number
of persons not earlier seen in the locality was also very large. 3. Hindu
mobs, especially during the first week of March, comprised a mix of people
belonging to lower, lower middle and upper middle socioeconomic strata of
the society. 4. Involvement of upper middle class Hindus in arson and
looting is a phenomenon seen for the first time in the country. 5. The
Hindu mobs appeared to be more interested in destroying the property of
selected establishments of Muslims. It was reported that a chain of
restaurants with Hindu names and owned by a Muslim family was targeted
because of the perception that lot of money from gulf countries had been
invested thereby putting Hindu competitors at a disadvantage. 6. Another
new phenomenon reported to the Study Team was the presence and active
participation of women in the mobs. INVOLVEMENT OF TRIBALS Earlier in
Gujarat, tribals never got involved in the Hindu-Muslim riots. However,
their involvement in pos-Godhra riots added a new dimension to the communal
violence. In rural areas the vanvasis attacked the Muslim moneylenders,
shopkeepers and the forest contractors. They used their traditional bow and
arrows as also their implements used to cut the trees and grass while
attacking Muslims. They moved in groups and used coded signals for
communication. Two factors seems to have contributed to this disturbing
phenomenon: 1. A delegation of tribals told the Study team that the Muslim
moneylenders, shopkeepers and forest contractors have been exploiting the
tribals for decades. They charged exorbitant rate of interest to money
loaned to tribals. In certain cases the rate of interest is as high as 50
per cent per year. Having got into this never-ending vicious circle of
loans, the tribals have been reduced to the status of bonded labour.
Tribals working as Muslims.

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The accumulated anger of years of exploitation became explosive when
moneylenders sexually exploited their womenfolk. The tribals are no longer
allowed to use forest produce that has been their sustenance for centuries.
This too fuelled the feelings of anger, hatred and revenge among them. 2.
Tribals have, of late, become conscious of their Hindu identity because of
the awareness campaign launched by VHP and other Hindu outfits. Burning
alive of Hindu pilgrims by a Muslim mob at Godhra provided the spark for
the fire of revenge and hatred. It may be mentioned that these are only
exploratory postulations, scientific anthropological, economic and
sociological analysis is required to understand the changed behavior of
tribals. ROLE OF MEDIA The Study Team received a large number of complaints
against biased reporting, non-objective attitude and anti-Gujarat
conspiracy of Delhi Media. The team felt it necessary to objectively
observe and analyse the role of Media both regional and English language
newspapers published from metropolitan cities. It also solicited comments
about the role of media from about 500 persons with whom the members of the
team interacted. The team's observations are: 1. Local and regional papers
at times seemed to be emotionally surcharged and lost sight of objectivity.
However, Gujarati newspapers, by and large, were factual in day to day
reporting. 2. The editorial pages of local and regional newspapers
maintained a balance in projecting all viewpoints. 3. Newspapers published
in English from Delhi invariably editorialised the news. Direct and
indirect comments in the news writing were so telling that the personal
likes and dislikes of the news reporters were too obvious to be missed. 4.
English language newspapers published from Delhi appeared to have assumed
the role of crusaders against the State Government from day one. It
coloured the entire operation of news gathering, feature writing and
editorials. 5. The edit pages of English language press carried comments
that clearly indicated biases: a. against the State Government of Gujarat,
b. in favour of Congress, leftist parties and the secularist intellectuals,
c. indifferent to the carnage at Godhra, d. against the Hindu
organizations, and e. against the NDA government at the Center. 6. Most of
the national newspapers and news channels played down the of Godhra carnage
and projected it as a result of provocation by pilgrims. Not many reporters
were deputed to dig out facts or to do follow-up stories. This resulted in
large number of editorials and articles that projected Godhra as a reaction
to provocation by karsevaks' and riots in rest of the state as "state
sponsored terrorism". 7. A distorted image of sectarian violence in the
state was projected by the electronic and print media based in Delhi. 8.
Repeated telecasts of arson violence contributed in spreading the tension
to unaffected areas. TV channels ignored warning from officials and kept
telecasting communal riots like infotainment.

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9. Coverage of Machhipiti in Vadodara is an example. One national news
channel went overboard to telecast police firing at Machhipit as if it had
taken place in Ahmedabad. 10. On 27.02.02 the Government of Gujarat
announced a compensation of Rs. 2 lakh for the next of kin of victims of
Godhra carnage. There were protests about discrimination between Hindu and
Muslim victims and the Government announced on March 9 that all victims
would get Rs one lakh. Yet, as late as the first week of April a
Congressperson in USA cited a report in an Indian newspaper to accuse the
Government of discriminating against minorities in the grant of
compensation. The newspaper concerned did not care to inform its readers of
the correct situation. 11. The code of ethics prescribed by the Press
Council of India was violated by the media with impunity. It so enraged the
citizens that several concerned citizens in the disturbed areas suggested
that peace could return to the state only if some of the TV channels were
closed for some weeks. 12. Media did not help to cool down the tempers. It
failed to act as a platform for a dialogue between the Hindus and Muslims
on the one hand and between the people and the establishment on the other.
The Study Team is of the considered opinion that the media in general
failed to perform as conscious and socially responsible gatekeepers of
information. It followed in the footsteps of an American journalist who
said, "My job is to report the facts. I give a damn to the consequences".
Telecasting images that spread hatred and instigated violence is unhealthy,
but their repeated telecast is lethal. The media acted as an interested
party in the confrontation, not a neutral reporter of facts. The team was
alarmed at the intensity of hostile attitude among the people of the state
for Delhi press and television news channels. This attitude was especially
articulated by delegations of intellectuals like lawyers, doctors, and
businessmen. Even the tribals complained that the media had no time to hear
their tale of their agony and was spreading canards against the Hindus.
CONCLUSIONS TERRORISM NURTURED BY COMMUNAL DISHARMONY The Godhra carnage
and related incidents make a typical case study of international designs
and conspiracies to weaken India as an emerging world power. Analysts and
professional strategists of all ideological inclinations converge on one
forecast that India is going to be a major player on the international
scene sooner rather than later. The global community also realizes the
inevitability of India becoming an important economic and military power.
In such a situation it is but natural that nations hostile to India or its
adversaries make all out efforts to create impediments in this process.
Their strategy is to keep India engaged in communal and caste strife so
that the nation's focus on development is defused and its endeavour to

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emerge as a super-power is thwarted. It would surprise no one if Pakistan
with the tacit support of not-so-friendly neighbours and world powers
hatches conspiracies to destablise and weaken the Indian State. A careful
and in-depth analysis, if carried out with an open mind, would throw open
an action plans where terrorist activities appear to be merging with the
already existing strong antagonism between Muslims and Hindus. Our hostile
neighbour, sometimes in the guise of a friend, keeps on creating wounds on
the body polity of our nation. Creation and perpetuation of Kashmir problem
is one such example. The support to the authoritarian regimes in Pakistan
by USA and European countries speaks volumes about the super power's
commitment, or lack of it, to democratic values. Godhra and the wide spread
communal violence in Gujarat in recent weeks is a part of this nefarious
design. The Study Team concludes: 1. Burning of 58 Hindu pilgrims at Godhra
on 27.02.02 was an act of international terrorism carried out with the evil
objective of pushing the country into a communal cauldron. 2. The plan was
to burn the entire train with more than two thousand passengers in the wee
hours of February 27, 2002. It was a terrorist action plan that partly
failed. The perpetrators of the terrorist acts received support from jehadi
elements operating from Godhra. These included some Congress members of the
Nagarpalika. 1. Preparations for enacting Godhra carnage were made in
advance.

2. There were no quarrels or fights between Hindus and Muslim passengers on
the train. 3. There were no quarrels or fights between the vendors and the
Hindu pilgrims on the platform of Godhra Railway Station. 4. The intention
of the mob was to put to death all the pilgrims travelling by the
Sabharmati Express. 5. The fire fighting system available in Godhra was
weakened and its arrival at the place of incident willfully delayed by the
mob with the open participation of a Congress Councillor, Haji Balal. 6.
The demographic changes in Godhra in recent years have made it a center for
jehadi activities. 7. The Army was requisitioned and deployed in time.

8. The police was on many occasions overwhelmed by the rioting mobs that
were massive and carried more lethal weapons than the police did. 9. Police
did not have the training and know-how to mange situations of communal
strife witnessed in the state in recent weeks. 10. Barring a few
exceptions, the police was not found to be communally motivated.

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11. Frequent deployment of army for internal management weakens the defence
of our international borders and facilitates infiltration from across the
border. 12. The local administration and police at Godhra did not take
adequate and prompt action even after the receipt of information about the
attack on the train by an armed mob. The local police was reluctant to use
force against the rioting mob and made no attempt to arrest the leaders of
the gang. 13. The local administration and the police should have been on
the alert in view of the demographic and political changes taking place in
the town. 15. The administration in Godhra, Ahmedabad and Vadodra was on
the whole sensitized to the plight of Muslim minorities in their respective
areas. However, the police failed to protect the citizens from frenzied
mobs indulging in arson, looting and killing. 16. The relief work was
carried out by establishing relief camps for victims of the riots. There
are separate camps for Hindus and Muslims. Refugees are not satisfied with
the facilities available in the camps. 17. Riot-affected citizens belonging
to both the communities are reluctant to go back to their homes due to
communal tension and apprehensions about violence. 18. Although Gujarat is
a state notorious for communal riots, the bureaucracy and the police are
not trained to handle communal riots and to take pre-emptive action to
prevent sectarian violence. 19. Alternate strategies to mange communal
divide have not been worked out. 20. Adverse media reports about role of
officials affected their performance and de-motivated them. Several
officers were reluctant to take firm action. 21. Gujarati language media
was factual and objective. Yet its propensity to highlight the gory
incidents in great details heightened communal tension. 22. English
language media, particularly the Delhi Press, is perceived by the Gujaratis
to be biased. The information disseminated by it was neither balanced nor
impartial. 23. By converting half-baked news stories into major headlines,
print as well as electronic media widened the psychological hiatus between
Muslims and Hindus. 24. By disseminating half-truths and lies, the media
played no mean role in distorting country's image in the World. 25. The
credibility of the media both electronic and print is at dangerously low
ebb in Gujarat.

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The sectarian violence in Gujarat that began in Godhra on 27.02.02 can be
divided into four phases: 1. The first phase was Godhra incident which was
planned and executed by a combination of external and internal jehadi
forces. It lasted for less than an hour. 2. The second phase was the
reaction of Godhra where Hindu pilgrims were roasted alive in the train.
The backlash was very intense for 3-4 days. However, sporadic incidents
continued for several weeks. 3. The third phase began on 15.03.02 after a
Muslim mob attacked a Hindu procession chanting Rama-dhun. Extensive media
coverage of this attack provoked yet another round of communal riots that
lasted for 4/5 days. 4. Sectarian violence continues even more than a month
after Godhra. This fourth phase of violence has no provocation or
justification other than to sustain the "Remove Modi" campaign. It is the
constitutional duty of the State Government to protect citizens and
maintain law and order. It is also in the partisan interest of the ruling
party in the state to put an end to the communal violence as its continuity
in office depends on how soon and how effectively it combats violence. It
is, therefore, hard to reject Chief Minister's contention that the Congress
party that has a vested interest in getting him sacked is perpetuating the
communal violence by provoking stray incidents. Thus the Study Team
concludes: 26. Communal violence in Gujarat has become politicized, and
instead of treating it as human tragedy it is being used to get political
mileage by political parties. 27. Loaded statements made by political
leaders propounding their action plans increases the hiatus between Muslims
and Hindus. 28. Continued communal violence in Gujarat has tarnished the
image of the country in international field thereby reducing its status and
bargaining power. Western countries jealous of India's growing clout in the
international community have used the riots to interfere in our internal
affairs. The Centre has taken some steps to stem the rot but the role of
the opposition is negative. It is encouraging Muslim outfits to involve
foreign powers in their "oust Mody" campaign. 29. On the world canvass
today strong indicators are visible that point to a concerted effort by
jehadi forces to slow down everincreasing importance of India in the world
affairs. 30. There are also concerted efforts to disintegrate India,
politically as well as emotionally. 31. There are elements within the
country that help and collaborate with the forces inimical to India.

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32. The governing class in India is ignorant or willfully blind to the
threat perceptions posed by the jehadi forces. RECOMMENDATIONS ALTERNATE
PLAN OF THOUGHT AND ACTION India cannot escape taking the responsibility of
failure to manage the relationship between Hindus and Muslims just by
pleading that the problem was inherited from the colonial rulers and the
Muslim invaders. Fifty-five years is a long enough period to resolve the
issue. Unfortunately, no serious effort has been made to bring Hindus and
Muslims closer. On the other hand, certain parties for partisan
considerations have exploited the hiatus between the two communities.
External agencies fuel the fire of hatred but they succeed only because
there are weaknesses within the country. International designs find a ready
response from within the civil society as there is a fertile ground for
separatist tendencies to grow. Traditional methods of conflict-resolution
having failed, new systems need to be employed to convert communal mistrust
into national affection and brotherhood. New approaches are required to
convert the weaknesses into strength. A minority as large as the second
largest Muslim country should not feel alienated nor should the majority
community be made to feel that the minorities were appeased at its cost.
The amount of time, energy, effort and other resources that the country
spends for managing the communal conflicts and failing again and again, if
gets diverted to the process of growth and development, India can become a
land of plenty and prosperity. But the old problems must be seen from new
angles and unorthodox measures taken. The intelligentsia will have to come
up with new yet realistic principles and theories of social systems that
are based on ground realities. They must stop romanticizing the miseries of
the nation. The bureaucracy have to devise action plans that show results
within their lifetimes and cease to give extensions to the problem solving
systems. The politicians have to look for alternate means of winning
elections and stop treating citizens as mere voters to be used only as
pawns in the hands of politicians. The nation must accept that Hindus and
Muslims have no options but to live together. There are only two options.
One, to live in amity and the other to live in mutual hostility. Saner
elements in the two communities would prefer the first option. Every action
and situation that carries the potential of disturbing the mutual amity
have to be identified and weeded out. The problem is complex and
multifaceted and solution is bound to be difficult and elusive. But the
country has a large storehouse of brains that can find solutions to still
harder problems. New faces have to be entrusted this job. So a different
set of persons who look at the

29

30
problems from new angles and propose a mix of curative and preventive
measures is the need of the hour. In view of the enormity of the cancerous
problem of communal conflicts and the field experience of recent happenings
in Gujarat the Study Team proposes to recommend a. b. c. long term measures
short term measures and immediate steps to be taken

LONG TERM MEASURES 1. Following groups be constituted to study the problems
of communal conflicts in the country: c. Diagnostic Team: to investigate
the genesis of the process of communal conflict and identify key problem
areas d. Curative Team: to determine the solutions for the problems
identified by the diagnostic team e. Preemptive Action Team: to prepare
action plans so that existing tensions do not flare up and also to ensure
that no new conflict situations arise. The teams should comprise of social
scientists, conflict managers, jurists and media persons. 2. Participation
in the acts of communal violence should be treated as a crime of as serious
nature as an act of terrorism. In no case, communal violence should be
allowed to become a lucrative vocation. 3. Deployment of army for internal
law and order should be confined to the situation of internal emergency.
The enemies of the country should not be allowed to use communal violence
as a strategy for withdrawal of army from the border. 4. In the states,
police forces on the lines of rapid action force be created for deployment
during riots and natural disasters. 5. Election laws need to be amended so
that the politicians are not able to use caste or religion for nurturing
vote banks. Once the politicians are aware that vote banks based on caste
or religion would not serve their purpose, a major portion of the communal
problem will disappear. 6. A citizens standing committee be constituted to
keep a watch on the communal situation so that if and when communal tension
in any part of the country tends to increase the administration is warned
to take preventive measures. Such committees need to be constituted at
State, District, Block and Village levels.

30

31

SHORT TERM MEASURES 7. Several laws and orders passed by the successive
governments have remained on paper only. Two such laws are directly related
with maintenance of communal peace: a. The order to ban the use of loud
speakers in religious places as well as in processions. b. the law to
regulate the sale of property by the members of one community to the other
in communally sensitive areas. It is recommended that the above orders
should be implemented and indirect sale deeds such as on power of attorney
should also be taken care of. All encroachments in important public places,
busy markets, religious places, near railway stations and bus stations as
well as on highways especially at the entry points to the cities should be
cleared. 8. 9. c. d. It is recommended that the orders for the ban of loud
speakers be put to practice with the cooperation with the leaders of
various communities. An inquiry commission should be set up to inquire
into: Economic and social exploitation of tribals in the state. Recommend
ways and means to stop their exploitation

10. Rehabilitation is not merely a physical act of placement of families.
Serious efforts need to be done to restore the emotional state of mind. The
village and mohalla majorities should be intimately involved in the work of
rehabilitation. 11. Gujarat must conduct a review of its police force,
which appears to be ill-equipped to handle communal violence at the level
of recent riots. Special training needs to be given in crowd control
methods.

31

32

IMMEDEATE STEPS TO BE TAKEN 12. The case of issuance of disproportionate
number of passports in Godhra be investigated. 13. Punitive fines be
imposed on the residents of localities where communal violence erupts after
a notified date. 14. Media should use itself as a platform for creating
harmonious relationships between different communities. Its crusade, if at
all, should be for or against the processes and not for or against
individuals. 15. Persons living in relief camps should be provided safe
habitations. Community leaders should be actively involved in managing the
rehabilitation. 16. Persons booked for communal violence must be prosecuted
quickly and given exemplary punishment so that it acts as a deterrent. 17.
An independent commission should examine the role of media, both electronic
and print, during the communal violence in Gujarat. 18. A code-of-conduct
should be developed for the media both for general news gathering and news
presentation and during the communal riots. Till the time new code is
adopted the guidelines given by the Press Council of India for covering
communal tensions should be followed. 19. Television news channels have
very significant influence on the minds of the viewers. If the channels so
desire they can provide a healing touch to the wounded population of
Gujarat. Indian news channels also have the professional talent required
for the job. It is suggested that the television news channels take the
roles of crusaders for peace. 20. A situation of continuous dialogue needs
to be created in every habitation in Gujarat by establishing citizens peace
committees. It has been proved that regular communication links reduces
antagonism between warring groups.

32

End of forwarded article from:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/29259865/Gujarat-Riots-Tewatia-Report

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

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[chhotemianinshallah]

Post by Dušan Vukotić
http://www.angelfire.com/oh/Monkeys2/images/NGMonkey.jpg

March 25, 2010 • 8:00 am
Socio-economic Engineering – an Electoral roadmap for the Center Right

Social Engineering is commonly understood to mean:

efforts to influence popular attitudes and social behaviors on a large
scale, whether by governments or private groups.

Within the Indian political discouse, Social Engineering has been used
to refer to the calculus of caste in electoral politics. More
specifically to the political art of striking the right combination of
caste based entitlements or quotas for electoral succes.

Together with religion based Vote bank politics, caste based Social
Engineering has come to represent conventional political wisdom in
India on which most electoral strategy is formulated.

The common assumption underlying both religion based Vote bank
politics and caste based Social Engineering, is that members will
largely vote with the group in anticipation of group entitlements or
quotas unmindful of individual socio-economic interests.

This assumption has largely held true for the first six decades of
electoral politics in India.

But then the decade gone by has induced a new dynamic into this
calculus of the group. A growing economy has created new avenues and
opportunities where the socio-economic calculus for the Individual is
not necessarily in alignment with the erstwhile politics of the group.
While group entitlements offer the Individual’s family a safety net,
economic aspirations are taking the Individual beyond the comfort zone
of community, village and district.

The cognitive dissonance between

settling for the least common denominator within the group

and

personal advancement by seeking opportunities outside and beyond the
group

may not be a significant factor today, with the false comfort of the
security blanket offered by the Congress Party’s Liberal Left policies
like NREGA, Food Security etc.

But this cognitive dissonance is bound to grow with the passage of
time as the economy rebounds and grows.

It wont be long before this cognitive dissonance reaches a threshold
beyond which it starts to have a bearing on electoral politics.

Unlike Social Engineering, Socio-Economic Engineering is not a well
defined discipline of Political Science.

The Center Right movement in India can give it meaning with a focus on
this latent cognitive dissonance.

Socio Economic engineering could come to mean challenging the
conventional political wisdom on the calculus of vote bank and caste.

to be defined as the act of influencing Individuals to break away from
the group (religious Minority voting block, caste) in making electoral
choices.

Back in December of 2008, Offstumped had dissected the electoral
landscape in Uttar Pradesh from a socio-economic standpoint with the
2002 Census Household Income data as the basis. The key takeaway from
this analysis was the strong correlation between dominant income level
within a district and the dominant political players in that district.
(More details on the analysis below).

This correlation between household income and electoral preferences
gives a basis for the target demographic of Socio-Economic
engineering.

A starting point for the Center Right in electoral politics would be
to identify that Voter with cross-over economic aspirations who can
potentially break away from his or her group.

Socio-Economic engineering by the Center Right would then come to mean
targeting the Individual with cross-over economic aspirations by

#1 creating incentives to break away from the group

#2 emphasizing discincentives in voting with the group.

Summary of Analysis on UP income levels and voting patterns

In this analysis household income was classified into 5 buckets

a) less than 250

b) between 250 and 500

c) between 500 and 1500

d) between 1500 and 2500

e) greater than 2500

While the districts in Uttar Pradesh where classified within six
levels – Level 0 to Level 5

Level 0 – districts where households with income less than 500
outnumber all other income groups

Level 1 – districts where households with income between 500-1500 are
the highest but also have more people with income less than 500 than
those with income greater than 1500 (more poorest of poor than middle
income or rich).

Level 2 – districts where households with income between 500-1500 are
not just the highest but also outnumber the poorest of poor and the
rich by a wide margin. (middle income districts where both the poor
and the relatively well to do are a minority)

Level 3 – districts where households with income between 500-1500 are
the highest but the relatively rich (income greater 1500) outnumber
the poor (income less than 500) consistent with the overall
characteristics of the state

Level 4 – districts where households with income greater than 1500
outnumber households with income between 500-1500

Level 5 – districts where 1500-2500 is the highest income group
overall in the state

At the aggregate state level it was also interesting to note that
Uttar Pradesh not only has the highest number rural households in the
middle income group of 500-1500 with 71 lakhs but more interestingly
the number of households with income greater than 1500 (60 lakhs) far
outnumbers the number of households with income less than 500 (30
lakhs).

An interesting insight from the analysis was the strong correlation
between dominant income level within a District and the nature of
electoral contest in the assembly seats within that the District in
the 2007 assembly elections.

3 Responses

sridhar krishna says:
March 25, 2010 at 8:53 am

A good effort. Just to indicate how big the gulf is – look at the
income levels used. Though you have not indicated the periodicity it
would be safe to assume it is per month.

on the other hand the income of the top percentile (or so) per day
would be more. These are the group that are active on the internet and
talk of “State of Union” address or “health Bill”. Shades of Marie
Antoinette.

Though i dont want to be alarmist like Arundati roy and talk of
revolution the gap is certainly not shrinking but widening. unless
this is addressed as a priority nothing else would work in the long
run

rgds / sridhar

Ladder of Opportunity versus Safety of the Net « Offstumped – Center
Right Indian Politics says:
March 27, 2010 at 6:01 am

[...] Older » [...]

Pub Chick says:
March 27, 2010 at 1:04 pm

“with the false comfort of the security blanket offered by the
Congress Party’s Liberal Left policies like NREGA, Food Security etc.”

So you admit this NREGA gives a sense of comfort — true or false —
that being the case what’s the rationale for your following post
quoting Surjit Bhalla? I am really curious to know. You can’t have it
both ways — you either say it’s a fiscally ruinous scheme which lulls
people into false sense of security or say it’s not working on the
ground in any way at all. One excludes the other.

http://offstumped.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/socio-economic-engineering-electoral-roadmap-for-the-center-right/

March 27, 2010 • 6:00 am

Ladder of Opportunity versus Safety of the Net

Part 2 of series on Socio Economic Engineering – an electoral roadmap
for the Center Right

Eminent economist Dr. Surjit Bhalla writing in the Business Standard
had this to say of the UPA’s flagship program – National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA/NREGS/MNREG)

Despite tall claims, the NREGA programme is just a dud as most other
“in the name of the poor” expenditures – and as much of a dud as
predicted by Rajiv Gandhi

Despite repeated evidence for the last 20 years that “in the name of
the poor programmes” reach everybody but the poor, the well-meaning
socialist but not-so-realist Congress party renamed and expanded
existing food for work programmes under its own Congress brand as
NREGA, and now MREGA. (Ironically, but poetic-justice style, the
latter acronym also means “to die”!). It spends Rs 8,823 crore on the
programme in 2006-07 (and Rs 39,000 crore in 2009-10) and is able to
actually deliver only 14.7 per cent (Rs 1,270 crore) to the targeted
audience?!

Dr. Bhalla is being very charitable in his description of the Congress
Party but his pithy remarks on NREGA highlight the false sense of
security and comfort underlying the Liberal Left policies of the UPA.

Social Engineering of the communal variety receieved a boost this week
with the Supreme Court’s interim order upholding Muslim Reservations
in Andhra. This is just the beginning, more can be expected if this
reaction from Abhishek Singhvi is anything to go by. It is clear that
the Congress Party wants to further its Liberal Left agenda by
expanding group entitlements or quotas on religious grounds.

This brings us back to the fundamental challenge for Socio-economic
Engineering -

how must it capture popular imagination of the aspirational voter to
motivate him or her to cross-over ?

If the core premise behind Social Engineering and Left Liberalism was

to convince the voter to settle for the least common denominator
within his or her group on the pretext of having the security of a
safety net

then the core premise behind Socio-Economic Engineering must be

to motivate the voter that there is no reason to settle for the least
common denominator within the group for even the highest of
aspirations will be within reach by climbing on to the Ladder of
Opportunity

There maybe merit in framing the popular debate between the Liberal
Left policies of the Congress and the policy of prescriptions of the
Center Right as a choice between the Ladder and the Net.

The Net may offer safety but then there is no getting out of the Net
once trapped.

There is nothing progressive about the Net for there is no avenue to
progress.

The Net only weighs you down as it gets burdened with more and more to
support

The metaphorical Ladder on the other hand is

by design progressive with opportunities to rise in each and every
step.

by design inclusive and non-discriminatory for with every step an
individual takes to rise, an opportunity is created for the next to
rise and occupy

Pragmatism and realism would suggest that the Ladder of Opportunity
cannot stand alone without the Safety of the Net, leading one to ask
where lies the distinction between Socio-economic Engineering and
Social Engineering ?

That distinction will have to be made by emphasizing the primacy of
the Ladder over the Net

for if there was no ladder there would be no need to cast a wide net
for safety

It may also be asked how different is the metaphor of “Ladder plus
Net”for Socio-Economic Engineering from the “Growth with Distribution”
model touted by Rahul Gandhi.

More on that in the third and concluding part in this series on Socio-
economic Engineering.

37 Responses

Pub Chick says:
March 27, 2010 at 10:00 am

Surjit Bhalla is a money manager (and not a very good one if his
returns are to be taken into account). Since when did money managers
become eminent economists?

And you or your eminence seem to ignore the basic function of a social
net: to be a net that’s only purpose is to exist, regardless of its
efficiency. Simply because its existence encourages risk and growth in
other aspects of the economy.

cynicalcount says:
March 27, 2010 at 12:06 pm

Pubchick

How did you arrive at the conclusion that Surjit bhalla is a money
manager? Kindly educate us poor folks on how you concluded what bhalla
is?

Pub Chick says:
March 27, 2010 at 12:37 pm

That’s he calls himself. It’s not even my definition. In case you did
not know, he owns and runs an investment firm called Oxus Investments
(www.oxusinvestments.com ). Apart from being a money manager, he
writes for the Business Standard and has a talk show on TV. These
things don’t make anyone an Economist.

Pub Chick says:
March 27, 2010 at 12:54 pm

And by the way, why would you question something as obvious as Surjit
Bhalla’s occupation? I mean he says that every time he writes a column
or makes one of those annoying appearances on TV.

What’s with the overall hostile tone, darling? Don’t you like this
blog author being questioned or do you dislike my dislike for ugly
men?

iHindu007 says:
March 28, 2010 at 5:14 am

“Since when did money managers become eminent economists?”

Since when did pub chicks become political analysts?

Pub Chick says:
March 28, 2010 at 8:00 am

Dearest horny boy, it takes no political analysis to say people who
are not economists by profession and have no eminence to show for that
profession which they don’t claim to practice are not eminent
economists.

iHindu007 says:
March 29, 2010 at 12:30 pm

About NREGA

Sreelatha Menon: Caderisation of rural India
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/sreelatha-menon-caderisationrural-india/00/31/388513/

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) has converted many
villagers in India into card-holders, who will get a minimum of 100
days work every year. Since that is not happening so easily, the
strategy devised by civil society leaders is to unite the villagers
into cadres, on the lines of trade unions.

The drive, led by top activists, will create many a local Joan of Arc
who can at a moment’s notice get entire villages to take to the
streets, file petitions in courts and make it difficult for the state
to ignore their concerns.

MUCH MUCH MORE IN THE ARTICLE.

Pub Chick says:
March 29, 2010 at 1:07 pm

Yes yes, can you please stop pasting someone else’s opinion/ source
and actually do your own analysis?

Or tell me why Surjit Bhalla is an eminent economist or how this post
of the blog author squares with his previous post? The author seems to
contradict himself and none of the horny boys seem to notice.

It’s not enough to criticize something darlings, you should at the
very least have the courage to be consistent within that framework —
and not pick two criticisms which contradict each other.

Mala says:
March 29, 2010 at 2:17 pm

@Pubchick – I suppose you have lot of time on your hands as you post
so regularly and frequently. I have a small doubt, if you find every
reader of this blog as ugly and horny, why are you here? I mean doesnt
it make better sense to go to some blog where handsome hunks post
messages and the author of the blog is always consistent? My IQ is
much lower than an eminent personality like you who I am sure will be
remembered as the next Albert Einstein in times to come but will be
obliged if you can reply your purpose of coming to his blog and
calling everyone names. Does calling others ugly make you feel happy
in life?

Pub Chick says:
March 29, 2010 at 2:44 pm

Mala, assume it does make me happy.

Now, will you explain the contradictions of blog author? And explain
why someone is an eminent economist or how the NREGA can’t fail and
succeed at the same time?

BabuJadhav(Jai Shri Ram) says:
March 29, 2010 at 9:14 pm
Surjit S. Bhalla is managing director of Oxus Research and
Investments, a New Delhi-based economic research, asset management,
and emerging-markets advisory firm. He taught at the Delhi School of
Economics and worked at the Rand Corporation, the Brookings
Institution, and at both the research and _treasury departments of the
World Bank. He has also worked at Goldman Sachs (1992-94) and Deutsche
Bank (1994-96). He is author of Imagine There’s No Country: Poverty,
Inequality, and Growth in the Era of Globalization(2002). His research
interests are fiscal policy (flat tax?), economic history (do
institutions cause growth?), and macroeconomic policy (the role of
exchange rates in economic development). He has been a member of
several government of India committees on economic policy, most
recently the committee on capital account convertibility. He is on the
board of India’s largest think tank and is an appointed member of the
National Statistical Commission of India. He is also a regular
contributor to
newspapers and magazines on economics, politics, and cricket.
And Karvy calls him “Dr. Bhalla is a well known and respected
economist” source:http://www.karvy.com/face2face/surjitbhalla.htm
Now Pub Chick, tell us why you think he shouldn’t be considered an
economist ?
———————————————————————————————————————————–
On why NREGA is a failure, because :-
1) It wasting away hard earned money most of which ends up with Babus,
you Google away on this. I think PubChick lives on Babus kala dhan
that is why she supports NREGA scam.
2) And for thousands of crores it is wasting away, It provides only
TEMPORARY jobs for only 100 days, tell me Pub Chick will these people
and their children go into hibernation for the rest of 265 days ?
3) Money and effort is being used for silly things like planting
tress, rather than in construction of lakhs of schools delivering
skill development courses.
4) These people’s life and employment is dependent on continuous
supply of lakhs of cores. Once the money stop, they lose their job and
many would lose their life,
5) It is hampering the growth of Industry which is lot more
sustainable than NREGA(dependent of lakhs of cores of tax money) which
can provide employment to masses by artificially inflating the cost of
labor and making them less competitive than Vietnam China etc.
6) This money is doing NOTHING in terms of skill and entrepreneurial
development which is the need of hour. With their current skill set
the are simply unemployable in anything other than Agriculture which
we cannot reply upon.
So rather than teaching them how to fish, we are giving them fish for
100 days only.
I guess those 100 days are enough to make the poor vote for the same
people, and keep elites like Pub Chick in power.
While rest of 265 days the poor can contemplate killing themselves and
their children, at least our Pub Chick can drown on tequila.
———————————————————————————————————————————-
On Pub Chick’s use of words like “horny” “ugly” :-
These are clearly a sign of Freudian Projection. Which is defined
as :- “is the unconscious act of denial of a person’s own attributes,
thoughts, and emotions, which are then ascribed to the outside world,
such as to the weather, the government, a tool, or to other people.
Thus, it involves imagining or projecting that others have those
feelings.”
So IMHO Pub Chick suffers from some inferiority complex related to her
physical appearance, you know feels “ugly” due social isolation
“horny”.
If feel sad and also concerned for her, because I have seen other
people on Internet who had similar trollish behaviour and would create
a cocoon of lies around themselves related to their physical
appearance and would taunt other random people calling them ugly and
whore etc.
She is obviously trying to project “ugliness” “hornyness” to make
herself feel better, to feel like she is not alone and there might be
people uglier and with more fetishes than her. She does that on
Internet because peoples true appearance is hidden and such Freudian
Projection in real life with real people with result into cognitive
dissonance
But sadly, the trolls cannot keep up with lies. Often their true
pictures and videos would leak and reveal their true identity. I
remember a girl who tried to commit suicide when this happened to her.
So Pub Chick, for your own good please consult a good psychiatrist.
And remember you must not give up on life. And also no matter what the
world says, you must remain confident and believe that there is some
good inside you.

What is outside is irrelevant.

And you can always fall back on your pub and drown in tequila to
forget about these sad things, also you can always come here and troll
random people.

Pub Chick says:
March 29, 2010 at 9:43 pm

Karvy calls him an Economist? What’s next? Rediff? Or that RSS thing
called Organizer? He is not an eminent economist because he is not a
professional economist anymore and has no papers of any repute to
claim at any time. He is now a money manager because he calls himself
that.

And whatever makes you think I claim NREGA is a success? I don’t have
the data to claim either way. I had just pointed out this blog’s
author had made contradicting criticism which can’t both be right. One
can’t claim no money is being spent and also claim it’s fiscally
ruinous. That takes no googling even.

Regarding your Freudian analysis, I suspect Wren & Martin may be more
offended than Freud. That’s alright, we shall work on that.

drummasala says:
March 29, 2010 at 10:31 pm

Jadhav Saheb,

This Pubchick has little IQ. She does not know what BP stands for? i.e
Blood Pressure.

She has negative attraction or fetish towards what she thinks are ugly
men. I think she had earlier fallen in love with one ugly man, who
dumped her. Thats why she has some grudge and thinks every man is
ugly. She definitely needs a psychiatrist.

way2go says:
March 29, 2010 at 11:35 pm

Hey People..just chyll…….. PUBCHIC is just drunk so no need to argue.

She should better find out Why Barkha Datt was awarded and what made
her an eminent journalist?

Maybe Barkha can explain her while both can enjoy in the Pub at the
same time.

offstumped says:
March 30, 2010 at 12:38 am

Dear Pub Chick

Dont know who is sponsoring you but thanks for keeping the comments on
this blog alive.

As far as Surjit S Bhalla’s economic credentials go a simple search on
Google Scholar would have settled the issue.

http://scholar.google.co.in/scholar?num=100&hl=en&q=economist%20Surjit%20Bhalla&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ws

As far as your other comments on NREGA go

Observation #1 NREGA is a disaster by SS Bhalla’s yardstick because it
doesnt deliver on its promise

Observation #2 NREGA gives a false hope of safety

are distinct and unrrelated.

The first is an objective assessment of the scheme against its
promised goals.

The second is a subjective assessment of voter’s attitude towards NREA
from a electoral politics standpoint.

Hope that settles the issue for you.

Keep them coming.

Pub Chick says:
March 30, 2010 at 5:44 am

If you think those two observations are actually unreLated, what can I
say. Except to say I offer to draw a tautology cheat sheet for you.

And thanks for reinforcing the lack of eminence of our Bhalla with
that scholar link. There is not a dingle paper there worth the
mention. If I did miss something, let me know.

Targeting Middle India – Socio-economic Engineering Part 3 «
Offstumped – Center Right Indian Politics says:
March 30, 2010 at 6:27 am

[...] Targeting Middle India – Socio-economic Engineering Part 3 Third
and Concluding part of series on Socio-Economic Engineering (Part 1 &
Part 2) [...]

offstumped says:
March 30, 2010 at 6:56 am

Please enlighten with tautology and on your yardstick on “worthy of
mention”

Pub Chick says:
March 30, 2010 at 7:16 am

Sure, will do that when I get to a computer. But I must say it’s
rather astonishing that you state an obvious tautology with a straight
face and call it unrelated.

Pub Chick says:
March 30, 2010 at 10:31 am

Your observation #1 is dependent on actual disbursement and
utilization of the funds. Bhalla is basically saying NREGA is a
failure because it is not even good enough to use the fund it’s
allotted. He also throws some random Rajiv quotes on efficiency in the
middle of the original column — as I remember reading it in the print
version of his column.

Now your Observation #2 says it gives false hope and safety. In your
original post you even claim this is visible on the ground and even
credit this policy of changing electoral outcomes. For a policy to
actually translate to the hope and safety you claim, however false
they may be, observation #1 has to essentially be false. Since the
disbursement of the funds in some sense is what gives the false hope/
change. It is perfectly reasonable to assume those who do get that
sense are not the kind of people who read the entire legislative
paperwork or the latest story on this by The Economist (the one last
week). And your own post accepts to this reality.

So, unless observation #1 is absolutely false, observation #2 cannot
stand. And vice-versa. Now, please pick one of the above and not both
to criticize the NREGA.

Coming to our man Bhalla, I think the established way of ascertaining
someone’s eminence in a modern academic discipline is to hunt for
their citations and the h-index. On that, Bhalla scores a near 0. So,
it’s fair to say he is not an eminent economist. But I think the
looking into his research productivity and citation is meaningless
when he himself does not call him an economist! Forget an eminent one.
That should be your biggest hint.

Jai71 says:
March 30, 2010 at 11:39 am

Pub Chick,
You are IMO driving a logical argument – but not willing to look
beyond the words used per se. And also trying to be simplistic i feel.

A. NREGA is a failure because it did not meet / is not meeting the
goals it had for itself – low disbursement could be one of the issues

B. But NREGA has affected electoral outcomes – there are two aspects
you should look at:

a. To affect electoral outcomes, it is not necessary for NREGA to
actually be implemented FULLY. Implementation to the tune of the vote
swing should be sufficient (am sure you are aware how close the
electoral race is – and what % of votes the winner actually needs)

b. “Poor villager (NREGA recipient) being happy about NREGA” does NOT
mean NREGA SUCCESS! – Some of NREGA goals may have been met, but then
I hope a give away of this size also has some other goals!!

*** Disclaimer – I have only limited knowledge about NREGA and its
goals…
Cheers!
Jai

Mala says:
March 30, 2010 at 11:47 am

@Pubchick – I dont see the purpose of u logging to this blog except to
show your arguementative powers. Perhaps you have memorized wren and
martin as a child but why exhibit that talent here. Is this a forum to
show your language skills? Also be kind enough to show us some link
where Bhalla calls himself a money manager.

Pub Chick says:
March 30, 2010 at 12:17 pm

Jai,

I think your larger disclaimer must have been about your ignorance of
the electoral sample space and significance parameters of variables. I
am ignorant on those aspects as well. Which is why I took this blog
authors’ assertion at face value for the purpose of this argument.

I have no idea of NREGA and its merits on the ground. My only point is
that this author was being intellectually dishonest by using two
contradictory criticisms.

Mala, I don’t know where you live. But I am sure Business Standard is
available in some form. Please buy a copy on a Sunday and read
Bhalla’s byline. And, why would I shy away from showing my
argumentative powers if I think this blog author is being self-
contradictory?

Jai71 says:
March 30, 2010 at 12:39 pm

Pub Chick,
You are unbelievable – so your ignorance is better than mine… wow!
What logic & argument!!

And as for intellectual dishonesty – please re-read my post.

Bottomline: NREGA affects electoral outcome (positively for Congress)
_IS_NOT_EQUAL_ to NREGA is a failure.

if you still dont get it – pl stop acting like you are some guru of
logical reasoning…

Cheers!
Jai

Pub Chick says:
March 30, 2010 at 12:44 pm

Jai, I am sorry I actually thought you were non-ugly.

Jai71 says:
March 30, 2010 at 12:51 pm

Hey Pub Chick!

I like what you are thinking…

Pub Chick says:
March 30, 2010 at 12:58 pm

Excellent.

Now get back to argumentation and ignore the argument.

cynicalcount says:
March 30, 2010 at 2:02 pm

I remember a year or two ago there was this troll called “Balaji” who
used to act in a fashion similar to this newbie troll “Pubchick”.
Maybe, Balaji has changed his gender. Good thing about them is they
keep the debates going with light/fun postings which are can provide
laughter for sometime atleast.
-Pubchick – Do you have a blog somewhere? I would like to get my daily
laughter quota from there if you dont mind.

BabuJadhav(Jai Shri Ram) says:
March 30, 2010 at 5:23 pm

Post by Dušan Vukotić
Now your Observation #2 says it gives false hope and safety. In your original post you even claim this is visible on the ground and even credit this policy of changing electoral outcomes.

Electoral gains can be cause of many reasons, one must remember that
those who handle the process of elections also handle the process of
disbursement of NREGA’s money.

And one mustn’t underestimate our Babudom’s capability to squeeze out
some honey for Buccha logs, may be PapaPub chick brings a lot of honey
or Daru for our PubChick to drown her depression and self
loathing ??

And whichever party helps to increase under the table and over the
table income, will get Officialdom’s protection

At the same time, some chillad can be thrown to the needy the same way
they are given chicken and daru before voting for our eminent Mannu.

And let us not underestimate ignorance of the masses, who votes simply
on the basis of promises made, especially when those are for Jaat and
Minorities.

Post by Dušan Vukotić
For a policy to actually translate to the hope and safety you claim, however false they may be, observation #1 has to essentially be false. Since the disbursement of the funds in some sense is what gives the false hope/ change. It is perfectly reasonable to assume those who do get that sense are not the kind of people who read the entire legislative paperwork or the latest story on this by The Economist (the one last week). And your own post accepts to this reality.

Can’t help your ignorance or maybe daru that makes you see world in
black ‘n white, But lets work on it (you won’t need daru if only you
world work on your mental illness and physical situation).

The poor can get false sense of hope thanks to promises by Babus-Baba-
Mannu-Amma(s), that if they lose their current job or if agriculture
isn’t enough to drown the hunger that they can fall back on 100 days
of GUARANTEED job.

At the same time, there MANY who managed to get job for only few days
and not 100 and many more didn’t get paid for work. So even those who
are getting work right now, may not get work in future or many not get
paid. So they are also libing on flase sense of hope

And lastly, this schme in not certainly not sustainable and might get
cancelled of amended in future, hence again it gives false sense of
hope to poor.

But at least our Pub Chick is getting her daru, right. ??

Now was it so hard to figure it out on your own ??, of course it was
but we will work on it Pub Chick and make your feel smart and Pretty.

So lets do a mantra because certainly this is too much work for your
sad brain, :-

Repeat following 20 times every 6 hours or when you feel very sad :-

“I am smarty, I am pretty, not horny, not ugly, THE WORLD is HORNY,
THE WORLD IS UGLY, but I am PRETTY”

Post by Dušan Vukotić
So, unless observation #1 is absolutely false, observation #2 cannot stand. And vice-versa. Now, please pick one of the above and not both to criticize the NREGA.

Experience cognitive dissonance ? Just do as your Psychologist told
you to do when this happens, don’t accept the reality and kindly
continue with your self righteous journey through your ass.

Post by Dušan Vukotić
Coming to our man Bhalla, I think the established way of ascertaining someone’s eminence in a modern academic discipline

Since when was Economics was limited to “academic discipline” ?? Sure
there is need to teach and further its development, but this is done
with objective to apply this knowledge.

And Bhalla is involved in its application, his work requires the
knowledge of functioning if economies and how it can be exploited for
better returns.

So your way is simply the daru doing the thinking, it is certainly not
the established way. The established way of ascertaining eminence on
an individual is by the recognition of their knowledge ans skills by
their peers and recognized institution in the said field.

Post by Dušan Vukotić
is to hunt for their citations and the h-index. On that, Bhalla scores a near 0. So, it’s fair to say he is not an eminent economist.

Let me say that this is a big hint for everyone that Pub Chick is a
retard or simply ignorant.

Post by Dušan Vukotić
But I think the looking into his research productivity and citation is meaningless when he himself does not call him an economist! Forget an eminent one.

Did he tell you personally that he is not an economist ?, and what do
you call people who have studied and apply the knowledge of economics
in different feild ?

His firm is involved in “economic research”, yet you are still spewing
our this drivel.

Lets see what his firm which is involved in economic research says
about Bhalla :-

“Dr. Surjit S. Bhalla is the Chairman of Oxus Investments. His profile
provides Oxus with a powerful mix of fund management, and applied
economic and policy research. His experience with premier policy
institutes such as the Rand Corporation, the Brookings Institution and
the World Bank offers useful input in formulating global macro
strategies.

Since 1991, Dr. Bhalla has been directly engaged in financial markets.
Prior to establishing Oxus, he was Director and Chief Global
Strategist, Emerging Markets Deutsche Bank; Vice President and
Proprietary Trader Goldman Sachs; and Chief Investment Officer, World
Bank. He has been a consultant/advisor to Warburg Pincus since 1998.

He is on the board of a major think tank (NCAER), as well as Gargi
College, Delhi University. He has been a member of the Change and
Prosperity program at The Aspen Institute since 2002. He is also a
frequent contributor to media on issues related to government policy
and financial markets. He is also the author of a widely read
fortnightly column in leading financial newspapers.

___Dr. Bhalla holds a PhD in Economics from Princeton University____,
a Masters degree in Public Policy and International Affairs from the
Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University and a Bachelors degree in
Electrical Engineering from Purdue University”.
——————————————————————————————————————————

So he have studied Economics and that do at one of the best
institution in the world, those who can use Google Scholar certainly
won’t be acting like a retard, in his work he applies his knowledge in
Economic research, recognized institution in field of economics like
Delhi School of Economics,Rand Corporation, World Bank,Goldman
Sachs,Deutsche Bank have recognized him and hence he is an EMINENT
ECONOMIST.

Also he have written various papers, studies and books in the same
field.

This is obvious enough for anyone who is endowed with even average
mental faculties, but certainly it is too much stress for a Pub Chik.

Post by Dušan Vukotić
That should be your biggest hint.

It is a hint that our Pub Chick is suffering from some serious disease
preventing her/him the use of more than few brain cells.

I know how you feel Pub Chick, no worries there is more to the world
that Sex and Knowledge and Love. There is Daru.

And yes those Hindu Sri Ram Sena guys who left you high and dry and
ignored you as if you were some kind of stool even when you were
trying hard to lure even a blind to show some love.

They did this because they were Ugly and Horny and into Ugly and Horny
girls.

They couldn’t see the pretty in you.

But the Psecular Zakhir Naik sees the Pretty in you, so what he ues
the faciliy of bown paper bag. He is into Pubchik. Hes loves your.

And yes YOU ARE PRETTY, and you don’t need to devour those sleeiping
pills because there is someone who can see pretty in you.

And then there is always Daru, that you can fall back on.

Just repeat the mantra I taught you.

Pub Chick says:
March 30, 2010 at 7:44 pm

This is awesome. BabuJhadhav, I now nominate you my first project. I
take upon myself the task of making you non-ugly and non-stupid.

6 months.

Ashok says:
March 30, 2010 at 8:05 pm

Pub Chick seems to be paid by Congis to act as their full time
supporter on the web. They may have hired lot of others too. After
controlling TV and news paper media, now they want to control the web
too. Unless these “ugly” creatures are blocked, we cannot have
sensible discussion here.

BabuJadhav(Jai Shri Ram) says:
March 30, 2010 at 8:14 pm

@Pub Chick

Yup that is the attitude you need to survive in this hard environment,
especially with your physical _situation_

And yes the world is ugly and you are pretty,

In fact we need a internalBeauty Contest for Special People to remind
that there exist some internal beauty in people of your kind.

BTW, I can see noticeable difference in your behavior so it seems that
Daru and Zakir Naiks Brown bag therapy is working you.

And are you chaning the “I am Pretty and the rest Ugly” mantra ??

Pub Chick says:
March 30, 2010 at 8:23 pm

Ashok, who is Congis? I really would like to get paid for this though
— that would make for a novel that many many white boys will fawn
over.

drummasala says:
March 30, 2010 at 8:31 pm

Because of pubchik, Offstumped has become very interesting. People
relieves their day to day tensions by reading pubchick’s posts. Keep
them coming.

BabuJadhav(Jai Shri Ram) says:
March 30, 2010 at 8:42 pm

@Pub Chick

You should stop the use of word “ugly” “horny”, remember you need to
do this to feel good about yourself.

And you need to feel good about yourself so that you don’t drastic
description to end your harsh life by cutting your wrist and such.

==========================================

Guys make Pub Chick feel comfortable, by doing this you are doing
social service by helping an emo.

Therefore help make Pub Chick feel pretty, as far as her rest of the
drivel is concerned please ignore it as she is not in proper state of
mind to use more than fe brain cells.

Pub Chick says:
March 30, 2010 at 9:23 pm

Babu boy, here is first lesson. Stop speaking to others assuming
intellect over them. Now this mostly makes you non-ugly.

But it’s easier said than done. Watch me.

drummasala says:
March 30, 2010 at 10:21 pm

Pubchick, do you know any pubs for ugly horny men? I think you might
know lot of those.

http://offstumped.wordpress.com/2010/03/27/ladder-of-opportunity-versus-safety-of-the-net/

March 30, 2010 • 6:27 am

Targeting Middle India – Socio-economic Engineering Part 3

Third and Concluding part of series on Socio-Economic Engineering
(Part 1 & Part 2)

Duetsche Bank Research released a report on February 15th 2010 titled
The Middle Class in India – Issues and Opportunities

Some highlights extracted from this report that are of relevance to
this discussion on Socio-Economic Engineering and targeting Middle
India.

#1 -While there is no official definition of the middle class,
estimates range from 30 million to approximately 300 million people.

#2 Even using the most generous estimates of the group‟s size, the
middle class comprises less than 30 percent of the population

#3 The importance of the middle class lies in the fact that it is the
fastest growing segment of the population

#4 while the total population will increase almost 30% between 2005
and 2025, the middle class population will increase approximately 10
times or almost 1000% during this period

#5 the middle class might see less of a link between their priorities
(the CLSA survey found the number one political priority for the
middle class over the next 12 months was employment) and a new
government vs. the poor (who are typically more concerned with things
such as basic healthcare infrastructure or farm loan waivers that are
more directly linked to the government).

#6 A stronger political drive in the middle class would force or
enable the government to also focus on issues that are of concern to
them.

The report also puts into perspective why the flawed Liberal Left
agenda of the Congress is meeting with electoral success

#1 The Gini coefficient (a measure of inequality where 100 = high
levels of inequality and 0 equals no inequality in an economy) is
rather low for India overall compared to other EMs at less than 35 but
has been increasing since economic liberalisation

#2 although the poverty rate has been reduced, the rich continue to
get richer in comparison

#3 As the middle class remains apathetic towards political
participation as is currently thought, then the trend of focusing on
poorer (often rural) voters to win elections could remain the dominant
political paradigm in India.

The Liberal Left agenda of the Congress has benefited from the twin
factors of Middle Class apathy and Demographic advantage by
simultaneously targeting the poor and the elite rich.

This simultaneous targeting of a Demographic majority by the Congress
can be best appreciated when viewed through the prism of what Rahul
Gandhi calls “Growth with distribution”.

“Growth with distribution” is not just about targeting the poor with
entitlements but it also about keeping the elite rich in power through
this unholy nexus between Crony Capitalism and Politicians.

Pratap Bhanu Mehta writing in the Indian Express today (clicking on
this link may lead to virus infection), alerts us once again to the
Congress’ strategy to consolidate power.

The Congress is widening its target demographic base by giving a new
definition to the Poverty Line to expand Entitlements and is giving a
religious twist to Backwardness to increase Quotas.

But then as Pratap Bhanu Mehta puts it hubris and complacency can
still trip the Congress but it will take bold imagination for an
alternative agenda to succeed.

Where is the Opportunity

As the Duetsche Bank Report says

#1 The growth of the middle class and the economic growth of India are
in a virtuous cycle.

#2 As the middle class grows and continues to increase domestic
demand, the economy will also continue to grow

#4 The growth of the middle class will force more businesses to expand
and also force new business to take root

The opportunity for the Center Right agenda lies in what the Deutsche
Bank Report calls

the key point in ensuring that the link between middle class growth
and economic growth continues to strengthen

And that is in

providing the right education and skills to the middle class and
creating enough opportunities in society to absorb these

Conclusion

Socio Economic Engineering could be the vehicle for the Center Right
movement to target Middle India with a “bold and imaginative” agenda.

A beginning must be made by

Step#1 – Giving a new broad definition to this fast growing
demographic segment called the “Middle Class”

Step#2 – Micro-targeting based on issues that directly relate to
economic priorities of the various sub-segments that make up this
broad Middle Class

Step#3 – Structuring an electoral agenda around the “Ladder of
Opportunites plus Safety Net” paradigm to address those priorities

22 Responses

Umesh says:
March 30, 2010 at 7:34 am

Yossarin,
A moot point. Your views are very well taken. But, the problem is
that, u need to articulate the same in much more simplified fashion.

The Bottomline of ur argument deals with economics. But, this blog
attracts mostly Ideological people.

if you want to attract a different segment , you might need to write
in a much more lucid and simpler language.

Bottomline is, india understands money. You could write this in a
language ur ordinary IT professional or a simple trader in a
stationary shop understands better.

have to say, that ur comments are very incisive.

offstumped says:
March 30, 2010 at 7:38 am

Umeshji – point well taken, all debate is work in progress, will
refine the points over time with contextual examples.

arjun says:
March 30, 2010 at 11:26 am

BJP has to do the following;

1) Hold the base i.e 18% of the vote share.

2) Increase voteshare among SCs STs. Even a gain of 2-3% voteshare
would reduce Congress voteshare by the same amount. This ca be done by
consistently reaching out to SCs/STs and giving them prominent
position in the organisation.

3) Alliances with regional parties in key states to consolidate anti
Congress votes.

Pub Chick says:
March 30, 2010 at 12:42 pm

arjun,

why are you worried about the BJP? Does the BJP worry about you? But
if you ugly or horny, no one will. The answer, my boy, is Unilever. Or
some other company that produces skincare products.

Maybe we should make the global CEO of Unilever India’s Prime Minister
by default. That will solve bad politics and ugly people. Two birds,
one stone.

Though, horniness might remain yet.

cynicalcount says:
March 30, 2010 at 2:05 pm

Pubchick – Why are you worried about Arjun or anyone else being ugly
or horny? Does the ugly or horny people worry about you? The answer my
boy or my girl is a good counsellor. Or some good reputed mental
asylum.

Pub Chick says:
March 30, 2010 at 2:19 pm

Worry not darling, I shall help you too.

cynicalcount says:
March 30, 2010 at 2:34 pm

Unfortunately I would have to decline your offer Pubchick. Kindly
continue your rantings here. Good fun they are.

Pub Chick says:
March 30, 2010 at 2:41 pm

I am the one ranting? Okay!

BabuJadhav(Jai Shri Ram) says:
March 30, 2010 at 6:50 pm

@Pub Chick

You are still carrying around the grudge, that certainly isn’t good
for you.

You know how that affects your diet and BP and in turn your physical
appearance.

This is a vicious cycle that you must come out of.

Repeat after me :-

“Sri Ram sena boys neglected me not because I am ugly even when I was
trying hard to lure them, but because _they_ are ugly and horny and
are into ugly and horny girls”

Say that :-

“I am Pub Chick, and I have inner beauty that my love Pseculars like
Zakir Naik can see”

Also :-

“My Daru loves me and makes me feel good about myself”

——————————————————–

Guys let us sympathize with people with mental illness, lets make her
feel better about herself. Otherwise who knows she might give up and
devour sleeping pills leaving behind one ugly world that continuously
reminded her of her external appearance.

She compensates for lack of love and self confidence with use of
perverted word and indulges in Freudian Projection.

Poor PubChick, I think it is time for your Daru therapy. Remember
world is ugly, but you have inner beauty.

Fanatic_Hiindu says:
March 30, 2010 at 10:45 pm

Awright,
If pubchick responds this will be fun . Incidentally, we Hindu
fanatics are enjoy our drink too along with a spice of Pink floyd.

Too bad the Christmas carols with the Paedophiliac touch does not
enthuse us well enough.

Jingle the bell , Pussy’s[Pun completely unintended] in the well

Where are you, My sweet[pinch of salt] little Pubby queen?

BabuJadhav(Jai Shri Ram) says:
March 31, 2010 at 12:28 am

@Fanatic_Hiindu

She may call you horny and ugly, but trust me bro you attention has
given her a new life.

After the attack by the Boys of Sri Ram Sena, she was heart broken
that every one ignored her as if she didn’t exist.

What you have done is a pure social serivice, might have even saved a
life.

Aapne Punya ka kaam Kiya hai.

I think at least today she don’t need to resort to intoxicant to put
her self to rest.

Sweet dreams, remember at least Fanatic_Hiindu likes you.

And yes chant your mantra.

BabuJadhav(Jai Shri Ram) says:
March 31, 2010 at 12:29 am

[Sweet dreams, remember at least Fanatic_Hiindu likes you.

And yes chant your mantra.]( <<<<<< Meant for dear Pub Chick)

Ketan says:
March 31, 2010 at 2:51 am

My suspicion is that Pub Chick and Babu are the same people, just what
while posting her comments as Babu, Pub Chick is making more typos
than usual to distract others.

Can any eminent impostorologist prove that Pub Chick and Babu are not
the same people?

psecular says:
March 31, 2010 at 4:04 am

Guys IGNORE pube-chic,the gender bender. It has hired someone to write
English paragraphs with some heavy words and is happily inserting
“ugly”, “horny” in between the sentences to show them off as her own.
Its plagiarizing shamelessly. Nevertheless, I observe that pube chics
obsession for Indians (fox & the sour grapes) and its fear of a
stronger India are real

Pub Chick says:
March 31, 2010 at 8:35 am

I am quite insulted that you think I am some random guy who can’t even
type. Plus, I am also flattered you think I plagiarize.

On balance, I guess I am.


Fanatic_Hiindu says:
March 31, 2010 at 10:03 am

ok, if anybody thinks I like pubchick, all I say is that, forget it.
I’ve much better taste.

Secondly, Pubchick thinks that he/she is the ulra-cool lady and us
Hindu extremists dont have a sense of Humour, so, I’m giving him/her a
taste of his/her own medicine.

It is interesting that he/she chose not to respond to me. Shows how
scared he/she is.

Other guys, Dont take it seriously. Let us wait and see if Pubchick
responds. I bet that he/she is too scared to do so, since, he/she met
someone of him/her own size who can beat him/her in him/her own game.

Cheers

Ketan says:
March 31, 2010 at 11:15 am

Oh dear Pub Chick, please don’t feel insulted. And even if you did,
that was not the intent. It was implicit in my previous comment that
those typos were deliberate on your part.

To plagiarize would be to not just copy, but also claim that work to
be originally one’s own?

And why has Babu not yet responded expressing his feeling of shock/
jubilation at finally being recognized for what he is?

Fanatic_Hiindu says:
March 31, 2010 at 12:48 pm

I’m coming around to your view, Ketan. You might be right. Good
deduction. Cheers

BabuJadhav(Jai Shri Ram) says:
March 31, 2010 at 1:11 pm

@Fanatic_Hiindu @Ketan

Biraders, ugly folks like you and me cannot be as beautiful like our
Pub Chick. I doubt if you fully appreciate the beauty of Pub Chick.

May be you need some daru or some paper bag(for pub chick) to see her
Prettiness.

rightnow I am busy and tired of typing from mobile phone. I will be
remind you of contrasting differences in beauty of ugky folks like us
hindus and beautiful people like Osama Zakir Naik and Pub Chick.

Ketan says:
March 31, 2010 at 2:21 pm

Babu,

Now I have become even more convinced that you are Pub Chick
masquerading (hope, I got the spelling right!) as Babu.

The more you try to convince me otherwise, deeper will my suspicion
get.

Fanatic_Hindu,

Just a few days back Babu/Pub Chick and I had reached this conclusion
that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder (at least Pub Chick did
not contest this maxim).

Truth is elective (not a typo). And, Pub Chick is spectacular.

cynicalcount says:
March 31, 2010 at 3:59 pm

@ketan – Please stop trivialising. I didnt expect this from you. Let
us all stop talking about this pubchick and discuss the issues related
to the topic of this post by Offstumped. It is better to laugh at
posts by pubchick rather than giving him/her any importance. Its like
how media gives importance to non-entities and makes them larger than
life. He/She is not worth even talking about and my request to you is
to stop mentioning that nick. Thanks.

BabuJadhav(Jai Shri Ram) says:
March 31, 2010 at 7:28 pm

Bhaiyon Naam Main Kya Rakha Hai, Bhavnao Ko Samjho.

I am certainly not worthy enough to be compared to Pub Chik.

===================================================
Okay now, even I am tired of trolling a troll. And cynicalcount is
right, this tool is not deserving of any more of our attention. Sadly
I must admit my mistake for feeding this POS Pub Shit, I thought I
will keep this character busy but this really affected the process of
dialogue and debate.

Centre-right shouldn’t be trivialized by such nonsensical exchange of
intellectual excrete.

I am sorry.
========================================================

@Pub Shit Hoe, before you work on me kindly work on your own arguments
that were raised by you regarding.(Silence was pretty deafening and
was an expose of your unmatched intellectual vanity) :-

1) Why do you think that Bhalla is not an economist when _Dr._ Bhalla
holds a PhD in Economics from _Princeton_ University.

2) Why do you think he is not an _eminent_ economist, with his
illustrious educational credentials :-

” Dr. Bhalla holds a PhD in Economics from Princeton University____, a
Masters degree in Public Policy and International Affairs from the
Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University and a Bachelors degree in
Electrical Engineering from Purdue University”.”

========Occupational achievement :-=====================

“”Dr. Surjit S. Bhalla is the Chairman of Oxus Investments. His
profile provides Oxus with a powerful mix of fund management, and
applied economic and policy research. His experience with premier
policy institutes such as the Rand Corporation, the Brookings
Institution and the World Bank offers useful input in formulating
global macro strategies.

Since 1991, Dr. Bhalla has been directly engaged in financial markets.
Prior to establishing Oxus, he was Director and Chief Global
Strategist, Emerging Markets Deutsche Bank; Vice President and
Proprietary Trader Goldman Sachs; and Chief Investment Officer, World
Bank. He has been a consultant/advisor to Warburg Pincus since 1998.”

========His contribution to academia :-==================

“He is on the board of a major think tank (NCAER), as well as Gargi
College, Delhi University. He has been a member of the Change and
Prosperity program at The Aspen Institute since 2002. He is also a
frequent contributor to media on issues related to government policy
and financial markets. He is also the author of a widely read
fortnightly column in leading financial newspapers.”

Other than the numerous and well cited papers and books he have
written, (learn to use Google Scholar and comprehend what comes on the
screen before you. And please don’t blame the poor computer and the
world, because the problem lies between your keyboard and the chair.)

And lastly he is recognized by Media, Economic Institutions,
Educational Institutions and Governmental Insinuations(and that to the
very best / big / global ones at that)

3) Alleged contradictions in post regarding NREGA

Your fallacy have been well contradicted, either prove the refutation
wrong or accept that you are a well established retard deserving of no
attention.

4) By your own measure of ascertaining ones eminence in particular
field, Bhalla is very much eminent. You must agree that this
establishes your lack of intellect.

5) Why IYO is an Economist only limited to academic activities, why
cannot IYO a person be considered eminent for expertise/work/
achievement in the field of application of economics (which you are
too ignorant to know that this field exist and is really the objective
for the knowledge R&D by academia)

6) You said something about his skills and how he is not very good at
what he does, FYI in last 5 years his investments had higher returns
than say HDFC/Reliance Growth/DSPBR/IDFC/Birla Sun life/Fiedelity
Equity/ICICI Prudential/Tata Grown.

Hell returning as good as the index is considered to be a very good
investment (according to Buffet), but ROI on his investment were ~50%
better than index.

Hence in light of the stated facts it is very obvious that your
contribution to this blog is :- SHUNYA, in fact a 10 year old kid can
come up with better observations.

So take my advise, but yourself out of misery as you are trying to
hard to get attention in this world. Any further direct indirect
requests for hand-holding and attention will be ignored.

You can ask for attention from Psecs like Zakir Nalaiks and Osamas of
the world who will join you in the mission of psecular eradication of
ugly and horny non Psecular an non EvanJihadi-Psemitics.

Ram Ram

http://offstumped.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/targeting-middle-india-socio-economic-engineering-part-3/

Posted: Wed, Mar 31 2010. 9:56 PM IST

Bachchan meets the worldThe actor is actually available for all kinds
of things, from interviews with rookie journalists to launching books
to becoming part of public service campaignsSidharth Bhatia

A huge picture on his blog shows Amitabh Bachchan with his mouth open,
in what looks like a roar, with a tiger in the background. This is
Bachchan expressing his support for the Save the Tiger campaign, but
it could be a double metaphor: his anger at his critics and his
proximity to Bal Thackeray, whose party symbol is the roaring tiger.

Such a misinterpretation would confirm Bachchan’s fears that many are
out to malign his good name. Recently, he has been criticized by Raj
Thackeray, the Congress and the media. On Twitter, people are
expressing their distaste for his support to various controversial
politicians and causes. Not surprisingly, Bachchan is feeling hounded
and is now hitting back on his blog.

When he went to attend a function on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in
Mumbai last week, the local Congress objected to Bachchan’s
association with Gujarat as its tourism brand ambassador. How could a
Congress chief minister sit on the same dais with a man who was ready
to help the Bharatiya Janata Party, that too someone like Narendra
Modi? Chief minister Ashok Chavan, always on the lookout for ways to
please his Delhi bosses, tried to distance himself from Bachchan till
it was pointed out that the star had been officially invited.

Local political machinations were behind this so-called controversy.
Chavan is under siege from his coalition partner Nationalist Congress
Party and also from local Congress party bosses. A day or two later, a
recorded speech by Abhishek Bachchan on the occasion of Earth Day was
pulled out hours before Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit landed at
a function.

Bachchan is wondering if there is a “pattern” in all this. It would be
naive to think there isn’t, given the vehemence with which Congress
spokesperson Manish Tiwari went after the actor on television
channels. A bit rich this, considering that Bachchan became a Congress
member of Parliament after the 1984 elections in the wake of the anti-
Sikh riots in Delhi and elsewhere.

Bachchan’s other bête noire is the media which, for him, is
incompetent, arrogant, unprofessional and, most of all, against him
and his family. He regularly takes digs at journalists, sometimes by
name, and is at war with a large newspaper group whose tabloid paper
carried a report about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being afflicted with an
illness that prevented her from getting pregnant.

So what does all of this make Bachchan? A crotchety old uncle, an
angry ageing man, an arrogant star who can’t stand being criticized?

The irony is that Bachchan is one of the most accessible stars in
Mumbai. His office never fails to reply to a message or a request, and
he is available for all kinds of things, from interviews with rookie
journalists to launching books to becoming part of public service
campaigns. So what gives with this newfound aggression? The truth is
that Bachchan has discovered that he can now access his fans directly.
His blog is popular, and he writes it every night. That has been an
empowering experience and he is encouraged by the response he gets
when he hits back.

But there is also little doubt that he has become touchy at being
questioned about his choice of friends—Amar Singh, Bal Thackeray,
Mulayam Singh Yadav and now Narendra Modi: This is, by any token, not
a guest list any man in public life would like to associate with.

By taking on the media and cohabiting with the likes of Thackeray and
Modi, Bachchan has won no friends. But the pettiness and hypocrisy of
the Congress has gone too far. On his part, Bachchan would do well by
shrugging off adverse comments instead of choosing to react to
everything. He has the right to speak out, but we expect more from our
greatest movie icon.

Sidharth Bhatia is a Mumbai-based senior journalist. Comment at
***@livemint.com

http://www.livemint.com/2010/03/31215657/Bachchan-meets-the-world.html?h=B

BJP-Sena to roll out big guns for AMC polls
Syed Rizwanullah, TNN, Apr 1, 2010, 05.57am IST

AURANGABAD: The Shiv Sena-BJP combine is all set to rope in national-
level party leaders to campaign for its candidates for the April 11
Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

The Sena is also planning to introduce Aditya Thackeray, son of the
party's executive president Uddhav Thackeray, in the town by
organising his road show in the run-up to the polls.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Sena deputy leader and MP
Chandrakant Khaire and state BJP unit vice-president Haribhau Bagade
announced the list of big names being brought in to campaign. The BJP
big guns include its national president Nitin Gadkari and senior
leaders Gopinath Munde, Eknath Khadse, Vinod Tawde, Smriti Irani,
Poonam Mahajan and Sudheer Mungantiwar. The Sena list includes Uddhav
Thackeray, his son Aditya, Manohar Joshi, Subhash Desai, Anant Gite,
Anand Adsul and Vishwanath Nerurkar.

Congress candidate Abdul Sajed has already been declared elected
unopposed. Of the remaining 98 wards, the saffron combine is
contesting from 88 wards the Shiv Sena from 55 and the BJP from 33.

The duo has also declared that a strong warning has been issued to
rebels who have filed their nominations from crucial wards to withdraw
within two days and support the official nominees. If they fail to do
so, they will be sacked from the respective parties, the alliance
said.

Some Sena rebels have been using pictures of the party's leaders in
their election material. "We will lodge complaints with the Election
Commission (EC) against such people," Khaire said.

The Sena-BJP leaders have also accused Congress leaders including
guardian minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, industries minister
Rajendra Darda and minister of state for civic supplies Abdul Sattar
of misusing government machinery to influence voters and candidates.
"They have also lured many of our workers by offering them tickets,"
Khaire said.

Specifically naming Abdul Sattar, who had assaulted a Congress
activist following a row over party tickets, Khaire alleged, "He is
threatening many of our workers and also misusing the police machinery
for this purpose. We will approach the EC and draw its attention to
ministers' meddling in the election process."

"The combine is sure to retain its hold on the AMC by bagging at least
55 seats," district Sena unit president Ambadas Danve said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/BJP-Sena-to-roll-out-big-guns-for-AMC-polls/articleshow/5748492.cms

Dismal conviction rate in rape cases in Maharashtra
Umesh Isalkar & Mihir Tanksale, TNN, Mar 31, 2010, 06.06am IST

PUNE: The poor annual rate of conviction in rape cases in Maharashtra
— barely 15-16 per cent as per statistics recently published by the
state criminal investigation department (CID) — has raised the hackles
of human rights activists in the city.

On an average, as many as 1,400 rape cases were registered each year
in the state between 2006 and 2009. While the conviction in these
cases has been pathetic, conviction in related areas like sexual
harassment and molestation is equally dismal even as these offences
are only rising every year, the report says.

Dilip Bhujbal, superintendent of police (law and research) of the CID,
told TOI on Monday that crimes against women in Maharashtra have been
on the rise over the last three years. He said the state government
has initiated measures to ensure more convictions in these cases. “A
comprehensive sensitisation programme for police officers is regularly
conducted at the Centre for Police Research (CPR) in Pune.

Besides, NGOs working against human trafficking and other crimes have
been roped in to train police officials,” he said.

Training in methods of collecting evidence to help victims during
trials, leading to conviction, is imparted during these programmes,
Bhujbal said.

According to the CID report, the state registered 1,500 cases of rape
in 2006, 1,452 in 2007 and 1,558 cases in 2008.

Human rights activists in the city have expressed serious concern over
the situation. According to an analysis done by Asim Sarode, who is
working on criminal justice reforms, the percentage of conviction in
all rape cases was 16.21 in 2006, 16.69 in 2007 and 15.25 in 2008.

On the reasons for the low conviction rate, Sarode said, “Sexual abuse
that does not amount to penile penetration should be included as a
crime. Rape victims must be given interim compensation when there is
prima facie evidence and final compensation after conviction.”

According to Sarode, only 8.43%, 5.95% and 7.37% cases of rape,
molestation and sexual harassment respectively were tried in 2008.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Dismal-conviction-rate-in-rape-cases-in-Maharashtra/articleshow/5745236.cms

Private schools to face penalty for violating RTE: SIbal
PTI, Apr 1, 2010, 02.40pm IST

NEW DELHI: All private and minority schools have to reserve 25 percent
seats in elementary education for underprivileged children, and any
breach of the Right to Education act will fetch punishment, human
resource development minister Kapil Sibal said on Thursday.

Sibal told Times Now television that it was obligatory to set aside a
quarter of all seats for poor children from classes 1 to 8 but added
that the reservation would start in Class 1 only from 2011.

It would take eight years by the time the reservation extends to Class
8, he pointed out.

Asked if there will be penalty for not complying with the legislation,
the minister said: "It is now law, it can be statutorily enforced."

He said both aided and non-aided schools across the country have to
follow the legislation.

Sibal warned that schools will not be allowed to segregate students
from the disadvantage community in any form. "That is not acceptable
to us," he said.

The minister clarified that minority schools were not exempt from the
act.

"We believe every minority institution would itself like to (go for
the reservation). There are disadvantaged sections in minority
communities too. The minorities will be part of the national
endeavour."

The government, he said, was "committed to root out the capitation
fee" from the education system. "I will not spare anybody who indulges
in this educational malpractice."

The minister said the legislation would succeed only if all the
stakeholders join hands. "(Educating the child) is a community effort.
We are not doing this ourselves. We are doing this for the unborn
child".

The Right to Education act came into force on Thursday as a
fundamental right.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Private-schools-to-face-penalty-for-violating-RTE-SIbal/articleshow/5750724.cms

From today, every child has a right to education
PTI, Apr 1, 2010, 09.48am IST

Children of India are our future: Manmohan SinghNEW DELHI: Nearly
eight years after the Constitution was amended to make education a
fundamental right, the government today implemented a historic law to
provide free and compulsory education to all children in age group of
6-14 years.

The 86th Constitutional amendment making education a fundamental right
was passed by Parliament in 2002. The Right of Children to Free and
Compulsory Education Act, a law to enable the implementation of the
fundamental right, was passed by Parliament last year. Both the
Constitutional amendment and the new law came into force from today.

The new law makes it obligatory on part of the state governments and
local bodies to ensure that every child gets education in a school in
the neighbourhood.

Its implementation will directly benefit close to one crore children
who do not go to schools at present. These children, who have either
dropped out from schools or have never been to any educational
institution, will be enrolled in schools.

The Right To Education is being touted by the UPA government as
another major achievement after Right To Information Act and National
Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

At present, there are nearly 22 crore children in the relevant age
group. However, 4.6 per cent of these children (nearly 92 lakh) are
out of school, a ministry official said.

The school management committee or the local authority will identify
the drop-outs or out of school children above six years of age and
admit them in classes appropriate to their age after giving special
training.

The Act makes it a right of every child to get education. The Act
makes it obligatory for the appropriate governments to ensure that
every child gets free elementary education.

The Act mandates that even private educational institutions have to
reserve 25 per cent seats for children from weaker sections.

Certain schools have already challenged the law in the Supreme Court
as being "unconstitutional" and violating fundamental rights of
unaided private educational institutions. However, HRD Minister Kapil
Sibal has said that legal process would not affect the implementation
of law.

The Finance Commission has provided Rs 25,000 crore to the states for
implementation of the Act.

As per the government's estimate, there will be a requirement of Rs
1.71 lakh crore in the next five years for implementation of the Act.
Sibal said that the government has arranged the required funds for
implementing the law.

The Act says no school can deny admission to a student and all schools
need to have trained teachers. In case of schools not having trained
teachers, they will have to comply with the provision within three
years.

As per the new law, the schools need to have certain minimum
facilities like adequate teachers, playground and infrastructure. The
government will evolve some mechanism to help marginalised schools
comply with the provisions of the Act.

The government has already prepared model rules which have been
circulated to the states for preparing their own rules for
implementation of the Act. The Centre has also prepared separate rules
for the Union Territories which will be notified by the Law Ministry
next week.

As per the Model rules, the local bodies and the state governments
will undertake household surveys and neighbourhood school mapping to
ensure that all children are sent to school.

The rules say that the state governments or local authorities will
determine the neighbourhood schools by undertaking school mapping.
Such agencies shall ensure that no child is subjected to caste, class,
religious or gender abuse in the school.

The local authority will conduct a household survey and maintain a
record of all children in its jurisdiction. The record will contain
detailed information about the child and the parents and will specify
whether the child belongs to the weaker section or disadvantaged group
or having any disability.

The state government or local authorities will identify children with
disabilities and children from disadvantaged groups every year.

Unaided and private schools shall ensure that children from weaker
sections and disadvantaged groups shall not be segregated from the
other children in the classrooms nor shall their classes be held at
places and timings different from the classes held for the other
children.

The new law will ensure that quality education is provided to children
of all community, including minorities and backward classes.

However, the reservation for weaker section will not be implemented
from this year as the admission season is almost over. It will be
implemented from 2011-12.

The state government and local authorities will establish primary
schools within walking distance of one km of the neighbourhood. In
case of children for Class VI to VIII, the school should be within a
walking distance of three km of the neighbourhood.

The government has prepared a short film on the new law which would be
aired on TV channels to create awareness.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/From-today-every-child-has-a-right-to-education/articleshow/5749632.cms

I am what I am today because of education: PM
PTI, Apr 1, 2010, 09.55am IST

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said the government was
committed to ensuring that all children irrespective of gender and
social category have access to education and fund constraints would
not be allowed to hamper implementation of the Right to Education
Act.

Addressing the nation as the Right to Education Act went into force on
Thursday, he said "the government is committed to ensuring that all
children irrespective of gender and social category, have access to
education."

"Our government, in partnership with state governments, will ensure
that financial constraints do not hamper the implementation of the
Right to Education Act" he said.

Adding a personal touch to the importance of education, the Prime
Minister recalled his own childhood days as someone born in a family
of modest means who had to walk a long distance to go to school. "I
read under the dim light of a kerosene lamp. I am what I am today
because of education," he said.

"I want every Indian child, girl and boy, to be so touched by the
light of education. I want every Indian to dream of a better future
and live that dream", Singh said.

Recalling the desire of Gopal Krishna Gokhale about 100 years ago when
he had urged the Imperial Assembly to confer on the Indian people the
Right to Education, Singh said about 90 years later the Constitution
was amended to enshrine the Right to Education as a fundamental
right.

"Today, our government comes before you to redeem the pledge of giving
all our children the right to elementary education," Singh said adding
"this demonstrates our national commitment to the education of our
children and to the future of India ".

Pointing out that India is a country of young people, he said "it is
the belief of our government that if we nurture our children and young
people with the right education, India's future as a strong and
prosperous country is secure."

Singh said the government at the Centre, in states and union
territories and authorities at district and village levels must work
together as part of a common national endeavour to realise the Right
to Education and asked the states to join in this national effort with
"full resolve and determination".

Noting that success of any educational endeavour was based on the
ability and motivation of teachers and the implementation of the Right
to Education is no exception, he asked the teachers across the country
to become partners in this effort.

At the same time, Singh said it was also incumbent upon all to work
together to improve the working conditions of teachers and enable them
to teach with dignity, giving full expression to their talent and
creativity.

Parents and guardians too have a critical role to play having been
assigned school management responsibilities under the Act, he said
adding "the needs of every disadvantaged section of our society,
particularly girls, Dalits, adivasis and minorities must be of
particular focus as we implement this Act."

QnA: Will the bill help eradicate illiteracy in the decades

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/I-am-what-I-am-today-because-of-education-PM/articleshow/5749640.cms

Right to Education: HRD frames model rules for states
Akshaya Mukul, TNN, Jan 21, 2010, 02.57am IST

NEW DELHI: In a significant step towards notification of the Right to
Education Act, HRD ministry has finalised the model rules for states
for implementation of the new law.

The model rules finally define the concept of neighbourhood schools
and make it clear that there will no discrimination against the 25%
children from weaker and disadvantaged groups who will get
reservation.

Also, the minimum qualification for teachers can be relaxed only by
the Centre and the period should not exceed three years. The
relaxation has to take place within five years of the commencement of
the Act. Each state will have to set up a state commission for the
protection of child rights and in the interim period they can have a
Right to Education Protection Authority. A State Advisory Council will
be the highest body to oversee RTE's implementation.

There has been considerable confusion about what neighbourhood schools
mean. As per the model rules finalised now, a neighbourhood school for
class I to V means an institution that exists within one kilometre.
For class VI to VIII, neighbourhood schools will be within three
kilometres. The rules also ask the states to upgrade the existing
class I-V schools to include classes VI-VIII.

The model rules also make it clear that in case there is no school
within the prescribed distance, the state government will make
arrangement for free transportation and residential facilities. States
have been asked to carry out a detailed school mapping for
establishing neighbourhood schools.

While reiterating that no discrimination on the basis of caste, class,
religion or gender be carried out by the states, especially against
the 25% reserved children, the model rules say that reimbursement to
be paid to schools for reserved students should only consist of
expenditure on students.

The model rules also state that the period of admission can be
extended six months from the date of commencement of the academic
year. Only schools run by a society, not-for-profit trusts and open to
government inspection can be given recognition. The schools should not
be used for commercial or residential purpose except for employees.

The important school management committee in all government-aided
schools should be reconstituted every two years. Seventy-five per cent
of the members consist of parents. Of the remaining 25%, one-third
will be elected members of local authorities, one-third teachers and
one-third local educationists. The committee will see the annual
accounts of expenditure and also bring to light deviation from the
right of the child, mental, physical harassment of children, denial of
admission and timely reimbursements to the children.

The rules also say that a three-year School Development Plan will be
chalked out about classwise enrolment, requirment of teachers and
physical requirement of infrastructure as well as additional financial
requirement.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Right-to-Education-HRD-frames-model-rules-for-states/articleshow/5481908.cms

Why has Amitabh become persona non-grata?
Nikhat Kazmi, 29 March 2010, 09:54 PM IST

And I wonder. Am I hallucinating, or is there a pattern in all
this!!!?? This is the pertinent query that a much agitated Mr Amitabh
Bachchan poses in his blog on day 705. The cause for his agitation?
Sundry. The brand ambassadorship of Gujarat as a tourist destination
followed by a photo-op and handshake with Narendra Modi, the
salutation to Bal Thackeray in the midst of the MNS-MNIK face-off, the
The Worli Sea link controversy with the Congress, the Earth hour
blackout of Abhishek Bachchan….Yes, Amitabh Bachchan ko gussa phir
aata hai!

So why has the famous angry young man on celluloid during the golden
1970s turned into the angry old man, in real life, in 2010? That's
because the erstwhile superstar suddenly sees himself becoming persona
non-grata in certain circles which not only pertain to the political
sphere? Before Mr Bachchan decodes the `pattern' in this social
distancing and sudden alienation, he must answer the paramount
question: Is there a connection between art and politics or is an
artist above politics and political divides?

Ideal situation? Let's visualize a scenario where today, the actor
anchors a short film that sings paeans to Narendra Modi and his
contributions to Gujarat, blanking out the events of 2002. Tomorrow,
he hobnobs with Bal Thackeray and wins the title of a `true
Hindustani' from him, irrespective of the divisive politics of the MNS
and Thackeray's relentless politically insensitive rhetoric. Then, he
gets co-opted by the BJP who wants to promote him as the brand
ambassador for the Commonwealth Games. Later, he sashays with the Left
Parties as the mascot for Kerala tourism and shares the platform with
Bhai Amar Singh as he floats his new party or joins back the SP. And
finally, someday, he recites Nehru's tryst-with-destiny speech in his
famous baritone for a promotional film on the Congress centenary on
the behest of Sonia Gandhi. Maybe, someday, he'd even be a guest of
Shibu Soren who wants him to put the state of Jharkand center-stage on
the map of India or Mayawati, who wants him to garland her statute
with a garland of currency.

In our hypothetical ideal state, nobody would have a problem with
Bachchan's changing loyalties, because hey, he's representing himself
as a public personae rather than a political person who kowtows a
particular political ideology. He's representing himself as an artist
who spawns across four decades of Indian cinema with an iconic
filmography that stretches from Vijay Verma (the hero of most of his
blockbusters in the 1970s) to Auro, the 13-year-old hero of Paa. Does
anybody care what his personal political ideology is all about?

Sadly, life, art and society aren't about ideal states at all. They
never have been. Israel still follows an unofficial ban on the music
maestro Richard Wagner because he was supposedly an inspiration for
Adolf Hitler. This despite the fact that Hitler was born six years
after Wagner died. But, for many Israelis, the images conjured up by
Tristen and Isolde, Parcifal and other Wagner compositions are not of
operas alone. Instead, they are reminiscent of the Nazi leader's
progrom against the Jews. In a seminal article on Wagner's influence
on Hitler, the New Yorker asks the million dollar question: "Should an
artist be punished because he happened to fascinate a lunatic who was
born six years after he dies?" Rationally, no. Emotionally, maybe.

So, here's a lesson for Amitabh Bachchan. Before people begin to doubt
his ideological leanings with his `I-just-accept-invitations' rhetoric
and his fan following begins to diminish, he needs to enunciate his
politics. What are you, Mr Bachchan? Right-wing, centrist,
communalist, regionalist or are you liberal, secular, progressive?
Honestly, some of your hobnobbing does seem to have created dismay
amongst those who admire your art. And much as we'd like to believe
your `I'm just an actor' tirade, the lines have begun to blur.

Give us back our Vijay of yore: 'messiah of the underdog'. And we
promise to give you back our unquestioning respect.

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/pulpfriction/entry/why-has-amitabh-become-persona

Atheism is the best worshipJug Suraiya, 29 March 2010, 10:50 AM IST

In the British comedy Bedazzled there is a scene where the Devil,
played by Peter Cook, comes to earth and meets Dudley Moore, your
average man-on-the-street. Moore asks the Devil, “Why did you revolt
against God.”

“Come, I’ll show you,” says the Devil. He perches himself atop a
pillar box and tells Moore to kneel at its base. “Now, start
grovelling and praising me,” says the Devil.

Moore starts grovelling and singing the Devil’s praises. When he shows
signs of flagging the Devil goads him into grovelling more
obsequiously, praising him even more loudly.

After a while Moore says: “Hey, this is getting boring. Can’t we
change places for a while.”

“Exactly,” says the Devil. “That answers your question as to why I
walked out on God: worshipping Him is boring.”

God-worship is not just boring; it is the ultimate in trivialisation.
It infinitely trivialises the boundlessness of the cosmos that lies,
seamlessly, both outside and within us. God-worship reduces the
Creator – the First Principle, the Big Bang, the Singularity, whatever
you want to call whatever it is that started it all – to a Lalaji who
likes to surround himself with sycophantic yes-men, forever extolling
his virtues. Is the Force that created everything, from the gossamer
glow of the endless galaxies to the rainbow sheen of the dragonfly’s
wings, no more than that, a petty bossman who thrives on the most
undiluted flattery? God help us, and the universe, if he is.

And what does God-worship make of us, the devotees? In public, we say
that when we pray, when we petition God for a boon, it is for all
humankind, for all creation. We say we pray for world peace, for a
cure for cancer, for a solution to global warming and climate change.
And perhaps we do.

In the privacy of our innermost desires, however, our prayers are
almost invariably personal: Oh, God, help me to pass my exam, get a
good job, find someone suitable to marry, get my green card, win the
lottery of life.

There is absolutely nothing wrong in wishing for any or all of these
things. Indeed, they’re all good things which any sensible person
would wish for. But why make it God’s job to get you what you want?
Why give up your responsibility to make of your life what you can and
what you will?

A French sociologist has likened personal prayer and the giving of
votive offerings to bribery. He has noted that in countries where the
tradition of personalised God-worship is most entrenched –as in India,
and in Roman Catholic Italy – the incidence of bribery in everyday
life is also proportionately high. If God himself is a Babu who can be
bribed to do your bidding with a prayer and a few diyas or candles,
where’s the harm in slipping some currency notes to a bureaucrat or
politician or policeman to do what you want done? Doesn’t God himself
teach us to bribe? In which case, how can bribery and corruption be
bad things, if they’re God-given?

The atheist not only lives according to a higher code of ethics than
that sanctioned by a bribable God, but also inhabits a higher plane of
spirituality. This is far from being a paradox. God-worship, in which
typically the devotee seeks to get personal desires granted,
inevitably reinforces and entrenches the sense of self, of one’s
individual ego which is special and separate from all other created
beings and forms. God-worship is really self-worship, a deification
of one’s ego, and as such the hardest obstacle to overcome in the
journey of spiritual liberation.

The atheist realises that God did not create humankind in his image;
humankind created God in its own image: selfish, gullible and by
nature susceptible to flattery and bribes. Rather than pay lip service
to such a God, the atheist chooses to disown God and God-worship. And
in doing so, the atheist takes the first step on the path to freedom
from the silken bonds of maya.

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/jugglebandhi/entry/atheism-is-the-best-worship

BJP demands judicial probe in Hyderabad communal clashes

2010-03-31 22:30:00
Last Updated: 2010-04-01 04:08:59

Hyderabad: BJP on Wednesday demanded that the Andhra Pradesh
government order a judicial inquiry into the communal clashes in the
city.

"We should know the truth about the clashes in the old city. BJP
demands a judicial probe into the incident to bring out the truth. We
feel the investigation should be conducted by a sitting judge of the
High Court," State BJP president and MLA G Kishan Reddy told reporters
here.

Shoot-at-sight orders issued in Hyderabad as riots spread

He recalled that some Congress leaders had suspected that the clashes
could be an attempt to create trouble for Chief Minister K Rosaiah.

Asked about reports in a section of media that a minister from a
neighbouring state could be behind the incident, Reddy said a judicial
inquiry should bring out the truth.

He demanded that the government control the communal clashes with an
iron hand.

On the reported allegation of Congress MP L Rajagopal that the BJP
could be behind the communal incidents to safeguard its existence,
Reddy asserted that his party did not require any certificate from
someone like Rajagopal.

Hyderabad peaceful, curfew to be relaxed on Thursday

Sharply attacking the city-based Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), he
said the party violated laws freely several times in the past few
years.

"MIM leaders openly abused and attacked Taslima Nasreen. They also
attacked government officials and were also involved in several other
such incidents. No concrete action has been taken against them," Reddy
said.

http://sify.com/news/bjp-demands-judicial-probe-in-hyderabad-communal-clashes-news-national-kd5w4ecacfb.html

Shoot-at-sight orders issued in Hyderabad as riots spread

Hyderabad: Communal riots spread to new areas in Hyderabad on Tuesday
even as shoot-at-sight orders were issued in the old city and curfew
was imposed in the areas under eight more police stations.
While curfew continued the old city without any relaxation, it was
imposed in new areas following fresh clashes. Hyderabad police
Commissioner A.K. Khan said on Tuesday evening that indefinite curfew
would be in force in Afzalgunz, Begumbazar, Shahinathgunz,
Tappachaputra, Asifnagar, Mangalhat, Kulsumpura and Habibnagar police
stations.

Fresh violence in Hyderabad; 8 hurt

Image: Security personnel patrol a street in curfew bound old city of
Hyderabad on March 30, 2010.

Text: IANS

Images: PTI

http://sify.com/news/Shoot-at-sight-orders-issued-in-Hyderabad-as-riots-spread-imagegallery-National-kd4xKghddhf.html

Shoot-at-sight orders issued in Hyderabad as riots spread

He also imposed prohibitory orders banning processions and rallies
across this Andhra Pradesh capital after clashes in new areas.

The indefinite curfew in the riot-hit old city of Hyderabad continued
on Tuesday without relaxation. All 17 police stations under the south
zone were brought under curfew on Monday night to control the
situation.

The communal violence, which was so far confined to the old city,
spread to other areas in the city, triggering tension. Groups
belonging to two different communities clashed in Musheerabad,
Bholakpur and Rani Gunj and other areas in central Hyderabad and its
twin city Secunderabad.

Curfew continues in tense Hyderabad

Image: Security personnel at the gate of Charminar while enforcing
curfew in the old city of Hyderabad on March 30, 2010

http://sify.com/news/Shoot-at-sight-orders-issued-in-Hyderabad-as-riots-spread-imagegallery-National-kd4xKghddhf.html

IANS

Hyderabad peaceful, curfew to be relaxed on Thursday

2010-03-31 22:50:00
Last Updated: 2010-04-01 04:11:21

Hyderabad: The situation in riot-hit parts of Hyderabad remained
peaceful on Wednesday and the police decided to relax curfew for two
hours on Thursday in some areas.

No untoward incident was reported from any of the curfew-bound or
other areas of the city since Wednesday night.

Shoot-at-sight orders issued in Hyderabad as riots spread

Police Commissioner A.K. Khan told reporters that curfew would be
relaxed for two hours in 17 police stations of the old city where
curfew was imposed Monday night following communal clashes.

'Only women and men over the age of 50 will be allowed to come out
during the relaxation,' said Khan.

However, there will be no relaxation in eight police station areas
where the curfew was clamped Tuesday night.

Stating that there would be no relaxation in any area on Friday, the
police chief appealed to people in the old city to buy essential
commodities for two days.

Stray incidents of violence were reported from some curfew-bound areas
adjoining the worst-hit old city but police and paramilitary forces
acted swiftly to bring the situation under control.

Khan appealed to people not to believe rumours being spread through
SMSes and warned that strong action would be taken against those
involved in circulating such SMSes.

The commissioner said those who created trouble during the Hanuman
Jayanti procession Wednesday were being identified through video
footage and they would be arrested soon.

BJP demands judicial probe in Hyderabad communal clashes

'The police have so far booked 67 cases and arrested 136 persons in
connection with various incidents of violence,' Khan said.

There was an eerie silence in the centuries-old markets around the
historic Charminar, which teem with thousands of shoppers and tourists
on any normal day. Only the sirens of police vehicles sporadically
broke the uneasy calm in the area, famous for pearls, jewellery,
bangles, bridal wear, garments and eateries.

Charminar, Mecca Masjid, Chowmahalla Palace and other monuments in the
old city wore a deserted look. Salar Jung Museum, which houses the
world's largest collection of artefacts by one man, was also shut.

On the other side of Musi River, Begumbazar, a major commercial hub
for wholesale grain markets and consumer goods, was also deserted.

Sporadic incidents of violence continued till late Tuesday even after
police brought eight more police station areas under curfew following
clashes in new city localities while police top brass issued shoot-at-
sight orders to policemen in the old city.

The communal clashes since Saturday has claimed two lives and left
over 150 people injured.

http://sify.com/news/hyderabad-peaceful-curfew-to-be-relaxed-on-thursday-news-national-kd5wOcaffji.html?tag=topnews

March 28, 2010 • 9:56 am
Day after Narendra Modi’s SIT deposition

Narendra Modi’s marathon 9 hour deposition before the Supreme Court
appointed Special Investigation Team, SIT is unprecedented.

Whether you are a diehard Modi advocate or a self-proclaimed
conscientious Modi detractor, the highly anticipated deposition has
set a new benchmark by which many an elected leader shall be judged in
the years to come.

The Congress Party justifiably can be expected score political points,
but it would be missing the deeper implications to its favored
dynasty’s much blotted record when in elected office, some of which
has never been put to Trial nor been subjected to reparations.

The politics apart, the day after the SIT deposition has revealed many
an aspect of what this non-trial has come to be.

A non-trial because no charges have been filed, not even a criminal
case has been made out, yet much of the public debate proceeds on the
presumption of guilt, principles of Justice be damned.

First is this online petition by Ehsan Jaffrey’s children which has
now started to make headlines – calling on the Chief Justice of Indian
Supreme Court not to a share a dias with Narendra Modi at an official
State function in honor of the visting Chief Justice of Zimbabwe.

No amount of empathy or sympathy can erase the loss suffered by Ehsan
Jaffrey’s family. Their ordeal demands justice and no civil society or
modern democracy should settle for anything less.

But this petition is not about Justice, it is about something much
else.

If this petition was about Justice it would not be prejudging the
outcome of a yet to be conceived Judicial process against Narendra
Modi.

The Jaffrey’s may have deep personal animosity towards Mr. Modi, they
may also have low confidence in the overall delivery of Justice for
2002 riot victims. But to conflate those sentiments and emotions and
to make demands on what those holding Constitutional Offices must do
and not do reflects a motivated campaign blinded by vengeance and
retribution.

This is by no means a pursuit for Justice.

Back in 2007, Offstumped had observed that on Narendra Modi the
politcal maxim had become – “Why beat him when you can bait him” ?

The same must be said of this campaign for retribution – “Why try him
when you can trip him” ?

A glimpse of this campaign can also be seen in this supposedly news
analysis piece by Manoj Mitta in the Times Of India taking his cue
from highly discredited Teesta Setalvaad to suggest that the SIT
itself lacks credibility.

In closing it must be said that Salil Tripathi’s piece gave hope that
there can be a basis for reconciliation and closure, but this game of
baiting and tripping far from bringing justice and closure will only
widen the chasm.

15 Responses

sridhar krishna says:
March 28, 2010 at 11:01 am

The online petition is poorly drafted with many bloomers.

1. “Not long ago, the Supreme Court of India had called the Chief
Minister Narendra Modi a modern day ‘Hero’.” should have been Nero.

2. “An association of the chief justices of India and Zimbabwe with a
person who is being examined for his role in killing of innocent
people, under the directives of the Supreme Court will send out wrong
signals and undermine the process of justice in Gujarat.”

killing of innocent people, under the directives of supreme court –
sends a wrong message. It should have been examined under the
directives of the supreme court for his role in killing of innocent
people.

It is not just about mistakes in English. When the Gujarat High Court
reprimanded Teesta Setalvad in the best bakery case she went to
Supreme Court to remove the obnoxious comments. The Supreme Court
quoted Justice Gajendragadkar while striking down the words and ruled
that the Judges should not make comments. This Judgement would
squarely apply to the wrongly quoted “Nero/Hero” comment.

It is unfortunate that in this country

1) a ruling prime minister had lost her election related case and
found her rule illegitimate but went on to declare emergency.

2) she again sought to impose an election (Assam) when nobody wanted
and this resulted in a gory murder of 3,000 muslims in Nellie.

3) another dynasty rigged elections in an already troubled state and
we are still feeling the ramifications.

4) another prime minister (in waiting) pointed to a random flight
during an election campaign and said that is the flight in which the
sitting PM was running away with the loot.

5) there were scores of politicians who were indicted in the Jain
diaries.

6) a minister’s house was raided and the toilet was overflowing with –
of all things – money.

7) lakhubhai pathak’s case – Shri PVN

PVN’s acse of buying Sibhu Soren.

the lsit is endless. the president’s chair and the CEC is also not
beyond the specter of such accusations.

we are a Nation who get cheap thrill in the excesses of our leaders.
under these circumsatnces one lone voice against Modi loses its Moral
value.

one can laud that voice if it is the first of such voices against all
simillar cases. would the same group look into the accusations against
the president and the CEC.

all said and done, they are doing a decent job of at least trying to
set right one scar on the face of india. hope somebody has it in them
to tackle the rest.

rgds/sridhar

Pub Chick says:
March 28, 2010 at 11:21 am

Sridhar, Bloomers? That explains all else.

abir says:
March 28, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Since Mr Modi has appeared before the SIT now Sajjan kumar and Jagdish
Tytler (accused in the anti-Sikh riots) also should be brought to
justice

Jyotindra Khandwalla says:
March 28, 2010 at 4:53 pm

A disturbing report in Economic Times today states the road for filing
FIR against Modi would open after SIT probe.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/After-SIT-will-FIR-be-filed-against-Narendra-Modi/articleshow/5733732.cms

Pub Chick says:
March 28, 2010 at 5:26 pm

abir, are you saying legal action against people accused of other
crimes is contingent upon Modi facing legal action? Watch what you
wish for etc.

Prashanth says:
March 28, 2010 at 7:25 pm

Offstumped, please remove this pubchick, which is such a big nuisance.
She is just trying to divert all serious discussions. After having all
media for themselves, these pseudos are trying to infiltrate rightist
blogs as well.

Pub Chick says:
March 28, 2010 at 8:05 pm

Prashanth, you also seem insecure apart from being ugly and horny.
That’s alright. We shall work on it.

psecular says:
March 28, 2010 at 10:26 pm

@prashant
pubechick is a gender bender, it keeps typing “ugly”, “horny” in its
sentences in various compbinations. Ignore it.

@abir
True, now that a bench mark of 9hr questioning marathon for riot
probes has been set, will the 1984 culprits who are alive (Rajiv is
dead anyways) be brought to attend such probes.

@offstumped,
Why is Teesta “aatank”vaad being allowed to fester anti-Indian
elements. Am I missing some development or is it intentional ?. Why is
she roaming free in civilized society in spite of getting caught red-
handed for perjury and manipulation of witness statements in crucial
cases ?. She is the queen of the colony where anti-indian elements,
thoughts and practices are being spawned and sheltered. Is Gujarat
govt or some citizens for real justice doing something to fix the
meance of teesta “aatank”vaad

Ketan says:
March 29, 2010 at 12:54 am

Pub Chick,

After reading many of your comments, it seems you don’t use “ugly” &
“horny” in their conventional sense.

By “ugly” you seem to mean someone taking a leap of faith, or in other
words, reaching inferences not led to by the available data; missing a
link in chain of reasoning, etc.

Or am I reading too much into your comments?

And I could not gather at all what you mean by “horny”.

Offstumped,

Firstly, what’s strange is that the list of Jaffrey’s petition does
not seem to contain name of any person actually present in the mob
that had killed the 68 people in her bungalow. She might have her
grievances with the office bearers, but in all her TV appearances, she
has hardly expressed anger at those who had actually committed the
crime. This dogged obsession with Narendra Modi to the exclusion of
those who actually committed the crime is, to repeat, strange.

The conjectural allegation that the entire judicial process’ fairness
is lost if the CJI shares dais with Modi is too imaginative to be
taken seriously.

The event was convocation of law students in a University in Gujarat,
so the choice of guests was quite apt – chief minister (representative
of the state where college is located) and the CJI (representative of
the judiciary with who the graduates were to get associated).

Independence of Judiciary is not compromised upon simply because both
Modi & CJI I had attended the same function in official capacities.

Moreover, it is not the CJI who is currently sitting over any of the
cases involving Modi. To imply that CJI by sharing dais with Modi will
influence his juniors who might hear cases involving Modi, is actually
a serious charge.

Applying that logic, the President of India who has historically been
aligned with the political adversary of Modi should not share dais
with any of the judges! Because promotions & appointments of certain
judges are carried out by the the CJI in consultation with the
president. That can influence the independence of the judiciary. Also,
none of the politicians must ever share stage with anyone from the
judiciary – you never know when someone from a political party will
commit a crime!

Raghavan was looking visibly irritated by enquiries about allegations
of Teesta against SIT’s fairness….

iHindu007 says:
March 29, 2010 at 12:54 am

I second Prashanth’s proposal. Can somebody show me what positive
content she has added to this site?

Ketan says:
March 29, 2010 at 12:55 am
…I don’t know if it matters, but Teesta is alienating many people, not
in the least, the CJI. This gives the impression that she does not
hope much from the final outcome of the entire judicial process, but
wants to gain as much victimhood as possible by making as many
allegations of unfairness & automatic victimization as possible.

Petitioning an official & trying to tell him how to spend time outside
his office is pretty gross.

Ketan says:
March 29, 2010 at 1:12 am

Offstumped, particularly, & others,

I have a small conflict of interest here in that I am finding a few
comments by Pub Chick very logical & pertinent to the agenda set by
Offstumped, though I must confess they have been numerically far in
between.

I urge Pub chick to desist from making personal remarks that would not
have relation to the blog post. This I am urging with the idea that
the pot can indeed objectively call a kettle black, ideally without
being sanctimonious about it.

To others, I can only urge that though difficult, please do not
respond to the personal aspects of Pub Chick’s comments.

Of course, eventually choice is Offstumped’s as to what to do.

Thanks!

Anon says:
March 29, 2010 at 1:18 pm

Manoj Mitta is a usual name.
You must read Sunday’s M u m b a i M i r r o r to see how Teesta’s
press release made to the first page

http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=1&sectid=edid=&edlabel=MMIR&mydateHid=28-03-2010&pubname=Mirror+-+Mumbai&edname=&articleid=Ar00100&publabel=MM

Pub Chick says:
March 29, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Ketan,

What I’d want explained really is what this Prashanth means by calling
me pseudos. What does that mean? I must assure him through you that I
am real and I am spectacular.

Ketan says:
March 29, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Pub Chick,

I find you spectacular.

But I can’t be your interloctor

Or interloctator

Or whatever!

[see, I rhymed so well ]

To find you spectacular, Prashanth’s vision will have to get deranged
to the same degree as mine (as beauty lies in the eye of the beholder;
though spectacle lies just outside it).

And though consistency is desired, I can try but, may not be able to
maintain it. Our opinions should change or at least the strength of
conviction behind them should each time we come across a new piece of
information.

http://offstumped.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/day-after-narendra-modis-sit-deposition/

March 31, 2010 • 5:00 am
Narendra Modi for PM – Lazy op-ed by Sadanand Dhume

Sadananad Dhume, a columnist for the WSJ Asia, usually makes sound
arguments but this latest one by him on Narendra Modi can at best be
characterized as lazy.

It relies on Liberal Left cliches to make its point without offering
anything new by way of insight or analysis.

Dhume’s core point being

#1 – It will be difficult for BJP to attract allies willing to be
associated with Mr. Modi’s anti-Muslim image

#2 – India cannot afford to be led by someone who appears to believe
that only Hindus can be authentically Indian

#3 – The last thing India needs is a question mark over its reputation
as an oasis of secular democracy in a tough neighborhood

#4 - Leaders should also be free of even the slightest hint of blood
on their hands.

Now if Mr. Dhume had done a little more homework he would have
discovered that

#1 There is no substance to the canard that Mr. Modi believes only
Hindus can be authentically Indian. In fact if Mr. Dhume had paid any
attention to the media coverage of the 2007 elections the only kind of
identity Mr. Modi invoked was Gujarati pride.

#2 The campaign to deny Mr. Modi a visa was sponsored by those in the
United States with overt and covert links to Chicago’s Pakistani
Muslim Community. (Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3)

Sadanand Dhume’s column comes at the same time as the Congress Party
scoring self goals by likening Mr. Modi to Dawood Ibrahim and by
treating Amitabh Bacchan as a pariah and as an untouchable for being a
brand ambassador for Gujarat.

Mr. Dhume does have a point on the steep challenge Mr. Modi faces on
his acceptability gap visa-vis the Nehru-Gandhis.

But the rate at which Congress spokesperson like Manish Tiwari are
scoring self goals, Mr. Dhume may very will have to eat his words on
the immortality of that acceptability gap.

The litmus test for Leaders suggested by Mr. Dhume

“leaders should be free of even the slightest blood on their hands”

is disingenuous to say the least.

If we were to apply Mr. Dhume’s yardstick and hold other leaders
accountable for the failure of their Governments to protect, then Dr.
Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi would also end up with blood on their
hands on account of the 13 attacks of Mass Terror between 2005 and
2008.

Incidentally Mr. Dhume did write an op-ed on Islamist Terror in India
a couple of weeks back in which he says

when elected politicians pander to fundamentalist Muslim leaders—as
is common in large parts of the country—the bureaucracy, the courts
and the press must hold them accountable

before stopping short of either taking names of either Politicians or
Parties or suggesting that one must carry the taint for life for
pandering to Islamists.

It is an open question at this time whether Mr. Modi has firm Prime
Ministerial ambitions or if the BJP intends to project him.

However Sadanand Dhume’s litmus test for disbarring him even before
the contest has begun rests on disingenuous logic.

This makes his case against Narendra Modi for Prime Minister both
shallow and prejudiced.

6 Responses

Jyotindra Khandwalla says:
March 31, 2010 at 4:01 pm

Modi has always preferred himseld to be CM – Common Man – and devoted
to development of Gujarat. He has always said his life is governed by
mission and not ambition. Until and unless he is given clean chit of
bill by SC, he would not allow himself to be persuaded by his peers in
the party and coalition to think of becoming PM.
In his yesterday’s blog, his You-tube video of his Gujarati address on
Doordarshan next day after Godhra incident speaks volume of his
courage and character. This video is by-lined in English and English
transcript is available of his Gujarati speech.

chetan sharma says:
March 31, 2010 at 6:37 pm

Modi has implemented his final solution, hopefully for the last time,
in Gujarat. The people of India do not wish to see that taint spread
through the rest of the country. It is better that he stays as the CM
– Con Man – of Gujarat and continue trying to evade justice until he
his finally brought to trial for his crimes against humanity.

It will be a cold day in hell and a sorry day for India if and when
Modi represents this great country.

Ketan says:
March 31, 2010 at 10:00 pm

Offstumped,

I could not access the full article, guess, it requires subscription.

From the points you have quoted, I found only the first one of some
merit.

But I also believe, Modi has largely remained silent knowing whatever
he would have spoken would be distorted and only selectively reported
by the media. But as penetration of twitter and blogs is increasing,
it is becoming increasingly difficult for the media to continue to
distort. Probably, that is why now he has started coming out with
refutations of all the charges one by one. And needless to say, law is
taking its own course concurrently, which might totally absolve him of
guilt. There might come a time, when those accusing Modi will not be
taken seriously owing to lack of substance, & then fewer alliance
partners would want to distance themselves from Modi citing his
complicity/involvement in 2002 riots. I just hope media will report
these happening faithfully.

But one thing I fail to understand is why did you choose to address
points raised in an article that would be read by very few Indians and
which arguably does not have anything new to offer.

Chetan Sharma,

Which country are you referring to as “great”? And could you please
enlist a few criteria for greatness met by the said country? It would
also be nice if you could elaborate on the “taint”, the spread of
which you are afraid of.

Thanks in advance!

SlimShadee says:
March 31, 2010 at 10:02 pm

I love reading some of your posts and you come across as a fairly
intelligent person. So it’s rather surprising that you want to believe
that Modi was not involved in the 2002 genocide of Muslims. There were
lots of murmurs about his direct involvement immediately after the
incidents endorsed by many NGOs and certain people who were part of
the Gujarat administration. ( Read this to know what I am talking
about: http://www.twocircles.net/2008jul19/ex_dgp_rb_sreekumar_who_took_gujarat_govt_protect_law_and_human_rights.html)

And after the Tehelka sting operation everything was out in the open
about who was behind this dastardly act. Hardliners from the Sangh
Parivar are quick to say that these are all fabricated evidence which
is laughable really. There are hard facts my dear friend that
“Narendra bhai” not only let these killers loose, he also played with
the judicial system so that they went scot-free after the carnage. And
this by itself blots out all his other achievements, if any.

arjun says:
April 1, 2010 at 12:53 am

The same things can be said about Rajiv Gandhi and Sikh riots in 84.
But some people are selectively righteous and focus only on Gujarat.
Probably because Modi belongs to ideologically different political
thought.

This kind of intellectual dishonesty people can see through and that
is why Modi has so much support.

It is upto the people of Gujarat to decide whether Modi is a con man
or not. Not upto NGOs whose agenda and leanings are not above
suspicion.

psecular says:
April 1, 2010 at 1:38 pm
@arjun

also kashmir & kashmir pandits, I see no one talking about them. More
these anti-nationals get unreasonably vociferous about Gujarat and
Modi, more will they create awareness in Hindus about the hatred the
minorities have for Hinduism and force Hinduism to become radical like
the minority religions.

http://offstumped.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/lazy-op-ed-by-sadanand-dhume/

April 1, 2010 • 5:00 am
Right To Education – BJP missing in action

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed the nation today as the Right
to Education Bill came in to law.

It was surprising to note that there was no response from the
principal political opposition to the Prime Minister’s speech.

In fact on the whole subject of the “Right to Education” it was
surprising to note that there was no policy paper or point of view
published by the BJP on its website.

All one gets to find on the BJP’s website on the subject of “Right to
Education” are passing remarks in a press conference in 2009 and some
cursory references in a Rajya Sabha debate.

Its a different matter that the original bill – “The Free and
Compulsory Education Bill tabled of 2003″, was tabled by a BJP lead
government.

The BJP has been missing in action on the policy debate ever since
neither having reviewed its policy stance from 2003 nor having offered
a credible alternative to the Congress sponsored legislation of 2009.

The Center for Civil Society, CCS has a comprehensive portal on
education tracing the debate on “Right to Education” from the 2003
bill through subsequent versions of legislation that eventually got
passed in 2009.

In fact Parth Shah of the CCS has a blistering article in the Mint
today on how the Right to Education act is the wrong way to go to
school.

Parth Shah’s critique of RTE centers mainly on three issues

#1 It is a massive takeover of education by the Government at the
expense of private institutions

#2 It essentially has morphed into a Right to Employment act for
Teachers with no direct accountability to Parents/School Management
and wide latitude to to Teachers Unions and unspecified School
Tribunals

#3 The legislation is half baked in that the model rules of
enforcement have not even been framed and left to the state
governments

It is surprising that the BJP that is seeking to reinvent itself as a
credible alternative to the Congress has failed to put up a policy
challenge to differentiate itself from the Congress on what is
essentially a Liberal Left sellout to lobbies and special interests
based on vast expansion of Government role in education including in
Private Schools.

The surprise is profound for the Sangh Parivar runs a large string of
private schools called “Sishu Mandirs” targeting the rural and urban
poor.

The lack of depth in its policy focus is one of many reasons the BJP
has failed to drive a sharp differentiation from the Congress leading
many to conclude that it is merely a B-team of the Congress.

As much as the BJP is critical of the Congress’ National Advisory
Council it must acknowledge the fact that the Congress has atleast
created a formal avenue to engage with outside policy experts even if
they are of the Liberal Left persuasion.

The absence of a similar forum within the BJP to engage with policy
experts is reflected in the poor quality of its political responses to
policy issues.

Engaging tired and retired journalists and bureaucrats (with the
notable exception of few eminent voices) is no substitute for a sound
body of policy research, knowledge and experise.

In fact the BJP’s policy incoherence must be directly attributed to
its failure to nurture Policy Institutions in its 6 years in office to
advance an alternative philosophy of governance and to create a body
of policy knowledge.

This entire episode highlights once again the fallacy of using
Identity as an Ideological label.

For political Hindutva of the 1990s neither offers a basis to
articulate the BJP’s position on the Right to Education Bill nor does
it help the BJP differentiate itself from the Congress on the Right to
Education Bill.

BJP’s claim that Integral Humanism is its guiding philosophy is also
shallow.

For example Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay in his remarks on Integral
Humanism says that

When the state-acquires all powers, both political and economic, the
result is a decline of Dharma. In this way if the state has unlimited
powers, the whole society looks towards the state, for everything.
Officers of the government neglect their duties and acquire vested
interests. These are all signs of the preponderance of the powers of
state.

Yet the BJP has no policy position on what must be called the largest
acquisition of political and economic power on Education by the State.

The reality is that the BJP has not even bothered to revisit Integral
Humanism since the 1960s nor has it attempted to make Integral
Humanism current and relevant .

This goes to highlight the damage political Hindutva has done to
intellectual faculties within the Party.

The result is the present state of the BJP where there is no coherent
ideological framework within the Party based on which policies can be
formulated.

What is worse Hindutva has become a Litmus Test of sorts

#1 causing the Party to narrowly look within its ranks for Policy
formulation

#2 preventing the Party from engaging a wider pool of Professional
experts who are ideologically opposed to Left Liberalism but are not
necessarily of the saffron hue

As Mr. Nitin Gadkari looks beyond his political A-team he must
seriously consider constituting a Policy Advisory Council by seeking
participation from a wide pool of Policy Experts who are broadly
opposed to the Left Liberal prescriptions of the Congress.

4 Responses

Pilid says:
April 1, 2010 at 6:08 am

1. Agree with your critique about the BJP’s lack of engagement but I
am mystified why you are so upset about it since the problem is hardly
new or novel. On how many other issues, particularly domestic ones
affecting the general public, has the BJP offered coherent, well
considered, alternative policy positions or come out with policy
papers? I cannot recall many. Not price rise, not on the healthcare
bill, not on GM crops…On the WRB, it was engaged but offered no
alternative at all.

Since the BJP is prone to swinging to the Leftist drumbeat on many an
occasion, I am not sure whether the BJP is being a B-team of the
Congress or the Left.

The party would do well to take a leaf out of the CPM’s handbook and
come out with cogent proposals made from a right-of-center
perspective. But it would have to clear the profound ideological
confusion within ranks before there can be any prospect of such
change. Policy experts can only opine; their political backers have to
be supportive of the effort for it to succeed.

2. I don’t see the RTE act as govt. takeover. Takeover would mean
govt. also taking responsibility for running the schools but here it
does nothing of the sort. RTE Act gives govt. power to intervene
without the commensurate responsibility but this is hardly new. We
have seen this before in professional colleges and the same thing is
being extended now to schools.

3. Others have commented as well on the need for teachers’
accountability. The government is empowered to enforce accountability
under the Act; whether it will do so still remains to be seen. Since
implementation has only begun, the last word has not yet been said.

Teachers are held to account based on their service rules which could
mean that private schools will continue to have the autonomy to follow
their own accountability & disciplinary methods (which is probably a
good thing).

4. Agree that model rules are half baked which is the cause of all the
litigation but because of that, it might get resolved more quickly
than otherwise.

drummasala says:
April 1, 2010 at 6:26 am

Offstumped is right in saying this about BJP. I have one question
though, if BJP does all the things you mentioned:

1) Will this things reach to aam admi taking hostile media into
account?
2) Even if it reaches, how many people will understand this taking lot
of illiterate population.
3) Even if people understand, will they vote for BJP?

I don’t believe. People will vote based on caste or good looking
candidates like prince charming (pub chick is one of the voter in this
category).
If people could not vote out CON party even after 26/11, I don’t see
any chances even if BJP brings these things on RTI.

Umesh says:
April 1, 2010 at 9:01 am

If BJP needs to capture the Intellectual space. Then they need to be
involved in the debate.

I propose the following strategy.
a) Be gracious and accept that RTE is a good step.
b) Make the point that due to lack of resources 10 years back we could
not do it. Hopefully, things are better now.
c) Attack the flaws in the Bill

i) How is financing for the 25% quota come across. The Bill seems to
be clueless on this. State Govt’s are already crying foul. I dont seen
an allocation like MNREGA being mentioned here.

Without financial allocation this will be just pure paper, No action.

My two pence.

Yossarinji,
Please comment on this..

Sudhir says:
April 1, 2010 at 4:21 pm
@drummasala – I don’t think media not taking it up or illetrate
population not caring, should be reason enough for BJP not to explain
positions in detail.

There is a large chunk of literate audience out there, who can be
influeced too. I agree with Yoss on the broad point – BJP needs to
have an alternative view point on many of such cases – merely
accepting the government’s proposal or shouting rhetoric from the roof
top will not help.

- Sudhir

Real Time Commentary via Twitter

No Sachar or Mishra prescription can make a difference to this
backwardness perpetuated by competitive ghetto politics Offstumped on
Twitter 7 hours ago

This is the second instance where Muslim factional politics has lead
to power projection on the streets and ended up provoking riots
Offstumped on Twitter 7 hours ago

Hyderabad Riots and Muslim factional politics RT @ssudhirkumar best
accounts of why the riots actually happened. http://bit.ly/aIA5R
Offstumped on Twitter 7 hours ago

Looks like Social Engineering will trip politics of Muslim vote bank
consolidation thanks to caste/class divide within Indian Muslims
Offstumped on Twitter 7 hours ago
Vidya Subramaniams reality check on Muslim quota

http://bit.ly/cYUS7Z
oped in Indian express confirms Muslim divide

http://bit.ly/cVvD
MY Offstumped on Twitter 7 hours ago

And here is the real reason for avoiding Parliament
http://bit.ly/c8KlRv Offstumped on Twitter 8 hours ago

RT @PRSLegislative 5 positions @ PRS PRS is looking for 5 motivated
individuals to join its team. For further details
http://bit.ly/dmSRlt Offstumped on Twitter 8 hours ago

Why have the Parliament at all if debate is going to subverted to suit
the convenience of the Party in Government
http://bit.ly/9G7FPp Offstumped on Twitter 8 hours ago

Syed Saleem Shahzad writes on Culture too
http://bit.ly/akEl74
no it's not an April Fools day joke Offstumped on Twitter 9 hours ago

On Right To Education BJP is missing in action:
http://wp.me/ptnDV-Ft Offstumped on Twitter 11 hours ago

If the BJP cannot differentiate itself from the Congress on half baked
legislations like RTE then it is no better than a B-Team of Congress
Offstumped on Twitter 16 hours ago

Surprised how the BJP allowed such a massive government takeover of
Education without the semblance of debate or challenge Offstumped on
Twitter 16 hours ago

Blistering critique from @ParthJShah RTE has become "Right to
Employment" to Teachers
http://bit.ly/9qoF8g Offstumped on Twitter 16 hours ago

Must read @PrathJShah on Right To Education - The wrong way to school
http://www.livemint.com/2010/03/31215740/The-wrong-way-to-school.html
Offstumped on Twitter 16 hours ago

As much as BJP mocks the National Advisory Council time it put in
place a Policy Advisory Council of outside experts
http://is.gd/b8nOm Offstumped on Twitter 19 hours ago

More details on the 100 hours of Community Service for Youth here
http://is.gd/b8jIY Offstumped on Twitter 20 hours ago

Speaking of Education Just got an email from Narendra Mod's Portal on
"Vanche Gujarat" a Community initiative of 100 hrs to promote Reading
Offstumped on Twitter 20 hours ago

CCS has a comprehensive portal on Right To Education starting with
2003 bill http://is.gd/b8j4l least BJP can do is co-opt policy experts
Offstumped on Twitter 20 hours ago

http://offstumped.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/right-to-education-bjp-missing-in-action/

Gadkari blames UPA’s bad governance for price rise
By IANS
March 31st, 2010

KOLKATA - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari
Wednesday blamed “bad governance” of the United Progressive Alliance
(UPA) government for the spiralling prices of essential items.

History tells us that whenever the Congress is in power, prices go up,
Gadkari said at a party convention here.

The BJP chief said unless the present government is ousted, prices
would remain high.

“The commoners are facing serious problems due to skyrocketing prices.
This is due to bad governance of the UPA government,” he said.

http://blog.taragana.com/politics/2010/03/31/gadkari-blames-upas-bad-governance-for-price-rise-26375/

BJP amends party constitution, to have more office-bearers
By IANS
February 18th, 2010

INDORE - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has amended its constitution
to increase the number of posts of central office-bearers and simplify
the process of organisational elections.

The resolution to amend the constitution was moved by party vice-
president Balasaheb Apte at the meeting of the party’s national
council here Thursday, party sources said.

The move to increase the number of its office-bearers follows the
party’s decision to keep one-third posts at all levels for women.

Party sources said that following the amendment, the strength of
central office-bearers will go up from 29 to 37.

The party will now have nine general secretaries (seven earlier), 12
vice-presidents (nine earlier), and 15 secretaries (twelve earlier),
apart from a treasurer.

The national executive will now have 120 members, the sources said.

New BJP office bearers to meet April 2
By IANS
March 24th, 2010

NEW DELHI - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari will
meet his new office bearers on April 2 to chalk out the strategy for
the party’s campaign against rising prices.

“The April 2 meeting of office-bearers will discuss BJP’s anti-price
rise agitation and preparations for the April 21 rally in Delhi,” BJP
headquarters in-charge Shyam Jaju told IANS.

This will be the first meeting of party office bearers after Gadkari
announced his team March 16.

The meeting will be attended by senior party leader L.K. Advani,
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Leader of
Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, among others.

The BJP has planned a big rally in the capital against price rise
April 21 and the meeting is expected to discuss efforts to mobilise
people for it.

The meeting will also chalk out programmes for the future, a party
official said adding that Gadkari would distribute work among new
office bearers only after meeting them.

The announcement of the new team had led to criticism about its
composition from some party leaders from Bihar including Shatrughan
Sinha and C.P. Thakur. Gadkari told them not to raise their grievances
in the media.

Gadkari’s new team has 12 general secretaries, 11 vice-presidents (two
posts are vacant) and 15 secretaries. Women have been given 33 percent
representation in the national executive committee.

http://blog.taragana.com/politics/2010/03/24/new-bjp-office-bearers-to-meet-april-2-25056/

Horseplay in Harappa: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/f9b738e079fef9fb/29e89ff9c3ac525d
Troubled Tribal: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/e728acc31e0d52d7#
Indian Morality Meltdown: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/ec479835613abd41#
Hindus'Tantrum: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/8a1efe054a3bf157#
I Write, Therefore I am: Sid Harth
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Indian Morality Meltdown: Sid Harth
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Sex and CD Scandal: Sid Harth
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Not Required Indian, NRI: Sid Harth
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Why 'Marathi'?
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/4be9d2a2e20ab43f#
Telangana Tempest: Sid Harth
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Of States and Statesmanship: Sid Harth
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Sa for Sanskrit Pop: Sid Harth
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Black Money Monster: Sid Harth
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Superpower Syndrome: Sid Harth
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Indian Power-Pow-Wow, Wow!: Sid Harth
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26/11 Saga Continues: Sid Harth
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Superpower Syndrome: Sid Harth
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Of Justice and Injustice: Sid Harth
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Sangh Parivar Pageant: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/a91a817395e54639#
Stop this terroristic activities of Shiv Sena
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/93908482518b9228#
BJP RIP: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/20def0d930fc511f#
Superpower Syndrome: Sid Harth
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Sangh Parivar Pageant: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/9c4ff65e38c4b924#
Sudharma, Sanskrit Newspaper: Sid Harth
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Hindu Worldview: Sid Harth
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Shimla Shenanigans: Sid Harth
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...and I am Sid Harth

[and/or www.mantra.com/jai (Dr. Jai Maharaj)]

Full Text - GODHRA CARNAGE - JUSTICE TEWATIA REPORT

FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

GODHRA AND AFTER

A Field Study by Justice D. S. Tewatia, Dr. J. C. Batra, Dr. Krishan Singh
Arya, Shri Jawahar Lal Kaul, Prof. B. K. Kuthiala COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS AND HUMAN RIGHTS, A-208, Surajmal Vihar, Delhi 110 092 Phone
2374816, fax [phone], Email ***@ndf.vsnl.net.in) GOVERNING BODY FOR
THE TERM 2001-03: Chairman: Shri Shanta Kumar, Parliamentarian, Palampur
Vice-Chairmen: Justice D S Tewatia, Jurist, Gurgaon Shri Chaman Lal Gupta,
Parliamentarian, Jammu Shri Y D Ahuja, Academician, New Delhi Secy.
General: Shri Shyam Khosla, Journalist, New Delhi Secretaries: Prof. B K
Kuthiala, Academician; Hisar Shri R K Sharma, Journalist, New Delhi Shri
Kumar Rakesh, Journalist, New Delhi Treasurer: Shri R Chandiwala, Chartered
Accountant, New Delhi Members: 1. Shri A. R. Kohli, Governor of Mizoram,
Aizwal. 2. Dr Harsh Vardhan, Medical Administrator, New Delhi 3. Dr N K
Trikha, Journalist, New Delhi 4. Dr Ajay Kumar, Physician, New Delhi 5.
Shri A N Misra, Journalist, Nagpur 6. Mrs. Sudesh Bhatia, Academician, New
Delhi 7. Prof. Shivaji Sarkar, Academician, New Delhi 8. Dr. J C Batra,
Senior Advocate, New Delhi 9. Shri Vikas Mahajan, Advocate, New Delhi 10.
Dr. J B Goyal, Academician, New Delhi 11. Shri Joseph Gathia, Social
Activist, New Delhi 12. Shri Pradeep Thakur, Journalist, Gaziabad 13. Dr.
K. C. Pandey, Teacher, Gaziabad PREFACE The Council for International
Affairs and Human Rights is deeply concerned over the Godhra carnage that
consumed 58 pilgrims, including 26 women and 12 children, returning from
Ayodhya when the Sabarmati Express carrying them was torched near Godhra
railway station and the subsequent sectarian violence. These gory incidents
shocked the nation to no end. Torching alive innocent citizens is in total
violation of Indian values and traditions and is a blot on the fair name of
this ancient civilization. It is a gross violation of human rights of
innocent citizens who were roasted alive or brutally killed or maimed for
no fault of theirs. The Gujarat tragedy is too deep for tears. An in-depth
and objective study to understand the conspiracy, if any, that led to the
burning alive of pilgrims and the killing of innocent citizens that took
place is several parts of Gujarat is the need of the hour. It is equally
important to identify the evil forces that were instrumental in
accomplishing the "mission".

2

The civil society needs to evolve ways and means to resolve the communal
divide that has become a festering wound and poses a serious threat to
human rights. It is of utmost importance to know how the administration
responded to the challenge and what the role of the political parties,
social organisations, the intelligentsia and the media was. It is in this
context that the Governing Body of the Council that met at Delhi on March
22, 2002 decided to send a team to conduct a field study into the communal
strife in Gujarat. Justice D. S. Tewatia, Vice-Chairman of the Council and
a former Chief Justice of Calcutta and Punjab and Haryana High Courts, is
the leader of the team. Other members are: Dr J C Batra, senior advocate,
Supreme Court of India, Dr. Krishan Singh Arya, Academician, Chandigarh,
Shri Jawahar Lal Kaul, former Assistant Editor, Jansatta, Delhi, and Prof.
B K Kuthiala, Dean, Faculty of Media Studies, G. J. University Hisar.. It
has produced a comprehensive report dealing with numerous aspects of The
team left for Gujarat on April 1 and returned on April 7, 2002. The team
conducted a scientific field study into the horrendous happenings in Godhra
and other parts of Gujarat and collected enormous evidence in the form of
interviews and documentsthe tragedy. It was not possible for the team to
uncover each and every dimension of the tragedy due to constraints of time
and resources. But it has done a wonderful job in the limited time and
resources available to it. The Council is extremely grateful to Justice
Tewatia and his team for conducting the study and producing a comprehensive
report. The Council hopes that its labours will not go waste and that
authorities concerned, the intelligentsia and the media as also the common
citizens will take serious note of the conclusions and recommendations made
by the team. A careful reading of the report will help sift fact from
fiction and identify rumours and canards that have been spread by vested
interests. The report, one hopes, will enable the nation to have a correct
perspective of the forces behind the tragedy and the elements that
exploited it for partisan considerations. The Council is grateful to the
members of the team, the representatives of various organisations of Hindus
and Muslims of Gujarat, concerned citizens who came forward to narrate
details of incidents and provided evidence and the local authorities that
ensured that the team conducted the study without any hindrance. Shyam
Khosla, Secretary General. April 26, 2002 CONTENTS S No Chapter 1. 2. 3. 4.
Introduction Data Collection Godhra incident Facts and inferences Page 1 5
9 22

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3
5. 6. 7. Communal riots in Gujarat Conclusions Recommendations 25 35 40

INTRODUCTION NEED FOR AN OBJECTIVE ANALYTICAL STUDY Finding the truth is
the ultimate objective of any intellectual exercise. Be it a fact-finding
mission, analysis of social, political or economic processes or a spiritual
journey the edifice of truth is built on the facts. In sciences experiments
are conducted to generate new information, which forms the basis for the
enunciation of new theories and principles. Facts become sacred, inferences
and opinions must arise from the information of the past and the new data
gathered. Neutrality in the selection of past data, in the process of
gathering new information and also in the process of analysis and
derivation of inferences is fundamental to any objective intellectual
endeavor. UNIPOLAR THOUGHT PROCESS Any exercise to search for truth has to
make a beginning without any predispositions. Objectivity is lost if the
past attitudes and aptitudes of the seeker of truth colour the vision and
the analyst becomes blind to a set of information bits and another set of
data is visualized as being greater than its real worth. In research
hypothesis are stated and the researcher has a mind-set wherein based on
dispassionate analysis of gathered data the stated hypothesis is either
proved to be right or wrong. Incorrect derivations and inferences would
arise if the researcher were emotionally or ideologically inclined to prove
or disprove a given hypothesis. Truth is the first casualty of such an
exercise. Intellectual honesty demands observations, analysis and
derivations that are free from the personal or group prejudice and likes
and dislikes of the analysts. Unfortunately in today's India the vocal,
articulate and dominant sections of thinkers and analysts have become
predictable. Even before an exercise of analysis of events and processes
begins it is possible to almost correctly forecast the inferences and
conclusions that are likely to be drawn by the individuals, groups or
organizations. A newspaper would publish editorials and articles supporting
and proving only one point of view. The outcome of the discussion is
predictable depending upon the television channel that is hosting it. Even
in the case of simple journalistic reporting the personal predispositions
of the reporter glare prominently in the news stories. The questions asked
clearly indicate the ideological inclinations of the interviewer. So much
so that even the organizations created under the statutes of the
Constitution become partisan and their contentions are blind to a set of
data and hyper-responsive to another set of facts. Unipolar thought process
of Indian analysts and commentators has become a practice rather than an
exception.

3

4

QUEST FOR TRUTH When the problems of the nation receive skewed notice from
its intellectuals the analysis cannot be realistic. Not only the problems
get politicized, the analysis too is coloured with the vision of the
analyst. If the diagnosis of the problem is faulty, the solution is bound
to be unrealistic and misdirected. When a physician commits error in the
diagnosis of an ailment, he fails to cure the disease and may give birth to
new problems. The country today needs better treatment by its
intelligentsia. It is the dharma of the intelligentsia to be objective and
search and state the truth and only the truth. If we look back and
introspect the achievements and failures of the nation after independence
three facts clearly emerge. First, there was acute shortage of food grains
and the country had to import wheat. It posed a serious challenge. The
farming community and the scientists responded magnificently and we are now
faced with a problem of plenty. Second, whenever the nation faced an
external threat our jawans lived up to our expectations and defended our
borders at the cost of their lives. It is a matter of pride for us that
jawans and kisans that constitute the majority of the population brought
glory to the country. The scientists too have taken the country to new
heights, be it innovations in farming practices, atomic and space research
or information technology. FAILURE OF GOVERNING CLASS Third, in most of the
cases when a task came before the governing class of the society that
includes bureaucracy and politicians, mismanagement, failures and
deceptions are the outcome. The ruling class failed to manage the massive
surplus produced by the farmers. The contradiction is that while millions
of tonnes of wheat is rotting, a large chunk of our society is denied two
square meals a day. It is a sad commentary on the governing class.
Successive Governments lost on the table the gains achieved by our jawans
in the battlefields. A vast majority of the people has contributed towards
the growth and development of the country during fifty-five years of
independence but a minuscule minority comprising the political class,
bureaucracy, intelligentsia and the media have let the country down. The
tragic fact is that despite India being a democratic polity, a small
minority of the elite controls the destiny of the nation. The
intelligentsia, professionals and the media failed to provide the link
between the vast majority of patriotic and duty conscious citizens and the
governing class. They were supposed to keep a watch and provide policy and
action options without prejudice. But what did

4

5
they do? They lost their moorings and became a part of the governing class
and diverted their intellect for perpetuation of the exploitative and self-
serving elite class. Whereas kisans, jawans and scientists have more than
met the challenges of nation building the intelligentsia along with
politicians and bureaucrats have miserably failed to deliver the goods.
ALTERNATE ACTION PLAN Independent India inherited the problem of
disharmonious relationships between Hindus and Muslims. Amongst many other
major problems communal disharmony has been a serious issue before the
nation after independence. There were certain inherited realities and
solutions were to be found within those parameters. The managers of free
India have miserably failed to solve this problem. In fact, they have
accentuated the problem and widened the gulf between the two largest
communities living in the country. The disease aggravated as the decades
passed largely because of the wrong medication. Is not the continuation of
communal tensions between two major communities of the country an adverse
comment on the performance of our ruling class, intelligentsia and the
media? The answer is an assertive YES. The inhuman burning of the Indian
citizens traveling in a train at Godhra on the morning of February 27, 2002
and whatever followed in Gujarat and elsewhere is an evidence of the
mismanagement of the communal divide between two major communities of the
country. The political class having made appropriate noises to please their
respective constituencies will go back to its Kumbhkarani sleep to be woken
up only when another carnage takes place. When a physician fails to cure
certain ailment he looks for an alternative action plan and even takes a
second opinion. But not our rulers. INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONALS But do our
thinkers, planners and implementers ever sit back and ponder over their
failures? They sing the same songs with perhaps new music. Instead of
looking for their own failures they once again refuse to see the reality
and selectively isolate the data to prove their own, many times repeated
and widely known viewpoints. They are blind to their skewed perceptions.
They are either unaware or willfully remaining unaware of the need for an
alternate course of action. It was in this backdrop that the Council for
International Affairs and Human Rights decided to depute a Study Team of
conscientious and independent professionals to conduct a field study in
Godhra and other areas affected by sectarian violence. The team comprised:
1. Justice D. S. Tewatia, former Chief Justice, Calcutta High Court and
Punjab and Haryana High Court. 2. Dr. J. C. Batra, Senior Advocate, Supreme
Court of India. 3. Dr. Krishan Singh, Academician. 4. Shri Jawahar Lal
Kaul, Veteran Journalist. 5. Prof. B. K. Kuthiala, Dean Faculty of Media
Studies, G J

5

6
University, Hisar. DATA COLLECTION VISITS INTERACTION AND DOCUMENTS The
team reached Ahmedabad on 02. 04.02 in the morning by train and visited
three affected areas and some of the relief camps. At all the places team
members interacted with the members of the public freely without
intervention of any officials, government or otherwise. On 03.04.02 the
team went to Godhra and five delegations from both communities and also of
mixed composition presented their views and facts to the team. The team
then went to the Godhra Railway Station and interviewed the officials and
some other witnesses of the burning of the S-6 Coach of the Sabarmati
Express in the morning of 27.02.02. The site where the train was initially
stopped and stoned was also visited. The team also minutely observed the
burnt S-6 coach. The officials of the Fire Brigade who were involved in the
fire fighting on the morning of 27.02.02 were also interviewed. The
localities adjacent to the railway station along with the sites where
demolition of structures illegally erected was carried out on 27.02.02
during the curfew hours were also visited. The team also visited a Girls
High School at Godhara where Muslims from rural hinterland had migrated for
safety. In the evening the team had a meeting with the District Collector,
Godhra along with other officials. The District Collector made a
presentation of the actions that the district administration had taken
after the incident near the railway station. Information was also provided
in response to the questions raised by the members of the team. Prime
Minister was to reach Godhra the next day and the team left for Vadodara
late at night, as it did not want to be an obstacle in the arrangements
being made for his visit. RELIEF CAMPS OF HINDUS AND MUSLIMS On 04.04.02
the team was in Vadodara where it visited five relief camps of both the
communities and seven areas, which were the scenes of arson, fire and
violence during the last month. Team also exposed itself to ground
situations by visiting some sensitive areas where either: a. two
communities lived face to face with each other in different localities. b.
a small number of families of one community lived in neighborhood and
surrounded by a large number of the families of the other community. c. two
communities lived in the same locality, both in significant numbers with
houses of both communities randomly distributed. The team visited some of
the areas, which have been evacuated by the residents because either they
were attacked or they apprehended an attack. To have the exposure to the
realities the team also visited

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some areas where curfew was imposed. Permission to visit such areas was
taken from the appropriate authorities. In the afternoon the Commissioner
Police, Vadodra and District Collector Vadodra met the team along with
other officials. The team members were updated with the information
regarding the management of situation till that day. The officials also
answered the queries of the team. At 5.00 pm the team met with the
representatives of various media organizations - both print and electronic.
About thirty media persons were present and an informative interaction took
place. The team had taken a conscious decision not to address a press
conference, as it did not want to express unprocessed, half-baked and
impressionistic opinions. THE GOVERNOR & THE CHIEF MINISTER MEETING In the
evening thirteen(13) delegations consisting of 121 citizens met the team
and presented their viewpoints and information. The delegations included
not only the members of both the communities but ranged from the
Association of Hoteliers to a group of adivasis to affected Muslim and
Hindu women. On 05. 04.02, the team once again visited the affected areas
to see the change in the ground situation in two days after the team has
visited on 02. 04.02. Here once again the team spoke to common persons at
the affected sites. In the afternoon the team had an in-depth discussion on
the situation in the state with Shri Narendra Modi, Chief Minister,
Gujarat. After meeting the Chief Minister, the team met the Police
Commissioner, Ahmedabad. He gave some data about the preventive arrests
(3046), booked (1807), FIRs lodged (636) killed (267 including 58 in police
firing) and rounds fired by police (2842). In the afternoon seven
delegations - five from Ahmedabad and two representing state level
organizations briefed the team of their version of the incidents,
perceptions and possible remedial measures. Total number of citizens, both
Muslims and Hindus, present in these meetings was 91. During and after
dinner some important persons of the minority community met the team
members personally and provided useful information. A retired judge of the
High Court belonging to the Muslim community also apprised the team of his
perception of the communal riots. He himself is a victim as his house was
burnt a few days ago. In the morning of 06. 04. 02, team members went out
individually to interact informally with common men to feel the pulse of
the people. At noon the team went to Raj Bhawan to meet Shri Sunder Singh
Bhandari, Governor, Gujarat where a very useful interaction took place.
OBJECTIVITY IN OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS In the evening the members boarded
a train back to Delhi from where the team members dispersed to their
respective stations. At this point of time every team member carried a
heavy load of information, views and images of realities. For a week the
team members engaged themselves in the process of sieving facts from
fiction, correlating

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data with perceived realities and an objective dispassionate analysis. On
15.04.02 and also on 19.04.02 the team met in Delhi and after sharing each
other's analysis the report has been penned down as a collective effort. It
would also be worth mentioning that the Study Team has used both audio and
video systems to record images of ground situation, evidence, and narration
of the events by victims and witnesses and interviews. Some of these
recordings were done with an explicit assurance given by the team to use
the material only for the purposes of analysis and hall not be made public.
Similarly a load of printed and handwritten documents have also been
collected both from official and privates sources. Use of Internet has also
been made extensively to interact and surfing for collection of relevant
information. All this information about the methodology is being provided
so that the consumers of this information can evaluate the observations and
analysis of the team independently. The strengths and weaknesses are both
laid out and there is no attempt to pronounce hasty judgments without any
scientific analysis or even without collating the information with other
members of the study team. It did not visit the affected areas to
strengthen the beliefs and perceptions of its members in a partisan manner,
but it went with an open mind and a clean state and allowed the facts to
speak for themselves. The objectivity of observation and analysis has been
coupled with the honesty and integrity of scientific process of deducing
and theory propositions. GODHRA INCIDENT : BURNING ALIVE OF 58 INDIAN
CITIZENS TRAVELLING IN COACH S-6 OF SABARMATI EXPRESS Train numbers 9164,
9166 and 9168 have been named Sabarmati Express after the name of the
Sabarmati Ashram established by Mahatma Gandhi to experiment and propagate
his philosophies of non-violence and swadeshi. The train runs up to
Ahmedabad, from Faizabad (9164) on Saturdays, from Muzaffarabad (9166) on
Wednesday, Friday and Monday and from Varanasi(9168) on Thursday, Sunday
and Tuesday. It covers Lucknow, Gwalior, Bhopal, Indore and Dahod is its
first halt in Gujarat. After traveling 74 km in 2 hrs and 19 minutes from
Dahod the train is scheduled to arrive at 0255hrs at Godhra. After Godhra
it halts at Vadodra, Anand and Nadiad reaching Ahmedabad at 0700hrs
INNOCENT PILGRIMS On 26.02.02 Sabarmati Express started from Faizabad about
225 minutes late. On that fateful day, about 2300 pilgrims were travelling
by the train. Most of them were returning from Ayodhya where they had gone
for either participating in the shila-pujan or for the purana ahuti of the
ritual jap of Ram-naam that the devotees began one month in advance at
their respective places. There were other passengers in the train including
members of the Muslim community. However, it has been reported that most of
the Muslim passengers got down at Dahod Railway Station and rest of them at
Godhra and it appears that when the train was torched there were no Muslim
passengers on the train except the elements who were to stop the train by
pulling the chain as part of a conspiracy to burn the pilgrims alive.

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CHAIN PULLED AND VACUUM PIPE CUT At 07.42 hrs the train stopped at Godhra
Railway Station. After about five minutes, the train started to move but
stopped for a few moments as some passengers could not board the train. It
finally left the station but came to halt about 700 metres away from the
station as some one had pulled the chain. The vacuum pipe between the
Coaches No. S-6 and S-7 was cut thereby preventing any further movement of
the train. Miscreants threw bricks and stones at the train as soon as it
left Godhra Railway Station. The stoning intensified after it finally
stopped about 700 metres from the station. The passengers of the train,
particularly Coaches S-5, S-6 and S-7, were the main targets. The
passengers reportedly shut the windows and doors to protect themselves.
Burning missiles and acid bulbs were thrown on and in the coaches. One such
acid missile landed in Coach S-7 and a fire started which the passengers
were able to extinguish. But the attack continued and more burning missiles
were thrown into the Coach S-6. FIFTY EIGHT PILGRIMS ROASTED ALIVE Soon, S-
6 caught fire and within minutes it was in flames. Passengers who managed
to get out of the burning compartment were attacked with sharp weapons and
stoned. They received serious injuries. Some of them got out through the
windows and took shelter below the coach. After some time (between 20
minutes and 40 minutes) fire engine arrived at the scene and took about
half an hour to extinguish the fire. Inside the coach, 58 charred bodies
were found. These included 26 women and 12 children. Those who had seen the
charred bodies shiver even weeks after the incident while recalling the
gory scene. Even a cursory look at the photographs of the charred bodies is
a chilling experience. Forty-three (43) injured persons were rushed to the
Civil Hospital at Godhra with different degrees of burns. The train left
Godhra at about 1230 hours minus Coach S-6, 58 dead and 43 injured. The
question why a large number of Hindus were roasted alive at the hands of
Muslim crowds at Godhra and also what was the motivation to enact such a
ghastly act needs to be answered. There is strong logic supported by direct
and circumstantial evidence that enables the team to assert without an iota
of doubt that the entire action was carried out on the behest of then
Government of Pakistan. The primary objective was to create Hindu-Muslim
communal conflagration in India. The reasons why Pakistan would resort to
such acts are: 1. Hindu-Muslim communal riots in India would have echo in
Bangladesh, and would help in cleansing of Hindus from that country
resulting in further straining of relations with India. The communal
rioting will provide yet another excuse for India bashing. The reaction in
Bangladesh will add fuel to the already communally tense situation in
India. It would ultimately give sustenance to the "Two Nation Theory". 2.
Hindu-Muslim riots in India would further accentuate alienation of Kashmiri
Muslims, thereby creating further space in Kashmir for Pakistan's nefarious
activities against India.

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3. Hindu-Muslim riots in India would tend to adversely affect India's
present friendly relations with Afghanistan. It is worth mentioning here
that Prime Minister of Afghanistan had in a television interview while
responding to a question about the nature of Afghanistan's relations with
India observed, "That would depend upon how India treats its Muslim
minority". Incidentally, the Prime Minister of Afghanistan was in Delhi on
the fateful day the train was torched. 4. Situation at the Indo-Pak border
is extremely critical and volatile. A little misunderstanding or even an
unintended move can lead to a war between the two countries. Hindu-Muslim
riots in such a situation would come handy to weaken our defences as the
army would have to be withdrawn from the borders to combat riots. The army
is normally summoned to assist the civil authorities when the situation
worsens as happened during recent riots in Gujarat. With a view to maintain
law and order, two Brigades of army were deployed in various parts of the
state thereby leaving a portion of our border uncovered or weakly
protected. To cite an example, if the troops deployed on the Katch border
are withdrawn our defences in that area become weak and border more porous
thereby increasing the danger of infiltration by jehadis and smugglers
dealing with drugs and arms. What would please more the hostile neighbour
and ISI than weak defences and porous borders and what can be a better
mechanism than creating a situation where Indian army's attention is
diverted because of its deployment in riot-hit areas. All patriotic and
nationalist forces, demanding deployment of army to assist the civil
authority for one reason or the other, need to look at the situation from
this angle as well. 5. Hindu-Muslim riots increase the alienation of the
saner elements among Kashmiri Muslim and add to the support base of
terrorist outfits sponsored, armed and financed by ISI. Terrorism and
insurgency get a shot in the arm. In the event of a war between the two
countries these subversive groups can play havoc. 6. Hindu-Muslim riots
create tensions and misunderstanding between India and Muslim countries
with which India has developed understanding and goodwill. By provoking
communal violence, Pakistan wants to isolate India in the international
community and tarnish its image as a pluralistic and democratic society.
Another question that needs systematic analysis is: Why Godhra? Why did
Pakistan choose to enact this ghastly act at a small, little known town of
Godhra? On the basis of information gathered from various sources the team
identifies the following reasons for choosing Godhra for this carnage: The
rate of growth of Muslim population in Godhra is much higher than the
national growth rate of Muslim population. At present the estimated ratio
of Hindu-Muslim population ranges from 60:40 to 48:52. In any case, it is
an established fact that Godhra has a very large Muslim

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population. Most of them live on both the sides of the railway station in
depth. In normal course, the Sabarmati Express was to arrive at Godhra
Railway Station at 02.55 am. The conspirators must have chosen the place
with a view to complete their operation "Burn the train" at the dead of
night when most of the passengers would be asleep. They must have planned
to accomplish their evil "mission" unhindered and with impunity. Godhra has
the dubious distinction of having a large number of Muslim fundamentalists
and jehadi elements. Godhra is neither a Muslim pilgrim center like Ajmer
nor a Muslim educational center like Aligarh and Deoband. The local Muslims
are not economically affluent either, yet this town had hosted three
istema'- religious congregations. In one of the istema', Muslim
representatives from more than hundred countries participated. The holding
of international congregations on such a massive scale gives credence to
the commonly held perception that there has been a massive inflow of
foreign money into Godhra. One Shri Haji Bilal, a Congress member of
Nagarpalika, who has been booked by the police as the executor of the
carnage, has been, according to locals, proudly proclaiming himself to be
"Bin Laden of Godhra". President of the District Congress Committee, Farooq
Malla and Congress activist and member of Godhra Nagarpalika, Abdul Rehman
Dhatia, are amongst those booked for the carnage giving credence to reports
that local Congressmen were actively involved in the burning of the train.
The next question is: Why was this particular train chosen for torching?
The team provides the following answer: This particular train was chosen
because the 2300 pilgrims were returning from Ayodhya on this train.
Torching and burning alive a large number of Hindu pilgrims (including
women and children) was intended to let loose a tide of indignation and
provocation of horrendous proportion in Hindu population resulting in
intended ignition of the communal tinder box, causing wide spread Hindu-
Muslim riots all over the country. However, the train got late and the
miscreants were able to burn only one compartment instead of the entire
train and (contrary to the expectations of their Pakistani masters) the
communal riots were confined to only a part of Gujarat. The evidence that
leads to the conclusion that the torching of Sabarmati Express on the
morning of 27.02.02 was pre-meditated can be stated as: The train took only
three minutes, as per the statement of the Stationmaster, form the platform
to the place where it was stopped by pulling the chain at a distance of
about 700 metres. It is impossible for a mob of about 2000 persons carrying
acid bulbs and highly combustible

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liquids to converge within three minutes that too in the early hours of the
morning. The conspirators had done their homework. They ensured that the
mob gets enough time to accomplish the misdeed. Had the train stopped
because of chain pulling, the driver could have re-started the train after
it was attacked by the mob. In order to ensure that the train would not
move even an inch, the conspirators had deputed certain persons to cut the
vacuum pipe. Consequently, the train could not move before the pipe was
repaired. In order to establish the correct chronology of events the Study
Team collected information from: 1.) Staff at the Railway Station, Godhra.
2.) District Administration 3.) Passengers traveling in Sabarmati Express
on 27.02.02 in S-6 4.) Passengers traveling in Sabarmati Express on 27. 02.
02 other than in S-6. 5.) Staff of the Fire Brigade, Godhra. 6.) Others who
were witness to the later part of the incident. 7.) Reports in local,
regional and Delhi Press. STAFF OF RAILWAY STATION GODHRA The staff at the
Railway Station Godhra told the team that no serious quarrel took place on
the platform when the train halted there for about 05 minutes. Immediately
after the train started moving it stopped and few left-out passengers
boarded the train and it started again. A mob of about 1000 Muslims ahead
of the Railway Station started pelting stones and other missiles on the
train. The train after moving about 700 metres stopped once again but with
a jerk as a result of chain pulling. The vacuum-pipe of the Coach No. S-6
was cut. The mob had by then swelled to more than 2000. They stoned the
train and also threw burning missiles, concentrating on S-6 and S-7. Soon
the Coach S-6 was seen burning and the flames reached outside the coach in
no time. Railway Police rushed to the scene and after initial hesitation
fired in the air to disperse the mob. There was no impact on the mob that
did not disperse even after firing in the air and kept shouting slogans and
throwing missiles at the police and the crowd comprising railway officials,
passengers of the other coaches of the train and bystanders. Fire brigade
reached the site after about half an hour (from the time of the departure
of the train from the platform). It took about half an hour to extinguish
the flames and cool down the S-6 coach. District administration reached the
spot after the fire had almost been extinguished and the mob had withdrawn
to a distant place but was still shouting slogans. All through voices were
heard on loudspeakers from both the sides of the railway track inciting the
mob to kill and burn the infidels (kafirs) and the enemies of Bin Laden.
With the help of civilians, the injured were taken to the Civil Hospital
and the dead were brought out and counted. Burnt bodies of passengers were
identified with the help

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of other passengers of the train including those of S-6 who had escaped
unhurt or were not seriously injured. DISTRICT ADMINSTRATION, GODHRA As per
the presentation made by the Collector of Panchmahal at Godhra, the
Sabarmati express arrived at Godhra Railway station at 7.43 am (scheduled
arrival at 2.55 a.m.). Train departed at 7.48 a.m. and was stopped at a
distance of 1km from Godhra railway station by pulling chain at "Signal
Faliya". A mob of about 2000 miscreants attacked the train with stones and
firebombs. Bogies no S/5 and S/6 were set on fire, bogies S/6 was
completely burnt with 58 passengers in it including 26 women, 12 children
and 20 men roasted alive. D.S.P. rushed to the spot as soon as he got the
information about the incident. Relief work started immediately by the
Collector. Arrangements for firefighters were made. Along with the
arrangements of Ambulance Van and ST Buses from RTO, team of three doctors
rushed to the site. Twentyfive passengers were treated on site. Food
packets, drinking water was made available to stranded passengers. 43
injured passengers were shifted to civil hospital. Police fired 14 rounds
and 30 teargas shells to prevent the mob from causing further damage.
Curfew was imposed in the town at 10.55am. Collector with senior railway
officers entered the burnt carriage to assess the casualties – 58 dead
bodies found. Train departed for Ahmedabad with the rest of passengers at
12.40 pm. Inquest & postmortem of all bodies was done by 4.30 pm. Bodies
dispatched at 10.30 pm to Civil hospital, Sola, Ahmedabad. PASSENGERS
TRAVELLING IN SABARMATI EXPRESS ON 27.02.02 IN COACH NO S-6 Kamala (name
changed in view of threats received and bomb attack on her a day before she
was interviewed by the Study Team on O4.02.02), a college student, went to
Ayodhya along with her parents and two sisters to perform the purana ahuti
of the Rama jaap her mother was doing for the last one month. The family
boarded the train at Faizabad in Coach no S-6 on 26.02.02 at about 0800
hours. There were many passengers on the train who were chanting Rama naama
and occasionally chanting "jai Sri Rama". In the morning of 27.02.02 the
train was at Godhra railway station and as soon as it moved, a barrage of
stones were thrown at the compartment. Terrified and taken aback, the
passengers closed the windows. The train stopped for a few moments and
minutes the train stopped with a strong and the luggage. The train
continued to Mob outside the train was pounding upon again started. After
about 2-3 jerk rattling the passengers be stoned with great intensity. the
windows and doors.

Somebody from outside the train was able to open a window and threw a
burning object into the compartment. It fell on the luggage and the fire
started. Some passengers stated stamping on the fire, but more

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burning objects were thrown in as the mob broke open more windows. Some
liquid was also poured in from the windows, which intensified the fire.
Iron grills of some windows were detached from one side and bent to pick up
the passengers luggage. This luggage was set on fire and thrown back into
the coach. The passengers were terribly shaken and shouting for help. Some
of them were able to open the door and get out. Soon the entire coach was
gutted. Smoke was so thick that it was impossible to breathe or see
anything. She looked for her family members in vain and dropped out of the
train from a window whose grill had been bent and detached from one side.
Lying of the ground she could breathe a little and saw a huge mob with
swords and iron rods hurling abuses at Hindus. She moved below the coach
from where she was rescued after sometime. She may have remained
unconscious for some time. She later identified the charred bodies of her
mother, father and two sisters. One sister was an engineer and the other
was a commerce graduate. The same train took her to Ahmedabad where she now
lives with her younger sister. She has already got Rs. 50,000 as relief and
expects more. She told the team that she had heard certain Muslims saying
that a lot of trouble was caused to them because of her narration of the
Godhra tragedy and that she would be eliminated. A bomb was thrown into the
room in which she was sleeping a day before the team met her. Fortunately,
it did not explode. The matter was reported to the police who are
investigating the case. Raghu (name changed for reasons of security of the
witness) was traveling in Coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express on 27.02.02
and his narration of the events is similar to those of Kamala. When the
coach was set on fire he went up on the upper berth in the hope that the
fire will soon be extinguished. But when he got choked because of the thick
smoke he moved from one upper berth to another towards the door but the
flames frustrated his first attempt to jump out. He returned and after some
time made a desperate attempt and was able to reach the door where a
passenger whom he had earlier seen in the train dragged him outside. He
fell unconscious and was given water and sugar by a lady who was managing
the passengers belonging to Ahmedabad. Though he felt dizzy he received no
burn injuries except that his hair was partly burnt. His father and uncle
were burnt alive in the same coach. PASSENGERS TRAVELLING IN SABARMATI
EXPRESS ON 27.02.02 IN COACHES OTHER THAN S-6 Shakuntla (name changed
because of security reasons) narrates a story similar to that of Kamala and
Raghu except that she was traveling in Coach S-7 and she was looking after
a group of pilgrims from Ahmedabad. She got down at Godhra Railway Station
and saw many pilgrims bidding each other Jai Rama ji ki as the first
greeting in the morning. Some passengers took tea and one of the vendors
angrily asked them not to make a noise. The pilgrims did not respond and
got into the train as it had started moving. As some lady passengers were
not able to board, the train stopped for a few moments and again steamed-
off when the left-out passengers boarded.

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Along with the stones a burning missile landed in S-7 in which she was
traveling but the fire was put out without much effort. After some time the
train again stopped with a great jerk and shouts of ‘maaro-maaro’ came
from outside. She could not tell the approximate number of persons in the
mob as all the windows were closed. Someone using a mike was inciting the
mob to kill and loot the kafirs and the enemies of Bin Laden. Through a
slit in the window she saw a part of the mob with iron rods and swords.
There was tension and suspense in the compartment No one knew what was
happening or what would happen to him or her the next moment. After some
time both the shouts of the crowd and the voice on the mike stopped.
Shakuntla along with some other passengers got out and saw S-6 in flames.
There were some injured and perplexed passengers outside. The mob had
withdrawn a few hundred yards away. The fire engine arrived and the fire
was put off. The mob kept throwing stones at the train from a distance. A
few policemen were also there but they did nothing to protect the
passengers. More and more passengers assembled near the burning coach and
urged the police to take action against the miscreants but the police did
nothing. Crying and shouting Shakuntla took out her bangles and offered
them to the two policemen with rifles. The policemen fired a few shots in
the air. That did not deter the mob. When more police came and the fire was
put out several passengers along with some policemen chased the attackers.
Some persons told the police that the attackers had taken shelter in a
nearby garage. The police hesitated to enter the garage. When the policemen
on duty did not take any action, some passengers and locals entered the
garage. But it was too late as the miscreants had by then escaped from
another door on the other side of the garage. Shkuntla helped the
authorities to identify some of the bodies and returned to Ahmedabad by the
same train. STAFF OF THE FIRE BRIGADE, GODHRA Shri Pradeep Singh s/o Shri
Bhola Singh, Motor Driver, Fire brigade, Godhra & Shri Vijay Kumar s/o Shri
Ram Chander Sharma, Fireman, Fire Brigade, Godhra (names mentioned with the
consent of the witnesses) said they reported for their shift duty at 0800
hrs on 27.02.02. One of the major vehicles was out of order, as its clutch-
plates had been taken out a few days earlier. On their arrival on 27.02.02
in their office they found that one of the nuts that connects the pipe to
the water tank of the other fire engine was also missing. By the time they
had put the nut in place a message about the fire in the train was
received. The Driver along with the firemen rushed towards the spot but on
the way a mob led by Haji Balal, a Congress member of the Godra
Nagarpalika, stopped the vehicle and did not allow it to proceed any
further. A tall well built young man stood in front of the vehicle. The mob
started pelting stones at the vehicle. A fireman sitting in the front seat
had to take shelter behind the driver. The headlights and

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the windowpanes of the vehicle got damaged. Fearing for his own, and his
crew's, life the driver drove the vehicle through the mob, as it was not
possible to move backwards. The mob gave in but by that time precious 15-20
minutes had been lost. The vehicle reached at the site and crew saw one of
the compartments blazing. The fire was brought under control in about half
an hour. Fireman Vijay Singh reported that he saw one woman trying to come
out. He covered himself with a blanket and tried twice to reach the lady
but the flames were too hot and high and he could not enter the coach. He
is deeply disappointed and said some lives could have been saved if the
miscreants had not delayed the arrival of the fire engine. Both the
witnesses stated that they were sure that the acts of demobilizing one of
the vehicles and removing the nut of the connection of the pipe with the
water tank were premeditated and the Congress member of Ghodhra
Nagarpalika, Haji Balal, who is also chairman of the Vehicle Committee of
the Nagarpalika, had hatched the conspiracy. Haji Balal had been visiting
the fire station at night for the past few days on the pretext of watching
films on the television. They also stated that had the train reached during
the night, the entire train would have been burnt. Both the witnesses also
said that the manner in which the bodies were charred and the furniture and
luggage burnt indicates the use of some highly inflammable material like
solvent in addition to petrol, diesel and kerosene. The fire-crew informed
the team that although they had reported the damage to the vehicle to their
seniors no formal complaint had been registered. They also reported having
received a threatening call warning them not to give statements about the
obstruction to the fire engine by a crowd on 27.02.02. As the fire-station
has a call identification system, they know who made the threatening call.
The Study Team also inspected the Coach S-6. There was no evidence of any
stove in the compartment. Although the Team was surprised to find two
plastic jerrycans that have been referred to in the report submitted by a
team of CPI(M). Wonder of wonders is that while the entire coach got burnt
roasting alive the passengers, two plastic jerrycans remained intact. It
seems to be a deliberate attempt to plant evidence that is a very serious
offence. OTHERS WHO WERE WITNESS TO LATER PART OF THE INCIDENT It is
natural that when an incident of such a gravity happens many citizens
gather at and near the place of incident. While visiting the affected areas
and the relief camps the team members kept on searching for the persons who
had been the witness to at least some part of the incident. Three such
persons could be contacted and interviewed. All of them reported of the
inability of the police to take action against the mob. The firing in the
air was reluctant and no one saw firing of teargas shells or use of lathis
as claimed by the police. REPORTS IN LOCAL, REGIONAL AND DELHI MEDIA

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The Study Team went carefully through the reports of the gory incidents
published in 22 newspapers and 9 newsmagazines. There is so much variance
in the reporting of the events in these publications that it is impossible
to draw out a cohesive and acceptable chain of events. The reports vary
from an accusation that the fire was stage-managed in order to malign the
Muslim minority to an assertion that all Muslim passengers were asked to
get down before Godhra by the conspirators. Since the team had reasonably
credible evidence from direct witnesses it decided not to analyze the media
reports for reconstruction of the chronology of events. GODHRA INCIDENT-
ANALYSED : FACTS AND INFERENCES There has been so much said, written and
broadcast about the Godhra incident that it is difficult to distinguish
between facts, halftruths, innocent imagination and motivated lies. Media
and interested parties have selected, distorted and added fiction to the
story to prove their respective points of view. Unfortunately,
professionalism took a back seat as media persons, factfinding commissions
and administrators, by and large, failed to maintain the fairness,
neutrality and objectivity expected from them. To engage in a dispassionate
analysis the Study Team has divided all the facts relating to this incident
into four categories: 1. 2. 3. 4. Indisputable facts. Facts that appear to
be true but need verification. Information that appears to be untrue.
Mysteries.

INDISPUTABLE FACTS 1. On 27.02.02 Sabarmati Express from Faizabad reached
Godhra more than four hours late. 2. There were more than 2000 Hindu
pilgrims on this train. 3. No serious dispute took place at the platform at
Godhra between the passengers and the vendors. 4. The entire train was
stoned right after it left the platform at Godhra and it continued even
after it was stopped at Signal Faliya. 5. Firebombs, acid bulbs and highly
inflammable liquid(s) were used to set the coaches on fire that must have
been stored already for the purpose. 6. Miscreants succeeded in torching
only one coach. 7. The conspirators did not allow the fire fighting staff
to reach the burning train expeditiously. 8. The iron grills of the windows
of S-6 were broken and bent from outside. 9. Fifty-eight passengers of
coach S-6 were burnt to death by a Muslim mob and that one of the
conspirators was a Congress Councillor, Haji Balal. 10. The train was
stopped by pulling the chain and the vacuum pipe was cut. 11. Someone used
the public address system exhorting the mob to kill kafirs and enemies of
Bin Laden. 12. Assembly of a mob of about 2000 Muslims in three minutes
could not have been spontaneous.

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13. The attack on Sabarmati Express on 27.02.02 was pre-planned and pre-
meditated. It was the result of a criminal conspiracy hatched by a hostile
foreign power with the help of local jehadis. FACTS THAT NEED VERIFICATION
1. There was a conspiracy to reduce the effectiveness of the fire fighting
system of Godhra municipal committee. 2. The mob that burnt the coach had
Muslims from outside the town as well. 3. Firearms were used by the mob. 4.
Police could have caught or killed some of the miscreants at the spot. 5.
Local politicians and elected representatives took active part in
instigating the mob. 6. Railway Police at Dahod sent a message to Godhra
Railway police that some Muslim youths on board Sabarmati Express were
likely to create mischief at Godhra. 7. Head of a passenger of S-6 coach
was cut when he tried to get out of the window. The head was later thrown
back into the coach to burn. INFORMATION THAT APPEARS TO BE UNTRUE 1. Some
women passengers are missing. 2. Some women passengers were raped or
molested. 3. Passengers had pulled the beard of a vendor at Godhra Railway
Station. 4. Passengers carried weapons with them. 5. Railway staff connived
with the miscreants. 6. The pilgrims had taunted certain Muslims of Godhra
while returning from Ayodhya. 7. Police firing while they were burning the
coach killed two Muslims. SOME MYSTERIES 1. Assistant Collector, Godhra (a
young Muslim from eastern UP) goes on leave two days before the incident
and does not return till the middle of the March while the district of his
posting was aflame with communal riots. 2. The unusual growth rate of
Muslim population in Godhra. 3. Absence of information with the District
officials about the number of arms licenses issued. 4. Abnormally large
number of passports issued to the residents of Godhra. 5. Presence of a
very large number of persons without ration cards in Signal Faliya and
Polan Bazar areas of Godhra. 6. A large number of unemployed Muslims in
Godhra have mobile phones. 7. Very high traffic of telephone calls from
Godhra to Pakistan (mainly Karachi) before 27.02. 02. 8. Holding of istema
- religious gatherings - at Godhra that were attended by foreigners in
large numbers. COMMUNAL RIOTS IN GUJARAT AFTER 27.02.02

BOTH SPONTANEOUS AND PLANNED BUT A TRAP OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

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The news of the events of 27. 02.02 at Godhra at about 0800 hrs spread like
wild fire all over the country by the afternoon. The television media,
which has the advantage of instantaneous reporting, played its role in
disseminating the information about this carnage. Nothing happened for
almost twenty-four hours, though the situation was said to be very tense.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad gave a call for statewide bandh to protest against
the Godhra carnage. Communal violence erupted almost simultaneously on
28.02.02 in many parts of the state when the charred bodies, the injured
and the passengers travelling in the ill-fated train reached their homes.
It became more intense during next twentyfour hours and started subsiding
after that. After 01.03.02 there were only stray incidents of communal
violence in certain parts of the state. On 15.03.02, after shila-daan
ceremony at Ayodhya by Ramchandra Paramhans, processions of Rama-dhun were
taken out all over Gujarat. The participation on these occasions was very
large in Gujarat, presumably as a reaction of what had happened in Godhra.
The Rama-dhun processions at many places including Ahemdabad and Vadodra
became the points of communal tensions once again and the communal tension
that was subsiding again flared up. Although the Muslim elders had assured
the police at Vadodra that peace would be maintained at all costs, the
processions were stoned from a mosque. The intensity of the attack proves
that these were premeditated. The attack was so massive that the police had
a tough time handling it. The state once again came under the grip of
communal riots. The rioting was very intense for about three days.
Sectarian violence, however, continued in several parts of the state even
three days after the attack on Hindu procession at Vadodra. Incidents of
violence on a large scale were initially reported from Ahmedabad and
Vadodara towns and the districts of Panchmahals, Sabarkantha and Mehsana.
Later it spread to other areas also. However the communal violence was
mainly confined to Central and North Gujarat. Saurashtra and South Gujarat
remained relatively peaceful. There was no communal violence in almost one
half of Gujarat. The team was told that when the charred bodies of the dead
reached their families or the news of their killings reached the relatives,
friends and neighbors attacked the nearby Muslim establishments. Similar
incidents took place when chautha and kriya ceremonies of the dead were
solemnised. Gujarat has a long history of communal riots. The first such
riot has been reported in 1714. After independence major riots broke out on
several occasions since 1969. Jagmohan Reddy Commission of Inquiry of 1969
and Dave Commission of Inquiry of 1985 analysed the causes and consequences
of communal tensions in great details. Serious rioting occurred in 1970 and
also in 1992-93. According to official data, Gujarat witnessed 443 major
communal incidents between 1970 and 2002. Another characteristic of the
communal frenzy in Gujarat is that it has always taken a long time to
return to normalcy. For instance in Godhra itself in 1985 curfew remained
imposed for about a year. Communal disturbance in 1985 continued for more
than five months from February to July 1985.

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The Study team has not gone into the facts and figures of the number of
persons killed, injured and displaced, the loss of property destroyed and
the number of cases related to molestation of women, if any. It is not
because these facts are not important but because the team lacked the time
and resources to go into these details. However the Study Team has analysed
the situation for: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Administrative response Deployment
of Army Relief and resettlement measures Confidence building measures
Socio-economic profile of the rioting mobs Involvement of vanvasis Role of
media

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSE Based on the information collected from official
and non-official sources at Godhra, Ahemdabad and Vadodara the Study Team
is of the considered opinion that: 1. The local administration did not
respond with speed to the Godhra carnage. The police remained a passive
spectator and hesitated to use force against the miscreants. It made no
attempt to apprehend the leaders of the mob that indulged in burning alive
innocent pilgrims returning from Ayodhya. However, the administration took
preventive measures after the VHP gave a call for Gujarat bandh in protest
against the attack on the train. 2. In Godhra, Vadodara and Ahmedabad the
police tried to control the rioting mobs but, more often than not, failed,
as the police were outnumbered - the mobs were unexpectedly large and the
police were inadequately armed. In certain cases, the mob carried more
lethal weapons that the police had. 3. The administration was not prepared
to handle massive migration of riot affected people of both the communities
and did not have any idea of the quantum of the relief and rehabilitation
work required. 4. Co-ordination between the administration and the NGOs was
inadequate. 5. Training and drills for managing communal tensions was
conspicuous by its absence in a state that periodically witnesses communal
frenzy. 6. Socio-psychological understanding of the communal divide is
lacking amongst the officials. 7. The adverse comments on the transfers of
officials in the media and not so much the actual transfers demotivated the
official machinery. 8. At many places policemen did commendable work of
protecting life and property. 9. Policemen, by and large, responded to the
situation without communal bias.

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DEPLOYMENT OF ARMY There has been lot of comments on the timing of the
deployment of army in various urban and rural areas in Gujarat after the
outbreak of violence. Although the team did not have enough time to go into
the question in depth, the information made available to it shows that
there was no delay on the part of the Gujarat Government in summoning and
deployment of troops. A comparison with the past is presented for a proper
perspective. 1. By the afternoon of 28.02.0 it was clear that the communal
violence has spread widely and the situation had become so alarming that it
was unlikely to be controlled by the police and paramilitary forces. 2. On
28.02.02 at 4.30 p.m. the Chief Minister announced at a press conference
that the State Government has decided to call army to assist the civil
administration. 3. By evening the Union Government had given instructions
for the deployment of two brigades in Gujarat. 4. Defense Minister air-
dashed to Ahmedabad at midnight and had a meeting with the Chief Minister
to discuss deployment of the army. 5. The army had to be withdrawn from the
country's border with Pakistan despite the fact that the troops are
deployed in full strength in eyeball-to-eye-ball situation on Indo-Pak
borders. 6. Withdrawal of army from the border may have weakened the
country's defensive and offensive strategies. 7. Within less than 24 hours
at least one brigade of Indian Army had air-landed at Ahmedabad. In a
meeting at 0800hrs in which Chief Minister, Defence Minister, army generals
and civil officers participated, the formal plan for the deployment of the
army was approved. Magistrates who must accompany the army were appointed
and by 11 a.m. on 01.03.02 the actual deployment of army at sensitive
points had begun. 8. The second brigade was deputed to Rajkot and Vadodara
on 01.03.02 by that night. 9. Columns allotted to Godhra reached there in
the morning of 02.03.02. 10. Army went back to barracks on 10.03.02. 11. In
1969 rioting started on 18.09.69 and army was called in on 21.09.69. 12. In
1985 the riots started on 15.04.85 and the army was called in on 16.04.85.

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RELIEF AND REHABILITATION MEASURES 1. Many persons of both the communities
whose houses were burnt or destroyed fled and came to the nearby towns for
shelter. 2. Many persons who feared an attack on them also fled and
gathered in nearby towns. 3. The State Government arranged for shelters
called Relief Camps to provide safe temporary shelter to the displaced
persons. 4. Many voluntary organizations of both the communities also
opened Relief Camps for the displaced persons. 5. The Government managed
some camps while other camps were run by the voluntary organizations. 6.
Most of the inhabitants in the camps remained unoccupied, leading to idle
talk and further reinforcement of views on communal basis. 7. The
inhabitants did not feel confident and safe to go back to their respective
habitations. According to the State Government following is the information
about the camps: District NumberOfCamps NumberOfInmates 68100 5200 4526
1441 2648 8091 10938 12753 113697

Ahemdabad 44 Anand 13 Dahod 6 Kheda 3 Mahesana 6 Panchmahals 7 Sabarkantha
13 Vadodara 11 State Total 103 CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES

1. In affected areas deployment of police or other forces was very scanty.
2. Residents of the sensitive areas were living in an environment of fear.
3. The mutual mistrust between Hindu and Muslim population is on the
increase. 4. Longer the stay in the camps more is the feeling of anxiety
and uncertainty. 5. In affected areas, sensitive areas and relief camps
there was no publicity material appealing and advising for communal harmony
and peaceful co-existence 6. The Information and Public Relations machinery
of the state did not disseminate words of assurance and appeals by the
Prime Minister, Chief

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Minister and others that are likely to have a soothing effect on the hurt
psyche of the people. 7. Presence of the reports of arson in newspapers and
repetition of such reports on television affected negatively the process of
confidence building. 8. Most of the voluntary and social organizations were
working on sectarian lines and hardly worked for creating an environment of
communal harmony. 9. Efforts of some of the officials to bring both the
communities together and arrive at a compromise failed, as the amount of
antagonism against each other is very high. 10. Rumours spread like wild
fire increasing the level of anxieties. SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILES OF THE
RIOTING MOBS (Based on information collected from officials and public; no
direct observation) 1. Muslim mobs predominantly included persons of lower
socio-economic strata. 2. Muslim mobs included many known faces but number
of persons not earlier seen in the locality was also very large. 3. Hindu
mobs, especially during the first week of March, comprised a mix of people
belonging to lower, lower middle and upper middle socioeconomic strata of
the society. 4. Involvement of upper middle class Hindus in arson and
looting is a phenomenon seen for the first time in the country. 5. The
Hindu mobs appeared to be more interested in destroying the property of
selected establishments of Muslims. It was reported that a chain of
restaurants with Hindu names and owned by a Muslim family was targeted
because of the perception that lot of money from gulf countries had been
invested thereby putting Hindu competitors at a disadvantage. 6. Another
new phenomenon reported to the Study Team was the presence and active
participation of women in the mobs. INVOLVEMENT OF TRIBALS Earlier in
Gujarat, tribals never got involved in the Hindu-Muslim riots. However,
their involvement in pos-Godhra riots added a new dimension to the communal
violence. In rural areas the vanvasis attacked the Muslim moneylenders,
shopkeepers and the forest contractors. They used their traditional bow and
arrows as also their implements used to cut the trees and grass while
attacking Muslims. They moved in groups and used coded signals for
communication. Two factors seems to have contributed to this disturbing
phenomenon: 1. A delegation of tribals told the Study team that the Muslim
moneylenders, shopkeepers and forest contractors have been exploiting the
tribals for decades. They charged exorbitant rate of interest to money
loaned to tribals. In certain cases the rate of interest is as high as 50
per cent per year. Having got into this never-ending vicious circle of
loans, the tribals have been reduced to the status of bonded labour.
Tribals working as Muslims.

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The accumulated anger of years of exploitation became explosive when
moneylenders sexually exploited their womenfolk. The tribals are no longer
allowed to use forest produce that has been their sustenance for centuries.
This too fuelled the feelings of anger, hatred and revenge among them. 2.
Tribals have, of late, become conscious of their Hindu identity because of
the awareness campaign launched by VHP and other Hindu outfits. Burning
alive of Hindu pilgrims by a Muslim mob at Godhra provided the spark for
the fire of revenge and hatred. It may be mentioned that these are only
exploratory postulations, scientific anthropological, economic and
sociological analysis is required to understand the changed behavior of
tribals. ROLE OF MEDIA The Study Team received a large number of complaints
against biased reporting, non-objective attitude and anti-Gujarat
conspiracy of Delhi Media. The team felt it necessary to objectively
observe and analyse the role of Media both regional and English language
newspapers published from metropolitan cities. It also solicited comments
about the role of media from about 500 persons with whom the members of the
team interacted. The team's observations are: 1. Local and regional papers
at times seemed to be emotionally surcharged and lost sight of objectivity.
However, Gujarati newspapers, by and large, were factual in day to day
reporting. 2. The editorial pages of local and regional newspapers
maintained a balance in projecting all viewpoints. 3. Newspapers published
in English from Delhi invariably editorialised the news. Direct and
indirect comments in the news writing were so telling that the personal
likes and dislikes of the news reporters were too obvious to be missed. 4.
English language newspapers published from Delhi appeared to have assumed
the role of crusaders against the State Government from day one. It
coloured the entire operation of news gathering, feature writing and
editorials. 5. The edit pages of English language press carried comments
that clearly indicated biases: a. against the State Government of Gujarat,
b. in favour of Congress, leftist parties and the secularist intellectuals,
c. indifferent to the carnage at Godhra, d. against the Hindu
organizations, and e. against the NDA government at the Center. 6. Most of
the national newspapers and news channels played down the of Godhra carnage
and projected it as a result of provocation by pilgrims. Not many reporters
were deputed to dig out facts or to do follow-up stories. This resulted in
large number of editorials and articles that projected Godhra as a reaction
to provocation by karsevaks' and riots in rest of the state as "state
sponsored terrorism". 7. A distorted image of sectarian violence in the
state was projected by the electronic and print media based in Delhi. 8.
Repeated telecasts of arson violence contributed in spreading the tension
to unaffected areas. TV channels ignored warning from officials and kept
telecasting communal riots like infotainment.

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9. Coverage of Machhipiti in Vadodara is an example. One national news
channel went overboard to telecast police firing at Machhipit as if it had
taken place in Ahmedabad. 10. On 27.02.02 the Government of Gujarat
announced a compensation of Rs. 2 lakh for the next of kin of victims of
Godhra carnage. There were protests about discrimination between Hindu and
Muslim victims and the Government announced on March 9 that all victims
would get Rs one lakh. Yet, as late as the first week of April a
Congressperson in USA cited a report in an Indian newspaper to accuse the
Government of discriminating against minorities in the grant of
compensation. The newspaper concerned did not care to inform its readers of
the correct situation. 11. The code of ethics prescribed by the Press
Council of India was violated by the media with impunity. It so enraged the
citizens that several concerned citizens in the disturbed areas suggested
that peace could return to the state only if some of the TV channels were
closed for some weeks. 12. Media did not help to cool down the tempers. It
failed to act as a platform for a dialogue between the Hindus and Muslims
on the one hand and between the people and the establishment on the other.
The Study Team is of the considered opinion that the media in general
failed to perform as conscious and socially responsible gatekeepers of
information. It followed in the footsteps of an American journalist who
said, "My job is to report the facts. I give a damn to the consequences".
Telecasting images that spread hatred and instigated violence is unhealthy,
but their repeated telecast is lethal. The media acted as an interested
party in the confrontation, not a neutral reporter of facts. The team was
alarmed at the intensity of hostile attitude among the people of the state
for Delhi press and television news channels. This attitude was especially
articulated by delegations of intellectuals like lawyers, doctors, and
businessmen. Even the tribals complained that the media had no time to hear
their tale of their agony and was spreading canards against the Hindus.
CONCLUSIONS TERRORISM NURTURED BY COMMUNAL DISHARMONY The Godhra carnage
and related incidents make a typical case study of international designs
and conspiracies to weaken India as an emerging world power. Analysts and
professional strategists of all ideological inclinations converge on one
forecast that India is going to be a major player on the international
scene sooner rather than later. The global community also realizes the
inevitability of India becoming an important economic and military power.
In such a situation it is but natural that nations hostile to India or its
adversaries make all out efforts to create impediments in this process.
Their strategy is to keep India engaged in communal and caste strife so
that the nation's focus on development is defused and its endeavour to

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emerge as a super-power is thwarted. It would surprise no one if Pakistan
with the tacit support of not-so-friendly neighbours and world powers
hatches conspiracies to destablise and weaken the Indian State. A careful
and in-depth analysis, if carried out with an open mind, would throw open
an action plans where terrorist activities appear to be merging with the
already existing strong antagonism between Muslims and Hindus. Our hostile
neighbour, sometimes in the guise of a friend, keeps on creating wounds on
the body polity of our nation. Creation and perpetuation of Kashmir problem
is one such example. The support to the authoritarian regimes in Pakistan
by USA and European countries speaks volumes about the super power's
commitment, or lack of it, to democratic values. Godhra and the wide spread
communal violence in Gujarat in recent weeks is a part of this nefarious
design. The Study Team concludes: 1. Burning of 58 Hindu pilgrims at Godhra
on 27.02.02 was an act of international terrorism carried out with the evil
objective of pushing the country into a communal cauldron. 2. The plan was
to burn the entire train with more than two thousand passengers in the wee
hours of February 27, 2002. It was a terrorist action plan that partly
failed. The perpetrators of the terrorist acts received support from jehadi
elements operating from Godhra. These included some Congress members of the
Nagarpalika. 1. Preparations for enacting Godhra carnage were made in
advance.

2. There were no quarrels or fights between Hindus and Muslim passengers on
the train. 3. There were no quarrels or fights between the vendors and the
Hindu pilgrims on the platform of Godhra Railway Station. 4. The intention
of the mob was to put to death all the pilgrims travelling by the
Sabharmati Express. 5. The fire fighting system available in Godhra was
weakened and its arrival at the place of incident willfully delayed by the
mob with the open participation of a Congress Councillor, Haji Balal. 6.
The demographic changes in Godhra in recent years have made it a center for
jehadi activities. 7. The Army was requisitioned and deployed in time.

8. The police was on many occasions overwhelmed by the rioting mobs that
were massive and carried more lethal weapons than the police did. 9. Police
did not have the training and know-how to mange situations of communal
strife witnessed in the state in recent weeks. 10. Barring a few
exceptions, the police was not found to be communally motivated.

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11. Frequent deployment of army for internal management weakens the defence
of our international borders and facilitates infiltration from across the
border. 12. The local administration and police at Godhra did not take
adequate and prompt action even after the receipt of information about the
attack on the train by an armed mob. The local police was reluctant to use
force against the rioting mob and made no attempt to arrest the leaders of
the gang. 13. The local administration and the police should have been on
the alert in view of the demographic and political changes taking place in
the town. 15. The administration in Godhra, Ahmedabad and Vadodra was on
the whole sensitized to the plight of Muslim minorities in their respective
areas. However, the police failed to protect the citizens from frenzied
mobs indulging in arson, looting and killing. 16. The relief work was
carried out by establishing relief camps for victims of the riots. There
are separate camps for Hindus and Muslims. Refugees are not satisfied with
the facilities available in the camps. 17. Riot-affected citizens belonging
to both the communities are reluctant to go back to their homes due to
communal tension and apprehensions about violence. 18. Although Gujarat is
a state notorious for communal riots, the bureaucracy and the police are
not trained to handle communal riots and to take pre-emptive action to
prevent sectarian violence. 19. Alternate strategies to mange communal
divide have not been worked out. 20. Adverse media reports about role of
officials affected their performance and de-motivated them. Several
officers were reluctant to take firm action. 21. Gujarati language media
was factual and objective. Yet its propensity to highlight the gory
incidents in great details heightened communal tension. 22. English
language media, particularly the Delhi Press, is perceived by the Gujaratis
to be biased. The information disseminated by it was neither balanced nor
impartial. 23. By converting half-baked news stories into major headlines,
print as well as electronic media widened the psychological hiatus between
Muslims and Hindus. 24. By disseminating half-truths and lies, the media
played no mean role in distorting country's image in the World. 25. The
credibility of the media both electronic and print is at dangerously low
ebb in Gujarat.

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The sectarian violence in Gujarat that began in Godhra on 27.02.02 can be
divided into four phases: 1. The first phase was Godhra incident which was
planned and executed by a combination of external and internal jehadi
forces. It lasted for less than an hour. 2. The second phase was the
reaction of Godhra where Hindu pilgrims were roasted alive in the train.
The backlash was very intense for 3-4 days. However, sporadic incidents
continued for several weeks. 3. The third phase began on 15.03.02 after a
Muslim mob attacked a Hindu procession chanting Rama-dhun. Extensive media
coverage of this attack provoked yet another round of communal riots that
lasted for 4/5 days. 4. Sectarian violence continues even more than a month
after Godhra. This fourth phase of violence has no provocation or
justification other than to sustain the "Remove Modi" campaign. It is the
constitutional duty of the State Government to protect citizens and
maintain law and order. It is also in the partisan interest of the ruling
party in the state to put an end to the communal violence as its continuity
in office depends on how soon and how effectively it combats violence. It
is, therefore, hard to reject Chief Minister's contention that the Congress
party that has a vested interest in getting him sacked is perpetuating the
communal violence by provoking stray incidents. Thus the Study Team
concludes: 26. Communal violence in Gujarat has become politicized, and
instead of treating it as human tragedy it is being used to get political
mileage by political parties. 27. Loaded statements made by political
leaders propounding their action plans increases the hiatus between Muslims
and Hindus. 28. Continued communal violence in Gujarat has tarnished the
image of the country in international field thereby reducing its status and
bargaining power. Western countries jealous of India's growing clout in the
international community have used the riots to interfere in our internal
affairs. The Centre has taken some steps to stem the rot but the role of
the opposition is negative. It is encouraging Muslim outfits to involve
foreign powers in their "oust Mody" campaign. 29. On the world canvass
today strong indicators are visible that point to a concerted effort by
jehadi forces to slow down everincreasing importance of India in the world
affairs. 30. There are also concerted efforts to disintegrate India,
politically as well as emotionally. 31. There are elements within the
country that help and collaborate with the forces inimical to India.

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32. The governing class in India is ignorant or willfully blind to the
threat perceptions posed by the jehadi forces. RECOMMENDATIONS ALTERNATE
PLAN OF THOUGHT AND ACTION India cannot escape taking the responsibility of
failure to manage the relationship between Hindus and Muslims just by
pleading that the problem was inherited from the colonial rulers and the
Muslim invaders. Fifty-five years is a long enough period to resolve the
issue. Unfortunately, no serious effort has been made to bring Hindus and
Muslims closer. On the other hand, certain parties for partisan
considerations have exploited the hiatus between the two communities.
External agencies fuel the fire of hatred but they succeed only because
there are weaknesses within the country. International designs find a ready
response from within the civil society as there is a fertile ground for
separatist tendencies to grow. Traditional methods of conflict-resolution
having failed, new systems need to be employed to convert communal mistrust
into national affection and brotherhood. New approaches are required to
convert the weaknesses into strength. A minority as large as the second
largest Muslim country should not feel alienated nor should the majority
community be made to feel that the minorities were appeased at its cost.
The amount of time, energy, effort and other resources that the country
spends for managing the communal conflicts and failing again and again, if
gets diverted to the process of growth and development, India can become a
land of plenty and prosperity. But the old problems must be seen from new
angles and unorthodox measures taken. The intelligentsia will have to come
up with new yet realistic principles and theories of social systems that
are based on ground realities. They must stop romanticizing the miseries of
the nation. The bureaucracy have to devise action plans that show results
within their lifetimes and cease to give extensions to the problem solving
systems. The politicians have to look for alternate means of winning
elections and stop treating citizens as mere voters to be used only as
pawns in the hands of politicians. The nation must accept that Hindus and
Muslims have no options but to live together. There are only two options.
One, to live in amity and the other to live in mutual hostility. Saner
elements in the two communities would prefer the first option. Every action
and situation that carries the potential of disturbing the mutual amity
have to be identified and weeded out. The problem is complex and
multifaceted and solution is bound to be difficult and elusive. But the
country has a large storehouse of brains that can find solutions to still
harder problems. New faces have to be entrusted this job. So a different
set of persons who look at the

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problems from new angles and propose a mix of curative and preventive
measures is the need of the hour. In view of the enormity of the cancerous
problem of communal conflicts and the field experience of recent happenings
in Gujarat the Study Team proposes to recommend a. b. c. long term measures
short term measures and immediate steps to be taken

LONG TERM MEASURES 1. Following groups be constituted to study the problems
of communal conflicts in the country: c. Diagnostic Team: to investigate
the genesis of the process of communal conflict and identify key problem
areas d. Curative Team: to determine the solutions for the problems
identified by the diagnostic team e. Preemptive Action Team: to prepare
action plans so that existing tensions do not flare up and also to ensure
that no new conflict situations arise. The teams should comprise of social
scientists, conflict managers, jurists and media persons. 2. Participation
in the acts of communal violence should be treated as a crime of as serious
nature as an act of terrorism. In no case, communal violence should be
allowed to become a lucrative vocation. 3. Deployment of army for internal
law and order should be confined to the situation of internal emergency.
The enemies of the country should not be allowed to use communal violence
as a strategy for withdrawal of army from the border. 4. In the states,
police forces on the lines of rapid action force be created for deployment
during riots and natural disasters. 5. Election laws need to be amended so
that the politicians are not able to use caste or religion for nurturing
vote banks. Once the politicians are aware that vote banks based on caste
or religion would not serve their purpose, a major portion of the communal
problem will disappear. 6. A citizens standing committee be constituted to
keep a watch on the communal situation so that if and when communal tension
in any part of the country tends to increase the administration is warned
to take preventive measures. Such committees need to be constituted at
State, District, Block and Village levels.

30

31

SHORT TERM MEASURES 7. Several laws and orders passed by the successive
governments have remained on paper only. Two such laws are directly related
with maintenance of communal peace: a. The order to ban the use of loud
speakers in religious places as well as in processions. b. the law to
regulate the sale of property by the members of one community to the other
in communally sensitive areas. It is recommended that the above orders
should be implemented and indirect sale deeds such as on power of attorney
should also be taken care of. All encroachments in important public places,
busy markets, religious places, near railway stations and bus stations as
well as on highways especially at the entry points to the cities should be
cleared. 8. 9. c. d. It is recommended that the orders for the ban of loud
speakers be put to practice with the cooperation with the leaders of
various communities. An inquiry commission should be set up to inquire
into: Economic and social exploitation of tribals in the state. Recommend
ways and means to stop their exploitation

10. Rehabilitation is not merely a physical act of placement of families.
Serious efforts need to be done to restore the emotional state of mind. The
village and mohalla majorities should be intimately involved in the work of
rehabilitation. 11. Gujarat must conduct a review of its police force,
which appears to be ill-equipped to handle communal violence at the level
of recent riots. Special training needs to be given in crowd control
methods.

31

32

IMMEDEATE STEPS TO BE TAKEN 12. The case of issuance of disproportionate
number of passports in Godhra be investigated. 13. Punitive fines be
imposed on the residents of localities where communal violence erupts after
a notified date. 14. Media should use itself as a platform for creating
harmonious relationships between different communities. Its crusade, if at
all, should be for or against the processes and not for or against
individuals. 15. Persons living in relief camps should be provided safe
habitations. Community leaders should be actively involved in managing the
rehabilitation. 16. Persons booked for communal violence must be prosecuted
quickly and given exemplary punishment so that it acts as a deterrent. 17.
An independent commission should examine the role of media, both electronic
and print, during the communal violence in Gujarat. 18. A code-of-conduct
should be developed for the media both for general news gathering and news
presentation and during the communal riots. Till the time new code is
adopted the guidelines given by the Press Council of India for covering
communal tensions should be followed. 19. Television news channels have
very significant influence on the minds of the viewers. If the channels so
desire they can provide a healing touch to the wounded population of
Gujarat. Indian news channels also have the professional talent required
for the job. It is suggested that the television news channels take the
roles of crusaders for peace. 20. A situation of continuous dialogue needs
to be created in every habitation in Gujarat by establishing citizens peace
committees. It has been proved that regular communication links reduces
antagonism between warring groups.

32

End of forwarded article from:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/29259865/Gujarat-Riots-Tewatia-Report

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

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hindurenaissance.com/index.php/contact-us/samskriti-viv - [Cached
Version]
Published on: 1/19/2010 Last Visited: 1/19/2010

Dr. Srinivasan Kalyanaraman

hindurenaissance.com/index.php?option=com_magazine&func - [Cached
Version]
Published on: 10/5/2007 Last Visited: 1/4/2008

Dr. S. Kalyanaraman was a senior executive in the Asian Development
Bank for 18 years until 1995.He was responsible for disbursing a
portfolio of US Dollars 60 Billion for over 650 development projects
in 29 countries.He also introduced a world-wide information network
for managing the assets of the bank.He has travelled widely in Bharat,
and has visited many countries around the world.Earlier to 1978, he
was Chief Controller of Accounts, Karnataka Electricity Board and as
member of Indian Railway Accounts Service, a financial advisor on the
Railways, for 17 years.He has also worked in the Accountant General's
Office, Bangalore for 4 years from 1958 to 1961.He was involved in the
introduction of the first computers on the Railways in 1965, as a
member of a Task Force set up by the Electronics Commission of
India.He has a Ph.D. in Public Administration and his two volume work,
Public Administration in Asia has been published which is a
comparative study of development administration in six Asian
countries.His graduate degree is in Economics and Statistics.He was
born in 1939 in Tanjore district.He is well-versed in Kannada, Telugu,
Tamil, Hindi and Sanskrit languages.He took voluntary retirement from
the Bank and returned to Bharat, to devote himself to his life-
activity of researches on River Sarasvati and Bharatiya
Civilization.He directs the Sarasvati Research Centre which is
affiliated with Akhil Bharatiya Itihasa Sankalana Yojana.He has done
researches on the discovery of the courses of Vedic River Sarasvati
and the possibility of this river flowing again as part of a national
network of rivers.He has been involved in promoting the National Water
Grid to ensure water for everyone for several generations to come and
to take the nation to a developed country status by the year 2010.He
has set up a website with over 30,000 files on River Sarasvati and
Civilization at http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati The site includes
his multi-lingual dictionary for over 25 ancient languages of Bharat,
Rigveda rica-s and translation into English based on Sa yana Bhaashya
The Indiancivilization internet group set up by him has over 750
active members from all parts of the world, discussing Bharatiya
Civilization issues..His 1100-page volume on Sarasvati was published
from Bangalore in 2001.His 7-volume encyclopaedic work on Sarasvati
Civilization was published in 2004.The 7 volumes are: Sarasvati:
Civilization; Sarasvati: Rigveda; Sarasvati: River; Sarasvati:
Bharati; Sarasvati: Technology; Sarasvati: Language; Sarasvati:
Epigraphs.He has cracked the code of Sarasvati hieroglyphs as artisan
guilds' activities related to minerals, metals, furnaces and artifacts
of metals in a transition from chalcolithic to alloy (bronze/brass)
phase of civilization.He presented his research findings on Sarasvati
in the World Sanskrit Conference held in Bangalore in 1996.He is a
recipient of the prestigious Vakankar Award in the year 2000.He is
President of the World Association of Vedic Studies in Bharat, and is
associated with many research and non-governmental voluntary
organizations including Rashtrotthana Research and Communications
Centre in Bangalore, India.S. Kalyanaraman20 August
***@gmail.com

http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati

Exploring Religious Conflicts? RAND as New Religious Media (NRM)
By: Dr S Kalyanaraman
August 23, 2005

Views expressed here are author’s own and not of this website. Full
disclaimer is at the bottom.
The author is Former Sr. Exec., Asian Development Bank. Director of
Sarasvati Research Centre, Chennai

Gregory F. Treverton[1], Heather S. Gregg, Daniel Gibran, Charles W.
Yost have authored a RAND Corporation report titled “Exploring
Religious Conflict”. The “new” finding of this report, is an acronym
“NRM” denoting “New Religious Movement”, which, according to the
authors, threaten to develop like tumors into violent organizations
(think “Al Qaida”), threatening the USA and the rest of the world.
Apparently this was the product of a 3-day Worskhop of ‘intelligence
analysts and religious experts’ on religious conflict, hosted by RAND
corporation (estimated cost to the US taxpayer: $100,000). This report
is interesting primarily because it either plumbs depths of
incompetence hitherto unreached by the American “Strategic Affairs”
community, or caters to a strange combination of Marxist Communist
and extreme right-wing Christian fundamentalist propaganda. It appears
that RAND has “found” religion and joined another “NRM”: New Religious
Media

What is cited as the intellectual foundation of the report is
(University of California leftist academic ) Mark Juergensmeyer’s
concept of “Cosmic War”. Is this just an attempt to go one better on
Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations”? Hard to tell, but the
reader is welcome to try:

“This concept refers to the metaphysical battle between the forces of
Good and Evil that enlivens the religious imagination and compels
violent action. Cosmic war has roots in the theology of most
religions. In the three monotheistic religions, it is the Day of
Judgment, the cosmic battle between Good and Evil, and the realization
of God’s ultimate purpose for His creation. In Hinduism and Buddhism,
it is the perennial struggle to exit the Wheel of Existences with its
continuous cycle of rebirths in order to return to Brahman or achieve
Nirvana. Cosmic war ensues when this inner conflict between Good and
Evil becomes manifest – physical, not metaphysical.”

If that doesn’t give pause to the reader who thought RAND was a
professional organization, the methodology, data, analysis and
conclusions of the RAND report certainly will. According to Treverton
et al,

"NRMs (New Religious Movements) can be found in Hinduism – the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, Israel (Gush Emunim), Christianity
(the US-based Identity Movement) and Islam, including Al-Qaeda, a
global network with a transcendant vision that draws support in the
defence of Islam." And added, “…Al-Qaeda cannot be defeated by force,
but only by reaching out to its roots in religion and promoting
convergence of Christianity and Islam.”

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had a succinct term: “weasel words”
to describe the contortions of left-wing “analysts” and Saudi-owned
American politicians to argue for appeasement of terrorism. For those
who might depend on RAND for information, let us point out that Al
Qaeda is considered to be a 1992 or 1996 invention. The timing
coincided with the end of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, when
the Pakistani ISI, funded by the unwitting American taxpayer through
the largesse of “experts” like RAND’s, helped to turn weapons,
training and the surviving hordes of Islamic extremists brainwashed in
the madarssas of Pakistan, against the Infidels of the West – viz,
America. Now let us examine RAND’s list of “New Religious Movements”
that Treverton et al try to club with Al Qaeda – both for what it
includes, and what it omits.

The report’s contribution is a false generalization on metaphysical,
co(s)mic war, flippant comparisons unrelated to cultural or
civilizational contexts. There is little evidence of analytical rigor
and virtually no empirical basis. Lacking original thought or
evidence, the report trivializes the threat of terror with the
arbitrary choice of 'New Religious Movements' (NRMs) cited as examples
of a new innovative category.

The report appears to whitewash Al Qaeda, with its proclaimed mission
of jihad against the world, by clubbing it with a mishmash of socio-
political entities and obscure movements. For instance, “Gush Emunim”
is an organization of Israeli Settlers in the Middle East, with no
evidence of any axe to grind against anyone except those who try to
oust them from their homes. The “Christian Identity Movement” is a
superset of weekend warriors in America who don camouflage and prance
around the pine forests of Alabama or Idaho, imagining a world of
“Aryan Domination”. And with these is RAND’s amazing classification of
the Indian “RSS” (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh”) as a “NEW” Religious
Movement! The RSS, just to give Treverton and his gang of Einsteins a
hint, was formed in 1925. That, per the calendar normally followed
even in California, was 80 years ago. It predates RAND and Treverton
by a long way. It may even predate the American entities such as the
Neo Conservative Movement, the Moral Majority, and the Jubilee Mission
Baptist Church. The RSS is the world’s largest volunteer organization,
with over 12 million volunteers. How RAND came to the conclusion that
the RSS is “new” and poses a threat to the rest of the world, is a
question that the US taxpayers who funded this “Workshop” and “Report”
may well ask.

Is RAND trying to deflect the focus of American lawmakers from the
focus on war on terror? It was not too long ago that RAND’s Parachini
noted:

"Given the thousands of Jihadists trained in Afghanistan, the struggle
with al Qaeda is liable to last for a decade or more."

The principal author of the present RAND report, Treverton, seemed to
have different ideas:

"Al Qaeda may eventually be contained, but new threats are likely to
emerge. So the task is to contain terrorism; it cannot be rooted out.
That task sometimes requires military instruments, as in Afghanistan,
but most of the time it is a matter of patient, multilateral police
and intelligence work."

Both quotes from a symposium held in 2003 by RAND jointly with
Frontpage Magazine.

Garbage in, garbage out is the adage of the information age. Treverton
clarifies what he meant in the above quote, with his new statement in
the present report. Here is an example of terse observations and
profound policy recommendations in the present report:

"…Al-Qaeda cannot be defeated by force, but only by reaching out to
its roots in religion and promoting convergence of Christianity and
Islam."

Such a policy prescription of Christian-Islam religious convergence
has, unfortunately, NOT been backed up by evidence and critical
analysis of the underlying causes and patterns of Islamist terror.
After all, almost all major terror events, recorded so far, have
emanated only from Taliban (that is, madarasa students) or traceable
only to terrorists trained in or with links to non-democratic,
Islamist countries of Pakistan and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. What does
‘convergence of Christianity and Islam’ mean? Should Christianity
adopt Islamist jihad as a central doctrine?

When they take a break from hallucinating on ‘cosmic wars’, RAND
thinkers might consider introspecting on the Hindu response to jihad
in India for nearly 8 centuries. They may find it useful to refer to
Andrew Bostom, 2005, 'The Legacy of Jihad - Islamic Holy War and the
Fate of Non-muslims,' Prometheus Books. Al Qaeda is not another NRM,
it provides the justification for all the terror activities the world
has witnessed so far, be it in New York, Thailand, London or Ayodhya.
See also Andrew Bostom's 'Legacy of Jihad in India', July 2005 in the
American Thinker.

"Rarely understood, let alone acknowledged, however, is the history of
brutal jihad conquest, Muslim colonization, and the imposition of
dhimmitude shared by the Jews of historical Palestine, and the Hindus
of the Indian subcontinent. Moreover, both peoples and nations also
have in common, a subsequent, albeit much briefer British colonial
legacy, which despite its own abuses, abrogated the system of
dhimmitude (permanently for Israel and India, if not, sadly, for their
contemporary Muslim neighboring states), and created the nascent
institutions upon which thriving democratic societies have been
constructed."

Dhimmitude: the Islamic system of governing populations conquered by
jihad wars, encompassing all of the demographic, ethnic, and religious
aspects of the political system. The word "dhimmitude" as a historical
concept, was coined by Bat Ye'or in 1983 to describe the legal and
social conditions of Jews and Christians subjected to Islamic rule.
The word "dhimmitude" comes from dhimmi, an Arabic word meaning
"protected". Dhimmi was the name applied by the Arab-Muslim conquerors
to indigenous non-Muslim populations who surrendered by a treaty
(dhimma) to Muslim domination.

We note that the project was funded by the CIA's Directorate of
Intelligence – the same people who did not see any threat in Mohammed
Atta and Co. as they watched them enter the US and “learn to fly” in
2001. One wonders why the CIA Directorate of Intelligence would fund a
public-release report, especially with such a contortion of logic. Is
this to impress the taxpayer with the forward-looking attitude at the
top levels of the new US Intelligence Administration? Does the new CIA
operate through public conferences and reports to do its intelligence-
gathering? Perhaps the more relevant link to this report is from the
creation in January 2001 of a White House Office of Faith-Based and
Community Initiatives.

Religious Motivation of RAND’s Expertise

Many, including the present author, believed RAND to be a secular,
objective think-tank. We were clearly mistaken. The experts who
participated in the workshop that led to Treverton’s Report have very
clear ideas on how Christianity should spread over the globe. Some
quotes from their works may be apposite. RAND should clearly be
considered to be a New Religious Medium of modern-day crusaders,
producing a denominational newsletter. The Jubliee Mission Baptist
Church would be proud. Let us look at some of the Workshop
participants.

Philip Jenkins, who claims to provide an alternative analytical
framework opposing Samuel Huntington's Clash of Civilizations,
notes:

Moreover, conversions will swell the Christian share of world
population. Meanwhile, historically low birthrates in the
traditionally Christian states of Europe mean that their populations
are declining or stagnant…Christianity should enjoy a worldwide boom
in the new century, but the vast majority of believers will be neither
white nor European, nor Euro-American…But far from Islam being the
world's largest religion by 2020 or so, as Huntington suggests,
Christianity will still have a massive lead, and will maintain its
position into the foreseeable future. By 2050, there should still be
about three Christians for every two Muslims worldwide…I dispute
Huntington's assertion that "Christianity spreads primarily by
conversion, Islam by conversion and reproduction…No less than
Christians, Muslims will be transformed by the epochal demographic
events of the coming decades, the shift of gravity of population to
the Two-Thirds World. Muslim and Christian nations will expand
adjacent to each other, and, often, Muslim and Christian communities
will both grow within the same country."

Jack Miles is best known for his Website: Author of: God: A biography,
Christ: A crisis in the Life of God. He is the author of: 'Ringing
the firebell for freedom of religion - keynote address: 'March of
theocrats' Rally and Teach-in' (LA, June 2005). Quote:

"We are not alone, friends, but many who are our natural allies are
asleep, and it falls to us to awaken them."

Ian Lustick’s views are recorded at this website . Guru that he is,
Lustick comes up with some novel little ideas about big world
problems, like:

"I supported the war [in Afghanistan] but I warned that we needed a
Goldilocks outcome and we didn't get it."

"I think about terrorism in terms of popcorn. You can't tell which
kernels are popcorn and which are not, but you assume you'll always
have some kernels that are going to pop."

According to a book review by Joshua Sinai, Ph.D., which appears on
homelanddefense.org:

"Lustick dismisses the concept of terrorism as a valid conceptual
term. Instead, he embraces what he terms an 'extensive', as opposed to
an 'intensive', definition of terrorism that is not bound by any
limiting 'conditions'. This, he claims, enables one to classify
activities as 'terrorist' if they encompass any violent 'actions and
threats' by governmental militaries and even 'tax collectors', as well
as insurgents."

(source: (1) URL1, URL3

Thus RAND’s new authorities on terrorism appear to such theologians or
Jesuit seminarians with their fire-and-brimstone orations of bigotry.
RAND is therefore appropriately branded as an extension of a seminary
and an entity not unlike the Seventh Day Adventists or Jubilee
Mission. A New Religious Medium.

A splendid exception is Juan Cole who wrote his piece 'Can ethnic
cleansing bring back Jesus?' on May 20, 2004. Juan cites Rick
Perlstein's piece in the Village Voice with admiration.
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0420/perlstein.php

"The gem in the article is the account of how Iran-Contra criminal
mastermind and current National Security Adviser Elliot Abrams tried
to reassure the Christian Zionists that an Israeli "withdrawal" from
Gaza will not interfere with Jesus coming back because it wasn't part
of ancient Israel. Actually, this is right. Gaza was in Philistia, not
Judah, which was to its east. But for that matter, when the kingdoms
split, the West Bank wasn't in "Israel" either, it was in Judah... It
has for some time been obvious to me that the Bush foreign policy in
the Middle East is driven by irrational and often puzzling
considerations. But I hadn't stopped to consider, until Perlstein's
excellent piece, that the White House is trying to bring about an
apocalypse that would hasten Christ's return. And a damn fine job
they're doing of it, if that's what they are up to. Why, the place is
more apocalyptic every day." (Source: Anti war website)

The RAND report said: "NRMs (New Religious Movements) can be found in
Hinduism - the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, Israel (Gush
Emunim), Christianity (the US-based Identity Movement) and Islam,
including Al-Qaeda, a global network with a transcendant vision that
draws support in the defence of Islam." And added, "…Al-Qaeda cannot
be defeated by force, but only by reaching out to its roots in
religion and promoting convergence of Christianity and Islam."

Convergence of Christianity and Islam? A breath-taking prognosis,
indeed. RAND should consider a larger workshop on this issue in the
context of jihad as anti-terror. Sure, dancing with the devil is an
option when all other options are not on the table. Seriously, does
RAND endorse this recommendation to counter jihad?

This innovation of a new definition for a 'New Religious Movement'
which identifies RSS, Gush Emunim, Identity Movement and Al-Qaeda is,
to put it mildly, ridiculous, reducing the cosmic war of Mark to a
comic war.

The US taxpayer might have saved a lot of money by getting Treverton
instead to read to the CIA the report long-since published by Indian
tank ORF (Observer Research Foundation. They might have learned more
about the true nature of Al Qaeda and a vivid scan of religious
conflicts. Indeed, any academic worth his/her salt would have known
the conclusion:

"Al Qaeda is a revanchist organisation, which holds the West in
general and the US in particular responsible for all the evils
afflicting the Islamic world and for the decline of the political
power of Islam since the end of the Ottoman Empire. It wants to avenge
the wrongs allegedly committed against the Muslims since the end of
the Ottoman Empire, re-write history and restore an Islamic Caliphate
from which Western influence would be totally excluded. It is
comparable to the Nazis of Germany in its revanchist ideas and
actions. The Nazis blamed the rest of the Western world for the
decline of Germany since the First World War and for all the evils
afflicting Germany. They wanted to restore the pre-eminent position of
Germany in the world. If the world leaders of that time had said "Let
us address the root causes of Nazism first, before we fight the Nazis
and Adolf Hitler", where would the world be today?

The call to address the root causes of the Al Qaeda today is as short-
sighted as a call to first address the root causes of Nazism would
have been in the early 1940s… The conventional wisdom relating to
terrorism attributes the rise of terrorism to political, economic and
social factors such as perceptions of social injustice, violations of
human rights, suppression of the democratic rights of the people, lack
of economic development resulting in poverty and unemployment etc. It,
therefore, holds that if these so-called root causes are addressed,
terrorism will wither away. Does this theory apply to the Al Qaeda?
No, it does not. If this theory is correct, there should be no
activities of the Jemaah Islamiya (JI) in Malaysia and Singapore, the
two most prosperous and progressive states of South-East Asia. There
should be no Al Qaeda activities in Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Turkey
where there is greater prosperity than in many other countries of Asia
and Africa. There should be no Al Qaeda activities in West Europe
where there is economic prosperity, greater social justice and better
observance of human rights than in many countries of Asia and Africa.
There should have been less terrorism in Pakistan because of its
impressive economic growth since 9/11, but its economic gains have had
no impact on its jihadi terrorists. The Al Qaeda is not fighting for
democratic rights for the Muslims. On the contrary, it is fighting
against the principles of liberal democracy on the ground that they
are anti-Islam…The world has much to learn from India. How to continue
to keep India such an oasis? That is one of the questions we have to
address, while drawing lessons for the future. We cannot afford to be
complacent that India does not provide a fertile soil for the Al
Qaeda. The Al Qaeda may not be active in India, but many of the
Pakistani members of the International Islamic Front are. They could
turn out to be the Trojan Horse of the Al Qaeda. The success of the
Indian example is due to the success of its democracy, its non-
military approach to counter-terrorism, the role of the leaders of
different communities in countering tendencies towards religious or
ideological extremism and the cultural unity in the midst of religious
and linguistic diversity in India."

Source: see link See also: Symposium of RAND and Frontpage: Diagnosing
Al Qaeda "Given the thousands of Jihadists trained in Afghanistan, the
struggle with al Qaeda is liable to last for a decade or more." (John
Parachini)

Naming the US-based Identity Movement in this category is also amusing
and seems to be only for effect, just to show that the RAND report is
unbiased and dares to include a christist movement also in the New
Religious Movement category. A fair appraisal of christist activities
through various denominations in various parts of the globe as
baptizing missions, proselytizers, evangelists would clearly have
demonstrated the core causes of religious conflicts created by such
activities. That such large numbers of christist organizations are
left out is indeed strange considering that the inspiration is drawn
from the concept of 'cosmic wars' between 'good and evil'. If
christism is not a battle between Good and Evil, what other religious
movement, with the exception of Islamism, is? This mysterious,
unidentified 'Identity Movement' has been left undefined in the RAND
report, leaving it to the readers, congressmen, and policy makers to
draw their own conclusions.

We would agree with Nicole Nichols: make the outlaws accountable and
would add: don't give them a cosmic wacko status. Source: See link:
link Has RAND noted the involvement of a Pakistani Hamas leader in the
bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma city?

The absurdity of Juergensmeyer's analysis would have been apparent to
any student of theology, but since Mark wears at least three hats, of
sociology, of global conflict and of religious studies, his work
presents the potential for becoming the basis for any drastic
conclusions and plans of action by the intelligence community. His
postulation should have naturally led to the identification of Dalai
Lama's Tibetan Lama groups as a 'New Religious Movement' entering into
physical conflicts. That the report does not categorize these groups
is indeed surprising. It is also surprising that Mark does not even
refer to sanatana dharma or dhammo sanantano in the context of
'Brahman or Nirvana.' as 'exits'. We will not digress by exposing the
ridiculous nature of analysis by Mark referring to 'exits'.
Unfortunately, Mark has not provided any evidence for this 'exit'
postulation.

The logical application of Juergensmeyer's profound analysis of cosmic
wars and exits should have led to the identification of all the
adherents of Bauddha (aka Buddhism) and Dharma (Sanatana dharma or
Hindu dharma or dhammo sanantano) as prone to violence, manifesting
evil in physical terms, dramatically descending (by some unknown
processes) from the metaphysical levels.

Such a framework should have normally led to the identification of the
entire spectrum of those seeking return to 'Brahman or achieve
Nirvana' as a cult. Unfortunately, this would be absurd because the
'cults' cannot be declared as 'new' since both groups pre-date the
arrival of Christ and certainly Mohammed.

Why Does RAND Squirm When Exposed?

When the principal author, Greg Treverton was asked for
clarifications, he waffled with statements such as:

“The press story is basically accurate, but its headline is not. The
headline implies we somehow link RSS and Al Qaeda. In fact, what we
say, and the story has accurately, is that many religious traditions
have spawned "new" religious movements, and we cite RSS as an example
from Hinduism, along with AlQaeda as one from Islam, along with Jewish
and Christian examples. We also say, and the story quotes, that almost
all of these new movements are non-violent. There is nothing to imply
any connection at all between RSS and Al Qaeda. Do have a look at the
study.”

Apparently it had still not occurred to this uber-genius that the RSS
was created before he was born. When asked for detailed information
on the workshop and papers if any, presented, the response of Greg
Treverton was equally elusive:

"Thank you for your note. You have the report, which has all the
details about the workshops."

Unfortunately, the Report authored by Treveton DOES NOT provide the
details, and he certainly implied that the RSS was not only new, but
was likely to become a threat to US security (what the taxpayer paid
RAND to explore). So much for the way RAND deals with comments
provided in response to the Report, even though the Report proclaims:
"Comments are welcome." So much for transparency in dealing with
issues dealt with in Terrorism and Homeland Security Research Area.
See: Rand.org

We agree with Greg Treverton who said in another context:

"In a world in which everyone is dependent on information processors,
(the CIA) should think of themselves as the shapers and verifiers of
all that information," says Treverton, now an analyst at Rand Corp.
See: link

It is therefore not surprising that the RAND has little information,
logic or evidence of intelligent information processing. The intent
appears to be that the RAND name and the CIA sponsorship label are
enough to propagate the authors’ personal religious agendas.

So DID RAND “Explore Religious Conflicts”?

We would have expected RAND to address the most serious issue of
Religious Conflicts with a careful evaluation of facts and figures. We
find neither facts nor figures in the Report. Here are samples of
statements made and opinions expressed, sans evidence:

"Are there potential NRMs, even violent ones, apart from those spawned
by Islamic radicalism? The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in India,
an ultra-Hindu nationalist movement, is one such organization."

"…the movement was banned for a few years by the Indian government
because of its acts of violence and terrorism and its exhortation to
followers to resort to terrorist methods in the promulgation of its
religious ideas."

"…the RSS continued to gain momentum and was engaged in violence,
particularly against what it viewed to be threats against the Hindu
state, namely Muslims and Christians. Their religious view, with its
cosmic dimension, remains a threat to the idea of India as a secular
state."

"The RSS is largely middle class, as is the BJP."

That RSS has nothing to do with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi
and that it was a movement born during the fight for independence of
India from the British colonial regime, has been recognized by courts
of law in India ; to cite Wikipedia, which is apparently beyond the
means of RAND to have looked up:

"In 1925, Dr. Balasaheb Hedgewar, a Nagpur doctor formed the Rashtriya
Swayemsevak Sangh. The word "Rashtriya" means "National," and the word
"Sangh" means "Union". The word "Swayemsevak" may be translated to
mean a self-reliant servant of the people and country, a volunteer in
spirit and patriot in action…The RSS fought alongside the Congress for
national independence…the RSS opposed the partition of the country,
and is widely associated with anti-Muslim riots and the assassination
of Mahatma Gandhi, it had in fact performed important work by serving
the millions of Hindu and Sikh refugees coming out of Pakistan,
escaping bloody violence and leaving behind ancestral homes in terror.
Although there was no link whatsoever between the RSS and Gandhi's
assassins…" Source: Wikipedia

See what Jack Miles, an expert who participated in the workshop had to
say in another context:

"'Thus, in India, those who want to respond to Islamist terrorism
originating in Pakistan by reasserting the secularity of the Indian
state have steadily been losing power to Hindu religious nationalists
of India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 'Muslims are cancer to this
country', BJP leader Bal Thackeray said in a speech quoted in a recent
issue of The New Yorker; 'Cancer is an incurable disease. Its only
cure is operation. O Hindus, take weapons in your hands and remove
this cancer from the roots'. ' (Larissa MacFarq1uhar, "Letter from
India. The Strongman", The New Yorker, 26 May 2003, pp. 50-57)."

Jack Miles of course did not check, or did not honestly cite, the
facts; Bal Thackeray is not a leader of the BJP. Nor is he associated
with RSS.

Has Jack Miles checked out the figures of fatalities of terror attacks
in the Northeast and in Jammu and Kashmir, caused principally by
christist and Islamist terrorists?

If RSS, an independence movement is categorized as a 'New Religious
Movement', shouldn’t the almost-as new George Washington and his band
who desired to create 'One nation under God' also get categorized as
'New Religious Movement' under the Mark Jurgensmeyer's mythical theme
of metaphysical transforming into physical? What about the Daughters
of the American Revolution? By Mark Jurgensmeyer's definition,
shouldn’t Protestant movement also get categorized as a 'New
Religious Movement'?

RAND appears to be incapable of distinguishing between the Al Qaeda,
out to create a global Caliphate of one religion, from Israeli
movements created in self-defence against terrorists who would not
hesitate to kill even innocent children.

In the face of sustained terror attacks by intolerant Islamists
governed by only hatred as their credo, two democracies, Israel and
India have repulsed the terror attacks despite repeated casualties
suffered by them. Israeli movements to defend their land and the
Indian attempts to counter the terror attacks have been remarkably
restrained, facts which should also have been noted by the RAND
'intelligence analysts and religious experts'.

RAND should ask the 'intelligence analysts and religious experts' to
substantiate these bland statements by evidence.

Some questions which need to be asked and answered by these analysts
and experts are:

-- Were these experts named the only participants in the 'day-long
workshops'? What are the days when the workshops were conducted?
-- Were there any other participants?
-- Does the report represent the consensus conclusions and
recommendations of the workshop?
-- Were there any dissenting opinions?
-- Did the participants submit any written papers? (We have read
through the report again and have noted the bibliographical references
to books and monographs of earlier years appended to the report after
end notes). Were any other evidences and databases used for the
serious conclusions drawn in the report? It is important that all the
papers be made available so that the evidence used to reach the
conclusions of the report can be evaluated. Hopefully, CIA which has
funded the RAND project will seek answers to these questions.

Does RAND Allow Data to Affect It’s Conclusions?

In the face of terror emanating from Pakistan and Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia, it is indeed surprising that RAND tries to invent phantoms of
'New Religious Movements' based on a wacko thesis of 'cosmic wars' and
exits to Brahman and Nirvana. There is no iota of evidence produced by
Greg Treverton's reporting of conversations, to show that the
proponents of Brahman and Nirvana have contributed to the acts of
terror.

Have the fatalities of terror caused by religious conflicts in all
parts of the globe, been taken into account, for example, in just one
country:

1994-2005: Jammu and Kashmir (Islamist violence): 31782 Northeast
(christist violence): 13933 Naxal violence: 5041 Punjab: 175 Others: 6
Total: 50937

Note: Are Naxals (Communist gangs) considered a cult or an NRM? RAND
should answer this question.

US policy makers should take a fresh look at the problem in the
context of the "objective compilation from reports by credible human
rights groups of the genocide, ethnic cleansing, terrorism, and
Islamist laws that Hindus have faced in parts of South Asia where they
are minorities." Source: HAF "The human rights violations that are
occurring against Hindus must no longer be ignored without
reprobation," said Rep. Ros-Lehtinen after reviewing the HAF report.
"Hindus have a history of being peaceful, pluralistic and
understanding of other faiths and peoples, yet minority Hindus have
endured decades of pain and suffering without the attention of the
world." See HAF Release. RAND experts should review and evaluate the
190 attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh from January 1, 2004 to November
30, 2004 detailed in the Appendix of the Hindu Human Rights report
2004: (page 38). RAND experts should also explain the cosmic war
category which will explain these atrocities in Bangladesh against a
minority community called the Hindu in that state.

Are the experts of the workshop conducted by RAND aware that there are
a billion people in India? And, have they computed the numbers of
fatalities caused by 'religious conflicts' worldwide and seen the
fatalities of 50,937 in the last 11 years in India? Have the group
studied the Terrorism Whitepaper brought out by Govt. of India in
2002? Or, reviewed the conflicts detailed in South Asia Terrorism
Portal?

In Buddha nirvana country, Thailand,

"a current wave of jihadi terrorist violence in the three Muslim
majority southern provinces, which started in January last year, has
already cost over 800 lives of Government servants, innocent civilians
and suspected Muslim militants. This is directly linked with the
presence of nearly a thousand Pattanis (that is, muslims of Thailand
so called in Pakistan and Bangladesh) in Pakistan madarasas.” Source:
SAAG.org (15 August 2005).

There is no evidence in the Report on the conflicts resulting from
'conversion' activities by Christian groups. 'Conversions' categorized
as 'propagation of the Gospel', 'baptizing all nations',
'proselytization', 'evangelisation' followed by threat of
'condemnation' of those who do not so spread the Gospel or the
salvific nature of Jesus. Such an exclusion of a whole range of
conflicts which resulted in the phenomenon of East Timor, certainly
draws critical questions on objectivity of the RAND report.

Without an analysis of the impact of 'religious conflicts', the RAND
report reads like a kindergarten account. Some remedial steps are
called for by naming the culprit experts and releasing their 'papers'
presented at the workshop and subjecting those 'papers' to critical,
peer reviews. After all, we are dealing with a serious issue of
homeland security and there can be no compromise with half-baked,
opinionated reports based on absurd, unfalsifiable, ridiculous cosmic
fantasies.

Conclusions

RAND should seriously review the 'scholarly' or 'expert' nature of the
Report in question and examine if it is consistent with RAND’s vision,
aspirations, and advertised credentials and standards.

It is, indeed, shocking that RAND has recommend appeasement of the
Islamist terrorists.

This report clearly shows RAND to be peddling a narrow, bigoted
religious agenda. That this is purported to be a preview of United
States Government policy in the future is indeed scary for those who
believe in the Constitution of the United States.

The ludicrous nature of the report poses serious questions about
RAND’s quality controls, especially since the principal author is
cited as being a “Professor” at RAND’s “university”.

So it is, RAND has become the New Religious Media.

Dr S Kalyanaraman

[1] Gregory F. Treverton, Heather S. Gregg, Daniel Gibran, Charles W.
Yost, Principal author, Gregory F Treverton, 2005, Exploring Religious
Conflicts, RAND Corporation, USA http://www.rand.org/publications/CF/CF211/index.html

Copyright and Disclaimer:

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and not of
this website. The author is solely responsible for the contents of
this article. This website does not represent or endorse the accuracy,
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or any other information in the article. Our readers are free to
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http://www.ivarta.com/columns/OL_050823.htm

Aryan Tourist Theory (TM)
By: Dr. S. Kalyanaraman
December 24, 2005

Views expressed here are author’s own and not of this website. Full
disclaimer is at the bottom.

The title of this article is borrowed from Rajeev Srinivasan’s
trademark ATT (Aryan Tourist Theory) as a counter to the Aryan Influx
(Invasion) Theory being promoted by indologist creationists who
believe in the creation of the universe in 4004 BC, following the
Biblical tradition.

Close on the heels of this report published on December 20, 2005, on
IVarta.com Harvard's scandal & Hindu conspiracy the renowned
newsmagazine, The Economist of London, has been recruited as of
December 21, 2005, as a co-conspirator in this global Hindu
conspiracy.

The title of the cover story is: The long march of everyman.

Since the information is premium content, only excerpts can be
provided. Coded contents using DNA/Genetic code words and the cypher
will be revealed only to privileged clients such as the Harvard
University group led by Witzel.

The scoop is that Rajeev Srinivasan has trademarked a new version of
AIT and calls it "Aryan Tourist Theory". Congratulations to Rajeev on
this invention which could have far-reaching implications for bringing
the Harvard international scandal to the desired outcome. Romila
Thapar, Michael Witzel have to contend with discovery of tourist visas
used by 'Aryans' as they influxed into Bharatam.

Since the prestige of Harvard University is at stake, new methods have
to be evolved to perpetuate the possibility of Aryan tourist entry
into India in 1500 BCE. One method being contemplated, informed
sources report, is to say that this is another hindutva plot to
humiliate the prestigious Harvard University which alone has the right
to teach Hindu children a lesson. A larger task lies ahead of the
Harvard group led by Witzel: to educate the international community of
parents on what hindutva means. (Hindu conspirators claim that this
means the essence of being hindu in dharma-dhamma-veda-bauddha-jaina
continuum of bharatiya tradition; clearly a tough continuum to contend
with in sixth grade classrooms). Yet the job has to be done; the
prestige of Harvard University is on the line.

Fwd. with thanks, a precise note from Rajeev Srinivasan (Dec. 20,
2005).

[quote]

I'm afraid this link is premium content, but it clearly states that
the evidence from genetics precludes an 'aryan' invasion of India in
1500 BCE. the first human migration to India is around 60,000 years
ago, and europe was populated much later.

however, there are elements of 'conquest' still in the theories about
India, see end of the excerpts below about female and male dna. this
sounds like 'aryan tourist theory' (trademarked by me) warmed over,
and I am sceptical about it. southerners ki jai :-)

TM 'aryan tourist theory': white guys go live in other countries on
tourist visas, marry local women and settle down. thus their genes
appear in the local population.

http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_VNJJNDJ

excerpts only, to protect the economist's copyright. it has a great
chart too.

Detail, however is not the same as consensus, and there are two
schools of thought about how people left Africa in the first place.
Appropriately, some of their main protagonists are at the rival
English universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The Oxford school,
championed by Stephen Oppenheimer, believes that the descendants of a
single emigration some 85,000 years ago, across the strait of Bab el
Mandeb at the southern end of the Red Sea, are responsible for
populating the rest of the world. The Cambridge school, championed by
Robert Foley and Marta Mirazón Lahr, agrees that there was, indeed, a
migration across this strait, though probably nearer to 60,000 years
ago. However, it argues that many non-Africans are the descendants of
at least one subsequent exodus.

Both schools agree that the Bab el Mandebites spread rapidly along the
coast of southern Arabia and thence along the south coast of Asia to
Australia, though Dr Oppenheimer has them turning inland, too, once
they crossed the strait of Hormuz. But it is in describing what
happened next that the two versions really part company, for it is
here that the descendants of the Oxford migration run into the
eruption of Toba.

That Toba devastated South and South-East Asia is not in doubt. Thick
layers of ash from the eruption have been found as far afield as
northern Pakistan. The question is whether there were people in Asia
at the time. One of the most important pieces of evidence for Dr
Oppenheimer's version of events is some stone tools in the ash layer
in Malaysia, which he thinks were made by Homo sapiens. Molecular
clocks have a regrettable margin of error, but radioactive dating is a
lot more accurate. If he is right, modern humans must have left Africa
before the eruption. The tools might, however, have been crafted by an
earlier species of human that lived there before Homo sapiens. For Dr
Oppenheimer, the eruption was a crucial event, dividing the nascent
human population of Asia into two disconnected parts, which then
recolonised the intermediate ground. In the Cambridge version, Homo
sapiens was still confined to Africa 74,000 years ago, and would
merely have suffered the equivalent of a nuclear winter, not an ash-
fall of up to five metres—though Dr Ambrose and his colleagues think
even that would have done the population no good. The Cambridge
version is far more gentle. The descendants of its subsequent exodus
expanded north-eastwards into central Asia, and thence scattered
north, south, east and west—though in a spirit of open-mindedness,
Sacha Jones, a research student in Dr Foley's department, is looking
in the ash layer in India to see what she can find there.

Both also agree that Europe received two waves of migration. The
ancestors of the bulk of modern Europeans came via central Asia about
35,000 years ago, though some people in the Balkans and other parts of
southern Europe trace their lines back to an earlier migration from
the Middle East. But the spread of agriculture from its Middle Eastern
cradle into the farthest reaches of Europe does not, as some
researchers once thought, seem to have been accompanied by a mass
movement of Middle Eastern farmers.

The coming together of two groups of humans can be seen in modern
India, too. In the south of the subcontinent, people have Y-
chromosomes derived almost exclusively from what the Cambridge school
would interpret as being northern folk (and the Oxford school as the
western survivors of Toba). However, more than 20% of their
mitochondria arrived in Asia with the first migration from Africa (or,
according to taste, clung on along the south-eastern fringes of the
ash plume).

That discovery speaks volumes about what happened when the two groups
met. It suggests that many modern south Indians are descended from
southern-fringe women, but few from southern-fringe men—implying a
comprehensive conquest of the southerners by the northerners, who won
extra southern wives.
[unquote]

Another co-conspirator has emerged surprisingly from down-under.

Now for the breath-taking ice age footsteps. This is the decisive blow
to the creationist indologists who believe in AIT (Aryan Influx
Theory) because the universe according to the Bible was created only
in 4004 BC. Any evidence prior to this date is a scientific hoax if
the indologists are to be believed. When will the indologists learn to
respect science?

See the photo at Loading Image...

In this photo released by the Environment Ministry, a footprint
believed to be that of a man is shown in the Willandra Lakes district
in western New South Wales of Australia. Michael Amendolia / AP “The
prints were made in moist clay near the Willandra Lakes 19,000 to
23,000 years ago, the newspaper reported ahead of archeologists'
report on the find to be published in the Journal of Human Evolution.”

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10566347/

Dr. S. Kalyanaraman

The author is Director, Sarasvati Research Centre. Email:
***@gmail.com

Copyright and Disclaimer:

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and not of
this website. The author is solely responsible for the contents of
this article. This website does not represent or endorse the accuracy,
completeness or reliability of any opinion, statement, appeal, advice
or any other information in the article. Our readers are free to
forward this page URL to anyone. This column may NOT be transmitted or
distributed by others in any manner whatsoever (other than forwarding
or weblisting page URL) without the prior permission from us and the
author.

http://www.ivarta.com/columns/OL_051224.htm

Indian scholar deciphers Indus scriptAuthor
Indian

Date Created
19 Jan 2006

Date Edited19 Jan 2006 08:09:31 PMRatingCurrent rating: 6LicenseThis
work is in the public domain. 1/16/2006 7:28:44 AM HK Correspondent

CHENNAI: The Indus valley script, an enigma for scholars for over 130
years, has been deciphered by Dr S Kalyanaraman, a Chennai based
scholar. Ever since the first Indus seal with script was discovered in
1870 by Alexander Cunningham, efforts were on to decipher the
script."The decipherment of the script is central to unraveling the
true chronology and history of Indian civilization and culture," Dr
Kalyanaraman told Haindava Keralam.

Dr Kalyanaraman, a former senior executive with the Asian Development
Bank at Manila quit his job to devote full time for the research on
Inter-linking of Indian rivers and deciphering the script of the Indus
seal. Over the last 26 years, Dr Kalyanaraman has compiled a multi-
lingual comparative dictionary for over 25 ancient Indian languages
with about half-a-million words and has put it up on the internet.

It was a journey in a Pakistan International Airlines flight which
made Dr Kalyanaraman to quit his high paying ADB job. "I was presented
with replicas of two seals, really paper-weights, by the PIA sincve I
was travelkling by the first class on that day," said Dr Kalyanaraman.
Curiosity forced Dr Kalyanaraman to ask the PIA staff about the
replicas. He was literally shocked by the reply gioven by them. "They
said that the seals were from Mohenjodaro and it established the 5,000-
year old history of the civilization of Pakistan. They kept silent
when I pointed out to them that ther was no Pakistan at that time," Dr
Kalyanaraman explained.

"About 5000 years ago, there was only Bharat mentioned in the Rigveda.
Visvamitra, a Rigveda rishi, refers to the people of Bharat as
Bharatam Janam (that is, people of the nation of Bharata),"pointed out
Dr Kalyanaraman, author of a major book "Saraswathi".

He pointed out that the word Bharatiyo in Gujarati means 'caster of
metals' and goes on to present an array of evidence from about 4000
epigraphs on a variety of objects from what he calls "Sarasvati
Civilization". The epigraphs appear on seals, tablets, potsherds,
ivory rods, copper plates, even on metallic weapons.

The breakthrough in confirming his decipherment has come from two
sources: 1. the presence of Sarasvati hieroglyphs on two pure tin
ingots discovered in a ship-wreck in Haifa, Israel; and the presence
of Sarasvati hieroglyphs on artefacts in archaeological sites of
Jiroft (Iran) and Adichanallur (Tirunelveli, South India).

According to Dr Kalyanaraman, the glyphs are pictorials connoting
homonyms (similar sounding words which could be depicted pictorially)
of metals, minerals, alloys and furnaces. "For example, a jar with a
rim, an antelope, an elephant, a rhinoceros, a heifer (bull-calf) can
be depicted pictorially. The words related to these glyphs are
homonymous with words for varieties of minerals, metals, alloys and
furnaces," Dr Kalyanaraman explained.

Dr Kalyanaraman, claims that the code of the script or writing system
has been decoded simply as representation of the repertoire of smiths,
smithy, mines, and metal workshops. The artefacts are gathered from
many sites; there are about 2,000 archaeological sites on the banks of
a desiccated River Sarasvati (representing about 80% of the 2600 total
archaeological sites of the civilization dated to between 3500 to 1900
Before Common Era, BCE).

Some of the sites are: Rakhigarhi (near Delhi), Kunal, Kalibangan,
Banawali, Ropar (near Kurukshetra, Chandigarh), Dholavira, Lothal,
Surkotada, Prabhas Patan, Dwaraka (Gujarat) and of course,
Mohenjodaro, Harappa (Pakistan), Mehergarh (Afghanistan). A woman's
burial found at Mehergarh contained ornaments including a wide bangle
made of s'ankha; the surprise was that this burial was dated to 6500
BCE. The s'ankha industry continues even today in Tiruchendur, near
Gulf of Mannar, South Indian coastline where West Bengal handicraft
corporation obtains s'ankha to make bangles which are a must for every
Bengali bride to wear during marriage. A remarkable continuity of
culture and an industry unbroken for the last 8500 years !

He quotes profusely from the great Indian epics to substantiate his
claims. "The language of the epigraphs is said to be mleccha (Meluhha,
mentioned in cuneiform records of Mesopotamia). Vatsyayana refers to
cipher writing as mlecchita-vikalpa ( alternative representation by
copper workers)," according to Dr Kalyanaraman.

Mleccha is also referred to as a spoken language in Mahabharata;
Yudhishthira and Vidura converse in Mleccha about the shellac palace
(lakshagriha) constructed to trap the Pandavas with metallic and non-
metallic killer devices. An example of mleccha is 'helava, helava'
comparable to the 'elo,elo' boatmen's song by seafaring and river-
faring navigators who navigate hugging the coastline and along rivers
which were the highways of ancient times, enabling long-distance trade
over very long distances exceeding 3,000 kms., making the Sarasvati
civilization the most extensive civilization of its times.

"Languages of present-day India can be explained from a common source
and the theory is called 'Proto-Vedic Continuity Theory', "says Dr
Kalyanaraman.

These claims could have a significant effect on the study of languages
and contribute to historical studies emphasizing the essential
continuity and unity of Indian civilization and culture as a continuum
from 6500 BCE to the present-day.

haindavakeralam.org/PageModule.aspx

See also: spaces.msn.com/members/sarasvati97
protovedic.blogspot.com (S.Kalyanaraman and Mayuresh Kelkar)
www.hindunet.org/saraswati

kalyan97-AT-gmail.com
haindavakeralam.org/PageModule.aspx

PS: svastika is satthiya in Punjabi; rebus zasta, satthiya
'zinc' (Hindi)

TEHRAN, July 12 (MNA) -- The discovery of a number of shards bearing a
swastika motif astonished a team of Iranian archaeologists working at
Sabz Tepe in the Elamite site of Arjan, Khuzestan Province, the
director of the team said on Tuesday.

"Our team found the shards during operations conducted to save the
site from being destroyed by farming activities," Mahnaz Sharifi
added.

Located 10 kilometers north of Behbahan in eastern Khuzestan Province,
Arjan contains many ancient mounds which are believed to be various
sections of an Elamite city.

"Farmers plow the ground in Arjan, destroying the ancient site. A
cluster of shards bearing unique motifs and inscriptions can be seen
scattered on the ground," Behbahan Cultural Heritage and Tourism
Office expert Farzad Mesbah said.

Agricultural officials of Behbahan gave the land to the farmers.

"The farmers have said that they will continue working on the land,
but Khuzestan cultural officials have filed a lawsuit against the
farmers, in an attempt to solve the problem through the judicial
process," said Saeid Mohammadpur, an official of the Khuzestan
Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department.

In 1983, the first bronze coffin ever found in Iran, was discovered in
Arjan. The U-shaped coffin contained a large inscribed golden ring, 98
bracteate coins, a dagger, some textile fragments, and a
silver rod, which came from the treasury of the Elamite king Kidin-
Hutran.

Archaeologists plan to conduct additional research on the newly
discovered shards in order to learn why the swastika motif was used.

The origin of the swastika symbol is unknown. For thousands of years,
it has been used as a symbol of the revolving sun, fire, infinity, or
continuing recreation, as well as a decorative motif in the Americas,
China, Egypt, Greece, and Scandinavia. Swastikas have been found in
the catacombs of Rome, on textiles of the Inca period, and on relics
unearthed at the site of Troy. The swastika has also been important in
Eastern religions; to Buddhists, it represents resignation; to Jains,
it represents their seventh saint; and to Hindus, a swastika with arms
bent to the left represents night, magic, and the
destructive goddess Kali.

In the mid-20th century in Germany, a swastika with arms bent to the
right became the symbol of the Nazi Party. Some members of the German
Free Corps, who later formed the nucleus of the early Nazi Party, are
believed to have brought the swastika to Germany from Finland and
Estonia, where it had been an official and decorative emblem.

From March 1933, a few weeks after the ascent of Adolf Hitler to power
in Germany, the swastika flag flew side by side with the German
national colors. From September 1935 until the downfall of the Nazi
regime in 1945, the swastika flag was the official flag of the Third
Reich and was prominently displayed. The swastika is still used as a
symbol by supremacist and separatist hate groups.

www.mehrnews.ir/en/Archive.aspx

http://baltimore.indymedia.org/newswire/display/11807/index.php

Ancient Indian History, Distortions, Misrepresentations about India,
Indian History

Placeholder for Saraswati-Sindhu script
5 July 2009 87

This is a placeholder post for various references and resources
related to Saraswati-Sindhu Script.

Dr Kalyanaraman-ji’s work:

http://sites.google.com/site/kalyan97/mlecchitavikalpa

http://sites.google.com/site/kalyan97/indus-script

http://sites.google.com/site/kalyan97/a-new-decipherment-paradigm

http://sarasvati97.blogspot.com/

Varnam’s posts and research:

http://varnam.org/blog/2009/05/undeciphered-scripts/

http://varnam.org/blog/2009/04/indus-script-a-formal-language/

http://varnam.org/blog/2009/05/hostile-reactions/

http://varnam.org/blog/2009/05/indian-history-carnival-17/

Asko Parpola’s works:

http://www.helsinki.fi/~aparpola/

Please feel free to add any other links (to articles/documents) that
you may be aware of – using the comments form below.

Thanks.

Related Post: Breaking the code: the Sarasvati-Sindhu Script

*** UPDATE ***

I am traveling until the 10th of July with very limited internet
access. There will be some delay before I am able to respond to (and
moderate) comments.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

***

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comment, it is very likely to get stuck in the moderation/spam queue.

To avoid this, pl. enter a valid email address OR use this email
address instead: satyacomment AT gmail.com

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. 14 Comments »
1. B Shantanu said:
Some of you will find this interesting:

Can Computers Decipher a 5,000-Year-Old Language? by David Zax
.20 July 2009

2. B Shantanu said:
In a paper which renders the issue of ‘illiteracy’ moot or of little
practical value, Kalyanaraman has claimed that the script was used for
smith guild tokens encoding speech repertoire of smiths and that the
legacy of the writing system continued in mints which issued punch-
marked coins during the historical periods using Indus script glyphs.
The paper also reiterates that the critique of Massimo Vidale has not
so far been answered by the ‘Harappan illiteracy’ proponents.

The paper can also be downloaded from here
.5 August 2009

3. B Shantanu (author) said:
Some more research from Dr Kalyanaraman:

Decoding Indus Script – Mleccha, mlecchita vikalpa in Sarasvati
hieroglyphs

Monograph

Ppt slides

Abstract of Lecture at Rojah Muthiah Library at 5 PM on 26 February
2009 by S. Kalyanaraman

Script is decoded as sarasvati hieroglyphs composed of all pictorial
motifs — over 100 — and signs — over 400 – and read rebus in mleccha
vācas (as distinct from arya vācas — Manu). The context is: miners’
and smiths’ repertoire (not unlike the viśwakarma working on utsava
bera in Swamimalai following the cire perdue technique of Sarasvati
civilization bronzes or asur/agaria working in iron ore smelters in
Ganga basin of 18th century BCE).

Sarasvati hieroglyphs are in mleccha, mlecchita vikalpa (Vatsyayana).
Hypothesis posited: Language X + Proto-Munda = Proto-mleccha (with
borrowings in Sarasvati Linguistic Area).
Rebus readings of almost all glyphs (pictorial motifs as well as
signs) relate to mine workers’ and metalsmiths’ repertoire. The
writing system is a vikalpa (alternative representation) of their
vernacular, mleccha, cognate: meluhha. Presented in 15 e-books at
http://sites.google.com/site/kalyan97

In view of the essentially pictographic nature of the writing system,
the presentation is made in three parts:

a. monograph on vernacular (deśī), the linguistic area and the
continuity of proto-mleccha vernacular; structure and semantics of
hieroglyphs of mlecchita vikalpa, the decoded writing system;
b. powerpoint slides with selected glyphs and readings; and
c. Epigraphica Sarasvati of about 4000 inscribed epigraphs on photo
albums. http://sites.google.com/site/kalyan97/epigraphica-sarasvati

Two fundamental questions should be researched further:

1. the continuity of the civilization evidenced by cultural markers
all over India and the neighbouring regions;
2. the formation and evolution of languages in a linguistic area of
the Sarasvati civilization continuum in India, proved by the decoding
of the Indus script (Sarasvati hieroglyphs).

***

Separately from a blog post by Jayasree :

…This finding makes me recall some instances from the past. One is
from Valmiki Ramayana wherein Hanuman debates within himself on what
language he could speak to Sita who was languishing in the Ashoka
vana. Should I speak in the language of the learned persons (in
Sanskrit) or speak in the language of common persons, Hanuman asked
himself.

Sanskrit was the language of education and was used in discourses on
intellectual stuff. This existed in written form. But the dialect
spoken by people was different and it was not given a written form. We
come to know from Megasthanes that transactions were done orally.
There was no habit of recording or writing anything in trade. It was
because people adhered to word of mouth and rarely indulged in
cheating. Wherever writing was done it was done in Sanskrit. But the
common dialect that people spoke was not given a written form.

This had existed till the times of onset of Jain and Buddha culture.
The Jains were the forerunners in giving written form to spoken
language of the commoner. In a scenario dominated by Sanskrit based
Vedic religion, the Jains wanted to reach out to the common man. They
could reach him easily only by speaking his language and making him
read their views in the language they speak.

The earliest books written in language other than Sanskrit were by
Jains. They were in Prakrith. The earliest Jain book of astrology is
‘Surya Pragnapti’ which was an adaptation of Lagadha’s Rig Jyothisha.
This was in ‘Arthamagadhi Prakrith’. Lagadha’s Jyothisha was written
when the sun entered Dhanishta in uttarayana. Jain’s Surya pragnapthi
has the sun entering Abhijit in uttarayana!

That means this book of the Jains was written when Abhijith was still
part of the sky. Abhijit is placed in between Utthradam and ThiruvONam
(shravaNa). Abhijit was part of the sky until Mahabharatha times. Even
if we want to discount the existence of abhijith for lack of evidence
now astronomically, we can still enumerate the period of this book.
This book was written when the sun entered uttarayana at a point left
of Shravana star. Today the sun enters uttarayana in Moola star. The
time gap can be ascertained and it is possible to find the time of
Surya pragnapti from this. That time is when the spoken language of
the people of most of Bharatham was given a written form.
From Prakrit, other Indian languages sprang with a written libi.

But Tamil was a case apart from all these.
When Mahabharatha war happened, Tamil was already there in written
form supported by the sophistry of a well developed Grammar. A verse
on the praise of the Cheran king who supplied food to the armies
engaged in Mahabharatha war is found in PurananUru. Another verse is
about the Pandyan king who lived in the now- submerged landmass, south
of present day Kanyakumari. Tamil was referred to as “Agastheeyam” in
one of Srivaishnava books (Acharya Hrudhayam) Agastheeyam is said to
be a grammar work of Tamil done by sage Agasthya. This sage is also
said to have given a written form to Tamil.

That means Tamil had once existed as a spoken language among the
masses. There are however many Sanskrit terms in Tamil (eg daanam,
thavam) as part and parcel of Tamil language itself. Unless Tamil had
co-existed along with Sanskrit, this can not have happened. The aiding
tool for this combination is Hindu dharma or Sanatana Dharma as it was
the only dharma prevalent everywhere in those days. Since the Tamil
lands were stretched far down the South and were part of a huge
landmass connecting Africa and Australia, my guess is that Tamil was a
spoken language in that part of the world.

Coming to the findings of Dr S.Kalyanaraman, he has pointed out an
interesting similarity in the writing on metallurgy and of artisans of
India in those days. The cast for making statues (utsava bhEra)
recovered from Harappan sites (Saraswathy sites) are the same as what
the Vishwakarmas settled near Swamimalai in Tamil nadu do today! It
was because there was a single cult of Vishwakarma, a single cult of
Maya followed by artisans all through the Ithihasic and Puranic times.

As such, these informations are not news to me! Without even going
into research of this kind, we can say everything about the antiquity
and unanimity of Bharatheeya culture just from our arm chairs with the
help of Ithihasas, Puranas, Samhitas and a host of other texts given
by Maharishis.
.14 August 2009

4. K. Harapriya said:
“Since Tamil lands stretched far down south and were a part of a huge
landmass connecting Africa and Australia”

This statement is an anachronism. The continental drift that split the
various land masses from the one large continent called pangea
happened some 400 million years ago.

India split from the southern portion of what is now Africa around 55
million years ago. (This is known by the dating of the Himalayas).

However , man , as a species separate from other primates has only
existed on this earth around one million years. Of this, civilization
existed only for the last 10,000 years. So the contention that Tamil
was a language spoken in the entire southern hemisphere is inaccurate
to say the least.

Secondly, Tamil’s borrowings from Sanskrit as evidence of them
coexisting at the same time and/or originating at the same time. That
is like saying English originated at the same time as Latin since
there are so many latin terms in it. One interesting note is that
while Tamil has many sanskrit words, the reverse is not true–we do not
find Tamil words in Sanskrit very often.

Let us look at what the facts tell us. The oldest literature in Tamil
(of the Sangam period) dates back two thousand years–approximately the
beginning of the common era (exact dates betw. 3rd Century BCE and 3rd
Century A.D). Since the language was highly developed, it is assumed
that it had a longer history.

In comparison, the Rg Veda originates, even when conservatively dated,
1500 BCE. Even by conservative estimates, that is at least a 1000
years before the appearance of Tamil literature. Since the literature
of the Vedas is also highly developed we have to assume an older
history for the language. If we use the internal evidence of the Rg
Veda (i.e cosmology, astromical positions of stars), the Rg Veda can
even be dated anywhere from 5000 to 10,000 years old (depending on the
scholar).

It is almost a truism accepted in India that Tamil is the oldest
language. But is it really true?

Here is an article on the dating of the Mahabharata War by a fairly
respected scholar.
http://www.ece.lsu.edu/kak/MahabharataII.pdf
.19 August 2009

5. gajanan said:
Markov model of the Indus script

Rajesh P. N. Raoa,1, Nisha Yadavb,c, Mayank N. Vahiab,c, Hrishikesh
Joglekard, R. Adhikarie, and Iravatham Mahadevanf
aDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering, University of
Washington, Seattle, WA 98195; bDepartment of Astronomy and
Astrophysics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400005,
India; cCentre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, Mumbai 400098, India;
d14, Dhus Wadi, Laxminiketan, Thakurdwar, Mumbai 400002, India;
eInstitute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai 600113, India; and fIndus
Research Centre, Roja Muthiah Research Library,
Chennai 600113, India

Abstract.

Although no historical information exists about the Indus civilization
(flourished ca. 2600–1900 B.C.), archaeologists have uncovered about
3,800 short samples of a script that was used throughout the
civilization. The script remains undeciphered, despite a large number
of attempts and claimed decipherments over the past 80 years. Here, we
propose the use of probabilistic models to analyze the structure of
the Indus script. The goal is to reveal,
through probabilistic analysis, syntactic patterns that could point
the way to eventual decipherment. We illustrate the approach using a
simple Markov chain model to capture sequential dependencies between
signs in the Indus script. The trained model allows new sample texts
to be generated, revealing recurring patterns of signs that could
potentially form functional subunits of a possible
underlying language. The model also provides a quantitative way of
testing whether a particular string belongs to the putative language
as captured by the Markov model. Application of this test to Indus
seals found in Mesopotamia and other sites in West Asia reveals that
the script may have been used to express different content in these
regions or unreadable signs on damaged objects can be filled in with
most likely predictions from the model. Taken together, our results
indicate that the Indus script exhibits rich synactic structure and
the ability to represent diverse content. both of which are suggestive
of a linguistic writing system rather than a nonlinguistic symbol
system.

Published in Proceedings in National Academy of Sciences 2009. USA.
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.0906237106

This is very good science, if you can go thru this site above. It is
very difficult to understand for those not conversant with Markov
maths. They recently published in the journal Science and some more is
probably in the offing.
.19 August 2009

6. B Shantanu (author) said:
Harapriya and Gajanan: Thanks for the links and comment.

Harapriya: Interesting question about Tamil. I don’t know. Perhaps
other readers would wish to comment?
.21 August 2009

7. K. Harapriya said:
Here is a good link on the latest archaeological findings.

http://www.archaeologyonline.net/
.22 August 2009

8. B Shantanu (author) said:
Pl. read Varnam’s latest post The Markov Model of Indus Script
.14 September 2009

9. B Shantanu (author) said:
From an email sent by Dr Kalyanaraman:

Source: http://www.harappa.com/indus2/index.html Slide 142 reports the
discovery in 1998 of a four-sided molded tablet — ca. 2450-2200 BCE.

“Molded tablets from Trench 11 sometimes have impressions on one, two,
three or four sides. This group of molded tablets shows the complete
set of motifs. One side is comprised entirely of script and has six
(five?) characters, the first of which (on the very top) appears to be
some sort of animal. A second side shows a human figure grappling with
a short horned bull. A small plant with at least six branches is
discernible behind the individual. The third panel portrays a figure
seated on a charpoy or throne in a yogic position, with arms resting
on the knees. Both arms are covered with bangles, and traces of a
horned headdress and long hair are visible on some of the impressions.
A second individual, also with long hair and wearing bangles, is
seated on a short stool to the proper left of the individual on the
“throne.” The fourth panel shows a deity standing with both feet on
the ground and wearing a horned headdress. A branch with three pipal
leaves projects from the center of the headdress. Bangles seen on both
arms.”

This is decoded as a professional calling card of a smiths’ artisan
guild, as may be seen from the homonyms of all glyptic elements (both
signs and pictorial motifs) — presented on two slides.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11869632/Slide-142-harappa

Addendum: man.d.a ‘twig, branch’ (Te.); rebus: man.d.a_ ‘warehouse,
workshop’ (Kon.)

namaskaram. kalyanaraman
.25 September 2009

10. B Shantanu (author) said:
Those of you with an interest in this topic will enjoy Varnam’s
excellent post on this from last week: The Harappan Volumetric System
.7 December 2009

11. Shaan said:
@Harapriya, @Jayasree
There is no proof that Tamil lands would have stretched too much
southwards. Tamil literature talks about Kumari kandam and the
incident of it submerging in sea but it may have been a small area
beyond kanyakumari. Regarding Udhiyan Cheralathan there is an
explanation that the nootruvar(100 men) given in the poem are actually
Satavahanas. But Mahabharatha itself mentions that Pandyas, Cheras and
Cholas were fighting alongside Pandavas and against the Kauravas.

When it is debatable that whether Tamil as old as Sanskrit, atleast in
written form it must have been in written form before Sanksrit. There
is a term ‘ezhuthaa kiLavi’ in Tamil denoting Sanskrit. It literally
means ‘the language that is not written’. Earlier it was believed that
Tamil Brahmi was created after Ashoka era Brahmi script was introduced
in the South. But the latest discoveries point that Tamil Brahmi was
in existence even before Ashoka’s time.
.14 December 2009

12. I Gege Putrayasa said:
I found the sincere and trusted work on Indus-Sarasvati script
decipherment by Dr. Natwar Jha. Please follow the link below. I hope
that more scientists will continue and expand the work that had been
done by Dr. Jha as been shown by NS. Rajaram.

http://placelife.com/timeline/sarasvati-indus/sarasvati-script/natwarjhabyrajaram.html
.23 January 2010

13. I Gege Putrayasa said:
Forgot to include in my previous post. Here’s another link of Natwar
Jha and NS. Rajaram work on book reviewed by IndiaStar:

http://www.indiastar.com/wallia27.htm
.23 January 2010

14. B Shantanu (author) said:
Thank you. I will have a look at the links.
.24 January 2010

http://satyameva-jayate.org/2009/07/05/saraswati-sindhu-script/

Dr. S. Kalyanaraman using the Doe Library in University of California,
Berkeley (June 22, 1998); he acknowledges gratefully the use of
indological resources of this library, the Green Library in Stanford
University, Library of Congress, University of the Philippines Library
System, Manila, Adyar Library and Connemara Library, Chennai, National
Museum, Delhi, National Library, Calcutta and the British Library,
London, apart from the resources available on the web.

From Indology to Reviving City Waterways:
From "The Hindu" - 29-09-1997.

Despite his pre-occupation with high profile activities, Dr. S.
Kalyanaraman, former senior executive of the ADB, has varied interests
including matters mundane. He shares them with T. Ramakrishnan.

A paperweight may be a routine dull object for most people, but it can
trigger unexpected reactions among some: such as a deep desire to take
up Indological studies.

One such scholar eventually went on to do a unique work of writing a
multilingual dictionary of the Dravidian, Aryan and Mundarica language
families.

The author of the dictionary, Dr. S. Kalyanaraman (58), started on his
voyage of discovery in the office of his boss, Dr. Trujillo from the
U.S., while working in the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The
paperweight, given to him by the officer, was a brass replica of an
Indus seal depicting a short-horned bull and some Indus script as an
inscription.

In the meantime, an Indologist wrote a letter to Dr. Kalayanaraman
asking for comments on the former's decipherment of a script. The
paperweight and this letter led him to embark on studies on the
subject.

At present, he is working on the `mythical' Sarasvathi river which can
be revived by tapping groundwater resources and making the Thar desert
in Rajasthan bloom. His study is centered on providing leads for
resolving the decipherment problem of the Indus script.

Dr. Kalayanaraman has interest in a variety of subjects. A graduate in
economics and statistics from the Annamalai University, he became a
Member of the Indian Railway Accounts Service in 1962. He secured his
doctorate from the University of Philippines in 1982 and his Ph.D.
thesis was a comparative study of development administration in six
Asian countries.

In the '70s, the Indologist's performance on coal accounting for and
the drawing up the Railways' perspective plan for information
technology (IT) came in for praise and subsequently, he was deputed to
the ADB. Dr. Kalayanaraman helped establish the Bank's IT network with
2,500 workstations. He administered loan disbursements on a multi-
currency portfolio of equivalent US $60 billions on 600 development
projects in the Asia-Pacific region.

Despite his high-profile activities, the ADB's former senior executive
has not lost sight of the more "mundane" things. The beautification of
the city waterways is one of his pet subjects. "The waterways are, in
a way, a blessing for the city. Otherwise, the situation will be worse
when Chennai receives heavy rainfall."

His suggestion is that as a demonstration project, the Cooum can be
taken up first. The execution of its improvement should be split into
different segments, which can be entrusted to different contractors.

In addition to desludging the waterway, a series of checkdams can be
built along the Cooum for regulating the discharge of water. Tanks,
located on the outskirts of the city and functioning as sources for
the waterway, have to be renovated.

For improving the water supply network for the southern suburbs of
Chennai, Dr. Kalayanaraman says the aquifer of the Palar river can be
tapped. He wants the Government to act strongly against those who
pollute the river.

As the senior ADB executive, he had exposure to the Chinese system of
governance. "China has made rapid strides, particularly in the area of
local self-governance. It is not just because it's a communist country
but its rulers have immense faith in decentralisation".

One lesson that can be drawn from the Chinese, he says, is to grant
more powers to the Chennai Mayor. In Beijing, the Mayor is the focal
point of all activities and has the authority to mobilise resources
and personnel from various agencies and departments for improving the
state of affairs in the Metro.

The same thing is possible here as the 74th Constitutional amendment
has made it mandatory that the Metropolitan Planning Committee and
other local bodies falling within the Metro to take up responsibility
to prepare and implement urban development schemes. The existing
mechanism for utilising financial and personnel resources should also
undergo suitable changes.

Moreover, this amendment can be used for strengthening urban local
bodies and bringing about a revolutionary change in their functioning
and administration, Dr. Kalyanaraman feels.

As his presentation to mark the golden jubilee of Independence, Dr.
Kalyanaraman has created a website running to 2,500 pages of
information on India at www.investindia.com. As his social obligation,
he offers his Internet access at the domain address http://www.investindia.com
free of cost to the younger generation with the goal of preparing them
intellectually and academically.

See also the Sarasvati River Website: http://www.probys.com/sarasvati

Indian Alchemy: Soma in the Rigveda (in press, Delhi, Munshiram
Manoharlal)

His email: ***@netscape.net

http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/sarasvati/html/hindu29091997.html

Sanatana Dharma Foundation Honors Dr Subramanian Swamy and Dr S.
Kalyanaraman for their Courageous Effort in Protecting the Historic
Rama Sethu
Sanatana Dharma Foundation, Dallas, Texas organized its first Hindu
Unity Day, at the DFW Hindu Temple, in Dallas on the 19th and 20th of
July, 2008. Symbolizing Hindu Unity, Representatives of Dallas
Chapters of several organizations like the Art of living Foundation,
Ammachi Satsang, Hare Krishna ISCKON group, Gayatri Parivar,
Brahmakumaris, Carribbean Mandir, Chinmaya Mission, Hanuman Temple,
Sathya Sai groups, Datta Yoga Peetam and other prominent Hindu
personalities from the local Dallas-Fort Worth community in Texas,
were present at this unique event. Dr Subramanian Swamy's latest book
"Rama Sethu Symbol of National Unity" was released and distributed at
the Event, to key members of these organizations and other prominent
members of the community.

Rama Sethu Symbol of National Unity

Hindu Dharma Rakshaka Kshatriya Award

This award, a first of its kind, has been instituted to honor and
celebrate the 'Kshatriya Spirit', specifically the courage shown by
Hindus in taking risks and standing up to fight for the protection and
preservation of Dharma. The word Kshatriya is a Sanskrit word that
refers to the royal and noble class of Hindus who historically
defended their nation, and the Dharma of the land.

Rama Sethu Symbol of National Unity

Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) July 26, 2008 -- Dr Subramanian Swamy, PhD,
visiting professor of Economics, Harvard University and former Union
Law Minister of India, and Dr S. Kalyanaraman, Director, Saraswati
River Research Center, and President of Sri Rameshwaram Rama Sethu
Raksha Manch, received awards in Dallas, Texas for their courageous
effort in protecting the historic Rama Sethu, from being destroyed by
the Government of India in the name of a development project.

NASA Photograph of Rama Sethu

Rama Sethu is the original Sanskrit name given to a bridge built by
the legendary King Rama, who crossed over to Sri Lanka from India to
fight the King of Lanka, Ravana, recover his wife Sita, and restore
Dharma (Order) in the land of India. While it is difficult to
establish the exact historical age of these events, the bridge is
thought to be at least 5000 years old, if not much older, making it
the oldest causeway built across an ocean channel. The Rama Sethu is
referred to in numerous ancient Sanskrit texts and scriptures, as a
man made structure, and in recent times, it has been vividly
photographed by both NASA and Indian Satellites.

When India fell under Colonial rule, the British renamed this
construction as "Adam's Bridge". The Government of India, in recent
years, has been trying to establish a Shipping Channel between India
and Sri Lanka, by breaking and destroying the continuity of this
ancient structure. Hindus in India and around the world have been
protesting and fighting this decision of the Government of India, and
have demanded that the Rama Sethu be declared a monument of historic
importance and a world heritage site. On May 8th, 2008, the Supreme
Court of India directed the Government of India to go back to the
drawing board to see if it can create an alternate shipping route, and
at the same time, study the Rama Sethu as a monument of historic
importance. It is yet to be seen if the Government of India will
comply with the Court's direction, and thereby uphold due
constitutional process, or continue on its path of destroying the Rama
Sethu, dis-regarding the Supreme court's direction.

Sanatana Dharma Foundation, (www.sdfglobal.org) a Dallas based Non-
Profit organization inspired by the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha,
(www.acharyasabha.org) the apex body of Hindus in India, presented the
"Hindu Dharma Rakshaka Kshatriya Award" to Dr Subramanian Swamy & Dr
S. Kalyanaraman on the occassion of the Hindu Unity Day organized at
the DFW Hindu Temple in Dallas, Texas on July 19, 2008. Speaking on
the occasion, the President of Sanatana Dharma Foundation, Kalyan
Viswanathan, said that "This award, a first of its kind, has been
instituted to honor and celebrate the 'Kshatriya Spirit', specifically
the courage shown by Hindus in taking risks and standing up to fight
for the protection and preservation of Dharma. The word Kshatriya is a
Sanskrit word that refers to the royal and noble class of Hindus who
historically defended their nation, and the Dharma of the land."

The Highlight of the Hindu Unity Day Event was the speech by Dr
Subramanian Swamy on his personal experiences during his defense of
Rama Sethu in the Supreme Court of India, which was greeted by a
spontaneous standing ovation. In presenting the "Hindu Dharma Rakshaka
Kshatriya" Award, his fearless defense in the Supreme Court of India,
getting a critical and timely stay order, the subsequent withdrawal of
the Government of India's petition, and the later Verdict of the
Supreme Court were all highlighted.

Dr S. Kalyanaraman made a scholarly presentation on the River
Saraswati, highlighting the recent research findings, the origins of
the Vedic civilization on the banks of River Saraswati and the fact
that it holds the central "Key" to the re-writing of the history of
India and re-establishing the real historicity of the Vedas. While
presenting the Award, his dedicated research in supporting the
struggle of the Rama Sethu, and his pioneering contributions in
researching and resurfacing the River Saraswati were lauded.

Symbolizing Hindu Unity, Representatives of Dallas Chapters of several
organizations like the Art of living Foundation, Ammachi Satsang, Hare
Krishna ISCKON group, Gayatri Parivar, Brahmakumaris, Carribbean
Mandir, Chinmaya Mission, Hanuman Temple, Sathya Sai groups and other
prominent Hindu personalities from the local Dallas-Fort Worth
community in Texas, were present at this unique event. Dr Subramanian
Swamy's latest book "Rama Sethu Symbol of National Unity" was released
and distributed at the Event, to key members of these organizations
and other prominent members of the community.

Smt. Ranna Jani, President, DFW Hindu Temple in Texas speaking on the
occassion on behalf of the Temple, thanked both Dr Subramaniam Swamy &
Dr S. Kalyanaraman for coming to Dallas and sharing their experiences
with the participants. On the second day, a workshop was organized,
where challenges facing Hinduism today, were discussed. Presentations
on the state of Hindu Temples in India, challenges posed by
Christianity and Islam were also discussed. The session was very
interactive, and educational, as per the feedback received.

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The challenge of terrorism
S. KALYANARAMAN

ON 23 December 1929, a bomb planted by Indian revolutionaries exploded
under the Viceroy’s special train but without causing any serious
injury to Lord Irwin. At the Lahore session of the Indian National
Congress held the very next week, Mahatma Gandhi pushed through a
resolution ‘condemning the cowardly deed of the misguided youth.’
Though he urged that the resolution be passed unanimously, a reluctant
Congress did so by a thin majority of 81 in a house numbering 1713.
Subsequently, Gandhi wrote an article in Young India titled ‘The Cult
of the Bomb’, in which he dismissed bomb-throwing as nothing but
‘froth coming to the surface in an agitated liquid.’ At the same time,
he warned that it is an ‘easy, natural step’ from violence done to the
foreign ruler ‘to violence to our own people whom we may consider to
be obstructing the country’s progress.’

To rebut Gandhi’s condemnation, Bhagawati Charan, in consultation with
Chandra Shekhar Azad, drafted a manifesto in 1930 titled ‘The
Philosophy of the Bomb’. Terrorism, the manifesto asserted, is a
‘necessary’ and ‘inevitable’ phase of the revolution. ‘Terrorism
instils fear in the hearts of the oppressors, it brings hopes of
revenge and redemption to the oppressed masses, it gives courage and
self-confidence to the wavering, it shatters the spell of the
superiority of the ruling class and raises the status of the subject
race in the eyes of the world, because it is the most convincing proof
of a nation’s hunger for freedom.’ The manifesto went on to note that
it is reason and conscience which force the revolutionary to ‘risk his
life’. And it concluded by proclaiming that the revolutionaries will
take ‘a people’s righteous revenge on the tyrant’ and that theirs is
‘a war to the end – to victory or death.’

This episode is indicative of the divide that exists between the idea
that terrorists are freedom fighters and martyrs, the characterisation
of terrorist attacks as cowardly and dastardly, and the in-between
view that while terrorism is indeed unjustifiable, the genuine
grievances that drive terrorists cannot also be overlooked. In
addition, the debate on terrorism has also thrown up the question of
‘state terrorism’. After all, the origins of the modern usage of the
word terrorism lie in the ‘state terror’ unleashed by the French
revolutionary regime to intimidate those opposed to the revolution or
otherwise sympathetic to or nostalgic about the ancien régime.
Moreover, states also deliberately target civilians and non-combatants
in the course of wars and internal conflicts.

Are we to therefore simply conclude that terrorism is a relative term
best defined as ‘violence that I don’t support?’ To chart a path
through the minefield that is the debate on defining terrorism and how
to address this phenomenon, one approach is to look at terrorism as a
strategy, a means to achieve an objective. A strategy adopted by a
political group in which civilians and non-combatants are deliberately
targeted to generate terror as well as to highlight the cause. The
objective is to undermine the foundations of the state, its
legitimacy, and its ability to command the people’s compliance.
Terrorist actions are conceived as either ends in themselves or
designed to be precursors to a mass uprising. Terrorism is thus a
subset of political violence.

Terrorism, however, needs to be distinguished from other forms of
political violence employed by armed rebel groups. This is
particularly the case with guerrilla warfare (or insurgency) with
which terrorism is often confused and conflated. True, guerrilla
warfare, like terrorism, is a weapon of the weak, employed precisely
because weakness precludes a rebel group from engaging in regular war
against organised state forces. Notwithstanding this surface
similarity, the two strategies proceed along very different paths.
Guerrillas (or insurgents) primarily target state forces, mobilise
people and acquire popular support, establish a parallel government in
‘liberated zones’, and over time seek to expand control over
surrounding territories and transform their ragtag forces into a
regular army. Guerrillas, in Mao’s famous formulation, are the fish
and people the water.

In contrast, the people have become the target of terrorist violence,
especially since the 1970s. Gandhi’s prophetic words about the ‘easy,
natural step’ from violence done to the oppressor to violence
inflicted on non-cooperative or unresponsive compatriots, have indeed
become a reality. The deliberate targeting of innocent civilians is a
hallmark particularly of the contemporary avatar of terrorism. This
was not the case in the historical practice of terrorism, which
largely involved targeting the symbols of political authority – heads
of state, viceroys and proconsuls, ministers, civilian and military
officials, leading political figures, among others. These attacks were
intended as ‘propaganda by deed’ in an era when terrorism was
considered the ultima ratio, the final resort. But the ‘new’ terrorism
does not discriminate in its choice of victims and its motto is,
‘there are no innocents.’

Further, while the earlier practice of terrorism was largely directed
against tyrannical or despotic regimes and colonial or imperial
authorities, democracies have emerged as principal targets of the
contemporary exercise in terrorism. Thus, from ultima ratio terrorism
seems to be becoming the prima ratio of political protest. Another
significant difference between ‘old’ and ‘new’ terrorism is state
support for and sponsorship of terrorist groups. While the earlier
breed of terrorists by and large operated on their own, the employment
of terrorism as an instrument of statecraft (a cost-effective means of
destabilising adversaries) is a key feature of latter-day terrorism.
Terrorism has acquired a pejorative connotation over the last few
decades precisely because of these changes.

There have been various hues of armed rebellion in India since
independence. Telangana and Naxalbari were insurrections. The Maoist
groups operating across many states are engaged in a classic
insurgency. Most armed political groups in the North East also began
as separatist or autonomist insurgencies. But, over the years, some
have become mere extortion rackets, while others like the United
Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in particular have taken to terrorism.
Terrorism, the deliberate targeting of civilians, was first practised
by separatist groups in Punjab. In the 1990s, this practice also
became prevalent as part of the separatist struggle in Jammu and
Kashmir. The involvement of Pakistani and transnational groups in the
so-called jihad in Kashmir has contributed to the further expansion of
the terror campaign to the hinterland.

The most significant terrorist group in the North East today is ULFA.
Founded in 1979 with the aim of establishing a ‘sovereign socialist
Assam through armed struggle’, it built up its armed strength and ran
a parallel government in Assam in the latter half of the 1980s. When
it initiated armed action in the 1990s, targets were limited to the
security forces, railway lines, the oil pipeline, and political
opponents. However, after the group was expelled from Bhutan in 2003
and it relocated its base areas in Bangladesh, ULFA has initiated a
terror campaign inside Assam. Most targets struck since then have been
civilian.

The August 2004 bombing in Dhemaji town, which killed 17 people,
mostly children, has come to be seen as the turning point in this
regard. 73 bomb explosions were triggered in 2005, 59 in 2006, 54 in
2007, and 10 in 2008 – all in public places. ULFA has also been
targeting Hindi-speaking migrant labourers over the last couple of
years. Its turn towards terrorism seems to have coincided with its
linkages and dependence upon the intelligence agencies of Bangladesh
and Pakistan. The support it receives includes arms training, safe
havens, funds and weaponry. ULFA is also known to have links with the
Bangladeshi jihadi group, Harkat-ul-Jehadi-e-Islami.

In Punjab, competitive politics led to the emergence of a religious
extremist like Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as a key figure. Inspired by
the vision of leading the Sikhs to ‘ultimate purity’ and an
independent Khalistan, Bhindranwale started an incipient campaign of
violence against his political opponents in the early 1980s. But a
full-blown terrorist movement emerged only in the aftermath of
Operation Bluestar, the consequent assassination of Indira Gandhi and
the anti-Sikh riots that followed. The terror campaign unleashed by
the various groups was indiscriminate in nature and saw the killing of
political leaders, officials, journalists, businessmen, and the common
people at large, both Sikh and Hindu.

K.P.S. Gill notes that in the peak years of 1990 and 1991, 1702 and
1851 Sikhs, respectively, were killed by the terrorists. The number of
non-Sikhs killed in these two years was 765 and 740. One of the worst
massacres was the mid-air bombing of the Kanishka in 1985, killing all
passengers and crew on board. Bombs were also placed in public
transport in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir. In all,
11,500 civilians were killed in Punjab between 1981 when the terrorist
violence first manifested itself and 1993 when the back of the
terrorist movement was broken. About 1750 security forces personnel
also died during the same period. A significant factor in the greater
intensity of violence was Pakistan’s provision of sophisticated
weaponry and explosives as well as training to the terrorist groups.

Punjab, in many ways, was a training ground for Pakistan’s sponsorship
of cross-border terrorism against India in Jammu and Kashmir. An armed
separatist movement arose in the state in the wake of the fraudulent
elections of 1987. Some 20,000 youth crossed the border into Pakistan
for military training by the mid-1990s. The pro-independence Jammu and
Kashmir Liberation Front stood at the forefront of this movement in
the initial years. But Pakistan threw its weight behind the Hizbul
Mujahideen, which favoured Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan. When India
gained the upper hand against the separatists in the next few years,
Pakistan began to funnel its own citizens and other ‘graduates of the
Afghan war’ into Jammu and Kashmir.

With groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Harkat-ul-Ansar, and Harkat-ul-
Mujahideen assuming a greater role, what was hitherto an internal
rebellion, albeit with considerable support from Pakistan, degenerated
into cross-border terrorism. Mass killings, especially of minorities,
began with the introduction of transnational jihadists. Neither have
they spared Kashmiri Muslims, in whose name they wage their so-called
jihad. Overall, between 1988 when the violence first began and 2008,
some 14,500 civilians have been killed in terrorist violence in the
state. In addition, more than 5,800 security forces personnel have
also lost their lives during this period.

Involving foreign jihadists has provided a lever for Pakistan to
scuttle any movement towards peace in the state, as demonstrated
during the short-lived Ramzan ceasefire between Indian security forces
and the Hizbul Mujahideen in the year 2000. When Pakistan’s Kargil
misadventure failed to revive the flagging interest for the struggle
within the state and in the world at large, transnational groups began
to engage in fidayeen attacks against security forces. Subsequently,
this campaign was extended to other parts of India as well. The first
target to be attacked was the Red Fort in Delhi in December 2000. A
year later, it was the turn of the Indian Parliament. India’s threat
of war against this grave provocation, combined with international
condemnation and pressure, forced Pakistan to lower the intensity of
operations being carried out by terrorist groups based on its
territory. But even as infiltration from Pakistan into Jammu and
Kashmir showed a decline in the succeeding years, a terror campaign
targeting India’s hinterland began to unfold.

Links between Indian citizens engaged in this new wave of urban
terrorism and their friends, if not masters, in Pakistan are gradually
unravelling. The shameful tragedy of Gujarat 2002 and the earlier
demolition of the Babri Masjid served as catalysts for a handful of
youth to travel to Pakistan, acquire training in arms, and forge links
with the Establishment as well as transnational groups there. These
men have come together under the banner of Indian Mujahideen. The
group is a diffuse network spread across several states. Its aim
appears to include causing maximum casualties and mayhem by targeting
places where people congregate, arousing communal passions by
targeting mosques and temples, and disrupting the economy by targeting
important sectors like tourism and information technology.

Thus, seven bombs were placed on Mumbai suburban trains in July 2006,
killing 209 people and injuring over 700; the Sankatmochan Temple in
Varanasi was bombed in March 2006 and the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad in
May 2007; and, Jaipur and Bengaluru were targeted in May and July
2008, respectively. According to the email claiming responsibility for
the multiple bomb blasts in the markets of Delhi in September 2008,
the group’s aim was to ‘stop the heart of India from beating.’ Other
places that have been targeted as part of this terror campaign include
Ahmedabad, Faizabad, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Surat and Varanasi.

A significant feature of the Indian Mujahideen’s tactics is the use of
the widely available fertilizer ammonium nitrate as explosive. The
group has also demonstrated its coordination capabilities by carrying
out serial bomb blasts on successive days in more than one place – the
July 2008 attacks in Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and the bombs that failed to
detonate in Surat. Their use of email to claim responsibility, the
manner in which emails were sent from hacked wi-fi connections, and
the ability to vary the intensity of the explosions in Bengaluru and
Ahmedabad, all point to the group’s technological capabilities.

Even as Indian agencies were attempting to piece together the Indian
Mujahideen puzzle, 10 well-armed and well-trained Lashkar-e-Taiba
terrorists landed in Mumbai and launched a commando-style operation
against the maximum city’s symbols. 164 people and security forces
personnel died in this assault, including 26 foreign nationals. The
trail led to Pakistani territory and Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist
commanders and many in India suspected the role of elements within the
Pakistani establishment. The reasoning was that the attack was meant
to divert the incoming Obama administration’s central focus from the
Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier towards the India-Pakistan border.

Coincidentally, unidentified militants in Pakistan targeted American
and NATO military supplies meant for their war efforts in Afghanistan,
seemingly to remind the West about its vulnerabilities. It is not
clear what kind of a grand bargain was being hinted at. But the
Machiavellian strategy came to nought because of the restraint shown
by India in the face of such an enormous provocation. However,
Pakistan’s conviction that terrorist groups serve as ‘strategic
assets’ in its foreign policy repertoire is likely to continue,
notwithstanding ongoing American efforts to force a change in
thinking.

Each of the above challenges necessitates a distinct policy approach.
Separatist groups have to be dealt with through a policy of political
accommodation and concessions backed by counter-insurgency and counter-
terror measures. In the case of Pakistan-based terrorist groups,
domestic counter-terror measures have to be accompanied by diplomatic
and covert intelligence campaigns to disrupt and dismantle the
terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan. And dealing with domestic urban
terror groups would involve counter-terror measures, including the
strengthening of laws, police and intelligence efforts to trace and
neutralise terrorist cells and leadership, and mobilising communities
and the people at large against subversives living in our midst.

India’s counterinsurgency strategy has been dealt with elsewhere in
these pages. Suffice it to note here that since the 1950s India has
followed a consistent and successful policy of using minimum force to
deal with separatist groups and bringing them into the political
mainstream through accommodation and concessions. While this approach
is likely to prove useful in dealing with ULFA in Assam, it is
inadequate for dealing with the situation in Jammu and Kashmir where
the principal indigenous group, the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, has become
inextricably intertwined with Pakistani and transnational terrorist
groups under the umbrella of the United Jihad Council.

Any attempt by the Hizb to seek a separate peace is likely to result
in the whittling down of Pakistani support (as happened in the case of
the JKLF) and consequent marginalisation and irrelevance. Under the
circumstances, the security efforts in Jammu and Kashmir need to be
supplemented by measures to force Pakistan to cease support for
terrorist groups targeting India as well as measures to disrupt and
dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in that country.

At the diplomatic level India’s leverage vis-a-vis Pakistan is
limited, especially at this juncture when the state of affairs in that
country is delicately poised and when more powerful actors are engaged
in attempting to save it from itself. All that can be done at the
diplomatic level is to continually highlight Pakistan’s continuing use
of terrorism as an instrument of policy and sustain international
pressure to force Islamabad to take meaningful action against
terrorist groups targeting India. At the same time, military measures
aimed at either coercing the Pakistani establishment or disrupting the
infrastructure of the terrorist groups would also be ill-advised. As
seen during the crises of 2002, military coercion of the Pakistan
government on one hand and leveraging military tensions for
international diplomatic support on the other can yield only limited
dividends.

It was also realised at that time that military strikes against
terrorist camps would have only limited impact on the terror
infrastructure. Moreover, military action would aggravate bilateral
tensions, strengthen hawkish elements, and generally provide Pakistan
an excuse for not taking action against terrorist groups which it
continues to perceive as ‘strategic assets’. Instead of overt military
strikes, India should adopt covert measures to both raise the cost to
Islamabad as well as to degrade the terrorist leadership and
infrastructure on Pakistani territory. A good example in this regard
was India’s response in the late 1980s to the support Pakistan
provided for Khalistan groups.

At the same time, India also needs to focus on domestic counter-terror
measures, which have indeed received a fillip in the wake of the
Mumbai attack. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has been
legislated to provide the legal framework for counter-terrorism, and
the National Investigation Agency has been established to investigate
and prosecute terrorist offences. In addition, a number of measures
have been taken to raise ‘the level of preparedness’ and enhance ‘the
speed and decisiveness’ in responding to terrorist attacks or threats.
These include a fresh mandate to the Multi Agency Centre and its
subsidiaries to smoothen the collation and sharing of intelligence,
and the establishment of National Security Guard hubs in different
parts of the country to enable a quicker response to terrorist
attacks.

However useful these institutions and mechanisms prove to be in the
coming years, the key to counter-terrorism is the police force which
falls within the purview of state governments. Until such time state
governments shed their apathy and begin to appreciate the imperative
of modernising and de-politicising their police forces, India’s
counter-terrorism efforts are likely to remain ineffective.

http://www.india-seminar.com/2009/599/599_s_kalyanaraman.htm

Sarasvati (7 Vols-Set)

S. Kalyanaraman, Baba Saheb, 2003, 2044 p, 7 Vols, figs, plates, maps,
ISBN : 81-901126-1-0 (Vol. I); 81-901126-2-0 (Vol. II); 81-901126-3-0
(Vol. III); 81-901126-4-0 (Vol. IV); 81-901126-5-0 (Vol. V);
81-901126-6-0 (Vol. VI); 81-901126-7-0 (Vol. VII)., $231.00 (Includes
free airmail shipping)
Contents: Vol. I: Civilization: 1. New light on Sarasvati
civilization. 2. Sarasvati: discovery and rebirth. 3. River Sarasvati:
archaeology, culture and heritage tourism. 4. Ecology, River Sarasvati
and roots of civilization of Bharat. 5. Revival of River Sarasvati
begins. 6. River Sarasvati: archaeology, tradition and water
resources. 7. Bharati, Sarasvati. 8. Vidya_devi Sarasvati. 9. Dilmun,
Magan, and sea-faring merchants of Meluhha. 10. From Sarasvati to
Haraquaiti. 11. Mleccha, Mlecchita vikalpa: language and writing
system. 12. Hieroglyphs of Sarasvati Civilization. 13. S'ankha,
Bhairava, Man.d.ala. 14. Sculptural tradition. 15. Bead-making
tradition. 16. Archery tradition. 17. Mahabharata as the sheet-anchor
of Bharatiya Itihasa. 18. Sarasvati Civilization. Index.

Vol. II: R.gveda: 1. R.gveda and Sarasvati. 2. Vedic roots of early
metallurgy. 3. Soma. 4. Vedic Ratha. Index. End notes.

Vol. III: River: 1. River Indo-brahm, River Sarasvati of quaternary
periods. 2. Riverine traditions of Bharat. 3. Maritime traditions of
Bharat. 4. Seafaring artisans of Meluhha. 5. Settlements and forts. 6.
Kot., fortified settlements in Sarasvati Sindhu River Basins. 7.
Sarasvati Civilization. 8. Archaeological sites. Bibliography. Index.
End notes.

Vol. IV: Bharati: 1. Westward migrations out of Bharat. 2. Veneration
of ancestors. 3. Bha_ratam Janam. 4. Vra_tya and building a ra_s.t.ra.
5. Maritime, riverine trade in Vedic times. 6. Vedic and Avestan
people. 7. Vedic and Avestan. 8. Defence. 9. Roots of civilization.
10. Evolution of traditions of the civilization. 11. Contacts. 12.
Sarasvati Civilization. Index. End notes.

Vol. V: Technology: 1. Metallurgy tradition. 2. Natural resource map
of ancient Bharat. 3. Tin from Meluhha. 4. Ancient trade in Tin. 5.
Copper hoard weapons: autochthonous evolution and links with Sarasvati
Civilization. 6. The cultural markers of legacy of the civilization.
7. Words for copper. 8. Tradition of sacred weapons. 9. Bronze age
artifacts in areas neighbouring Sarasvati Civilization. 10. Bharat,
Hurrian, Mitanni. 11. Harappan spoked wheel. Index. End notes.

Vol. VI: Language: 1. Lingua Franca. 2. Linguistic area of Bharat,
circa 5500 years before present. 3. IE homeland. 4. Language and
archaeology. 5. Desi_, bha_s.a_: substrate. 6. Silver ingot with
Hittite (?) hieroglyphs. 7. Rim (karn.aka, kan-) of a jar, kan,
'copper'. 8. Svastika, endless-knot and other glyphs. 9. On Siddham
and other symbols used in Bharatiya inscriptions. 10. Tiger, three
ligatured tigers, tiger looking back. 11. Human-faced markhor and
other glyphs. 12. Orthography of the one-horned bull (ibex, urus) and
the standard device. 13. List of possessions: copper ingot merchant,
metal furnace. 14. Squirrel and glyphs on weapons. 15. Dholavira sign
board. 16. Inscribed weapons. 17. Glyphs on Gundestrup Cauldron and
parallels with Sarasvati hieroglyphs. 18. Sarasvati Civilization.
Index. End notes.

Vol. VII: Epigraphs: 1. Sarasvati hieroglyphs: Mlecchita Vikalpa. 2.
Method to decode sets or categories of inscribed objects. 3.
Hieroglyph sign list (after Mahadevan). 4. Discovery sites. 5. Writing
system: structure, form and function. 6. Speculations on the functions
of the script. 7. Mlecchita Vikalpa: minerals, metals and furnaces. 8.
Tools-of-trade and property possessions of artisans depicted in
epigraphs. 9. Bastion, kottala, trough. 10. Smithy, pasra. 11.
Mineral, stone. 12. Tin, Pewter. 13. Iron, ib. 14. Bronze. 15. Alloy:
brass and bell-metal or bharan. 16. Metal ingot, trade. 17. Gold,
mint. 18. An alloy of five metals. 19. Erka, era, 'copper'. 20.
Duplicated and paired glyphs. 21. Person (woman) seated on a tree
branch, a spy, eraka. 22. Portable stove of a goldsmith, ban:gala. 23.
Fire-pit, furnace, kulme. 24. Smith, karma_ra. 25. Copper work. 26.
Smelting furnace, bat.i. 27. Smelting furnace, kut.hi. 28. Goldsmith's
tool, saw. 29. Standard device. 30. Dotted circles. 31. Rosetta
stones. 32. Dotted circles and standard. 33. Double-axe. 34. Glyph
ligatures. 35. Fish and lizard. 36. Standing person glyph. 37. Tree
glyphs. 38. Fish glyph. 39. Sarasvati Civilization. Index. End notes.

From the foreword: "This septet constitutes a fitting homage to
Babasaheb (Uma_ka_nt kes'av) Apte, particularly in the wake of the
centenary celebrations planned for 2003 in memory of this patriot who
wanted a presentation of the history of Bha_rata from a Bha_rati_ya
socio-cultural perspective.

"The dream of the late Padmashri Vakankar, archaeologist is also
partly fulfilled with the delineation of the peoples' lives over 5,000
years on the banks of the Rivers Sarasvati and Sindhu.

"The Sarasvati Nadi Shodh Prakalp which is headed by Dr. Kalyanaraman
under the guidance of Shri Haribhau Vaze, All-India Organizing
Secretary, Akhila Bharateeya Itihaasa Sankalana Yojana should be
complimented for bringing to successful completion this important
phase of writing of the history of ancient Bha-rata.

"The River Sarasvati has not only been established as ground-truth
(bhu_mi satyam), but the vibrant civilization which was nurtured on
the banks of this river has been exquisitely unraveled in the five
volumes, covering virtually all aspects of the lives of the pitr.-s,
many of whose a_s'rama-s are venerated even today in many parts of
Bha_rata.

"The seven volumes provide a framework for understanding the writing
system evolved ca. 5,300 years ago to record the possessions and items
traded by metal- and fire- workers, the bharata-s. The language spoken
by the people is also becoming clearer, with the existence of a
linguistic area on the banks of the two rivers - the substrata and ad-
strata lexemes which seem to match the glyphs of inscribed objects are
a testimony to this discovery. This calls for a paradigm shift in the
study of languages of Bha_rata with particular reference to the
essential semantic unity of all the language families, thanks to
intense socio-economic and cultural interactions across the length and
breadth of Bha_rata.

"Hopefully, this work should generate many more research studies of
this kind to further study the impact of the civilization on the
cultural unity of the nation."

https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no34694.htm

Dr. Jai Maharaj
Jul 4 2009, 8:44 pm

From: ***@mantra.com and/or www.mantra.com/jai (Dr. Jai Maharaj)
Date: Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:44:47 GMT
Local: Sat, Jul 4 2009 8:44 pm

Subject: WITZEL, HARVARD PROFESSOR LAUNCHES ANTI-HINDU CRUSADE

Forwarded message from S. Kalyanaraman
Saturday, July 4, 2009

Witzel, Harvard professor launches anti-Hindu Crusade
Dr. Srinivasan Kalyanaraman

Quiz #1:

"Hindus in the USA are lost or abandoned people!"

"NRI stands for Non-Returning Indians!"

"Indians in the USA do not invest in the higher education of their
children!"

Who in the USA do you think would have made derogatory statements to
this effect?

A. A Ku Klux Klansman
B. A Bible thumping fundamentalist from Alabama
C. A Xenophobe who is paranoid about immigrants settling in the USA
D. A Harvard Sanskrit professor

Correct answer: D.

I am sure none of you scored right on this. So, read on and get
informed.

Harvard professor disparages Hindus

Recently, in a Communist-leaning political list better known for its
uncritical beliefs in myths like Aryan Invasion and its negation of
historical facts, Harvard professor Michael Witzel made some
startling claims about Hindu immigrants to the USA. One of his
acolytes invented the acronym HINA for Hindus in North America.
Witzel disingenuously and infamously transliterated it as "hiina"and
translated it as "lost" or "abandoned." This Sanskrit word has many
other derogatory meanings such as "inferior," "insecure," "lowly" and
"defective."

It caught my attention that Witzel had described Hindus using the
very same phrase -- "lost people" -- which a rabid Christian
fundamentalist and anti-Semite had used to describe the Jews a few
years ago.

Rev. Bailey Smith, then-president of the Southern Baptists, had
infamously declared:

"God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew" and added, "without
Jesus Christ, they [the Jews] are lost." [1]

One does not know whether, or to what extant, Witzel shares Smith's
fanatical and bigoted beliefs. But Witzel was instrumental in urging
activism against the Hindu initiative, as a result of which his
cosignatory urged a Hindu-bashing Christian fundamentalist to
mobilize a show of strength against the Hindus of California, as we
will see later. Witzel also makes fun of the Hindu custom of
cremating their dead:

"[Hindus immigrants to the USA] have begun -- as an old, very
conservative US Brahmin friend pointed out to me already in 1994—
building crematoria as well." [2]

Witzel also makes fun of Hindu Gods, rituals and second generation
American Hindus:

"Second generation [Hindu] people just understand [Hinduism] as
"boaring rituals" (puja, etc.), temple visits and Indian
(mythological) comic books ... All such items add to the heady brew
that we have seen emerging here..." [3]

Considering that our Harvard professor has specifically enclosed the
words "boaring rituals" within quotes, one cannot but assume that it
was intended to make fun of the Hindu God Vishnu, who incarnated as a
boar.

Background

Some of the proposed textbooks for grade six of the State of
California portrayed Hinduism in the most derogatory manner. A
textbook described Goddess Kali as "bloodthirsty" and, while talking
about the Ramayana and Lord Hanuman, asked the students to look
around and see if there was a monkey in the classroom. Another
textbook claimed that Hinduism taught that women were inferior. Yet
another textbook repeated the long discredited racist theory, which
contrasted the supposedly tall, blond and blue-eyed invading Aryans
with the supposedly curly-haired, snub-nosed native Dravidians.

Naturally, Hindus in California were offended by this offensive
treatment of their religion and culture. So, they worked with the
State Board of Education, understood the procedures and submitted a
list of proposed changes with due explanation. Perhaps, Max Muller,
the 19 th century German racist and Christian fundamentalist, who had
stated very clearly that Hindus as a race are inferior to the Whites
but superior to the Blacks, [4]would not have countenanced such
audacious gestures from erstwhile colonial slaves seeking parity with
other religionists according to rules. A section of Eurocentric
academics that faithfully propagate Muller's racist theory and
chronology of Indian history too did not tolerate such a gesture from
the Hindus.

'Rev.' Witzel launches anti-Hindu Crusade

Witzel and some of his cosignatories admitted that they knew nothing
about the nature of the changes proposed . But, in the same breath,
they concluded that this is an unacceptable Hindutva initiative,
which must be opposed tooth and nail. On Sunday, November 06, 2005
9:46 AM Steve Farmer [a cosignatory and originator of Witzel et al's

protest petition] wrote:

"There is little time to research and respond to exactly what is
happening in California, since we only learned about organized
Hindutva challenges to California history textbooks yesterday. ...
The final School Board meeting on this will apparently occur in
Sacramento (the state capital) in three days. Even given the short
time, a collective response of some nature by internationally known
S. Asianists is certainly in order. At a minimum, the Board should be
made aware in some way of the religious and political nature of the
attacks, be provided with a quick overview of similar attacks on
textbooks in S. Asia in the last decade, and be given notice of the
opposition of the vast majority of S. Asian researchers to such
changes. Given the short time frame, the response may have to be
largely symbolic, but a letter endorsed by a dozen or more
internationally known S. Asianists from every continent might still
have some effect."[5]

Witzel, on behalf of another 46 signatories, petitioned the State
Board of Education [SBE] against the proposed changes [the nature of
which he and his cosignatories were unaware]. He launched an ad
hominem and slanderous attack on the Hindus who had proposed the
changes.

The petition, like Lallu Prasad's election campaign, provided a
"balanced" mix of ignorance, slander and comic relief. Jonathan Mark
Kenoyer, whose parents were Christian missionaries in Asia, was one
of the signatories on the petition. He is also the author of the
proposed textbook from the Oxford University Press. California Hindus
had reviewed the OUP textbook and suggested changes in a meeting with
OUP officials. The OUP officials informed in writing that Kenoyer
agreed with the suggestions. Should one then suspect the inclusion of
Kenoyer's name in the petition or was Kenoyer filled with the Holy
Spirit and began speaking in tongues [The New Testament, Acts 19:6]?

Sometime back, in a review of Edwin Bryant's 2001 book, The Quest for
the Origins of Vedic Culture -- the Indo-Aryan Migration Debate,

Witzel wrote:

"[Bryant's book is] A balanced description and evaluation of the two
century old debate dealing with the origins of the Indo-Aryan
speaking peoples of South Asia. [Bryant] presents both sides of the
issue, that is the traditional western, linguistic and philological
consensus of immigration from Central Asia, and the more recent
Indian position that denies any immigration and that asserts an
indigenous South Asian origin."

Now, the same Witzel calls it Hindu Nationalistic propagandawhen
California Hindus say the same! Perhaps, he is filled with the Holy
Spirit and speaking in tongues!

The SBE of California capitulates

In 1850 CE, when the Harvard Medical School admitted three black men
and a white woman, racists protested against the move. The school
capitulated. [6] Just like those racists offered no substantive
arguments for throwing out the blacks and the woman, this time too,
the infamous petitioners offered no substantive reason for
campaigning against the changes suggested by Hindus. Still, the SBE
capitulated. One wonders if the SBE wanted to emulate the Harvard of
1850 CE.

The SBE went a step further. It appointed two of the signatories --
Michael Witzel and Stanley Wolpert -- and James Heitzman, who
protested at the venue repeating Witzel's ad hominem attack to review
the suggested changes. Is not appointing a petitioner to review
suggested changes tantamount to conflict of interest?

On the other hand, the SBE is not known to have acted on a letter
signed by over 30 distinguished experts that included world's
foremost archeologists who have been working on the IVC and its
script for decades. These signatories cited many references showing
why Aryan Invasion is merely an unsubstantiated myth.

The above said letter was sent on November 21, 2005. The SBE, for
reasons unknown, did not accord it the same respect it accorded
Witzel's defamatory petition.

Crusaders form an axis of protestors

Witzel made it clear that he was a political activist. On November
26, 2005 17:26, he wrote his fellow petitioners:

"There will be a meeting with California Dept. of Education [...]
Please note that on Dec. 1/2 a higher body than last time, the
Curriculum Commission, is scheduled to take up this issue in the
morning on December 2 (note all times are tentative—if they move
through the agenda faster than expected, things will happen earlier).

This is not a public hearing. But all that means is that there is no
official published time for the public to speak before the
commissioners take action . Nonetheless, each meeting has a time for
"public comment" and people will be allowed to come up and speak.
(Thus, we have to be present).

If they follow the order of the published agenda, public comment
comes after the actual vote. They will only hear Tom Adam's (CA Dept.
of Education) report on the earlier (Hindutva-inspired) and our
(Wolpert, Heitzman, Witzel) findings.

But if they see the huge Hindutva crowd expected and decide to let
them speak first, it is possible votes will be swayed back the other
way simply because no political person likes to say no, in public, to
an unhappy minority group seeking redress of grievances.

It also appears that in the afternoon of December 1, the day before
the vote, the History-Social Science subcommittee will hear reports
about recent events in the adoption of the text books. This should
not involve any discussion of the "Hindu" issue. But the Hindu groups
might show up for that discussion too. Public comment is allowed and
it will give them a chance to speak to some of the commissioners
before the vote the next day.

SO PLEASE TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION: Alert your friends in California
to attend!" [7]

How appropriate is it for a reviewer on contract with the SBE who is
expected to be neutral, to indulge in political activism, falsely
label California Hindus as of a political persuasion and seek
unethical mobilization of support? How appropriate is it for the SBE
to hire such politicized academics to review school textbooks?

In any case, Lars Martin Fosse, a cosignatory on the petition and a
collaborator of Witzel, wrote John Dayal and Amarjit Singh, citing
Witzel's letter:

"It would probably be an advantage if Dalits were present and could
demonstrate that the Hindutvavadins do not speak for all Indians. I
have been reluctant to announce this on the Dalit lists because we
don't know if they are infiltrated, we therefore turn to you for
advice and help. Is there a way to (discretely) mobilize Dalits in
California and elsewhere in this matter? Could you get some support
from Afro-American organizations here?We don't want to create the
impression that only a few outsiders are against the Hindutva version
of history." [8]

Please note that Fosse uses the word "WE," clearly indicating that he
is writing on behalf of a group while seeking mobilization of
protestors. The only group one could think of in this situation is
the list of cosignatories on the petition whom Witzel had addressed
in his email. So, who are these people -- John Dayal and Amarjit
Singh -- whom Fosse writes? P.N. Benjamin, a distinguished Christian
scholar and the coordinator of Bangalore Initiative for Religious
Dialogue [BIRD], says of John Dayal:

"[John Dayal] opens his mouth and wields his pen only to spew venom
on the Hindu community." [9]

Benjamin then goes on to expose the kind of lies that the likes of
Dayal perpetrate when they invent stories of Hindu rape of Christian
nuns and propagate those abroad with the sole intent of discrediting
the Hindus. John Dayal is also infamous for ardently supporting Benny
Hinn, who defrauds the poorest illiterates in the Third World by
promising them "miracle healing." [10]

According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal [SATP], Amarjit Singh is
closely associated with the banned terror organization International
Sikh Youth Federation [ISYF]. [11] Many countries such as the USA
[12] and the UK [13] have designated ISYF as a terrorist
organization. Singh also heads the Khalistan Affairs Centre [KAC]. I
am not implying that KAC is connected with Khalistani terrorism as I
have no means to judge that but it is a well-known fact that
Khalistani terrorists have massacred 21,000 innocent civilian Hindus
and Sikhs, and have committed untold crimes such as rape of countless
Sikh women. [14] A US State department notification states:

"Sikh terrorism is sponsored by expatriate and Indian Sikh groups who
want to carve out an independent Sikh state called Khalistan (Land of
the Pure) from Indian territory." [15]

Khalistani terrorists were also tried for the bombing of the Air
India civilian aircraft"Kanishka" in 1985, killing hundreds of
innocent passengers. [16] Amarjit Singh is an advocate of Khalistan
ideology.

There is no indication that Witzel or any other signatory on the
petition condemned Fosse [himself a signatory] for unethically
mobilizing political support and that too, by instigating highly
controversial persons. It is beyond my comprehension how an academic
could join hands with a rabid Christian fundamentalist and a
proponent of the lethal Khalistan ideology. What kind of academics
would sign the petition but remain silent and not condemn unethically
seeking support from such controversial individuals?

Quiz #2:

"The miraculously undecayed body of Saint Francis Xavier is still on
public view in a glass coffin at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa."

Who in the USA do you think would have made a statement to this
effect?

A. A pre-school child visiting Goa for the first time
B. A Bible thumping Catholic Christian fundamentalist
C. A Creation scientist
D. A U C Davis history professor

Correct answer: D.

I am sure you got this too wrong. So, read on and get informed.

An SBE appointed reviewer advertises Christian miracles

James Heitzman, professor of history at U C Davis, is one of the
three reviewers appointed by the SBE. It does not seem as if he
accepts that mummified bodies do not decay. [17] He is wonderstruck
that it is a miracle that the mummified body of the infamous St.
Francis Xavier, who sought the terrible Inquisition of Goa, [18]
which persecuted Hindus, Indian Orthodox Christians, Jews and Muslims
in the most vicious manner, should be preserved for five centuries.
Someone needs to direct our distinguished professor to any museum of
natural history, where Egyptian mummies are preserved. Of course, one
cannot guarantee that Heitzman will return scientifically informed.
He may see the hand of miracle in their preservation too!

It seems as if Heitzman strongly believes that history should be
supplanted with false propaganda if it suits the proselytizing
efforts of the Christian Church. He writes:

"Christianity, represented by almost all denominations, traces its
history in India back to the time of the apostles and counted 19.6
million members in India in 1991." [19]

Numerous scholars have refuted this dangerous fiction, which falsely
painted the Brahmin ethnic minority as Thomas-killers, and resulted
in their demonization and persecution, just as the false myth of the
Jews as Jesus-killers resulted in their historic persecution. The
Vatican itself has declared that this is an unverified claim.
Numerous distinguished academics such as E.J. Rapson, Sylvain Levi,
K.S. Latourette, Fr. H.Heras etc, to name a few, have refuted that
St. Thomas ever came to India. [20] It seems as if Heitzman prefers
dangerous Christian fiction to facts.

Heitzman believes in revelations

Heitzman unquestioningly accepts revelations. He writes:

"Muhammad received visions in which the Archangel Gabriel revealed
the word of God to him . After 620 he publicly preached the message
of these visions, stressing the oneness of God (Allah), denouncing
the polytheism of his fellow Arabs, and calling for moral uplift of
the population." [21]

Since Heitzman is mesmerized by revelations, he is unimpressed by the
inquiries into the truth, a common feature of Hindu philosophy, which
he dismisses as speculations. He writes:

"Some of the later hymns of the Rig Veda contain speculations that
form the basis for much of Indian religious and philosophical
thought." [22]

Heitzman, while discussing Hindu festivals, calls Hindus cross-
dressers:

"Major Hindu events include Ramanavami, the birthday of Ram in the
month of Chaitra (March-April), and Holi, celebrated at the end of
the month of Phalguna (February-March), when people engage in cross-
dressing, play tricks on each other, and squirt colored water or
powder on each other." [23]

How can the SBE nominate an academic, who believes in miracles and
fits history to suit Christian propaganda, to review contents
relating to Hinduism in school textbooks, especially when he is also
a signatory on Witzel's petition? Does the SBE agree with Heitzman's
uncharitable remarks on Hinduism and Hindus?

Quiz #3:

"The most important invasion in all of India's history, since the
Aryans brought with their Caucasian genes [is Aryan invasion]."

Who in the USA do you think would have made a statement to this
effect?

A. A Ku Klux Klansman
B. A eugenics advocate
C. A White Supremacist
D. A U C Los Angeles history professor

Correct answer: D.

I am sure you got this too wrong, unless you have by now learnt that
only Western historians can make such statements. Anyway, read on.

Wolpert celebrates the Caucasian gene

While discussing Aryan invasion theory [AIT], Stanley Wolpert, a UCLA

historian writes:

"This was the most important invasion in all of India's history,
since the Aryans brought with their Caucasian genes a new language --
Sanskrit -- and a new pantheon of gods…"[24]

It seems that to our UCLA professor the importance of an invasion
depends on whether it involved the inflow of Caucasian genes! Hey,
what is next? The most important invasion in all of Americas' history
is the 16 th century invasion of Europeans because it brought in
Caucasian genes? Thank god, African Americans, who do not possess
Caucasian genes, did not invade Americas!

I could not but think of the 18th century racist Benjamin Rush's
writings on "Lovely White"skin contrasted with the Black skin as I
read Wolpert wax eloquent on the importance of coming in of the
Caucasian genes. Benjamin Rush, a medical doctor, attributed Black
skin to leprosy and advocated "curing" African-Americans by bleeding
and purging. [25]

Not to be outdone by Heitzman, Wolpert also repeats the dangerous
Christian propaganda of the imagined visit of St. Thomas to India. He
writes:

"A small but influential group of Syrian Christians in Kerala persist
in claiming that their sect was founded by St. Thomas, who may have
sailed to Malabar in the first century and who was supposedly
martyred at Mylapore , a suburb of modern Madras, in A.D. 68. The
tiny Jewish community of Cochin also claims to have been founded in
the first century, but no clear historical evidence of such early
Jewish settlement in Malabar has as yet been discovered." [26]

The reference of Mylapore is to the mythical killing of St. Thomas by
a peaceful and scholarly ethnic minority of Tamil Brahmins. A
rational person might be at a loss to understand how St. Thomas, who
did not even visit India, could have been killed there. But, Wolpert
has no compunctions in repeating this perniciously false propaganda,
which, since the Portuguese colonial period, has resulted in the most
terrible persecution of Brahmins. Is anything acceptable if it helps
demonize Hindus and help perpetuate Christianity?

Why is the SBE nominating such a biased academic, who is also a
signatory on Witzel's petition, to review contents relating to
Hinduism?

Conclusion

1. I have shown that the SBE capitulated to political pressure
by nominating a trio of academics who have indulged in the most
despicable form of political activism, disparaged Hinduism or
collaborated with controversial elements.

2. The SBE did not accord any respect to the scholars who
supported the Hindu initiative by presenting solid references.

3. One of these academics has also expressed his admiration for
Christian miracles, while another has propagated falsified [over 80
years ago!] Christian propaganda.

4. Is it not a clear violation of guidelines, and law, to
subject Hinduism and Hindus to such treatment? Does the SBE want
Hindu children of California to be indoctrinated in false propaganda?

5. It is heartening to note that the Commission constituted by
the SBE dismissed virtually all demands made by this trio -- Witzel,
Wolpert and Heitzman -- with the contempt they deserved. According to
a report of December 4, 2005 by the HPI, Heitzman unsuccessfully
pleaded to replace Aryan Invasion Theory [AIT] with Aryan Migration
Theory [AMT]. But Commissioner Metzenberg, a biologist, objected on
scientific grounds. He said:

"I've read the DNA research and there was no Aryan migration. I
believe the hard evidence of DNA more than I believe historians."

It was finally agreed to say, "Some historians believe in the
theory of an Aryan migration."

This shows how false theories motivated by racist politics never
stand scientific scrutiny. Of course, there is no justification even
in retaining AMT, which is merely a belief, and not supported by
facts. Hindus must meet the SBE to ensure that theories which are not
scientifically substantiated be removed altogether.

6. Heitzman, apparently frustrated that his advocacies failed
the test of scientific evidence, said to the Commission:

"I advise you to err on the side of conservatism and be very careful
about adopting any of these changes."

Commissioner Metzenberg replied pointedly:

"On the contrary, to err on the side of conservatism, we should use
the Hindu suggestions. After all, it's their religion."


7. Metzenberg also felt a comment by Witzel's panel on one edit
was "insensitive."The edit was to fix the incorrect statement that
the Ramayana was written later than the Mahabharata. Witzel's group
wrote condescendingly:

"Who in Sixth Grade cares which epic was 'written' first?"

Metzenberg observed that "it obviously matters to Hindus."

8. Hindus must also make it very clear to the SBE that no
academic that is known to be inimical to Hinduism or known to have
distorted facts to fit pet beliefs be not allowed to have any say in
the process of reviewing and amending textbooks. As such, the trio of
reviewers was admitted into the process without justification. I have
presented solid evidence that they indulged in political activism
contrary to the spirit of their contract with the SBE. Hindus must
demand that the SBE should terminate their contract right away.

9. Hindus must demand that the SBE does not entertain any of
the signatories of Witzel's petition in the textbook review and
adoption process as I have already demonstrated that they are biased
and politically motivated.

10. Witzel has ridiculed the most sacred of the Hindu mantras or

sacred chants. He writes:

"Many short mantras (the later biija mantras) like oM have humble
origins the Veda. Him (hiM) is used in the Veda to call your goat ..
and your wife." [27]

Steve Farmer's [who initiated the petition] and also signed on
Witzel's petition declared, in pathetic attempt at humor, that he
would try this mantra on his girlfriend. [28] Hindus must demand that
academics with a history of disparaging Hinduism cannot influence
what goes into textbooks meant for children.

11. Finally, only academics and experts on religion with a non-
controversial record should be nominated to influence the process of
textbook adoption. Academics that are accused of having used
unethical means of scholarship should not be used for this purpose.

Prof. B.B. Lal, the world's foremost archeologist and expert on Indus
Valley Civilization, in his most recent publication,The Homeland of
the Aryans -- Evidence of Rigvedic Flora and Fauna & Archaeology, pp.
85-89 (New Delhi, 2005) writes that Dr. Witzel unethically and
willfully assigned two opposite meanings to two occurrences of the
same Sanskrit word to artificially make the verse support Aryan
migration into India, whereas the verse actually makes it very clear
that Aryans migrated in two branches, one to the West and another to
the East, from northwestern India.

It was a very sad day for Sanskrit scholarship in general, and
Harvard in particular when one of its academics was accused of and
disgraced for willfully and unethically mistranslating a verse. When
the error was pointed to him in the past, Witzel conveniently blamed
it on the editor of the relevant publication concerned, despite the
fact that the same mistranslation has been printed by him in many
other publications of his.

12. Even in the petition he sent the SBE, Witzel claims that one of
the signatories, S. Palaniappan as: "S. Palaniappan, PhD, Indology,
Texas." It must be pointed out that Palaniappan, who works for the
Minute Maid Company in Texas, is not an Indologist by any stretch of
that word. Certainly, he is not a Ph.D. in Indology as Witzel
misleads in his petition. Palaniappan received his doctorate in
engineering. Should one then infer that Palaniappan is a 'made in a
minute' instant Indologist? Did Witzel use Heitzman's miracle to
transform engineer Palaniappan into an Indologist?

Dr. Srinivasan Kalyanaraman, a former Sr. Exec. of Asian Development
Bank, is a Hindu. His two grandchildren, US citizens, study in US
schools. His email id is ***@gmail.com

[1] http://www.religioustolerance.org/jud_chrr.htm

[2] Vide message number 2300 at Yahoo groups Indo-Eurasian_research

[3] In the above message

[4] Muller, M.: History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, page 294.
Also see, a paper presented by Arvind Kumar at the SBE
hearing:

http://jitnasa.india-forum.com/Docs/ProAryanInvasionTheoryargumentspr...

[5] Vide message number 2225 Yahoo groups Indo-Eurasian_research

[6] Takaki, R.T.: Iron Cages -- Race and Culture in 19th Century
America, p. 137

[7] This email was posted vide message number 8893 at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bahujan/message/8893

[8] Cited from the abovementioned email

[9] Benjamin, P.N .: When Intolerance Begets Loss Of Reason.
Available at http://www.hvk.org/articles/0905/43.html

[10] http://www.rickross.com/reference/hinn/hinn32.html

[11] http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/kpsgill/security/04Feb21Pio.htm

[12] http://www.state.gov/www/global/terrorism/1999report/appb.html
andhttp://japan.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20040430-33.html

[13] http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/terrorism...

[14] Bruce Hoffman "Holy Terror": The Implications Of Terrorism
Motivated By A Religious Imperative RAND Paper P-7834, 1993

http://www.nwcitizen.com/publicgood/reports/holywar3.htm#endn39

cf. Komerath, N:

http://www.geocities.com/charcha_2000/essays/Lashkar-e-Pinocchio.html...

[15] http://www.state.gov/www/global/terrorism/1999report/appb.html

[16] http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/punjab/backgroun...

[17] Heitzman, J. and Worden, R.L.: A Country Study: India, Chapter 3
-- Religious Life by James Heitzman (section: Other Minority
Religions -- Christianity), Library of Congress Call Number DS407.
cf. a paper presented by Arvind Kumar at the SBE hearing:

http://jitnasa.india-forum.com/Docs/ProAryanInvasionTheoryargumentspr...

[18] Priolkar, A.K.: The Terrible Tribunal for the East -- The Goa
Inquisition. In a letter dated May 16, 2005, St. Xavier writing D.
Joao III, king of Portugal, demanded Inquisition against the Jews and
Muslims of Goa. Even though the wise king turned down the demand,
ultimately, due to intense pressure from the Catholic Church, the
most terrible Inquisition would be unleashed, first on the Jews of
India, then the Muslims and finally, in a most oppressive manner, on
the Hindus.

[19] Heitzman, J. and Worden, R.L.: A Country Study: India, Chapter 3
-- Religious Life, Library of Congress Call Number DS407 .I4465 1996,

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/intoc.html

cf. a paper presented by Arvind Kumar at the SBE hearing:

http://jitnasa.india-forum.com/Docs/ProAryanInvasionTheoryargumentspr...

[20] For an excellent discussion, see Sharan, I.:The Myth of Saint
Thomas and the Mylapore Shiva Temple, p. 73

[21] Heitzman, J. and Worden, R.L.: A Country Study: India, Chapter 3
-- Religious Life by James Heitzman (section: Islam -- Origins and
Tenets), Library of Congress Call Number DS407 .I4465 1996,

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/intoc.html

cf. a paper presented by Arvind Kumar at the SBE hearing:

http://jitnasa.india-forum.com/Docs/ProAryanInvasionTheoryargumentspr...

[22] Heitzman, J. and Worden, R.L.: A Country Study: India, Chapter 3
-- Religious Life by James Heitzman (section: The Roots of Indian
Religion -- The Vedas and Polytheism), Library of Congress Call
Number DS407 .I4465 1996,

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/intoc.html

cf. a paper presented by Arvind Kumar at the SBE hearing:

http://jitnasa.india-forum.com/Docs/ProAryanInvasionTheoryargumentspr...

[23] Heitzman, J. and Worden, R.L.: A Country Study: India, Chapter 3
-- Religious Life by James Heitzman (section: The Ceremonies of
Hinduism -- Public Worship -- Festivals), Library of Congress Call
Number DS407 .I4465 1996,

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/intoc.html

cf. a paper presented by Arvind Kumar at the SBE hearing:

http://jitnasa.india-forum.com/Docs/ProAryanInvasionTheoryargumentspr...

[24] Wolpert, S.: A New History of India, Fifth Edition, page 27 cf.
a paper presented by Arvind Kumar at the SBE hearing:

http://jitnasa.india-forum.com/Docs/ProAryanInvasionTheoryargumentspr...

[25] Takaki, R.T .: Iron Cages -- Race and Culture in 19th Century
America, pp. 28-32
[26] Wolpert, S.: A New History of India, Fifth Edition, page 84.
[27] Vide message number 2133 at Yahoo groups Indo-Eurasian_research
[28] Vide message number 2164 at Yahoo groups Indo-Eurasian_research

A REFRESHER -- DOWN "MEMORY LANE"!
http://tinyurl.com/c3f4b

http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian/msg/41fb7e5f908af736?

http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian/browse_thread/thread/3ad4924dd284570e/58802713d74b0c6b#58802713d74b0c6b

http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian/search?q=S.+Kalyanaraman+&start=0&

http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian/search?group=soc.culture.indian&q=S.+Kalyanaraman+Sid+Harth&qt_g=Search+this+group

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/19684779/lalumanagementguru

http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_z_misc_navagraha/mangala108.itx

http://www.hindubooks.org/history/sarasvati/sarasvati_1.html

http://newstodaynet.com/printer.php?id=18010

Horseplay in Harappa: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/f9b738e079fef9fb/29e89ff9c3ac525d
Troubled Tribal: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/e728acc31e0d52d7#
Indian Morality Meltdown: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/ec479835613abd41#
Hindus'Tantrum: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/8a1efe054a3bf157#
I Write, Therefore I am: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/4cb1ce65c9d8f4c5#
Indian Morality Meltdown: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/37334fb34fbe6d7c#
Sex and CD Scandal: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/3f5e2a3be4798e7d#
Not Required Indian, NRI: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/672c3ae8cc9b567c#
Why 'Marathi'?
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/4be9d2a2e20ab43f#
Telangana Tempest: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/b7da74ebd932a5fa#
Of States and Statesmanship: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/73c89074ecfe9966#
Sa for Sanskrit Pop: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/9f6d369c7793990f#
Black Money Monster: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/109aa8a66442ca6d#
Superpower Syndrome: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/85f8a222fd275c15#
Indian Power-Pow-Wow, Wow!: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/54cba427083f4e4f#
26/11 Saga Continues: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/20d42cd9546b852b#
Superpower Syndrome: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/008ed3e81dbcd9cc#
Of Justice and Injustice: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/dc3ba7935f641e60#
Sangh Parivar Pageant: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/a91a817395e54639#
Stop this terroristic activities of Shiv Sena
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/93908482518b9228#
BJP RIP: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/20def0d930fc511f#
Superpower Syndrome: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/b6aa5a8a1b675046#
Sangh Parivar Pageant: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/9c4ff65e38c4b924#
Sudharma, Sanskrit Newspaper: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/51f22c78acbc72b1#
Hindu Worldview: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/c8a515cc34f18a5a#
Shimla Shenanigans: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/64bddaf4fb04bac5#

...and I am Sid Harth

[chhotemianinshallah]

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[Sid Harth]

Once Uma approaches us, BJP will take stand: Gadkari

Kolkata, April 1
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari Thursday ducked a
question on the return of Uma Bharti into the party, saying the
leadership will spell out its stand on the issue after she approached
it.

"We will finalise our stand when she tells me or some other leader,"
Gadkari said at a media meet here.

However, he was categorical that so far the leadership has not
initiated any dialogue with the firebrand Hindutva leader about her
return.

Uma Bharti last week resigned as president of the Bharatiya Jan Shakti
(BJS), a party she floated four years ago following her expulsion from
the BJP.

She was a senior leader of the BJP and a central minister who had
openly revolted against L.K. Advani in 2004, triggering her temporary
expulsion and a show cause notice.

Her expulsion was revoked later, but in 2005 she was sacked again when
she opposed the appointment of Shivraj Singh Chauhan as the chief
minister of Madhya Pradesh.

In 2006, Uma Bharti floated the BJS, saying she would revive the Hindu
movement in India. However, she received a severe drubbing in the
assembly election from her home turf in Madhya Pradesh's Tikamgarh
constituency.

Last updated on Apr 1st, 2010 at 20:55 pm IST--IANS

http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a125478.html

.Once Uma approaches us, BJP will take stand: Gadkari

Kolkata, April 1
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari Thursday ducked a
question on the return of Uma Bharti into the party, saying the
leadership will spell out its stand on the issue after she approached
it.

"We will finalise our stand when she tells me or some other leader,"
Gadkari said at a media meet here.

However, he was categorical that so far the leadership has not
initiated any dialogue with the firebrand Hindutva leader about her
return.

Uma Bharti last week resigned as president of the Bharatiya Jan Shakti
(BJS), a party she floated four years ago following her expulsion from
the BJP.

She was a senior leader of the BJP and a central minister who had
openly revolted against L.K. Advani in 2004, triggering her temporary
expulsion and a show cause notice.

Her expulsion was revoked later, but in 2005 she was sacked again when
she opposed the appointment of Shivraj Singh Chauhan as the chief
minister of Madhya Pradesh.

In 2006, Uma Bharti floated the BJS, saying she would revive the Hindu
movement in India. However, she received a severe drubbing in the
assembly election from her home turf in Madhya Pradesh's Tikamgarh
constituency.

Last updated on Apr 1st, 2010 at 20:55 pm IST--IANS

Possibly related news:

•BJP has not forgotten Ram temple: Gadkari (April 1)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a125455.html
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http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a125475.html

BJP has not forgotten Ram temple: Gadkari

Kolkata, April 1
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Nitin Gadkari Thursday
said his party has not "forgotten" the Ayodhya Ram temple issue.

Addressing the media here, Gadkari said: "Just because the (party)
president has changed, it does not imply that the policy has also
changed."

Gadkari was replying to a query as to whether the party has forgotten
the temple in Ayodhya as it was only talking about economic policies
and issues like price rise.

Last updated on Apr 1st, 2010 at 20:02 pm IST

http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a125455.html

Gadkari flays Congress for 'blacklisting' Amitabh

Kolkata, April 1
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari Thursday
criticised the Congress for "blacklisting" Bollywood superstar Amitabh
Bachchan.

"Amitabh is a great actor of our country. He has enhanced India's
reputation worldwide. Just because madam (Sonia Gandhi) and
'rajkumar' (Rahul Gandhi) do not like him, Bachchan is being
blacklisted. This is shameful for Indian democracy," Gadkari said,
referring to the Congress criticism of the actor's presence at the
opening of the Bandra-Worli sealink.

"Is this the tolerance Jawaharlal Nehru preached? Is Amitabh a Dawood
Ibrahim?" Gadkari said.

Gadkari's reacted differently when asked about the resignation of the
vice chancellor of the Devi Ahilya University in Indore for inviting
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi to a programme.

"These two incidents should not be compared. University is meant for
education. Politicians should not be invited there.

"Yesterday, they invited Rahul. Tomorrow they will invite me and
education will suffer," he said.

Last updated on Apr 1st, 2010 at 20:40 pm IST--IANS

http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a125475.html

Indians on death row in UAE: Badal seeks PM's help

Chandigarh, April 1
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Thursday sought help from
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regarding 17 Indian youth, including 16
from Punjab, sentenced to death by a court in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) on charges of murdering a Pakistani national.

In a letter to the prime minister Thursday, Badal urged him to
intervene immediately with the UAE government to ensure justice for
the youth.

Badal pointed that 17 people had been convicted for a single murder
and it looked out of place.

"Therefore, we have to be more cautious to see that there was no
miscarriage of justice," Badal said.

The chief minister also requested the prime minister to advise the
external affairs ministry to provide necessary legal aid to the youth.

Badal pointed out that labourers and skilled workers from Punjab had
worked day and night during last 25 years for infrastructure
development in the UAE and other Middle East countries.

He said that all these Punjabi youth were the sole breadwinners of
their respective families and most of them had mortgaged their small
land-holdings to arrange for their visa and visit to the UAE.

Last updated on Apr 1st, 2010 at 22:43 pm IST--IANS

http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a125498.html

One killed in shootout in Delhi

New Delhi, April 1
One person was killed in a shootout between two groups in Delhi,
police said Thursday.

“The shootout took place in the early hours of Wednesday in Bhajanpura
area in north-east Delhi. The deceased has been identified as Ajay,
who also had a criminal background,” a police officer told media
persons Thursday evening.

“Ajay was rushed to the G.T.B. Hospital where he was declared brought
dead,” the officer said.

“Five live cartridges have been recovered from the spot,” added the
officer.

Ajay was recently released from jail, and lived in Seelampur area.

“He was a member of a gang led by Lallu Pehlwan. The deceased had
committed several crimes in Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh as well,”
added the officer.

But the police officials did not say how the shootout began, adding
further details were being investigated.

Last updated on Apr 1st, 2010 at 22:32 pm IST--IANS

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•Youth gets killed trying to save mother (March 30)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a124993.html
•Robbers loot cash, jewellery from house in east Delhi (March 22)
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•Part-time Bollywood actor held for murders in Delhi (March 24)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a123529.html

http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a125495.html

Six Pakistani LeT terrorists killed in Kashmir (Third Lead)

Jammu, April 1
The Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir police Thursday achieved a
major success, killing six Pakistani terrorists belonging to the
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in a four-hour long gun battle in Rajouri
district of the state.

The army had to use its paratroopers to neutralise the terrorists,
hiding in forests of Baghla in in Kalakote area of the district, 200
km north of Jammu.

A police spokesman said that the gunfight broke out around 1 p.m.
after the militants, asked to surrender, opened fire on the security
forces.

"The terrorists also lobbed grenades at the security personnel. The
fire was returned," he said.

Rajouri Senior Superintendent of Police Shafkat Watali told IANS over
phone that the killing of six terrorists is a "big success for the
security forces and a big blow to the LeT".

The six terrorists are suspected to be part of a group of infiltrators
that had crossed over to India early this week.

This was the second gun battle with the militants in Kalakote area in
the past three days. Four terrorists and three soldiers were killed
Wednesday after an 18-hour gun battle, which started Tuesday evening
in Kandi area in the forests of Rajouri.

Last updated on Apr 1st, 2010 at 22:43 pm IST--IANS

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http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a125408.html
•One militant killed in Jammu and Kashmir gunbattle (April 1)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a125393.html
•12 militants killed Jammu and Kashmir (March 27)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a124262.html
•Four LeT militants killed in Kashmir (March 27)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a124251.html

http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a125499.html

Kanu Sanyal, soldier of Naxalbari, dead -- old foes mourn (Lead)

Siliguri (West Bengal), March 23
Kanu Sanyal, who spearheaded the Naxalbari uprising in 1967 giving
birth to a Maoist movement that now threatens the Indian state, was
Tuesday found hanging in his humble home here. He was 78, an ailing
bachelor and a virtual pauper.

One of the founding members of the Left extremist movement in India,
no one could say why Sanyal killed himself. But police officers
maintained it was suicide.

His thatched home is located in the Siliguri sub-division of
Darjeeling district, where Sanyal and a select few made history over
four decades ago when they launched a violent peasant uprising in
Naxalbari village.

After endorsement of the bloody tactics by Mao's Communists, Naxalbari
became a household word in India and beyond, unleashing a violent
movement that continues to haunt the country.

Guided by Charu Mazumdar, a maverick who gave ideological shape to
that peasant movement, Sanyal helped found the Communist Party of
India-Marxist Leninist (CPI-ML), whose adherants came to be dubbed
Naxalites.

The CPI-ML, which quickly won recognition from Beijing, was born after
a crippling split in the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). It
unleashed violence across the length and breadth of India that left
many thousands -- Maoists, security personnel and civilians -- dead.

By the time the Indian state cracked down hard on the CPI-ML and its
general secretary Mazumdar died in Kolkata's Presidency Jail in July
1972, Sanyal was a broken man.

Although he distanced himself from Mazumdar's advocacy of annihilation
of "class enemies", Sanyal remained wedded to Maoist ideology - but
minus its gory past.

A graduate from Siliguri's A.C. College, Sanyal suffered repeated
imprisonment before he decided, in the 1980s, to reorganise the
scattered Indian Maoists.

The experiment was a failure although by now he was ready to take part
in the "bourgeois democracy" he had once denounced. However candidates
he put up lost badly in the hills of West Bengal.

All that disappointed him. Over the years, he not only suffered from
poor health but he was disgusted with the violent tactics of the
present lot of Indian Maoists, who incidentally consider Mazumdar as
their god.

Although an iconic figure in and around the village of Naxalbari, he
led a spartan life, keeping mostly to himself.

When the police entered his home Tuesday, they found few possessions
-- apart from his books, clothes and utensils and some framed black
and white photographs of leaders from the Communist pantheon.

In one of his last interviews, Sanyal said: "I was popular once. I
have lost my popularity. I am unwell. That is the reason I cannot
organise the masses any more."

Azizul Haq, one of his contemporaries from the Naxalbari era, shed
tears in Kolkata as he paid an emotive homage to his former comrade.

"Sanyal will be remembered as one of the best leaders of the Naxalite
movement," Haq told IANS. "Although he was ailing, he never took
treatment from any government hospital. His argument was he could not
approach the state when he was fighting it."

It was in the undivided Communist Party of India (CPI) that Sanyal
began his political career decades ago before switching over to the
breakaway CPI-M in 1964. Once he joined CPI-ML, the Naxalite leader
denounced both the CPI and CPI-M as revisionists.

But on Tuesday, his former ideological foes hailed him.

"He was a very popular leader in the early days of Naxalbari," CPI's
S. Sudhakar Reddy told IANS. "Although we disagree with his Maoist
ideology, he contributed greatly to the communist movement."

CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechury said Sanyal's death was "very
unfortunate" and added that the Naxal leader had been critical of the
line adopted by the present Maoist guerrillas.

"After Nandigram and Lalgarh (in West Bengal), Sanyal had been saying
that the line adopted by Maoists do not conform to the revolutionary
understanding adopted when the Naxalite movement started," Yechury
added.

Possibly related news:

•Naxalite leader Kanu Sanyal dead, suicide suspected (March 23)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a123269.html
•CPI, CPI-M condole death of Kanu Sanyal (March 23)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a123389.html
•Goa MP wants ban on Sanatan Sanstha (March 19)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a122552.html
•Jailed legislator ready to mediate with Maoists (March 9)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a120171.html
•Congress wants minister sacked for Maoist links (March 11)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a120669.html

http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a123389.html

CPI, CPI-M condole death of Kanu Sanyal

New Delhi, March 23
The Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India-
Marxist (CPI-M) Tuesday condoled the death of Naxalite leader Kanu
Sanyal, who once violently opposed both parties.

Although they disagreed with their ideology for years, both the CPI
and CPI-M said that Sanyal contributed to the growth of the communist
movement in the country.

"He was a very popular leader in the early days of the Naxalbari
movement," CPI deputy general secretary S. Sudhakar Reddy told IANS.

"Although we disagree with his ideology of armed struggle, he had
contributed greatly to the communist movement."

Reddy said Sanyal had differences with the present Maoist movement,
led by the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist.

Sanyal was Tuesday found hanging at his house Siliguri in West Bengal.
He was 78. According to police, Sanyal had committed suicide.

He was one of the protagonists of the 1967 peasant uprising in
Naxalbari village that gave birth to the Maoist movement in India.

CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechury said Sanyal's death was "very
unfortunate" and added that the Naxal leader had been critical of the
line adopted by the present Maoist guerrillas.

"After Nandigram and Lalgarh (in West Bengal), Sanyal had been saying
that the line adopted by Maoists do not conform to the revolutionary
understanding adopted when the Naxalite movement started," Yechury
added.

Last updated on Mar 23rd, 2010 at 18:35 pm IST--IANS

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http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a120978.html
•BJP slams US for 'flip-flop' over Headley access (March 23)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a123371.html

http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a123352.html

Maoists abduct five Jharkhand officials, free all (Second Lead)

Ranchi, March 20
Maoist rebels abducted five government officials, including an
additional district magistrate, at gun point from Latehar district in
Jharkhand Saturday noon, but released them a few hours later, police
said.

Latehar Superintendent of Police Kuldip Dewadi said more than five
armed Communist Party of India-Maoist rebels abducted the five
officials, including ADM Shrawan Soya, at gun point.

Others abducted were PWD officer H. Bhengra, assistant engineer Adish
Sayru Ram, dairy officer Vinod Sinha and driver Kiran Singh from
Bandhua village under Manika block of Lather district, the police
official said.

However, the rebels freed the men after five hours.

"The Maoists were afraid of the vigorous anti-Naxal (Maoist) offensive
launched by the police, and released all the abducted officials after
five hours," Dewadi said later.

The prompt action of the police forced the rebels to release all the
abducted men, he said.

The rebels Saturday also released four other workers, including junior
engineer Ranjeet Kumar, in Simdega district whom they had kidnapped
Thursday night. More than 15 Maoist rebels from the 'Hill Panther'
group abducted the four men working for the Ram Rekha Dam and looted
35 mobile phones, Rs.2 lakh in cash and one gun from the site, said a
police official.

Anti-Maoist operations are going on in five places in Jharkhand - West
Singhbhum, East Singhbhum, Bokaro, Hazaribagh and Seraikela districts.

“An inter-state operation has been launched against the extremists
simultaneously in seven-eight districts of Jharkhand and West Bengal,”
Neyaz Ahmad, Jharkhand director general of police, told reporters.

The operations are on mainly in the bordering districts of Jharkhand.
The West Bengal police are mounting vigil along the border to check
Maoist infiltration.

In Jharkhand, out of the 24 districts, Maoist rebels are active in 21.
About 1,900 people, including 350 security personnel, have been killed
in Maoist-related violence in the past few years.

Last updated on Mar 20th, 2010 at 18:17 pm IST--IANS

Custom Search Control
Web
.Maoists abduct five Jharkhand officials, free all (Second Lead)

Ranchi, March 20
Maoist rebels abducted five government officials, including an
additional district magistrate, at gun point from Latehar district in
Jharkhand Saturday noon, but released them a few hours later, police
said.

Latehar Superintendent of Police Kuldip Dewadi said more than five
armed Communist Party of India-Maoist rebels abducted the five
officials, including ADM Shrawan Soya, at gun point.

Others abducted were PWD officer H. Bhengra, assistant engineer Adish
Sayru Ram, dairy officer Vinod Sinha and driver Kiran Singh from
Bandhua village under Manika block of Lather district, the police
official said.

However, the rebels freed the men after five hours.

"The Maoists were afraid of the vigorous anti-Naxal (Maoist) offensive
launched by the police, and released all the abducted officials after
five hours," Dewadi said later.

The prompt action of the police forced the rebels to release all the
abducted men, he said.

The rebels Saturday also released four other workers, including junior
engineer Ranjeet Kumar, in Simdega district whom they had kidnapped
Thursday night. More than 15 Maoist rebels from the 'Hill Panther'
group abducted the four men working for the Ram Rekha Dam and looted
35 mobile phones, Rs.2 lakh in cash and one gun from the site, said a
police official.

Anti-Maoist operations are going on in five places in Jharkhand - West
Singhbhum, East Singhbhum, Bokaro, Hazaribagh and Seraikela districts.

“An inter-state operation has been launched against the extremists
simultaneously in seven-eight districts of Jharkhand and West Bengal,”
Neyaz Ahmad, Jharkhand director general of police, told reporters.

The operations are on mainly in the bordering districts of Jharkhand.
The West Bengal police are mounting vigil along the border to check
Maoist infiltration.

In Jharkhand, out of the 24 districts, Maoist rebels are active in 21.
About 1,900 people, including 350 security personnel, have been killed
in Maoist-related violence in the past few years.

Last updated on Mar 20th, 2010 at 18:17 pm IST--IANS

Possibly related news:

•Maoists abduct five officials in Jharkhand (March 20)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a122679.html
•Maoists kidnap five officials in Jharkhand, release all (March 20)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a122690.html
•Maoists kill Congress leader in Jharkhand (March 31)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a125037.html
•Jharkhand, West Bengal launch major hunt for Maoists (March 11)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a120663.html
•Major hunt for Maoists in Jharkhand, West Bengal (March 11)
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a120714.html

http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a122723.html

Gafoor to head Maharashtra's anti-corruption bureau

Mumbai, Feb, 26
Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Hasan Gafoor, who served as city
police chief during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, was Friday
appointed director general of the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

Gafoor is at present the managing director of the Maharashtra State
Housing & Welfare Corporation. He will be succeeded in that post by
P.P. Shrivastava, who has been promoted to the rank of DGP.

The post of ACB chief was laying vacant after A.N. Roy was appointed
the state police chief.

Another senior officer, Sanjeev Dayal, will be the new DGP (Special
Operations) - a crucial post which was lying vacant since Jan 1 after
Jayant Umranikar retired. In the post, Dayal will oversee the working
of three critical units - the state Intelligence Department, Anti-
Terrorism Squad and Anti-Naxal Operations.

Gafoor was shunted out as DGP (Housing), after the 26/11 attacks. The
Pradhan-Balachandran Vommittee which enquired into the various aspects
of the terror attacks, indicted him, saying Gafoor failed to provide
"visible and overt leadership". However, the state government did not
accept this.

A few days before the first anniversary of the terror attacks last
year, Gafoor, in an interview to a newsweekly, blamed four city police
officials for not responding to the call of duty.

The comments kicked up a major controversy, prompting the state
government to seek an explanation from him.

Last updated on Feb 26th, 2010 at 21:05 pm IST--IANS

http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a118004.html

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Friday, April 02, 2010
BJP asks Indian govt to seek Headley’s extradition

* Party spokesman says US wants to protect ISI by resisting
interrogation of the terror suspect in India

NEW DELHI: The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday asked the
Indian government to formally seek the extradition of terror suspect
David Headley from the US.

The opposition party demanded the government to follow the extradition
treaty and the mutual legal assistance treaty it has with US to bring
Headley to India. “He must be tried in India for the massacre of so
many innocent people and be given the death penalty. India must never
miss this historic opportunity to establish once for all that Pakistan
indeed is the epicentre of international terror,” BJP chief spokesman
Ravi Shankar Prasad told a press conference. He asserted that the
bargain plea agreement between Headley and the US prosecutors was not
binding on India at all. Prasad said India should also implement two
UN resolutions-1373 and 1267, under which every country was obliged to
support the other country in the investigation and trial of terror
related offences.

Protecting ISI: Commenting on why the US was resisting Headley’s
extradition and interrogation by Indian officials, Prasad suspected
that the US might want to protect the ISI, as its involvement in
terror attacks on Indian soil would be exposed and said the Americans
should be reminded that the war against terrorism was being fought by
the whole world and not by a single country. The BJP spokesman
regretted that the judgement of the Mumbai attacks case, which would
be announced on May 3, would only punish Ajmal Kasab, Fahim Ansari and
Salahuddin Ahmad, without nabbing the main planners and financiers of
the attacks who were based in Pakistan. “Even the prosecution did not
dispute that the three who were tried for the Mumbai attacks,
including Kasab were only secondary players,” he said. Prasad said
that the trial of Kasab and others had highlighted the role of
Pakistan-based Laskhar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) in the Mumbai attacks but
expressed optimism that Islamabad would prosecute LeT chief Hafiz
Saeed and others despite the fact that India provided evidence against
them in a dozen dossiers, which were handed over to Pakistan. “The
reason is obvious. Many of the key conspirators behind the Mumbai
terror attacks have been the blue-eyed boys of the ISI and any fair
trial would expose the real face of the intelligence agency,” he
said.

Prasad said India must not lose any opportunity to get him back into
India, subject him to custodial interrogation, expose the entire
conspiracy including the fact that there is no difference between
state and non-state actors in Pakistan. The BJP spokesman said much of
the planning, conspiracy and logistical coordination was done by David
Headley before the terror attacks in Mumbai but saved himself from the
death penalty by entering into a plea bargain agreement in a Chicago
court. iftikhar gilani

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010%5C04%5C02%5Cstory_2-4-2010_pg7_38

Saturday, March 27, 2010 Praful Bidwai Is the Bharatiya Janata Party
obsessed with proving itself the sectarian, confrontationist oddball
of Indian politics? Last fortnight's developments suggest so. Take the
shenanigans of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. A Special
Investigation Team appointed by the Supreme Court to probe the 2002
Gujarat pogrom summoned him to question him about his role in the
killings. Many questions had been raised about his role by former
Gujarat Director General of Police RB Sreekumar, countless victims,
independent inquiries, and sting-operation disclosures by...

http://article.wn.com/view/2010/03/27/BJP_new_composition_same_stand/?template=cheetah-photographers%2Findex.txt


NEW DELHI, April 2, 2010 CBI must file appeal in Lalu assets case: BJP
Neena Vyas
Share · print · T+ With the Supreme Court on Thursday
rejecting the Bihar government's right to appeal against the acquittal
of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad in the disproportionate
assets case, the Bharatiya Janata Party demanded that the Central
Bureau of Investigation file an appeal.

Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “We do not want to
comment on the Supreme Court. However, we do feel that the trial
court's judgment of acquittal in the case was most vulnerable in law
and the CBI must appeal against it.”

He said the CBI had, in fact, wanted to appeal against the trial court
verdict, but “some legal advisers in Delhi” were against the appeal,
and, therefore, no appeal was filed.

It was only because the CBI did not appeal against the acquittal
verdict that the Bihar government decided to appeal in the Patna High
Court. The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the State government
did not have the right to appeal.

The Apex Court's ruling comes just months ahead of crucial Assembly
polls in Bihar. The BJP fears that the ruling coalition in the State,
of which it is a part along with the Janata Dal (United), will not be
able to exploit the assets case politically during the election.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article365029.ece


NEW DELHI, April 2, 2010 Vested interest in U.S. will scuttle access
to Headley: BJP
Special Correspondent
Share · print · T+ The United States' commitment to fight
terrorism globally is being tested, as also India's strategic
partnership with America, on the issue of David Coleman Headley's
extradition to India and his custodial interrogation by Indian
agencies, the Bharatiya Janata Party said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad's charge against the U.S. was that
the case of Headley, who pleaded guilty of being part of the 26/11
terror plot, gave the impression that America was “soft” on terror
when India was the target.

Referring to some reports that Headley might have been a double agent,
Mr. Prasad said that possibly vested interests in the U.S.
establishment did not want his role to be fully exposed. However, for
India and the world, it was crucial that the role of Lashkar-e-Taiba
operatives in Pakistan and the involvement of the Inter Services
Intelligence and Pakistan's Army in the Mumbai attack plot was
exposed.

Headley's was a “copybook case for extradition,” Mr. Prasad said. The
extradition agreement between the U.S. and India apart, two United
Nations resolutions (1373 and 1267) obligated every country to support
others in the investigation and trial of terror suspects.

The BJP demanded that the government take immediate steps to secure
Headley's extradition and ensure that he faced trial in India for the
death of 166 innocent victims of the 26/11 attacks. It would be in the
interest of the global fight against terrorism to expose the Lahore
and Karachi angle of the conspiracy.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article365039.ece


NEW DELHI, April 2, 2010 Child rights panel to monitor RTE
implementation
Aarti Dhar
Share · print · T+ The National Commission for Protection of
Child Rights (NCPCR) has been mandated to monitor the implementation
of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

A special division within the panel will undertake this task in the
coming months and a special toll-free helpline to register complaints
will be set up.

The NCPCR has invited all civil society groups, students, teachers,
administrators, artists, government officials, legislators and members
of the judiciary apart from all other stakeholders to join hands and
work together to build a movement to ensure that every child of this
country is in school and gets at least 8 years of quality education.

The Right to Education Act, 2009 — that became effective from Thursday
— makes elementary education a fundamental right under Article 21 (A)
of the Constitution. Every child in the age group of 6-14 will be
provided elementary education in the age-appropriate classroom in the
vicinity of his/her neighbourhood. Any cost that prevents a child from
accessing school will be borne by the State which shall have the
responsibility of enrolling the child as well as ensuring attendance
and completion of eight years of schooling. No child will be denied
admission for want of documents, no child will be turned away if the
admission cycle in the school is over and no child will be asked to
take an admission test.

Into the mainstream
Children with disabilities will also be educated in the mainstream
schools. Further, all private schools shall be required to enrol
children from weaker sections and disadvantaged communities in their
incoming class to the extent of 25 per cent of their enrolment, by
simple random selection. No seats in this quota will be left vacant.
These children will be treated on a par with all other children in the
school and subsidised by the State at the rate of average per learner
costs in the government schools.

All schools will have to follow norms and standards laid out in the
Act and all private schools will have to apply for recognition,
failing which they will be penalised to the tune of Rs. 1 lakh and if
they still continue to function, they will be liable to pay Rs. 10,000
per day as fine.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article365043.ece


KAITHAL, April 2, 2010 Villages still in trauma after ‘honour-killing'
verdict
Vrinda Sharma
Share · Comment · print · T+
A FATHER'S PAIN: Har Krishan, whose son Ved Pal was killed for
marrying a girl from a neighbouring village. Photo: Vrinda Sharma
Related
TOPICS
India

Haryana

Two days after five people were given the capital punishment by a
court for the so-called honour-killing of a young couple here in
Haryana, the family members of the victims are more tense than they
are relieved. “The verdict has done justice to my son's death, but it
has not changed the way the village works,” says Chandrapati Berwal
who fought the legal battle.

She is the mother of Manoj, who along with Babli was murdered three
years ago by Babli's relatives on the orders of a ‘khap panchayat' for
having married within the same gotra. But Tuesday's landmark verdict
seems to have made little difference to the minds of the votaries of
the system of ‘khap panchayats', which are caste-based.

“The panchayat only intended to bring about a moral balance and
inculcate honour in youngsters, although its method was perhaps a bit
too harsh,” said a resident of the village, who refused to reveal his
name. Asked about the verdict, he said: “The panchayat killed two
persons and the court will kill five. At the end of it all the village
has lost seven lives. I don't see justice in any of the verdicts.”

“The villagers, who have boycotted us socially and financially, will
not change their mindset. The verdict has given a milder form of
punishment to the actual instigator, sarpanch Ganaga Raj,” said Ms.
Chandrapati. She alleged that panchayats could get away with giving
such harsh orders and executing them only owing to political backing
and the inefficiency of the police. For the last three years one
police constable has been guarding her doors, but since the verdict on
Tuesday the police presence around her house in Kerora village has
increased.

“Earlier there was one man, now there are two jeeps. But I and my
daughter are as unsafe as we ever were. The police could do nothing
when a few goons went after my son and his wife. What will the police
do if all of them barge into my house at once?”

A tense calm prevails in the dusty village. Nobody will publicly
discuss the matter, and except in Ms. Chandrapati's house none dares
to talk about it even indoors. Village sarpanch Karambeer Singh
refused even to come out of his house. The street where Babli once
lived wears a pall of gloom. The women in Babli's maternal house sit
with stony expressions and refuse to identify themselves or talk to
anyone, especially mediapersons, who are often seen as the villains
who exaggerated the issue.

“They tried to hide their sin from us, and then they tried to
threaten, boycott and even bribe us so that we keep quiet. My son will
not return but they will bear the pain of their wrongs so that such
inhuman decisions are never taken by anyone,” she said.

A few kilometres from Ms. Chandrapati's village, in Matour village,
Hari Krishan cries with his son's photographs in his hands. His hope
is that a similar judgment would come in his case as well: his 23-year-
old son was lynched by a crowd for marrying a girl from the
neighbouring village. Ved Pal and his wife Sonia's marriage was
accepted by both the families as they were of the same caste although
the gotras differed. But later the ‘khap panchayat' instigated Sonia's
family to forcibly marry the 17-year-old to a 50-year-old man and
later kill Ved Pal.

“My son was killed by a mob because a panchayat felt that marrying a
girl from the neighbouring village was ‘incest'. And I was expected to
make peace with this explanation? After this verdict I feel that
unlike the politicians and the police, the law is not going to be
unjust to us. But the sarpanch [Ganga Raj] should have been given the
death penalty as he was the root cause of the trouble,” said Mr. Hari
Krishan.

Mr. Hari Krishan, who has cancer, said he too was approached by the
sarpanch of Sonia village for a compromise. “They offered me Rs.25
lakh. They think a father can forgive his son's murderer just because
he is poor. I will fight this case till the last drop of blood.”

This father then cried out aloud, and asked: “Because of the khap so
many families have lost their breadwinners. Why didn't they let them
live? What honour comes from giving widows and orphans to homes that
were otherwise happy?”

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article364946.ece


Ahmedabad, April 1, 2010 Order against summoning Modi not final:
Nanavati
Manas Dasgupta
Share · print · T+
AP Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi gestures during a function in
Gandhinagar on March 28, 2010. The Nanavati panel has told the Gujarat
High Court that the option to summon Mr. Modi in connection with post-
Godhra riots is still open. Related
NEWS
SIT completes Modi interrogation

Fully satisfied with questioning of Narendra Modi, says SIT chief

Modi says he recalled the events eights years back
SIT acting on Zakia Jaffrey's petition raising questions of state
complicity

TOPICS
India

Gujarat


crime, law and justice

inquiry


unrest, conflicts and war

riots

The G.T. Nanavati-Akshay Mehta judicial inquiry commission probing the
Godhra train carnage and the post-Godhra communal riots in 2002 told
the Gujarat High Court on Thursday that its September 18, 2009 order
rejecting the plea of the Jansangharsh Manch to summon Chief Minister
Narendra Modi for cross-examination was “not a final order.”

A letter written by the commission secretary was submitted to the High
Court by Advocate-General Kamal Trivedi. The court had not opened the
sealed cover and ordered that it be kept in the records until further
orders. But, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S.J.
Mukhopadhyaya and Justice Akil Kureshi told the Manch's counsel that
the commission had not taken a “final” decision on not summoning Mr.
Modi. The next hearing on the Manch petition seeking a direction to
the commission to summon the Chief Minister was posted for June 17.

The commission's letter was in response to the March 22 court
directive seeking a clarification on its stand on the Manch plea for
summoning Mr. Modi.

Manch petition

Manch advocate Mukul Sinha had filed the petition following the
commission's September 2009 order in which it had ignored its plea to
summon Mr. Modi but had asked only three of his personal secretaries
to submit details of mobile phone calls during the 2002 communal
riots.

Besides Mr Modi, the Manch, in its application to the commission on
August 31, 2007, also demanded summoning of the then Minister of State
for Home Gordhan Jhadaphia, the then Health Minister and presently
Speaker Ashok Bhatt, and the then Deputy Commissioner of Police in
charge of the affected areas R.J. Savani, among others.

The commission rejected the plea saying it did not find the demand for
cross-examining Mr. Modi and others justified, following which the
Manch filed the petition in the High Court. A single judge Bench had
earlier rejected the Manch petition.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article360551.ece


Gandhinagar, March 28, 2010 Modi says he recalled the events eights
years back
PTI
Share · print · T+ When the mediapersons pointed out that he
had been in the dock for the last 8 years over the riots, Mr. Modi
shotback with a smile, "You have still kept me in the dock."

Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who was questioned in two marathon
sessions by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT in a Gujarat riots case,
has said he recalled to the extent possible the sequence of events
that had taken place eight years ago.

Claiming that his quizzing, the first since the communal violence of
2002, has concluded, he declined to go into the details of his
questioning, saying that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has to
submit its report to the apex court.

“I have been told by SIT that your work is over”, 59-year-old Mr. Modi
said at 0100 hours on Sunday emerging from the second round of his
questioning at the SIT office at the old secretariat building.

Mr. Modi claimed he had answered all questions put by the SIT and that
he had recalled to the extent possible the sequence of events that had
taken place eight years ago.

The Chief Minister said his statement was recorded by the SIT
investigators after which he signed it.

Asked what sort of questions he was asked, Mr. Modi said, “I cannot
share that with you because the SIT has to submit its report to the
Supreme Court.”

Though there was no official word on the questioning, Mr. Modi is said
to have replied to 62 of the 68 questions put to him in the five-hour-
long first session that had begun at noon on Saturday.

Mr. Modi returned to the SIT office at 9 pm and faced a second round
of questioning for four hours as he was keen that the entire exercise
be completed in one day.

The BJP leader is facing allegations of omission and commission with
regard to the mob attack on a housing society in which a former
Congress MP Ehsan Jafri and 68 others were killed. He was questioned
by a team of officers headed by A K Malhotra, a former CBI DIG.

When pointed out that he had been in the dock for the last eight years
over the riots, a smiling Mr. Modi said, “You have still kept me in
the dock.”

“Vistaar se batcheet ki (we spoke in detail),” he said, adding, “Under
the Indian Constitution, the law is supreme. As a common man, CM, I am
bound by the Indian Constitution and the law. No one can be above the
law.”

SIT chairman R. K. Raghavan was not present in his office when Mr.
Modi appeared in the first session in response to the panel’s summons.

“This was the first time in eight years that someone wanted to speak
to me on the issue and I attended that”, Mr. Modi said.

Taking a dig at his critics, he said, “God give good sense to those
who said I have not spoken for eight years.

“I hope that today’s happening will give good sense to those who are
keen to spread misinformation and those who spread lies”, the Chief
Minister said.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article318173.ece


NEW DELHI, March 28, 2010 Modi is law-abiding: BJP
Neena Vyas
Share · Comment · print · T+ Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi's declaration that he was committed to the Constitution
of India and the rule of law was on Saturday held up by the Bharatiya
Janata Party as a shining example for all.

“Mr. Modi has always declared he will abide by the law. He has high
regard for the Special Investigation Team appointed by the Supreme
Court and on Saturday he appeared before it. He answered questions put
to him by the SIT and what he said is now between him and the SIT,”
BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told The Hindu over
telephone from Patna.

He said it was true the party had reservations about “certain
activists” who have revelled in “Modi-baiting” and were silent about
victims of terror attacks and naxal violence. “Is it that those
victims do not need justice,” Mr. Prasad asked.

Mr. Modi's first round of questioning by the SIT lasted five hours
ending at around 5.30 p.m.

Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman, who held up Mr. Modi as an
honourable law-abiding man, lashed out at the media for wrongly
reporting that he had been summoned by the SIT to appear before it on
March 21 when the truth was that he had been asked to accept a
mutually acceptable date in the week starting March 21. It was then
agreed that he would appear before the SIT on March 27 and he did.

She said the media was holding a trial of its own and was assuming
guilt when there was none. “He had only gone to assist the SIT and
cooperate with it,” she said. “The BJP respects the SIT and other
institutions and we work within the framework of law,” she said.

However, she did admit that the SIT was set up because the Supreme
Court was not satisfied by the manner in which the cases flowing from
the 2002 riots were being handled by the Gujarat police and the
Gujarat courts.

At some levels in the party, questions have begun to be asked whether
the BJP would treat Mr. Modi differently from how it has treated other
leaders. It was recalled that Madan Lal Khurana was forced to resign
as the Delhi Chief Minister as soon as his name figured in the
‘hawala' scandal although there was no formal charge sheet. Uma
Bharati was forced to resign as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister after an
old case related to hoisting of the national flag in Karnataka came
up. The question that is being asked is whether Mr. Modi will be asked
by the party to put in his papers if an FIR were to be filed against
him.

Ms. Sitharaman on Saturday found fault with a reported statement by
the Law Minister advising Mr. Modi to cooperate with the SIT. “Such
advice is unacceptable,” she said.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article317800.ece


NEW DELHI, March 28, 2010 SIT acting on Zakia Jaffrey's petition
raising questions of state complicity
Special Correspondent
Share · Comment · print · T+ The Special Investigation
Team, which interrogated Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on
Saturday, is acting on a petition filed by Zakia Jaffrey and the
Citizens for Justice and Peace. That petition alleged the involvement
of Mr. Modi and 61 other senior politicians, police officers and
bureaucrats from the State in the mass killing of Muslims in Gujarat
following the Godhra incident of February 27, 2002.

Among the questions the petition raised were:

— Why were there no minutes of the meeting which Mr. Modi held with
senior officers for a review of the situation arising out of the
Godhra train burning incident?

— There are some State intelligence reports of a Vishwa Hindu Parishad
meeting held at 4 p.m. at Ahmedabad on February 27, 2002. Who attended
this meting? Were any elected members of the Gujarat legislature and
the State Cabinet present?

— Why were the bodies of the victims of the Godhra train carnage
brought to Ahmedabad, and why were they paraded in streets? Who took
that decision? Did senior police officials or the DGP report to the
Chief Minister or higher officers in writing about the likely
repercussions of parading the bodies?

— Why was no preventive action taken when a bandh call had already
been given by VHP?

— Why was the Army not called out immediately and why was there a
delay in the deployment of the Army when it reached Ahmedabad?

— Why was there a delay in the declaration of curfew in Ahmedabad on
February 28, 2002 when curfew in other cities was declared
immediately?

— Despite rules for this, why was there no arrangement for videography
of the violence by mobs in all districts of the State?

— Why were more Muslims killed in police firing during riots when it
is well known that Muslims were the target of the mob violence?

— Why was the response to distress calls from prominent Muslims like
Ehsan Jafri delayed?

— Why was there no monitoring of the instructions of senior officials,
including Chief Secretary, officials of the Home Department and the
DGP?

— Why was there no action against officials who failed to register
FIRs and why was there no adequate response to the complaints of riot
victims?

— Why was no action taken against supervisory officers, from district
superintendents of police to the level of police commissioners and
DGP, who violated the Gujarat Police Manual by not properly
supervising the investigations of serious riot-related crimes and
thereby committing culpable omission and grave misconduct?

— Why was no action taken on the supervisory officers whose negligent
supervision of the Bilkis Bano and Best Bakery mass massacre cases led
to those trials being transferred by the Supreme Court to Maharashtra?

— Why has there been no further investigation of the depositions of
IPS officer Rahul Sharma before the Nanavati Commission, to reveal the
location of BJP leaders and senior officers of police during the
riots?

— Many calls were made to Modi, his Cabinet Ministers, the then
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner, P.C. Pandey, and the then DGP, K.
Chakravarti, during the riots. Their phone records must be examined to
unearth the facts.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article317971.ece

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Sonia-Rahul not anti-Bachchan: Amar Singh
IANS, Apr 1, 2010, 04.56pm IST

Amitabh BachchanThe Congress' attacks on mega star Amitabh Bachchan
over being brand ambassador of Gujarat have not been at the behest of
party president Sonia Gandhi or her MP son Rahul Gandhi, expelled
Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh said Thursday.

"Personally, I have full faith that this whole act (the Congress'
statements) could not have been done at the level of Sonia Gandhi and
Rahul Gandhi," Amar Singh, a close friend of Bachchan, said in the
latest post on his blog. Amar Singh said he had interacted many times
with the top leadership of the Congress on political issues but had
not found any streak of vindictiveness in them.

The Congress had asked Bachchan to clarify whether he, as brand
ambassador for Gujarat, endorsed the 2002 riots in the state even as
Chief Minister Narendra Modi himself is being questioned in the matter
by a Supreme Court appointed investigation team.

But referring to the Gandhi family, Singh said: "The family, whose
daughter is sensitive to the killer of her father, the family which
has piety even for those who had committed this detestable act, their
heart cannot be so harsh to the family of Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan
and Teji Bachchan, leave Amitabh."

He said proof of this was that Bachchan's daughter-in-law Aishwarya
Rai got the Padma Shri award during the United Progressive Alliance
(UPA) government's rule and Bachchan was given the best actor award.
He said some of his associates feel the "unnecessary propaganda" has
been started by a person "who wanted me to make anti-Congress remarks
in my love for Bachchan".

While Singh has openly criticised Bachchan's wife Jaya Bachchan for
staying put in the Samajwadi Party, he defended the mega star over his
acceptance of Modi's offer to be brand ambassador of Gujarat. Singh
said: "Leave Modi to the Supreme Court and the Bachchan family to its
art and culture." Recounting that he and Bachchan shared the dais at
Pune Tuesday, Singh also took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party's
(BJP) "sudden love" for the actor. Singh added BJP leader L.K. Advani
and the late Pramod Mahajan had rejected Bachchan's plea to take steps
to prevent disruption of the world beauty pageant in Bangalore in
1996. "Today, BJP has suddenly realised the actor in Amitabh.
Whichever the party, honour and dishonour of an artist should have
permanence and should not be based on political self-interest," he
said.

Asserting that there was a vast difference between the "communal
politics" of Modi and promoting tourism in Gujarat, Singh said film
director "Yash Chopra and actor Shah Rukh Khan had made films on BJP
leader and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and they
continued to be close to parties opposed to the BJP as well". He said
actor Salman Khan too has canvassed for his friends both in the BJP
and the Congress.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Sonia-Rahul-not-anti-Bachchan-Amar-Singh-/articleshow/5751214.cms

ABVP calls for Bihar bandh

News Desk - March 31, 2010 PATLIPUTRA —

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the state-wide
bandh called by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthy Parishad (ABVP) tomorrow to
protest against police lathicharge on its activists at the secretariat
police station on March 29.
State police headquarters sources said all the police stations have
been put on a maximum alert and patrolling was intensified to ensure
normal movement of trains and vehicular traffic.

Police personnel would be posted at the universities and colleges, the
sources said.

ABVP General Secretary Amritanshu said the VHP and Bajrang Dal
extended their support for tomorrow’s shutdown.

He said the strike has also been called to protest against Nitish
Kumar government’s move to set up a unit of the Aligarh Muslim
University at Kishanganj in Bihar.

- AGENCIES

6 Responses to “ABVP calls for Bihar bandh”

i do understand the apprehension of A.B.V.P but having said that i
also believe that empowerment of MUSLIMS should be given utmost
priority otherwise the community would remain laggard for years to
come. The AMU at kisanganj should spearhead a revolution in the
empowerment of Muslims and bring it closer to the mainstream INDIA.

NISHANT KUMAR April 1st, 2010 4:52 pm

I think setting up AMU central university branch is good move.

Sandip April 1st, 2010 3:03 pm

thanks guys for ur voice against abvp…that’s completely true that they
never initiated their step to bring central university in bihar and
now when somebody needs their appreciation they r protesting..shame on
abvp…
i don’t think anybody of them has truly been a vidyarthi,just dirty
politician..baba come out of politics and go earn ur livelihood,u r no
more needed in the politics of bihar..
i appeal to biharis to come together against this kind of unwanted
strike,pls let bihar grow with its current speed….

ghazanfar April 1st, 2010 12:46 pm

I condemn the protest of AVBP. They are doing it for cheap popularity.
I appriciate the police lathi charge on AVBP activist.

JAI BIHAR!
Acha Bihari Banye

Raman Gopal April 1st, 2010 9:42 am

BJP or ABVP doesn’nt set-up any university or college in Bihar . Now
when AMU is being set-up they are creating ruckus and theories to
oppose the educatinal development in bihar.
Creating educational institues will mobilise Biharis youth on the
right path of education . nitihs kumar should open more instituion in
Bihar , Muslim colleges, Christian college, Buddhist coleges , jain
colleges all is welcome to start in Bihar .
Jai bihar !! All is well !! Jai Buddha !!

BJP Goes cheap April 1st, 2010 4:55 am

Hey what happened to thakrey’s support. That will be really great .
ABVP should have requested Bjp for that.

Where was abvp when no central university was in Bihar, just to make
some noise…. Good work abvp…. No wonder bjp is going down

Krishna April 1st, 2010 2:47 am

http://jaibihar.com/abvp-calls-for-bihar-bandh-tomorrow/201018633.html

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Ruckus-over-cow-meat--BJP-MLAs-suspended--marshalled-out-of-House/598432/

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Horseplay in Harappa: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/f9b738e079fef9fb/29e89ff9c3ac525d
Troubled Tribal: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/e728acc31e0d52d7#
Indian Morality Meltdown: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/ec479835613abd41#
Hindus'Tantrum: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/8a1efe054a3bf157#
I Write, Therefore I am: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/4cb1ce65c9d8f4c5#
Indian Morality Meltdown: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/37334fb34fbe6d7c#
Sex and CD Scandal: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/3f5e2a3be4798e7d#
Not Required Indian, NRI: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/672c3ae8cc9b567c#
Why 'Marathi'?
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/4be9d2a2e20ab43f#
Telangana Tempest: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/b7da74ebd932a5fa#
Of States and Statesmanship: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/73c89074ecfe9966#
Sa for Sanskrit Pop: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/9f6d369c7793990f#
Black Money Monster: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/109aa8a66442ca6d#
Superpower Syndrome: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/85f8a222fd275c15#
Indian Power-Pow-Wow, Wow!: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/54cba427083f4e4f#
26/11 Saga Continues: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/20d42cd9546b852b#
Superpower Syndrome: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/008ed3e81dbcd9cc#
Of Justice and Injustice: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/dc3ba7935f641e60#
Sangh Parivar Pageant: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/a91a817395e54639#
Stop this terroristic activities of Shiv Sena
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/93908482518b9228#
BJP RIP: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/20def0d930fc511f#
Superpower Syndrome: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/b6aa5a8a1b675046#
Sangh Parivar Pageant: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/9c4ff65e38c4b924#
Sudharma, Sanskrit Newspaper: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/51f22c78acbc72b1#
Hindu Worldview: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/c8a515cc34f18a5a#
Shimla Shenanigans: Sid Harth
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.indian.marathi/browse_thread/thread/64bddaf4fb04bac5#

...and I am Sid Harth

[bademiyansubhanallah]

Post by Dušan Vukotić
http://www.angelfire.com/oh/Monkeys2/images/NGMonkey.jpg

Indian TV feature: Destruction of Babari Masjid/Mosque: Ayodhya,
India, 1992 (India's Al Aqsa)

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Gadkari struggles to finalise state chiefs
2 Apr 2010, 0514 hrs IST,ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: Three months into his tenure as the BJP president, Mr Nitin
Gadkari has started realising that he has occupied a chair full of
thorns.
Severe infighting, pressure from rival factions and an acute talent
deficit have thwarted his plans to resolve the leadership tangle in
politically-crucial states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra.

The state units have remained headless for over a month now (in
Maharashtra’s case, it’s been over three months), but there no sign of
the leadership issue being resolved any time soon. Mr Gadkari has now
convened a meeting of senior party leaders from Uttar Pradesh on
Saturday to help him finalise the name of the next state unit chief.

The case of Bihar is even more telling. The state goes to polls in a
little over six months from now, but the state unit has been
functioning without a president for over a month now. The previous
incumbent, Radha Mohan Singh’s tenure came to end in December last,
and he has been made a member of the party’s national executive.

“The party should have been in a election mode by now, but have been
hamstrung by the fact that there is no one to lead the party at this
critical juncture,’’ a senior party leader from the state bemoaned.

The dilemma over who should head the party in an election year has
been compounded by a multiplicity of factors. The BJP brass has in
principle decided to install a Brahmin as the next state unit
president, but cannot zero down on a suitable candidate While the
front-runner in the race, Mangal Pandey is considered too much of a
lightweight, Mr Ashwini Choubey, who’s a senior minister in the state
government is considered to be too headstrong , and is unacceptable to
large sections of the party, and the coalition at large.

In Uttar Pradesh, Mr Gadkari is confronted with a different problem.
The current crop of leadership in the state has lost all semblance of
credibility, and the next generation presents a woeful picture in
terms of leadership abilities. Mr Gadkari’s hands have also been tied
by the vicious infighting among the state-level leaders.

For both Bihar and UP, the BJP president had hired the services of a
research organisation to conduct a survey on the popularity-ratings of
the claimants and the leader who was best suited to lead the party.
The results, it is learnt, have not been too encouraging, forcing Mr
Gadkari to hold another round of consultations. With the emphasis on
youth, the leadership wants a fresh face to lead the organisation in
these states.

Besides UP, Delhi too presents a grim picture Here too, Mr Gadkari’s
endeavour to select the most suitable person to lead the party has
been rendered difficult by a severe talent deficit and a debilitating
infighting. While Mr Vijay Goel has been retained as a general
secretary at the national level, former mayor Arti Mehra has been made
a secretary in Mr Gadkari’s team.

That means that the race has narrowed down to former state minister
Jagdish Mukhi, former MCD standing committee chief Vijender Gupta and
former Trinagar MLA Nand Kishore Garg. While the RSS is rooting for Mr
Garg, Mr Gadkari himself is said to be keen on a younger, relatively
untested leader who could lead the party out of the morass.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Gadkari-struggles-to-finalise-state-chiefs/articleshow/5753253.cms

Congress appeasing terrorists: Gadkari
Raktima Bose

Kolkata: Assailing the Congress for “appeasing terrorists in the name
of practising secularism,” BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday
said it did not have the ‘courage' to fight terrorism and was thus
exposing the country to security threats.

“It is unfortunate for our country that the United Progressive
Alliance government could not till now execute the death sentence
handed by the Supreme Court to Afzal Guru for attacking Parliament in
2006…Should terrorists be honoured in the country henceforth? Till now
the Congress was appeasing Muslims for vote-bank politics but now it
is appeasing terrorists too.”

Mr. Gadkari was addressing a Citizen's Convention organised here by
the West Bengal BJP to protest against price rise and the State
government's plan to implement job reservation for Muslims.

Mr. Gadkari clarified that the BJP was against terrorists and not
Muslims. “It is widely campaigned that if the BJP comes to power, then
great misery will befall Muslims. Had it been so, how was Abdul Kalam
Azad elected President during the National Democratic Alliance regime?
We are against the ISI, Al-Qaeda, the Lashkar-e-Taiba and other
terrorists but not against Muslims.”

As for the controversy, raised by Maharashtra Congress workers, over
the invitation extended to actor Amitabh Bachchan for the inauguration
of the Bandra-Worli sea link, Mr. Gadkari said: “Has Mr. Bachchan
become another Dawood Ibrahim or any anti-national force by becoming
the brand ambassador of Gujarat? What sort of democracy is this?”

He called Narendra Modi a “model Chief Minister” for ushering in
development.

Mr. Gadkari blamed the UPA government's “bad governance and wrong
economic policies” for the rising inflation and price of essential
commodities.

http://www.thehindu.com/2010/04/01/stories/2010040158710300.htm

Our main aim now is development: Gadkari
Staff Reporter

Kolkata: Underscoring the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) endeavour to
focus on the need for greater development and social reform under his
leadership, BJP's national president Nitin Gadkari also indicated here
on Thursday that the Ram Mandir issue was very much on the party's
agenda.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Gadkari said: “I support the
politics of progress and development. The party's main aim currently
is to bring about economic development and social reform in the
country. A change of the party leadership does not necessarily mean
change of policies.” The statement was his reaction to the question if
under his leadership, the BJP's political focus had shifted to issues
such as price rise, inflation and ‘bad governance' of the United
Progressive Alliance government from the party's core agenda of
Hindutva and the Ram Mandir issue.

To a question on the reported resentment of some BJP stalwarts over
their non-inclusion in his new team of office-bearers, Mr. Gadkari
claimed the media was blowing it out of proportion.

“Whatever little grievances were there, have been solved out. There is
a good opportunity for the young generation to find a place in the new
team of office-bearers,” he said.

Highlighting the spiralling rise of prices of essential commodities
and the increasing number of farmer suicides, Mr. Gadkari blamed it on
the UPA regime's neglect of the agricultural sector.

“Factors like rural connectivity and irrigation which were given
importance by the National Democratic Alliance government were ignored
by the UPA government. Moreover, no priority has been given to the
agro-processing industry and the problems of power, storage and
capital also exist. This negligence and mismanagement has resulted in
an imbalance in agriculture,” he said.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/02/stories/2010040250600100.htm

Yeddyurappa woos investors to State
V. Sridhar

Road show held in Mumbai for Global Investors' Meet

Showcasing State:Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa addressing investors

Mumbai: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Thursday kicked off a road
show in Mumbai for the Global Investors' Meet, which is to be held in
Bangalore on June 3 and 4.

Accompanied by Minister for Large and Medium Industries Murugesh
Nirani and top officials of the Department of Industries and Commerce,
he promised “attractive incentives” to investors heading for
Karnataka.

Mr. Yeddyurappa said the Government's “progressive and investor-
friendly policies” had attracted investments to the State. Addressing
about 400 industrialists from various business sectors, he said
approvals for investments in the State doubled in 2009-10, when
compared to a year earlier.

Mr. Yeddyurappa said the Government gave “top priority” to the power
sector because it recognised that the State was suffering a power
shortage. He said the Government was planning additional power
generation capacity of about 16,000 MW, apart from establishing a
power plant with a generating capacity of 1,600 MW in Chhattisgarh.

He said the “pre-project activities” related to National Thermal Power
Corporations Ltd.'s (NTPC) 4,000-MW facility in Bijapur would be
launched by Union Minister for Power Sushilkumar Shinde in a few days.

Focus

Mr. Yeddyurappa said the Global Investors' Meet was particularly
focussed on drawing investment in the aerospace, infrastructure,
tourism, information technology, automobiles, biotechnology, minerals,
power, textiles, healthcare and education sectors. The Government
would sign memorandums of understanding with investors during the two-
day event.

Meetings

Prior to the road show Mr. Yeddyurappa and Mr. Nirani held separate
meetings with senior executives of several industrial conglomerates.
They discussed proposals for investments made by B. Muthuraman, vice-
chairman, Tata Steel; Ashok P. Hinduja, chairman and managing
director, Hinduja Group; A.K. Chatwani, senior executive vice-
president, Larsen & Toubro; senior executives of Grasim Industries;
and Adi B. Godrej of Godrej Industries.

The Chief Minister assured potential investors that the Government
would provide single-window clearances and “quick” approvals for
projects. “I will also be monitoring the progress of the approved
projects on a regular basis,” he added.

Mr. Nirani said the Government “has realised the urgency of focussing
on infrastructural issues”. He said the Government was focusing on
public-private partnerships in infrastructure “to achieve the twin
objectives of high growth and equity”. Asked if the Government had set
any target for investments arising from the meet, Mr. Nirani said,
“Since discussions with industry leaders on their proposals are still
at an early stage, it will not be possible to say how much investment
the State can expect.”

Mr. Nirani said Larsen & Toubro had evinced interest in participating
with the Government on the nine railway projects earmarked in the last
Railway Budget. While the Aditya Birla Group was keen on expanding
cement capacity in the State, the Kalyani Group was exploring options
for expansion in Karnataka, he added.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/02/stories/2010040256600100.htm

Tension in Rajasthan town
Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: Tension prevailed in Rajasthan's Gangapur town in Bhilwara
district on Thursday after unruly mobs engaged the police in heavy
brick-batting. Over 100 persons, including some policemen, sustained
injuries in violence and the lathi-charge. Prohibitory orders have
been imposed in the town.

The day's developments were a sequel to the skirmishes witnessed in
the town between two communities during a Hanuman Jayanti procession
on Tuesday. The clashes broke out after someone allegedly cut the
wires of the generator used for lighting the tableaus of procession
when it was passing by a mosque. The town remained closed on Wednesday
after the VHP gave a bandh call in protest against the incident.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/02/stories/2010040256720100.htm

Volume 26 - Issue 21 :: Oct. 10-23, 2009
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU

ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
Low national stakes

VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN
in New Delhi

The Congress seeks to check overconfidence in its ranks and the BJP
hopes to clear the “confusion” created by the Lok Sabha election
defeat.

SHIRISH SHETE/PTI

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and NCP president Sharad Pawar at the
first Congress-NCP rally at Sakoli in Bhandara district in Maharashtra
in April.

THERE is broad consensus among the political class in Delhi that the
October 13 round of Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and
Arunachal Pradesh are not going to have a dramatic impact on national
politics. The preparations of the two main parties – the Congress and
the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) – and of the non-Congress, non-BJP
forces, comprising the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) , the Left and other
regional parties, are all being carried out with this common premise.

Even so, the different groups have their distinctive priorities. The
central motif of the Congress party’s national leadership is to guard
against overconfidence, particularly in Maharashtra and Haryana. The
BJP’s efforts are essentially to get out of the confusion that has
overwhelmed the party after the Lok Sabha election defeat earlier this
year. For the non-Congress, non-BJP forces, which have much lesser
stakes in the states going to the polls, the attempt is to retain
whatever little relevance they have in these regions. In the early
stages of election campaign none of the three formulations has
succeeded in decisively taking forward its priorities.

According to a senior Congress leader, the party’s national leadership
including president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Rahul Gandhi
have become all the more aware of the “overconfidence problem” after
the stunning reverses in the mid-September byelections in Gujarat,
Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh. In Gujarat, the party lost five seats
to the BJP, which also gained one seat each in Uttarakhand and Madhya
Pradesh. The “overconfidence problem” is most apparent, according to
several national-level Congress leaders, in Maharashtra, where the
party is in alliance with its United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
partner, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) . Sections of the
Congress were so confident that they held out even against an alliance
with the NCP. This delayed the firming up of the partnership and
contributed to the raising of organisational problems at the ground
level. The problem, said one senior leader, was also manifest in
Haryana, though organisationally the party was on a much better wicket
there.

In this context NCP chief Sharad Pawar and the Congress general
secretary in charge of Maharashtra had a one-to-one meeting in the
last week of September. The meeting was held, reportedly, to address
specifically the overconfidence issue.

According to highly placed sources in both parties, the two senior
leaders emphasised that the difference between the Congress-NCP
alliance and the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance was hardly 15 seats in terms
of an Assembly segment-wise analysis of the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
“The Congress lost 4 per cent of its vote share in the 2009 Lok Sabha
polls compared with the earlier elections. Yet, it got more seats only
because the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackeray cut
into the BJP-Shiv Sena votes. The NCP leaders have highlighted this in
the discussions with the Congress,” said a senior NCP leader.

The mid-September byelection results did prove a morale booster for
the BJP, but that in itself has not helped the party get out of its
confusion. The list of main campaigners submitted by the party to the
Election Commission points to this. Heading the list is former Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who announced his retirement from
active politics in December 2005. The former Prime Minister has been
confined to his residence for over two years now. The BJP apparently
plans to use his recorded speeches in the campaign meetings. This
decision has been interpreted by political observers as an indictment
of the “ineffective campaign” of other leaders, including former
Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, party president Rajnath
Singh and Rajya Sabha leader Arun Jaitley. They are also mentioned in
the list, albeit behind Vajpayee.

VIVEK BENDRE

Uddhav Thackeray (centre), Shiv Sena leader, with Nitin Gadkari (left)
and Gopinath Munde, BJP leaders, in Mumbai on September 19.

However, the BJP leadership argued that too much should not be read
into the list. According to BJP spokesperson Mukthar Abbas Naqvi, the
list is essentially to ensure that the helicopter expenses of the
leaders are recorded with the Election Commission and ought not to be
treated as evaluation reports of the campaign styles of various
leaders.

While this argument does have its merits, there is little doubt that
the BJP has been forced to resurrect Vajpayee’s non-sectarian mass
appeal, changing the system adopted in the Lok Sabha campaign.
Vajpayee was not present in that campaign, either physically or
through recorded speeches. In a sense, it is also an admission that
other BJP leaders lack Vajpayee’s mass appeal.

The BJP leadership has also not been able to come up with a clear
political slogan though it has sought to highlight the “misrule” of
the Congress and its allies in the poll-bound States. According to a
senior leader, it is not in a position to take up internal security as
a major plank since it failed to evoke a good response in at least
three previous elections. The party hopes to focus its campaign on
price rise, unemployment and governance problems, including those in
the setting up of special economic zones (SEZs). However, in the
context of the Lok Sabha election defeat and the organisational
problems that erupted soon after, sections of the party are not
confident this will happen.

The BSP, on its part, is driven by the realisation that it has
tremendous damage-potential in Maharashtra and Haryana. “In the Lok
Sabha polls, the votes we got were instrumental in the defeat of five
Congress-NCP candidates and an equal number of BJP-Shiv Sena
candidates. In Haryana, too, we came up with a good performance. When
translated into Assembly segments, this performance can throw up
winning candidates in both the States. That is what we are aiming at,”
said Ambeth Rajan, Rajya Sabha member of the BSP, to Frontline. The
BSP did not have any seat in Maharashtra in the last Assembly, though
the party garnered 4.14 per cent of the votes. In Haryana, it had one
seat and 3.44 per cent of the votes.

Other non-Congress, non-BJP forces, such as the Left parties, who have
struck an alliance with the Republican Party of India in Maharashtra,
and the Samajwadi Party (S.P.), which has some presence in pockets in
Maharashtra and Haryana, are trying to rebuild from the reverses that
they suffered in the Lok Sabha polls. These parties hope to play a
significant role in Maharashtra in the event of a hung Assembly. But
there are many ifs and buts attached to these expectations.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2621/stories/20091023262111300.htm

Volume 26 - Issue 20 :: Sep. 26-Oct. 09, 2009
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU

ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
Shaky alliances
LYLA BAVADAM

Discord marks the NCP-Congress and Shiv Sena-BJP partnerships even
after seat-sharing pacts are made.

PTI

(From left) Union Minister for Heavy Industries Vilasrao Deshmukh,
State Congress president Manikrao Thackeray and Chief Minister Ashok
Chavan at a pre-poll alliance meeting with NCP leaders, in Mumbai on
September 15.

THE October 13 Assembly elections portend a make-or-break scenario for
parties and alliances in Maharashtra. This is especially true of the
Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Their uneasy partnership is
reflective of the state of Maharashtra’s politics in general.

The run-up to the elections has been a crucial period for the NCP. The
party has always expressed its discontent at being treated as the
lesser partner. After the creation of the NCP in 1999, it fought the
Assembly elections that followed on its own and won 54 seats. The
Congress and the NCP then joined hands to form the Democratic Front,
which has ruled Maharashtra ever since. In the 2004 Assembly polls,
the NCP emerged as the single largest party with 71 seats. It also
gained a hold on the Central government by securing prime portfolios
such as Agriculture and Civil Aviation.

But the NCP and the Congress have not really settled into a cohesive
relationship even after two terms in power. The NCP continues to play
second fiddle to its ally in the State despite its claim that it has a
superior electoral base. NCP leader and State Water Resources Minister
Ajit Pawar reiterated that rural Maharashtra was the party’s greatest
asset and that it had nurtured its constituencies conscientiously over
the past five years. The Minister claimed that had consolidated the
NCP’s position.

In the run-up to every round of elections, it has become almost
routine for both partners to say initially that they will fight the
elections alone. This time too, it has been no different.

The NCP, which put up candidates from 124 constituencies in 2004,
wanted the same number of seats this time. But it had to be satisfied
with 114 seats, while the Congress decided to fight the remaining 174
seats to the 288-member Assembly. Acrimonious parleys preceded the
seat-sharing agreement. A “further fine-tuning in New Delhi” may
result in some minor changes in the seat-sharing pact, according to a
Congressman.

Putting on a brave face, the NCP blamed the fall in the number of
seats it would contest on the delimitation of constituencies. But it
is more likely that the Congress had its way in the seat allotment,
given the NCP’s dismal performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress contested 25 of the 48 seats and won 17 while the NCP
contested 21 but won only eight.

Former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has for long been urging the
Congress high command to shed the NCP, and the parliamentary election
results have given it the right excuse to do so. So strong is the
antagonism between the two parties that their representatives met only
three days before the final date for nominations. The final
arrangement on seats was reached only after four meetings.

A decade of existence has not given the NCP any special identity. It
has not grown as a party either in numbers or in national profile. It
retains its Maratha hegemony. It is still identified with Sharad
Pawar. There is no solid second-rung of leadership. It continues to be
viewed as a breakaway group rather than as a separate party, and the
general impression is that it would at any point rejoin the parent
party. Voters view the two parties as one. Pawar also seems to have
taken a softer stance on the issue of Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origins.
Those who joined the NCP did so because they found it convenient to be
attached to Pawar’s coat-tails and because a newly created party
always offers more to its followers.

Yet, NCP cadre have always been hesitant about the split. Even Pawar
has been unable to withstand the pressure of staying away from the
Congress. In fact, the two parties’ post-poll alliance 10 years ago
was a result of the realisation that they needed each other. Though
they claimed that the alliance was necessary to keep the Shiv Sena-
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at bay, the truth was that both parties
were dependent on each other for survival.

The other side

VIVEK BENDRE

Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, in front of a picture
of his father and Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.

The tensions between the Congress and the NCP can only benefit the
Shiv Sena and the BJP, which have agreed to maintain their earlier
seat-sharing ratio of 171-117. In its two decades as a team, the
saffron partnership has been comparatively stable. However, this time
around the turmoil in the BJP at the Centre has shaken the Maharashtra
unit, too, even though State BJP president Nitin Gadkari denies it.

Relations between the Shiv Sena and the BJP became strained after the
defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. The crisis in Delhi following the
publication of Jaswant Singh’s book also triggered fears that the
instability in the BJP will affect the Sena’s chances in the Assembly
polls. Ever since L.K. Advani’s remark about Jinnah’s secularism, the
Sena has been wary of the BJP. It believes that the BJP’s doubletalk
on Hindutva is damaging the alliance. A source in the Sena said:
“Saheb [Bal Thackeray] has always held fast to Hindutva. And he
believed that the BJP did too, otherwise he would not have agreed to a
partnership. Now they are talking this way and that way. It is
confusing the voters. First Advani said Jinnah was secular; now
Jaswant Singh is praising him. What is the real position? We are all
confused.”

The BJP said that the loss of the six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai was
the outcome of the conflict between Uddhav Thackeray and Raj
Thackeray, Bal Thackeray’s son and nephew respectively. Hitting back,
the Sena blamed the BJP for the alliance’s loss in the parliamentary
elections. In particular, it blamed the arrogant style of campaigning
of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. As a star campaigner for the
BJP, Modi held rallies in 20 constituencies in the State but delivered
only in three. A Sena source said: “Modi campaigned for the BJP and
for himself. He projected himself as the star of economic development
and made out as if Maharashtrians were useless at business.”

However, given the open discord between the Congress and the NCP as
well as the recent victory of the BJP in the Gujarat Assembly
byelections, where it won five out of seven seats, the Maharashtra
unit of the BJP may well rally around and hold its own.

The dark horse on the electoral scene is Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra
Navnirman Sena (MNS). Though the party won no seats in the general
elections, it came a respectable second or third runner-up in many.
The MNS campaign was solely aimed at destabilising Sena candidates and
this inadvertently helped the Congress-NCP candidates. The BJP plans
to turn this around to its advantage by reminding voters that voting
for the MNS in the Assembly elections would be like casting a vote for
the Congress-NCP.

As far as issues are concerned, this election – like the ones before
it – should centre on drought, irrigation, price rise, terrorism and
security, urban housing, and infrastructure. But, for the time being,
the needs of the people and issues of governance have been relegated
to the background as the two alliances concentrate more on political
wrangling.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2620/stories/20091009262003100.htm

Volume 26 - Issue 26 :: Dec. 19, 2009-Jan. 01, 2010
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU

COVER STORY

Echoes elsewhere
VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN

The Telangana promise has reactivated many dormant claims for
statehood, including those for Gorkhaland, Bodoland and Vidarbha.

MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP

Farmers and their families from the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra
protest against the lack of continuous electricity supply, outside the
Ministry of Social Justice in New Delhi on November 18.

THE December 9 adventurism of the Congress on Telangana promptly led
to the revival of many other demands for separate states across the
country and, consequently, to the renewal of the debate whether
smaller states by themselves facilitate improved socio-economic
development of neglected and backward regions.

The Gorkha Janmukthi Morcha (GJM), which has been demanding that a
separate state of Gorkhaland be carved out of the Darjeeling hills
region of West Bengal, was the first to announce a “fast unto death”
agitation to realise its dream. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati
soon followed, holding a press conference to affirm that the ruling
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), led by her, has consistently sought the
creation of two new states out of Uttar Pradesh – Harit Pradesh,
consisting of the majority of the districts in five administrative
divisions (Saharanpur, Meerut, Agra, Moradabad and Bareilly) of
western Uttar Pradesh, and Bundelkhand comprising seven districts of
Uttar Pradesh and six districts of Madhya Pradesh. Advocates of the
demand for new states such as Vidarbha followed suit.

The reasoning for most of these demands is that the region seeking
statehood is backward in socio-economic terms and that the creation of
a new state will help its development. In cases like the demand for
Gorkhaland, Bodoland, Dimaraji and Karbi homeland, ethnicity is raised
as a factor.

The case for reviewing the reorganisation of States on linguistic
lines by bringing in parameters such as socio-economic backwardness
and ethnicity had come to the fore even while the States
Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was at work from late 1953 to 1956 as
also in the decades following it, but the idea acquired legitimacy
only five decades later with the creation of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand
and Chhattisgarh in November 2000, during the time of the Atal Bihari
Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance government. In fact, the
creation of these States was perceived by many as the beginning of a
process of reconfiguring political space, which was bound to transform
the entire federal polity of India. The argument was that the creation
of these States as well as the demands for new states on the basis of
development marked the evolution of the idea of federalism as it
existed in the Indian context.

However, nine years later, the expectations with which these States
were formed lies in a shambles. Enhancing socio-economic development
was the primary objective behind the formation of all these States,
but the records of the States are nothing to write home about. In the
case of Jharkhand, the past nine years have only produced one corrupt
government after another, leading to total disregard for the economic
and development concerns of the people. The successive governments
also failed to curb the Maoist menace in the State. Chhattisgarh’s
track record too is no different, with Maoist attacks and counter-
attacks by the State throwing people’s lives out of gear. Uttarakhand
has fared comparatively better, but here, too, there have been no
spectacular gains.

Commenting on the performance of the three States, veteran bureaucrat
Gopi Arora – who died recently – observed last year that regional and
developmental disparities needed to be addressed by taking special
measures to focus on regional planning and not by the creation of new
states. He specifically referred to the case for a further division of
Uttar Pradesh and pointed out that if new states were to be carved out
of a State, they would all start with multiple conflicts on sharing of
resources, including water resources.

It is in this context that the historian Gyanesh Kudaisya’s
observation about the need for new types of states becomes relevant.
He pointed out that the need was for states that did not carry forward
the administrative and ideological legacies of models that had failed.
In his view, the new type of states should be representative,
decentralised and inclusive, and this cannot simply happen by breaking
up States.

GORKHALAND MOVE

By Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay

THE Centre’s nod for a separate state of Telangana has come as a shot
in the arm for the GJM, which has been staging a persistent, and often
violent, agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland comprising the
Darjeeling hills, contiguous areas in the Terai and the Dooars in the
foothills of West Bengal.

“We welcome the Central government’s decision to allow the creation of
a separate Telangana state, but at the same time we would like to
remind it that the creation of Gorkhaland should not be left out. It
is an old demand of the Indian Gorkha community, essential to preserve
its identity. If Telangana can be created, then why not Gorkhaland? We
urge the Centre to facilitate the process,” GJM general secretary
Roshan Giri told Frontline.

V. SUDERSHAN

Members of the Gulabi Gang (pink gang), a women’s vigilante group,
staging a protest demanding a separate Bundelkhand state, in New Delhi
on September 17.

As the news of Telangana reached the hills, the GJM immediately
announced a “fast unto death” programme in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and
Kurseong, the three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, and also in
Siliguri and the Dooars in the plains from December 11. The GJM called
for a complete shutdown of the hills from December 14 to 17 and
announced that various agitation programmes had been planned in
Kolkata and New Delhi. A GJM team led by Roshan Giri rushed to New
Delhi on December 10 to garner support for Gorkhaland at the national
level.

The decision to step up its agitation and call for a bandh a week
before the fourth round of tripartite talks between the GJM, the
Centre and the Government of West Bengal, slated for December 21, was
clearly to put pressure on the State and Union governments.

Once again, the spectre of ethnic violence has surfaced in the plains,
with organisations such as the Amra Bangali and the Bangla Basha
Bachao Committee calling for a counter bandh in the plains on the same
days as the GJM bandh. However, Roshan Giri assured: “We are a
democratic movement. There is no question of violence, at least from
our side.”

But a doubt lingers despite such an assurance. Ever since the GJM
hijacked the Gorkhaland movement from the Gorkha National Liberation
Front (GNLF) in 2005 to wield undisputed power in the hills, ethnic
clashes have become common in the foothills and the plains. GNLF
supremo Subash Ghising, who initiated the Gorkhaland movement in 1986,
soon found himself alienated from his own movement; he was eventually
ousted from the hills by his former protege Bimal Gurung, who formed
the GJM. By then, the GNLF agitation, which marred the peace in the
hills in the late 1980s, had abated and Ghising and his followers had
practically lost touch with the masses. The GJM’s renewed call for
Gorkhaland, this time including parts of the Terai and the Dooars in
the foothills, has once again brought to the fore memories of the
terror that prevailed in the hills when the GNLF first began its
agitation.

Another cause of concern for the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-
led Left Front government of West Bengal in the wake of the apparent
success of the Telangana movement is the renewal of the Kamtapur
Progressive Party’s (KPP) demand for a separate Kamtapur state in
North Bengal. “We have a good understanding with the KPP and we
support their movement,” Roshan Giri told Frontline.

A fresh demand for a Greater Cooch Behar state in North Bengal, led by
the Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party (GCBDP), has also resurfaced.
In all, North Bengal seems to have become a hotbed of separatist
movements of all colours.

VIDARBHA’S CRY

By Anupama Katakam

FOR some reason, Vidarbha in the eastern region of Maharashtra is
never considered seriously when it cries for statehood. Although the
region’s politicians have repeatedly said that Vidarbha is a potential
candidate for statehood and the States Reorganisation Commission had
promised to grant it to the region, it never materialised.

Unlike in the case of the other States that were carved up in recent
times, Vidarbha’s calls to secede from Maharashtra have been only
sporadic. They never quite gained the momentum required for a major
movement. During the past two rounds of Lok Sabha and Assembly
elections, the issue was hardly touched upon.

But now, the promise of creating Telangana has given the Vidarbha
movement a new lease of life. Politicians, particularly those from the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra and those from districts
in the Vidarbha region, have decided that if Telangana can get
statehood, so can Vidarbha.

“We have been asking for this for the past 50 years. It is only fair
that our demand is met as well,” said Vilas Muttemwar, a Congress
leader and Member of Parliament from Nagpur.

Would the cry for statehood be valid? Yes, say the politicians. No,
say some local people.

Vidarbha consists of 11 districts in the eastern region of
Maharashtra. Many of them are tribal-dominated and therefore backward.
The region is completely neglected, unlike the western and some south-
western districts, which get the lion’s share of State funding and
attention.

Cotton is the main crop that sustains life in Vidarbha. Rain-
dependent, this crop suffers every time the monsoon fails. Consecutive
years of drought and repeated crop failures have driven the farmers
into deep debt and, consequently, suicide. From 1997 to 2006, the
region has witnessed 36,428 cases of suicide among cotton farmers
owing to debt, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. From
time to time, the Central government has doled out compensation
packages but nothing that is long-term.

Irrigation would solve much of their woes, said Vijay Jawandhia, a
farmer and a leader of the Shetkari Sanghatana in Wardha. But the
State government pays little attention. Almost 60 per cent of the
irrigation projects in the State cater to the sugar belt of western
Maharashtra, which yields 30 per cent of the agricultural produce in
the State. Vidarbha accounts for 20 per cent of the cotton production
in the country, thus giving Maharashtra the second position in cotton
production in India. “But irrigation is practically non-existent in
the districts,” said Jawandhia.

There is no industry and practically no development in the region.
There are few opportunities other than agriculture. Nagpur, owing to
the centrality of its location in the country, was meant to be
developed as a hub of transportation. Nothing much has materialised on
this plan.

Of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, 10 are in Vidarbha.
At the State level, 62 of the 288 Assembly constituencies are in this
region. Clearly, Vidarbha has some power, but whether its leaders can
use to bargain for a separate state is another matter.

The Shiv Sena has never agreed to a division of Maharashtra though its
ally, the BJP, has repeatedly asked for it. BJP leader Nitin Gadkari,
who hails from Vidarbha, said that every effort would be made to make
the Centre concede to this demand. He said: “If the state of Vidarbha
is created, lakhs of people from the region will benefit. We can
concentrate on development then.”

The ruling Congress, save for some leaders from Vidarbha, have kept a
studious silence on the issue.

“The solution does not lie in separation,” said Ashok Dhawale, a
leader of the All India Kisan Sabha. “What the leadership needs to do
is focus on fundamentals such as agricultural and industrial policy
towards areas like Vidarbha. Then the region may have some chance of
developing.”

It is usually lack of development that fuels a region’s demand for
statehood. But this is not an answer at all. If there is a sea change
in the government’s policy towards Vidarbha and if it distributes
resources more equitably, then this issue will cease to exist, said
Dhawale. “Furthermore, when a state is carved out of another, it will
be a small state that tends to be at the mercy of the Central
government. Therefore, what major difference will it make to the
region’s people? Once again, they will be dependent on policymakers.”

BODOLAND AGAIN

By Sushanta Talukdar in Guwahati

THE promise of statehood to Telangana has prompted various Bodo groups
in Assam to revive their demand for a separate Bodoland. The Bodoland
People’s Front (BPF), the coalition partner of the ruling Congress in
the State, has raised the demand in both Parliament and in the Assam
Assembly. The lone BPF member in the Rajya Sabha, Biswajit Daimary,
raised the demand in the Upper House. In the Assam Assembly, 11
legislators of the BPF, including three Ministers in the Tarun Gogoi
Cabinet, made the demand on December 11.

Chief Minister Gogoi clarified that his government did not favour a
further division of Assam and wanted all communities and tribes to
live in harmony to build a greater Assamese society. The opposition
Asom Gana Parishad has extended support to Gogoi on the issue.

Apart from the Bodo groups, various Karbi groups, including militant
outfits, are demanding the creation of an autonomous state within
Assam; Dimasa groups, including militant groups, are demanding the
creation of a separate Dimaraji state, while organisations
representing Koch-Rajbanghshi community have declared a “fast unto
death” agitation to hasten the creation of a Kamtapur state comprising
11 districts of Assam and five districts of north Bengal.

The Bodos are the largest plains tribe in Assam, and they enjoy
autonomy under the amended provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the
Constitution; administrative autonomy is provided through the Bodoland
Territorial Council (BTC). The jurisdiction of the BTC extends over
8,970 square kilometres and covers four districts – Kokrajhar,
Chirang, Udalguri and Baska, known as Bodoland Territorial Area
Districts (BTAD). The number of Bodo-speaking people in Assam
according to the 2001 Census was 1,296,162 in a population of
26,655,528. In the 1991 Census, the number of Bodos in Assam was shown
as 1,184,569.

The BTC came into existence in 2003 following the signing of the
second Bodo Accord between the erstwhile militant outfit, the Bodo
Liberation Tigers (BLT), and the Union and State governments. The
present chief executive member of the BTC, Hagrama Mahilary, was also
the chief of the now-disbanded BLT.

The BLT was formed in June 1996 and it launched an armed struggle for
statehood when the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU)-Bodo People’s
Action Committee (BPAC) revived the mass movement for a separate
Bodoland in 1997. The BLT suspended its armed activities in July 1999
to start a dialogue with the Central government. In the course of the
dialogue, the BLT gave up the demand for statehood and agreed to
settle for the BTC under amended provisions of the Sixth Schedule.

“We were told by the NDA government that the prevailing policy was
that no new smaller state would be created. So we agreed to settle for
the BTC. Now that the United Progressive Alliance government has
promised to create Telangana, we have every right to ask for a
separate state of Bodoland, which is our ultimate goal,” said senior
BPF leader and Transport Minister Chandan Brahma, who was also the
vice-chairman of the BLT.

The first Bodo Accord was signed by the ABSU-BPAC with the Centre and
the State government in February 1993. It brought the curtains down on
a six-year-old vigorous statehood movement in Assam, which was
launched in 1987 on the slogan “Divide Assam 50:50”. The accord paved
the way for the creation of the Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC).
However, the ABSU and the BPAC revived the statehood movement in 1997,
alleging that the BAC had failed to fulfil the aspirations of the
Bodos.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2626/stories/20100101262601700.htm

Special issue with the Sunday Magazine
From the publishers of THE HINDU
CITIES: AUGUST 12, 2001

Driving to nowhere
Darryl D'Monte

The writer is a senior journalist and environmental activist.

Since the 1990s, there has been a thrust in India's transport sector
towards increasing reliance on private investment. This can take many
forms: private entrepreneurs constructing roads and bridges, often on
a "build, operate and transfer" basis, the entry of many more
multinational car manufacturers, and the easing of restrictions in the
imports of components. Throughout urban India, which now accounts for
some 300 million people, the perception that the State is unwilling or
unable to provide quick and reliable transport is fast gaining ground.
There is increasing dependence on private modes of motorised
transport, whether it is automobiles, two-wheelers or buses.

K.R.Ganesh/Wilderfile

Middle-class citizens aspire to owning or using these vehicles and
believe that the State's responsibility is to provide the
infrastructure for this purpose. This has led to a situation where
private modes are swallowing the bulk of funds earmarked for transport
in cities and towns. Nowhere is this stark contrast more apparent than
in Mumbai, the country's commercial and industrial capital. There has
been heavy investment in a plethora of roadways and a near-total
neglect of public transport in a metropolis where the overwhelming
majority rely on this mode to commute to work.

Mumbai's peculiar geography has admittedly complicated the situation.
The north-south transport axis has been part of the city's life for so
many decades that it is difficult to think of changing it. The entire
concept of building a twin city across the harbour in the early 1970s
was meant to provide an east-west axis and alter the flow of traffic.
Unfortunately, the planners first built a road bridge over the Thane
creek to Vashi, which did not bring about a critical mass there. It
was only a couple of decades later, with the rail bridge alongside it,
that Navi Mumbai got the boost it badly needed.

However, the central business district (CBD) in the new city has not
really taken off, because managements have been reluctant to shift
across the harbour, given the inadequate transport links. Although the
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has been
developing the Bandra-Kurla area as an alternative CBD within Greater
Mumbai, it is taking some time to grow into a full-fledged centre.
While areas in the suburbs like Andheri are attracting some new
sunrise service industries, South Mumbai retains its overwhelming
importance.

Manu Bahuguna/Fotomedia

While successive State governments have been guilty of neglecting
Mumbai's transport problems, it was the erstwhile Shiv Sena-BJP
government which drastically altered the course. By initiating a range
of road schemes, it unequivocally opted for private, motorised
transport in preference to public transport. This may be said to fall
in line with the economic liberalisation moves encouraged by
successive national governments, with the State gradually withdrawing
from area after area of public life. In Mumbai, this coalition
government took the drastic step of bypassing the apex planning body,
the MMRDA, as its transport expert, A. V. Ghangurde, publicly cited at
a seminar. Instead, it entrusted both the planning and execution of
the road projects to the Maharashtra State Road Development
Corporation (MSRDC), an engineering agency which has no expertise to
take an overall view of the merits of such schemes. The total cost of
all these schemes was over Rs. 8,000 crores, excluding the Eastern
Freeway Sea Link.

W. S. Atkins, consultants hired by MMRDA to advise on a comprehensive
transport plan for the metropolitan region in 1994, showed that Mumbai
was unique in that 83 per cent of the passenger trips in peak hours
were by public transport (train and bus), another eight per cent by
"intermediate public transport" (taxis and three-wheelers) and only
nine per cent by private transport (both cars and two-wheelers). This
is why critics castigate the overwhelming emphasis as the "nine per
cent solution" for a city which is poised to become the world's most
populous in two decades. One can also contrast the passenger carrying
capacities of different modes: cars carry only 4,000 passengers a
hour, versus 15,000 by bus, 45,000 by train and 75,000 if there were
an underground system.

There are three sets of road projects which the Shiv Sena-BJP
government initiated: fly-overs, sea-links and freeways. By far the
most controversial of these were the fly-overs. The government
appointed a committee to advise on the viability of fly-overs
controversially chaired by a builder, V. M. Jog, who obviously had no
expertise in this field. Mr. Jog dutifully obeyed his political
masters and recommended 50 fly-overs, for which pains he was awarded
an additional project at Andheri, the only one not to be constructed
by the MSRDC. The 50 fly-overs were to cost Rs. 1,500 crores and the
one at Andheri Rs. 110 crores. Mr. Jog's controversial fly-over was
the subject of a writ filed by the Bombay Environmental Action Group
because he sought to cover the cost by selling commercial space
beneath it. In other words, whatever congestion was meant to have been
reduced by the fly-over was created beneath it! He was originally
permitted 9,000 sq m but was eventually given 45,000 sq m - five times
the area - to exploit on the market. After a delay of several months,
which caused interminable traffic jams, the court allowed him to
proceed with less space.

Ajay Lall

According to the MSRDC, the fly-overs were justified on the ground
that the four major expressways being constructed to take traffic in
and out of Greater Mumbai at a cost of another Rs. 10,000 crores would
not work unless there were fly-overs to carry the vehicles smoothly
through the city. These were to link the metropolis with Pune (this
expressway has been completed at Rs. 1,450 crores), Nashik, Talasari
and Sawantwadi. The MSRDC cited how the earliest consultant on
improving the city's transport links, Los Angeles-based firm, Wilbur
Smith, recommended fly-overs as early in 1962. The consultants also
mooted the highly debatable West and East Island Freeways along the
coasts of the island city, a scheme which the MSRDC is now reviving.
Needless to say, Los Angeles experts are hardly qualified to advise
Mumbai since the Californian city is notorious for sacrificing all
planning norms for the benefit of the all-powerful automobile lobby.

The MSRDC also argued, illogically, that the fly-overs would help
reduce air pollution. Maharashtra's Minister of Public Works, Nitin
Gadkari, to whom the flyovers were a pet project, argued that since
cars would move speedily, without being obstructed by traffic lights,
there would be less emissions. However, he was supremely indifferent
to the counter argument that by building fly-overs, there would be a
spurt in the number of vehicles and the total emissions from these
would surely increase the overall load of pollutants. Already,
vehicles account for 70 per cent of Mumbai's air pollution. Gadkari
also believed with the coastal freeways and sea links that the
pollutants would vanish into thin air along the ocean, not realising
that the prevalent wind currents are from the sea towards the land.

The World Bank, which had funded the first phase of the Mumbai Urban
Transport Project (MUTP) and wanted to initiate the second phase,
unequivocally came out against the fly-overs during the course of a
review of MUTP2 in October 1998. It pointed out that "there appears to
have been little traffic impact assessment" or financial evaluation of
the project. The fly-overs would increase road capacity and encourage
(and probably generate new) car use in the city. Some of them, notably
those in the island city like the Haji Ali-Wilson College viaduct,
would have "severe adverse environmental impact (noise, visual
intrusion etc)". There was no economic justification and the
estimation of recovery of costs through tolls was also inadequate.

As it happened, there were legal stays on the proposed tolls. The
state government eventually had to scrap the tolls on fly-overs within
the metropolis, including 14 within the island city, and only charge
those who were entering the city. It will thus fall far short on
recovery of costs. The Bank observed: "While there is no objection to
the tolls per se, this programme nevertheless subsidises and appears
to encourage car commuting and could actually generate additional
intra-Greater Mumbai, particularly in island city, traffic demand with
consequent congestion impacts." The Bank also criticised the neglect
of the bus system, since fly-overs span too long distances to
accommodate this form of public transport. Finally, it commented on
the lack of public consultation prior to the project.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) examined the traffic, economic and
environmental impact of fly-overs and also opposed them. In
particular, it cited those in congested areas as being undesirable. It
found that "construction of flyovers on the island will only increase
the usage of private vehicles . . . this would increase the congestion
levels and parking problems in the city". The investment in the island
city would not be justified, as the overall social benefits would be
lower than the cost. Dr. B. R. Patankar, a former head of the BEST and
now working with TCS, has stressed: "The automobile, born in the
beginning of the 20th century, can no longer remain the focus of the
urban transport infrastructure planning as was the case four-five
decades ago."

To add insult to injury, the tolls with which the MSRDC had proposed
to recover the cost of the fly-overs were the subject of a writ
petition in the High Court, which ruled against them. At present, only
vehicles which enter the city and use the Western and Eastern Express
Highways are liable to pay the tolls which is unfair and exempts the
regular users. This is a typical instance of the authorities
proceeding without doing their homework and in the process, imposing a
burden of Rs. 1,500 crores on the state government for a scheme that
benefits only a tiny minority of motorists.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/folio/fo0108/01080140.htm

Good roads needed for nation's progress: Vajpayee
By Our Special Correspondent

— Photo: Vivek Bendre

SHOWS CONCERN: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Shiv
Sena chief Bal Thackeray while releasing a book in Mumbai on
Wednesday.

MUMBAI, FEB. 23. The former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
today called for a national campaign for construction and maintenance
of roads, essential for the country's development and prosperity.

"Why aren't we getting angry at a pothole? Why don't we raise
questions about traffic jams?" Mr. Vajpayee asked. He stressed the
need to understand the high cost of bad roads to the economy in terms
of time, energy and opportunity losses. He was releasing a book, Path
to Progress, by the former Maharashtra PWD Minister, Nitin Gadkari.

Mr. Gadkari is credited with the laying of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway
for Rs. 1,800 crores against the lowest tender of Rs. 3,600 crores, in
record time and without any kind of foreign collaboration despite the
hilly terrain. The book discusses how he got the project implemented.

The Expressway became the forerunner of the Vajpayee Government's
quadrilateral highway project linking the country's four metros. Mr.
Vajpayee said his Government's road project was much admired in India
and abroad. He said that there was no substitute for good roads, which
were an investment in progress.

The Shiv Sena chief, Bal Thackeray, the former Lok Sabha Speaker,
Manohar Joshi, the BJP general secretary, Pramod Mahajan, and the
former Maharashtra Chief Minister, Narayan Rane, praised Mr. Gadkari.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/2005/02/24/stories/2005022402901300.htm

Rajasthan to pass anti-conversion law
By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, FEB. 23. Rajasthan will soon have a law against religious
conversions. A bill to this effect will be introduced in the Assembly,
according to the Home Minister, Gulab Chand Kataria.

"Nobody has a right to make conversions in this State," Mr. Kataria
said while making a statement in the Assembly today during a
discussion on the recent attack on Christians in Kota.

"There are no two opinions on everybody's right to practise his
religion, but when it comes to conversion of poor and illiterate
persons, carried out with the help of allurements and money, we will
not let it happen. There is resentment in the public here that poor
people are lured by money and other temptations to convert."

Mr. Kataria said the people who were sent back from the Kota railway
station last weekend were tribals brought for the purpose of
conversion.

"If they had been only Christians there was no problem with us," he
said. "It was our magnanimity that we let them go after
verification."

He said that 100 foreigners, of whom 95 were from the United States,
reached Kota to attend the programme. "We will not allow them to leave
their hotels as they have come on tourist visas."

Protesters lathicharged

Police resorted to lathicharge at Raipura area of Kota town to
disperse about 600 people who gathered in front of the Emmanuel
Mission Society campus to protest against the Bible graduation
programme which started here today. They were led by the local leaders
of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/2005/02/24/stories/2005022402861300.htm

BJP's poverty posers for PM
Agencies

Posted: Thursday , Apr 01, 2010 at 1749 hrs
New Delhi:

Accusing the UPA government of failing to check price rise, BJP today
asked the Prime Minister whether those in power had "vested interests"
in making suggestive forecasts about shortages in food production to
create panic.

Party president Nitin Gadkari put forward 14 questions to Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh relating to price rise, plight of the farmers
and 'aam admi' and reasons behind its failure in curbing inflationary
trends.

"Where have things gone wrong?" was Gadkari's first question. He said
though the Chinese GDP growth is 9.5 per cent as against India's 7.2
per cent, it had two per cent inflation as compared to India's 11 per
cent.

He asked if the PM could deny that inflation in India was much higher
at 11 per cent as against global inflation of 1 to 2 per cent. He
pointed out that sugar prices in India is more than double and price
of wheat was 80 per cent more than the price in other countries.

The BJP President also wanted to know whether cost of essential
commodities have "doubled during your regime?"

Seeking a reply from the PM on whether the downtrodden and the middle
class find it difficult to make ends meet, he said 48 lakh tonne sugar
was exported at Rs.12.50 and re-imported at Rs 22 to 32 per kg.

Gadkari sought an explanation on why the government failed to create a
buffer stock. "Don't you owe an explanation to the people?" he asked.

He asked the PM whether he pleaded "ignorance about your scandalous
export-import policies?"

Pointing out discrepancies in the statistics of poverty level issued
by different government bodies, he said "the Planning Commission put
the BPL population in its 2005 report at 31 crore. December, 2009
Tendulkar Committee puts it at 42 crore, and still You claim Garibi
Ghati Hai (poverty has declined)?

He said if poverty levels have fallen then "why 42 crore people of
rural India are still below poverty line? Are you really giving them
food?"

The BJP chief said while government godowns were overflowing and
foodgrains were rotting, "then why prices are skyrocketing, leaving
poor people half fed?"

"Is it not true that the government-appointed Saxena Committee pointed
out that 51 per cent poor have been denied BPL ration card and
deprived of food grains?" the BJP president sought to know from the
PM.

He said agriculture growth in December 2009 was recorded at minus 0.2
per cent. "In spite of this, the government has provided a meagre Rs
900 crore (0.075 per cent), for agriculture development out of total
budgetary allocation of Rs 12 lakh crore."

Gadkari asked Singh to explain "why farmers get the least and aam
aadmi pays the most?"

He said out of Rs 8,03,842 crore turnover of 2009 at National
Commodity Exchange, delivery was 0.28 per cent (Rs 2,243 crore).

Pointing out that manipulative turnover was pushing the prices, he
asked, "whom are you benefiting: Speculators, Manipulators or MNCs?."

Accusing ministers of making speculative statements about the food
shortages or less production, he sought to know, "What are the vested
interests of your government in making suggestive forecasts about
shortages in food production? Is it to check prices or to create
panic?"

7 Comments |
INFLATION
By: N.ASTI | Friday , 2 Apr '10 11:49:45 AM

All political parties in opposition should unite and take action
against the MMS/Sonia Govt which is totally deaf towards inflation/
Price rise in essential commodities.In order to divert the mind of the
public from the burning issues of Price-rise,terrorism,Pak
polcy,Kashmir selling, Injustice thro' highest communal policies;the
present GOI in collaboration with its managed Media is creating
worthless issues like Amitabh-Modi to divide Indians which Congress
has done right from 1947.MMS,Sonia,PC,Pawar do not bother for
inflation since they enjoy every amenitiy thro' public money.Instead
of mere words,public expects ACTION ON UNTOLERABLE PRICE-RISE.

Gadkaris flip flops
By: rajkumar | Friday , 2 Apr '10 8:31:12 AM

Gadkari what a shame. Yesterday you got embroiled in Bachans show. It
was not a great deal for us Indias. For us it is matter of cost,
standard of living and security so that we can bring up our children.
After being questioned now you are throwing few more questions. Well I
appreciate atleast you respond to the environment. I doubt whether you
are capble of leading BJP to victory.

Posers to the PM
By: Ratna Magotra | Friday , 2 Apr '10 7:14:49 AM

Where does the responsible media stand? The media stands fully
compromised having accepted the government sponsored awards, what
otherwise it fully deserved but by the readers and peers! The english
media at least now seem to represent the government and not the people
like earlier in British ruled period.

gadkari ask PM
By: saheb | Friday , 2 Apr '10 6:53:59 AM

food grains are rotting and the sardar is still gloating in self and
mamma`s praise forget about praised heaped on rajkumar by media,only
aaj tak is giving info about the wheat stock rotting everywhere.what a
criminal neglect,the media should advise this pathetic uncaring
foreign hopping pro USA MMS why he should not make a law to make the
dismanagement of food stalks a crime and punishable by jail terms of
rigoutous imprisonment upto ten yrs as many die of starvation and the
corrupt enjoys all perks,it should be made equivalent to culpable
homicide.

PM and corruption
By: Chandrakant Marathe | Thursday , 1 Apr '10 20:26:51

It is a known fact that the present Prime Minister is presiding over a
corrupt ruling dispensation. Let there be an audit of wealth holdings
of top congress and its allies politicians in power and you will
easily find out how rich they are. People who have been in social work
throughout their lives then how do they have so much of land and
property?? can Manmohan Singh as an economist answer??????
Indian people should start protest against govt every where in India
from city to village

By: sujan | Thursday , 1 Apr '10 20:22:33 PM

Thanks for BJP president to give knowledge about govt's bad plan. Pls
all Indian people should start revolution against UPA govt to give the
proper answer and give proper food to the poor people of India other
wise all congress people should go to Italy and pak and leave India
immediately.

INFLATION HAS HIT COMMON MAN'S BACK BONE
By: RAJAT KUMAR MOHINDRU .JALANDHAR CITY .PUNJAB | Thursday , 1 Apr
'10 19:44:59 PM

Bharatiya Janata Party National President Mr Nitin Gadkari has asked
Prime Minister of India S Manmohan Singh to clarify that what reasons
are responsible that has boosted Inflation ? as the Inflation has hit
the back bone of the common man , his homely budget has been upset ,
What policies or reasons are responsible that Why the Union Government
could not curb Inflation ? As no doubt the prices of Sugar witnessed
sharp increase and Gross Domestic Produce (GDP) target could not be
achieved What are the reasons ? The skyrocketing prices of essential
commodoties has upset the families living below the Poverty Line
homely budget making living miserable for them ..

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bjpspovertyposersforpm/598776/0

Have regained many Naxal areas in Lalgarh: MHA
Express news service

Posted: Friday , Apr 02, 2010 at 0135 hrs
New Delhi:

MHA has said a majority of areas that had become Maoist strongholds
over the past few months have been regained.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s proposed visit to Lalgarh in West
Bengal comes in the wake of the fact that security forces engaged in
battling the Naxals there have managed to regain control over large
areas dominated by Left-wing extremists and civil administration has
been restored in many of these reclaimed areas.

Officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said a majority of
areas that had become Maoist strongholds over the past few months have
been regained and development activities were being initiated there.
“Most of the police stations have reopened. Schools have also started
running although there is a severe shortage of teachers there,” an
official said.

Chidambaram’s visit was essentially aimed as an exercise to take first-
hand stock of the situation and to boost the morale of the forces ,
officials said.

On Maoist leader Kishenji, MHA sources said he was either recuperating
from an injury or had been asked to lie low. “Kishenji has been very
quiet. Whether it is for a tactical reason or because of differences
with Ganapathi, we don’t know,” a MHA source said, adding that the
government had credible intelligence to suggest a rift between between
the two over many issues, including over Kishenji's frequent
interaction with the media..

Comments (1) |

Have regained many Naxal areas in lalgarh...
By: D.A. Srinivasan | 02-Apr-2010

It is indeed a good devolopment for Govt of India and govt of WB.It is
time for the Govt to have introspection as to how the area in question
has become Naxal territory. It is clear that the people to whom the
benifits of Govts action should reach are not benifitted and the
corrupt machinery siphons off all the funds for personal gain.The
administrative machinery is not accessible to the common man.His
grievances are not heard.The police , revenue officials act in a
partisan manner.Common man has no where to go to redress his
grievances. For Naxals this is a God sent oppurtunity and they become
popular.As for the devolpoment activity the Govt should take a stock
of what has been allocated and spent and what benifits have accrued to
the benifiearies.Unless this is done prior to new devolopment schemes
and remedial measures are in place against the earlier failures no
positive benifites will accrue.Govt also should take action against
those who are responsible for misgovernance

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/haveregainedmanynaxalareasinlalgarhmha/599017/

Hindu Extremists To Target Shoaib Malik’s Family During Wedding
April 1, 2010

Lirpa Phool Chandrasekaran | Exclusive to PKKH

MUMBAI – Hindu extremists have a plan or two up their sleeve for Sania
Mirza and Shoaib Malik.

The Indian tennis star has decided to marry the ex Pakistan cricket
captain and this has not gone down well with Hindu extremists such as
Shiv Sena, which has organised protest rallies all over India in which
posters and effigies of the bride and groom were set alight.

Though the Sena does not have a good enough presence in Hyderabad it
is doing everything possible to make its presence felt on the D Day of
Sania’s marriage. It is believed that there would be a protest
organized by the Sena in conjunction with many other Hindu extremist
groups near the hotel where the marriage would take place.

Bal Thackeray is said to be fuming ever since the news of the marriage
broke in the media earlier this week.

‘They are attacking us with their terrorists, they are kicking us out
of Afghanistan, they are sidelining us at major global summits and
conferences, and now they are stealing our women? Is India a land of
neuters that she has to go find a man in Pakistan to marry? (India mai
kya hijray rehte hai jo woh mard dhoondne Pakistan gaee hai)’, Said
Bal Thackeray this morning.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) which is known for its violence
against North Indians in the state of Maharashtra has also joined in
the chorus.

The MNS is headed by Raj Thackeray, nephew of Bal Thackeray, who had
split from the Shiv Sena in 2006.

‘We’ll see how this Pakistani takes our girl. This is an insult and we
will not let this happen at any cost’, Raj Thackeray is reported to
have said.

It is believed that Sania and her family will be enhancing the
security arrangements of the marriage as Shoaib’s family from Pakistan
could be targeted.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

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Posted in India, News, Pakistan, Politics, The Real India | Tagged Bal
Thackeray, Cricket, Cricketer, Hindu extremists, Indian, Maharashtra,
Marriage, MSN, Navnirman Sena, Pakistan, pakistani, Raj Thackeray,
RSS, Sania Mirza, Shiv Sena, Shoaib Malik, Tennis, Wedding |

15 comments

@ ALL bloddy hindus,

Now suddenly she became ur girl.Before her decision of marriage with
shoeb malik(though i dont like shoeb cuz he is supposed to be a
sattebaz) but now I respect this girl and her decision to marry a
muslim and had guts to marry with a pakistani guy.She is unlike other
so called muslim celebrities of India who married hindu or chrisitian
girls take for example all the khans in indian film industry they all
have hindu wife.azharuddin,pataudi and now irfan khan all with hindu
wives (irfan pathan soon to marry hindu girl and her mother said that
if her would be bahu do not want to become muslim she will have no
objection).Muslim Mps almost all of them have first or second wife a
hindu or xtian ones like salman khurshid who has xtian wife and his
sister married to a hindu guy,syed shahnawaz husain has hindu
wife,late sikandar bakht(kambakht) has hindu wife and hindu daughter
in law.Farooq abdullah’s son married to a hindu girl and his daughter
married to a hindu guy.Abbas naqvi married a hindu girl and the list
goes on.

Hats off to u sania My wishes n prayers r with u always.Inshallah
ALLAH will give hidaya to shoeb malik and u to be on imaan and work
for Islam instead of countries u belong to cuz Islam has no boundaries
no nationality no country.Islam is for the whole universe.

by Mu-salman Khan from India April 1, 2010 at 10:37 pm

@Muh-salman Khan ji, Those marriages u referred, are forced & feared,
to avoid being the victim of current Nazi Hindu India, commonly known
as automatic ” shuddhi”, but rest assured, Pakistanis also felt
necessary to have hindu wives, if u doubt me, ask the Governor of
Pakistani Punjab ! The only remaining obvious aspect workable of
failed secularism in S.E Asia.

Late Z.A Bhuttos mother was a hindu too, so why on earth are u
“shocked ” this is progressivism

by Rafay Kashmiri April 1, 2010 at 11:33 pm

hahahhahahahhaaa………
India ki bisteeeeee………..Wow!!!

by fatima April 1, 2010 at 10:53 pm

@ Do we really need such extravaganzaa ? giving it a false colour of
overexuberant mutual showbis promotional exibitions to “improve”
relationship between two neighbours, one, an adopted spoilt child of
the west, coming from a poverty stricken society, the other, forcibly
being brought at the brink of social & moral disaster by the west ?

As for Nazi Bal Thakuray, he & his party, alongwith other Indian
political terrorist parties must be brought before Inter. Penal
Tribunal for crimes
against humanity, including the Indian Govt.

perpetrating Genocide in Kashmir,with 700.000 army only inside the
valley, and training, financing & equipping terrorists in their 17
training camps in Afghanistan, e.g TTP American Talibans. Its funny,
organised terrorists are
trained by Indo-Israeli specialists, protected by INTERNATIONAL
CONSORTIUM OF GLOBAL TERRORISM run by CIA, MOSSAD, RAW & MI6.

by Rafay Kashmiri April 1, 2010 at 11:20 pm

@ May be somebody should make bal Thakuray
an april fool, we still have some hours left !!
I heard he loves National Socialist Fuhrer
Adolf Hitler !!

by Rafay Kashmiri April 1, 2010 at 11:37 pm

heyy m really intrested to have good relations with our neighbour and
wish for their improvement ….and luv is beyond boundries…and they both
are in luvv..so lets b happy in their happiness…….and should say sania
a very warm welcome in PAKISTAN.we luv u both….

sadaf pakistan

by sadaf April 2, 2010 at 12:58 am

• For marital affairs, Islam benchmarks very clear and well defined
set of laws, boundaries, rules and ordinances of “All Mighty Allah”
for all Muslims to follow.

• Islam does not permit Muslim men/women to marry with KUFARS (idol
worshipers)or with non believers (atheists). If Muslim man/woman
marries with such, they no longer are considered as Muslims.

• Islam permit Muslim men to marry women who are the beholders of the
Holy Books, i.e. Quran, Bible and Torah.

• Islam permits Muslim women to marry only Muslim men.

• Islam rejects non marital relationships of any kind between men and
women.

 Pakistanis get side track as easy as with this hype of; Shoaib Malik
& Sania Mirza.

 Pakistanis quickly lose sense of directions and aims and become
focused on non relevant issues like; Shoaib Malik & Sania Mirza.

 Pakistanis don’t spare time and forget their tasks and adjectives
and starts devilling on non productive activates like; Shoaib Malik &
Sania Mirza.

 Pakistanio; do you not feel shame when you live and act like your
enemies (hindoz)?
 Indeed you know hindoz are KAFIRS and Pakistan’s historical enemies,
so then why do you do things that your enemy does?

 Pakistanio do you not have any standards or motives other then
Shoaib Malik or Sania Mirza or Indian media or indian bollywood?

 As Pakistanis if you think following lifestyles of your enemies or
playing sad and pathetic games of Shoaib Malik or Sania Mirza would
make you above and beyond than carry on with your patty little idol
worshiping games.

o All I can say for the likes of you; SHAME ON LOT OF YOU!

by Pakistani voice April 2, 2010 at 5:54 am

That’s what india is a true terrorist and the hindu extrmists are the
real threat to the world. These so called hindu superpower india
inside is just a piece of crap where there is no tolerance. These
hindus kill others just because they eat beef and chicken what a piece
of sh??? india is. Come on liberty lowers condemn indian terrorism the
mother of all terrorist country india. A lesson for india lovers
including our elite class. Our media should also control itself always
running indian news.

by Pakistani April 2, 2010 at 7:39 am

hehehehe…. looks like PKKH making up stuff again. And the dimwitted
Pakis buying this news without bothering to check facts…. amusing
indeed. Despite the Thakreys being completely useless, they haven’t
actually commented on anything – but then, since when has that stopped
you Pakis from making up stuff eh. Carry on boys…

by Amused April 2, 2010 at 8:43 am

This is fake news ., none of the Thakrey said this ., salutes to paki
media , have guts to lie openly

by harsha April 2, 2010 at 8:53 am

PKKH is such a Hypocritical website. i think i have to unsubscribe
from it on facebook.

by NA kar yaar April 2, 2010 at 9:41 am

@Amused Thakeray,
ha ha ha ha ha……..lolzzzzzzzz
Your Indian bluff not always works, for u, BJP,RSS
& 15 Nazi Shuddhi parties r “useless” (on surface)
but beneath they r part & parcel of Indian Genocidal
culture. Recently, Kashmir, Gujarat, Bombay, Ayudhia’s muslims are
very very recent mahabharat’s epochs, & Thakerays & Co were always
quite
” usefull “.

Sania / Shoeb wedding, goodluck for them,
but Indian Hindu Takfiri Taliban’s killer instinct & Bal Thakeray’s
wedding existed long long ago !

by Rafay Kashmiri April 2, 2010 at 10:02 am

Poor Indians…

by sohail April 2, 2010 at 10:15 am

@ NA kar yaar,

is that a new Indian shuddhi party ?

by Rafay Kashmiri April 2, 2010 at 10:16 am

happy ccouple inshalla.sania jee is now our expected babhi.shoib gi
kiya chakka lagyaaa hai.mazza agayaaaa.

by waqasayub22 April 2, 2010 at 12:11 pm

http://pakistankakhudahafiz.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/hindu-extremists-to-target-shoaib-maliks-family-during-wedding/

'Sania's heart not Indian as it beats for Pakistani'
Agencies

Posted: Friday , Apr 02, 2010 at 0954 hrs
Mumbai:
'More than victories on tennis court, Sania became famous for her
tight clothes, fashion and love affairs,' alleges Bal Thackeray.

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Friday flayed tennis star Sania Mirza
for her decision to marry Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, saying
"had Sania's heart been Indian, it wouldn't have beaten for a
Pakistani."

"Henceforth, Sania will not remain an Indian. Had her heart been
Indian, it wouldn't have beaten for a Pakistani. If she wished to play
for India, she should have chosen an Indian life partner," 84-year-old
Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"More than victories on tennis court, Sania became famous for her
tight clothes, fashion and love affairs," Thackeray alleged.

"More than her play, people's attention was on her mannerisms," he
claimed.

The Shiv Sena supremo alleged that "for Shoaib, India is an enemy, not
only in sports arena but also in the battlefield.

"We have heard that Shoaib has many affairs in India and has promised
many girls he will marry them," he said.

Thackeray also expressed surprise over the alacrity with which Sania's
family members were granted Pakistani visas.

"Getting a Pakistani visa is tough even for a singer like Lata
Mangeshkar," he said.

23-year-old Sania, who is the most successful woman tennis player from
the sub-continent, will settle down with 28-year-old Shoaib in Dubai
after their marriage on April 15 in Hyderabad.

17 Comments |

Trying times
By: Surjeet | Friday , 2 Apr '10 13:02:24 PM

Well, in trying times and war like situation, such as, terror attack
killing thousands, people who suffer will have this feeling where
loyalties could be questioned. Pakistani cricketers are also known for
indiscipline. We also talk of terror within, that is, hundreds of
Pakistani have come to India on tourist visa and are hiding in India.
What they are doing is anyone's guess. If anyone, or a family from the
nation of the victims questions his or her fellow citizens as to how
they wish to establish ties accross the border, where all the trouble
erupts, it certainly will be a logical question difficult to answer.
It is a war like situation when cowardly attacks are taking place. If
someone marries a french,english, italian, no question will arise. One
should not say this is an unreasonable question. Hydrabad is a place
where every year hundreds of girls are married into the Arab & Pak.
families. Questions are ofcourse askedabout these decisions as Indian
girls really suffer

This is Hilarious
By: Rahul | Friday , 2 Apr '10 13:01:42 PM

This is so hilarious...this isn't even a topic worth discussing...ha
ha ha ... lol...ROFL...idiots!

MASHPAUL GERMANY 02.04.2010
By: P.C.LUTHRA | Friday , 2 Apr '10 12:51:41 PM

PLEASE BE COSIDERATE IN YOUR LANGUAGE WHILE WRITING ABOUT SENIOR
CITIZENS AND LEADERS IN INDIA(SHRI BAL THACKEREY. YOUR WORDS "BARKING
DOGS SELDOM BITE" IS BELOW THE DIGNITY OF HUMANITY WHETHER IN INDIA OR
IN GERMANY.MAY GOD BLESS YOU. WITH WARM REGARDS

y make it a news?
By: ankur | Friday , 2 Apr '10 12:50:31 PM

Everyone of us is having our own views. Mr. Bal Thackerey is just
another Indian with his own views. I think he is doing no good to this
country. Will you be making a this a news tomorrow. Its time to tell
these kind of people that they can have their views but they are not
like any other Indian and no special column in papers should be given
to what they say and what they don't say. I think this encourages him
further. Thackerey Sahab try to be an indian first, then start having
views for other Indians and kindly don't try to impose your views on
others. Any ways Shoiab's decision is Sania's decision and her decsion
should be respected by all of us. Why still this narrow mindedness
that every Pakistani is a terrorist. We have better issues to debate
and work on. Let us just sideline whatever Baal Sahab says from now
on.

Sania Mirza must review her decision with maturity !!!
By: A K SAXENA | Friday , 2 Apr '10 12:32:28 PM

It is rightly said that the celebrities have no private lives.Sania is
a public figure.She was expected to decide about her marriage by full
application of her mind rather than heart.Did she know that Shoab
Malik was already married to one Ayesha Siddiqui of Hyderabad? And,
she has not been divorced yet by Shoab Malik!Why is Sania falling head
over heels over Pakistani players?Do Indian muslims not impress her?We
have scores of eligible bachelor from all communities including
muslims who could be good match for her.She was born and brought up in
a composite indian culture.India gave her love and affection that a
child so much deserved.Sania brought glory to India and became an
icon,a house-hold name,a role model to millions!Her assurance that she
would continue to play for India even after her marriage is a
farce.Time will prove her wrong. Our blessings are always with
her,destiny has ordained otherwise for her as her heart will always
remain indian A K SAXENA (A retd civil servant)

Gullible Sania
By: Ramachandra | Friday , 2 Apr '10 12:27:20 PM

Bala Saheb is 1 crore and 1 percent right here. Malik has just
ensnared this gullible female into his web of deception in order to
get into IPL...shame on Sania anyways. But as my late Grandma used to
say: The careless are often exploited by the shameless.

Hear is a Heart
By: Farooq Khan | Friday , 2 Apr '10 12:17:13 PM

Oh Wow, Sena Chief now uses the word 'Indian', ha!

Sania's heart
By: Roshan | Friday , 2 Apr '10 12:15:42 PM

On this issue, Shri Bal Thackeray has spoke right.Sania's heart had
never been to India. Else she wouldn't have likened a pakistani. Are
there shortage of Indian Muslims that she couldn't find one? Let her
go to pakistan and acquire a pakistani citizenship. Indian doesn't
need her. Furthermore,she's tired of nursing injuries time and again.
I dont think she would continue tennis anymore. Playing in or for
Pakistan is obsolete .

I agree to some parts of it.
By: deepak | Friday , 2 Apr '10 12:09:45 PM

I think Bala Sahab..is right in some areas.

He's not wrong
By: Yojimbo | Friday , 2 Apr '10 12:02:31 PM

Well, he is right.

SANIA DECISION
By: Jafar Raza | Friday , 2 Apr '10 12:01:21 PM

Indian Muslims all over the country expressed their displeasure for
Sina's decision. Now communal forces have come out to exploit and
commualise the issue. There are many Hindu girls married to Pakistani
Rajput Landlords in Sindh. Has HHS Bal Thakrey ever objected.

rightly said
By: iyer | Friday , 2 Apr '10 11:56:53 AM

But for the comment of Sania's tight clothes I fully agree with Mr.Bal
Thackery in this issue.At least She should have thought about the
hapless & innocent Indians who died in Mumbai on November 26th and
other pak sponsored terrorists activities.There are eligible-educated-
financially strong Muslim youths available in India.Really strange on
her part to choose a Pakistani as her husband.

Bala Saheb
By: jani | Friday , 2 Apr '10 11:54:53 AM

Bala Saheb is right on the spot this time.Sania has no business to
live in India. Entry of Malik should be banned in India. He may spoil
lives of other innocent Indian girls.Indian girls be aware and don't
fall prey to such thugs. Shoaib wants to enter IPL by marrying Sania
as he has no other revenue. What ever money he had earned from match
fixing has been wasted in casting web on such girls

No rules here!
By: Parag Ganguly | Friday , 2 Apr '10 11:42:43 AM

"The heart has its reasons",or does it?

Sania and Shoaib
By: Mashpaul Germany | Friday , 2 Apr '10 11:42:04 AM

Iam not a fan from both of them.But who the hell is Thackeray to tell
people what they have to do or who they have to marry.He should come
out of Maharashtra and see where the world is going.He can order his
family to do things he wants.I in sanias place would have draged
thackeray in court.But she is peaceful than me,maybe she thinks
BARKING DOGS SELDOM BITE.His own family is not under his control.Split
personality,he should see a psychaitrist.

Govt should make getting permission compusory
By: Ayyappa | Friday , 2 Apr '10 11:27:06 AM

Any one can marry any one. It is their wish and there are so many
inter racial marriages happening in this world. In this case one
fraudster is marrying an Indian girl. What is the gaurantee this
marriage is legal? Other than the country he originate from tere are
news of an earler marriage in India itself. Any more wives in Paki?
Govt should look at some countries in far east where it is compusory
to get govt clearence before any citizen can marry a foreigner. After
marrying they can claim for citizenship and other previlages. What
will we do then. We do not want undesirable elements from Paki here.
Sania should go and take Paki citizenship and settle any where.

since when have you started to care for india.........
By: Saket Ranjan | Friday , 2 Apr '10 11:24:49 AM

and since when you started caring for india............i heard your
heart beats only for the marathi manus!!!

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/saniasheartnotindianasitbeatsforpakistani/599144/

Two Lashkar militants killed in J-K encounter
Agencies

Posted: Friday , Apr 02, 2010 at 0934 hrs
Jammu:

Two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were killed in a gunbattle with security
forces in Rajouri district on Friday.

Acting on a tip off about the movement of militants in Kanthole Gundi-
Darrutelna in Kalakote, 130 kms from here, police assisted by
Rashtriya Rifle and CRPF personnel launched a cordon operation.

An encounter soon broke out around 0830 hrs in which two militants
have been killed, police said.

Both of them are Pakistanis and believed to be a part of the group
that infiltrated from across the border in Akhnoor on March 23.

With today's killing, 14 militants have been killed in the past one
week in Rajouri district. All the slain militants belong to LeT.

Six LeT militants of Pakistani origin, who had escaped from Triyath
forest after a brief encounter three days ago, were killed by security
forces in Rajouri district yesterday.

A search team of police assisted by army, special operation group
(SoG) and CRPF tracked down the militants who had escaped from Triyath
forest on March 30 following a brief encounter with the security
personnel.

A jawan had been killed and Station House Officer of Daramshal Police
Station Inspector Showkat Ali was injured in that incident.

Two militants of this group were killed in Dharamshal area on Saturday
last while four were killed in Kandi Bhudal belt of Rajouri district
on Wednesday.

Comments (2) |

LeT Militant
By: Kumar | 02-Apr-2010

LeT is a Regiment of Pak Army, now the situation in Kashmir like of
Kargil. One full battalion or even a division of LeT regiment is
invading India. What is Indian Army's response, before being too late?

Congratulations Indian army
By: Indian | 02-Apr-2010 Rep

You have done an excellent job. Keep up the good work, kill as many
terrorist as possible. We are praying for the success of the Indian
army.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/twolashkarmilitantskilledinjkencounter/599140/

MBA graduate gangraped in share taxi
Agencies

Posted: Friday , Apr 02, 2010 at 1147 hrs
Pune:

A 25-year-old married woman was allegedly gang raped by occupants of a
share taxi in which she was travelling in Pune, police said o Friday.

The woman, an MBA in hospitality management, had gone out for an
interview in Wakad area, taking a lift in the vehicle when she was
abducted and allegedly raped by three persons, who too were seated in
the taxi along with her, last night, they said.

Two suspects had been detained for interrogation in the case, police
said.

The victim who originally hails from Nagpur was staying with her
relatives in the city, it was stated.

Medical report in the case is still awaited, police said.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mbagraduategangrapedinsharetaxi/599172/

HM to review security situation in Arunacha
Agencies

Posted: Friday , Apr 02, 2010 at 1232 hrs
Itanagar:

P Chidambaram will hold a high level meeting with the Army and
security agencies during his visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram will review the security situation
in the state amid speculation that Myanmar may launch an operation
against Northeast militants having bases there, officials said.

Chidambaram, who arrived in Itanagar on Friday on a two-day visit,
will hold a high level meeting with the Army and security agencies.

He is also scheduled to visit Khonsha, headquarters of Tirap, a
district declared disturbed along with adjoining Changlang, under the
Armed Forces Special Power Act because of activities of militants from
neighbouring Nagaland and Assam.

The militants use the forests in the two districts sharing border with
Myanmar as corridor to their bases across the international border.

After being driven out from Bhutan and Bangladesh, the militants have
reportedly taken refuge in camps in Myanmar.

Union Home Secretary G K Pillai had visited Naypyidaw, the new
Myanmarese capital, in January.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hmtoreviewsecuritysituationinarunachal/599187/

Militants blow up Rly track in Pulwama
Agencies

Posted: Friday , Apr 02, 2010 at 0829 hrs
Srinagar:

Militants attacked the Kashmir rail network for the first time,
blowing up nearly two feet of track in Pulwama district, resulting in
suspension of rail service linking South Kashmir with North Kashmir.

The ultras detonated an IED at Galbug, 43.6 km from here, around 10 pm
last night, damaging two feet rail track, police said, adding there
were no casualties.

Rail service on the track has been suspended.

This is for the first time that militants have targeted the railway
service, started in the valley two years ago.

The attack comes at a time when senior railway officers are expected
to visit Kashmir to review progress of the ongoing work in the
railways.

The rail track connects Qazigund in South Kashmir to Baramulla in
North Kashmir.

SSP, Pulwama, Kifayat Haider, said, "It was probably an IED blast
because not much of damage has been done but we have recovered some
wires from the spot. Repair work is going on since this morning and
the track will be restored within a couple of hours."

Comments (1) |

Pak regiment LeT Sabotage Rail in J
By: Kumar | 02-Apr-2010

LeT is a Regiment of Pak Army, now the situation in Kashmir like of
Kargil. One full battalion or even a division of LeT regiment is
invading India. What is Indian Army's response, before being too late?

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/militantsblowuprlytrackinpulwama/599125/

HC stays suspension of AMU’s gay prof
Vijay Pratap Singh

Posted: Friday , Apr 02, 2010 at 0315 hrs
Allahabad:

The Allahabad High Court today stayed the suspension of Aligarh Muslim
University lecturer Srinivas Ramchandra Siras over charges of gay
sex.

The court also stayed the AMU order asking him to vacate his official
residence and restricting his movements. Siras was suspended on
February 9. The court, however, declined to stay the AMU inquiry
against him.

In an interim order, the division bench of Justices Sunil Ambwani and
K N Pandey directed AMU to allot Siras a residence on the campus. The
case will be heard next on May 4.

“The court agreed to our argument that it is constitutionally wrong to
intrude into anybody’s private life or action,” Siras’s counsel Anand
Grover told The Indian Express.

He said he had accepted in court that his client was homosexual. “But
it is none of the university’s business to peep into the private life
of any person. The court took cognisance of my argument and gave my
client relief.”

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hcstayssuspensionofamusgayprof/599106/

Back in UP politics, Rajnath woos backwards, Dalits
Tarannum Manjul

Posted: Friday , Apr 02, 2010 at 0255 hrs
Lucknow:

Rajnath Singh at his residence in Lucknow on Thursday.

Rajnath Singh has returned to Uttar Pradesh politics after his stint
as the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the first
thing on his mind is to mobilise the members of backward communities
and Dalits all over the state behind the party.

After attending a programme for Kori community in Ghaziabad recently,
Singh was in Barabanki on Wednesday where he addressed members of Pasi
community.

Speaking about their welfare, Singh said Chief Minister Mayawati has
not taken any concrete steps for the welfare of Dalits.

“When I was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, I had introduced an
ordinance for the most backward castes, to ensure their share of
social justice,” Singh told The Indian Express.

“But today look what has happened to them. No one is thinking about
their welfare anymore. Whenever I am finding time, I am open to all
invitations to work for the welfare of most backward communities,” he
added.

Singh now spends more time at his Lucknow residence on Kalidas Marg
and says that he has started receiving invitations to attend several
sammelans. His next stop will be a Dalit welfare programme at Fatehpur
on April 23.

Rajnathspeak

We are not at all worried as we have a strong base in the western part
of Uttar Pradesh. In fact, two of the biggest seats in the area —
Ghaziabad and Meerut — have been won by BJP On Kalyan’s bid to expand
his party’s reach

Crores of rupees have been spent by the Centre on the Ganga Action
Plan but we can’t see any result so far. We have found that all the
money has been misused. The Centre should release a White Paper on the
utilisation of fund
On White Paper on Ganga Action Plan

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/backinuppolitics-rajnathwoosbackwards-dalits/599091/

To attract youth, Gadkari seeks new Hindutva idiom
Express News Service

Posted: Tuesday , Mar 23, 2010 at 0222 hrs

New Delhi:

BJP president Nitin Gadkari said: ' Hindutva cannot become any
political party's agenda.

BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Monday stressed on the need for a
modern idiom to articulate Hindutva for the youth, even as he said
that the Supreme Court’s 1995 description of Hindutva (wherein it
described it as “a way of life”) must be the touchstone while
explaining the idea.

“Hindutva cannot become any political party’s agenda,” Gadkari said by
way of explaining that it was “more of a way of life”. This was the
first time he spoke at length on Hindutva after taking over as party
president.

“From Vivekananda to the Supreme Court definition, the idea of
Hindutva has been variously discussed. Hindutva is not against any
religion. While Hindutva is our philosophy, there’s a need to employ a
new idiom to articulate it to connect with the youth,” Gadkari said
while speaking on “Hindutva and Politics” at a function to mark the
launch of an association of volunteers “that will promote the BJP
among the youth”.

“Our credo has always been ‘justice for all; appeasement of none’. A
true Hindu can never attack a Muslim, and a true Muslim can never
attack a Hindu. A terrorist, on the other hand, has no religion,
caste, or creed. It’s the pseudo-secular brigade that has unduly
highlighted the religion of terrorists who happened to be Muslims,”
said Gadkari.

The BJP president said that while a “democracy would always need truly
secular institutions”, individuals “can never become secular”. After
taking over as the party president, Gadkari has attempted to bring
about certain changes in the organisation, something that won the
approval of RSS ideologue M G Vaidya.

27 Comments |

Great "U" turn
By: Sai Ram Sathyam | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 17:12:44 PM

Wonderful, This leader seas a wider vision. What was turning into an
animal is again 2 legged and has become decent. How great it would be,
if Hindians and insulating bureaucrats realise that the danger is
"CHINA" not Taliban, for it has planned and equipped our Revenur Dept,
Rural Govt. handlers and the greedy to help create Moaists, Nuxalbari.
A Rich Andhra, Zamindar told me, if go to the interior villages and
listen to the suffering of the needy, you will buy an AK-47 and join
the urising. ! Indians dont know the silly-greedy petty minded
officers may get a salary but are destroying the foundation, and thus
helping CHINA & PAK plans. Even if ISI cannot see beyond their nose we
must, as we are broad minded. ! If their house is on fire, radiation
will hurt us. God Save Naya dhaur Hindia.

Religion has become useful tool for Indian politicians
By: hara | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 16:59:35 PM

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as
false, and by the rulers as useful. -- seneca, Roman philosopher This
kind of agenda will make Indian society weaker. Religion should be
separated from politics, that's secularism. Politicians who go with
religious propaganda end up in creating another religious war inside
India.

Hindutva
By: CPGoyal | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 16:25:41 PM

For sure Hindutva is not a religion. Its a way of life.Need proof?
Open any Hindu scripture. The Bhagwat-Gita,Ramayan the Vedas, Purans,
you name it and you will not find the word Hindu in any of them. One
reason probably is that at that time no other religion existed. So,
essencially, Hinduism is a way of life and nothing else.

Attract Youths
By: Dinesh | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 15:42:46 PM

Gadkari has to " KICK OUT " Advani first, to attract youths.

True Sculars and True Indians
By: amghavarsha.ii | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 15:19:03 PM

people supporting secular parties are always forward looking, always
tolerant. Never include religion in propagand. The very fact that
gadkari is saying that "....terrorists who happen to be muslims "
shows his bias towards which religion. After all the most secular and
true Indians are Secularists. Because they don't find natural
difference in the human who happens to be Indian. It is BJP which has
given India the VERTICAL DIVIDE accross sections of Indian Society.

who divided India in 1947
By: Anil Dutt | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 18:37:24 PM

You said "It is BJP which has given India the VERTICAL DIVIDE accross
sections of Indian Society" I just want to ask you who created
communal divide in India post independance in 1947. BJP didnt exist at
that time?? Communal friction existed since then.

Focus on Grassroot People
By: jk | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 15:07:23 PM

It is good that the new chief of BJP is focusing on youth. Please also
concentrate on the so called harijans i.e. SC/ST, adivasis and all
other socially & economically backward people. We cannot make any
progress and keep the integrity of the nation without the unity of the
backward and the so called savarna community. As everybody aware there
is a sinister attempt by the Semitics to tow away the national pride
of the people and inject imported faiths & ideals. If we are not able
to stop this menace the present India will not exist until end of this
century. So act now. Do not give any space in BJP for personal egoism
and infighting. Show the door to those who interested in these ugly
things irrespective of their stature. Do systematic works by taking
into confidence all spectrum of the socieity to achieve the target.
Wish you all the best.

Be agressive in highlighting the failures of UPA
By: R.C.Mohan | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 13:00:38 PM

BJP a party with great leaders at the top are still to win the
confidence of people in India although the party too advocate the
policy of secularism in its own way.Gadkari as president of the party
must come forward to highlight the failures of the present UPA
government in several areas. Manmohan Singh has failed in all fields
except in the economic arena thanks to his vast experience in the
affairs. In spite of a global recession, India could withstad the
melee because of Mr.Singh. But in all other fields he has miserably
failed and this fact should be highlighted by the BJP. In Law & Order,
Agricultural, Food Distribution,Controlling terrorism, external
affairs etc the present UPA Government has let down the people to a
pathetic state of affairs.Dividing the hindus and appeasing other
religions made them comfortable in hoodwinking the people to an
extend.Hence Gadkari has to be progressive by being agressive in
highlighting the failures of the UPA.All will get attracted naturally

Indian Prestorika for UPA
By: J.A. Mansuri | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 12:58:42 PM

Both UPA & NDA could reshape by learning for future strategies about
co-existence with & without difference in plural society. Observing
specific areas of SC and Constitution will lead to further polarize
society & national polity. Observing judiciary on Babri Masjid will
bring national integration. Vaccum in philosophy and cadre is on
surface amongst both groups.

Observing Judiciary
By: Ananth Seth | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 13:38:48 PM

Effective and just National Integration can only come after the
followers of Islam give up their false claim on Ayodhya and disown
pseudo-secularists and pseudo-intellectuals. Any other talk is nothing
but an "under cover" attack on the history and civilization of this
great country.

BJP back to winning trajectory
By: Chirag K. Shahc | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 12:58:34 PM

I sincerely wish that BJP wins next elections both in Banglore polls
and Bihar. It is high time a nationalist party gets its due.

BAD PERSONS
By: yusuf ahmed | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 12:39:36 PM

a bad person is a bad person - a thug is a thug - let us not brand him
- region religion have nothing to do with badness - the new BJP
President is right - his thought process his mind set is on target -
reflects a mental over haul
-
Gadkari seeks new Hindutva idiom
By: subramanian | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 12:05:50 PM

The party's Top leadership is making good and sincere attempts to
rejenuvate BJP. The party has to attract down trodden and weaker
sections of Hindus to retain BJP as the main opposition party. Involve
all Indians across religious lines to become the ruling party.

Kangress bhagaoe,desh bachaoe
By: birju | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 12:02:36 PM

Gadkariji,way to go! demolish the evil party ruling us and install the
patriots in power!

Hindutava
By: Parminder Singh | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 11:35:17 AM

My dear brothers and sisters. If a particular word creates
misunderstanding, notwithstanding the intentions behind it, we should
reconsider modifying it. Suppose Akalis say that in Punjab, Sikhutava
be practised or christians in NE States say Christianava be practised
and Muslims say in J&K, Muslimism be way of life, it would definately
not be acceptable to others. I would suggest to Mr Gadhkari that he
should use the word Bharatism as the slogan and moto. While one may
have reservations or objections to any word which in any way seem to
be linked to a particular community or religion, none can have
objection to the word reflecting the country in which he or she lives.

Objection for everything
By: Indian | Thursday , 25 Mar '10 14:27:30 PM

Parminder,first read the definition of Hindutva by Supreme court &
then make comment here.Minorities in India have reservation for
anything said & done by majority.They will not even like to call
bharath since we worship the same as our mata

Hinduvta
By: DRJ | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 11:57:24 AM

Can u advocate the same philosophy for Pakistan which is driving
hindus and sikhs out. India is perhaps the only country where
affiliations of Muslims and Christians are outside the country i.e
Mekka and Rome. Nothing wrong in beliefs. But the basic interest to
rest with the country which is missing and hels overseas interest to
destabilise the country.

Hindutva and Hinduism
By: soumik pal | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 10:52:50 AM

Nitin Gadkari's comments are better thought than the usual fare dished
out by the likes of Narendra Modi. But one should realize that
Hinduism, after all, is just a discursive field open to debate and
discussion. It is not monolithic. It is not a religion, it is a dharma
(there's a difference). And by all means is Hinduism inclusive unlike
the brand of Hindutva being promoted by BJP and it's more hardcore
allies like the RSS, VHP etc. Godhra riots and countless other events/
incidents bear testimony to that. And "Mantra", India is not a Hindu
nation.

What is the final solution
By: mun | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 10:13:58 AM

Whilst all these comments are true, there is still the real problem
India faces not now but about 100 years from now. By that time the
proportion of Hindus and others in particular Muslims will have
changed to a point that unrest becomes more frequent and violent. The
reason is Hindus might continue to say India is secular and indeed
practice religious tolerence, but unfotunately, Islam does not give
any choice to muslims. That is, there is only one way of being muslim,
which is the way quran preached originally. No muslim can accept a
State which is not based on quran. That means India can never enact a
law restricting muslims from marrying more than one wife, practice
family planning or any other practices even if they are archaic and
irrelevant to 22nd century. Is there a way out of this? If muslim
population is proportionately, more than Hindus will they allow Hindus
to live they want to live? No convincing answers to this yet.

Hindutva
By: MRR | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 10:01:19 AM

It is good start and it is upto verybody to ensure that they do not
elect the Pseudo secular's back to power in next election and give
this ideology a another chance to put in practise. Good luck

Let and Let live - Hindutva idiom
By: kulmohan | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 9:52:41 AM

Let and Let live - Hindutva idiom. Nothing else would define the
essence of hinduism better

Let and Let Live
By: Indian | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 10:20:14 AM

Yea that is exactly what is happening with terrorirsts. We are letting
them leave and forgetting ourselves to protect. We are letting
terrorirsts live by voting politicians who are very careful not to
hang them despite of SC judgement

Hindutva
By: Mantra | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 9:38:19 AM

While the Honorable Supreme Court is absolutely correct in defining
Hinduism as a way of life, Hindu's also have certain beliefs and value
systems, which are unique to them. Hindu's like any other religion
believe in the supremacy of god,life and worship. It is therefore a
way of life to practice the three epitomes of any religion. Now
Islamic and Christian nations do give Bonus points to people or
citizens who practice the religion as endorsed by the state. Prime
examples are Malaysia,Israel, France, Australia, whole of Middle East
and to a great extent US and UK too. Now, as a nation, what is wrong
being a Hindu nation? What is wrong in being a Hindu? At the end of
it, India and Nepal are the only two Hindu nations! The consitution
does not need to hurt the religious sentiments of others, nor should
it curtail the rights of other minorities, however, it should not also
give bonus points and additional privileges to citizens of India of
minority beliefs.

Right
By: India | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 10:00:06 AM

Very good. Very rightly said.

Hindus-Divided
By: DRJ | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 11:02:47 AM

Nitinji is making good and sincere attempts to rejenuvate BJP. The
main flaw in BJP's policy is that it recognises only certain sections
as Hindus and rest all as sub servers. This discrimination is being
exploited by Congress. BJP has to learn to recongnise all sections of
Hindus.

BJP most secular
By: Swan | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 13:54:39 PM

BJP does recognize all sections. 80% of BJP and RSS are from OBC or
Dalit communities. But the biased media and pseudo secular people do
not give that importance but do wrong publicity.

Thanks to Indian Express
By: Swanand Bodas | Tuesday , 23 Mar '10 9:35:52 AM

This has been BJP's agenda from JanSangh time. Hindutva by virtue is
comprehensive. The culture here is tolerent and harmonious but of
course is capable to teach a lesson to pseudo secularists who have
been dividing the country for their vote-bank politics. Whatever SC
had said was exactly stated by Veer Savarkar by defining Hindus as
those loving this country and being part of the culture of this
country. But due to Pseudo secular people and even worse media this
has always been prohibitted to come forward. So I must congratulate
Indian Express which at least has made it a news unlike almost other
media channels who are more worried about Rahul Gandhi's whereabouts,
where does he stay what does eat, whether Priyanka was with him or not
etc. than any other intellectual process. This country needs to bring
all religions, states on same level with no special religious laws to
Muslims and no special status to J&K. Only then the country becomes
united

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/to-attract-youth-gadkari-seeks-new-hindutva-idiom/594388/

Lalu attacks Ramdev, calls him 'senile'
Press Trust Of India
Posted on Apr 01, 2010 at 18:31

Patna: Once an admirer of Baba Ramdev, RJD chief Lalu Prasad went
hammer and tongs against the Yoga Guru for attacking politicians and
nurturing political ambitions and said he has gone 'senile'.

The former Bihar Chief Minister said it is not good for Ramdev, who
recently announced that he would float a political party, to criticise
every politician in the country.

"It is not good that Ramdev is criticising every politician in the
country to prove himself good," Prasad said at a function here
yesterday targeting the noted Yoga Guru.

"I have advised him against joining politics. In fact, Ramdevji bauwra
gaye hai (Ramdevji has gone senile)," he said.

Ramdev had blamed politicians for some of the problems facing the
country.

But Lalu's tirade against Ramdev did not go well with the BJP chief
Nitin Gadkari.

Gadakri came out in defence of Ramdev and ticked off Lalu saying his
language was inappropriate and that it was not warranted against such
a "veteran spiritual leader".

Initially telling he would not like to comment on the issue, Gadkari
later opened up saying Lalu should have "refrained from using such
language against Ramdev."

"His comments on such a respected person are disappointing," he added.

At the function, Lalu said "We once saved him (Ramdev) or else he
would have been beaten up."

Lalu was apparently referring to the strong support he had extended as
railway minister to the Yoga Guru when the latter was attacked by CPM
leader Brinda Karat who had alleged that animal bones were being mixed
with the ayurvedic medicine produced by an institution established by
Ramdev at Haridwar.

Lalu had stressed that even if human bones were mixed with medicines,
it was justified as they proved to be effective in curing people.

He also criticised Ramdev for claiming to cure cancer.

"In this research age, it is nothing but cheating and befooling
people," he said.

Lalu and Ramdev had been mutual admirers earlier. He praised the Yoga
Guru for teaching him `aasans' which cured his high blood pressure and
blood sugar. Ramdev had also praised Lalu for doing `hasya (laughing)
aasan' frequently and keeping himself healthy.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/lalu-attacks-ramdev-calls-him-senile/112519-37.html

Marry an Indian: Sena tells Sania

Watch Video

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/112547/marry-an-indian-sena-tells-sania.html

Nitin Gadkari has failed his first test
March 25, 2010 14:32 IST

Nitin Gadkari [ Images ] had raised expectations as a no-nonsense man
who meant business. Even as he has tried to synchronise the pulls and
pressures within the BJP, the composition of his new team has been
disappointing. What is more, he has failed to come across as his own
man, writes Neerja Chowdhury.

Nitin Gadkari's new team last week was meant to show how the new
Bharatiya Janata Party [ Images ] chief planned to translate his
intentions into reality and move and shake the party. But it was a
case of khoda pahar nikli chuhiya (Dug up a mountain but only found a
mouse). Four months into the party presidency, Gadkari has a revolt
on his hands, and that too in Bihar, where critical state elections
are due in six months.

Considering Gadkari took three months to finalise his team, after
innumerable rounds of consultations with state units, the public
expression of unhappiness by party leaders has not done anything to
strengthen Gadkari's authority as BJP chief.

But first, let us consider the plus side of Team Gadkari. The average
age of the Gadkari team has come down, and that is a step forward. The
increasingly youthful face of the Congress, under Rahul Gandhi
[ Images ], had posed a challenge for the BJP and was a cause for
worry for the Sangh Parivar.

There are 12 women office-bearers and 40 women in the BJP's national
executive, and the party constitution has changed under Gandkari's
stewardship, and this will exert its own pressure on other parties.

But the question being asked is: Who are the youth and women -- and
indeed others -- the BJP president has chosen to bring to the fore to
lead the party? And in so doing, how far has he moved in the direction
of fulfilling the promises he made when he took over?

When he began his stint as the party chief, Gadkari had spoken about a
performance audit. He had said that BJP leaders will be judged by
their actions, and not by how many drawing rooms in Delhi [ Images ]
they frequented. The promotion of Hema Malini [ Images ] as BJP's vice
president -- she brings glamour to the party's campaign at election
time but is hardly visible otherwise -- or the appointment of
actresses Smriti Irani [ Images ] and Vani Tripathi has done little to
boost the morale of women slogging in the party's state units for
years, who had become hopeful that they will finally receive some
recognition.

The parity given to Vani Tripathi and Murlidhar Rao -- both were made
secretaries, when Rao had headed the Swadeshi Jagran Manch and has
given years of his life towards creating a movement for swadeshi in
extremely trying times -- is hardly a signal that the new leadership
intends to reward performance or commitment to the basic values of the
Parivar.

It can be argued, quite legitimately, that Gadkari had to work with
well-known faces, and new leaders were not going to drop from the
heavens. Any organisational reshuffle is after all a jiggling around
of known people. But the hallmark of an effective leader is, how he
utilises the existing material at hand to infuse the organisation with
new energy.

Gadkari had also set himself the goal of increasing the party's vote
bank by 10 per cent. Yet, southern India [ Images ] is virtually
unrepresented in the new team, and this 10 per cent increase cannot
come only from the northern states, where the BJP already has a
presence.

For the first time, no BJP general secretary hails from Uttar Pradesh
[ Images ], where important elections are due in 2012. The party has
to pull itself up by its bootstraps in the country's largest state if
it is to bid for power again. However, two out of the 10 general
secretaries are from Madhya Pradesh [ Images ], where elections are
not due any time soon.

In Bihar, where elections are due in October, and where the
established caste equations which brought the BJP-led National
Democratic Alliance to power last time have become skewed, the party
has a problem on its hands. Former Union minister C P Thakur has
publicly expressed his unhappiness; so has Shatrughan Sinha
[ Images ], though he is a perennial dissenter and is batting not only
for himself this time but also for senior leader Yashwant Sinha
[ Images ], who has been left out in the cold.

An unhappy Shahnawaz Hussain, who was made only a spokesman, chose to
boycott the first meeting of party spokespersons. Purnea Member of
Parliament Udai Singh has not spoken up, but is reportedly also
resentful at not being given his due.

Two leaders from Bihar have been promoted to important party posts,
but both happen to be Kayasthas, and this has fuelled a revolt in the
other communities. But these promotions have shown that the new party
chief is either unmindful of caste as a reality of Indian politics or
is deliberately not going to bother himself with it.

The exclusion of Hussain as a general secretary in the new Gadkari
team has ramifications that go beyond an individual. It is an open
secret that Hussain was tipped for a general secretary's post and it
seems that his name was dropped at the last moment at the insistence
of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

It goes without saying that Hussain's credentials for the job are
better than those of many others. This is not just because he is young
(41), has been a member of the Lok Sabha thrice and has served as the
youngest ever Cabinet minister during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's
[ Images ] premiership. It says something for his enterprising spirit
that he managed to win despite being a Muslim in a party like the BJP,
which is viewed with suspicion by the Muslim community. In the last
two elections, he won from Bhagalpur, which has a sizeable Muslim
population.

His promotion would have given the party a talking point that it is
serious about reaching out to the minority community. After all, soon
after he took over as the BJP chief, Gadkari had declared that he
wanted to build bridges with the Muslim community.

In some way, Hussain's exclusion comes as a real setback to the party
in its journey to become a mainstream organisation. It has also
underscored the party's bias against Muslims, even as other BJP
leaders like Mukhtar Abbbas Naqvi and Najma Heptullah were made vice
presidents. But that is not the same as being made a general
secretary. Hussain's exclusion shows that Muslims in the BJP can have
only a tokenistic role and rise up to a certain point, but not beyond
it

It goes without saying that the RSS has had a major say in fashioning
the new team. The three RSS pointspersons in the party have retained
their positions -- Ram Lal as general secretary and V Satish and
Saudan Singh as joint secretaries. Gadkari had reportedly elicited the
views of the organisational 'mantris' in the states on which leaders
to include in his new team.

However, the trio that essentially influenced Gadkari comprised Ram
Lal, former BJP president Rajnath Singh, and joint general secretary
of the RSS Suresh Soni, who was a powerful figure during Singh's
presidency. He continues to wield considerable clout, though many felt
that he might lose some of it, given Gadkari's direct access to RSS
chief Mohan Bhagwat.

The new team was reportedly finalised only at 3 am, on the day of the
actual announcement, at Gadkari's new flat at Ferozeshah Road.

Gadkari had raised expectations as a no-nonsense man who meant
business. Even as he has tried to synchronise the pulls and pressures
that any head of a political organisation would have to, the
composition of his new team, his first real test as party chief, has
been disappointing. What is more, he has failed to come across as his
own man.

Neerja Chowdhury

Discussion Board

Showing 1-10 of total 47 messages

http://news.rediff.com/column/2010/mar/25/nitin-gadkari-has-failed-his-first-test.htm

ndian Fake Encounters to Boost Hindutva Image (Who Controls Fanatic
India- XVI)- Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal
Submitted by abdul2028 on Thu, 01/04/2010 - 21:26

Dr. Abdul Ruff ColachalIndian Fake Encounters to Boost Hindutva Image

Indian Fake Encounters to Boost Hindutva Image

There is a very striking feature common between fascist Israel and
terror India in policies and actions. It is not just fanaticism and
terror instinct that bind them all. One main factor is inferiority
complexes they suffer that they cover up with heavy military build up.
Inferiority complex is inherited from former rulers as part of fear of
retaliation by the oppressed, suppressed people.

None needs any crash course to know Hindu India is a terror state and
its hates Muslims and Islam and therefore seeks strategic partnership
with Israel and USA-UK. Hyderabad, home town of tennis ace Sania Mirza
and conisdered as part of Pakistan by Hindu India, keeps burning
thanks to terror Indian anti-Islamic, divisive polices. In Muslim
dominated areas it is easy to instigate troubles by the Hindu
extremists by attacking mosques and Islamic symbols. Hindus know the
provocative tactics to make Muslims revolt even without any serious
cause and they don’t open their mouth even when there is serious
danger affecting their relgion and lives.

This has been happening in Hyderabad which perhaps has the largest
miltiary contonement in South India and which is literally under brute
Indian terror military control by increasingly employing numberless
terror force enforcements. Right from the day when the former
Hyderabad ruler Nizam was thrown out of Hyderabad by the Indian terror
forces, Hyderabad’s Islamic face is being tarnished by the Hindu
rulers. The anti-Muslim central regime is using the major political
outfit MIM in Hyderabad to outrage the Muslims in the town nation of
Hyderabad. India even invented a new phenomenon Cyvberabad inside
Hyderabad/Secunderabad to counter the image of Hyderabad and
Secunderabad twin towns. Obviously India suffers from huge inferiority
complex despite its imposing terror power.

Fake terror threat percetptions pointing an accusing poisonous finger
at Muslims are common in all anti-Islamc nations, from USA, UK, to
India and Israel. Latest terror gimmick from India was engineered in
the air by a mock scare in Kingfisher airplane from Bangalore to
Trivandrum with anti-Islamic band of intentions is yet another Indian
strategic ploy to keep alive the terrorism drama. Since media in India
are under the control of the intelligence outfits, it is easy to
create panic in the country by blasting such terror plot news.
Obviously, the Indian intelligence outfits in connivance with the
airliner has done the neat job of terrorizing the people around. The
terrorist media faithfully gave enough coverage as if they cannot
think properly as how the terror materials came inside the plane at
the last minute!

It has been a sheer habit in Hindustan for the Hindutva outfits, on
the strenghtof cnetral regime, to issue unsolicited certificates and
fatwas on Muslims and Islam and who is a true Indian and who is not
and get away with them. They insult Muslims in public meetings for the
sake of votes form Hindus who other wise prefer medium Hindutva
Congress party. A “non-terrorist” plus a leading Bharatratna, Shiv
Sena chief Bal Thackeray certified on 27 March that the big B Amitabh
Bachchan is not a thief, dacoit or a terrorist. He also said the actor
has done nothing wrong by attending the inauguration of the second
phase of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

False accusations about Muslims and fake encounters are common in
India. In today’s terrorism era, the life of Muslims is complicated
mainly because of the hostile attitude of majority outs. Jammu Kahmir
is the hotbed of Indina state terorism and fake encounters to kill
Muslms who seek soveriegnty back from an arrogant India. Like Indian
cricket, every second military or police encounter in India is fake
and never the notorious public servants who provoke violence and
overact were found guilty. A reply the NHRC sent on 08/04/2009 to
Sahil, a Jamia Millia Islamia student who insisted on facts on state
sponsored violence and fake encounters, was revealing. Since October
1993 there were 1224 fake encounters in the country.

An interesting point the latest data reveals is that of 1224 fake
encounters, the NHRC ordered for compensation in only 16 cases. Since
October 1993, 2560 cases of police encounters have been brought into
the notice of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Of them,
according to the NHRC, 1224 cases have been found fake encounters. M.
A. Falahi reports while there is strong resistance by the government
and its agencies including police and even courts for a judicial probe
into the infamous Batla House encounter – ignoring persistent demand,
sharpened following the autopsy report, of the Muslim community and
human rights groups say every second police encounter that takes place
in the country is faked and falsified.

It means that roughly every second police encounter is fake in the
country. The information has been accessed by eminent RTI activist
Afroz Alam Sahil after several attempts. Sahil recently came into
limelight for securing the autopsy report of Batla House encounter
victims. This state terror scare is the latest fine showcase of its
terror intent and the close connections between state and private
intelligence as well as airliner networks and the related outfits.

There are always the political elelemnts in religious suits and even
big and samll political outfits in India who use religion to promote
themselves as spiritual leaders for their personal plus political
gains. In the backgrowndog double stnadards even by Arab antions on
globla Msulims, nexus between Islamic and non-Islamic (anti-Islamic)
nations with regard to genocides of Muslims.

Indian terror military minister Keral Malyali AK Anthony and Home
terror minsiter Thamil Chidambaram would pretend they are not aware of
any such state terror tactics to terorize the people, particularly
make Muslims feel more and more insecure and small. Generally bulk of
the majority people behave like jungle monkeys, even other wise! This
nasty bahviour has devestating negative impact on Muslims, too, in
their nutual behaviour.

Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal, Specialist on State Terrorism; Chronicler of
Freedom movements (Palestine, Kashmir, etc) ; Independent Columnist in
International Affairs; Research Scholar (JNU) & the only Indian to
have gone through entire India, a fraud and terror nation in South
Asia.

http://altnews.asia/content/2010/04/01/indian-fake-encounters-boost-hindutva-image-who-controls-fanatic-india-xvi-dr

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