[Reader-list] Letter of protest - please edit, and send to enclosed recipients

[yuthika sharma]

See details below:


LETTER
______________________________________________________________________
Dear Hon.  Anandiben Mafatbhai Patel, Minister for Education, State of
Gujarat, min-edu at gujarat.gov.in
        Hon. Narendra Modi, Chief Minister, State of Gujarat,
mail at narendramodi.org
       Hon. Y. R. Meena, Chief Justice, Gujarat High Court, rg-hc-guj at nic.in
       Hon. L. K. Advani, BJP Minister and Leader of the Opposition,
Lok Sabha, advanilk at sansad.nic.in




Dear Colleague,

On Thursday, May 10, 2007, Inspector Jhale of the Sayajiganj Police
Station in Vadodara along with a group of VHP members entered the
annual student evaluation held at the Faculty of Fine Arts, M. S.
University, Vadodara, Gujarat, India.   They used violence against Mr.
Chandra Mohan, a Master's Candidate in the Faculty of Fine Arts and
the police arrested him without warrant and without any cognizable
offence. The charge leveled against him after the arrest is obscenity.
The police and the VHP group are evaluating with their violence a
student's work produced for his Master's dissertation. We are also
aware that the Faculty of Fine Arts, particularly its students led by
their Dean, Dr. Shivaji Panikkar have protested this action in various
ways. This has led to Dr. Panikkar's suspension.

The events Gujarat not only undermine the freedom to learn but also
undermine teachers and the system of education. M.S. University has a
fine history of progressive education. The Faculty of Fine Arts has
produced India's most renowned artists and the Art History Department
is the first to be established in independent India. It is also one of
the few departments where students can pursue their education through
the Ph D.

The judgment on Mr. Chandra Mohan's bail hearing is expected on
Monday, May 15th. Protests are being organized across the country at
major public areas in their cities to show solidarity on Monday, May
15 at 6 pm.

As a member of the national and international community of artists,
scholars, and supporters of justice, we request you to forward this
letter of protest to appointed and elected officials in the state of
Gujarat and in Delhi. We have drafted it and request you to sign and
send it by email. It is important that government officials know that
this young man from an underprivileged background is not alone in his
struggle and that the national and international community is aware of
what is happening.

We thank you for your support.

Cordially,

Dr. Annapurna Garimella
Art Historian and Designer
Founder of A.R.T., Bangalore, India