‘Scapegoats and Holy Cows’ – The Indian State’s ‘Response’ to Terrorism
Statement of the convention
organised by PEACE, HRLN and ANHAD
Each time there is a bomb blast like the recent one in Jaipur, the Indian State reaches out its ‘long arms of injustice’ to pick a scapegoat from amidst the Indian population to cover up its own incompetence in providing security to its citizens.
The hapless creature, decorated and demonized by the ‘fashion designers’ of Indian officialdom, is then paraded before the entire nation to create a public spectacle prior to its ritual sacrifice.
The armchair warriors then call for ‘tougher laws’ to deal with terrorism while the scapegoat disappears forever into the black hole of the Indian prison system.
That the ‘prime suspects’ in such cases always happen to be bearded young Muslim men and Islamic theologists to boot is not a surprise at all. In the racist imagination of theadministration, police , intelligence agencies , security forces, sections of the media and politicians all the criminals in this country wear their ‘criminality’ on their faces- the suspects are always MAD- Muslim, Adivasi, Dalit.
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IBN Live Video Report on Binayak Sen
Here is a brief report that appeared all day yesterday on the Indian TV channel IBN Live, showing a clip of Dr. Ilina’s speech accepting the Jonathan Mann Award on behalf of Dr. Binayak Sen in Washington DC on May 29.
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Chennai:A song and dance protest
Saturday May 31 2008 17:52 IST
The new Indian Express
G Babu Jayakumar
AS the band of drummers danced their way into the hall, the motley crowd waiting outside, followed them to join those already seated in the gallery, kickstarting the two-hour cultural extravaganza organised to protest the arrest of Dr Binayak Sen, a human rights activist in Chhattisgarh and also to coincide with the presentation of the Jonathan Mann Award to him at Washington on Thursday.
Organised by the committee for the release of Dr Binayak Sen in Chennai, the event, at the Chandralekha Centre in Besant Nagar, saw several groups of artistes from the marginalised sections of the society highlighting the atrocities committed on the common people by the establishment through folk songs, dance and a skit.
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Impunity Institutionalized: 50 years of AFSPA
Armed Forces Special Powers Act completes 50 years as Indian law
Jagmohan Singh
manipurfreedom.org
While people couldn’t care less and the State continues to revel in the impunity granted to the armed forces, well-meaning social activists, journalists, academicians and young human rights activists demand the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 at a Seminar held in New Delhi on 22nd May 2008 –marking the 50 years of the legislation. The event went totally unreported in the Indian media. The author files this report and comments on various aspects of the draconian law.
50 years ago, on 22nd May 1958, in the face of rising political dissent in the North-east, India decided to add fiction to its laws -the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Though enacted only for a year, it has continued since. It contravenes the fundamental principles of jurisprudence, Indian law, particularly the right to life and right to a fair trial and international standards, particularly the derogable and non-derogable provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which India is a signatory.
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Scottish campaigners call for release of Binayak Sen
Doctors, academics and human rights campaigners in Scotland gathered on Thursday 29 May 2008 outside St. John’s Church, Edinburgh for a vigil demanding the immediate release of award-winning renowned doctor and human rights activist Dr Binayak Sen. On that day, Dr Sen was due to receive the Jonathan Mann Award For Global Health And Human Rights but cannot due to his illegal detention. Following the vigil, campaigners presented a letter to the Indian Consul in Edinburgh.
Dr. Sen’s arrest has been condemned worldwide by human rights groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and PUCL, 22 British MPs who signed an Early Day Motion about the case; several Nobel laureates, well-known public health campaigner Dr Wendy Savage, Noam Chomsky, Aruna Roy, and Amartya Sen. Iain Gray MSP (Labour), Robin Harper MSP (Green), Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP (SNP) and Bill Wilson MSP (SNP) have also given their support to the call for the release of Dr Sen.
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Gallery
From freebinayaksen.org- Updates from Google News
- Mrinal Sen , Adoor, Benegal demand release of film maker Ajay TG - MyNews.in
- Filmmaker's arrest ignites controversy - NDTV.com
- Political twist to Devdas, Paro - NDTV.com
- Mishra plans a period comedy film - Sify
- Bullet can’t be tackled with bullet: Sandeep Pandey(Interview) - Thaindian.com
- Wife of imprisoned Dr. seeks support of world community - India New England
- Reports From Indian Media
- बिनायक सेन के बचाव में आए एम्स के डॉक्टर - नवभारत टैम्स
- Binayak Sen’s release demanded - Hindu: New Delhi
- Binayak Sen’s release demanded - Hindu: New Delhi
- Sreelatha Menon: A homecoming in Bastar - Business Standard
- PUCL Kerala unit elects new office bearers - New Kerala: Kerala News
- Different Devdas and Paro in Sudhir Mishras version - The Navhind Times
- A different Devdas and Paro in Sudhir Mishra's version - India eNews: Top Headlines
- Trials of a campaigner for civil liberties - New Indian Express
- Justice travestied - The Statesman
- Sabotaging people's work is not my style: Aamir - CNN-IBN Top Stories
- 'C'garh anti-terror law to go if Cong returns' - Central Chronicle
- Chhattisgarh anti-terror law to go if Congress returns: Ajit Jogi (Interview) - New Kerala: India News
- Chhattisgarh anti-terror law to go if Congress returns: Ajit Jogi - India eNews: Politics
- One-day fast for Binayak's release - New Indian Express