Press Statement on Mallika Sarabhai [November 2003]
In a meeting held at IIC annexe on [November 1, 2003 ] the following statement was adopted. It was also decided to form an Alliance for the Defence of Democracy and to organize a Peace Concert in Ahmedabad where Mallika Sarabhai, Nafisa Ali and Habib Tanveer , (all three of them have been targeted lately [of fundamentalist attacks]) would be invited as the Chief Guests.
Released to the press by
Shabnam Hashmi
4, Windsor Place, New Delhi-110001 [India]
Tel- 23327367/ 66
Press Statement on Mallika Sarabhai
In the world's largest democracy, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Press and Freedom of Speech come at a heavy price.
Relentless harassment of tehelka.com that led to its closure, Income Tax raids on Outlook and its editor, physical assaults on journalists for "making attempts to project Gujarat as a violent and disturbed State", cases against social-activist Nafisa Ali, The Indian Express and Divya Bhaskar for allegedly fomenting communal passion and now a fraudulent case against Mallika Sarabhai.
The powers-that-be are increasingly using law as an instrument of oppression of voices of dissent putting at stake the very essence of democracy. The harassment of accomplished classical dancer Mallika by a regime in Gujarat which has committed horrendous crimes of genocide and has tried to use every means to prevent justice to prevail is yet another incident.
She is being hounded, and also "framed" in criminal cases, because she had initiated a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court of India against Gujarat government for the genocide it had committed last year; and has persisted in not withdrawing the case.
After the state sponsored carnage in Gujarat in February and March 2002 one of the first voices to be raised in protest was that of the accomplished classical dancer. With rare eloquences, courage and passion, she express her anguish at the massacre and her words stirred the conscience of the nation.
The recent slew of cases that have been filed against here are blatant political vendetta by the Government of Gujarat. The attempt clearly is to try to crush her spirit and silence her voice.
We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the partisan and malicious use of state authority against Mallika Sarabhai and to express strong solidarity and admiration for her fearless espousal of the truth.
Abhilasha Kumari, Prof, Delhi
Admiral Ramdas, Retd Admiral Indian Navy, Mumbai
Amit Sengupta, Senior Journalist, Delhi
Anand Patwardhan , Filmmaker, Mumbai
Aniket Alam, Journalist, Hyderabad
Anil Nauriya, Supreme Court Advocate, Delhi
Aniz Azmi, Theatre Director, Delhi
Anjum Rajabali, Journalist, Bombay
Apoorvanand,
Arun Gandhi , Founder and President, M.K.Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence , USA
Arvind Koshal
Ashok Lal, Playwright/Poet
Asad Zaidi, Poet, Delhi
BG Verghese
Bela Bhatia
Bhinish Shakeel
Cedric Prakash, Director, Prashant, Ahmedabad
Deb Mukerji, Ambassador
Digant Oza, Senior Journalist, Ahmadabad
Dilip D'Souza.
Ela Gandhi, Member of Parliament, South Africa, Mahatma GandhiÇs Grand Daughter
George Verghese, Senior Journalist, Delhi
Gita Bharali, Research Associate,North Eastern Social Research Centre, Guwahati
Githa Hariharan Writer, Delhi
Gulammohammed Sheikh, Artist, Baroda
Harsh Mander, Social Activist, Writer, Delhi
Hiren Gandhi, Samvedan Cultural Programme, Ahmedabad
Javed Mir, ActionAid, Kutch
Jerry Almeida, ActionAid, Delhi
Kamal Mitra Chenoy Prof., Delhi
KN Panikkar , Senior Historian, Kerala
Kuldeep Nayyar, Senior Journalist, Delhi
Lolita Ramdas, Activist, Mumbai
Loveleen Misra- TV Actress, Mumbai
Madhu Kishwar, Activist, Delhi
Mahesh Bhatt, Filmmaker, Mumbai
Mohd.Azam, Kova, Hyderabad
MK Venu, Senior Editor, Economic Times
MS Sreelekha
Mustafa Qureshi, Photo Journalist
Nafisa Ali, Actress, Activist
Neelabh, Journalist, Delhi
Nilima Sheikh , Artists, Baroda
PC Sen
Poornima Joshi, Journalist, Delhi
Praful Bidwai, Senior Journalist
Prashant Bhushan, Senior Advocate
Prashant Sen
Rajkumar Hans, Professor History, Baroda
Rajneesh Verma
Ranjani Mazumdar, Filmmaker, Delhi
Rasna Bhushan, Artist, Hyderabad
Rev. Valson Thampu, Delhi
Sabeena Gadihoke , Filmmaker, Delhi
Sabina Kidwai, Filmmaker, Delhi
Sanjay Barbora, Research Associate,North Eastern Social Research Centre, Guwahati
Saroop Dhruv, DARSHAN, Ahmedabad
Seema Nayyar, Activist, Delhi
Shabnam Hashmi, Activist, Delhi
Shakeel Ahmad, Sadbhawna ke Sipahi
Shohini Ghosh, Filmmaker, Delhi
Shubha Mudgal, Singer, Delhi
SP Udaykumar, Activist, Chennai
Sudhir Chandra, Europe
Suma Josson , Filmmaker, Mumbai
Sunil Dutt, MP
Syeda Hamid, Women Activist, Delhi
T. Jayaraman, Scientist, Chennai
Tarun Tejpal, Senior Journalist, Delhi
Vagish Jha, Sadbhawna ke Sipahi
Vidya Bhushan Rawat, Social Activist
Walter Fernandes , Director, North Eastern Social Research Centre, Guwahati
Wilfred D'Costa, INSAF, Ahmedabad
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