[sacw] SACW #3 | 14 Mar. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire - Dispatch #3 | 14 March 2002

* For daily news updates & citizens initiatives in post riots 
Gujarat Check: http://www.sabrang.com
** Also see new information & analysis section on the recent Communal 
Riots in Gujarat on the SACW web site: http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/

__________________________

#1. Memorandum to the National Commission for Minorities (Movement 
For Secular Democracy)
#2. March 12, 2002: CPI(M) / AIDWA delegation's fact finding report on Gujarat
- Some Cases noted by the delegation
#3. 'An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind' (Manu Ramanan)
#4. Supreme Court order a victory for secularism: Petitioner
#5. CPI(ML) Welcomes Supreme Court Verdict on Ayohdya
#6. Was UP Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri a karsevak in 1990 ?
#7. Teesta Seetalvad speaking at meeting on situation in Gujarat 
[Bombay, India]
#8. INSAF Convention On "Citizen's Agenda for Strengthening 
Secular-Democratic Polity"

__________________________

# 1.

MOVEMENT FOR SECULAR DEMOCRACY: Memorandum to the National 
Commission for Minorities
To
The Chairman and Members
National Commission for Minorities
New Delhi

Friends,
The National Commission for Minorities is aware of the recent 
communal carnage in Gujarat subsequent to the tragedy that occurred 
at Godhra. The carnage is so horrible and so widespread that no 
memoranda or letters can fully describe the true picture. Peace 
loving people all across Gujarat are filled with despair at their 
helplessness to stop the violence that has been deliberately 
orchestrated to tear apart their society. For those who have been the 
direct victims of the brutal attacks no words can describe their 
shock and agony.

Prime Minister Vajpayee described the Gujarat carnage a `National 
Shame'. Yet he could not restrain the ongoing violence against the 
Muslim population of Gujarat that went on for a week starting from 
the day of the VHP sponsored Gujarat bandh of February 28. The 
repeated utterances by Advani, Fernandes, Arun Jaitley, Uma Bharti 
and Jaya Jaitley in support of Chief Minister Narendra Modi's 
``quick" handling of the situation left the people of Gujarat shocked 
and abandoned. Mr. Modi's own statements sent a clear message to the 
rioters that he did not disapprove of their actions. Till today 
leaders of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar continue to use the 
condemnable burning of karsevaks at Godhra to justify the violence 
that followed. During his recent visit to Gujarat, Mr. Advani 
brought up the Godhra incident at a programme in a village of Kutchh 
to give houses to those whose homes were destroyed in last year's 
earthquake. This, we feel, was an attempt to polarise the people of 
Kutchh who traditionally have had no history of communal tensions. 
Minor and major incidents are still taking place, including an 
incident at Panvad in Vadodara district on March10. The heat being 
generated over the issue of the bhoomi puja at Ayodhya on March15 has 
made all citizens apprehensive of a further outbreak of violence in 
the coming days.

Dear Members of the National Commission for Minorities, we would like 
to remind you that after the BJP was elected to power in 1998, 
hundreds of communal incidents took place throughout Gujarat. At the 
time of your visit on 10-12 August 1998, we had placed our memorandum 
before you when our delegation met you at the Ahmedabad Circuit 
House. In that memorandum we brought to your notice the modus 
operandi of the Sangh Parivar to communalise the entire society by 
highlighting non-issues such as the marriage of a Hindu girl with a 
Muslim boy or by raising the bogey of religious conversions. In the 
last five years the Sangh Parivar has maintained a steady hate 
campaign against Muslims by repeatedly questioning their patriotism.

There has been a slow yet determined attempt to communalise the 
administration by sidelining those officers who do not agree with the 
communal agenda. The police inaction and in many cases their active 
collusion in the recent riots reveal to what extent the state 
machinery has been corrupted. Young minds have been poisoned by the 
distortion of history in schoolbooks. The media, in particular the 
vernacular press, has played a significant role in assisting the 
Sangh Parivar in their efforts to divide the people of Gujarat. All 
these efforts have completely shattered the sense of security of the 
minorities in Gujarat. Furthermore, a systematic campaign has been 
going on for the last several years by the Sangh Parivar throughout 
Gujarat to economically ruin the minorities. This is most apparent in 
the targeted looting and burning of minority-owned establishments in 
the recent riots in Gujarat. In addition, pamphlets have appeared 
all over Ahmedabad exhorting Hindus to boycott Muslim shops and 
restaurants and to not employ Muslims.

The speed with which the violence spread and the systematic 
annihilation and destruction of the Muslim community and their 
properties indicate that this carnage was pre-planned. The incident 
at Godhra was only an excuse invoked to justify atrocities against 
Muslims. The mobilization of mobs of ten to fifteen thousand people, 
the attack on hitherto peaceful villages in rural Gujarat, 
the burning of Muslims in hundreds, using of voters lists to identify 
Muslim houses, shops and establishments, the involvement of ministers 
and MLAs in their respective areas, the collusion of the police and 
the administration with the rioters and the tactical delay in the 
deployment of the military imply that these riots were planned down 
to the minutest details. In fact, the carnage in Gujarat has kept 
the heat of Ayodhya alive throughout the country thereby furthering 
the agenda of the Sangh Parivar.

We will not be surprised if the 1992 situation is repeated throughout 
the country. Physical wounds were not sufficient for the rioters; 
masjids, durgahs and places of cultural heritage were grounded down 
to earth. In many cases images of Lord Hanuman were placed at the 
sites of destroyed mosques and in some cases even fresh tar was laid 
over destroyed dargahs to obliterate all traces of the 
monuments. Neither public works department of Gujarat Government nor 
the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation owns responsibility for 
'operation fresh tar'. What a governance! Negligence of the 
Government towards relief camps reflects its attitude towards 
minorities. Economic rehabilitation of Muslims is an immediate task, 
which can only be performed by a secular democratic Government. A 
Government with a communal bias, such as the present one, will not 
provide justice to the minorities. If this situation is allowed to 
continue it will take years to remove the wound, which has been 
inflicted on the minorities. Instead of a civilized civil society we 
will have a fractured society with agony and pain. Under these 
circumstances the BJP Government in Gujarat has to be compelled to 
follow and obey the Indian Constitution. The activities of the Sangh 
Parivar must be curbed. The Gujarat Government led by the BJP has 
been flouting recommendations of various commissions including the 
NHRC and the NCM. We request the National Commission for Minorities 
to come forward immediately and to visit the state and meet the 
victims and other concerned people. Within the framework of the 
Indian Constitution we hope that the National commission for 
Minorities will be able to restrict the BJP Government's 
well-orchestrated hate campaign against the Muslims and insist that 
the perpetrators of the violence are punished and that the victims 
are adequately compensated.

>From 1998 August to 2000, the Movement for Secular Democracy (MSD) 
had been in direct contact with you regarding communal problems in 
Gujarat through letters and memoranda. We would like to meet you when 
you visit Gujarat and would like to extend a helping hand in your 
efforts to bring justice to the people of Gujarat.
Our Recommendations

1.
The state Government of Gujarat must protect the lives and property 
of the minorities as described in our Constitution and violation of 
it be considered unconstitutional and for that Government must vacate 
the office.
2.
Compensation: Adequate reasonable compensation should be given to the 
families of the deceased and injured under the scrutiny of the public 
committee.
3.
Proper and adequate compensation should be given for the loss of 
house, properties, shops, and business establishments. A proper 
assessment of loss should be made.
4.
Government should offer employment to the families of deceased and 
who have los their property.
5.
Proper rehabilitation of the carnage victim must be done immediately.
6.
Economic package be declared immediately and should be scrutinized by 
the people's committee.
7.
Government must appoint a high-level judiciary inquiry under the 
chairperson of sitting Supreme Court judge to inquire the Godhra and 
post Godhra carnage in the State. Its recommendations must be made 
mandatory.
8.
Responsible policemen, officers for the direct - indirect collusion 
with the rioters must be punished immediately.
9.
Narendra Modi as Chief Minister must resign from his office.
10.
Media spreading the communal hatred and adding fuel to fire must be 
given strict warning.
11.
Military should be deployed in the sensitive areas till total normal 
situation has not returned and minorities are camped in relief camp.

Date: 12.03.2002.
Yours,
Prakash N. Shah
Convenor
Movement for Secular Democracy
C/o Narmad Meghani Library, Opp. Natraj Railway Crossing, Mithakhadi, 
Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad - 380 006. Tele fax: (079) 6404418. 
E-mail:dnr@i...

____

#2.

March 12, 2002: CPI(M) / AIDWA delegation's fact finding report on Gujarat

A central delegation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and 
leaders of the All India Democratic Women's Association have been in 
Gujarat for the last three days from March 10 to 12 to express 
solidarity with the victims and to get first hand reports of the 
situation. Tlie delegation included Member of Parliament and Central 
Committee member Subodh Roy, Central Committee member Brinda Karat, 
Subhashini Ali, Kiran Moghe, Mariam Dhawale accompanied by Arun Mehta 
State Committee Secretary and other members from the State. The 
delegation was in Ahmedabad and Godhra. One member had earlier 
visited Sardarpur,Mehsana. We met and spoke to over a thousand people 
from the affected areas, senior officials of the Government, relief 
workers, heads of different institutions, NGOs, intellectuals. The 
delegation has recorded the statements of numerous people who it met.

The delegation also met the Governor Shri S.S.Bhandari this morning 
and gave him a memorandum, a copy of which is enclosed. A few 
specific cases of atrocities recorded by the delegation have also 
been enclosed.

"The delegation strongly condemns the inhuman and savage attack on 
the Sabarmati Express on February 27 in which fifty eight people were 
killed, the majority being women and children. It was a black day for 
India. The delegation visited the site. It was absolutely horrified 
to see the terrible way that the bogey had been engulfed by flames. 
Inside the bogey even today there is important evidence.The 
delegation saw bags of foodgrains. kerosene stoves, jerry cans, 
indicating the possibility of the presence of material which could 
have been inflammable. However it is shocking that the bogey has not 
yet been cordoned off by the investigating agencies including the 
central investigating anti-terorist squad. This could lead to 
tampering with evidence or placing new material in the carriage.. The 
urgency with which the investigation into the terrible atroicity 
should be conducted seems to be absent in the State 
Government's approach. The so-called commission of enquiry has not 
even started its work. It appears that the Government is more 
interested in public posturing than in proper investigation.
The delegation found widespread disquiet among citizens about the 
nature of the enquiry as also the credentials of the individual 
heading it. This should be reconsidered.

The delegation strongly condemns the Chief Minister's justification 
of the violence in the name of "reaction" to the February 27 
atrocity. lf this was true the first place to have been affected 
would have been Godhra where the atrocity actually occurred. But in 
the town the situation was well under control. The sequence of events 
in Godhra in comparison with what happened elsewhere makes it clear 
that swift and firm administrative action makes the crucial 
difference. The reality is that there was a wave of outrage 
throughout the country, legitimate anger and horror against those 
criminals who had perpetrated this inhuman crime. However, this anger 
was deliberately diverted to a communal carnage in which the Muslim 
community was the target, by an organized force in Gujarat. It was an 
example of State sponsored communal carnage which vvas organized by 
the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and leaders of the ruling party with many 
directly named by the victims including a brother of the State Home 
Minister who was apparently leading a mob in the Bapunagar area. In 
almost all areas there was police connivance. It is totally 
unacceptable that the fact that the killing looting and burning went 
on unstopped for full 72 hours should now be claimed as a an 
indication of the efficiency of the administration. In any case, 
contrary to the claims of the Chief Minister the delegation met 
numerous delegations who were victimized on the 3rd, 4th and even the 
5th of March. One of the worst rural attacks took place in Pandarvada 
village in Panchmahal district and surrounding areas from the March 2 
to 5. As has been reported even yesterday there were attacks in Chota 
Udaipur.
The delegation learned with concern of reports to withdraw the army 
from where it has been posted to show that the situation has become 
"normal. This is far from the truth. There is an acute sense of 
insecuity among the minority community not least because of the 
continuing incidents of attack as also the total lack of action 
against those guilty. With the coincidence of important religious 
observances of both communities at the end of the month, it is 
absolutely essential that the army be deployed and regularly in not 
only the cities but all affected rural areas. On no account should 
the army be withdrawn. The delegation is also shocked that even 
though the UP Government has placed restrictions on movements in 
Ayodhya the Gujarat Government has placed no such restrictions on the 
movements of so-called kaesevaks on trains running from Gujarat. This 
is an indication of the commitment of the Gujarat Government to its 
own dangerously communal agenda.

The delegation therefore believes that it is absolutely essential 
that the present Chief Minister be removed forthwith. This is a 
minimum step to ensure that the rule of the constitution returns to 
Gujarat.
CPI(M) delegation

o o o

SOME CASES NOTED BY THE DELEGATION

1. A young woman of about 21 years named B......w/oYaqub Patel from 
Randhikpur village (District Dahod) is currently staying in the lqbal 
Primary School Camp, Godhra. She told us that all the Muslim houses 
in her village were attacked by villagers and outsiders and she 
managed to run away with several of her family members. She was 
accompanied by her mother, her 3 year old baby girl, Saliha, her 
sisters, Mumtaz and Munni, her brothers, lrfan and Aslam, her 
maternal uncle, Majeed, two other father's sisters, Sugra and Amina, 
one of their husbands, Yusuf, Amina's son, and three daughters, 
Shamim, Mumtaz and Medina and Shamim's son Husain. B..... is five 
months pregnant and her cousin Shamim was near the end of her term 
when they fled their village.
At first, they escaped to Chundagi village which was 5 - 6 kms. away 
and took shelter with Bijal Damor. Then they were asked to leave 
since it was not safe and they walked to Kuajher where they were 
given shelter in a mosque. Here Shamim was delivered of a
baby girl by a midwife but they were asked to leave soon afterwards. 
They then started walking till they reached Kudra village. Here some 
Adivasi Naikas took pity on Shamim's condition and kept them in their 
huts. Although they were very poor people, they even gave them 
clothes to wear. After this, they were asked to leave this place too 
but two of the Adivasis accompanied them to Chhapadvad village and 
left them there. From here they were going towards Panivela village 
but they were overtaken by people from their own village who had been 
pursuing them in a vehicle. At the time, they were in quite a remote, 
hilly place. They were stopped. B...... was raped by three of the 
men. She says that the other younger women were also gang-raped. Her 
child was snatched away from her and killed and then all of them were 
attacked. She was also left for dead with all her other family 
members who had all been killed, including the newborn infant. They 
were covered with stone. She lay there the whole night and most of 
the next day when she was found and rescued by the police from 
Limkheda Police Station. The other bodies were left there and she was 
brought to Limkheda P.S. and then taken to the camp. From here she 
was admitted in the General Hospital, Godhra, She was medically 
examined and her statement was recorded. She has named the people who 
killed her family members and those who raped her.
The doctors at the hospital confirmed the fact that she had been 
examined and that they had found evidence of intercourse and 
injuries. They also said that the police had not yet taken the 
evidence for forensic examination.
B.....'s father and husband have been traced to another camp at Dahod 
and her brother, Saeed, is with her in Godhra. Her five-month old 
foetus is still alive.

2. At the General Hospital, Godhra, we met Maqsuda bibi in the 
"Injuries" ward. She is from Anjanwa village, District Panchmahal. 
She told us that Muslim homes in her village were attacked on the 5th 
of March. She along with her 2 children, lfzal and lmran, were 
wounded and thrown in a well along with 4 other women. She was the 
only survivor who was rescued by the police the next day. The well 
belonged to the Sarpanch Jaisingh Dona Ghori.

3. At the General Hospital, Godhra, we met Sakina bibi Sayyad, 55 
years old. She was sitting on her bed in a disheveled condition. She 
had sword wounds on her breasts, both hands and neck. She knows 
nothing about the fate of her five sons and three daughters and is, 
at the moment, completely disoriented.

4. At the General Hospital, Godhra we met Yusufbhai from 
Pandharvada, District Panchmahal. The mob that attacked their houses 
inserted an iron rod in his mouth and injured him very severely. He 
is lying on his bed with his small children, unable to speak with the 
wound still bleeding.

5. The nature of the violence can be understood by the fact that a 
National Handicrafts Exhibition organized by the Government was 
attacked because many of the stalls were owned by Muslims. Many of 
them were from Bhagalpur, Bihar. Of these, three, Abdulla, Rehmatulla 
and Saidulla are dead and two are missing.

6. One of the members of the delegation visited the camp at Vizapur 
in Mehsana District. Victims from Sardarpur village are present They 
said that on the Id night, the houses of 84 Muslim families were 
attacked and totally burnt. Many of the women and children took 
shelter in the only 'pucca' house. This was then doused with petrol 
and set on fire.
22 people died. The total number of dead is 54. The survivors were 
rescued by the police and brought to the camp. There are 1000 people 
in the camp including 400 students from the Visnagar Hostel. The 
victims said that their standing crops and bore-wells had been 
completely destroyed. They also said that some dalit families who had 
given them protection have also been driven out of the village.

7. At the Juhapura Sankalit Nagar Camp, we met Rehmunissa from 
Naroda Patiya. She told us that she started her labour pains and 
delivered her baby while the attacks on her neighbourhood were taking 
place on the 28th February. She was all alone as most of the people 
around her had run away and among them was the neighbourhood midwife. 
They had been told that some vehicles had been sent to take them away 
to safety. The midwife returned when this did not happen and she was 
persuaded to cut the umbilical cord. After this, Rehmunissa ran 7 
times and back in that condition, in the same clothes, clutching her 
newborn infant to the entrance of her chawl whenever the news came 
that help was at hand. Finally, the vehicle came and she was brought 
to the camp.

8. The distance from Ahmedabad to Godhra is about 100 kms. On the 
way back from Godhra, our delegation tried to keep count of all the 
destruction of property - all belonging to Muslims - that could be 
seen on either side of the highway:

Between Godhra and Timba Road (11I shops, 3 houses, 2 trucks)
Timba Road (a mosque, 23 establishments in the main market, a large 
building, 4 railway quarters)
Between Shivalaya and Ambava (2 trucks, some 'khokhas')
Ambava (11 stores/galas, 1 house)
Thasra (2 houses and 1 timber godown)
Dakor (16 galas, 2 large houses, several cars)
Alina (10 houses)
Mirzapur (1 house)
Mehmadabad (8 galas, Bhagyodaya Hotel, 1 mazar, 1 petrol pump, 
1hotel, 4 handcarts, 4 houses
Near Ramod Police Station (Sarvottam Hotel)
Ramol (innumerable shops and houses razed to the ground; several 
large factories; garages; petrol pumps; Supreme Hotel and
Satkar Restaurant; Sarvodaya Hotel.)

_____

#3.

The Times of India
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2002
CITIES: AHMEDABAD TIMES

'An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind'
MANU RAMANAN
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2002 11:48:01 PM ]
The embers of hate and plunder seems to have cooled down. So has the 
fear of violence which is a degree lesser than last week in Vadodara.
Yet what remains largely to be addressed is the after-math of the 
whole issue - a host of prejudices that were formed largely due to 
circumstances and situations that erupted as a reaction to the Godhra 
massacre. Prejudices which are only being strengthened by evoking 
emotional if not intellectual impulses of the common man.
For this very reason artists and academicians of Vadodara city are 
coming together in spreading the message of peace and harmony. Apart 
from holding peace marches, many of them have been involved in 
activities like blood donation, distributing peace-leaflets as well 
as providing compensation to the riot-affected victims. For once they 
seem to extend their classrooms to the real world outside - a world 
which, at the moment needs the wisdom of good counsel.
"We don't consider ourselves activists, but as sensitive citizens we 
were involved in spreading awareness of peace and harmony," says 
Vadodara-based artist Indrapramit Roy who, along with a group of 
students from the Fine Arts faculty, reacted to the riots as artists 
with a social responsibility.
The Fine Arts faculty students even made posters on communal harmony, 
and took an active part in the three peace marches in Vadodara as 
well donated blood to those affected. "The students even made 45 
posters in a single day as a reaction to the event," adds Roy.
For city-based veteran photographer Jyoti Bhatt and his wife Jyotsana 
Bhatt, a known ceramist, the incident was a shock that they 
themselves are trying to get used to. "The phenomenon of a riot dies 
down slowly and that is why when it comes to violence and riots there 
is no necessary difference between the common man and an artist. Both 
want the violence to end and want peace. However, this is right time 
to ponder upon the kind of people we have elected to power," says 
Bhatt.
According to an activist who doesn't want to be named as she believes 
this is a group effort rather than an individual one, "This is the 
time for like-minded people, be it the common man or the 
intellengtsia to come together and work for peace. We have tried to 
provide compensation to the riot affected victims as well as speak to 
the people about warding off unnecessary prejudice and support peace. 
An eye for an eye will make the whole world go blind, so we are 
stressing for peace."
In their endeavour to create peace, they have also involved the 
common man. Social activist Kirit Bhatt in association with NGOs like 
Sahiyar, Shishu Milaap and others as well as Vadodara Shanti Abhiyan 
and PUCL, has successfully formed 11 peace committees comprising of 
intellectuals as well as the common man.
"Each committee will have five to seven members and will operate from 
areas like Tandalja, Sama, Ellora Park and so on. We have already 
started recording incidents of people, atrocities committed on them 
in audio and print format," he says.
Much depends on how we as a society will deal with man-made barriers 
in the coming days.

_____

#4.

THE TIMES OF INDIA
MARCH 13, 2002

SC order a victory for secularism: Petitioner
PTI [ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2002 3:52:35 PM ]
NEW DELHI: Mohammed Aslam alias Bhure, on whose petition the Supreme 
Court on Wednesday directed not to allow any puja at Ayodhya, said, 
"it is the victory of secularism and rule of law".
Bhure, escorted by security personnel and his supporters, had a tough 
time as he was mobbed by over 50-odd cameramen who wanted him to pose 
for a photograph as he came out of the Court.
Bhure has sought a direction to prevent Kar Sevaks from reaching 
Ayodhya, maintenance of status quo on the acquired land and 
deployment of the Army in the temple town.

_____

#5.

>PRESS RELEASE
>______________
>
>CPI(ML) WELCOMES SUPREME COURT VERDICT ON AYOHDYA
>
>New Delhi, 13.03.2002
>
>The CPI(ML) welcomes the Supreme Court verdict prohibiting any kind of
>religious ceremony in any part of the land held by the Central Government at
>Ayodhya. It now falls on the Central Government to make sure that the
>Supreme Court verdict is not allowed to be violated on the ground.
>
>The General Secretary of the CPI(ML), Dipankar Bhattacharya, has said that
>it is instructive to note that the Vajpayee government which claims that
>construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya is not on its so-called national
>agenda had actually appealed to the Court to allow a 'symbolic puja' from
>2-15 PM to 5-15 PM. The lie of the BJP has thus been completely exposed and
>if the non-BJP partners of NDA still continue to be part of the coalition
>they will do so only at their own peril.
>The Sangh Parivar has an ugly track record of telling lies to the nation and
>shelving the Constitution and Court orders in pursuit of its sinister
>sectarian agenda. While welcoming the Supreme Court's order, democratic and
>secular citizens of the country must therefore never slacken their vigil.
>
>(Sanjay Sharma)
>For CPI(ML) Central Office

_____

#6.

India Network News Digest - March 13, 2002 Volume 14 Issue 50

Hey Ram! UP Governor was a karsevak

Lucknow, March 12: Was UP Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri a karsevak in 1990 ?

Yes, if the pioneers of the Ram temple movement and BJP leaders are to be
believed.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders insist that Shastri, then a senior BJP
functionary of the partys West Bengal unit, had led a contingent of
karsevaks from Kolkata in 1990.

In fact, the two Kothari brothers who were killed in police firing in
Ayodhya in November 1990 were a part of the contingent led by Shastri that
had travelled from Kolkata to Mughalsarai by train and had then travelled,
partly by road and partly by foot, to reach Ayodhya.

According to VHP activists, Shastri had played an active role in the Ram
temple movement and was deeply devoted to the cause.

It was because of his contribution to the temple movement that he was
rewarded with a Rajya Sabha membership in July 1992, said a senior VHP
functionary. (Incidentally, despite being a domicile of Kolkata, Shastri
had given his residential address as 64, Sondhi Tola, Lucknow which
happens to be the private residence of senior BJP leader Lalji Tandon.)

Leaders in the BJP also admit that Shastri was a karsevak in 1990 but are
unwilling to comment further on the issue in view of the prevailing
political situation.

They said Shastri, who was the working committee member of the BJP from
West Bengal had performed karseva at Ayodhya. It was claimed that Shastri
was among other senior BJP leaders, ho reached Ayodhya in 1990 to perform
kar seva.

In Ayodhya, according to sources, there is a high comfort-level in the VHP
camp only because of the presence of Shastri in Raj Bhawan. Yes, we are
not apprehensive of the days to come because Shastri understands the
sentiments of Ramsevaks and he has assured us that there will be no
violence on March 15, said a VHP functionary on condition of anonymity.

Interestingly, the State bureaucracy has been agog with speculations about
the Governors soft spot for the VHP ever since Shastri not only gave a
warm welcome to VHP leader Ashok Singhal into Raj Bhawan on Monday but
also spent more than 75 minutes with him.

To further confirm his saffron antecedents, Shastri granted permission to
the VHP leader to proceed to Ayodhya and asked the local administration to
ensure that Singhal was not harassed by any means. Efforts to contact the
Governor about his role in the temple movement, however, proved futile
since he was away in Delhi.

Opinions are divided over who led a contingent of karsevaks from Kolkata
in 1990. While some thought that Shastri had led the contingent, others
talked of another BJP leader, Bansi Lal Soni leading it. Shastri who hails
from from Jammu and Kashmir settled in West Bengal.

A Hindi professor, Shastri had joined RSS and later became a Jan Sangh MLA
from West Bengal.

_____

#7.

Teesta Seetalvad (editor of Communalism Combay) has been travelling 
extensively to Gujarat. There are lot of issues related to Relief 
work and overall threats posed by the communal politics. A meeting 
has been called at Akbar Peerbhoy Hall, Anjuman Islam High Scool VT 
[Bombay, India] to share the info and to plan for making the support 
work more effective. Meeting is on 14th, Thursday at 5 PM.

_____

#8.

INSAF Convention On "Citizen's Agenda for Strengthening 
Secular-Democratic Polity"
Dates: 17th & 18th March, 2002
Venue: Chedilal Dharmasala, Ameenabad, Lucknow ( UP)
Dear Friend,
The communal carnage in Gujarat and the build-up for 15th March in 
the name of performing Yagna to start the construction work of Ram 
Mandir at Ayodhya are reasons enough to bow our heads in shame."We 
the people of India...." have proclaimed ourselves to be a "secular 
and democratic republic" and, thus, profess the right to a life with 
no communal violence.
As a national forum of about 500 social action groups, social 
movements and progressive intellectuals, INSAF is committed to resist 
globalization, combat communalism and defend democracy. All member 
organisations have been involved in action to ensure peace and 
harmony in the midst of communal carnage in the country, especially 
during 12th and 15th of March, 2002. There have been protests, 
dharnas, petitions, letters to Presidnet and Prime Minister, candle 
light vigils, human chains, mohalla committees, investigations by 
citizens groups and human rights groups, even government ordered 
judicial inquiries. However, a time has come to consolidate the 
common gains.
In this regard, INSAF has convened a One-Day Convention on 
"Citizen's Agenda to Strengthen Secular-Democratic Polity" on 17th & 
18th of March, 2002 at Chedilal Dharmashala, Ammenabad, Lucknow, UP.
On behalf of INSAF, we invite you to this Convention, where all of 
us: social and political activists, trade unions, NGOs, human rights 
activists, civic groups, men and women of conscience, would exchange 
views and experiences and, in turn, build up a sound strategy and 
action plan to combat communalism & strengthen secular-democratic 
polity in the country. 
For those coming from outside Lucknow, accommodation and food has 
been arranged at Chedilal Dharmashala. You may plan to arrive by 16th 
evening and leave by 19th morning. Our Contact at Lucknow is :
Sri Aadi Yog, AWAZ, 21/435, Ringh Road, Indira Nagar, Lucknow : UP. ( 
Telephone: 0522-715500)
Since time is too short, we expect you to kindly inform us 
immediately about your plans. Looking forward to your presence and 
participation in this Convention to STRENGTHEN THE SECULAR-DEMOCRATIC 
POLITY!
In Solidarity,
Chittaranjan Singh (Member, NEC, INSAF)
Sulekha Singh (Regional Co-ordinator, North-Zone, INSAF)
Adv. K K Rai (State Convenor, UP-INSAF)

UP-INSAF: 105 Ashok Nagar, Allahabad: 211001
Ph. 0532-623893, 621394, Fax : 420292, e_mail : 
<mailto:chrdkkr@s...>chrdkkr@s...

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