Action Alerts
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Sabrang
Alert for Immediate Action URGENT ATTENTION * URGENT ATTENTION * URGENT ATTENTION Rajasthan,
after Madhya Pradesh makes History
Send
Faxes of Congratulation to the Rajasthan Chief Minister for
Upholding the Law and Reaafirming every Indian’s Faith in
Democracy !! April
14-16, 2003 Praveen
Togadia, an architect of the genocide in Gujarat and proud f the
venom and viterol he has been spewing against peace loving
individuals, democratic minded citizens and the country’s
religious minorities and Dalits was detained by the Rajasthan
government for breaking the ban on trishul distribution that
the government had invoked a week earlier. He has today been
remanded to judicial custody until April 30. The
Chief Minister of Rajasthan needs to be congratulated for standing
up against the politics of hatred and venom. We urge that you send
faxes to him at the fax number below as well as send a fax to the
Congress (I) President, Smt Sonia Gandhi on the same issue. We
include below suggested draft letters. Also please visit out wesbite,
www.sabrang.com for an Update
on a Hate Speech Campaign. Do also if you can send copies of the
faxes/emails that you send to us [email protected]
We wish to also recognise groups like Sadhbhavna Manch, PUCL
Rajasthan, Mazdoor Kisan shakti Sanghatan (MKSS) and Akal Sangharsh
Samiti for constantly keeping the issue of
the imepratives for communal peace in their actions and
protests. After
the detention on Sunday, Praveen Togadia has been remanded to
judicial custody till April 30, 2003 despite two attempts to get
bail. The bandh called by the VHP also turned out to be quite
peaceful except for four incidents in different parts of the state
that were also ably handled by your administration. It is highly
likely that the VHP will appeal against the remand order. The FIR
filed by the state against him holds him guilty of violating section
4/25 of the Indian Arms Act, sections 153A, 153B and section 505 of
the Indian Penal Code as also section 121 (A) of the IPC that is a
section related to a ‘conspiracy to overawe the government of
Rajasthan.’ Teesta
Setalvad
Javed Anand Sabrang
Team Write
Letters and send them by Fax to Shri
Ashok Gehlot Chief
Minister, Rajasthan Fax:
0141-2382705 Email:
[email protected] If
possible please cc. your message to Smt
Sonia Gandhi President,
Congress (I) 011-32018550 Draft for Letter To:
Shri Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan
has shown implicit faith in Indian democracy and the rule of law by
first banning the trishuls –that was being unfortunately
being used by certain forces to spread terror and violence--- and
thereafter acting against Praveen Togadia, international general
secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, who defied this ban and
distributed them in Ajmer last Sunday. As citizens and groups
committed to the rule of law, peace and co-existence, we
congratulate you on this bold step. The
offence in this case was defying a legal ban on trishul distribution.
However the same forces led by Praveen Togadia himself have been
combing the blatant distribution of trishuls with heavy doses
of hate speech that vitiate the atmosphere and also create
suspicions and divisions among people. So far, except for some
exceptions like in the state of Madhya Pradesh, they have been able
to get away with it. We
are also aware that in the past one month, repeated attempts have
been made by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bajrang Dal, and the
Shiv Sena Commando Force to break the peace by indulging in vicious
forms of hate speech and propaganda in Rajasthan. In most of these
atttempts the government and administration have acted swiftly. We
therefore urge that, regardless of pressure and propaganda, the
government sticks to its resolve to book those who defy the law
especially since communal and fascist forces have evil designs on
your state. If
hate speech and propaganda are checked beforehand and nipped in the
bud the build up in communal temperatures typical to a riot or a
pogrom do not take place. People who have been co-existing for
centuries continue with their daily lives not ruptured by
suspicions, rumour and hatred. Every minor or major bout of
communally driven violence ---and the Gujarat genocide is the most
shameful example of this –are assisted ably by an atmosphere of
communal poison that is fuelled by the systematic use of hate speech
and writings. By acting swiftly and firmly against a man who
represents an organisation that thrives on bullying and breaking the
law, Rajasthan has shown the way. If the Indian Constitution and
Indian Democracy are to be redeemed it is by firm actions such as
these. We heartily congratulate you on this resolve. Violence
is engendered by a few and the majority of Indians wish to live in
peace and be assured development. By such firm actions the dream of
millions of ordinary Indians may actually come true.
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