2002 August 20

News digest

Supporting a secular India
through Human Rights, Dignity, Peace & Justice for Minorities in
India

Indian Muslim Council (IMC)
USA

Supporting a secular India
through Human Rights, Dignity, Peace & Justice for Minorities in
India

IMC-USA Weekly News
Digest - Aug 20, 2002

In the name of God, Most
Gracious, Most Merciful

IMC-USA extends warm greetings to all on 55th anniversary of India's
Independence!

In this issue...

Hadith of the day:
Patience

Announcements:

Official Launch of 'Indian Muslim Council-USA'

News Headlines:

Opinions & Editorials:

Hadith of the day: Patience

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "There is no gift better
and more vast (that you may be given) than patience."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith 8:477

Announcements:

Official Launch of 'Indian Muslim Council-USA'
Aug
15th, 2002, Washington D.C. : Indian Muslim Community in United States Launches
Washington-based Advocacy Group For Activism Against Rising Fascism In India.
Three major US-based organizations, formed in the wake of massive repression on
minorities in India, came together on India's independence day to form the
"Indian Muslim Council - USA", pledging to work for freeing India from the
clutches of the rising tide of Hindutva-Fascism. The new group emerged from the
California-based Indian Muslim Affairs Council (IMAC), New York-based Indian
Muslim Alert Network (IMAN), and Philadelphia-based Indian Minorities Political
Action Committee (IMPAC).
http://www.imc-usa.org/

SEE ALSO:

New U.S. Muslim group puts its spotlight on rights abroad (Washington
Times)

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020822-94959730.htm

Advocacy group against rising fascism in India launched (Arabnews)

http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=17839&ArY=2002&ArM=8&ArD=18

News Headlines:

Most
S-6 reserved passengers survived Godhra
Times of India, Aug 20,
2002, NEW DELHI: The list ``and analysis'' of the reserved passengers of the
burnt S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express, released by the Railways on Saturday
almost six months after the Godhra tragedy of February 27, raises more questions
than it answers. The list shows that 80 per cent of the reserved passengers of
S-6 survived. Of the 59 persons booked for the journey on S-6, three cancelled
their tickets and the Railways does not have information about four others. For
the 52 travellers, the Railways sent its traffic inspectors to their addresses
in the reservation slips and found that 32 had reached their destination without
an injury. So, 41 of the 52 reserved travellers of S-6 survived the burning of
the coach. Apart from the four dead, seven persons are missing. Assuming that
they are also dead, the number of dead from among the reserved passengers of S-6
is only 11. But the total number of deaths in the incident that day was
58.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19602091

SEE ALSO:

BJP may have been behind Godhra attack: Waghela (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/15/stories/2002081502751100.htm

Amartya Sen blames Modi Govt. for violence (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/17/stories/2002081702191300.htm

Gujarat polls not before Nov:
EC
Times of India, Aug 17, 2002, NEW DELHI: In a stinging rebuff
to the Narendra Modi administration and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Election
Commission (EC) has decided that at present, conditions for a free and fair poll
to the Gujarat assembly do not exist. Refusing to announce dates for the polls,
the EC says it will review the issue in ``November-December'', before coming to
a decision on a schedule. ...It goes on to say that the state government,
instead of rectifying the situation, has been trying to suppress facts and paint
an optimistic picture which simply does not exist.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19312961

SEE ALSO:

Oppn hails EC decision on Gujarat (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=19290094

BJP criticial of EC decision on Gujarat polls (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=19282995

Centre may not accept EC decision (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_39515,0008.htm

President's rule likely in Gujarat (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19316668

Modi govt pats own back over EC's order (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19404793

Row over Gujarat poll ruling (BBC)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2200968.stm

EC: Arrest, punish the guilty (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19306915

Voters' list major issue in Surat (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_ID=19403901

These are some Gujarat families EC is looking for (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/archive_full_story.php?content_id=7864

Modi hid damning
report
Hindustan Times, Gandhinagar, August 17 2002: The Narendra
Modi Government had withheld a State Intelligence Bureau report from the
Election Commission which said that communal violence had affected 24 of the 25
districts and about 990 villages in the state. Probably apprehending that such
an adverse report on the law and order situation would discourage the EC from
holding early elections, the report was not shown to the full EC team..
..Interestingly, the report was prepared for the EC team's visit to the
state.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_39159,000900040003.htm

SEE ALSO:

We hope Modi doesn't get Bharat Ratna: Cong (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19405623

10 police inspectors transferred (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19405070

Advani defends self, Modi, Naik, Mahajan (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_39218,000600010001.htm

BJP will win whenever Gujarat polls are held: Advani (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_39238,000600010001.htm

Mulayam demands Advani's resignation (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_39366,000600030007.htm

Hit in the guts, BJP takes swipe at Oppn (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=19397561

Staying whole is BJP's worry now (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19401574

Indian Starts a Campaign Against Cash
for Militants (New York Times)
New York Times, August 18, 2002 -
By BARBARA CROSSETTE: Shabnam Hashmi never imagined herself leading an
international campaign until she came from New Delhi to New York in July to
implore Indian-Americans not to send money to militant Hindu organizations in
India that she says are leading the country away from secularism into Hindu
nationalism and religious violence. What put Ms. Hashmi on the road with her
one-woman tour she spoke in a telephone interview from Atlanta after stops in
the Midwest, Texas, California and Seattle — were the Hindu attacks on Muslims
in the state of Gujarat beginning in late February that left hundreds dead,
according to Indian government figures. Independent Indian and international
human rights groups have estimated that at least 1,000 people were killed,
possibly 2,000 or more. ..Ms. Hashmir said Indians in the United States had to
guard against the possibility that groups here were funneling money to
militants. She urged Americans in and out of government to start investigating
organizations that might be supporting anti-Muslim terror.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/18/international/asia/18HIND.html?tntemail0

SEE ALSO:

VHP collects cash, but who’s counting (Asian Age)

http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=1&cat2=76&newsid=15788

Soldiers pose as militants, molest
girls
SIFY News, Baramulla, Aug 17: The Army on Saturday dismissed
two soldiers for posing as militants and molesting girls at Delina on July 15,
2002. Police told UNI that Dalbagh Singh and Navnihal Singh of 22 Rashtriya
rifles entered the house of Abdul Ahmad Bhat at Delina here on the night of July
15 posing as militants. The soldiers later molested the girls at gun point in
the house after forcing them to serve food.
http://headlines.sify.com/1112news2.html?headline=Soldiers~pose~as~militants,~molest~girls~

SEE ALSO:

Soldiers dismissed for molesting Kashmiri women (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_39247,000600030010.htm

Father's plea to release Iftikhar Geelani (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/18/stories/2002081802950800.htm

Ladakh divided over RSS demand for trifurcation

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug15/n4.htm

'Farooq on militant hit list' (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/15/stories/2002081502741100.htm

Magazine released by RSS leader likens Farooq to Ravana (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19098245

Modi, PM sing different
tunes
Times of India, Aug 17, 2002, AHMEDABAD: On Independence
Day, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee described the communal violence in
Gujarat as `horrific' and said there was no place for such violence in a
civilised society. But Chief Minister Narendra Modi was singing a different tune
in Ahmedabad after unfurling the national flag. Modi was not categorical in his
condemnation of the riots.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19301280

SEE ALSO:

Modi's I-Day message: Early polls a must (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=19183709

Modi: Madrasas to be in mainstream education system (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19316867

Modi govt may move court for early poll (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=18991537

Modi talks of 'conspiracy' to destabilise State (Yahoo News)

http://in.news.yahoo.com/020815/16/1tt8e.html

E-mail me, we need 1 lakh in my inbox: Modi’s order to school kids (Indian
Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7797

Skeletons emerge from Ahmedabad
sewer
Times of India, Aug 20, 2002, AHMEDABAD: A routine sewer
cleaning exercise of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) at Rakhial threw
up a startling find on Monday evening. Two skeletons, possibly of riot victims
who may have been killed several months back, were found in the gutter. ..Police
officials are convinced that the skeletons are those of riot victims as Rakhial
was badly affected during the riots for several weeks. The victims were probably
male as two trousers and one shirt were also recovered from the vicinity. The
find may explain why many persons are still missing in Ahmedabad after the
riots.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19602599

SEE ALSO:

Blast in city, security alert on I-Day (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_Id=19097612

10 hurt in Jodhpur communal violence (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_38751,00080001.htm

Indefinite curfew in Rajkot after clashes (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_39397,000900040003.htm

Hindu Rashtra? It's all over
Gujarat
Times of India, Aug 18, 2002, AHMEDABAD/VADODARA: If
you're looking for signs that Gujarat's the most saffronised of all states, take
the highway. Better still, just roam around the congested streets of Ahmedabad.
This is no hidden agenda of the Sangh Parivar. It's all out in the open in
Gujarat. Signboards proclaiming India as a 'Hindu Rashtra' can be found all over
the state... "Karnavati city of this Hindu Rashtra welcomes you", proclaims a
board painted in saffron in the heart of Ahmedabad. For those wondering what
Karnavati is, it's what the VHP chooses to call Ahmedabad.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19402003

SEE ALSO:

VHP version of Lyngdoh visit (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/printedition/170802/detNAT06.shtml

Subtle ads target Hindu votes (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19499940

Ads in Gujarati press now target EC, NHRC (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19595850

BJP to launch Gujarat Gaurav Yatra on Sept 3 (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19681704

Congress to hold rally at Somnath today (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19599054

BJP may not be averse to Prez
rule
Times of India, Aug 18, 2002, GANDHINAGAR: Contrary to
popular belief, a powerful section in the BJP is not entirely averse to the idea
of imposition of President's rule in Gujarat till fresh elections are held. The
view of this dominant section is that with former 'pracharak' Sundar Singh
Bhandari as governor, a stint of President's rule could work as a smooth
transition, one that could help the party overcome the anti-incumbency factor
and also leave Chief Minister Narendra Modi free for organisation-building.
...Senior lawyer Girish Patel, who had met the EC in Ahmedabad and demanded
postponement of elections, said: "With Bhandari as governor and BJP ruling in
New Delhi, President's rule in Gujarat will hardly make any difference."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19401414

SEE ALSO:

MLAs disgruntled with Modi over poll muddle (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19541535

PM declines to comment on EC's jurisdiction (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=19550454

Lyngdoh exceeded jurisdiction, says Advani (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=19565070

Gujarat Governor meets PM (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/20/stories/2002082004041100.htm

Situation conducive to polls: [Gujarat Governor] Bhandari (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/20/stories/2002082007440100.htm

Cabinet to refer EC order on Guj to
President
Times of India, Aug 18, 2002, NEW DELHI: The Union
Cabinet on Sunday decided to refer to the President the order of the Election
Commission ruling out early Assembly polls in Gujarat. This was announced by
Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Sharad Yadav after an hour-long meeting of
the Cabinet convened by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to discuss the
implications of the Election Commission order.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=19453520

SEE ALSO:

Election Commission order unconstitutional: BJP (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/18/stories/2002081805060100.htm

BJP moves exposed: CPI(M) (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/18/stories/2002081803020800.htm

Oppn flays Cabinet decision on Gujarat polls (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19480333

BJP still a party with a difference: Jaitley (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/19/stories/2002081902821100.htm

Advani gone back on word on Gujarat: Cong (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19596569

EC alone can decide on polls: Seshan (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/19/stories/2002081901960400.htm

President's nod to govt reference on
EC order
Times of India, Aug 20, 2002, NEW DELHI: President A P J
Abdul Kalam has approved of the reference the government proposes to make to the
Supreme Court on the Election Commission's (EC) order recommending President's
rule in Gujarat and a delay in the state elections. The three-point reference is
believed to have raised the following questions: The use of article 174 of the
Constitution subject to the decision of the Election Commission on the schedule
of the elections; Whether the EC can recommend President's rule in a state; And
whether the Commission is bound to carry out the mandate of Article 174 by
drawing upon all the requisite resources of the State and Union to ensure free
and fair polls
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19640918

UK group probes Hindu groups' terror
links
Times of India, Aug 17, 2002, LONDON: Britain's Charity
Commission has launched a preliminary investigation into allegations that the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad, UK and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) here are linked to
terrorist activities. ...Lord Adam Patel resigned as the patron of Sewa
International, a charity linked to HSS, last week alleging that Sewa
International was a front for military activity, "which incites racial hatred,
is both outrageous and offending," a charge denied by the organisation.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_Id=19388049

SEE ALSO:

British Sikh MP helps raise 1 million pounds for Gujarat (Yahoo News)

http://in.news.yahoo.com/020818/43/1tx0c.html

Advani cancels US trip, to visit
UK
Times of India, Aug 18, 2002, WASHINGTON: Murmurs of
disapproval from the foreign policy establishment and saner counsel from
advisers has resulted in Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani cancelling a planned
visit to the United States next week. He will however go ahead with a scheduled
trip to the United Kingdom on August 21.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=19461200

SEE ALSO:

Vajpayee to attend 9/11 memorial service in New York (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19657483

Kalam action on Gujarat petitions
likely
Times of India, Aug 17, 2002, NEW DELHI: President APJ
Abdul Kalam has studied the petitions and letters he received from riot victims
during his Gujarat tour and may consider writing to the government recommending
action on them, sources close to the presidency say. ...He minced no words while
issuing a statement at the end of his visit, calling for 'a movement to
eliminate totally communal and other forms of strife' and insisting that
'grievances poured forth by the affected people to me should merit immediate
action of those concerned and action taken with alacrity.'
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19312467

SEE ALSO:

Strong views on President's Gujarat tour (BBC)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2191288.stm

President's visit encouraging, says Modi (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19071045

Kalam a balm for Modi after Lyngdoh's barbs (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_Id=19097741

Not allowing head-scarf in school is
not against Islam: HC
Hindustan Times, Mumbai, August 15: In a
landmark verdict, Mumbai High Court has held that restraining a Muslim girl from
wearing a head-scarf in school did not amount to violation of her fundamental
rights or religious tenets. Dismissing a petition filed by an aggrieved Muslim
student, justices RM Lodha and DB Bhosale recently observed "a girl student not
wearing a head-scarf and studying in an exclusive girls section cannot said to
be, in any manner, violating any injunction provided by the holy Quran".
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_38331,0008.htm

Back to Top

Govt planning I-cards for all
citizens
Times of India, Aug 15, 2002, NEW DELHI: ..The home
ministry will prepare a plan to issue multi-purpose machine-readable identity
cards to all citizens. A pilot project, which will be launched in October to
cover select districts in eight states, will also facilitate the implementation
of e-governance initiatives to be completed within a year.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=19185813

SEE ALSO:

Most Indians see Pakistan as enemy: Survey (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_39584,0008.htm

'ISI targetting Gujarat's misguided youths' (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_39562,000900040003.htm

'Hindus will not accept verdict in Ayodhya case' (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/17/stories/2002081702211300.htm

Prime land for Sangh outfits in
Delhi
Times of India, Aug 14, 2002, NEW DELHI: The urban
development ministry has allotted prime property on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg
worth crores of rupees to Sangh Parivar outfits virtually for a song. The
Dharmyatra Mahasangh (DM), a VHP front floated by former Delhi state BJP
president Mange Ram Garg with Prime Minister Vajpayee as one of its patrons, has
been allotted plot number 51 measuring 486 sq metres for just Rs 11.86 lakh
barely "seven or eight months ago". This amount will not fetch even a
two-bedroom flat in Mayur Vihar. In a recent auction notice, the DDA advertised
a 112.88 sq metre plot in Vasant Kunj at a reserve price of Rs 1.92 crore.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?artid=19098631

SEE ALSO:

Shiksha, Vidya are addresses most favoured (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7794

VHP threatens to move Press Council, boycott newspapers (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_40108,0008.htm

Sangh looks after its own, friends are welcome too (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7913

Sangh affiliates entitled to land: VHP (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19596887

India war film raises censors'
ire
CNN.com, Aug 19, 2002. BOMBAY, India (AP) --An anti-war film
that depicts the euphoria after India's first successful nuclear tests and the
horror of September 11 has been deemed too provocative for Indian eyes. ...Among
the ordered cuts are: Footage of independence leader Mohandas K. Gandhi minutes
before he was gunned down by Hindu-nationalist Nathuram Godse in 1948; visuals
of Hindus cutting their hands with razors to sign their names in blood on
messages of congratulations for the nuclear tests; all scenes with Vajpayee and
other political leaders; and a sequence that has leaders of Hinduism's lower
Dalit caste, known as "untouchables," lamenting that the nuclear tests were
conducted on Buddha's birthday. Many Dalits have converted to Buddhism as a
means to escape Hinduism's caste discrimination.
http://asia.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/08/19/india.film/index.html

SEE ALSO:

Chocolate ad featuring J&K angers BJP (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19654011

Arundhati Roy draws big crowds in Pakistan (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_Id=19274025

MP govt crackdown on VHP’s
‘diksha’
Deccan Herald, BHOPAL, Aug 17: ..Under the Trishul Diksha
programme, Trishuls (Tridents) were to be distributed among Hindus in elaborate
religious ceremonies. .. The biggest “Trishul Diksha” programme was to be held
at Jabalpur on August 14, where VHP leader Praveen Togadia was to be the chief
guest. Mr Togadia, however, did not make an appearance after the police made its
tough stance clear. The Indian Arms Act, 1959, prohibits possession and carrying
of sharp-edged weapons longer than six inches. Taking advantage of this
provision, the VHP had decided to distribute Tridents measuring
five-and-three-quarters of an inch. Thousands of trishuls would have been
distributed all over the state. However, the government amended the Arms act,
curtailing the permissible limit to four inches.
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug18/n6.htm

SEE ALSO:

RSS to push Swadeshi Church agenda at meet (Indian Express)

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7900

Shiv Sena activists arrested in Varanasi (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/20/stories/2002082004141100.htm

Opinions and Editorials:

Power of Symbols in India [President's visit to Gujarat] -
Editorial (LA Times) (LA Times)
LA Times, August 16 2002: The
president of India plays a largely ceremonial role, subordinate to the prime
minister, but a smart politician can create power from symbolism. The new
occupant of the office, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, displayed that skill in picking a
state torn by religious rioting for his first official visit, signaling his
concern for the nation's Muslim minority. ..More than 1,000 people, most of them
Muslims, were killed in riots in the western state of Gujarat in February and
March. The state government did little to stop days of carnage that began as
revenge after Muslims burned a train carrying Hindus back from a holy site
claimed as sacred by both faiths. Months after the riots, thousands of Muslims
still live in relief camps. Thousands more are homeless and live with friends or
relatives. Only when Kalam unexpectedly announced his visit did the state
government, controlled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, finally
make a small effort at clearing debris and whitewashing scorch marks from
houses.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-india16aug16.story

SEE ALSO:

Whistle-stop Tour - Editorial

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=997648

Kaka Kalam, nobody’s man - By Neerja Chowdhury

http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7872

55 degrees of separation from the idea of India - By Tavleen Singh

http://www.indian-express.com/columnists/full_column.php?content_id=7840

Window dressing - Editorial (The Statesman)

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.editorial.php3?id=122&theme=A

Surviving on the Edge in Gujarat - By
Malini Ghose
Times Of India, Aug 15, 2002: Four months ago, as a
member of a women’s fact-finding team, I visited several camps in rural and
urban Gujarat. I spoke to scores of women survivors and recorded their
testimonies. The violence, the destruction, the despair, the horror slapped you
in the face. You could not escape it. Last week, I returned to Panchmahals
district to visit Halol, Kalol and Godhra talukas. This time too I could not
escape the horror of situation but for different reasons.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_ID=19092417

SEE ALSO:

A rough ride ahead - By Dionne Bunsha

http://www.flonnet.com/fl1917/19170300.htm

Wrapped in orthodoxy - Editorial
(Hindustan Times)
Hindustan Times, August 17 2002: A Muslim
schoolgirl’s father has argued before the Bombay High Court that not being
allowed to wear a headscarf in school violates her fundamental rights as well as
Islamic religious codes. The court has rejected the petition saying “the essence
of Islam cannot be said to have been interfered with by directing the petitioner
not to wear a headscarf in the school”. The judges are quite right. If
headscarves were such a critical feature of Islam, why do so many Muslim girls
all over the world go about their daily lives without them? ....Many ‘Islamic’
demands seem to concern women in a way that looks like keeping them in thrall.
Religious injunctions were also cited in the Shah Bano case, but the Supreme
Court’s verdict went a long way to help needy Muslim women. Recently, the All
India Muslim Personal Law Board unsuccessfully argued that the Child Marriage
Restraint Act should not apply to young Muslim girls.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_38969,0012.htm

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The predatory State - By Rajeev
Srinivasan
rediff.com, Aug 16, 2002: ..Why is the life of the
common man in India so often nasty, brutish and short? It is because the State
is failing, or more accurately because the State is predatory. In general, I
support a strong State, a necessity for nation-building. However, the Indian
State is not dependable, which is why I am nervous about the Prevention of
Terrorism Act, POTA: I fear that it will in fact be used not for the common man,
but against him.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/aug/16rajeev.htm

SEE ALSO:

Party with differences - By V.Venkatesan

http://www.flonnet.com/fl1917/19170230.htm

Leaders and dealers (petrol pump scam) - By PURNIMA S. TRIPATHI

http://www.flonnet.com/fl1917/19170250.htm

The EC way - Editorial (Indian
Express)
Indian Express, Aug 19, 2002: The aim: to make elections
free and fair for Gujarat’s ‘little voter’ ...In its meticulous order ruling out
elections in Gujarat in the present moment, the Election Commission laid out its
guiding principles: that every vote is a valuable vote, that conditions must be
conducive for the ‘little voter’ to vote, that the election schedule must be
announced at the earliest possible time, and that all other interests must be
subservient to democratic values. It is a tragedy of our times that the EC
should court controversy by merely adhering to these unexceptionable principles.
It is a sad comment on the governments, both in Gujarat and at the Centre, that
they have aggressively pushed for early elections in a state that is still
ravaged, still unable to provide the little voter her freedom to vote. And it is
a testament of hope that Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh and his
colleagues have performed their job independently, shrugging off the unrelenting
pressures mounted on them to fall in line.
http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7868

SEE ALSO:

Better later than sooner - Editorial (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/19/stories/2002081900311000.htm

The E.C.'s options - By V.Venkatesan

http://www.flonnet.com/fl1917/19170330.htm

Three cheers for the EC - Editorial (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_39703,0012.htm

A dangerous sulk - Editorial (Hindustan Times)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_40270,0012.htm

Respite for Gujarat - Editorial (Times of India)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=19489127

Mis-oriented textbooks - By Parvathi
Menon
FRONTLINE, Volume 19 - Issue 17, August 17 - 30, 2002: Of
school textbooks in Karnataka that are replete with examples of communal bias
and errors of fact. ..ON May 26, 16 Education Ministers from non-Bharatiya
Janata Party ruled States walked out of a general body meeting of the National
Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in New Delhi in protest
against the NCERT's controversial National Curriculum Framework for School
Education. The document was attacked not only by the State Education Ministers
from non-BJP ruled States, but by progressive educators and academics as well
for a variety of reasons, including the religious and ideological bias that it
sought to inject into school textbooks and classroom teaching. They have argued
that the new curriculum framework approaches the study of the social sciences
and sciences from a narrow, Hindutva-inspired outlook and that it subverts the
progressive, inclusive and scientific vision that guided the writing of school
textbooks in the past.
http://www.flonnet.com/fl1917/19170430.htm

SEE ALSO:

Sandeep Pandey : A man and his mission (Frontline)

http://www.flonnet.com/fl1917/19171270.htm

Unfeeling community - Editorial (The Hindu)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/20/stories/2002082000621000.htm

The Presidential reference -
Editorial (The Hindu)
The Hindu, Aug 20, 2002: THE CENTRE'S
RESPONSE to the Election Commission's disinclination to hold early elections in
Gujarat has been unnecessarily bristly and needlessly combative. Yes, the Union
Government is entitled under Article 143 to seek the opinion of the Supreme
Court on any important question of law which may arise or has arisen. And yes
again, the Election Commission's decision on Gujarat does throw up some issues
of serious constitutional import. But what is really germane here is a clutch of
other questions. Why is the Centre so single-minded about rushing through with
elections in Gujarat, a State which is still traumatised and in which (as the
Commission has pointed out) it is impossible to conduct a free and fair
election? ...
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/20/stories/2002082000631000.htm

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If this is Hinduism...Wouldn’t you
rather be faithless? - By Renuka Narayanan
Indian Express, Aug
19, 2002: ...Ask the artistes who came from Kashmir to participate in Republic
Day what their journey back on the Shalimar Express was like. They were
reportedly harassed and insulted by the TT. Ask my friend S what happened to him
on the Jammu Mail last month. The TT prodded him with his shod foot and roused
him awake with these pleasant words: ‘‘Hey, terrorist, what do you mean by
sleeping so peacefully?’’ My friend, who wears a cap, beard and kurta-pyjama,
was naturally livid and yelled the train down. Wouldn’t you have, if somebody
misbehaved with you like that, in your own country?
http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=7870

SEE ALSO:

Hindutva and caste - By Kancha Ilaiah

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/08/20/stories/2002082000611000.htm

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2002 August 20

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