[Reader-list] Shahidul Alam detained by Indian Border Security Force
Rahul Asthana
rahul_capri at yahoo.com
Fri Jun 19 18:42:41 IST 2009
Dear Sonia,
Do you agree with this -
"I think the detention of any human being on the grounds that he is
crossing an artificial, ephemeral, man-made border is an affront to
our common humanity."
Dear Shuddha,
Do you think that homes should be locked? Do you think that people should be allowed unrestricted entry to other peoples homes at all times?
You have a very interesting idea.Lets explore the polemics around it.
Thanks
Rahul
--- On Fri, 6/19/09, S. Jabbar <sonia.jabbar at gmail.com> wrote:
> From: S. Jabbar <sonia.jabbar at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Shahidul Alam detained by Indian Border Security Force
> To: "A.K. Malik" <akmalik45 at yahoo.com>, "Shuddhabrata Sengupta" <shuddha at sarai.net>
> Cc: "Sarai" <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Date: Friday, June 19, 2009, 8:57 AM
> Exactly what the English think about
> the Poles, the Germans about the Turks,
> the Americans about the Mexicans, and the Australians,
> Americans, French,
> Germans, Italians, Spaniards, Canadians, Poles, Mexicans,
> and Turks think
> about Indians.
>
>
> > From: "A.K. Malik" <akmalik45 at yahoo.com>
> > Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:13:30 -0700 (PDT)
> > To: Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net>
> > Cc: Sarai List <reader-list at sarai.net>
> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Shahidul Alam detained by
> Indian Border Security
> > Force
> >
> >
> Hi,
> Views are very noble, interesting and
> appreciable from humane point
> > of view. But when you lose your identity,home, job
> because someone crosses
> > over illegally to your country, things become
> different. Global brotherhood is
> > easy to talk about, but difficult to implement
> especially in the current
> > environs.Imagine most Bangladeshis, Africans coming
> over freely to our country
> > to make our life more pleasant by doing menial jobs
> and terrorist walking over
> > freely from Pakistan...!!!!!!!
> Regards,
>
> (A.K.MALIK)
>
>
> --- On Fri, 6/19/09,
> > Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net>
> wrote:
>
> > From: Shuddhabrata
> > Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net>
> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Shahidul Alam
> > detained by Indian Border Security Force
> > To: "sarai list"
> > <reader-list at sarai.net>
> > Date: Friday, June 19, 2009, 3:11 AM
> > Dear All,
> >
> >
> > I think the detention of any human being on the
> grounds
> > that he is
> >
> > crossing an artificial, ephemeral, man-made border is
> an
> > affront to
> > our
> > common humanity. Borders come and go, and people will
> > move across
> > them,
> > and have always moved across them, regardless of the
> > controls
> > that seek
> > to restrict movement. Otherwise we would all
> > be
> > uncivilised, uncouth,
> > provincial barbarians.
> >
> > Shahidul Alam happens to be a very respected
> >
> > photographer, but his
> > detention by an Indian border patrol would have been
> > just
> > as horrible
> > if he were an honest, hard working peasant,
> > agricultural
> > worker,
> > factory worker, cook, student, plumber or
> > sex-worker from
> > Bangladesh
> > who happened to have got caught while being
> > on the 'wrong'
> > side of
> > the insane labyrinth that is called the
> > India-Bangladesh
> > border .
> >
> > The city of Delhi, where I live, is sustained
> > by the hard
> > labour of
> > many Bangladeshis who work as domestic help, as
> > informal
> > factory
> > workers, as people in the formal as well as informal
> >
> > hospitality
> > industry, as white collar workers. Not all of them are
> in
> >
> > Delhi
> > 'Legally' but the city would be poorer without them,
> as
> > would
> > many
> > cities all over the world. Imagine Rome, London, New
> York,
> >
> > Melbourne,
> > Warsaw or New Delhi without the cheerful, ironic,
> gentle
> >
> > Bangladeshi
> > who cleans homes, sells flowers, works as a doctor,
> drives
> > a
> > taxi,
> > makes love, cooks meals, writes poems, builds houses,
> turns
> >
> > lathes
> > and sings songs. The free movement of people is a
> > precondition
> > of a
> > free world, and the free movement of Bangladeshi
> people,
> > many of
> >
> > whom, who with their immense energy, good humour and
> gentle
> > irony
> >
> > sustain a more humane fabric of everyday life is what
> makes
> > life
> > worth
> > living in many parts of the world. They show you the
> > way in
> > strange
> > cities. They sing you a snatch of song. Sometimes
> > they give
> > you an
> > unasked for discount on the bill at the end of a big
> > meal when
> > you are
> > hungry.
> >
> > All those who oppose the free movement of people,
> whether
> > the
> > people
> > are identified, or choose to identify themselves as
> >
> > Bangladeshis,
> > Poles, Croats, Palestinians, Israelis, Pakistanis,
> > Indians,
> > Iraqis,
> > Iranians, Afghans, Somalis or Congolese are inhuman,
> >
> > inhospitable and
> > enemies of our shared humanity.
> >
> > On another note, I
> > have said this before, but I will
> > say it again. I
> > find the detention of
> > Pragya Bharti under preventive
> > detention laws
> > as reprehensible as that
> > of Binayak Sen or those (many
> > young people)
> > who are accused of being
> > SIMI or Indian Mujahideen
> > frontmen, or of
> > being Maoists, or opposed to
> > circumstances of that prevail
> > Kashmir or
> > in the North Eastern states of
> > India.
> >
> > Preventive detention, under any circumstances, is an
> insult
> > to
> >
> > liberty and should be opposed, no matter who is being
> > detained,
> >
> > whether it is Varun Gandhi, Binayak Sen, Pragya Bharti
> or
> > anyone else.
> >
> >
> > regards
> >
> > Shuddha
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 17-Jun-09, at 12:35 PM, Rajendra Bhat
> > Uppinangadi
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Dear All, one issue that is concerning me is,
> are
> > men
> > and women in
> > > media
> > > above laws.? If they are doing any project,
> > they can
> > violate laws
> > > of the
> > > land.? Is media responsible to
> > citizens of the nation
> > in which they
> > > are
> > > operating.? Or they are
> > responsible only to media
> > barons and the share
> > > holders of the media
> > corporate to share the "profits"
> > of such
> > > projects.? As
> > > the humans
> > work in different walks of life, do they
> > become above
> > > laws if
> > > they
> > are say, politicians, judicial appointees and
> > executives, or
> > > are
> > they
> > > appointed to serve the citizens in best possible
> > interests of the
> >
> > > citizens.?
> > >
> > > Now, as to current matter ubder
> > discussion, it is
> > to be noted
> > > that if the
> > > border force do their duties sincerely, no
> > under age
> > married girls
> > > can come
> > > in to India and work as dance bar
> > girls, sex workers
> > in as far as
> > > south
> > > India, particularly in
> > Chennai, Bangalore, and
> > Hyderabad. It is
> > > true that
> > > they have
> > practically no opportunities to earn a
> > living in their
> > > bangaldesh,
> > >
> > but the sad issue is many of these married girls are
> > in southern
> > >
> > India,,
> > > recently Bangalore police with Chennai counter
> parts
> > ripped
> > open
> > > the network
> > > of this illegal trade of human traffick and sex
> > trade.
> > Local news
> > > network
> > > channel 9 and Udaya TV and also Suvarna
> > tv covered the
> > issue
> > > comprehensively. Even with recession and lesser
> >
> > salaries, the
> > > stressed minds
> > > are seeking extra carnal pleasures ?
> >
> > >
> > > As to this man of media, why he has not taken
> > necessary
> > >
> > authorisation for
> > > the project work.? Is he under cover operative
> for any
> >
> > group.? If Dr.
> > > Binayak Sen can be held captive in detention for
> the
> > good
> > work he
> > > has had on
> > > record, is not above laws, which ofcourse is
> > obnxious,
> > are men in
> > > media
> > > above laws.?
> > >
> > > Amusingly, the
> > fate of Prajna Thakur
> > and 12 others who are under
> > > detention
> > > for
> > months now without any shred of proof has no
> > defenders of human
> > >
> > rights
> > > talking or them.! None is concerned about these
> > detentions of
> > Prajna
> > > Thakur.? Perceptions of a few seem to be taking
> over
> > the rights
> > and
> > > wrongs
> > > in society, when it comes to human rights of the
> >
> > humans.?
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > >
> > > Rajen.
> > >
> > > On Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at
> > 11:16 AM, anupam
> > chakravartty
> > > <c.anupam at gmail.com>wrote:
> > >
> > >>
> > Photographer Shahidul Alam spends 6hrs in BSF
> > custody:
> > >>
> > >>
> > http://bdnews24.com/details.php?id=87461&cid=2
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Bangladeshi-photographer-held--
> >
> > >>
> > crossing--Indo-Bangla-border/477648
> > >>
> > >> Two versions of the same story.
> > However, if as per
> > the BSF
> > >> officials are
> > >> claiming that Alam
> > crossed over in the Dhubri
> > sector, which is
> > >> also my home
> > >>
> > district, the Brahmaputra river is itself the
> > border. during the
> > >>
> > floods
> > >> immigrant bangladeshis in connivance of BSF
> and
> > BDR enter India
> > on
> > >> boats
> > >> carrying pineapples from across the border.
> the no
> >
> > man's land
> > >> mentioned in
> > >> both of the reports is actually river
> >
> > brahmaputra.
> > >>
> > >> thanks anupam
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> On 6/17/09, Santhosh Kumar
> > <santhosh.kanipayur at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > >>>
> > >>> it is hard to believe that
> > you will
> > believe....
> > >>>
> > >>> On Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 9:53 AM, Pawan
> >
> > Durani
> > >>> <pawan.durani at gmail.com
> > >>>> wrote:
> > >>>
> > >>>> Hard to
> > believe .....
> > >>>>
> > >>>> On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 7:55 PM,
> Shun-Ling
> > Chen
> >
> > >>>> <schen at law.harvard.edu
> > >>>>> wrote:
> > >>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>
> > http://unheardvoice.net/blog/2009/06/16/shahidul-alam-detained-by-
> >
> > >>>
> > indian
> > >>>>> -border-security-force/
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Dr Shahidul Alam,
> > well-known
> > photographer, and founder Drik, was
> > >>>>> detained by Indian
> > Border Security
> > Forces while working on the
> > >>>>> Bangladesh side of the
> > border on his
> > Brahmaputra project. He
> > >>>>> called
> > >> me
> > >>>>> at
> > 18:21 pm to tell me that the guards
> > had asked him to come over,
> > >> and
> >
> > >>>>> then detained him at Sahapara 21
> IPP,
> > across the border from
> > >>>>>
> > Rowmari.
> > >>>>> His two colleagues are on the
> > Bangladeshi side of the
> > border, and
> > >> can't
> > >>>>> get to him.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Please contact Home
> > and Foreign
> > Ministry officials requesting that
> > >> they
> > >>>>> do all
> > possible to get him released
> > immediately. It is worth
> > >> mentioning
> >
> > >>>>> that the Indian BSF have detained
> and
> > killed many innocent
> > >>
> > Bangladeshis
> > >>>>> in recent years, in the border
> areas.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > http://www.mediahelpingmedia.org/content/view/387/1/
> > >>>>> News - South
> > Asia
> > >>>>> By David Brewer
> > >>>>> Tuesday, 16 June 2009
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > Reports from Bangladesh say that
> > Shahidul Alam, the photo
> > >>>>>
> > journalist,
> > >>>>> blogger and founder of the Drik
> > picture network has
> > been
> > >>>>> detained by
> > >>>>> Indian border security forces
> while
> >
> > working on the Bangladesh
> > >>>>> side of
> > >>>>> the border.
> > >>>>>
> >
> > >>>>> In a message to this site from
> Dhaka,
> > Alam's partner says he was
> > >>>
> > working
> > >>>>> on a multimedia project about
> the
> > Brahmaputra with two
> > colleagues
> > >> when
> > >>>>> border guards took him awa
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> There
> > are now fears for Alam's safety
> > and supporters are
> > >>>>> calling on
> > >>
> > the
> > >>>>> international community to push
> for
> > his release.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > The last message from Shahidul Alam
> > came through at !8:21 on
> > >>>>>
> > Tuesday
> > >> 16
> > >>>>> June when he called home to say
> that
> > border security
> > guards had
> > >>>>> asked
> > >>>>> him to come over to the Indian
> side of
> >
> > the border where they
> > >>>>> detained
> > >>>>> him at Sahapara 21 IPP,
> > across the
> > border from Rowmari.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> His two colleagues are on
> > the
> > Bangladeshi side of the border, and
> > >> can't
> > >>>>> get to him.
> >
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> At the time Alam was working on
> the
> > Bangladesh end of the
> > river
> > >>>>> Brahmaputra project. He had
> travelled
> > to Kurigram with two
> > Drik
> > >>>>> colleagues to take photos, video
> and
> > stills.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > Contact has been made with a number of
> > local and international
> > >>>>>
> > media
> > >>>>> organisations and government
> > officials, including the Indian
> > High
> > >>>>> Commission.
> > >>>>>
> > _________________________________________
> >
> > >>>>> reader-list: an open discussion
> list
> > on media and the city.
> > >>>>>
> > Critiques & Collaborations
> > >>>>> To subscribe: send an email to
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> > with
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> > header.
> > >>>>> To unsubscribe:
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> > >>>>> list
> > >>>>> List
> > archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>
> > >>>>
> > _________________________________________
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> >
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> > >>>
> > _________________________________________
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> > and the city.
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> >
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> > >>
> > _________________________________________
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> > list on media and
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> > >
> > >
> > > --
> >
> > > Rajen.
> > > _________________________________________
> > > reader-list: an
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> > city.
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> >
> >
> >
> >
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>
>
> >
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