Abhisar Sharma to Srivastava and CBI: Bring it on

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August 24, 2016

The scourge of the social media is at it again. This time quoting from a website pretending to be neutral and saying that the Central Bureau of Investigation is going to register a First Information Report (FIR) against my wife, Shumana Sen. The allegations speak of a man called SK Srivastava who has been fighting a “brave” battle against me and my wife and another woman officer from the Indian Revenue Service.

Today I wish to present my side, which incidentally is the only side of this story.

My family has been facing the worst form of witch hunt at the hands of this Srivastava, who seems to be backed by this government. What’s really shocking is that Bharatiya Janata Party’s spokesperson like Sanju Verma reproduce such news items without even confirming the veracity of the article.
SK Srivastava, Commissioner, Income Tax, has pending charge sheets against him and recently the Honourable Supreme Court has in a written order said and I quote , “During the course of hearing , the learned solicitor General has submitted that three chargesheets that have been annexed to the counter affidavit that have been filed by respondent number 2 – department concerned have been filed against respondent number 1 (SK Srivastava) but for some reasons no action has been taken in pursuance of the said chargesheets. The enquiry shall be completed in six months from now.”

Srivastava’s case was being investigated by the vigilance wing of the income tax department, where my wife and the other officer were posted at that time. It was then that he started intimidating Shumana and others by writing the worst possible dirt and filth about them. We challenged this man and the High Court pronounced a 15-day jail term for him, which is now pending in Supreme court. I am now quoting from the record of the High court judgement that was in our favour. Sample the filth Srivastava threw at two women officers who have been named X and Y:

1. It is brought on record that to wreak havoc upon me and to intimidate others into silence lest the illicit sexual intimacies between Sri BK Jha and Ms “X” and Sri SS Rana and Ms “Y” in organized prostitution wherein Sri BK Jha and Ms “X” is practicing the illegal trade of prostitution is objected to and punished as per law,

2. Both these women, i.e., Ms “Y” and Ms “X” apart from being in extra-marital sexual intimacies with Sri PK Misra and a large number of other male colleagues are also involved in organized prostitution and are prostitutes in terms of clause (f) of Section 2 of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, 1956. … Ms “X” … garishly painted and gaudily attired befitting a prostitute of her caliber, is visiting various places including premises of Ld. CAT, Principle (sic Principal) Bench, Delhi acting in most suggestive and provocative manner offering immoral gratification if person upon whom she is working agreed to conspire with her against me. Log record of operational vehicle assigned to Ms Y would reveal her nocturnal trips to various places and people to canvass support against me through illicit and extra-marital sexual favours….

How does a BJP spokesperson support someone who thinks like this? My wife is a government servant – bound by rules of conduct – and she has no right to reply. Is it fair of Verma to support Srivastava as he targets an officer?
The previous government did not encourage Srivastava, but at the same time, it refused to sack him, displaying a lackadaisical attitude as far as defending women officers in their departments. Although he was suspended in 2007, after the suspension was revoked due to technical reasons, Srivastava was posted to Ranchi by the previous administration. This government, shockingly, brought him back in 2015 and posted him in Noida. Now let’s talk about the charges.

The entire case against us is built around the allegation that we indulged in money laundering. Srivastava has been dramatically changing this figure over the years – from Rs 100 crores to Rs 5,500 crores, to… now I have really lost count.

The Central Bureau of Investigation’s special court judgement clearly rubbished the case and imposed a Rs 10,000 fine on him. Here’s the gist:
“In view of the aforesaid reasons and to prevent recurrence of such frivolous and mischievous appeals, all the four applications deserve to be dismissed with exemplary costs. However, the costs is concerned I am inclined to take a lenient view. Accordingly all four applications are dismissed subject to cost of 10,000 rupees to be deposited within seven days from now.”

I know Srivastava’s supporters will say the court did not comment on the merits of the case . So my humble submission is, why not challenge this decision in a higher court of law? Why indulge in propaganda on social media? It’s obvious with no facts to back him, it was only vile propaganda that he could rely on to target us.

Interestingly, the Supreme Court had accepted a petition by Shumana Sen and another complainant, pleading that they were being harassed and that the government was doing nothing about it. In the course of the hearings , everyone from S Gurumurthy and KPS Gill filed interventions, and each and every intervention was thrown into the dustbin.

The Honourable Supreme Court had this to say about the entire matter in September 2015, and I quote,
“In the circumstances, we direct that the chairperson of the CBDT, will nominate an officer higher in rank that respondent 1 who will look in to the grievance of the petitioners within six months from today and shall suggest appropriate action, if any, which shall be initiated against the concerned persons”.

Now the matter is being investigated, but the government is obviously dragging its feet. It has already failed to meet the court’s deadline to file a report – could it be because it cannot blatantly deny what these women officers have been undergoing? – and the Supreme Court has asked the government to submit a report by December as the noose around Srivastava’s neck tightens in the defamation case that involves a jail sentence. This explains his desperation to seek publicity on malafide income tax assessments that have been made by the authorities at the behest of Srivastava himself. In fact, it is a classic case of the department being used as a tool to harass honest taxpayers, who just happen to be officers themselves or related to them. This is the worst form of tax terrorism one can witness anywhere.

Let me explain. The entire argument is that the Central Bureau of Investigation will soon file a case based on income tax assessments that have “exposed” some Rs 11 crores of unaccounted wealth possessed by my wife and me. This also includes the name of the other lady officer, who by the way has absolutely no link whatsoever with NDTV. She has never assessed or processed any NDTV tax matter. So why is she named here? Because she was one of the officers posted in vigilance. Srivastava has been intimidating her ever since and he’s now dragged her too in the NDTV matter.

The CBI interrogated my wife for eight hours last year and has been sitting on the matter since. We’ve been told by sources that the CBI didn’t really have a case but left it hanging. We did not attend a single hearing of these assessments as we knew the futility of doing so with Srivastava controlling the strings in the matter. The Circle does not even have the jurisdiction over my case as per the defined jurisdiction chart. But Let me give you an insight into the language of these comical assessments.

“On the other hand, Sri S.K. Srivastava, IRS dug in his heels in the manner reminiscent of the First World War and accused Ms. Sumana Sen (IRS 99005) of accepting bribe and illegal gratification from M/s NDTV Ltd. through the conduit of her spouse Sri Abhisar Sharma and employee of M/s NDTV Ltd.”
“The List of Cases as annexed by the Petitioners as Annexure P-4 with their Writ Petition and which the petitioners wanted the Honble Supreme Court to quash and set aside by calling those cases from the lower Courts including Honble Delhi High Court and other Honble High Courts contained cases in which the petitioners had no involvement and to which were not even party. The demand for removal of 93 minute video from the U Tube and Internet which contained mainly the wrongdoing by M/s NDTV Ltd. without letting any agency inquire or investigate the same only reflected the malafide agenda of the assessee.…. The nexus of assessee and M/s NDTV Ltd. and Rs.5,500 crores money-laundering scam is therefore duly made out …”

“I am the victim of faking of sexual harassment, sexual assault, molestation & repeated rapes by Ms. Sumana Sen (IRS 99005) …… and which she had faked in lieu of money paid to her by Sri P. Chidambaram, former Union Finance Minister & former Union Home Minister and M/s NDTV Ltd. who hired them to fake sexual harassment, sexual assault, molestation and repeated rapes by abusing official position….”

(Emphases: mine.)

Not a single shred of evidence, documentary, or otherwise, has been either mentioned or discussed in any part of any of the orders.

We are now in appeal and have also filed a grievance with the committee set up for the purpose of looking into high pitched additions. Needless to say, no finding has been given by the committee, though the time limit for the same has expired. It is bizarre how the department has moulded itself into being an extension of Srivastava when it comes to harassment.

I would now like to give an outline of the facts about my employment with NDTV and the much hyped and maligned foreign tours.

As a special correspondent with NDTV, I had been given as part of my salary package from 2004 to 2006, a foreign travel allowance. It was part of my cost to company and was given every year at the time of my annual appraisal. This had no connection with the posting of my wife Shumana Sen as Assistant Commissioner Circle (1) 13, which is evident from the fact that the first such appraisal took place on July 29, 2004, whereas my wife joined that charge on August 13, 2004. Also, these appraisals continued even after she left that charge. Therefore, it is crystal clear that the annual foreign travel allowance was purely on the basis of merit, for my work rather than as a bribe for favours granted to NDTV as has been suggested in smear campaigns. I would also like to say with full responsibility that this allowance was given not only to me, but to many others in NDTV. The facts of the case are documented and I don’t wish to add anything further to this.

The following may be noted:
I joined NDTV in 2003, prior to which I was a Producer in BBC world Service London. Therefore, I was qualified in my own right to be employed in NDTV. Srivastava, supported by Gurumurthy, has often said I was a small time stringer in BBC. However, I was a full time Producer, in London, and selected out of thousands who appeared for the entrance exam.

There were absolutely no favours granted by my wife to NDTV. On joining, she met her then Commissioner and informed him of my employment with NDTV. Before she could intimate the same in writing, an order dated 19-8-2004 (documents available) was issued in which he assigned eight cases to the Additional Commissioner Range 13 (my wife’s immediate superior officer) and vide that order, the Additional Commissioner was assigned these cases in capacity of an assessing officer with immediate effect. Out of these eight cases, two were of M/s NDTV and M/s NDTV World, limited for the assessment year 2002-03. There was no time gap in which my wife could have given a written intimation since she had joined on August 13 and the order was passed on the 19th.

The only order passed by my wife in case of NDTV was the intimation under section 143(1) of the Income tax Act and the refund cheque, which was due to the organisation and had to be given on time in order to avoid paying interest to NDTV later on, which would have caused loss to the revenue and monetary benefit to NDTV by way of interest. To put it simply, she has saved money for the government. Moreover, this refund was granted only after obtaining the approval of the Additional Commissioner Range 13, as per the provisions of the Income Act.

Srivastava sought to defame me and my wife by getting my income tax cases reopened and then conniving with officers to make absurd additions with the view to upload it on the internet, thereby tarnishing our image. A perusal of that order of year 2006-2007 shows that a total addition of Rs 43 lakhs has been made out, of which an addition of Rs 31,90,500 has been made on the issue of ESOPS , quoting a section of the Act which was not applicable in that year. As clarified by NDTV (letter available), fringe benefit tax did not apply for the first two years. Similarly, the assessing officer has made wild estimates while calculating what our expenditure must have been on foreign travels that year (without any basis) and has made additions accordingly.

The assessment order under section 148 in our cases mentions a closure report of the vigilance directorate on the complaint filed by Srivastava containing allegations of corruption and misconduct. To quote the report,
“In this regard, I am directed to submit that the complaint concerning NDTV Ltd made by Sh SK Srivastava against Ms Shumana Sen was registered as FCR-A/sd/NZ/56/13 and same has been closed by DGIT(vigilance) on 15-02-2013 in absence of any vigilance angle and in view of the honourable High court’s directions.”

It has been the modus operandi of the cartel headed by Srivastava and shamefully supported by Gurumurthy where documents have been leaked deliberately to cause embarrassment to me and my family and in turn to my employer.

The constant leaking of our documents, the absurd IT assessments and then CBI threats only suggests one thing – a smear campaign, and I will not take this lying down.

There have been continuous setbacks that Srivastava has faced from courts and various other tribunals in addition to the fine imposed by the CBI special court in the money laundering case and the jail sentence by the High court. For example, my wife had filed a harassment case against him in the Barakhamba road police station. Not only was an FIR filed against him, but the Court ordered for framing of charges.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley spoke out for his officers Arvind Subramanium when he was targeted by a BJP leader. Will now Mr Jaitley defend my wife, as a BJP spokesperson attacks her?

If the cases had an iota of truth, I would have bent over backwards for this government, as some in my community have. Like the one who has been avoiding a second jail term in Tihar and another journalist who had made 500 phone calls to an arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, arrested by Enforcement Directorate and suspected to be a middleman in the Rafale deal. The ED found a money trail that led to a Gurgaon penthouse. It wanted to interrogate and is still waiting for an answer from the Finance Ministry.

I am a fiercely neutral journalist who would continue to question this government on all its wrong doings. I am also fiercely protective of my family. If you attack us, I will defend our honour at any cost. So bring it on. I am also counting on the FIR that the CBI intends to file against us, as mentioned in the PGuru website. I seriously am. The CBI may ignore the facts of the case, but the Courts of this country still demand fact by way of evidence.

Courtesy: Newslaundry.com

http://www.newslaundry.com/2016/08/23/abhisar-sharma-to-srivastava-and-cbi-bring-it-on/

Watch: The video that the RSS is showing Hindu couples to make them have more children

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August 23, 2016

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It was shown because the "other community" is growing at eight per cent.

The RSS held a meeting on Sunday, presided over by chief Mohan Bhagwat, which implored Hindu couples to have more children, because the Hindu population is growing at the rate of 2.1 per cent, while that of the “other community” is growing eight per cent, The Indian Express reported.

A video alleging that “Muslims were taking over Europe” was also shown at the event, reported The Hindu. The article also quotes an RSS worker citing its "easy availability" on YouTube as an example of its authenticity.

Despite numerous articles debunking the notion that "Muslims are taking over Europe", the video in question has been doing the rounds of the internet for the last few years. A 2011 study by the Pew Research Centre had found that global Muslim populations will grow at a rate slower than in the past few years.

The video itself uses the techniques common to the genre of YouTube conspiracy. Statistics and facts are quoted without context. An article by BBC debunked the claims made in the video when it was popular. More than anything, the huge popularity of the video – viewed by more than 10 million people – was being seen as the growing Islamophobia throughout the world.

Here's John Oliver explaining how a YouTube conspiracy works. (Warning: Do not watch if you like chocolate eggs.)

Periodically, right wing groups like the RSS and VHP ask Hindus to have more children to prevent themselves from becoming a minority in India, even though the current growth rates make this an impossibility anytime soon. Asked by an attendee how these children could be fed, the RSS chief had no answer, reported The Hindu.

Courtesy: Scroll.in

इंसान ज़ाति की हरेक अप्राकृतिक मौत इस दुनिया को एक चेतावनी है।

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August 23, 2016

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हैदराबाद केंद्रीय विवि के शोध-छात्र रोहित वेमुला की डायरी पढ़ते हुए ये अहसास तेज़तर होता चला जाता है कि इस बेहतरीन ज़हीन सूझबूझ और वैज्ञानिक नज़रिये के लड़के को अगर ब्राह्मणवादी ग़लीज़ व्यवस्था के नुमाइंदों ने आत्महत्या की ओर न धकेला होता तो ये हम सबके बीच मुस्कुरा रहा होता और दुनिया भर के उत्पीड़ित समुदाय की तक़लीफ़ों को शब्द दे रहा होता, इन तकलीफ़ों के सामाजिक राजनीतिक आयाम का सैद्धांतिकीकरण कर रहा होता। साथ ही, सरंचनागत अन्याय और अत्याचार के ख़िलाफ़ मुट्ठी ताने लोगों का आह्वान कर रहा होता कि वे अपनी तक़दीर के निर्माता खुद हो जाएं। कथित राष्ट्रवादी परियोजना और परजीवी ब्राह्मणवादी व्यवस्था के हत्यारे युग्म के हमलों का जवाब दे रहा होता और जीवन की मूलभूत ज़रूरतों, अस्मिता और इंसानी गरिमा से सदियों से बहिष्कृत कर दिए गए समूहों, समुदायों को प्रतिरोधी विचारों की सान से लैस कर रहा होता।

डिज़िटल प्रकाशन जगरनॉट से रोहित की डायरी “कास्ट इज़ नॉट अ रयूमर” रोहित के व्यस्थित, पैने चिंतन और सुरुचिपूर्ण, समाज-वैज्ञानिक गद्य का अहम दस्तावेज़ है। ‘दि हिंदू’ अख़बार की पत्रकार निखिला हेनरी ने इसे रोहित के फेसबुक लेखन को संकलित और संपादित किया है। यह डायरी छात्र रोहित के कैंपस एक्टिविज़्म, देश दुनिया में चल रहे विभिन्न जनआंदोलनों के प्रति उनकी धारदार सोच-समझ और मनुष्य की सामुदायिक मुक्ति की विभिन्न विचारधाराओं की बौद्धिक विरासत को जांचने-परखने और उन्हें ‘रिक्लेम’ करने की ईमानदार छटपटाहट का न सिर्फ़ बोध कराती है, बल्कि आज के सामयिक मुद्दों से तार्किक मुठभेड़ करती हुई प्रतिरोध का व्याकरण निर्मित करती है। यह डायरी इस अर्थ में एक ऐतिहासिक दस्तावेज़ है कि एक असीम संभावना से लबरेज़ एक बेहतरीन जन-बुद्धिजीवी या ‘ऑर्गेनिक इंटेलेक्चुअल’ की निर्मिति के पदचिन्हों का रेखांकन करती है।

रोहित की डायरी ब्राह्मणवादी दर्शन के पाखंडी चरित्र और इसके मूल में निहित धूर्तता और इसके छल-प्रपंचों की, समग्रता में, असलियत उजागर करती है। यह जाति के सिद्धांत और व्यवहार के सवाल पर दक्षिणपंथी हिन्दुत्ववादी राष्ट्रवाद पर तीखा प्रहार करती है और वामपंथी राजनीतिक धाराओं की सुसंगत आलोचना पेश करती है। यह डायरी मनुष्य विरोधी मनुवादी चिंतन-प्रणाली के भौतिक नतीजों यानी इसके सांस्थानिक कुकर्मों से हमारे देश की छलनी कर दी गई अंतरात्मा का एक करूण शोकगीत है। यह शोकगीत पीड़ा में असहायता और निष्क्रियता के ग़ुबार में इंसान को क़ैद रखने के विरुद्ध है। रोहित का सुचिंतित लेखन मनुष्यता के साझे भविष्य की हिफ़ाज़त में उम्मीद के गीत रचता है। सारांश में, यह शोकगीत अपने प्रारूप में मज़बूत और निश्छल उम्मीद का बायस बन जाता है। इस उम्मीद का काव्यात्मक उरूज़ हमें रोहित के आख़िरी पैग़ाम में देखने को मिलता है जहाँ वह एक तरफ़, सितारों के बीच ख़ुद को तिरोहित करने के लिए तैयार कर रहा है और दूसरी तरफ़ एक अपने ब्राह्मणवादी हत्यारों को उनके अनाचारी पापों के बोझ से मुक्त करते हुए भी व्यवस्था के सामने अकाट्य सत्य सवाल छोड़ जाता है। बेहतर होगा कि हम रोहित की इस चिठ्ठी का एक अंश यहाँ फिर पढ़ें: “मैं हमेशा से एक लेखक बनना चाहता था। विज्ञान लेखक कार्ल सैगन की तरह। लेकिन, आख़िर में ये ख़त लिख पा रहा हूँ। मुझे विज्ञान से, सितारों से और प्रकृति से प्यार था। लेकिन, मैंने लोगों से प्यार किया और ये नहीं जान पाया कि वे कब के प्रकृति से जुदा हो चुके हैं। हमारी भावनाएं दोयम दर्जे की हो चुकी हैं। हमारा प्रेम बनावटी है। हमारी मान्यताएं झूठी हैं। यह बेहद मुश्किल हो चला है कि हम प्यार करें और दुखी न हों। एक आदमी की क़ीमत उसकी तात्कालिक पहचान और नज़दीकी संभावना तक सीमित कर दी गई है। एक वोट तक। आदमी एक संख्या बनकर रह गया है। एक वस्तु मात्र। एक इंसान को उसके ज़ेहन से कभी नहीं आँका गया। सितारों की ख़ाक़ से बनी एक शानदार चीज़। हर क्षेत्र में, पढ़ाई में, गलियों में, राजनीति में, और ज़िंदगी तथा मौत में।”

रोहित की इस डायरी में उनके 2008 से जनवरी 2016 तक के लेखन का संकलन है। जिसमें उन्होंने इंसानी अस्तित्व के लगभग सारे मुद्दों को संबोधित किया है। इसमें समकालीन राजनीति, नागरिक अधिकार, विज्ञान, शिक्षा, धर्म, प्रकृति, नारीवाद, मार्क्सवाद सहित दोस्ती और रोज़मर्रा के जाति अधारित उत्पीड़न और संरचनागत शोषण-दमन के बारीक़ से बारीक़ पहलुओं की पड़ताल शामिल है। उन्होंने देश में, लोकतंत्र को भीड़तंत्र में तब्दील कर देने के फ़ासीवादी मंसूबे और इसके शीर्ष नेतृत्व के मनोविज्ञान का सारगर्भित विश्लेषण गया है। गो-रक्षा दल के अत्याचारों और उनके राजनीतिक आक़ाओं का, अभिव्यक्ति की आज़ादी के अपराधीकरण और विवि परिसरों में दलित शोध-विद्यार्थियों की सांस्थानिक हत्यायों, या कि इस हत्या को नॉर्मलाइज़ और स्वीकार्य बनाने के लिए प्रचलित शब्द ‘आत्महत्या’, की घटनाओं पर जीवट प्रतिवाद किया है। डायरी पढ़ते हुए यह हैरानी लगातार आहट देती रहती है कि इन रचनाओं का लेखक जातिगत उत्पीड़न, दमन और अलगाव की परिस्थितियों में अपनी जीजिविषा को अपदस्थ नहीं कर सकता। रोहित के लेखन को पढ़ते हुए उनकी ख़ुद सितारों में खो जाने की हसरत अविश्वसनीय सी लगती है। रोहित की रचनाएँ उनकी अनुपस्थिति से ज़्यादा उनकी ‘नोटिसेबल’ उपस्थिति का अहसास कराती हैं। यह मृत्यु को भी एक जीवंत उत्सवधर्मिता में तब्दील करती हैं।

ये डायरी रोहित की ज़िंदगी और उनकी अनुपस्थिति, मौत के चुनाव, में भी विद्रोह का संदेश है। एक निस्सीम उदात्तता है जो मृत्यु के बाद भी जिए गए जीवन की अनंतता की संभावना प्रस्तुत करता है। अकारण नहीं कि रोहित ने अपने लेखन में विक्टर ह्यूगो, डॉ. अंबेडकर और मैल्कम एक्स जैसे चिर-विद्रोही नायकों के लेखन का उल्लेख किया है। यह डायरी ग़ैर-बराबरी, शोषण, जातीय और लैंगिक उत्पीड़न तथा हताशा के ख़िलाफ़ लोगों को एकजुट होने के लिए पुकारती है। रोहित, सितारों के बीच, गुजरात के ऊना में इस एकजुटता की सच होती कल्पना पर धीमे से मुस्कुरा रहा होगा।

Book: The Caste is Not a Rumor; Online Diary of Rohit Vemula

Edited By: Nikhila Henry, Juggernaut Publication, New Delhi. 268

Pages, Price: Rs. 10

Jamia Affairs: What it’s like to be a Minority Institute

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August 23, 2016

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What transpired on the 13th of August, 2016 had a lasting effect on the students’ fraternity in the Jamia Millia Islamia University.

The students of Hall of Residence, Boys were informed a day before the alleged incidence to be ‘careful’ and not to keep any non-resident especially ‘Kashmiri’ students inside the hostel as there will be a check by the Delhi Police. On 13th, i.e. the following day two uniformed police constables and 15-20 officers in plain clothes were seen outside the hostel premises in the afternoon. Thereafter, the mentioned two police officer made their way into the hostel and had a conversation with the security guards, while the other officials waited inside the campus but outside the gate of Hall of Residence in their respective cars.

Seeing unexpected turn of incidents unfurl in the hostel, few residents took the lead and asked about the reason for their presence in the campus. The officers answered back that they have been given permission from the University Proctor. Consequently, students called the Proctor to inform them of the same, but surprisingly the Provost from Hostel ‘A’ Campus came over in place of the University Proctor. He initially denied sanctioning any permission, but later admitted of allowing them to be present outside Gate No. 4. Following this students asked the officers for an unconditional apology. But, instead of supporting the call for an apology, Provost allowed the erring officers leave under his supervision.

The students have continuously maintained that some of the students were questioned by the officers and their rooms were checked. Also, there were reports of photos being clicked and videos taken. On seeking a definitive answer by the authorities, no substantiated response was put forth, which lead to the historic five days long protest by students demanding the following-

1. No action by the administration against any student who was part of the protest.

2. Press Conference by the administration clarifying their position.

The solidarity extended by the students was unprecedented. This time students came together from varied courses and departments against the witch-hunt orchestrated by those in power.

The malicious act to put whole university and its students under surveillance under the garb of ‘security’ is condemnable. The defense taken was it being a ‘routine check’. But, it was soon busted by residents of the hostels who have been staying therein. The vile attempts by the government to project the university in a certain light was met with a successful and strong resistance. The attempt in creating a tense and fearful environment within the campus miserably failed and students exposed the same out rightly. The students were raged against targeting Jamia by singling it out amongst the other universities present across Delhi and selective profiling of its students.

Since the beginning, the question has been regarding whether the mentioned act has been a ‘raid’ or not. This might not fit into a legal definition of a ‘raid’, but it was certainly an invasion into the safe place of students, going against the ethos of the university space. This ‘search’ comes in the backdrop of the vitriolic campaign run by the Centre against the minority status of Jamia and Aligarh University and sends out a message of how the government perceives one of its educational institutions and its students. Moreover, the onslaught on student fraternity (FTII, JNU, HCU, Pondicherry University) since this present government has come to power adds to the suspicion amongst the Jamia community.

Leaving everything aside, this protest has been a wonderful one to witness as not only it showcased students’ unity, but what was more satisfying and heartening was seeing active participation by female students since day one. Not only they were present in large numbers throughout the day, but kept on their fight during the nights as well.

At the same time, it was hurtful to note the attempts that were made to weaken the movement. The ones who always promoted themselves as ‘upholders of the rights of students’ soon gave in to administration’s demands and started insinuating against the protesting students by claiming ‘hijack of protest by political opportunes’. It was laughable yet irksome to hear comments like ‘Politicisation by Left Groups’ from a section of students. Infact, it just showed their frustration through which they were trying to hide their incapacity to unite students and fight.

Though students have been assured by the administration in writing against any disciplinary action, but what we gather from the campus is that each department is on a lookout for students who participated in the protest and their attendance is kept under strict scrutiny. While, students of another college in Delhi protest against the ambiguous administrative calculation of the attendance post- suicide of one of its brilliant student named Sushant Rohilla, Jamia students are likely to be punished punitively for raising their voices through the same attendance bar.

The whole idea of a University being an open space wherein students can engage in dialogue, discussions, debate and put forward their peaceful protests and different viewpoint remains a utopia. In reality, it remains as a close gated, claustrophobic and a space which doesn’t value dissent. With each passing day, the space for voicing out our opinions is shrinking and we are asked to blind ourselves from what happens before us and to ignore what we hear. This suppression of thoughts and stifling of voices is a direct assault on our democracy and will be met with resistance all across and especially in the campuses. Let’s be assured of the same.

Courtesy: indiaresists.com

‘Assassinations will not defeat reason’

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August 23, 2016

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To commemorate the murders of Narendra Dabholkar (on 20 August 2013), Govind Pansare (20 February 2015) and M.M. Kalburgi (30 August 2015), the Maharashtra Andhshraddha Nirmulan Samiti (Maharashtra Committee for the Eradication of Superstition, MANS) and other activists and organisations led a march 'Against Violence, Towards Humanity' from New Delhi to Pune, between July 20 and August 20. Here, MANS president Avinash Patil, secretary Hamid Dabholkar, and National Federation of Indian Women activist Megha Pansare discuss the context of these targeted assassinations, and government inaction, and people's response, in their wake.

Courtesy: indianculturalforum.in

Why Gujarat appears to have fallen off the news map over the last two years

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August 23, 2016

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The almost-total blackout of the Dalit protests in Una is only the latest in the long list of stories that are conspicuous by their absence in mainstream media.

Image credit: Aarefa Johari

Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held forth on Balochistan from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, hundreds of Dalits and their supporters were marching to Una to protest mounting atrocities on them by caste Hindus in the state of Gujarat.

While echoes of Modi’s statement on Balochistan continue to reverberate across sundry media platforms, the 500-kms-long march from Ahmedabad to Una – aptly termed “Azadi Kooch” (“march to freedom”) spread out over 10 days – is already a distant memory.

A near black-out by the all powerful television media, barring odd exceptions like the Indian Express and NDTV India who reported the march and filed regular follow-up reports, should not perhaps be a surprise.

“There was no other national media as far as one can remember – though there were some local newspersons, both print and television,” said senior NDTV India reporter Hridayesh Joshi, who travelled with “Azadi Kooch” for the last two days of the march.

A local journalist of the local paper Gujarat Mitra in Surendranagar spelled out the reasons for this on the condition of anonymity. “Gujarati media, barring one or two do not report anything unfavourable to the BJP government,” he said. “They are scared that advertisements will be stopped”. But that was not the only problem he mentioned. “In 2014 one leading regional language newspaper was shut down for around a month soon after Modi came to power for carrying anti-Modi stories,” he added.

To be sure the Dalit march had both drama and news value – elements central to television news. And this was no studio drama comprising hysterical anchors and studio guests. These were real people with real issues of exclusion and everyday oppression, which makes atrocities against Dalits in Gujarat one of the highest among all states.

Dalits marched in large numbers, wrote Joshi, chanting “gai ni puchdu tami rakho. Amey amari jamin aapo [Upper castes, keep the cow’s tail. Give us land instead]”. The protesters sang songs of liberation and held small meetings all along the way.

The march had a mix of Ambedkarites, activists of the Kabir Kala Manch and Dalit Panthers who had come all the way from Maharashtra, and even a sprinkling of Gandhians. “The presence of Muslims with the possibility of an emerging Dalit-Muslim political alliance is, I think, a development whose significance can hardly be overstated,” Joshi said.

All this drama in Modi’s backyard and that too less than a year before Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, indicating a palpable political churn, was of course not worthy of coverage for large sections of the mainstream media who chose to stick to Modi’s agenda of Pakistan bashing, this time on the back of the Balochistan issue.

A combination of fresh line-up of panelists along with the usual “foreign policy” experts, not to forget exiled Baloch nationalists, were paraded as the new cast of characters in prime time circus. The India Today TV, in fact, went a step further and aired an undated Al Jazeera ground report from Balochistan province. The only time the Gujarat Dalit issue got traction was when top political leaders from Delhi landed up in Gujarat to meet the victims of the public flogging by caste Hindus.

On August 15, Joshi filed a longish story, running to about 10 minutes. “As a matter of fact at least four, 8 to 10 minute stories were carried on successive days on prime time including some in Ravish Kumar’s news show,” Joshi said.
But the story remained missing from most networks.

Continuing battle

In the continuing battle of wits between Modi and the mainstream, largely the English language media, about who sets the “national agenda”, Modi appears to have won. And not for the first time – despite the continuing targeting of media by the Modi government.

On August 10, at a meeting jointly organised by the Press Club of India, the Indian Women Press corps and the Editors Guild, a call was given to resist attacks on press freedom, especially attacks on the Rajasthan Patrika and Outlook magazine. A Google search will indicate that the well-attended protest went unreported in the media.

Ever since Modi has come to power, Gujarat has fallen off the news map. Una is only the latest in the long list.

One instance of media’s capitulation has been the virtual disbanding of the Ahmedabad bureau of almost all the news channels, barring the NDTV. The Times Now, the most popular English language network, for example, does not have a Gujarat bureau. A reporter is flown down from Mumbai each time something big happens in the state. Trawling the Times Now website threw up this 16-second clip read out by the anchor in the “Speed News” format.

India Today TV, which previously had a full-time English language reporter in Ahmedabad, has no one now. There’s only one reporter for India Today’s Hindi network Aaj Tak. When Modi assumed power, the ABP News moved out its Ahmedabad reporter to Delhi in the hope that he would manage access to the PMO. That reporter is now back in Ahmedabad as the head of the ABP group’s regional Gujarati channel. Clearly reportage on incidents like Una rub the state government the wrong way, something a start-up can ill-afford to do. A search of the ABP News portal for the Una march yields only a two-minute clip in its prime time bulletin.

Contrast this with the so-called reportage in December 2014 when BJP President Amit Shah was exonerated by a CBI court.

This 2014 Times Now clip could well be considered a template for reporting on Gujarat across news networks, as it pretty much anticipated the manner in which Gujarat and especially the 2002 riots would be reported by mainstream media in the months to follow.

The reporter, who was earlier stationed in Gujarat, can be strangely seen "reporting live" from Haridwar, parroting pretty much the arguments the Central Bureau of Investigation presented in court as reasons for exonerating Shah. There were no questions about the U-turn by the CBI in its stand after the change in government, nor any questions with regard to whether or not the agency wanted to appeal the verdict. The issue never figured in Arnab Goswami’s super prime time “newshour”.

The Gujarat Mitra journalist put it in perspective. “Most of what was reported in the national media about Gujarat’s Dalit unrest was purely accidental. TV journalists happened to be in Ahmedabad at a time [August 4 to 7] when the new leadership was being chosen in the state. For them, this was the side story.”

When it comes to the prime minister’s home state, reporters across TV networks – and even print – have little or no editorial say in the matter. “The decision to follow the Azadi Kooch for two days was entirely my editors’ idea,” Joshi said, admitting that his story would not have been possible without editorial backing.

Even a news agency whose business it is to objectively purvey information – in this case news footage – has been caught napping. A look at the ANI’s Twitter timeline and even Google search for August 15 yields virtually nothing on the Una Dalit congregation, though the agency took all the trouble to send its cameraman to cover Modi’s air dash to Sarangpur in Gujarat to pay his last respects to a departed Swaminarayan sect leader.

At a time when news organisations have shoe-string reporting budgets, ANI fills in a huge gap. It is the only source of news feed from the more remote corners of the country. When asked about this editorial oversight, Editor Smita Prakash, who happens to be part of the owner's family, defended ANI and blamed social media sites for not throwing up the relevant material. “Google doesn’t show up ANI live feed. Twitter is not even 20% of our live feed. We do about 70-80 bites/interviews in a day which run on live,” she said.

A former ANI staffer, however, provided an entirely different perspective. “ANI has been on the gravy train ever since Modi came to power,” he said. It is the only news organisation other than PTI to travel with the prime minister on his official trips abroad. “This gives ANI both access and revenue,” he added.

With the blurring of lines between editors and owners, mainstream media has itself become the establishment. The media and its practitioners are increasingly deriving their powers from proximity to political and bureaucratic structures rather than as interlocutors for the poor and the discriminated.

The task ahead for Dalit warriors of Gujarat or Uttar Pradesh or anywhere else is a dual battle – fighting caste Hindus and a tone deaf media feasting on the agenda dished out by the government.