This goof up had many sections rolling on the floor with laughter as Congress pointed out the “true intentions” of the party on the issue of the safety for women.

In its manifesto, BJP mentions safety for women as one of its ‘key concerns’. But the sentence phrasing indicates the opposite.

The Congress was not one to let this opportunity slip away and had a field day on social media. It shared the screen grab of the manifesto and a tweet by the official handle read, “At least one point in BJP’s manifesto reflects their true intentions.”

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) called out the error, “”BJP’s ‘Sankalp’ to ENCOURAGE Crime Against Women”. It said, “.. @BJP4India However hard you might try, your actual intentions will come to light.”

Congress’s social media convenor Hasiba used the hashtag #WomenBewareofBJP as she wrote: “Dear BJP, Freudian slip?”

The BJP has released its manifesto just three days before the national elections. More than 24 hours later, BJP is yet to comment on the fiasco.
 

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Image: PTI

Despite several organisations having contradicting and oppositional viewpoints, it had never happened in the university that any organisation would respond with violence to election results. Throughout the years various students’ organisations have accepted their defeat with dignity.

However, this year the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliated ABVP resorted to violence, both before and after the elections, seemingly frustrated over their inability to swing students’ mandate towards their organisation. The ABVP had to face a decisive defeat at the hands of a unique United Left as they swept all 4 key seats. The atmosphere was celebratory. But ABVP went on a midnight spree to assault and intimidate several students including the newly elected president N Sai Balaji, the ex JNUSU president, Geeta Kumari, former JNU student Ashutosh Abhinay among others.

In a statement, the JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA), said, “The JNUTA expresses its serious concern at the situation in the University where several students, including many women, have been targets of mob violence within the University. The Administration seems to have been standing by as a mute spectator. An air of insecurity is prevailing in the campus as there are several reports of incidents and there is a palpable lack of response on the part of the Administration.” The JNUTA said that the administration was giving “kid glove” treatment to those indulging in violence against fellow students, while other students and even faculty have been repeatedly “penalized” for “protesting administration’s policies” in a peaceful manner. “

The JNU faculties also accompanied students to the Vasant Kunj Police station to ensure that they could file their complaints. They reported that students were attacked even in the vicinity of police station.

In order to protest these episodes of violence, the JNU students gave call for a Peace march. They said:

Night vigil at Sabarmati tonight!

Let’s all meet, talk, sing and debate over tea. Let’s see how many of us the sanghi goons dare to injure while we are together. Let’s see how the administration dares to impose curfew on us and restrict our mobility on campus. Let us win back every inch of space in this university that is ours.
Join in large numbers! Get your guitars, flutes, poetry books and daflis along.
JNU is ours!
#WeAreJNU
 
Thousands of students, teachers and workers joined the march. Every section of the JNU community opposed the culture of violence being normalised on the campus because of ABVP. However, JNU administration which had stayed silent throughout this entire episode, suddenly got alarmed and released a notice, saying all forms of processions, demonstrations etc. were “not allowed” on campus until further notice.

N Sai Balaji said that the intimidation continues and he was even stopped from entering his hostel, Periyar. It is to be seen if JNU can resist ABVP’s violence which it intends to normalize on JNU campus.

Aejaz Ahmed Rather, the newly elected General Secretary of the JNUSU lamented the curtailing of freedoms on the campus in the aftermath of violence. He said, “Left students movements have a four decades old history in JNU. Though the students rightfully protest the administration’s policies, they are defamed. But as the newly elected union, we intend to nourish the institutions that have seen decay in the past years. We can never forgive the VC for what he has done to the institution. Because of the policy of reservation cuts, many new students couldn’t apply and join JNU. There has been a fund cut from important courses, dismantling of a democratic GSCASH and replacement by ICC. The VC has been interfering in a lot of internal committees’ matters. We intend to rebuild the democratic institutions of JNU.”
Furiously resolved to protect JNU’s institutions, Rather said, “We will not let the right wing malign JNU. The VC should be sent back to where he was brought from.”

The post Won’t let Right Wing malign JNU’s culture, VC should go back to where He belongs: Aejaz Rather, Gen Sec JNU appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 
This is not surprising, given how most attackers seem to belong to right wing organisations such as BJYM, Bajrang Dal or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). 
 
Shockingly, when the Sabrang India team reached out to the DIG Rajkumar Lakda of Dumka, Jharkhand, where the FIR has been registered, he confirmed that none of those named in the FIR have been arrested yet. “There have been no arrests so far”, he said. When the team asked him about the reasons as the FIR clearly named people, he maintained a callous attitude saying, “Yes, the FIR is named, but unfortunately there have been no arrests yet. We need to review this [the delay in arrests].” The FIR was lodged by one Jai Malto, who had gone to Pakur to pick up Swami. He too got attacked in the chaos that ensued.
 
Hours after Swami Agnivesh was attacked in Pakur town of Jharkhand, where he had gone to attend a program with the Paharia tribe, BJYM’s state chief Amit Singh said that no one from his outfit was involved in the attack. The BJYM was staging a protest at the venue of the program.   
 
Why is Swamy Agnivesh a thorn in the side of Right Wing ideologues? 
It appears that Swami Agnivesh’s mass appeal and outreach among Adivasis and his clear bold stand against the farcical promises of the government, have earned him the wrath of right wing Hindutva extremists. Swami Agnivesh’s outreach work has been recognised across the world and he was awarded the Alternative Nobel Peace Prize (The Right Livelihood Award) in 2004.
 
Though born in a Brahmin family, he shed his caste, religion, name, and all his property and belongings “to adopt the life of a renunciate” and devoted his life to social justice. He has worked for the rights of bonded labourers, inter-generational labor, child labour and even contributed to the law making processes. He has also advocated for the rights of indigenous people and worked to eradicate alcoholism, violence against women, female foeticide and other social problems.
 
In any region that Swami Agnivesh worked, he earned a lot of trust of local people through his genuine and selfless work. More recently, he also extended his support to the Patthalgadi movement taking place in many areas of the country. He is also known for calling a spade a spade and has critiqued religion and religious practices. He has advocated a path of science and reason. It just appears that his reasoned stand hasn’t gone down well with the advocates of Hindutva ideology who are using Hindutva as a political ploy.
 
This kind of frustration is apparent in the statements made by those who have been named in the FIR. This is the list of people who have been named in the FIR (as per the Indian Express report):
 
Anand Tiwari: A member of the state BJP’s Kisan Morcha, according to a local office-bearer of the party. A farmer based in Sahebganj, Tiwari also runs an NGO.
Pintu Dubey: District convenor of Bajrang Dal, Dubey runs a small business, said a BJYM office-bearer.
Ashok Prasad: Was recently elected ward councillor in Pakur town.
Prasann Mishra: District chief of BJYM. Mishra said he has been associated with RSS since childhood, and runs a small business in medical supplies. He is also on the Senate of the Siddo-Kanhu Murmu University run by the state government.
Gopi Dubey: District BJP secretary. He undertakes civil contract work, said a local BJP office-bearer.
Balram Dubey: A BJP worker, works as a civil contractor, according to a party office-bearer.
Badal Mandal: RSS member, not involved in active politics, said BJYM’s Mishra.
Shiv Kumar: RSS member, not involved in active politics, said BJYM’s Mishra.
 
Prasann Mishra made a vague statement about the Swami, alleging he was Naxal supporter, he said, “Agnivesh has been constantly issuing statements that are against the true spirit of nationalism. He supports Naxals. He gives statements in support of patthalgarhi, which has been twisted from its original purpose to a form of resistance against the state. Agnivesh had come here to instigate tribals at the behest of agents of the Church.” He added that they were carrying black flags and that they didn’t initiate the attack. “The problem started when people, armed with bows and arrows, arrived in 10 vehicles to take Agnivesh to the function venue. They started to push and pull, which led to the incident. We believe that Agnivesh’s supporters orchestrated the incident,” Mishra said.
  
On the other hand, Ashok Prasad completely washed his hands off any responsibility though his name appears in the FIR. He alleges that he was named in the FIR due to reasons of personal anger and claimed that his name didn’t appear in any photos or video of the attack. 
 
Sudip Trivedi, BJP’s district media in-charge, alleged “Agnivesh and his supporters created a situation where BJYM and others associated with the Sangh Parivar could be accused of assaulting him.”
 
However the local leaders of these right wing outfits are not the only ones making such statements. Just a day after the attack, instead of taking cognisance of such a serious and vicious assault on this defender of human rights, an 80 year old man, Jharkhand state’s urban development minister, CP Singh said that Swami Agnivesh was a “fraud” and a “foreign agent”
 
Swami Agnivesh recalls the attack
Describing the attack on him, Swami Agnivesh said, “I couldn’t believe my eyes. A menacing crowd of 100 and 150 people just pounced on me. I folded my hands, but they were so angry, they were shouting nasty abuses, hurling mother-sister abuses at me. They hit me, punched me, kicked me, and threw me to the ground. When I was on the ground, they climbed on top of me and kicked me. They tore my clothes and threw my turban on the ground. I was shell shocked. It all happened in a few minutes. I thought it was the end. I was prepared to die that day. It was a typical lynch mob. Someone was saying ‘gau-maas ke samarthak, Bharat chodho‘ (supporter of cow flesh, leave India). I have never supported beef. The dominant slogan was Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Ram.”
 
Swami Agnivesh believes that actually it is the PM Modi who has given the legitimacy for such lynch mobs, “I blame Modi, Amit Shah, his regime, the state governments under the BJP and the central government, for building this hate mongering campaign and spreading this polarization. I blame Modi for the attack on me because he has been promoting these hate mongering forces, directly or indirectly, and trying to play up hardcore Hindutva politics, and that is why it has come to such a pass.”
 
Following the attack, many sections of democratic and progressive individuals and groups came together to register their anger over this vicious assault.

The post Swami Agnivesh’s attackers all from BJP-Bajrang Dal-RSS, frustrated over Swami’s mass appeal appeared first on SabrangIndia.

People in Kashmir and journalist fraternity world-wide have been shocked at the assassination of Shujaat Bukhari, a veteran journalist and the editor of Rising Kashmir, the Kashmir based newspaper. He was killed by ‘unknown gunmen’ on June 14 evening as he was coming out of his office in Press Enclave, at the heart of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. Two of his security guards were also killed in the same incident.

So far no militant organisation has claimed responsibility for his death.

He was killed merely hours after the UN’s human rights office announced the findings of a first ever human rights reports on the state of Jammu and Kashmir, in which the UN called for an independent inquiry into human rights violations in both parts of Kashmir, administered respectively by India and Pakistan. Analysts, including Shujaat Bukhari believed and expressed on various platforms that the report had significant implications for human rights conditions in the valley as it was for the first time an international body had recognised the deep distress within the valley and recommended the independent investigation.

A journalist of the people

As the news of his death was confirmed last evening, personal narratives of friends and well-wishers haven’t stopped flowing. The Indian Express, in its piece said “Shujaat Bukhari, perhaps embarrassed about his tall and distinct demeanour, hunched just a wee bit to make his friends comfortable. His two children, before they were five, would walk with their head distinctly bent to the right, as that was a good imitation of Abba, always on the cellphone, trying to be hands-free”

Intimate anecdotes flowed on Facebook as some recalled him for his quick response to new writers, while some regretted not having met him just a few hours ago. Another person recollected that he recently sent a message to Farooq Abdullah congratulating him on wearing jeans.

The shock and grief expressed across platforms and in Kashmir are truly indicative of one fact.

Shujaat Bukhari was not merely a name. He was the embodiment of a voice of sanity, reason and human rights in the turbulent Kashmir valley, marked by too frequent episodes of violence, impunity and unaccountability.
 
A sketch of Shujaat Bukhari

Bukhari himself belonged to an illustrious family with the father as a journalist and elder brother Basharat Bukhari, a PDP leader and an MLA from the Sangrama constituency in North Kashmir.
However, Bukhari didn’t merely rest on the laurels of his family, but used the power of his pen to bring to light the most inconvenient truth. Bukhari consistently spoke truth to power and was recognised across the world as the leading and most rational voice speaking on Kashmir
Bukhari was The Hindu bureau chief for Jammu and Kashmir from 1997 to 2012 and a contributor to Frontline magazine. He was based in Srinagar and was running Rising Kashmir for over a decade. Bukhari wrote fluently in English, Urdu and Kashmiri. He was also the president of Adbee Markaz Kamraz, the biggest and oldest cultural and literary organisation of the valley.
 
A martyr for truth

Ironically, just three months ago, Bukhari wrote in an editorial in Rising Kashmir on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his newspaper, “Survival is the first challenge for any journalism venture in Kashmir.”

Shujaat Bukhari was the missing link between the outside world and the dark alleys of Kashmir clouded with tales of atrocities and human rights violations, reporting from where is an both an act of courage and defiance. After Burhan Wani, the Hijb Mujahiddeen commander was killed in July 2016 and curfew followed along with snapping of mobile and internet connection in the valley, he wrote for the BBC, “But when I called the office, one of our employees confirmed that our printing press had been raided, staff held and printed copies of the newspaper seized.”

Not only 2016, the Rising Kashmir newspaper faced challenges in 2008 and 2010 as well, when armed struggle in Kashmir was on a rise owing to India’s failing political interventions in the region. Shujaat Bukhaari highlighted, “Authorities had forced us to suspend publication during the protests against Indian rule in 2008 and 2010 as well.” Further, in 2013 when Afzal Guru was hanged under mysterious circumstances in India, Bukhari wrote, “When Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri separatist convicted over the 2001 Indian parliament attack was hanged in 2013, copies of newspapers were seized from the press and the stands. I remember my newspaper ceased publication for four days. During the 2010 agitation, we were forced to stop publishing for 10 days.”

A key point that Bukhaari highlighted about the state’s measure to quell protests when discontent in the valley rose to uncontrollable proportions, “Imposing an information blockade had been part of the state “strategy” in 2010 as well and the scene is rewinding this time.”

Bukhaari was a living testimony to the transition that media went through after the outbreak of armed rebellion in Kashmir in the 1990s. He said that the media had to work on a razor’s edge and that journalists typically faced “threats to life, intimidation, assault, arrest and censorship have been part of the life of a typical local journalist.”
Bukhari survived three assassination attempts on previous occasions.

The last time a journalist was killed in Kashmir was over a decade ago. Srinagar saw killings in 2003, Parvez Muhammad Sultan, a reporter for a local news agency, was shot by gunmen in his office and August 2000, when a bomb blast killed Pradeep Bhatia, a photographer

Awards and accolades

Bukhaari was the recipient of World Press Institute USA fellowship. He had earlier pursued his Masters in Journalism from Ateneo de Manila University, Manila as a fellow of Asian Centre for Journalism. He was also a fellow at east West Centre at USA’s Hawaii.

He had just returned from Lisbon where he participated as a speaker during the Global Editors Network summit.

Bukhari was part of India’s delegation for ‘informal’ peace talks on Kashmir with Pakistani representatives held in Dubai last year.

Astute political analysis and commentary on recent events

Bukhari was consistently writing, calling an end to the cross-border firing along the Line of Control (LoC). He emphasised on the need for a Standard Operating Procedure in an article on March 3, a time when it was witnessing massive cross border firing, “As things have gone from bad to worse what is missing is a Standard Operating Procedure that could be followed in a ceasefire. A mechanism is also missing and nearly no contact between the two countries is adding to the woes of the people,”

Criticising Modi government’s policies at the center, Bukhari said, “New Delhi’s Kashmir policy since the beginning had not been based on justice and fairness while the Modi government had pushed them to the wall.”

Bukhari had commented on the recent ceasefire in J&K for Ramzaan, a holy month for Muslims across the world, saying, “Despite the scepticism from various quarters and even outright rejection, the announcement came as a glimmer of hope for the common people who have been suffering due to the continuous grind of violence. Death of both the militants who have joined the ranks in past few years and the civilians who become the collateral damage has become unbearable.”

Bukhaari’s writings, apart from giving a deep insight into the “sharp degeneration of politics in the state” were an indictment that the Indian government’s policies in Kashmir had not worked. He also wrote stories highlighting why Kashmiri youth were drawn towards militancy.
 
“Psychological war” of Indian media on Kashmir

In an opinion piece titled, “Prime Time Propaganda“, published exactly an year before, Bukhari once again exposed the hyper-nationalist and jingoist Indian media which, rather than investigating the allegations of human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir believes in shrill high pitched rhetoric to further its propaganda. He said, “The comments made almost every day by hired panelists are part of a psychological war that has been unfolding to make the people submit”

In the same piece, he drew attention to the shallowness of the Indian media, here I quote him verbatim, “In recent days, two comments made by panelists on a TV channel enraged people but in one case there was much amusement and social media was full of jokes. The one comment which evoked a sharp reaction was made by one RSN Singh, a retired Colonel who was briefly with Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) official and has been engaged by a newly launched TV channel as its contributor. His disgraceful comment insinuated that Kashmiri youngsters were the ‘illegitimate offspring’ of foreign militants and that is why they were valiantly taking on government forces. When Singh was making this uncouth remark, the anchor was clearly enjoying it. This demonstrated the depths that such debate has sunk to and become the hallmark of these channels. No one intervened as the panelist abused Kashmiris and that is how the response of the government is also shaped.”
 
His staff and journalists from Rising Kashmir gave him a befitting tribute, saying, “You left all too sudden but you will always be our leading light with your professional conviction and exemplary courage. We wont be cowed down by the cowards who snatched you from us. We will uphold your principle of telling the truth howsoever unpleasant it may be”

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