It was Sunday, July 31, when some of us gathered outside the Indian Visa and Passport Application Center in Surrey, British Columbia in Canada. The occasion was the martyrdom day of Indian revolutionary Udham Singh.  

Singh was executed on July 31, 1940 in London for assassinating the former Lt. Governor of Punjab, Michael O’ Dwyer, who was instru  mental behind the circumstances leading to the indiscriminate firing on supporters of the passive resistance struggle against the British occupation of India, at Jallianwala Bagh Public Park in Amritsar in April, 1919. The protesters had come out to oppose repressive laws and the arrests of leaders of the freedom movement.   

We thought of offering tributes to Singh in an unconventional manner by raising our voices for political prisoners, especially well-known journalist and human rights defender Teesta Setalvad, who are being incarcerated for questioning the power under the current right-wing regime in the world’s so called largest democracy.  

Setalvad was recently arrested on trumped up charges at the behest of the Hindutva nationalist BJP government in New Delhi, for advocating for justice to the victims of the 2002 anti-Muslim pogroms in Gujarat. Thousands of Muslims were massacred in an allegedly state-orchestrated violence after more than 50 passengers including Hindu pilgrims died in the Godhra train burning incident.

The then-Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, had blamed the incident on Islamic fundamentalists, even though one commission of enquiry had found that it was an accident. Though Modi was never charged for inciting bloodshed, he was denied US visa until 2014 when he became the Prime Minister.  

Setalvad was detained after the Supreme Court of India accused her of keeping the pot boiling, while rejecting a petition that demanded a thorough inquiry into the alleged wider conspiracy behind the 2002 Gujarat violence.

Since her great grandfather Chiman Lal Setalvad had grilled a British army officer who ordered the killings at Jallianwala Bagh, the rally in her support was held on the martyrdom day of Udham Singh.  

Organised by Radical Desi, the rally started with a moment of silence in memory of Vancouver-based Kat Norris, an indigenous activist, who passed away recently. She was a survivor of an Indian Residential School, a dark legacy of the colonial history of Canada.  

Since Radical Desi had invited Setalvad to Canada in 2018, close to the 100^th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, it became important for us to stand up for her.   

She has been consistently writing and speaking out against state violence and majoritarianism of the BJP government, under which attacks have grown on religious minorities, particularly Muslims and political critics. If that is not enough, more draconian laws are being made and implemented to suppress any voice of dissent.  

The participants at the rally raised slogans in her support and asked for her release. We also held out signs reading, “Free Teesta” on the occasion. 

Little did I realise, that the Indian government would soon be drafting a dossier on me after this action. The copy of the document describes Setalvad as someone “inimical to India”. While accusing me of being “in cahoots” with such forces, it mentions the July 31 demonstration at the very end. This is despite the fact that she is the great-granddaughter of someone who interrogated the butcher of Jallianwala Bagh and happened to be an associate of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a towering scholar and social justice activist and the architect of the Indian constitution – something Setalvad deeply respects and follows in letter and spirit.  

During Setalvad’s Canada visit in 2018, she had gone to the Komagata Maru memorial in Vancouver. The Japanese vessel carrying more than 300 South Asian passengers was forcibly returned under a racist and discriminatory immigration law by the Canadian government at the behest of the British Empire, which did not want British subjects of Indian heritage to settle in North America. The 1914 incident had galvanized the freedom movement and became part of the independence struggle. Also, she got herself pictured with the portrait of Ambedkar at Surrey Central Library. Even after being hounded by those in power, she never let her love for India, its people and diversity, die down. And yet she is being seen as part of “anti-India” forces.  

For the record, the founding fathers of the BJP had no role in the liberation movement. On the contrary they continued to work for establishing a Hindu theocracy. Some of their icons were involved in the killing of MK Gandhi- the giant leader of the civil disobedience. To her credit, Setalvad had compiled a book based on the documents related with Gandhi murder case. Beyond Doubt: A Dossier on Gandhi’s Assassination exposes the complicity of the Hindu Right in the entire episode.   

It’s a shame that a true patriot like her is in jail for doing the right thing, while those who are determined to divide the country on religious lines and openly violate the constitution are in power. 

The 75^th anniversary of India’s independence on August 15, which Modi and his cohorts are celebrating as Amrit Mahotsav (a carnival of holy water), is in reality a poison being spread in the garb of narrow nationalism, to instill more fear in the minds of minorities and to silence reasoning. It’s time to start another freedom movement for emancipation from Hindutva majoritarianism, at least until all political prisoners, including her, walk out with dignity and Modi is unseated. Until then no celebration, or tricolour for me. This August 15 should go down as another black day in our history.  

As far as I am concerned, feel free to call me whatever. Honestly speaking, the dossier on me is like a badge of honour and I don’t care, but be fair to Setalvad, who is being punished for trying to save the nation from going to the dogs. Modi should actually be thankful to her for pursuing justice and avoiding a situation in which the coming generation of the Hindu majority will hang their heads in shame and apologize to the world for his crimes against humanity.  

*Views expressed are the authors own.

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The post When true patriots are being locked up, what is there to celebrate? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The news of Sarbdeep Singh Virk joining the ruling right-wing Hindutva nationalist party of India is disheartening.  

The BJP aspires to turn India into Hindu theocracy. Under its seven year rule, attacks on religious minorities have spiked since 2014.  

With an eye on winning the upcoming assembly election in Punjab, where Sikhs form a majority, the BJP is trying to rope in as many Sikhs as possible. Virk is the latest prominent Sikh face to join their bandwagon.  

Though he isn’t the only well-known Sikh to do so or the first former Sikh police officer to join the BJP, what is so unique and disturbing about this, is that he once set an example while showing exceptional courage by coming out openly against growing Hindutva terrorism in India. 

Virk had joined the Maharashtra cadre of the Indian Police Service in 1970 after passing civil-service examinations. He was dispatched to Punjab during the 1980s when this state in northwest India was facing a growing security threat from Sikh separatists. 

Though a Sikh himself, Virk was determined to take on the challenge and was even injured during a fight with the militants in 1988. He eventually rose to become director general of police. 

This was a time when Sikh militants ran a parallel administration in Punjab and were fighting an armed struggle for a separate homeland of Khalistan. The movement was ultimately brought to an end by the mid 1990s by police who relied on repressive measures and who eliminated many extremist leaders in fake encounters. 

Due to internal departmental rivalries and political interference, Virk was charged with corruption and suspended. This was overturned by the Central Administrative Tribunal, then he was rescued by the Maharashtra government. He was not only repatriated to Maharashtra, but ended up becoming the police chief of the state until his retirement in 2009. 

He was back in the limelight in 2019 after he wrote a column critical of Hindutva terror in Indian Express. This was in reaction to the nomination of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur as a candidate for the BJP from Bhopal. Thakur, a highly controversial ascetic, was charged for her involvement in a bomb blast in 2008 that claimed six lives and injured 100 people. The target of the attack was a Muslim-dominated area. She is associated with a group that believes in political Hinduism—also known as Hindutva—and wants to turn India into an official Hindu state through violent means. She’s currently out on bail and now sits as an MP in the lower house of the Parliament.   

Thakur’s arrest was followed by an investigation by a police officer, the late Hemant Karkare, who served as the chief of the Maharashtra police antiterrorism squad. Karkare came under attack for smashing cell of a Hindutva terrorist network. 

Even the current prime minister, Narendra Modi, who was the chief minister of Gujarat back then, publicly insulted Karkare. The police officer was called anti-national and anti-Hindu by BJP supporters. This was despite the fact that Karkare was a practising Hindu and had never compromised himself in dealing firmly with Muslim extremists.  

In November, 2008, he died fighting with Muslim extremists who launched coordinated attacks in Mumbai. Ironically, Karkare was turned into a martyr overnight, even by Hindutva groups. Modi later offered a huge monetary award to his widow, Kavita Karkare, who refused to accept it. Kavita Karkare later died later, of a brain hemorrhage. Many believe it was linked to the emotional stress she had been dealing with ever since right-wing extremists began hounding her husband.   

Modi has not only been instrumental in ensuring that Thakur has been nominated to run for the Indian Parliament, he has shamelessly defended her. In fact, the prime minister had claimed that the previous centrist Congress government brought the case against Thakur to give Hindus a bad name. Emboldened by these gestures by the Modi government, Thakur went to the extent of saying that she had cursed Karkare, which led to his death. 

These developments disturbed Virk. He had heard firsthand from Karkare about his dispassionate and honest investigation into the growing threat of Hindutva terrorism. Virk then decided to write a column to defend his colleague whose professional integrity had come under question. He pulled no punches in criticising those who were patronising Thakur.  

With him joining the BJP, the hopes for a sustained campaign against Hindutva are eclipsed and only likely to strengthen the hands of its ideologues in power. How can he now defend himself on the question of Thakur when he himself has become part of her gang?  

Virk has only proved that he and others like him may have had strong will to decimate Sikh radicals who represented merely two percent Sikh population in India, but they lack spine to stand up against majoritarian extremism that continues to enjoy the backing of the Indian establishment under Modi.    

* Views expressed are the author’s own.

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The post Sarbdeep Singh Virk joins BJP appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The recent protest against the New Democratic leader Jagmeet Singh in Burnaby, and the attempts to stop a conference on Hindutva, are nothing but pressure tactics by the supporters of the ruling right-wing Hindutva nationalist BJP government in New Delhi to suppress voices of opposition internationally.  

The self-styled defenders of Hindu religion have come together in Canada and US to make everyone believe that the community is under threat of growing “Hinduphobia”, a term coined to counterweight Islamophobia, that is real and represents deeply entrenched racism against the followers of Islam, especially in the post 9/11 scenario.  

What precipitated the ongoing protests is a February incident involving Singh’s close relative in Ontario and the proposed “Dismantling Hindutva Conference” being cosponsored by more than 50 universities.  

Singh’s brother-in-law assaulted a Hindu and used offensive language against his religion. The video has already gone viral. This happened during a Tiranga (Tricolour) car rally held by the pro-India activists, infuriating the supporters of the agitating farmers in India. The organisers of the rally were celebrating Indian nationalism by fluttering the country’s flag in the face of those outraged over the mistreatment of farmers camping near New Delhi since November last against the unjust farming laws that are going to affect the livelihood of people living in rural India. Canada has witnessed country-wide demonstrations in solidarity with Indian farmers. Singh and other political leaders were also forced to make statements denouncing undemocratic ways of the BJP government.  

Those who held protests outside Singh’s constituency office in Burnaby complained that he has remained indifferent to the incident, thus inciting hatred against Hindus.  

Though Singh often talks about Love and Courage, and has confronted white supremacists without losing temper, he somehow failed to address this issue effectively. That said, the people who are going after him, never challenged the outright racist white political figures in Canada and yet accuse Singh of being a bigot.

While, Singh needs to be made accountable for what his relatives uttered and did, there is a need to look at the broader picture. These Tiranga rallies were offensive in the first place as they were clearly aimed at discrediting the supporters of Indian farmers and instigating them. There is a reason to believe that they are being patronised by the Indian diplomats who are upset over the bad press the BJP government has received in this part of the world. It is not difficult to find these connections if the Canadian intelligence looks deeper into the situation. 

Singh’s ascendance to the national leadership also faced barriers created by this lobby group as he was denied Indian visa for raising the issue of Sikh Genocide of 1984 in the past and people were discouraged from signing members during his race by those owing loyalty to the Indian state.   

Secondly, calling Singh Hinduphobic is itself problematic, as there is no such trend suggesting ongoing persecution of Hindus in Canada. It is just a figment of imagination and an attempt to divert people’s attention from what has been going on with Muslims in India. The attacks on Muslims and other religious minorities have grown in that country ever since the BJP came to power with a huge majority in 2014. BJP’s Islamophobia remains undeniable and has become more apparent with the constant growth of its supporters around the world.   

It is for this reason, that a “Dismantling Global Hindutva” conference is being planned from September 10-12. However, the supporters of the BJP in Canada are calling it anti-Hindu and Hinduphobic as well. It is necessary to make it clear that Hindutva is political Hinduism-based on the philosophy of an exclusionist Hindu State, and cannot be confused with Hinduism. It is the bedrock of the BJP’s brand of religion and politics. To challenge Hindutva does not make one anti-Hindu. But those in power in New Delhi and their agents and apologists in Canada are trying to shun any dialogue on this menace which has made the lives of minorities in India difficult. In fact, the founders of Hindutva were racists who glorified Hitler and justified Jewish holocaust. So on what basis they are calling others bigots and Hinduphobic? 

These incidents only indicate the sheer desperation of the BJP followers in North America, and they must not be given any legitimacy. Rather they need to be exposed for spreading hatred, lies and misinformation.

*Views expressed are the author’s own.

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Sikhs all over the world are celebrating the anniversary of the completion of their holy scriptures. Guru Granth Sahib was first completed in 1604. The Sikhs consider the holy text as their living Guru that remains their guiding light.

On September 7, the Indian Prime Minister extended his greetings on social media. Narendra Modi tweeted, “Greetings on the sacred occasion of the Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, whose noble principles, the emphasis on compassion, justice and equality guide the entire humankind.”

But considering the track record of his government, such messaging sounds hollow and hypocritical. Not only have the attacks on religious minorities and political dissidents grown under his right wing Hindutva nationalist BJP government, the gulf between the rich and the poor has also widened. So much so, he has hardly shown compassion even as social injustice has become an everyday reality for the oppressed and the weak.

It is pertinent to mention that Guru Granth Sahib includes the hymns of saints belonging to different faith groups, including Hindus and Muslims, besides those considered as “untouchables” within the orthodox Hindu society. The teachings of the scriptures take everyone into its embrace and encourage its followers to stand up against repression. Modi’s government has failed to respect any of those values.

On the contrary, the supporters of his party believe in a brutal caste system and openly discriminate against Muslims and other non-Hindu groups. Thanks to the heartless economic policies of the BJP government, the poor have become poorer.

Even if that is not enough, those questioning the people in power are either being killed or thrown behind the bars. The September 7 events coincided with the death anniversary of a daring journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was assassinated by the suspected Hindu extremists on September 5 four years ago. Her murder was rejoiced by those allegedly followed by Modi on Twitter. Likewise, when an Indian photo journalist Danish Siddiqui had recently died in the line of duty in Afghanistan during an ambush by Taliban, the pro-BJP trolls celebrated his killing. That was because Siddiqui had covered the ongoing farmers agitation against Modi’s unjust farming laws and scores of Covid-19 deaths. He was accused of maligning the image of India by the BJP supporters. All this goes against the principles of compassion taught by Guru Granth Sahib.

The Modi government has refused to release the jailed scholars and teachers who are being incarcerated under inhuman conditions. Among them is former Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba, who is disabled below the waist and suffering with multiple ailments. Saibaba was not even given a bail to see his mother when she was on her deathbed. He was arrested and convicted on trumped-up charges for raising his voice against repression of Adivasis (the Indigenous peoples of India) who are facing forced eviction from their mineral rich traditional lands by the extraction industry with the alleged backing of the Indian government. This is despite the fact that Modi had also tweeted on the Teachers’ Day on September 5 to shower praises on the educators.

Modi should either change his ways and do what he says or just stop fooling the people and himself by indulging in such tokenism.

*Opinions expressed are the author’s own.

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1984 was a year that saw two major catastrophes in India, the world’s so-called largest democracy; first being a brutal massacre of one single community and another one the biggest industrial disaster of its time, thus turning George Orwell’s imaginative year of totalitarianism into reality.

In the first week of November, 1984 thousands of Sikhs were slaughtered across India after the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. This was followed by a gas leak at the Union Carbide pesticide plant in December of the same year that left many dead. Not only these incidents were preventable, but the government remained allegedly complicit in both cases.

37 years later, two journalists who have been trying to make the Indian establishment answerable for these calamities have died due to Covid-19 complications.

While Jarnail Singh passed away on May 14, Rajkumar Keswani died exactly a week later on May 21, 2021.

Singh had burst into the limelight for throwing a shoe at India’s then home minister, P. Chidambaram during a press conference in 2009. He had protested before one of India’s most powerful politicians of that time, after he refused to answer repeated questions about attempts to shield those involved in the Sikh massacre of 1984. 

Singh worked for the Dainik Bhaskar daily paper at the time of the incident. Interestingly, Kewani until recently worked with the same publication.

Keswani was a whistle-blower who had much before the gas leak in Bhopal, had forewarned about the accident through his writings. Unlike Singh, who later joined politics after being sacked from his job, Keswani continued to work as a journalist. Whereas, Singh was only 48, Kewsani died at the age of 71.

That the Indian government was responsible for both tragedies which had shaped the future of these two men is well documented.  

In New Delhi alone, close to 3,000 Sikhs were murdered by the mobs led by the slain leader’s Congress party. The mass murders were carried out with the help of police.

Gandhi’s bodyguards were seeking revenge for the army invasion on the Golden Temple Complex, the holiest Sikh shrine, in June of that year.

The ill-conceived military operation was ordered to deal with a handful of armed militants inside the place of worship. The invasion left many pilgrims dead and important historical buildings were heavily damaged.

Chidambaram, a minister in the Congress-led government, expressed his satisfaction in 2009 over the “clean chit” given to party leaders involved in the massacre.

Keswani has been writing consistently about the gas leak that killed more than 3,000 people in Bhopal. His articles on safety lapses at the Union Carbide plant were first published in 1982 for a different newspaper, two years before the tragedy and the last one warning about potential disaster was written in June for another publication, six months before the deadly gas leaked out during the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984.

The Congress government back then had compromised with public safety in spite of warnings about the plant being located near residential areas. Much as in the case of Sikh massacre, it helped the top company officials involved to go unpunished. 

The victims of both episodes have been fighting for justice and closure. This is despite the fact that an attempt was made to cover up the Bhopal case by falsely blaming it on the Sikhs in a highly polarised environment.  

The untimely deaths of Singh and Keswani under these difficult times when bigotry and corporate control has grown under a right-wing Hindu nationalist regime in India is a huge loss to not only journalism, but the humanity at large.

*Views expressed are the author’s own. 

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A vigil was organised by the group Indians Abroad for Pluralist India (IAPI) to protest the recent deaths of farmers who have been holding demonstrations near New Delhi to press upon the right wing Hindutva nationalist government to roll back controversial farming laws which are threatening their livelihood. The participants had gathered outside the Indian Visa and Passport application center and held out signs calling for justice to Baba Ram Singh and Amarjit Singh, and lit 60 candles for the dead farmers.  

Ram Singh was a Sikh sect leader, while Amarjit Singh was a lawyer. The two men died by suicide leaving notes blaming the government for their decisions during the demonstration, even as many farmers have died either by suicide or by natural causes or accidents during the struggle. The speakers at the vigil not only raised slogans, but asked for an action against those in government for the abetment of suicides by the agitators. They also denounced mistreatment being meted out to the protesting farmers and asked for the scrapping of “anti-farmer” laws without further delay.  

Among those present were IAPI President Parshotam Dosanjh, organiser Rakesh Kumar, Treasurer Navtej Johal, and other members of the group Amrit Diwana, Tejinder Sharma and Gurpreet Singh. The gathering was kept small due to Covid-19 restrictions and the participants wore masks and maintained physical distance. 

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To mark the birth centenary of Tera Singh Chan, his descendants released the calendar at an online event organised by Radical Desi- a Vancouver based online magazine, due to Covid-19 restrictions. Prepared in partnership with Mehak Punjab Di TV, Spice Radio and People’s Voice, the calendar was formally unveiled by his daughter Sulekha Raghbir and granddaughter Rachna Singh, who is currently the Parliamentary Secretary for anti-racism initiatives in the BC government.  

The event was started with a moment of silence in memory of about 50 farmers, who had laid down their lives during an ongoing agitation in India. Indian farmers are holding a huge demonstration outside the national capital of New Delhi to protest the controversial laws passed by the right wing Hindutva nationalist government. The farmers have denounced the laws that are affecting their livelihood and are being implemented to serve the corporate interests.  

The participants raised slogans to show their solidarity with the peasantry. Some of them shared the poetry of Chan on the occasion. Among those who spoke on the occasion included, renowned Punjabi scholar Dr. Raghbir Singh Sirjana, who is the son-in-law of Chan. Apart from other family members, those associated with Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), a group co-founded by Chan also addressed the zoom meeting. While Rakesh Kumar and Vinod Kumar joined in remotely from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states of India respectively, others such as Kamaljit Dhillon, Rajwant Maan and Noni Kaur called in from across Canada.  

The speakers unanimously resolved to carry forward the struggle of Chan for a just society. They agreed that Chan’s poetry has become even more relevant under a fascist regime in India where the rights of religious minorities and political dissidents are facing continuous assault.  

Chan who passed away in 2009 left behind a diverse family, including a Muslim daughter-in-law Sultana Ameer, who pointed out that their family represents the true India which is based on the vision of inclusive and pluralist society. The present government is bent upon turning India into Hindutva theocracy.

As a true secularist, Chan encouraged his children to marry outside caste and religion. Although he was born into a Sikh family, he remained an atheist. He spent the final years of his life with Ameer and her husband Dildar at their home in Mohali near Chandigarh. The zoom event brought his descendants, including his grandchildren and great grandchildren spread across the world together.     

The calendar is also dedicated to the scholars who continue to face repression for questioning those in power. It bears the birth dates of prominent Indian writers such as Anand Teltumbde and Varavara Rao, who are being incarcerated in Indian jails for standing up against state violence against the poor and marginalised. The birthdays of renowned author Arundhati Roy and the late film actor Girish Karnad are marked on the calendar as well. Both of them faced backlash for challenging ultra nationalist politics of the ruling party.    

The Saturday event coincided with the death anniversary of another progressive playwright Safdar Hashmi who was lynched by political goons in 1989, for raising awareness in the working class. His birthday is also included in the calendar.   
 

*Views expressed are the author’s own.

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The post Calendar dedicated to Comrade Tera Singh Chan released appeared first on SabrangIndia.

A Promised Land, that has recently been released, leaves little doubt that the political leadership in North America is aware of the existence of a majoritarian religious chauvinism in the world’s so called largest secular democracy.  

Authored by the former US President Barack Obama, the book is his memoir of first term in office from 2008-2012. During this time, he made his first official visit to India back in November 2010. In his brief memories of that visit shared in Chapter 24, Obama talks about his meeting with then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the leader of then-ruling Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi.  

Based on his conversation with Singh, he has noted about his concerns over growing anti-Muslim sentiments in India due to terror attacks originating from Pakistan-based Muslim extremist groups and how this was helping the right wing Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) increasing its influence.  

The BJP came to power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014. Since then the attacks on religious minorities, particularly Muslims have increased. While Obama is understandably silent about it in his book that does not cover his second term in the office from 2012-2016; he draws a parallel between the rise of BJP and the illiberal forces in Europe and his own home country.  

Significantly, he mentions about the murder of MK Gandhi- the towering leader of India’s passive resistance movement against British occupation by a Hindu extremist in 1948. Without going into the detail of the conspiracy behind the assassination, he only writes, “He was shot at point blank range by a young Hindu extremist who viewed his ecumenism as a betrayal of the faith”.  
Gandhi was murdered by Nathuram Godse, who was once associated with RSS, a Hindutva supremacist group of which the BJP is a political wing and was banned in the aftermath of this high profile killing. Modi is also a member of the RSS. Gandhi was despised by the Hindutva Right for his advocacy of Hindu-Muslim unity and opposition to ultra-Hindu nationalism.  

That Obama chose to overlook these connections is one thing, but even the slight admission of these facts establishes that the US administration isn’t unaware of the ascendance of Hindutva extremism to power.  

While we can only guess if Obama is planning to write another memoir of his second term in which he might come out with a more candid critical assessment of Modi and his party. But these small observations are sufficient to break the deafening silence over what has been going on in India.  

However, Obama’s silence about other issues, such as Sikh Genocide won’t go unnoticed.  

Thousands of Sikhs were murdered all over India following the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984 by the goons led by the activists of the slain leader’s Congress party. Whereas he mentions about the assassination of Indira Gandhi, he makes no reference to the ugly events that followed her death. This is despite the fact that he describes Manmohan Singh as “a member of the tiny, often persecuted Sikh religious minority who’d risen to the highest office in the land”. That the BJP alone has not been polarising Hindu majority is a fact that cannot be denied.  

Another major omission he has made is his impressions in terms of the brutal caste system allegedly sanctioned by Hindutva religion within the Indian society. While Obama has rightly criticised Gandhi for his failure in undoing the “stifling caste system” his comparison of the freedom movement of Gandhi against foreign rule with Black emancipation struggle in America is flawed.  

His argument that Gandhi’s nonviolence was a beacon for the dispossessed, including Black Americans under Jim Crow is rather weak considering how Gandhi and his associates had allegedly overlooked the struggle of so called untouchables or Dalits who were being discriminated against by the upper caste Hindus who were in the forefront of the freedom movement. If there was anyone who strongly defended the rights of Dalits in India and can be equated with the leaders of Black emancipation struggle it was none other than the architect of the Indian constitution Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.  

Though Gandhi opposed untouchability, he lacked conviction to question the validity of the caste system for which he had to face fierce criticism of Ambedkar. By turning a blind eye to Amebdkar, Obama did little justice to the issue which has become more relevant under a right wing Hindutva nationalist regime that believes in caste system and is determined to dilute the Constitution that guarantees religious freedom and equality while at the same time attempting to appropriate both Gandhi and Ambedkar.  

*Views expressed are the author’s own.

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Anand Teltumbde, the jailed scholar and activist, who is being incarcerated by the world’s so called largest democracy, has been recognised as this year’s person by a Vancouver-based online magazine that covers alternative politics. Radical Desi has declared Anand Teltumbde as Person of the Year 2020 for being in the news after his arrest on trumped up charges.  

Teltumbde has authored many books, and has written columns critical of the Indian state and the way it has been treating religious minorities and oppressed groups. He was taken in custody on April 14, 2020. Ironically, he was arrested on the birth anniversary of the towering Indian intellectual and Dalit icon Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Teltumbde happens to be the grandson-in-law of Ambedkar, who was the architect of the Indian constitution.  

Teltumbde has been courageously speaking out against state violence and repression. He was being hounded by the Indian authorities for questioning the power. His arrest is a clear attempt to muzzle any voice of dissent by the currently ruling right wing Hindu nationalist regime, which has already imprisoned many other political activists and scholars under draconian laws.

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