[Reader-list] DRAFT JOINT STATEMENT ON ATROCITIES ON CULTURAL ACTIVISTS AND DALITS. for endorsement
geeta seshu
geetaseshu at gmail.com
Fri Aug 16 02:04:35 CDT 2013
FYI
>From the Free Speech Hub, The
Hoot<http://freespeechhub.thehoot.org/freetracker/storynew.php?storyid=516&pg=1&mod=1§ionId=9§ionname=>
"I will stand by freedom of speech"
A well-known dalit writer is arrested for a facebook post on the suspension
of IAS officer Durga Nagpal and the demolition of a madrassa. RUKMINI SEN
talks to Kanwal Bharti
Posted Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013
[image: Dalit writer Kanwal Bharti-]
Dalit writer Kanwal Bharti
*A night in custody has not dampened the spirit of well-known dalit writer
Kanwal Bharti, who was arrested on August 6 for two
**Facebook*<https://www.facebook.com/kanwal.bharti?directed_target_id=0>
* posts on the role of the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the demolition of a
200-year old madrassa in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh (UP). Bharti was released
the next day on bail after a court said police brought no evidence of a
criminal case against him.*
* *
*However, his travails
**continued*<http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-12/lucknow/41331858_1_allahabad-high-court-life-threat-azam-khan>
*, as anonymous people threatened him. His computer, containing unpublished
writings and manuscripts, was seized by police and has still not been
returned to him. Bharti now plans to file a petition against the police and
move the Allahabad high court for the sake of his family's security.*
* *
*Bharti has written over 15 books, articles, poetry and reports on the live
of dalits. His books and writings are prescribed in the curriculum of
several universities. In this interview, he speaks of the circumstances
surrounding his arrest and his determination to speak out.*
*Q :* Why were you arrested under Sec (153 A) and Sec 295 A of the Indian
Penal Code (IPC) (Sec 153 A :provocation with intent to cause riot and Sec
295 A: deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings
of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).
*Ans :* I was arrested simply because I spoke against the Taanashah
(dictator) Azam Khan (Uttar Pradesh’s Urban Development minister). This is
for the first time, in the history of Rampur, that not only me but the
people of Rampur have expressed their anger against Azam Khan. I stand by
my facebook post where I have questioned why SP government didn't take any
action when a 200-year old madarsa was brought down in Rampur.
I maintain it (my arrest) was because Azam Khan didn't let anyone protest.
We were all upset and disappointed when the madarsa was brought down. Why
didn't Azam Khan stand by his people? And by the heritage of Rampur then?
Akhilesh (Akhilesh Yadav, UP Chief Minister) should come to Rampur and see
Azam Khan's dadagiri here.
*Q:* Is your anger directed more towards Azam Khan than the SP?
* *
*Ans:* There is no Akhilesh, no SP in Rampur. It is only Azam Khan's raj.
He can do anything arbitrarily here. The case was filed against me by
Azam's people. Muslims of Rampur are with me. Who are these Ulemas people
are talking about? Where were these Ulemas when the Madarsa fell? Azam is
trying to divide Muslims and Dalits here. But in Rampur and across the
country, Muslims, Dalit and all communities and people have shown
solidarity and support towards me.
*Q:* This is pre-election year. Strong anti-muslim feelings are being
promoted by some political parties. I noticed on social networking sites
some people have read and interpreted your statement as anti-muslim as your
support to the IAS officer Durga Shakti
Nagpal<http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/durga-shakti-nagpal-suspended-ias-officer-uttar-pradesh-akhilesh-yadav/1/298814.html>
is
being interpreted as support to her directives to break the alleged mosque
wall. Are you finding these simplistic readings problematic?
*Ans :* Political parties and, right now. some rabid supporters of some
parties may try using my name and my protest against Azam Khan for their
benefit. I am not anti-muslim. Was Durga Shakti really there when the
illegal construction was being brought down? Was the construction really a
mosque? We are all unclear about that.
What is the extent of support provided to sand mafia in this whole deal? We
don't know the details of that either. It may be a mix of a lot of things.
By no means will I support demolition of a mosque and likewise I won't
support demolition of Rampur's 200 year old Madarsa. How am I anti muslim?
I am asking Azam Khan where he was when the Madarsa was brought down? Why
is his position in Noida different from Rampur? Why are my questions being
seen as threat to my country?
I also want to reiterate that I had protested against Durga Shakti's
suspension. I stand by my protest and I maintain my protest against the
demolition of 200-year old Madarsa which was my city's heritage. That is
all.
*Q:* You have continued to receive threats. Do you feel intimidated?
*Ans:* I will stand by freedom of speech. They incarcerated me. So what? I
will continue to ask why the Jwalanagar's Sabzi Mandi was brought down in
Rampur? These were 25-30 year old shops. People's livlihood depended on
their shops. Some twenty-two shops in Civil Lines were brought down. Quite
unfairly yet again. Where was Azam Khan?
*Q:* How do you think the Samajwadi Party handled the criticism?
*Ans :* What kind of Samajwaadi party is this? They are a bad name for
socialism. They are not socialists but dictators. The Chief Minister should
come to Rampur and see the reality with his eyes. He should ask why 600
houses of Indira Colony should suffer the fate Azam Khan has planned for
them? They can put me behind bars but I will continue to challenge Azam
Khan's secularism and socialism in Rampur.
I don't consider SP to be communal. But the truth is that there is no SP in
Rampur, no Akhilseh or Mulayam. It is only Azam Khan who rules in Rampur. I
consider Azam Khan opportunist.
*Q:* You are seen as a well-known dalit ideologue. Do you think you were
arrested because you are Dalit?
*Ans:* Well, I was taken to jail in my pajamas and gunjee at seven-thirty
in the morning. I was not allowed to put on a shirt. Is that a regular
practice? Can you humiliate just about any writer like that? Is there
nothing inherent about caste politics in this treatment?
Having said that, I will like to believe that this is a regular practice in
Azam Khan's *gunda raj* that absolutely rubbishes all democratic values. It
doesn't matter whether he treated me like this because I am Dalit or not.
What matters is that I have the support of all people not just any one
community. Azam Khan and RSS have the same agenda in this country. Azam
Khan wants a Dalit-Muslim riot in Rampur but people of Rampur are smart.
Muslims of my city have shown amazing solidarity. They are happy that I
brought up the issue of Madarsa. Let me tell you fear of Azam Khan is
vanishing from the hearts of Rampur people.
These fascists may think they can rule by suppressing people's feelings but
such things don't last for long. We democrats will die for democracy,
freedom of speech and dignity of people.
Click here <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEeVcJttYqw> to view youtube
video of press conference at National Press Club, Delhi
On Fri, Aug 16, 2013 at 12:06 PM, Asit Das <asit1917 at gmail.com> wrote:
> *(Please endorse and forward it to others for their endorsements)*
>
> *DRAFT JOINT STATEMENT ON ATROCITIES ON CULTURAL ACTIVISTS AND DALITS.*
>
> * *
>
> * *
>
> We the undersigned are extremely appalled and outraged by the arrest of
> Kanwal Bharti eminent Dalit writer for his comments on Face book. If one
> looks seriously at the banner headlines of the Corporate media, the Indian
> ruling classes have being the new economic power house of the world and
> being the largest democracy. Various clauses of the Indian constitution
> guarantees the fundamental rights of its citizens ie right to expression,
> right to choose ones cultural and political views. The pretensions of the
> Indian state about it being a liberal democracy has proved to be a total
> mockery of the very meaning of the words like liberalism, democracy and
> rule of law. Since the past six decades under draconian laws like AFPSA,
> UAPA, National security act etc. Tens of thousands of people have died in
> face encounters, thousands of youth have vanished from Kashmir and Punjab.
> There are genocides happening on the struggling people of oppressed
> Nationalities, thousands are tortured, there are thousand of unknown mass
> graves in Kashmir. Thousand of woman are raped, tortured and killed in
> police custody. When it comes to writers and cultural activists the Indian
> state has always bared its fascist and castist fangs again and again. There
> glaring examples are the false prosecution of the members of Kabir Kala
> Manch, (Eminent Revolutionary Balladeer Ghadar who is a living legend in
> the revolutionary peasant resistance struggle was shot fatally by Andhra
> Police some years ago, and had to be hospitalized for months. Jiten Marandi
> an eminent radical cultural activist from Jharkhand was jailed for years on
> trumped up false criminal charges. Progressive poet and writer Savyasachi
> Goswami is still languishing in Jail on false criminal charges, and the
> ruthless murder of comrade Gantiprasadam of RDF who was a famous
> revolutionary writer. The above facts prove that dalit writers and cultural
> activists are ruthlessly oppresses and persecuted by the Indian state. In
> this context one has to look seriously at the dialectics of the rise of
> identity politics in Indian via the Mandal and Kamandal debate. The rise if
> identity politics in late 80’s and early 90’s which has created an
> opportunity for the rise of a thin strata of OBC kulaks, who join hands
> with upper caste landlords to commit atrocities on Dalits. The Vanniyar
> Sangham hooliganism clearly proves this. However one has to look at the
> identity question in a dialectical prism.**
>
> There are identities and identities some are oppressed some are oppressors.
> We should discern the democratic content of the identity struggles we
> should firmly stand with the oppressed identities. History has shown it is
> only the oppresses can break their own chains. We appeal to the left and
> democratic organizations, and the progressive intelligentia to join hands
> and fight together against the right to expression and atrocities on
> Dalits.
>
> The very logic of Predatory Neoliberalism accentuates the class
> differentiation within the endogamous caste group further creating class
> polarization and exploitation. On one hand it pauperizes vast masses of
> Dalits, OBC’s pasmanda muslims on the other hand a handful of minorities
> rich peasantry and the kulaks elements of the OBC’s join hand with upper
> caste land lords to perpetuate atrocities. With the rise of identify
> politics in late eighties and early nineties especially in Uttar Pradesh
> and Bihar these elements have become the subsidiary part of the Indian
> Ruling Classes. We draw attention of another danger in contemporary
> Identity discourse, the rise of Slogans like Dalit Capitalism and formation
> of neoliberal clubs like DICCI, its ideologues conveniently forget the fact
> that 90% of the super exploited agricultural labourers are predominantly
> dalits and the dalit female agricultural laboures are also sexually
> exploited.
>
> These stooges of wall street simply over look the fact that under the
> Neoliberal regime it’s the Dalits, Adivasis, Poor OBC’s and Muslims form
> that vast mass of Super exploited mobile insecure “foot loose labour” which
> forms a bulk of the contractual, informal workers in the post fordist
> production relations and labour process. Therefore this dubious notion of
> Dalit capitalism is an albatross in the neck of every exploited Dalit.
>
> 1. We demand the withdrawal of all criminal cases on Jiten Marandi,
> Aparna Marandi, Savyasachi Goswami, Members of Kabir Kala Manch and Kanwal
> Bharti.
>
> 2. We demand a high level judicial enquiry on the murder of Com Ganti
> Prasadam and the resignation of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister for this
> tragedy.
>
> 3. We demand Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav apologise to the
> Dalits of this country
>
>
>
> 1. 1. Arjun Prasad Singh PDFI
>
> 2. 2. Prof. Uma Chakravarty Women Against Sexual Violence
> (WSS)
>
> 3. 3. Anand Teltumbde CPDR, Mumbai
>
> 4. Kiran Shaheen (WSS)
>
> 5. Shiv Sethi SANHATI, Bangalore
>
> 6. Subhash Gatade Convenor, New Socialist
> Initiative
>
> 7. Anirban Kar SANHATI, Delhi Chapter
>
> 8. Students for Resistance Delhi University and JNU
>
> 9. Swati Birla SANHATI, Mumbai and
> State Representive (WSS)
>
> 10. Mahtab Alam Civil Rights activist,
> Delhi
>
> 11. P.K. Sundram Research Scholar, JNU
>
> 12. Usman Research Scholar, JNU
>
> 13. Mayur Chetia Research Scholar, JNU
>
> 14. Kaveri Rajaraman SANHATI, Bangalore
>
> 15. Nayan Jyoti Krantikari Naw Jawan
> Sabha (K.N.S.)
>
> 16. Rakesh Ranjan Nowroz, Delhi
>
> 17. Asit Das Contributing editor,
> India resists.com
>
> 18. Imran Potential and
> Powerful Research Scholar in Hindi literature
>
> and firm and
> committed activist of Radical left.
>
> 19. Wilfred D’costa INSAF
>
> 20. Pravin NSI, Delhi
>
> 21. Vivek Sunder Human Right Activist
> Mumbai
>
> 22. Vira Sathidar Republican Panthers
>
> 23. C. Laxmanan Dalit Intellectual
> Collective, Chennai
>
> 24. Shirisha Naidu SANHATI, Chennai
>
> 25. Rita Jyoti Bandopadhaya Assistant Professor in History
> CSSS, Kolkata
>
> 26. Virbharat Talwar Professor CIL, JNU
>
> 27. Kamayani Bali Mahabal Social Activist, Mumbai
>
> 28. Sumit Chakrabarty People together Kolkata
>
> 29. Nisha Biswas WSS
>
> 30. Sudha Reddy Social Activist, Bangalore.
>
>
>
>
>
> Note: Please send your endorsement to asit1917 at gmail.com
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--
*Geeta Seshu*
9892214601
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