CC February 1999

February 1999
Campaign

In memory of the Mahatma

On January 30, 1999, 51st death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, people all over the country rose in protest against ‘fascist Hindutva’.

January 30, 1999, 51st death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Martyr’s day, was also Communal Harmony Day — the day the country chose to express concern, anguish and outrage against the continuing assaults on Indian democracy by Hindutva forces, through concerted attacks on the Christian community.

New Delhi: Hundreds of school children, prominent citizens, social and human rights activists were led by two former Prime Ministers — V.P. Singh and I.K. Gujral — in a march for communal harmony from the Red Fort lawns to the Shahid Bhagat Singh Park, under the banner, ‘Citizens march for Communal Harmony and against Attacks on Minorities’. Tributes were paid to Mahatma Gandhi and to the Christian priest from Orissa, Graham Stewart Staines, who was recently burnt alive along with his two young children. A resolution was passed condemning the attacks and rejecting Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s call for a national debate on conversions. "The PM has sought to legitimise the attacks by talking of a national debate on conversions and refusing to hold the RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena, Hindu Jagran Manch and allied organisations responsible. Clearly his own ideology is no different from these organisations," the resolution said. It also said that the instant exoneration of the Bajrang Dal by home minister, L.K. Advani in the Staines killing, followed by the whitewash by the defence minister George Fernandes-led team of central ministers exposes the complicity of the Centre in the activities of these communal gangs.

Mumbai: Azad Maidan and Hutatma Chowk were centres for protest in Mumbai. A day–long dharna was organised at Hutatma Chowk by the Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal. Children and representatives of various organisations sang Bhajans and hymns. School children were also asked to express their ideas on secularism in the form of posters, which were later exhibited. Azad Maidan in the mean time, was the centre for a gathering crowd from almost 40 different organisations and people simply joining in their individual capacity. CPM leader Mahendra Singh addressed those gathered at Azad Maidan in strong words. He denounced the current government stating that the government’s agenda today "is the RSS agenda. It is the agenda of anti–secularism." He also made a frontal attack on the Shiv Sena, saying that Thackeray and others like him who claim for themselves the title of patriots, "are the actual traitors. When they destroyed those trophies (World Cup and other trophies won by the Indian cricket team), they were destroying our national pride." He also mocked the state police saying they had waited until the home minister came down from Delhi before making 14 arrests in the BCCI vandalism case and still the main accused, Bal Thackeray, was free.

Later, around 1500 people joined in a march from Azad Maidan to Hutatma Chowk led by archbishop, Ivan Dias. Prof. Abraham, professor at the Nirmala Niketan Institute of Social Work, a participant in the march said, "If Gandhiji could win independence through organised peaceful protest, we can make a mark as well".

A petition to the apex court

(Reproduced below is a petition to the Chief Justice signed by a group of prominent citizens of Mumbai).

The Chief Justice of India
Supreme Court
New Delhi.

Sir,
We are a group of Indians, who address you in anguish about the recurrent persecution of religious minorities. We are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jews — but before these affiliations and above all of them — we are Indians. In 1984 it was the Sikhs who suffered, then the Muslims. In Kashmir it was the Hindus who were oppressed, all these years. Now it is the Christians’ turn. We are reducing to a mockery the Constitution of India, on which all of us rely, and which you and your colleagues have so vigorously upheld.

Attacks on Christians, and on Christian churches, have taken place in Gujarat, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and now, Orissa. They are increasing in frequency and ferocity. The latest outrage killed an Australian who had worked selflessly in leprosy in Keonjhar district of Orissa for 34 years. With him were burnt alive his two sons, aged 7 and 9. They too must have been thought guilty of converting Hindus, which is the rea

son given by Subhas Chauhan, convenor of the Hindu

Jagran Samukhya (Orissa unit), for the crime. Even if the charge were true, proselytisation is not yet an offence. The Constitution protects it as a fundamental right.

Earlier outrages have been just as brutal. And in every case the authorities responsible for enforcing the law, specially the local police, have acted weakly, denying the facts when it suited them, and when it did not, perfunctorily arresting a few miscreants — to be released on bail and tried desultorily, if at all.

The Prime Minister’s feeble response has been to call for a debate on conversion, not to uphold the Constitution and the law, to which he has sworn to ‘bear true faith and allegiance’. He has also sworn to ‘do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law, without fear or favour’.

This letter, then, is an appeal to you for a writ of mandamus to the CBI to investigate at least those outrages that have occurred in the last three months in all the States we have named. There is not the slightest prospect of a fair investigation by the State police in each case.

We ask also that the Supreme Court monitor the progress of the CBI investigation, which too has now become susceptible to political pressure and perversion. The judiciary is our last recourse in our quest for justice.

Yours faithfully.

The crowd converged at Hutatma Chowk, where all the major religions were represented and their prayers recited. At precisely 5:10 p.m., (the exact time of Gandhi’s assassination), a pledge for communal harmony was taken. A street play, titled Shanti ki khoj mein, exhorting

the ordinary person to voice his protest and stop tacitly supporting violent forces through continued silence, was also staged at the spot.

Bangalore: A host of organisations and political parties observed dharnas and fasts in front of the Mahatma’s statue at M.G. Road. Karnataka’s chief minister, J.H. Patel, led the state ministers in taking a ‘Rashtriya Sadbhavna Paramavachana’, a pledge for upholding national integrity and communal harmony. Later in the day, the Janata Dal’s student wing organised a prayer meeting where a pledge was taken to uphold constitutional and social values besides maintaining national integrity.

The Congress (I) camped in front of the statue and also observed a day-long fast to protest against communal forces. The Janata Dal took out a torch–light procession from their party office at Race Course Road to the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Subanna Circle. Janata Dal MLC, B.L. Shankar pointed out the irony of the situation wherein the forces which had been responsible for the assassination of Gandhiji (referring to the BJP), were observing a day–long fast on the occasion. The BJP came in for sharp condemnation. Deputy chief minister, Siddaramaiah, said, "Unfortunately, the government which is expected to be a protector, is behind the attacks."

Dehra Dun: On January 30, a meeting was held at Dehra Dun, by the citizens of Uttarakhand "to condemn the series of events leading to heightened attacks and violence in the name of religion and patriotism". The group issued a statement, signed by various prominent citizens, demanding the immediate arrest of "those who shamelessly advocate religious hatred and violence", and called upon the Centre to bring to book all those who had committed the various heinous crimes reported from different parts of the country in the name of religion.

They also stated, "Killings and

destruction of schools and places of worship, and burning alive of individuals and their women and children – is indication of sinister political thinking of those who hide their criminal nature in the name of faith and culture." The signatories included noted writer Nayantara Sahgal; Maj. Gen. Chander Nandwani (retd.); Maj. Gen. Avinash Sharma (retd.); writer, Chandralekha Mehta; artist, Zarina Bath; economist, G.K. Swamy and Dr. Dhirendra Sharma (Editor: Philosophy and Social Action).

Calcutta: On January 17, many organisations and individuals, including many eminent persons, scientists, economists and educationists at Calcutta endorsed a resolution against the attacks on Christians.

Nagpur: The National Association of People’s Movement (NAPM)—Vidarbha (Maharashtra), and many other state units of NAPM, held protest actions against the targeting of Christians. In a meeting at Nagpur, National Council of Churches in India, and many other Christian and secular organisations resolved to strengthen the roots of tolerance and respect towards other faiths.

The resolution decried that the most corrupt and exploitative forces had attacked those institutions and people who had rendered laudable services in many interior regions and who were still, in many regions, acting as the only solace to the poor and the marginalised even today.

"This is no doubt, politicisation of communalism and an attempt to divert people’s attention from the grave issues facing the nation", the resolution declared. "The failure of the governments in the state and the Centre to take actions against the culprits and to check this, is criminal. The white paper that the nation needs is not on conversions but on the criminal nexus of the ruling forces and the culprits of violence", it added.