[Reader-list] Teesta Setalvad cooked up macabre tales on GujaratRiots: SIT

[bipin]

Dear Javed,

When I say rape a normal practice, it does not mean that rape incidence 
happens do not disturb me. It is always condemnable and must even punished 
to death sentence.

What I mean to say is whenever riots takes place this is normal practice 
that the routine rape incidence happens is also linked with riots. Such rape 
incidence would have been there even riot does not taken place. That is what 
my point is. However, if anyone proved guilty whoever it may be (either VHP 
or BJP worker) must be punished.

thanks
Bipin

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "M Javed" <javedmasoo at gmail.com>
To: "bipin" <aliens at dataone.in>; "reader" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 2:06 PM
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Teesta Setalvad cooked up macabre tales on 
GujaratRiots: SIT


Dear Bipin
If there is a house on fire and you have to distinguish the fire,
would you finish putting out the fire in one house or leave it burning
and attend to other houses too.

Why should you expect one person or one NGO to fight for the cause of
every one. Why don't you stand up and start fighting the fire in other
houses if you are so concerned about them.

NGO-bashing has become very fashionable these days. It is true that
some NGOs make their bread and butter (and cheese) out of foreign
funding for not-so honest causes. But this also undermines the honest
work being done by so many individuals and institutions in the rural
India.

I also find your calling rape "a normal practice during such
situations" a very disturbing statement - my God. If something happens
to your sister or wife or mother or daughter, will you call it a
normal practice?

Javed

On Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 1:24 PM, bipin <aliens at dataone.in> wrote:
> Dear Pawan,
>
> In a way its very true I am giving my point of view as under.
>
> NGO and human right activists’ activities are totally biased and they act
> with the guidance of their source of funds only. For ex Teesta’s NGO is
> working only for Gujarat riot, Mumbai ’92 riot or Kandhmal. The one did by
> communal forces according to them. They have never raised their voice for
> the victim of terrorist in India, Kashmir, Shikh riot etc. This shows 
> their
> biased behavior only. Such foreign organizations are normally against the
> India to grow and such many movement is going on with foreign various 
> trust
> funding. Many NGO’s and human right activists’ bread butter with such fund
> only.
>
> In case of Jaheera they have instigated to give false statement and by 
> this
> way they have got much more additional funds from foreign missionaries
> Teesta promised Zahira to give handsome money for life long living. But,
> after following the Teesta’s path, Zahira did not get any money as 
> promised.
> So, Zahira turned down in the court and what she was knowing really told 
> to
> the court.
>
> Its absolutely true that at that time media, such NGO’s Human Right
> Activists has played a key role to hype and exaggerated this issue than 
> the
> actual it is. Simple reason by doing this NGO and Human rights Activist 
> had
> got huge funding.
>
> Someone arguing about the rape incidents occurred during 2002 Gujarat 
> riots.
> Still not a single rape case registered and if it would have happened 
> during
> that period is must be a part of normal rape incidence going on even today
> in large scale in India by goonda elements and nothing to do with riot
> occurred by way of reaction. Whenever, riot takes place this is very 
> normal
> practice to make such allegation to give much more hype in the issue.
>
> thanks
> Bipin
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Pawan Durani" <pawan.durani at gmail.com>
> To: "Anuj Bhuwania" <anujbhuwania at gmail.com>
> Cc: <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 12:56 AM
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Teesta Setalvad cooked up macabre tales on
> Gujarat Riots : SIT
>
>
>> An interesting petition i just found on internet ......No comments from 
>> my
>> side .....but the petition is worth reading............
>> http://www.petitiononline.com/ngoi/petition.html
>>
>> To: Supreme Court Of India, CBI (India), Press Council Of India
>>
>> Appeal to maintain the sanctity of India's judicial system
>>
>> To:
>>
>> HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE R.C. LAHOTI, Chief Justice of Supreme Court Of India.
>>
>> SHRI U.S. MISRA, Director CBI
>>
>> HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE K. JAYACHANDRA REDDY, Chairman Press Council of 
>> India.
>>
>> As events in the trial of the Best Bakery case unfold, the man on the
>> street
>> looks on in askance where exactly the truth lies. On one side is a much
>> maligned but democratically elected government of Gujarat that is charged
>> and on the other is a highly pampered but suspicious NGO who leads the
>> attack and in the middle is a simple, 20-year old girl. The case
>> pertaining
>> to the Best Bakery massacre has become more of a contrivance to score
>> political points than to execute justice. It is unfortunate that courts
>> all
>> the way to the apex court in India have fallen prey to this political
>> tussle.
>>
>> It is the appeal of the undersigned that restraint is followed in making
>> judgments and the fact be examined that NGOs themselves might have vested
>> interests.
>>
>> Zaheera Sheikh’s allegations against the NGO Citizens for Justice and
>> Peace
>> and its counselor Teesta Setalvad carry criminal ramifications. In her 
>> own
>> words Zaheera admitted that she perceived a threat to her life from
>> activist
>> Teesta Setalvad. She further narrated how she was abducted at knifepoint
>> at
>> the behest of Ms. Setalvad. In a rare admission she alleged *"Teesta
>> forced
>> me into changing my earlier deposition. She threatened me with dire
>> consequences if I did not follow her instructions."*
>>
>> For an NGO that belabors endlessly on communal harmony, Ms Setalvad’s
>> approach to the Best Bakery case appears not to be one of conciliation 
>> but
>> rooted in widening the communal chasm when one hears Zaheera narrate *“When
>> I asked her what she wanted, she said, 'You have to fight for your
>> community, for which even if you have to tell lies, you'll have to tell
>> lies
>> before court.”* Zaheera Sheikh has also charged Ms Setalvad of holding 
>> her
>> captive and threatening her of lynching!
>>
>> One must also note that since her allegation against Ms Setalvad, Zaheera
>> Sheikh has also sought the counsel and protection of National Committee
>> for
>> Minorities (NCM) and The National Commission for Women (NCW). She met 
>> with
>> Ms Poornima Advani of the NCW in the week of Nov 8-14 in this 
>> connection..
>> Ms
>> Advani it should be recalled has constantly fought for the human rights 
>> of
>> those affected by the Gujarat incidents. While, the Gujarat government 
>> has
>> been insidiously charged by all and sundry of having coerced Zaheera into
>> her latest volte-face - after her meeting Ms Advani welcomed Zaheera’s
>> stance and rejected allegations of illegal pressure by the Gujarat Govt.
>> She
>> confirmed to the press that *“Zaheera was under no pressure and was doing
>> her own things”.*
>>
>> It must be further noted that allegations of threat against Ms. Setalvad
>> are
>> not just from Zaheera Sheikh alone. A day after Zaheera Sheikh sought
>> police
>> protection from Ms. Setalvad, an accused in the case Dinesh Rajbhar told
>> special judge A M Thipsay that Setalvad had 'threatened' him while being
>> taken out of the court in Mumbai. The court has taken the complaint of 
>> Ms.
>> Setalvad’s threat in the words - *"Hum tum sab ko dekh lenge* (We will 
>> see
>> you)” - on record.
>>
>> It has been noticed several times that many NGOs in India have been
>> exposed
>> as tax shelters and sophisticated social swindles. It has also been noted
>> that many NGOs do have vested foreign interests whose ultimate interest 
>> is
>> what NGOs champion. It is our appeal therefore that the courts, based on
>> the
>> petitions by NGOs whose credentials may be questionable, not execute
>> landmark decisions. In light of the serious allegations the star witness
>> of
>> the Best Bakery has made against the NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace
>> and
>> its forerunner Teesta Setalvad, this becomes very important.
>>
>>
>> The role of the Ms Teesta Setalvad and her interest for state of India 
>> are
>> more than dubious. If anything, Ms. Teesta Setalvad is hardly an NGO and
>> driven impetuously against only a certain political ideology. She
>> publishes
>> “Communalism Combat”. Ostensibly a publication for communal harmony, its
>> real purpose and effect appear to be directed at communal polarization.
>> Sabrang Communications (Private) Ltd that she jointly operates with her
>> husband Javed Anand has a history of coordinating several political
>> activities with a common theme: attack democratically elected governments
>> in
>> India, and slander them abroad, and conduct anti-Indian propaganda.
>>
>> We also appeal to the CBI to investigate the funds received by Ms 
>> Setalvad
>> and her NGO for political pamphleteering. There have been indications 
>> that
>> Sabrang Communications has been soliciting foreign funding giving the
>> address of one SINGH foundation in the United States. In fact per Zaheera
>> Sheikh’s revelation to press persons, Ms. Setalvad even threatened 
>> Zaheera
>> with her monetary clout – as Zaheera narrated *"I told Teesta I would
>> lodge
>> a complaint against her with Vadodara police and expose her, but Teesta
>> replied, 'We are very rich and influential. You can't harm us that way.”*
>>
>> Who should we believe? The battle has been drawn out between a very
>> powerful
>> woman who is on the board of several government offices, is in close
>> association with corporate houses, has been felicitated overseas with
>> sundry
>> awards and in defence is a hapless young girl barely out of her teens,
>> bereaved and homeless. Ms Setalvad's loyalties are at best "divided" - 
>> she
>> has consistently used a secessionist map of India on her web-site and
>> viciously attacked Indian musicians who asked for equivalent access to
>> Pakistani markets, as offered to Pakistani musicians here. Her current
>> effort at undermining an indigent, inadequately educated girl, barely out
>> of
>> her teens, is avidly supported by Pakistanis and organizations that align
>> themselves with the NDF-ISI nexus. Do we really want such a person and 
>> her
>> coterie to affect our judicial system?
>>
>> This petition is also an appeal of the undersigned to the Press Council 
>> of
>> India to advise restrain on the astounding one-sidedness of press
>> reporting.
>> Even though Zahira Sheikh’s reputation appears tarnished with her 
>> constant
>> about faces, her allegations against Ms. Setalvad must be investigated
>> without prejudice. The press must be cautious in making slanted reports
>> that
>> may be construed as a defense of Ms. Setalvad. While the truth remains
>> muddied, speculation in the press is rife about Zaheera’s character,
>> stories
>> are being made up about greed and letting down her community. For example
>> with little or no corroborating evidence, India’s leading daily in 
>> English
>> had a sensational headline titled “'Zahira retracted for money'. Another
>> nationally syndicated columnist devoted an entire op-ed in defense of
>> Teesta
>> Setalvad without even the minimum of investigation into any of Zaheera’s
>> charges. If anything the press must be wary of bogus peace and human
>> rights
>> activists that abound in India working for foreign interests.
>>
>> We the undersigned strongly protest that we do not want the Indian
>> judicial
>> system, the investigating agencies and the press be held hostage by
>> individuals with questionable intentions, NGOs with unaccounted sources 
>> of
>> funding. Further, NGOs who have no accountability to anyone should not be
>> allowed to affect or even direct our judicial process, especially if they
>> have foreign funding. It is important that fly-by-night organizations 
>> like
>> one Ms. Setalvad has been running not malign and undermine India’s
>> judicial
>> system.
>>
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> On Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 12:11 AM, Anuj Bhuwania
>> <anujbhuwania at gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>>> Dear all,
>>>
>>> It is perhaps worth noting that the only newspaper that reported the
>>> Court proceedings in such terms, is the Times of India and its sister
>>> publication Economic Times. Please find pasted below Teesta Setalvad's
>>> rebuttal to this Times of India news report quoted already in the
>>> first email posted on this thread.
>>>
>>> Best,
>>> anuj
>>>
>>> Rebuttal to the Times of India report, dated April 14, 2009:
>>>
>>> The report in The Times of India, Mumbai edition dated April 14, 2009,
>>> reportedly also published prominently in all its other editions
>>> titled, ‘NGOs, Teesta spiced up Gujarat riots cases: SIT’ is a clear
>>> example of irresponsible reportage. Intentionally or otherwise, the
>>> distorted report damages the reputation of a citizens’ group that has
>>> been recognized nationally and internationally for working assiduously
>>> to ensure justice to the victims of mass violence whether in case of
>>> the Gujarat carnage (2002), or the bomb blasts in Mumbai (2006 and
>>> 2008) or the communal carnage in Kandhamal district, Orissa (2008),
>>> irrespective of the caste or creed of the victims or the perpetrators.
>>>
>>> “The SIT led by former CBI director R K Raghavan told the Supreme
>>> Court on Monday…” reads the opening para of the report. The fact is
>>> that neither Sri Raghavan, nor any other SIT member was present at the
>>> apex court to “tell” it anything. Sri Dhananjay Mahapatra’s report
>>> could only be referring to a contention made in a four page note
>>> circulated by Ms Hemantika Wahi for the Gujarat Government. (A copy of
>>> the same is annexed). It was not a note prepared by SIT. The report is
>>> all the more shocking since Sri Mahapatra was present in the court and
>>> could not be unaware of this.
>>>
>>> The detailed report of SIT submitted to the Supreme Court on March 6,
>>> 2007 has not been available for study either to National Human Rights
>>> Commission (NHRC), the petitioners in this case, or the Citizens for
>>> Justice and Peace (CJP) who have intervened in this critical matter or
>>> to any in the media. Any reference to it is hence hearsay and it may
>>> amount to contempt of court to write about a report which the Court
>>> has specifically not made public.
>>>
>>> In its written note that the Gujarat state circulated in court
>>> yesterday, the state has given its brief comments on the SIT report.
>>> In para four of this note the Gujarat government note refers to
>>> alleged statements made by some witnesses in the Gulberg case before
>>> SIT that name accused other than those named by them in the written
>>> statements that were (according to the state of Gujarat) given to them
>>> by Teesta Setalvad and advocates. This is the version of the Gujarat
>>> state. Besides this, Mukul Rohatgi tried to make a populist speech in
>>> court saying that incidents like the Kauser Bano case etc never
>>> happened. The Supreme Court disregarded this argument and did not
>>> allow Mr.Rohatgi to read anything from the report. The court went on
>>> to state that they were not interested in personal allegations and
>>> only ensuring that, like in the course of the Zahira Shaikh case, the
>>> trials are fair, the truth comes out and the course of justice is
>>> served.
>>>
>>> It is necessary to recalled that in the course of the Best Bakery
>>> trial, too, the Gujarat government had tried to divert the court’s
>>> attention by engineering charges against Teesta Setalvad, secretary
>>> CJP and by implication the NGO. On Setalvad’s application to the apex
>>> court for a full fledged inquiry the report of the Registrar of the
>>> apex court exonerated Setalvad and the NGO completely.
>>>
>>> As reported by the rest of the national media, on Monday, ignoring Sri
>>> Rohatgi’s bid to side-step the main issues, the three-member bench of
>>> the Supreme Court remained focused on the modalities of setting up
>>> designated courts for the trial of the accused in the post-Godhra riot
>>> cases in Gujarat. Instead of highlighting the court proceedings, Sri
>>> Mahapatra chose to spice up his report focusing not on the
>>> deliberations or the intentions of the apex court but to promote the
>>> case of the Gujarat government.
>>>
>>> The moot question is whether or not 2,500 persons were killed in a
>>> ghastly perpetrated massacre following the tragic burning alive of 59
>>> persons on the Sabarmati express; whether or not ex parliamentarian
>>> Ahsan Jafri was mutilated before being burnt alive, whether the bodies
>>> of the missing dead (over 220) have not been found or returned for
>>> dignified burial after seven long years? All the national media was
>>> witness to this national tragedy.
>>>
>>> In the interests of fair reportage and to ensure that the reputation
>>> of a citizens group committed to equity and justice is not
>>> deliberately vitiated before the trials commence, the newspaper should
>>> carry this rebuttal in full. A failure to do so will result in the
>>> columns of a national newspaper being used to distort facts, shape
>>> public perception and seek to influence the outcome of due process of
>>> law and justice to the victims of mass murder.
>>>
>>> (Statement by Citizens for Justice and Peace, Mumbai, April 14, 2009,
>>> Mumbai)
>>>
>>> We wish also that the following issues be highlighted by you in a box
>>> though the word length goes over your report.
>>>
>>> Pertinent issues ignored in the report:
>>>
>>> * The arrests of minister Dr Maya Kodnani and Dr Jaideep Patel in
>>> the past weeks were on the basis of SIT re-investigations. Twelve FIRs
>>> filed by witnesses naming these accused in 2002 had been clubbed into
>>> a magnum FIR by the Ahmedabad crime branch that had dropped the names
>>> of these powerful accused;
>>> * The arrests of investigating officer KG Erda in the Gulberg
>>> case and of other policemen in the other cases over the past months
>>> has meant the claims of witness survivors and legal rights groups,
>>> prima facie, are valid;
>>> * That this was one of the issues why the apex court has chosen
>>> to appoint SIT, the full scale subversion of the process of justice,
>>> from the removal of names of accused who’s names appeared in earlier
>>> statements simply because they enjoyed political patronage; the
>>> appointment of prosecutors with allegiances to the BJP and VHP which
>>> meant instead of promoting fair trial they sided with the politically
>>> powerful and protected accused;
>>> * More pertinently the tragic slaying of pregnant Kauser Bano
>>> at Naroda Patiya after slitting her womb was reported in Deccan
>>> Herald,(April 17, 2004) and The Indian Express, (March 23,2005) among
>>> others apart from finding place in innumerable reports including the
>>> one authored by the Concerned Citizens Tribunal-Crimes Against
>>> Humanity 2002 headed by two Supreme Court judges, Justices Krishna
>>> Iyer and PB Sawant. Similarly the British national case was similarly
>>> documented apart from being covered in The Pioneer, March 3, 2002 and
>>> The Hindu, April 23, 2002.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 11:15 PM, Rakesh Iyer <rakesh.rnbdj at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> > Dear all
>>> >
>>> > The fact of the matter is that even official statistics show that more
>>> than
>>> > 1,000 died in these 'riots', if one were to call them that. However, a
>>> riot
>>> > is not organized but is a spontaneous reaction to an event or a chain
>>> > of
>>> > events which took place. This was a well planned genocide, for there
>>> > were
>>> > people talking on mobiles directing people to attack at various 
>>> > places,
>>> > police was sleeping or not functioning, the RAF could not be contacted
>>> > as
>>> > telephone lines were cut, and interestingly even many people are
>>> registered
>>> > as missing even now, 7 years after the gory incidents.
>>> >
>>> > Every time one talks about these, Godhra is mentioned. Was anybody
>>> > raped
>>> in
>>> > Godhra? Was anybody taunted in Godhra? Weren't the VHP workers 
>>> > creating
>>> > problems for other passengers by occupying reserved seats? What were
>>> > they
>>> > doing occupying reserved seats while having unreserved tickets for
>>> > themselves? Why was it so that a certain number of passengers could 
>>> > not
>>> be
>>> > identified days after the incident? Why was no official railway 
>>> > inquiry
>>> > ordered within 48 hours of the incident by the Railway Ministry, as is
>>> often
>>> > the case when any incident pertaining to this ministry takes place?
>>> >
>>> > Nobody answers these questions.
>>> >
>>> > Then about avenging Godhra. Even if one were to logically look at it,
>>> > why
>>> > should Godhra be avenged in Gujarat? It should be avenged in Godhra
>>> > only
>>> > (logically looking from the anguished ones' angle). Why was it 
>>> > required
>>> to
>>> > target Ahmedabad Muslims for what happened in Godhra? Did these 
>>> > Muslims
>>> go
>>> > and do it there? Or did they support their activities?
>>> >
>>> > And how are rapes justified as avenging Godhra? If that is the case,
>>> > then
>>> > wouldn't a Muslim who lost everything in such 'riots' be justified in
>>> > avenging it by raping the mother/sister of some member of this forum
>>> > (including me) just because he/she is a Hindu? Is that right?
>>> >
>>> > Teesta Satalvad or no Teesta Satalvad, what is required is punishment
>>> > of
>>> the
>>> > perpetrators in the strongest terms to set an example before the
>>> > society
>>> > that those who indulge in such violence would get what they deserve 
>>> > and
>>> > shouldn't expect any mercy. It should act as a case of impartial
>>> > justice
>>> > delivered in the quickest possible time. And if Godhra accused can be
>>> > put
>>> > under POTA, all those involved in such killings anywhere and anytime
>>> should
>>> > be punished under UAPA.
>>> >
>>> > I hope that the SIT achieves this to a certain extent, and I would 
>>> > like
>>> to
>>> > look at the report before making any remarks. Newspaper clippings and
>>> media
>>> > have a sense to distort the entire thing, and even a portion or
>>> > paragraph
>>> > can be cited to change the context in which the comments were put up. 
>>> > I
>>> > think the report is confidential as the matter is sub-judice. However,
>>> > if
>>> > the report is available, please do inform me (and indeed all of us) 
>>> > for
>>> the
>>> > same.
>>> >
>>> > And for me, justice is more important, irrespective of there is Teesta
>>> > or
>>> no
>>> > Teesta; Pawan Durani or no Pawan Durani; Aditya Raj Kaul or no Aditya
>>> > Raj
>>> > Kaul, Rakesh Iyer or no Rakesh Iyer.
>>> >
>>> > And as a society, that is the goal we must strive towards, not Ram
>>> > Mandir/Babri Masjid, not SEZ's or interlinking of rivers or other such
>>> > faulty schemes, not temples of Modern India or huge dams, but means to
>>> > improve livelihood of people and securing justice for them.
>>> >
>>> > Regards
>>> >
>>> > Rakesh
>>> > _________________________________________
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>> _________________________________________
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>
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