RSS behind Samjhauta, Malegaon blasts: Shinde

 
CNN-IBN | 20-Jan 14:03 PM

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Sunday alleged
that the training camps run by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were promoting Hindu terrorism.
He also alleged that the RSS and the BJP were behind the Samjhauta
Express, Meccca Masjid and Malegaon blasts.
“Training camps of both the BJP and the RSS are promoting Hindu
terrorism. Whether it is Samjhauta blast or Mecca Masjid blast or
Malegaon blast, they plant bombs and blame it on the minorities,” he
said on the last day of Congress Chintan Shivir in Jaipur.
Reacting quickly to the allegations made by the Home Minister, BJP
spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said: “Home Minister’s statement is
irresponsible and unfortunate. We condemn it.” He was joined by BJP
Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi who said, “It is sad that the Home
Minister is trying to disturb the peace of the country. The Congress
should apologise, Sonia Gandhi should also apologise, otherwise they
will have to face the consequences.”
Defending himself, Shinde said that he didn’t say anything new and
only spoke about saffron terrorism which has already been talked about
many a times in newspapers. “It is saffron terrorism that I have
talked about. It is the same thing and nothing new. It has come in the
media several times,” the Home Minister said.
Sources said that Shinde was warned by the Congress leadership to make
the clarification. Earlier in the day, Congress president Sonia Gandhi
in her address at the Chintan Shiviar had asked party leaders to gear
up for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and not indulge in nepotism so
that they could win back people’s faith.
Congress leader and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv
Shukla also clarified on Shinde’s statement saying he referred to
right-wing terrorism and not Hindu terrorism. “Terrorism has no
religion. The extremists and religious fanatics create terror. The
Home minister did not refer to Hindu terrorism instead he meant
right-wing terrorism,” he said.
Right wing activists are alleged to have plotted the Samjhauta Express
bomb blast. Six people, including Swami Aseemanand and Sadhvi Pragya
Thakur, have been chargesheeted by the National Investigation Agency.
Two bombs went off on the Samjhauta Express near Panipat on February
18, 2007 while it was on way to Lahore, killing 68 people.
Sadhvi Pragya is also one of the prime accused in the Malegaon blasts
case of September 29, 2008, in which six persons were killed and 100
others were injured. On January 19, 2009, Maharashtra Police had filed
a chargesheet in the Malegaon blasts case. According to the
chargesheet, Lt Col Prasad Purohit was the main conspirator, who
provided the explosives and Sadhvi Pragya arranged for the persons,
who planted the explosives.
In December, 2012, a man belonging to a right wing group was arrested
by the NIA in connection with the May 18, 2007 Mecca Masjid blast that
left 13 people dead in Hyderabad. Tej Ram was apprehended by NIA
sleuths from Ravidas Marg area of Depalpur, 15 km from Indore.

 

 

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#INDIA- Disturbing rise in male intolerance to empowerment of women #delhigangrape #vaw

 

PUCL press statement on Delhi gang rape, 24th December, 2012

PUCL strongly condemns the brutal, bestial and savage sexual assault of a 23 year old girl in a moving Delhi bus on 16th December leaving her battling for life. We also condemn the unprovoked, unacceptable, unlawful and brutal attack launched by the Delhi police on 23rd December, on thousands of citizens, protesting against state inaction in the rape incident in and near India Gate and the continuing attempts by state police to crush the growing agitation by young people.

The response of the Union Home Minister, Chief Minister of Delhi and the Prime Minister, has been both belated as also insensitive, mechanical and sometimes even farcical as when the Union Home Minister used the Maoists as an alibi for not meeting and addressing the agitators. The political executive has failed to understand that the agitation is not in respect of this one incident alone. The agitation is symbolic of the loss of trust and confidence of people of this country in the criminal justice institutions and the people managing them. For decades now, every single institution without exception has been manipulated and subverted with impunity and citizens are no longer willing to trust persons in power – whether ministers, bureaucrats or police officials.

The agitation has also to be seen in the context of increasing incidents of aggravated sexual assaults on young girls, some as young as 5-8 years old across the country. The situation of rape and sexual violence is particularly severe in rural areas where on a daily basis, there are reports of women from Dalit, minority and economically vulnerable sections suffering violence and sexual assault at the hands of men, on the streets, in work places and other social spaces. This apart, the sexual violence on sexual minorities, transvestites and others is also very worrisome. Most such cases never make it to national media and do not become subject of mass action in urban cities. While we welcome the mass outpouring of support to the Delhi sexual assault survivor we also urge concerned citizens nationwide to become continuously engaged with the larger issue of violence against women in each state, city and locality.

However the issue of sexual assault and violence against women cannot be addressed merely by better policing and more security for women. Very often it is the police and the security guards who become threats to women’s safety considering the current experience of sexual assaults on women and men within police stations and by armed forces. The issue is symptomatic of a much larger, complex social phenomenon. Rapes and sexual violence will have to be seen in the backdrop of rising male intolerance to assertion of independence, self reliance and empowerment of women, in the work arena, professional and social spheres. Questioning of patriarchal values of male superiority, domination and gender discriminative practices are amongst many other social and economic factors responsible for increasing sexual assaults.

PUCL strongly opposes the demand to introduce death sentence as a penalty for rape. Demanding death sentence for rapists is not going to solve the problem of increasingly brutal and bestial sexual violence. Worldwide, as also in India itself, there is no scientific evidence that death penalty acts as a deterrent. By the same token, neither are other measures such as castration of rapists useful or relevant as punishment, as put forward by a number of groups.

It is also pertinent here to point out that punishment is only the last link in the criminal justice system. Conviction and sentencing is dependent on the strength of the prosecution which is in turn dependent on proper investigation. So amending law to have harsher punishment is a non- starter when a large percentage of cases end in acquittal when investigation and prosecution are often compromised deliberately.

The subversion of law begins from the stage of registration of FIR, medical examination of survivors of sexual assault as also the perpetrators, forensic science reports, witness statements, identification of accused through `identification parades’, letting in evidence in court, threat and buying up of witnesses and trial proceedings. We should also not forget the collusion, indifference and inefficiency of `Public Prosecutors’ in the conduct of trials. This subversion is apart from inherent patriarchal attitudes and prejudices of investigators, prosecutors and judges alike. It is only cases which surmount these hurdles which results in conviction and punishment. Thus without addressing these systemic issues, merely demanding new, more stringent laws and harsher punishment is a simplistic approach and no solution.

PUCL firmly believes that apart from punishing perpetrators and providing support to the survivors there is a need for a national level debate on the issue of violence against women across a whole range of issues – starting from language and discourse and spanning social, economic, cultural and psychological factors resulting in the commission of crimes against women. There is an urgent need for men and women from all sections including scheduled castes, religious and sexual minorities to understand, analyse and find solutions to the issue of sexual violence on women. In the end, the ultimate aim should be prevention of crime against women and not just punishment.

Prof. Prabhakar Sinha, National President
Dr. V. Suresh National Gen. Secretary

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Mangalore attack: Girls should skip parties, Karnataka women’s panel boss says #WTFnews

 

TNN | Aug 2, 2012,

BANGALORE: If the girls brutalized by moral vigilantes in Mangalore last week were looking for any womanly understanding from the Karnataka StateWomen’s Commission, they were in for a big disappointment.Commission chairperson C Manjula, who on Wednesday arrived in Mangalore to inquire into the attack on college girls and boys at Morning Mist home stay, had little to offer except: “Home stay parties mislead young girls.”

She told reporters that the commission had already condemned the attack. “I have come here to conduct an inquiry and to seek answers as to why such incidents are repeatedly taking place in Mangalore. The issue will be discussed with officials and we will try to find solutions to put an end to the menace,” she added.

Instead of taking on the vigilantes interfering in the lives of young people, she said that holding parties in remote places leads to suspicion. “I will discuss the issue with Mangalore Universityvice-chancellor TC Shivashankara Murthy and principals of colleges in the city to find solutions for the protection of young women students,” she said.

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Indian Govt to ensure security of NE students: Chidambaram

May 04, 2012, Rediff.com

Rejecting the contention that students from North East are subjected to discrimination and racial profiling, Home Minister P Chidambaram [ Images ] on Friday said the government will take every step to ensure their security and asked states to do the same.

“The government of India [ Images ] will take every step to ensure their security and I am confident that all state governments will discharge their constitutional responsibilities to ensure the safety and security of all people residing within that state,” Chidambaram said in Rajya Sabha.

He was responding to a calling attention notice by Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley [ Images ] in the wake of deaths of two students from North East in Gurgaon, Haryana and Bengaluru [ Images ].

Jaitley said, “I call the attention of home minister towards issues of racial profiling and discrimination towards students of North East, who go to different parts.”

Replying to it, Chidambaram said the state governments were primarily responsible for the prevention of crimes arising out of discrimination, adding, the Centre accorded “highest importance to development of North Eastern region as well as prevention of atrocities against Schedule Tribe and will not countenance discrimination in any form.”

Referring to the recent death of Dana Sangma in Gurgaon near Delhi [ Images ] and of Richard Loitum in Bengaluru besides allegations of racial profiling against Tibetans during the recent BRICS summit, he said these have caused disquiet and agitation among the community, specially students from the region.

He said the police is investigating the deaths of both Sangma and Loitam after registering cases and conducting post mortems.

Stressing that students from the region have right to security and peace and they are “free to travel and reside in any part of the country,” Chidambaram said it was not correct that the students from the North Eastern states in Delhi were more vulnerable as compared to students from other regions.

“In 2010, 8 cases of offences against women from the North Eastern state were registered and, in 2011, 7 such cases were reported. All cases were investigated and further proceedings are underway,” he said.

Admitting that during BRICS summit on March 29, the Delhi Police did detain some Tibetans and their supporters as there was an apprehension that the Tibetan groups would disrupt the summit, Chidambaram stressed that the police have “categorically stated that there was no racial profiling.”

“During the checking process some Indians, including a few from the North-Eastern States were also detained for a short while and let off as soon as their identities were confirmed,” he said.

He said while the exact number students from North East was not available a number of them resided in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai [ Images ], Kolkata [ Images ] and Pune to take advantage of the vast opportunities available in other parts of the country and “it is their right to do so.”

Elaborating the steps to address the problems faced by students from North East, Chidambaram said DCP-level officers have designated as nodal officers to specifically address their problems.

“Besides, a North East Connect Cell, headed by a joint secretary-level officer has been formed…to serve as a coordination point with resident commissioners of 8 North Eastern States,” he added

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India Edging Maoists From Mineral-Laden Land, Chidambaram Says

Image via Wikipedia

Indian police for years have abused civilians in the fight against the Maoists, according to New York-based Human Rights Watch. While India’s Supreme Court in October ordered an independent probe into allegations that police in Chhattisgarh tortured and sexually assaulted a schoolteacher whom they accused of links to the rebels, “authorities have not initiated any inquiry or criminal action against the police officers implicated,” Human Rights Watch said in a Jan. 31 statement.

February 01, 2012, 1:52 PM EST

By James Rupert and Bibhudatta Pradhan

Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) — India is winning command over mineral-rich areas where Maoist guerrilla attacks deter billions of dollars in potential investment, Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said, one year after he declared the conflict deadlocked.

“Albeit slowly, we are gaining control of the situation,” reversing Maoist advances that began after 2004, Chidambaram said in a 40-minute interview on counter-terrorism, Pakistan and prospects for expanding foreign investment in India’s economy. “The earlier estimate that in three to four years we will be able to gain ascendancy was an optimistic estimate,” he said. “That I am willing to concede.”

Chidambaram told a conference in 2009 that reinforced police battalions in heavily forested Maoist enclaves would eliminate a rebel-run zone whose area is as big as Portugal. On Feb. 1 last year, he described “a kind of stalemate” in the insurgency, which blocks mining of bauxite, iron and other minerals. Execution Noble Ltd., a London-based financial services company, said in 2010 that the region had the potential to draw $80 billion of investment.

The minister declined to specify what period now may be needed to defeat the rebels beyond saying “it will take a few more years.” He spoke in his high-ceilinged office in the red sandstone secretariat built a century ago as the seat of Britain’s colonial government.

Chidambaram, 66, a lawyer and Harvard Business School graduate from India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu, is one of the most prominent members of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cabinet.

Record Growth

As finance minister from 2004 until 2008, Chidambaram oversaw record economic growth that averaged 8.5 percent a year. Singh moved him to the Home Ministry amid public anger over the 2008 attack on Mumbai by 10 Pakistani guerrillas that killed 166 people.

Read more here

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UIDAI invades privacy, endangers security

In a letter to the prime minister, Union home minister P Chidambaram is reported to have demanded that the Planning Commission be instructed to bring a note to the Cabinet on the status of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) so that there is clarity over which agency — the Registrar-General of India (RGI) or the UIDAI — will carry on with the task of capturing the biometric data of the population. The letter expresses unhappiness over media reports over turf wars between the UIDAI, which comes under the nodal authority of the Planning Commission, and the RGI under the home ministry. The crux of the issue is the security of the biometric data being collected by the two agencies. While the RGI collects data through officials visiting homes, the UIDAI collects it through private agencies, who ask people to come over to their collection centres.

This is a much more important issue than the dispute over jurisdiction and, though belatedly, Chidambaram has raised the right issue. Only last month, the parliamentary standing committee on finance had rejected the National Identification Authority of India (NIDAI) Bill, 2010 — which was supposed to provide the legal basis to the UIDAI — raising questions about the ethics, feasibility and purpose of the project as well as its legality. The committee said the UID scheme was “built up on untested, unreliable technology and several assumptions” and large-scale involvement of private agencies in collection of biometric data about the citizens of India was not only unconstitutional but a threat to national security.

In the backdrop of the parliamentary committee’s severe indictment, further continuance of the scheme is untenable. That such an ambitious project with wider implications for the citizen’s right to privacy and national security was launched without Parliament’s approval shows the UPA government’s utter disregard for law and democratic traditions. The government should scrap this scheme, which was initiated without legislative sanction, feasibility study and cost-benefit analysis.