What is physically dangerous for minority is mentally dangerous for majority

Counterview Desk
Citizens of Mumbai took out a rally on July 3 from Kotwal Garden to Chaityabhoomi to protest the series of lynchings and hate crimes that are occurring in this country with nauseating regularity. Advocate Prakash Ambedkar, leaders from trade unions and political parties as well as eminent citizens and cultural activists from all walks of life attended. A statement signed by major civil rights organisations, Left political parties and prominent citizens who participated in the "Not in my Name" rally:
The RSS/BJP rise to power in 2014 has been marked by lynchings and killings of Muslims, Dalits and rationalists while the Prime Minister speaks out only when public protests reach a critical mass and then lapses into silence until the next uproar. It started in 2014 when Mohsin Shaikh, an innocent techie was beaten to death with hockey sticks in Pune just because he looked ‘Muslim’. In Mumbai Yakub Shaikh was murdered.
Then began the killings by cow vigilantes (Gau Rakshaks). Mohammed Akhlaq in Dadri, Zahid Bhatt a 16 year old in Udhampur, the hanging from a tree of Mohammed Majloom and Azad Khan in Latehar, Jharkhand, the thrashing in Una, Gujarat of 7 Dalits for skinning a dead cow, the murder of cattle traders Abu Hanifa and Riazuddin Ali in Assam, Pehlu Khan in Alwar, Rajasthan, the lynching of Bhoop Singh & Jabbar Singh in Greater NOIDA, 15 year old Junaid in Faridabad, Haryana and Alimuddin of Ranchi, Jharkhand - are all the handiwork of self-appointed cow vigilantes.
Elsewhere Ghulam Mohammed is killed in Bulandshahar for helping an inter-faith couple. Zafar Husain is lynched in Pratapgarh, Rajasthan for attempting to protect women. DSP Ayub Pandith is lynched in J&K, and Uttam and Gangesh in Jharkhand. In Hyderabad Phd scholar Rohith Vemula who fought with ABVP and was expelled from his hostel on the orders of Central government ministers, is driven to suicide. Najeeb a JNU scholar ‘disappears’ after a scuffle with ABVP and is never found again.
The murderers of rationalist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar roam free with impunity and strike twice more to kill Comrade Govind Pansare and Professor MM Kalburgi. The State refuses to ban the prime suspect, the Sanatan Sanstha.
In court confessional statements ’disappear’ and witnesses turn hostile so that saffron terrorists from Aseemanand to Sadhvi Pragya Thakur walk out of jail.
As indebted farmers continue to commit suicide, those farmers who take to the streets to protest against the destruction of the agricultural sector, are shot down by police.
In Kashmir, the decision to use brute force and pellet guns rather than initiate talks and peace measures alienates ordinary citizens.
The brutalization of this country is creating a generation that does not think violence against the weak and helpless is wrong. Everywhere minorities are under threat. But what is physically dangerous for the minority is mentally dangerous for the majority.
This is not the future we want. We are Hindus, Muslims, Christians and people of all denominations, castes and creeds including some who have no religion. We do not believe that the present regime will stop the destruction of the secular, democratic India promised to us by our Constitution. So this is not an appeal to government. It is a wake up call to the conscience of the country.
---
Bharatiya Republican Party, CPM, CPI, ANIS, Lal Nishan Paksh, Lal Nishan Paksh (L), CPI (ML), SUCI, CITU, AITUC, TUSC, Govind Pansare Abhiwadan Samiti, Sarva Shramik Sangh, Sarva Shramik Sanghatana, NTUI, ABJM, Bharatiya Mahila Federation, DYFI , AIYF, SFI, AISF, Mumbai Rahiwasi Sangh, Bruhan Mumbai Bhadekaru Parishad, BUCTU, Jati Anth Sangharsh Samiti, Samajik Atyachar Prtibandhak Chalwal, Vidhyarthi Bharati, Indian Muslim For Secular Democracy, CPDR, Tanzim e Insaaf, Janvadi Lekhak Sangh, Akhil Bharati Janvadi Mahila Sanghatan, Bharatiya Mahila Federation, Samvidhan Saanvardhan Samiti, Lok Sanskriti Manch, Maharashtra Urdu Writers Guild, Forum Against Oppression of Women, Pragatisheel Lekhak Sangh, Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Bigul Mazdoor Dasta, NAPM, Bastar Solidarity Network, Bebak Collective, Morche pe Kavi, Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, AAP Mumbai, RPI (Secular)

Comments

Importance of Bangladesh for India amidst 'growing might' of China in South Asia

By Samara Ashrat* The basic key factor behind the geopolitical importance of Bangladesh is its geographical location. The country shares land borders with Myanmar and India. Due to its geographical position, Bangladesh is a natural link between South Asia and Southeast Asia. The country is also a vital geopolitical ally to India, in that it has the potential to facilitate greater integration between Northeast India and Mainland India. Not only that, due to its open access to the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh has become significant to both China and the US.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam* The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

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.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

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".

'BBC film shows only tip of iceberg': Sanjiv Bhatt's daughter speaks at top US press club

By Our Representative The United States' premier journalists' organisation, the National Press Club (NPC), has come down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recent "attacks on journalists in India." Speaking at the screening of an episode of the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question,” banned in India, in the club premises, NPC President Eileen O’Reilly said, “Since Modi came to power we have watched with frustration and disappointment as his regime has suppressed the rights of its citizens to a free and independent news media."

Chinese pressure? Left stateless, Rohingya crisis result of Myanmar citizenship law

By Dr Shakuntala Bhabani* A 22-member team of Myanmar immigration officials visited Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar to verify more than 400 Rohingya refugees as part of a pilot repatriation project. Does it hold out any hope for the forcibly displaced people to return to their ancestral homes in the Rakhine state of Myanmar? Only time will tell.

China ties up with India, Bangladesh to repatriate Rohingyas; Myanmar unwilling

By Harunur Rasid* We now have a new hope, thanks to news reports that were published in the Bangladeshi dailies recently. Myanmar has suddenly taken initiatives to repatriate Rohingyas. As part of this initiative, diplomats from eight countries posted in Yangon were flown to Rakhine last week. Among them were diplomats from Bangladesh, India and China.

40,000 Odisha adolescent girls ask CM: Why is scheme to fight malnutrition on paper?

By Our Representative In unique a postcard campaign to combat malnutrition, aimed at providing dietary diversity, considered crucial during adolescence, especially among girls, signed by about 40,000 adolescent girls from over 10,000 villages, have reminded Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik that his government's Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG), which converged with Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman ( POSHAN ) 2.0 in 2021, is not being implemented in the State.

Natural farming: Hamirpur leads the way to 'huge improvement' in nutrition, livelihood

By Bharat Dogra* Santosh is a dedicated farmer who along with his wife Chunni Devi worked very hard in recent months to convert a small patch of unproductive land into a lush green, multi-layer vegetable garden. This has ensured year-round supply of organically grown vegetables to his family as well as fetched several thousand rupees in cash sales.

Over-stressed? As Naveen Patnaik turns frail, Odisha 'moves closer' to leadership crisis

By Sudhansu R Das Not a single leader in Odisha is visible in the horizon who can replace Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He has ruled Odisha for nearly two and half decades. His father, Biju Patnaik, had built Odisha; he was a daring pilot who saved the life of Indonesia’s Prime Minister Sjahrir and President Sukarno when the Dutch army blocked their exit.

Counterview

Search This Blog