Thursday, November 10, 2011

AFSPA must be withdrawn from some areas, says Omar Abdullah

AFSPA must be withdrawn from some areas: Omar to Army November 10th, 2011 Print Print Email Email this Article JAMMU: J & K CM Omar Abdullah today did some tough talking with the Army at the Unified Headquarter meeting and said the Armed Forces Special Powers Act had to be partially withdrawn from the state. In the nearly three-hour long meeting, the Army gave a presentation highlighting the importance of AFSPA in fighting militancy in the state and also suggested that even a partial withdrawal will be detrimental to the security apparatus, sources privy to the meeting said. However, the Army did not find any taker of its view among the state and central security establishments who insisted that there was scope for its withdrawal from certain areas and the demand of the Army was more theoretical in nature than practical, the sources said. The CM remarked that non-withdrawal of the AFSPA from certain areas was not an option and the people of the state need to have some semblence of peace returning. The CM directed the Corps Comamnders of Jammu and Srinagar Corps as well as Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda and Home Secretary B R Sharma to hold meetings on the issue of withdrawal of Disturbed Areas act at the earliest and hand over their report to the state government. (PTI)

Friday, November 4, 2011

Christian Council denounces Subramaniam Swamy’s effort to target minorities and to sabotage Communal Violence Prevention Bill

Christian Council denounces Subramaniam Swamy’s effort to target minorities and to sabotage Communal Violence Prevention Bill People will defeat Sangh Parivar hate campaign MYSORE, October 31, 2001 The All India Christian Council [aicc], an apex Human Rights and Freedom of Faith forum, has taken strong exception to Janata Party president Advocate Subramaniam Swamy’s slander campaign against the Christian and Muslim communities in general, and against the aicc in particular, in his so called complaint to the police against the Communal Violence Prevention Bill drafted by the National Advisory Council. All India Christian Council Secretary General Dr John Dayal and Karnataka unit leaders Rev Kumarswamy and Mr Anand Kumar released the Council’s reaction in a statement at a press conference in Mysore, Karnataka state today. Earlier, in a seminar in the city, the leaders cautioned the people of Karnataka against attempts by the Sangh Parivar and its political allies to communalise the environment in the state. They said the so called Rath Yatra by BJP leader and prime ministerial aspirant Mr Lal Krishan Advani through Karnataka may purportedly be against corruption, but its objective was to sow the seeds of communal hatred and aggravate tension for electoral gains. They recalled the massive violence that took place in the wake of the last rath yatra of Mr Advani in the 1990s. Dr John Dayal said the All India Christian Council’s general secretary for the state of Maharashtra, Dr Abraham Mathai, had filed a formal complaint demanding legal action against Dr Subramaniam Swamy for spreading hate and violating the Constitution when he wrote an article in a Mumbai newspaper advocating that Muslims should not be given voting rights. Dr Dayal said Swamy was now trying to wriggle out by launching a vicious attack on the National Advisory Council [NAC] headed by Mrs Sonia Gandhi which had drafted a Bill which could effectively prevent hate campaigns, the targetting of minorities and violence against the marginalised. Swamy had also attacked the Christian Council which is supporting legislation to prevent violence against minorities. “This is the result of a guilty conscious because Swamy knows the forces responsible for communalism in India. It may be recalled that the then Minister of State for Home affairs, Mr Ajay Maken, had stated in Parliament that there were over 6,000 incidents of communal violence, or riots, in India in the last decade. Holding that communalism is as evil as corruption, the All India Christian Council has repeatedly called for strong laws to curb hate campaigns and similar activity which leads to the targeting of minorities and marginalised communities, including Muslims, Christians, Dalits and Tribals. The Council has cited how the violence against Sikhs in 1984, against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 and against Christians in Kandhamal in Orissa in 2007 and 2008 had led to untold misery. In all cases, the state authorities had been silent spectators or had deliberately allowed the violence to spread. Mangalore had also seen great havoc against the Christian community in 2008. In Orissa, the violence led to the displacement of more than 56,000 people, the burning down of almost 6,000 houses and 300 churches, rape of nuns and other women and the death of more than 90 persons even as the police watched the violence spread over 45 days. The victims are still awaiting real justice and rehabilitation. The Council has said the proposed Bill must check communalism at all stages, from the hate campaigns, conspiracies and actual killings, and identify the guilty elements, including political forces. The Bill must also ensure that officers guilty of inaction were punished for dereliction of duty. Those who connived in the violence would also be brought to book. The Christian Council mechanisms must be set in place which would ensure that the victims were given adequate reparations and relief and rehabilitation was of a nature that they could rebuild their lives. The All India Christian Council (www.christiancouncil.in), birthed in 1998, exists to protect and serve the Christian community, minorities, and the oppressed castes. The aicc is a coalition of thousands of Indian denominations, organizations, and lay leaders Released by Anand Kumar Jogul

AFSPA the draconian law

AFSPA Failed! Mizoram Way an Alternative? By Madhu Chandra www.madhuchandra.org The Arm Forces Special Power Act, 1958 (AFSPA) is termed as a draconian and xenophobia law. It is draconian law because section 4 (a) of the AFSPA gives power to armed forces personnel to shoot at anyone suspicious, section 4 (b) to destroy the shelter of the armed rebels and section 4 (c) to search and arrest without warrant. These mean that any army personnel can shoot at any one suspected that she/he would have a gun and fire at him. The section 6 of the AFSPA protects armed force personnel, who are operating under the act from prosecution, suit or legal proceeding except previous sanction by Central Government. To get permission from the Central Government of India to prosecute any armed forces personnel, who involved in blunder like Thangjam Manoram case in 2004. Over 100 Manipuri women protested naked in front of Kangla Fort Assam Rifle camp. Thereafter, the Central Government of India granted permission to prosecute the army personnel involved in raping her and killed brutally. There is not even a single case where prosecution granted against any armed forces personnel under AFSPA without public outcry. Secondly, AFSPA is xenophobia law because it is selectively imposed for first forty years upon seven North East India states - Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura and extended to Jammu and Kashmir, whose features, ethnicities and religious backgrounds are different from the rest of the country. Need not to repeat the debate that AFSPA has failed to solve insurgency challenges rather it has caused increasing. Not much debated ideologically on why the youngsters take up arms. How can solve the problem without using arm forces power? It will be worth to focus on other alternative to solve the five decades old socio-political crisis of North East India region. The nation observed the 27th death anniversary of India’s first lady Prime Minister - Indira Gandhi’s assassination on October 31. The Ministry of Development for North East Region (DoNER) had an advertisement on Times of India, conveyed a message of development initiated by Indira Gandhi in North East India! First woman Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi initiated the table negotiation between Government of India with Mizoram’s separatist insurgents in 1971. Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984 before she could bring the solution. Thereafter, Rajiv Gandhi, who became Prime Minister carried on the negotiation and achieved the solution in 1986. The chapter of insurgency in Mizoram finally came to an end with the signing of the Mizoram Peace Accord on June 30, 1986 between the underground government of the Mizo National Front and the Government of India. Under the terms of the peace accord, Mizoram was granted statehood in February 1987. The continuous negotiation and honest initiative from the Central Government of India brought solution to the insurgencies in Mizoram, which operated for 25 years from 1961 to 1986. Dealing the challenges of insurgency in North East India, perhaps, adopting the way Government of India initiated with the insurgents of Mizoram, could it be a means of solution to insurgency problems in North East India? Mizoram’s Problem Solved, AFSPA NOT Lifted The problem of insurgency in Mizoram came to the end after singing the Mizoram Peace Accord in 1986. Since then Mizoram is most peaceful state, not only in the region but also for whole of India. Mizoram has highest literacy rate in whole of India today and it would have never been possible without solving the insurgency problem. It was not by guns but by table negotiation that too was of honest initiative and intervention from the Central Government of India. Interesting or not sure, whether there was any attempt from Government of India to remove AFSPA from Mizoram after the state has become an insurgency-freed state! Then, why the Central Government has not removed the AFSPA from the state? Having removing the act from the state, it might have conveyed a message to whole region that AFSPA is not a permanent law and it will move away once the states become normal. Winning people confident is the need of hour. Perhaps, the best to begin could be by removing AFSPA from those states, which have returned to normal life. My Personal Observation What does it matter for the people of Mizoram, who live in peace and normal life, yet they still have this draconian law? I have recently travelled from Aizwal, the state capital, to Champhai a small town at Indo-Burma boarder. Truly and honestly, I did not see single armed force personnel except one or two police officers in their uniform at check gates. Peace and normal life has returned to Mizoram yet AFSPA still covers entire state. Why has not the AFSPA removed from Mizoram then? The Mizoram State Assembly must pass a resolution to recommend the Union Government of India to lift up the AFSPA from entire territory of Mizoram. Once, remove AFSPA from Mizoram, it will send out a message to whole region that table negotiation by following the footpath of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, could be a step to begin in bringing permanent and long lasting solution. Lastly, not the least, after the fake encounter killing at Imphal on July 23, 2009, Tehelka exposed the diktat nature of Manipur police commandos in the state of Manipur. The state kept burning for months and the Central Government got attention and gave strict order to law enforcing agencies to refrain from any forms of human rights violence. Since then, the killing has reduced in Manipur and removed AFSPA partially from Great Imphal areas. Union Home ministry must monitor the changes of the situation and consider listening to the aspiration of people. Madhu Chandra is research scholar and social activist base based at New Delhi. He works as Spokesperson of North East Support Centre & Helpline (www.nehelpline.net).