[Reader-list] Cracking down on ‘violations of moral code’ in Dakshina Kannada

Wed Sep 10 12:48:27 IST 2008

  Pawan,

  Clearly, when you WRITE, 'Ignored', and annotate your inscription  
with an completely meaningless note
That says -
> Using an article to somewhat justify Dukhtar - E- Millet.....
>
>

You prove that you are not in fact ignoring the post. You are also  
demonstrating your inability, yet again, to read and understand what  
is unambiguous and crystal clear.

I have by no means ever justified the Dukhtaran-e-Millat' , I stand  
clearly and unequivocally opposed to the Islamic Fundmentalism that  
organizations like the 'Dukhtaran-e-Millat' represent. In fact, my  
equating them with the 'Durga Vahini' in the context of the post  
below, suggests, clearly, that I find the positions and politics of  
both, repugnant. My point has always been that fundamentalists, no  
matter of which faith or persuasion, have to be criticised and  
confronted by anyone interested in building and maintaining a space  
conducive to liberty and plurality within society.

If you think that by equating the Dukhtaran-e-Millat with the Durga  
Vahini, I am 'justifying' the Duktharan-e-Millat, I can surmise that  
you say so only because, to you, outfits like the 'Durga Vahini',  
which are self-declared enemies of cultural openness and liberty, are  
praiseworthy, simply because they are Hindus and Indian Nationalists,  
and thus, you cannot bear to have them equated with people you would  
consider to be politically 'untouchable' - ie Muslims and opposed to  
the Indian Nation State's control over Kashmir.

I am opposed to the Indian states control over Kashmir, but I have  
absolutely no hesitation in condemning the agenda of organizations  
like the Dukhtaran e Millat, notwithstanding the fact that I and  
they, may both be interested in ending the Indian state's occupation  
of Kashmir, though from different ends, and for entierly different,  
in fact opposed, purposes.

This shows that you make your judgements entirely based on a communal  
and secterian reading. Or, otherwise, it shows that you do not have  
the ability to take a consistent stand. And that your arguments  
actually have no ethical basis whatsoever.

Please seek help, and please restrain yourself from subjecting this  
list to  your glib one liners which demonstrate, again and again, how  
small and narrow the bandwidth of your intelligence and your  
imagination is. I remind you of the fact that by doing so, you only  
do yourself, and the cause that you represent, great damage.

Shuddha

On 10-Sep-08, at 11:59 AM, Pawan Durani wrote:

> Using an article to somewhat justify Dukhtar - E- Millet.....
>
>
>
> Ignored !
>
>
> On Mon, Sep 8, 2008 at 3:11 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta  
> <shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:
> Dear Rohan,
>
> Many thanks for your post. It is no secret that the reactionaries of
> different denominations should see ground for natural alliances on
> limited issues. Self declared Christian fundamentalist outfits have
> actually often in the forefront of seeking bans on films and books in
> India, just as Muslim fundamentalists have been, and they tactfully
> decline to comment on Hindu fundamentalists when they do the same.
> There is a 'coalition of hurt sentiments' and 'prudery' that far
> outweighs the otherwise vitiated relationships between them. This is
> what causes the Islamist  'Dukhtaran-e-Millat' in Kashmir to
> occasionally mirror the rhetoric of their 'Durga Vahini' sisters in
> India.
>
> Incidentally, the disruption of the Graduation exhibition at the
> Faculty of Fine Arts at MS University Baroda, which was commented on
> this list, involved the active participation individuals aligned with
> the VHP and the Bajrang Dal in Gujarat as well as a Christian
> Pentecostalist Minister by the name of Immanuel Kant.
>
> regards
>
> Shuddha
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 08-Sep-08, at 12:37 PM, Rohan DSouza wrote:
>
> > Dear All,
> >
> > This particular article on the front page of yesterday's Bangalore
> > edition
> > of the Hindu, caught my attention. This was for various reasons,
> > the main
> > one being of complete disgust in the way in which people from
> > different
> > communities are being forced not to interact with each other in the
> > Dakshina
> > Kannada district of Karnataka.
> >
> > When reading the report carefully, one also notices with some
> > intrigue, two
> > of the bed fellows of this moral brigade, ie, the right wing  
> militant
> > Bajrang Dal and Social Action Committee, a Christian organisation.
> > While the
> > Bajrang Dal is known to specifically target members of the Christian
> > community in other parts of India, (the recent attacks in Orissa
> > come to
> > mind), in the instances mentioned here there is an actual coming
> > together of
> > interests and corresponding action, of these organisations  
> claiming to
> > represent the two communities.
> >
> > While I subscribe to the fact that the Bajrang Dal and the Social
> > Action
> > Committee cannot be seen as sole representatives of Hindu and
> > Christian
> > interests, it will still be worth looking at the social situation
> > in this
> > region, which could tolerate something like this. The  Mangalorean
> > Christian
> > (Roman Catholic) community have been supporters of the Sangh
> > organisations,
> > especially the BJP. This seems to stem from the notion of their
> > Brahmanical
> > past (pre-conversion by the Portugese) as well as present, within  
> the
> > Christian community set up. Casteist (Hindu & Chrisitian in this  
> case)
> > feelings and bonds based on this seem to have superceded
> > differences of
> > religion here! Incidentally, similar notions of Brahmanical
> > ancestry and
> > superiority can also observed among the Syrian Christian  
> community in
> > neighbouring Kerala.
> >
> > The coming together of the Hindu and the Chrisitian community, as
> > far as
> > aggressively expressing their political, social and moral
> > preferences in
> > this region, have ensured members of both communities dont interact
> > with
> > Muslims. This seeems to be designed to polarise and communalise the
> > region
> > (the Gujarat model, that CM Yediyurappa fawns over, in action?).
> >
> > The members (ex?) of the Islamic organisation, Karnataka Forum for
> > Dignity,
> > also seem to be playing along with this polarisation. The result of
> > which
> > will probably be a splintered social situation, with the Hindus and
> > Christians on one side of the divide and the Muslims on the other.
> > This has
> > earlier led to riots in this region and one can surely expect more.
> >
> > Taking advantaged of sentiments, emotions, based on actions,
> > reactions and
> > counter actions, seems to be the modus operandi of the three
> > organisations
> > mentioned in the article.
> >
> > Being distant as well as close, geographically and genetically, to
> > Dakshina
> > Kannada, has made me want to comment on this. However, this may  
> be an
> > incomplete reading of the situation. Therefore would welcome  
> comments,
> > thoughts on this.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Rohan
> >
> > http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/07/stories/2008090750160100.htm
> >
> > *Cracking down on 'violations of moral code' in Dakshina Kannada *
> > Sudipto
> > Mondal * In most cases, young men and women have been targeted *  —
> > file
> > Photo: K.R. Deepak
> >
> > * Watched: Young people such as these have become victims of the
> > vigorously
> > enforced 'moral code' in Dakshina Kannada. *
> >
> > MANGALORE: Self-appointed vigilante groups are cracking down on  
> those
> > "violating the moral code" in Dakshina Kannada district. Records
> > with the
> > district police that *The Hindu *had access to show that since the
> > third
> > week of July there have been 10 instances of these groups punishing
> > individuals whom they perceived as having violated the moral code.
> >
> > Hindutva organisations such as the Bajrang Dal, a Christian
> > organisation
> > Social Action Committee, as well as certain individuals who were
> > formerly
> > with the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD), have been involved in
> > these
> > incidents.
> >
> > In most of the incidents the groups have targeted young men and
> > women from
> > different communities who were interacting with each other. In one
> > case, a
> > young woman was attacked because she went to the house of a young
> > woman from
> > a different community.
> >
> > The Bajrang Dal has claimed responsibility for seven of these
> > incidents. *,
> > *The district head of the organisation, Sudarshan Moodabidri,
> > claimed that
> > the outfit had "solved" over 200 cases in the last two months where
> > Hindus
> > were "caught" committing the "immoral" act of interacting with
> > members of
> > other communities.
> >
> > Mr. Moodabidri said, "Sometimes it becomes necessary to use force.
> > Fear of
> > such action should deter such misadventures. Girls reform
> > themselves once
> > they are thrashed and humiliated in public, but boys are tougher to
> > control."
> >
> > The Social Action Committee carried out a "joint operation" with
> > Bajrang Dal
> > activists in the city in one instance. "We will carry out more such
> > strikes," its president Deepak D'Mello told *The Hindu*.
> >
> > Former activists of the KFD have been linked to two such cases. The
> > organisation's president Abdul Aziz said that the acts were
> > committed by
> > delinquent members and distanced KFD from the issue. He confirmed
> > that the
> > organisation was against inter-community relationships but was
> > averse to
> > using force.
> >
> > The latest incident occurred on September 2 at Vittla in Bantwal
> > taluk where
> > activists of the Bajrang Dal assaulted a couple, Roopashree and  
> Vikhar
> > Ahmed, and paraded them in public. The same afternoon, over 60 km
> > away in
> > Puttur taluk, Bajrang Dal activists stormed the house of Ayesha  
> as her
> > friend Divya was visiting her.
> >
> > On September 1, Sugandhi and her three friends, Raghav, Anil and
> > Rasheed,
> > were assaulted by Bajrang Dal activists when they were at a hotel
> > in the
> > heart of Mangalore city. On August 24, Deepa and her fiancé Abdul
> > Waheed
> > were dragged out of a bus at a junction in the city and assaulted
> > by Bajrang
> > Dal activists.
> >
> > On the afternoon of August 23, Bajrang Dal activists assaulted and
> > abused
> > classmates Julia, Robert, Waheed, Abdul and Sunil because they were
> > found
> > laughing and talking loudly in a public place.
> >
> > On August 22, activists of the Bajrang Dal and the Social Action
> > Committee
> > carried out the "joint operation" against Mohammed and his classmate
> > Catherine. On August 18, activists claiming to be from the KFD
> > assaulted
> > Dinesh and his friend Afshan at a remote village 25 km from the
> > city. They
> > were assaulted because Dinesh had brought medicines for Afshan  
> who was
> > suffering from malaria.
> >
> > On August 8, activists of the Bajrang Dal assaulted Syed, Zulfikar
> > and Ameen
> > with soda bottles and hooks in a bus in the heart of the city
> > because they
> > had carried school bags belonging to a group of Hindu girls.
> >
> > On July 27, activists claiming to be from the KFD attacked  
> Govind, an
> > autorickshaw driver at a village over 25 km from Mangalore because
> > he often
> > ferried his neighbours Uzma and Shaheen in his auto. On July 16,
> > Rehman was
> > heard talking and laughing loudly at a public place with his two
> > friends Uma
> > and Bhavya. They were assaulted and abused by Bajrang Dal activists.
> >
> > Superintendent of Police N. Sateesh Kumar said, "This is a social
> > issue.
> > Resistance to such divisive forces should come from within the
> > community. In
> > cases where there have been assaults we have taken the necessary
> > action."
> >
> > (Names of the victims have been changed to protect their identity)
> > _________________________________________
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>
> Shuddhabrata Sengupta
> The Sarai Programme at CSDS
> Raqs Media Collective
> shuddha at sarai.net
> www.sarai.net
> www.raqsmediacollective.net
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________
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> Critiques & Collaborations
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Shuddhabrata Sengupta
The Sarai Programme at CSDS
Raqs Media Collective
shuddha at sarai.net
www.sarai.net
www.raqsmediacollective.net