Adopt Stray Cattle is Rajasthan Govt’s Formula for Compensating Survivors of Lynch Mobs: Report

March 24, 2018

In a bizarre move, the government of Rajasthan seeks to compensate those killed by cow vigilantes through getting them to accept a’ Adopt a Cow” policy

How are the BJP rulers in Rajasthan seeking to compensate the families of those killed by the so-called gau rakshaks or cow vigilantes? According the recipe provided by a senior state official, who admitted that none of those lynched in the name of cow protection have been offered cash compensation, pointing out, their family members would be persuaded to take up “Adopt a Cow” policy of the Rajasthan government.

Analysing and exposing this in a latest fact-finding report, “Divide & Rule: In the Name of Cow”, based on a fact-finding team’s visit to take an on-the-spot view of things in Rajasthan, qualified as the “epicentre of lynching incidents”, quotes the distinct collector, Alwar, to say that the policy seeks to “protect stray and abandoned cows”, and in the district, so far, 71 cows have been adopted.

Released at the land rights movement, Bhumi Adhikaar Andolan (BAA), meet in Delhi on March 20, the report says, the policy was floated after it was found that “recent interventions of the government, police and cow vigilantes preventing cattle trade has caused an increase in stray cattle.”

The report also adds, “The restrictions on the sale of cattle and the compulsive closure of slaughter houses have forced the dairy farmers to release these animals to fend for themselves. The released cattle often end up in destroying crops and hence have turned into a situation in which the administration has had to find benefactors to adopt the stray animals. Thus, the so-called cow protectors have caused the peril of the animal and lives of people alike.”

Prepared by a team of lawyers and civil society activists led by PV Surendranath, senior advocate, Supreme Court, those who formed part of the fact-finding mission included CPI-M MPs KK Ragesh and Badrudduzza Khan, All-India Kisan Sabha leaders Vijoo Krishan and Dr Sanjay Madhav, and senior activists from across India.

The report notes, in Rajasthan, in all there are a dozen “cow protection” police stations, all of them in Alwar and Bharatpur districts, “allegedly to control cow smuggling”, and it here that some of the worst incidents of “mob violence under the ‘cow protection’ guise has taken place.”
According to the report, the Rajasthan government “solution” has come against the backdrop of sharp impoverishment of the families lynched in the state. Typical is the case of Umar Khan, belonging to Ghatmeeka village in Bharatpur district, was killed by cow vigilantes and his body was found on the railway track at Ramgarh in Alwar District on November, 10, 2017.

“He is survived by nine children, and the youngest among them was born premature two days after his death and out of shock. The family now lives in utter poverty and earns a little by selling milk and through occasional daily wages from rural work. Umar’s mother, wife and children are in an inconsolable state with no support or compensation coming from the BJP led state government”, the report states.

The report believes, the cases of lynching, in all 78, involving 293 individuals, resulting in the death of 29, are the direct result of the BJP rulers seeking to undermine the right to life and personal liberty. It underlines, “One’s right to eat food of one’s choice has no meaning, unless that food is reasonably available to purchase. Hence, freedom to trade cattle, slaughter it and to eat that meat /beef” has to be a “natural corollary of the privacy rights”.

Calling cow protection laws — such as those in Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand, where punishment for cow slaughtering is from 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment to life term — “barbarous” thr report says, “The skewed government policy and its reckless implementation has led to a situation wherein cattle owners are left with no other option but to abandon their unproductive cattle.”

Pointing out that cattle owning is not religion-specific but region-specific, the report says, “In Kerala, 7% Hindu and 5% Muslim households have cattle; in Uttar Pradesh, 52% of Hindu and 21% of Muslim households own cattle; and in Kashmir, the percentage of households having cattle is 37 and 57 respectively. between Hindus and Muslims.”

“But”, regrets the report, “The curious fact that it is Muslim community that is primarily dependent on meat industry for food and employment reveals the driving force for BJP governments to implement cow protection laws in a communally charged manner.”

Himachal’s BJP Govt Ignores Pollution Concerns in Major Hydro Projects: Citizens

March 24, 2018

Himachal hydro projects on major rivers “cleared” sans local nod, pollution control bodies’ role “diluted” Govt told

Small and large hydropower projects in Himachal Pradesh, in three major river basins of the Sutlej, Chenab and Beas, have been allegedly cleared with a cursory Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) with little or no local consultation, as required by law, according to environmental activists.

In a letter to the state environment secretary Manisha Nanda, who also heads the chief minister’s office, by a civil rights collective Himdhara Collective has alleged, these studies have been found to be a mere formality, “as the process of giving environment and forest clearances for hydro projects has been de-linked from the CIA process.”

Demanding that until complete studies are carried out there must be a moratorium on further hydro development in the state, the letter, which is based on an in-depth study of environmental assessment of all the rivers, says, there is, as of today, no “local community involvement in river protection”.

A 2016 study, “Dried & Dusted: State of the Rivers Report – Himachal Pradesh”, it said, “Himachal has the largest hydropower installed capacity in the country.” It has “installed 10264 MW worth of projects. It is planning to harness a total 27436 MW out of which 24000 MW of power is harnessable (Govt. of HP, 2015-16) from the five major river basins of the state namely Sutlej, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Yamuna across a total of 813 large, medium and small projects and micro-hydels.”

“In such a scenario the nature of development is bound to impact the state of the rivers. In the next section we examine some of the major developments that have emerged as threats to the health of Himachal’s rivers”, the study states.

Basing on the study, the letter — signed by representatives from Him Lok Jagriti Manch, Social Uplift Through Rural Action, Himalaya Bachao Samiti, Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, Sutlej Bachao Jiven Bachao Abhiyan Samiti, Himdhara Collective and Himachal Van Adhikar Manch — calls Beas, Ravi, Sutlej and Lower Stretches of the Yamuna (tributaries) “already critically polluted” and “in the red”, adding, the regulatory authorities are least concerned about fighting pollution.

According to the letter, the State Pollution Control Board and the Irrigation and Public Health departments’ roles have “either been made redundant or they have been working to ensure least hindrance to ‘developers’.” It adds, things wouldn’t change for the better unless the “dilutions” made in the amendments in the Hydropower Policy of 2006 made in 2014 and 16, are withdrawn.

The amendments, says the letter, have dilute “the process of No Objection Certificate (NOC) from these departments prior to approval of hydro projects”, adding, “The role of these regulatory agencies needs to be strengthened with community involvement in ensuring compliance to existing legislations that protect rivers and riparian rights.”

Noting dangers posed by industrial pollution, the letter says, “Special attention needs to be paid to monitoring and regulation of industrial pollution in areas like Baddi, Barotiwala, Nalagarh and Paonta Sahib. Common Effluent Treatment Plants have failed miserably and an effort needs to be made to monitor pollution at the source as well as treat the effluents there.”

Industrial pollution is not the only hazard faced by the state’s rivers. The letters says, despite the National Green Tribunal and High Court orders, things with regard to sand mining have not change. While following their orders it is Sand mining is is “regulated or even stopped, the revival would take place in a short period of time.”

The letter wants tourism and urbanisation as needing “serious policy measures that strengthen the role of regulatory agencies as well as work towards models that are not large and commercial in nature but small scale and community owned and managed.” It adds, “Four laning projects and blind road widening are not just damaging forests but also increasing erosion and the siltation on our rivers.”

Seeking involvement of local community in protecting forests in order to stop erosion of rivers, the letter says, “The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, if implemented in full spirit, will strengthen community control and ownership over forests around river basins. Unfortunately, the Himachal government has the poorest track record in FRA implementation with the forest bureaucracy impeding rather than facilitating the filing of claims process.”

Dalits barred from entering haircutting salon in Solapur village: Sakal Times

March 24, 2018

Political class appears immune to this lasting scourge of untouchability

Image: Muslim Mirror

Showcasing the story of Ramesh Salunkhe (name changed for security reasons) Prateek Goel of Sakal Times has exposed how untouchability remains a scourge in otherwise prosperous western Maharashtra. Kolhapur, aboput 230 kilometres away is the home to Shahyu Maharaj who’s far reaching social justice policies are a lesson still to modern day, 21^st century India.

In this story, when about 14, studying in Class IX, Ramesh Salunkhe went to a barber’s shop where he was made to realise that his caste limited his entry to many public places. Ten years later, armed with a degree and a well paying job in a renowned Pune-based company, Salunkhe went back to the same barber’s shop only to realise that no matter what he achieves in life, he will always be an ‘achhut’ (untouchable) who is not allowed to get his hair cut in the village barber shop.

Despite complaints to the police and Panchayat Samiti against this atrocity, Nagansur village of Akkalkot taluka in Solapur district, does not allow people from scheduled caste or tribe to get their hair cut in local salons, forcing them to travel 10 km to a nearby village to avail the basic facility.

Salunkhe informed Sakal Times that this is an age-old practice and continues despite bringing it to the notice of administration and political leaders. He said, “Nobody cares about the downtrodden in our country. The political leaders who make tall claims about fighting for Dalit rights don’t do anything except filling up their pockets and using the community for their political mileage. We are living in the 21st Century in a State like Maharashtra which was the land of progressive thinkers and still have to hear words like ‘achhut’.”

Salunkhe said this discrimination was going on in the village before Independence and most of the people have become used to it. He said, “We have submitted an application about this issue to Gram Panchayat and Pritam Yawalkar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Solapur.”

Mahesh Vathar (name changed for safety reasons), (26), who also hails from Nagansur, has a similar tale to tell. Vathat, who works with a private firm in Pune, said, “Six months back when I went to take a haircut at the local salon in Nagansur, the barber told me I am a Dalit and he is not going to give me a haircut. When I reasoned with him, he said he is under pressure of senior people from the village and will not be able to give me a haircut.”

Vathar said the people from his community who cannot afford going 10 km to get a haircut for their young children have started giving them a haircut at their homes. He said, “There are ample shops in our village at a distance of 500 metres from our home but we are not allowed inside those haircutting shops because of this discrimination towards us. So now people from our community have started giving haircuts to younger ones at home itself.”

Jayram Ingle (name changed for safety reasons), (26), another villager of Nagansur who is working in a hotel in Pune, said the only reason for not giving a haircut to them is that they belong to Dalit community. He said, “I went to the cutting salon in Nagansur with one of the Gram Panchayat members but still the barber refused to give me a haircut and cited that I am a Dalit.”

“When I was a child I always used to tell my father to take me to the haircutting shops in our village as I wanted a good haircut like the other boys at school but he always used to take me outside the village to a small shop for the haircut. Whenever I questioned him he used to tell me that we belong to Scheduled Caste and are not allowed in the barbers shops of our village,” added Ingle.

The local youngsters belonging to Dalit community have submitted an application regarding the issue to Gram Panchayat and to Pritam Yawalkar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Solapur.

Sarpanch of Nagansur village, Prakash Pote, said, “I have tried many times to convince the haircutting salon owners to allow people from Dalit community inside their shops but they don’t. They told me if they are going to allow Dalits in their salons, people from others caste will boycott them and will stop coming to their shops. MP, MLA, Collector, and Police everybody knows about this issue but nothing positive has happened in this regard yet.”

When Sakal Times contacted Pritam Yawalkar, DSP, Solapur about the issue, he said, “I am aware of the issue and we are trying to sort it out. We have conducted 3-4 meetings in the village to resolve the issue and will sort it out soon.”

Sakal Times contacted Siddhram Mhetre, Congress MLA from Akkalkot and Sharad Bansode, BJP’S Member of Parliament from Solapur repeatedly but both were unavailable for comments.

Behind Centre’s Curtailing Special Category to NE States a Ploy for Loot & Plunder: BAA

March 24, 2018

Arguing strongly against the Government of India allegedly curtailing the special category status to India’s North-Eastern States, the country’s well-known land rights apex body, Bhumi Adhikar Andolan (BAA), has said that this is being done in order to open the region for corporate “loot and plunder.”

Well-known civil rights activist Akhil Gogoi of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, speaking at a BAA meet in Delhi, said that Assam as also other North Eastern States are already in the throes of deep economic crisis because the special category status of the region has been “removed” by the Government of India. Gogoi has faced the wrath of state oppression and been implicated in allegedly false cases to curb his organisational prowess and freedoms. Both he and the organisation he represents, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti have faced state wrath and incarceration.

According to Gogoi, who was reelased on bail recently, this deep economic crisis, has resulted in “stopping the flow of central fund, centre-sponsored schemes and also limiting the state’s taxation powers by imposing Goods and Services Tax (GST).” Gogoi said, “In the light of these changes the picture that emerges is that the government has deliberately halted the infrastructural and developmental activities along with the funds for government schemes to cripple the economy of the region and create a state of emergency.”

Instead of the special category status, the Government of India, he said, was imposing special industrial policy for the North-Eastern states. While the North East Industrial Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP), which accelerated industrial growth in the region with subsidies and incentives for small scale as well as big enterprises, has been suspended, it been replaced by the North East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS).

Announced recently by Central cabinet, the new scheme, he told the meet, imposed budgetary curbs to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore for the interim period till 2020 for all the eight states of the North East, further escalating the economic crisis. Those who are suffering the most, according to him, are marginal farmers and landless people, forming 32 per cent and 28 per cent of the population, respectively.

According to him, “There is no intention to implement land reform in the region, or a policy framework to address the flood and erosion problem of the state”, Gogoi said, adding, instead the government is coming up with diversionary tactics like the citizenship amendment bill, “which tries to disrupt the social and cultural fabric of Assam.”

Joining in, Jitendra Chaudhary, joint secretary of All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), member of Parliament from Tripura, said that that Assam “was once one of the most economically prosperous regions of the Indian subcontinent, but after the partition it has been reduced to being the chicken corridor due to neglect and underdeveloped.*

“The North Eastern region could have been a buffer for the country, we could have contributed more for the development of the country but the government is dividing the people against caste lines and it has no intention to address the issue of livelihood that they face”, he said.

Former MP and senior CPI(M) farmer leader Hannan Mollah stressed on the need to intensify struggle. He informed the meet that BAA has now 14 state chapters and has initiated the process of state committee formation. “Our focus is on the need to have extended reach and bring together issues of farmers from across the country and form a collective strength”, he added.

The meet condemned what it called “state-sponsored atrocities” in Tripura after the BJP government came to power, and in order to saffronize the politics and society, is actively seeking to eliminate any opposition and dissenting voices in the state. The ground situation has been worsening with vigilantes backed by the ruling BJP government breaking into CPI(M) offices.

How Facebook Data is Used to Manipulate People’s Behaviour at Massive Scales

March 24, 2018

While Facebook has been critical of Cambridge Analytica for misusing user data, it needs to be remembered that the social media behemoth uses similar techniques itself to push advertisements.

Interview with Prabir Purkayastha

Interviewed by Surangya Kaur Produced by Newsclick Team,

After the Channel 4 expose of Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data to influence votes, it becomes even more important to question the kind of privacy policies in use today that allow for this to happen. While Facebook has been critical of Cambridge Analytica for misusing user data, it needs to be remembered that the social media behemoth uses similar techniques itself to push advertisements.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

A Plea for Life: Vasantha appeals for Prof. Saibaba’s transfer to Telangana jail

March 24, 2018

The cage of lies,

seditious clauses
and conspitorial confabulations
confine and keep me away
from your intimate and critical
engagement with knowledge
and warm affection for the liberty
of the trampled earth.

Prof. Saibaba’s poem in a letter to his students from Nagpur Central Prison, February 7, 2018

Image: PTI

In a letter dated February 2, 2018, Vasantha Kumari, women’s rights activist and wife of Dr. G.N. Saibaba jailed in Nagpur Central prison for above 14 months, has requested the Governor of Maharashtra for the transfer of her husband, Prof. Saibaba from Nagpur to Cherlapalli Central Jail, Hyderabad, Telangana.

Vasantha has been working for women’s rights since 1992 and has been part of organisations such as Chaitanya Mahila Sangham in A.P. and Committee Against Violence on Women (CAVOW), Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS) and Committee for Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP). She received three letters from Prof. Saibaba in January 2018 in which he sought emergency medical investigation and treatment of his 19 health problems, multiple stones in gallbladder and immediate surgery needed (to be advised by The Department of Gastroenterology, Government Medical College, and Hospital, Nagpur)

Saibaba’s flailing health condition
In all these letters, while explaining his critical condition and deterioration of his health, he describes his suffering in past months without any medical care and treatment. Though he has been advised to go for an immediate surgery for removal of the gallbladder, which is causing frequent attacks on his pancreas and may cause fatal form of jaundice.

“It is impossible for me to survive here during the winter that starts from November.” He said before winters started. He lacked a blanket and sweater/jacket, was “shivering with continuous fever.”

However, even after repeatedly drawing attention to these grave health issues, including his heart problem, severe pain in the stomach, there seems to have been no attempts at addressing his situation.

Persisting health situation
Prof Saibaba suffers from a spinal disorder that has resulted in the rapid deterioration of his muscles and nerves, which means that he can’t walk or use his left arm. His rib cage is collapsing on his lungs. The fact of him being 90 percent disabled requires constant medical care to stop his condition from declining gradually.

Mishandling by Jail staff
Through these letters, Saibaba also reported that the jail staff were not adept at handling a disabled person. He narrowly escaped a fall from the wheel chair and the danger of breaking his polio affected bones. The jail staff is not trained at handling a severely disabled person.

Vasantha added, “My husband’s left-hand disfunctioning happened after a severe damage to muscles and nerves because of the mishandling at the time of incarceration. He has to suffer for the damage for the rest of his life. Without the presence of family members, it is difficult to him to move in a wheelchair.”

Vasantha requested to consider her earlier representation on the transfer of Saibaba, from Bagpur Central Prison to Cherlapalli Central Prison, Hyderabad so that his family members residing there could meet and extend moral support to him. Medical support can also be extended in a better manner as there are Government hospitals available with required facilities.

Concerns with the Gadhchiroli Sessions Court Judgement
The Gadhchiroli Sessions Court in Maharashtra, in its judgment of March 7, 2017, sentenced G N Saibaba, Prashant Rahi, Hem Mishra, Mahesh Tirki and Pandu Narote to life imprisonment while Vijay Tirki was sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment. However, activists and intellectuals across quarters have criticized the judgement for being flawed and for misusing the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). It has been said that the judgment, apart from citing irrelevant documents, has ignored valid evidence and arguments presented by the defence, and accepted dubious versions of the same presented by the prosecution. Civil rights activists also believe that the judgment displays “extreme animus” especially directed towards Saibaba, going to the extent of describing him thus: “though G N Saibaba is 90% disabled, he is mentally alert.”

This seems to have arisen out of state’s vendetta against Professor Saibaba for the sympathy that was shown by the higher courts in granting him bail and also the widespread protests that followed his arrest in 2014. The sessions judge was insensitive enough to not even grant him basic facilities that were granted by earlier courts, such as medical assistance, attendants, diet, and so on, leaving him at the mercy of the prison authorities!

Fighting Corporates synonymous to Waging War?
Professor GN Saibaba is currently serving life in prison in Nagpur Central Jail for allegedly “waging war against the country and supporting the ideology of a banned organisation (CPI Maoist)”. However, the worldwide campaign that ensued in the aftermath of his arrest, has raised several serious concerns about such charges in the light of a draconian act UAPA. Whether Saibaba was waging a war against the state, or standing in between corporate greed and state support to the same, can be understood by this paragraph, which the judgment itself quotes, “the situation of Gadchiroli district from 1982 till today is in paralyzed condition and no industrial and other developments are taking place because of fear of naxal and their violent activities. Hence, in my opinion, the imprisonment for life is also not a sufficient punishment to the accused but the hands of the Court are closed with the mandate of Section 18 and 20 of UAPA and in my opinion it is a fit case to award sentence of imprisonment of life” (para 1013, pp 818–19)”

Wrath of the State
GN Saibaba began his activism when he stood for reservations in the early 1990s, against those who were pushing to end reservations for lower-caste people in India. In that decade, he also campaigned against what he said were “encounter killings” of innocent people and Naxalites in Andhra Pradesh. Through his activism, Saibaba travelled all over the tribal belt in central India. He was teaching English in Delhi University and was well recognised for fine intellectualism and insights. He would get invited to several conferences and other universities.

In September 2009, the Indian government launched Operation Green Hunt, in the name of fighting the “biggest internal security threat” but in fact, to facilitate the mining giants which were showing interest in the area. “I gathered enough evidence that suggested the ruling class wanted access to their resources no matter what. So the Operation Green Hunt was launched to kill, maim and dislodge these people,” Saibaba had noted. At the height of the operation, between 2009 and 2012, Saibaba galvanised people through a group called Forum Against War on People. He organised a national campaign against the military operation that he said resulted in investors pulling out from the area. According to Saibaba, “the best way to stop me was to throw me in jail.”

International Covenants and Requisites for Justice
Though India is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the UN Resolution 70/175 on Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules), all of which reaffirm the right to life with dignity of prisoners, Prof. Saibaba a person with a disability is being slowly pushed into death. The UNCRPD, which India also ratified, as well as the recently passed Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPD Act), which was enacted to fulfil India’s obligation under the afore-mentioned convention, are wholly applicable to his case.

The Transfer of Prisoners Act, 1950, The Prisoners Act, 1900 and Article 226 of the Constitution of India for inter-state transfer and several Supreme Court Judgements on the convicts are entitled to transfer if sending and receiving states agree.

My pain, a voiceless song,

my being a nameless mote.
If only my pain could speak,
I’d know who I am.
And if myself could find its essence,
I’d unravel the mystery of this world.
If I could seize this hidden mystery,
my silence would find expression
(Faiz Ahmad Faiz)

Vasantha’s plea is desperate, “Please save my husband’s life.”

How Ashraf Wani, a pellet victim, is trying to help more than 1,000 fellow pellet victims get treatment

March 24, 2018

Srinagar: No matter how hard you try to live a normal life in Kashmir, the truth is that in this conflict-ridden Valley, a moment can completely change the course of your life; often for the worst. Take the example of 28-year-old Mohammed Ashraf Wani, a resident of Rahmoo village in Pulwama district of North Kashmir.

Before August 24, 2016, it would have been nigh impossible to find him at home during the day as he was dividing his time between studying and working at Airtel. When not studying for his graduation, Ashraf worked with the telecom major as a field officer, recovering outstanding bills from customers. But after the encounter of Burhan Wani, the region was united in protests, and Ashraf was no different.

“That day people were protesting at Prichoo, Pulwama and I was also a part of it. We were peacefully registering our protest and I had even asked a police offer to let us do peaceful protest but he didn’t allow it. Soon, the arguments lead to stone pelting between protesters and security forces,” recalls Ashraf.
Ashraf tried to move to a corner in order to look for a safe corner. But one of the officers from a CRPF vehicle started firing at the protesters, leading to the death of two people and six people injured. Ashraf was one of the injured that day, and like thousands of others in Kashmir, his life has never been the same again.

“I was hit by a bullet in the back which pierced my liver, touched one of my lungs and came out through the chest,” he said. And yet, Ashraf, who was on a ventilator for the next six days, was discharged two weeks laterand advised to rest for three to four months.

On October 31, 2016, when he was still recuperating from the bullet wounds, the village witnessed another round of protest early morning. Ashraf still carried bullet wounds and did not want to be found out by the security forces. So, he tried to move to a nearby hill- Lidergan, surrounded by a dozen houses, hoping it would be safe there. As he climbed the hill, security forces, who were chasing other youths, also climbed the hill and fired pellets indiscriminately, along with tear gas shells on people.

Mohammad Ashraf Wani shows his right eye which was hit by pellets

Finding it difficult to move, he tried to hide behind a tree, but a policeman aimed his pellet gun at him and fired, leaving Ashraf in a pool of blood.

Even after six surgeries, pellets remain all over his body and Ashraf, a budding student and an employed person, was left to recover from bullet and pellet injuries.

A year and a half after the fateful day with his hair closely trimmed and his black beard cropped short, he is still recovering from his wounds with fortnightly visits to the doctors in Srinagar. But that does not deter him from thinking about the concerns and welfare of other such victims who suffer like him and who are enduring what he has gone through.

“I have gone through this pain and only I can understand the pain of those who were crippled by the pellets and bullets,” he said.

Nine months back while lying down on a mattress, wearing dark glasses at his single-storey mud house in the corner of a field, hiding behind a tin gate at Rahmoo village, Ashraf met few pellet victims from his area who shared how living a normal life has become a burden for all of us.

“Most of their families had to sell their land, houses and in some cases even jewellery to fund the treatment of pellet injuries. Now they are almost bankrupt with no money left for the continuous treatment,” he said
He further said that the government has left them at the mercy of God after crippling them.

“The government says that they have given us the jobs but we haven’t taken any jobs. They have given jobs to 13 pellet victims, most of whom are their party workers,” he said.

In May 2016, Ashraf finally registered a not for profit trust “Pellet Victims Welfare Trust” in Srinagar which has approximately 1,250 pellet and bullet victims as its members.

“Many NGOs and individual groups collect donations on our behalf, but nothing concrete is done for us due to non-streamlining of the funds,” Wani said.

Last month on Feb 19, Wani along with the members of the Trust- mostly the pellet victims, held a sit-in at press colony Srinagar seeking an end to the use of pellet guns and justice as well as public support to help poor pellet victim families.

“We had no other option left. The government has done nothing for us and we haven’t been given any jobs and it became important for us to hold a sit-in and clear things to our people and tell them how we are suffering silently,” said Wani.

Wani’s trust is presently receiving little amounts as donations from the general public which the Trust is utilising to pay the medical bills and helping the pellet victim families.

“Right now we are focusing on paying for their treatment,” he said. “Insha Allah, we are looking forward to helping them get an education and undertake other welfare-related activities for them,” he added.

Courtesy: Two Circles

Autonomy to Academic Institutions: Boon or Bane?

March 24, 2018

Taken without context, the term ‘autonomy’ is generally associated with positive, progressive, even empowering connotations — with meanings ranging from freedom to self-government.

Interview with Saikat Ghosh

Interviewed by Pranjal Produced by Newsclick Team,

The selected universities that have been granted ‘autonomy’ are effectively being forced to turn to self-financing and to privatise, which will make quality higher education prohibitively expensive in the country and make it inaccessible to the people.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

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Adopt Stray Cattle is Rajasthan Govt’s Formula for Compensating Survivors of Lynch Mobs: Report

In a bizarre move, the government of Rajasthan seeks to compensate those killed by cow vigilantes through getting them to accept a’ Adopt a Cow” policy

Himachal’s BJP Govt Ignores Pollution Concerns in Major Hydro Projects: Citizens

Himachal hydro projects on major rivers “cleared” sans local nod, pollution control bodies’ role “diluted” Govt told

Dalits barred from entering haircutting salon in Solapur village: Sakal Times

Political class appears immune to this lasting scourge of untouchability

Behind Centre’s Curtailing Special Category to NE States a Ploy for Loot & Plunder: BAA

How Facebook Data is Used to Manipulate People’s Behaviour at Massive Scales

While Facebook has been critical of Cambridge Analytica for misusing user data, it needs to be remembered that the social media behemoth uses similar techniques itself to push advertisements.

A Plea for Life: Vasantha appeals for Prof. Saibaba’s transfer to Telangana jail

How Ashraf Wani, a pellet victim, is trying to help more than 1,000 fellow pellet victims get treatment

Autonomy to Academic Institutions: Boon or Bane?

Taken without context, the term ‘autonomy’ is generally associated with positive, progressive, even empowering connotations — with meanings ranging from freedom to self-government.

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