Dadri lynching: Amnesty goes mild on saffron outfits, attacks UP govt for failing to tackle religious intolerance

By Our Representative
Criticizing the Uttar Pradesh government for not doing enough to "tackle religious intolerance and violence", even as asking it to "go beyond arrests", Amnesty International India, commenting on the gruesome massacre of Mohd Akhlaq on suspicion of stocking and eating beef, has refused to name any saffron outfit for whipping up tension around the incident.
Talking of "self-appointed vigilante groups", but not identifying who these are, the top international human rights group in a state statement said, "Arrests will not to be enough to ease communal tensions. The state government must address cases of incitement to violence, and ensure that self-appointed cow protection organizations do not act as vigilante groups."
Insisting that "the Uttar Pradesh government must do more to protect the rights of religious minorities in the state", Amnesty has pointed towards a worrying trend of rise in communal tensions across the state.
It said, "The Ministry of Home Affairs has stated that there were 68 communal incidents in Uttar Pradesh in the first six months of 2015. Kasganj and Saharanpur districts in the state witnessed clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups in June. In September, there was stone throwing, burning of vehicles and arson by Hindu and Muslim groups in the town of Gonda."
“There is an environment of mistrust and fear in parts of Uttar Pradesh,” Amnesty quoted Abhirr VP, Campaigner at Amnesty International India. “Political leaders continue to stoke tensions by justifying violence. The state government’s inability to check religious intolerance emboldens groups to carry out attacks”, he added, but did not say who these are and why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi quiet about it.
It has been widely reported that, among others, a minister in the Modi government, culture minister Vishnu Sharma said, the grisly killing of Akhlaq as an "unfortunate accident" and an apparent "misunderstanding", adding, It (the murder) took place as a reaction to that incident (cow slaughter)." Meanwhile, Modi has been widely criticized keeping mum on the murder.
Basing its statement on its visit to the village in Dadri where the incident took place, Amnesty said, "Parveen, the sister of Mohammad Akhlaq, told Amnesty International India, 'We were living in peace here, but now we are scared. Our Muslim neighbors are all living in fear'. ”
"Cow slaughter is banned in Uttar Pradesh. The Uttar Pradesh police have arrested eight men in Dadri, and asked for legal action to be taken against political leaders who violated prohibitory orders and made speeches in the area after the killing", Amnesty said in the maiden statement more than a week after the incident.
“Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav must show that the state government is serious about making the state safe for people from all religions. His government must make public and act on the report of the Justice Vishnu Sahai commission on the 2013 communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, which was submitted last month", Amnesty insisted.
It added, the UP government "must bring to justice all those involved in the violence, including political leaders, police, and administrative officials.”

Comments

Nobel laureates join international figures, seek release of Bhima Koregaon accused activists

Nobel laureates Olga Tokarczuk, Wole Soyinka Counterview Desk As many as 57 top international personalities, including Nobel laureates, academics, human rights defenders, lawyers cultural personalities, and members of Parliament of European countries, have urged the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India to ensure immediate release of human rights defenders in India “into safe conditions”.

Buddhist shrines massively destroyed by Brahmanical rulers in "pre-Islamic" era: Historian DN Jha's survey

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Russia, China to call the shots in Middle East, as Muslim nations turn into house of cards

By Haider Abbas* Only a naive would buy that the ‘situation of ceasefire’ between the State of Israel and Hamas would continue, as if the foiled attempt to demolish Al Aqsa this time, is not be repeated, if not in any near future then in sometime to come. Israel already has spurned the ‘ceasefire’ by storming Al Aqsa after the Friday prayers on May 21.

Collapse of healthcare system? Why 90% of Covid patients treated at home survived

By Bobby Ramakant, Sandeep Pandey* Well known Hindustani classical singer Padma Vibhu shan Channulal Mishra, chosen as one of the proposers of Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha elections, lost his wife and elder daughter to Covid in private hospitals in Varanasi. Younger daughter has accused Medwin Hospital of charging Rs 1.5 lakh for treatement of her sister and not being able to explain the cause of death. Pandit Channulal Mishra has asked for a probe into his daughter’s death from the Chief Minister. The family has also asked for the CCTV footage of the ward where deceased daughter was admitted for a week.

Hunger, lack of food security behind India's 'slip' in UN's sustainable development rank

By Dr Gian Singh* According to a report released by the United Nations on June 6, 2021, India's ranking of achieving Sustainable Development based on the 17 Social Development Goals (SDGs) set by the 193 countries in the 2003 agenda, which was 115th last year, has slipped to 117th position this year. India ranks not only the lowest among the BRICS countries -- Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China, and South Africa but also below the four South Asian countries -- Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

Modi-led regime 'contributed' 60% to rise of global poverty, yet Hindutva is intact

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* In recent years, the Hindutva politics has caused long term damage to India and Indians. The so called 56-inch macho PM, the propaganda master manufactures and survives all political crisis including the current mismanagement of the Coronavirus pandemic in India. In spite of deaths and destitutions, the social, cultural, economic and religious base of Hindutva is intact.

Rooted in mistrust? Covid-19’s march into rural India is a very different ball game

By Sudhir Katiyar* As the Covid-19 virus penetrates rural India, the rural communities are responding very differently from their urban counterparts who rushed to the hospitals. The rural communities are avoiding the public health facilities and any mention of the disease. The note argues that this supposedly irrational response is based on a deep-seated mistrust of the state by the rural communities. It can not be resolved with routine Information, Education and Communication (IEC) measures suggested in the Government of India SOP for tackling Covid-19 in rural areas.

Courageous, in-depth attempt to confirm common spiritual values of Christ, Buddha

By RB Sreekumar, IPS* All religions, both theistic and atheistic designed conceptual and practical architecture, for holistic and comprehensive elevation and enlightenment of humanity. PK Vijayan, in his novel “Nirvana of Jesus Christ” (Notion Press, 2020) through creative imagination portrayed personality evolution of the two progenitors of God-centric and sagaciously logical major religions – Jesus Christ of Christianity and Gautama Buddha of Buddhism.

Why hasn't Govt of India responded to US critique of freedom of religion under Modi?

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* About two weeks ago, on May 12, 2021, the US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken released in Washington the ‘2020 International Religious Freedom Report.’ This official annual report of the US Government details the status of religious freedom in nearly 200 foreign countries and territories and describes US actions to support religious freedom worldwide. Mandated by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, this report highlights the fact that ‘religious freedom is both a core American value and a universal human right’.

Counterview

Search This Blog