Elaborating further, the statement says that, the Congress party in its manifesto for the 2024 elections reaffirmed its profound commitment to rapid, inclusive and sustainable development, and to protect its ecosystems, local communities, flora and fauna. It also said that it would address the issues of environment and climate change with the seriousness these deserve.  Hence the disturbing incidents at the Hyderabad Central University, viz. the clearing of over 100 acres of forested land in Kancha Gachibowli, using bulldozers, with the objective of using this land for IT buildings and activities are a violation of the party’s own poll promise.

Moreover, when students of Hyderabad University peacefully protested against the clearance of the forested land, the felling of the trees, and the use of bulldozers, the state government, instead of holding a dialogue with them to resolve the matter, sought to quell the protest by force, even resorting to arrests and lathi charges, records the statement. “We are relieved that the   government has now stepped back from its earlier stand but we are still concerned about a number of issues concerning this land.”

To clarify the deliberate confusion created by the state government on the issue of the land concerned not being forest land, the former civil servants iterate that there is considerable evidence that refutes this claim. The contra-indications are listed below:

• As per the Supreme Court order of 1996, in what is commonly known as the Godavarman case, all States were to constitute State Expert Committees (SEC) to identify all forests as per the dictionary meaning of the word, irrespective of ownership. The Andhra Pradesh Government (of which Telangana was a part in 1996) failed to constitute the SEC and therefore did not identify all forests as directed by the Supreme Court. They also failed to comply with subsequent Supreme Court orders on geo-referencing of forests.  The claim that the impugned land is not forest land has, therefore, no legal basis, being the outcome of non-compliance of the orders of the Supreme Court.

• When Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 it had no comprehensive data on forests; nor did the state take any steps to identify forests as per the Supreme Court’s orders.

• It may be noted that had the directions of the Supreme Court been followed, the land in question, Kancha Gachibowli, would very likely have been identified as forest as per the “dictionary meaning”, as well as per the land records, which called it a “wasteland” (which signifies grasslands, scrub forests etc.)

• In early 2025, the Supreme Court in WP 1164/23, again directed all states to identify and geo-reference all forests on the ground. While it was widely reported in the press that such a committee had been constituted in Telangana on March 15, 2025,  the government did not bother to wait either for the report of this committee or its acceptance by the Supreme Court, before declaring that the impugned area (Kancha Gachibowli) is not a forest. This shows disregard of the Supreme Court’s orders. We wonder what the purpose was of setting up a committee to identify all forests as per the Supreme Court’s directions, if such forests are destroyed without any concern for the legality, or the protests of citizens, or the biodiversity and wildlife of the area.

• We learn that this forested patch has reported many migratory birds, 220 species of other birds, deer, 700 species of plants, the critically endangered star tortoises, and the Hyderabad Tree Trunk spider- an endemic species found nowhere else in the world!

Thereafter, the statement records that, they are heartened by the fact that the Supreme Court while hearing this matter recently has, on April 16, 2025, reiterated its earlier orders regarding identification of all forests and has emphasised that the Court’s orders need to be strictly followed.

“Hyderabad is fortunate to have these 400 acres as part of the city landscape: it acts as a catchment area for trapping the rainfall, recharging the ground water which is used by nearby colonies and buildings; it moderates the “heat island “effect of the city- experts have opined that it lowers the ambient temperature by as much as 4 degrees Celsius; it functions as the city’s green lung, capturing pollution and greenhouse gases. It boggles the mind that these ecological and climatic benefits have been completely disregarded by the Telangana government in its disastrous push to denude the area of its green cover, precisely at a time when there is unanimous consensus among scientists and climatologists about increasing heat waves and water shortages. The government should listen to at least the experts, if not to the citizens and students. Development at such a huge cost to the natural environment, when alternatives for the IT Park are available, is nothing less than ecocide.”

The collective of retired civil servants, Constitutional Conduct Group, have worked both with the Central and State governments. They have come together as the Constitutional Conduct Group to speak out against violations of the Indian Constitution.

Thereafter the statement records that while the CCG appreciates the fact that the Telangana government has now withdrawn from confrontation in this matter and is trying to find an acceptable solution, we are alarmed to learn that Rs. 10000 crore has been taken from private parties against that land. It is equally worrisome that instead of promising that this area would be allowed to regenerate as a forest and become a green lung for the city and a haven for its wildlife and biodiversity, there are media reports that indicate that Government wants to convert the whole land, including the land of the University into an eco-park.  An eco-park is not a forest; it is a human-centric “developmental” activity, and not in accordance with the Supreme Court judgement. The State should instead ensure that the Expert Committee implements the Supreme Court orders of 19/02/24 and 04/03/25 in “letter and spirit”. It should, thereafter, protect all its identified forests to ensure ecosystem services for human sustenance and the well-being of its biodiversity.

The Congress Party has been advocating the concepts of accountability, stake holder consultation and good governance in other parts of the country. The opportunity available in the State of Telangana to show a difference is unfortunately getting lost because of actions such as those at Kancha Gachibowli. The CCG hopes that the proposed auction or allotment of this land to private parties is cancelled and that the Expert Committee is allowed to diligently identify and geo-reference all forests, and allow forests to regenerate on all forest lands where felling has taken place.

“While the issue of Kancha Gachibowli got intense media attention because it is in a metropolitan city, adjoining a university, and due to the mass protests of students, such large-scale felling and wanton destruction of forests, biodiversity and wildlife is a recurring feature in almost all States under almost every political and bureaucratic dispensation. Such activity massively impacts the ecological security of our country.  State and UT governments must take active steps to protect all common property resources, because action is needed in every part of the country. Our fervent appeal to all governments is to ensure that our forests and biodiversity across the country are protected and not diverted in the name of “development”.”

There are 67 signatories to this statement of the Constitutional Conduct Group as below:

^Related:

Mass Deforestation, Protests, Detentions: Supreme Court halts Telangana’s reckless tree felling at Kancha Gachibowli, questions permissions

Adivasi Land Rights Erosion: The effects of the 2023 Forest Conservation Amendment Act

Record number of forest diversion took place in 2023 amidst decline in spend of CAMPA funds, MoEF data reveals

The post Destruction of forest in Kancha Gachibowli, Telangana violation of Congress party manifesto: CCG Statement appeared first on SabrangIndia.

As many as 65 former civil servants are signatory to the statement. They include Sundar Burra, Nitin Desai, Sanjay Kaul, Anita Agnihotri, Julio Ribeiro among others.

In the detailed statement, they say,

​”Religion is a private matter according to India’s constitutional arrangements. All persons, including public officials, are free to follow their religious beliefs. However, it is imperative for public officials to be mindful to carefully separate their religious beliefs and practices from their official duties.

    “This is especially important for a person holding the high constitutional office of Prime Minister, as the leader not just of people of one religious identity but of all people of India of diverse religious beliefs.

“​This separation between personal religious belief and practice and official duties was breached on January 22, 2024 when, in the presence of the Prime Minister, the statue of Shri Ram was installed and consecrated in the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The event brings to our mind the advice given by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to President Rajendra Prasad at the inauguration of the reconstructed Somnath Temple in Gujarat at a juncture when the wounds of Partition were still healing in the subcontinent: “This is not merely visiting a temple, which can certainly be done by you or anyone else, but rather participating in a significant function which unfortunately has some implications.”

“​In the present case, the consecration of the idol of Shri Ram was undertaken at a site where, while granting the right to construct the temple at the site, the Supreme Court had clearly observed in its judgment of November 9,2019:

“The exclusion of the Muslims from worship and possession took place on the intervening night between 22/23 December 1949 when the mosque was desecrated by the installation of Hindu idols. The ouster of the Muslims on that occasion was not through any lawful authority but through an act which was calculated to deprive them of their place of worship. After the proceedings under Section 145 of CrPC 1898 were initiated and a receiver was appointed following the attachment of the inner courtyard, worship of the Hindu idols was permitted. During the pendency of the suits, the entire structure of the mosque was brought down in a calculated act of destroying a place of public worship. The Muslims have been wrongly deprived of a mosque which had been constructed well over 450 years ago.”

      “Despite its above observations, the Supreme Court permitted the construction of the temple by a trust set up under Section 6 of the Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Act 1993.

The statement adds,

           “Given the troubled history of the last three decades, it would have been in the fitness of things if the consecration of the temple had been undertaken by heads of the Hindu religious faith rather than by a constitutional functionary, which goes against the basic credo of secularism enshrined in the Preamble to the Constitution of India.

           “Of even greater concern to us are the developments in the last month before and after the consecration of the temple. In the Prime Minister’s speech at Ayodhya on January 22, 2024, he affirmed that the Ram temple construction reflected Indian society’s maturity. Further, he stated that the consecration was an occasion of not merely triumph but humility too.

      “However, the incidents at Mira Road in Maharashtra and some other places in the country have witnessed a wholly unnecessary show of triumphalism by certain elements from the Hindu community leading to reactions from elements from the Muslim community.

      “At times like these, it behoves the majority community to show restraint and maintain dignity, especially when a fractious issue has finally reached resolution.

      ” On the contrary, the efforts over the past few days to raise fresh issues concerning the religious faith of the two communities – Gyan Vapi mosque at Varanasi, Krishna Janmabhoomi at Mathura, the conduct of the Shah Jahan Urs at the Taj Mahal and the Haji Malang dargah at Kalyan (Maharashtra) – are unnecessary irritants to social peace and harmony at a time when so many more important issues confront the nation. Nor have matters been helped by the unnecessary haste shown by the authorities in Delhi in demolishing the Mehrauli dargah and madarsa and raising the issue of the removal of the Sunehri Bagh Masjid in the heart of New Delhi ostensibly on grounds of streamlining traffic flow. Surely, government agencies should have a senseof propriety to know when to bring up contentious issues.

         “As a multicultural society which has absorbed people from so many other lands over millennia, it ill behoves us as a nation for its citizens to adopt a narrow, xenophobic approach towards those who have different religious beliefs or belong to other ethnic communities. India’s status in the world since 1947 has been, to a considerable extent, founded on its ability to successfully run a country of so many diverse groups and faiths on democratic principles. It is the primary responsibility of the Union Government and the State Governments tomaintain an equal distance from all religions, inculcate in theircitizens the principle of fraternity enjoined by the Preamble to the Constitution of India and apply strictly the rule of law in ensuring that all citizens conduct their day to day affairs as laid down by the Constitution of India and the laws thereunder.

The entire text of the statement and list of signatories may be viewed below:

The post Ayodhya, January 22: Growing influence of religion in state & society matter of disquiet say 65 former civil servants appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Stating that the group is a collective of former civil servants of the All India and Central Services who have worked with the Central and State Governments in the course of our careers, the letter points out that despite an earlier communication (Open Letter to the President of India) on the proposed port and container terminal on the island of Great Nicobar that will virtually destroy the unique ecology of this island and the habitat of  vulnerable tribal groups, this has gone unheeded. Neither this letter, nor the very many others written by other individuals and groups, about the flaws in the environment and forest clearances, seem to have had any effect in making the Government of India re-examine the project. It is only very recently that the National Green Tribunal has ordered a closer look at some of the environmental issues raised.

Hence this second communication to the NCST, not about the environmental and ecological destruction that the project is likely to wreak, but about the fate of the two groups of tribal people that the island of Great Nicobar harbours, viz., the Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group who stand to lose much of their traditional forest foraging grounds, and the southern Great Nicobarese, a Scheduled Tribe, who have already been badly affected by the tsunami of 2004, having had to move out from their ancestral villages  and be resettled closer to the administrative hub of  the island. The project will be extremely detrimental to both these groups: hence, this letter to you.

According to the earlier timeline of events as learnt by the CCG and communicated, on August 12, 2021, the Directorate of Tribal Welfare, A & N islands, a body meant to protect the rights of the tribal communities and to ensure that the various regulations and policies are implemented,  issued an undertaking that any exemptions from the  regulations, laws and policies required for  the project would be obtained by it, thereby violating the very objective of the Directorate.

A year later, on August 12, 2022, a special Gram Sabha meeting was held in which it was decided that part of the tribal reserve land within the boundaries of the island would be diverted for the “holistic development of Great Nicobar” and another portion of land, outside the current tribal reserve, and on a different part of the island, would be added to the tribal reserve.

The CCG points out that such a “switch” of what is tribal land to another in unheard of in law or statute making it ultra vires. Besides, all this has been effected without even the consent or willingness of the tribal groups concerned. Four days later, on August 16, 2022 the NOC for the diversion of  tribal reserve land was signed by the BDO, the Pramukh, Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti representative (AAJVS)  (for the Shompen), and the Chairman of the Tribal Council  (for the Nicobarese).

It was on August 25, 2022 the Nicobarese, having become aware that the land that was agreed to be diverted was their own former ancestral home lands, wrote to the Lieutenant Governor requesting for relocation to their pre-tsunami villages of Chingenh and Pulo Babhi (this area was now the proposed site for the port and the airport of the project).   On September 23, 2022, a meeting chaired by the DC Nicobar was held with the Tribal Council to discuss the matter of their relocation. The officers again tried to  persuade the Nicobarese not to insist on going back, with the promise of making available all facilities at their current resettlement sites. But the Tribal Council stuck to their stand. Therefore, another meeting was proposed to be held by the officers.  This meeting was, however, never held.

Despite the Nicobarese’s insistence on returning to their ancestral settlements, both forest clearance and environment clearance were given to the Great Nicobar Holistic Development Project on October 27 and November 11, 2022 respectively. The lands involved covered the original home lands of the Nicobarese. Shortly thereafter, on November 22, 2022, the Tribal Council sent a letter withdrawing their NOC for diversion of their lands, mentioning that they had not been informed earlier that the land being earmarked for development included areas where the group lived prior to the tsunami. They stated that they were completely dependent on forests in their original homes and they wanted to go back to foraging and tending to plantations on their lands, and rearing domestic animals, rather than working as manual labour in menial jobs, as they do at present.   They said that losing access to their lands would be damaging both to their future generations and to their ‘Shompen brothers’.

Hence it can be seen that the Nicobarese have consistently been unwilling to give their consent to the diversion of their ancestral homelands, which they had used until the tsunami of 2004. They have also been asking to be sent back to their pre-tsunami settlement areas since 2007. That they agreed at one point of time to the diversion of tribal reserve land can be ascribed to their lack of knowledge of the areas proposed to be used for the project, their lack of awareness of their rights, and the insistence of the administrative authorities.  Even so, the Tribal Council (of the Nicobarese) withdrew the consent they had given earlier for diversion of their tribal reserve land as soon as they could.

The Shompen, meanwhile continue to live, cultivate and collect food resources from the forests, little aware that some of their forests would soon be taken away.

Several people have written to the government objecting to the use of tribal reserve land for the project, among them the anthropologists of the Indian Anthropological Association. They wrote to the Andaman Nicobar Pollution Control Committee ahead of the public hearing, stressing the need to take great care when clearing the project, particularly where it concerned the lands of the Shompen and the Great Nicobarese. They emphasised the damage that would occur if the project came too close to the dwellings or foraging grounds of the Shompen. They too mentioned that the Nicobarese were anxious to return to their pre-tsunami settlements. Yet all these calls for caution have gone unheeded and the project has been cleared despite the damage it will cause to these defenceless tribal people.

Incidentally through a constitutional amendment, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), you are mandated under Article 338 of the Constitution to oversee the implementation of the safeguards provided to the Scheduled Tribes under the Constitution or under any other law for the time being in force. For the tribes of the islands this would mean, the Andaman and Nicobar (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956. This Regulation governs the statutory safeguards applicable to the tribes in these islands and overrides any law, agreement, court decree or order inconsistent with it. All Acts, including the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, would, in our opinion, be subordinate to this regulation.

Under Art 338A (9) of the Constitution, the Union and every State Government is meant to consult the NCST on all major policy matters affecting Scheduled Tribes.

The CCG group reiterates that in this major matter of a mega project coming up in Great Nicobar, displacing the vulnerable tribes from their traditional forest and tribal reserve areas, this consultation has not been done.  The CCG has also noted that on learning of this, a notice has been sent on April 20, 2023 by your Commission to the Andaman and Nicobar Administration asking them to explain the facts of the matter within fifteen days. This letter was sent on a complaint made by Dr. EAS Sarma, a former Secretary in the Union Finance Ministry, and an expert on tribal matters.

The CCG has therefore added its voice and strength to that of Dr. Sarma and of the many others who have expressed their concern about the many flaws in the clearances given and the damage that the displacement will cause to the tribal groups. It has been strongly urged that the NCST goes into the matter thoroughly and ensure that a project meant for the holistic development of Great Nicobar does not result in the immiseration and ultimate extinction of these highly vulnerable tribal communities, whose original and only home the island is.

Seventy signatories of the CCG are listed below:

Related:

NCST firm on its stand, Forest Conservation Rules violate Forest Rights

Forest Conservation Rules, 2022- An overview of changes that snatch rights of Gram Sabhas

Adivasi struggle led by trailblazers working on-ground: Teesta Setalvad

SHEPHERDS’ POSTCARD CAMPAIGN: REPEAL THE COLONIAL FOREST ACT, 1927

The post Shompen & Great Nicobarese, both vulnerable tribal groups face livelihood threats, Nicobar islands ecological destruction: former civil servants to NCST appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Address the sense of defeat and anger amongst Kashmiris by opening up democratic spaces for people, said the Concerned Citizens’ Group (CCG) on April 15, 2021 after its eighth visit to the Valley.

Following a short visit to the region between March 30 and April 2, members Yashwant Sinha, Sushobha Barve, Wajahat Habibullah and others reported on Kashmir’s condition in their eighth report about Kashmir. In it, the CCG noted Kashmiris do not have a space to express their dissent or criticism of government policies or police action on any platform.

“Journalism has been virtually criminalised. No protests by civil society are allowed, nor are rallies by political parties permitted. The police do not hesitate to summon journalists and ordinary citizens and even lock them up under the Public Safety Act,” said the report.

An intellectual speaking to CCG members said that the population that felt no ill-will towards India is “non-existent” nowadays. People said they were wary of news coming in from Delhi. Members said they have never previously heard so many people expressing hatred of Delhi and the Indian state as openly as during the last visit.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic and the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, the former state has been in a state of double lockdown. Locals believe that the pandemic that has not caused Kashmir-specific problems will eventually pass. Businesses are slowly recovering as the tourism industry revives, although small businesses still struggle to stay afloat.

However, Kashmiris still question the Modi-government’s move of altering the relation between India and Jammu and Kashmir.

“Since August 2019 there have been changes in the administrative structure of the bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir. Old political parties are sought to be dismantled and the formation of new ones is being facilitated by Delhi. It is not clear whether Kashmir will resist the changes being imposed on it or accept them with resignation. The local political leadership is either silent or being forced into silence for fear of the Indian state,” said the report.

Moreover, locals expressed an overwhelming sense of despondency that there are no significant voices in India who can speak for them or offer resistance to what has happened to them. They also tell CCG members that they felt powerless when considering the strength of those who brought about these changes in Jammu and Kashmir. Citizens also hesitated to speak about other major protests in the country such as the farmers’ agitation or the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests because they feel that their issues will get drowned in the larger ones encompassing India.

“We don’t have leaders just as India does not have leaders who have a well thought out critique of the RSS and the BJP and who can lead the people against their designs,” a Kashmiri public intellectual summed up the dilemma.

A business leader in the area also said, Kashmiris were carefully watching communal tensions and conflagrations in mainland India such as the treatment of Muslims to understand their own plight. Beef-related lynching, cow politics and the so-called ‘Love Jihad’ laws, police violence on Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim Universities’ campuses, anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests and the wanton use of NSA against protestors made Kashmiris cautious about Indian democracy.

To allay some of these concerns, the CCG recommended that civil society organisations be allowed to hold meetings, seminars, and discussions giving people a platform to vent their emotions and relieve the psychological pressure on them. It also suggested that the Indian government not impose artificial political processes on Kashmiris that are bereft of any democratic muscle. The CCG said national Opposition political parties should be able to visit Kashmir, move around freely and meet local political leaders and civil society actors.

The local political collective People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) already expressed difficulties in organising a full-fledged Secretariat and a multi-layered structure, both of which are necessary to strengthen its foundational objectives. At the district-level, the CCG observed that people were moved by PAGD’s resolve to protect the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

During District Development Councils (DDC) elections, people supported the collective. However, meeting with DDC Chairman Mohammed Afzal Parray at the Chowalgam Rest House in Kulgam on April 1 revealed that security personnel prevented Elected Councillors from meeting the public. They were all kept cooped up in a local hotel and repeatedly humiliated by officials for facilities like transport and security, which they were assured was to be provided by the Police Control Room (PCR). Meanwhile, the public, including Councillors, were expected to pay the full fee for electricity connections, although supply was uncertain and erratic.

“The DDC members could offer nothing to the youth, except the prospect of jail. Many stood arrested, amongst whom many remained untraced with Councillors given no assistance in tracing their whereabouts. All felt unsafe,” said Parray.

In response to this, the CCG demanded that DDC members be allowed to visit their constituencies and that the district bureaucracy be made accountable to the DDC. Further, the Delimitation Commission offices should be shifted to Jammu and Kashmir from Delhi so that people can easily access the place.

Moreover, the CCG observed that the government needs to pay special attention to the physical safety and economic well-being of Kashmir’s minorities, especially the non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs and Shias who have lived peacefully in the Valley for centuries. Kashmiri Pandits pointed out that although they were continuously ignored from government plans, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) repeatedly uses their plight as an election argument.

Other persisting issues such as ceasefire along the LOC, friction between non-Kashmiri security officers and local communities and drug addiction worsen the situation in the valley. Support for militancy grows as security forces continue to blow up houses where militants are suspected to take shelter, even during severe winters.

CCG members said that the Indian government should restore the earlier policy of restraint and preventing ‘collateral damage’ during counter-insurgency operations by security forces. However, despite such “balm to wound” suggestions, members observed that the Kashmiri youth hate India, having witnessed violent protests on streets for the past decade and brutal action by police and security forces.

“When they see no options, they are willing to take up the gun. Even if they do not have access to guns as of now, locals point out, they have militancy on their mind,” said the report.

Members also noted that many youngsters considered the Indian flag atop government buildings as a sign of provocation while parents preferred to send their child abroad rather than to other parts of India.

“To bring about peace and restore the identity and honour of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the central government would have to restore its statehood and start a dialogue for a fresh distribution of powers between the Centre and the State, keeping in mind the special history of the region’s accession to India,” concluded the report.

Related:

Veteran Human rights lawyer IA Rehman passes away in Lahore
The ‘middle’ ground in Kashmir has been completely wiped out: Yashwant Sinha
In Kashmir, even ordinary citizens now speaking language of militants and separatists
Handling of electronic evidence by agencies a perversion of criminal justice: CCG

The post Address people’s anguish to restore peace in J&K: CCG to GoI appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Address the sense of defeat and anger amongst Kashmiris by opening up democratic spaces for people, said the Concerned Citizens’ Group (CCG) on April 15, 2021 after its eighth visit to the Valley.

Following a short visit to the region between March 30 and April 2, members Yashwant Sinha, Sushobha Barve, Wajahat Habibullah and others reported on Kashmir’s condition in their eighth report about Kashmir. In it, the CCG noted Kashmiris do not have a space to express their dissent or criticism of government policies or police action on any platform.

“Journalism has been virtually criminalised. No protests by civil society are allowed, nor are rallies by political parties permitted. The police do not hesitate to summon journalists and ordinary citizens and even lock them up under the Public Safety Act,” said the report.

An intellectual speaking to CCG members said that the population that felt no ill-will towards India is “non-existent” nowadays. People said they were wary of news coming in from Delhi. Members said they have never previously heard so many people expressing hatred of Delhi, and the Indian state as openly as during the last visit.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic and the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, the former state has been in a double lockdown. Locals believe that the pandemic that has not caused Kashmir-specific problems will eventually pass. Businesses are slowly recovering as the tourism industry revives, although small businesses still struggle to stay afloat.

However, Kashmiris still question the Modi-government’s move of altering the relationship between India and Jammu and Kashmir.

“Since August 2019 there have been changes in the administrative structure of the bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir. Old political parties are sought to be dismantled and the formation of new ones is being facilitated by Delhi. It is not clear whether Kashmir will resist the changes being imposed on it or accept them with resignation. The local political leadership is either silent or being forced into silence for fear of the Indian state,” said the report.

Moreover, locals expressed an overwhelming sense of despondency that there are no significant voices in India who can speak for them or offer resistance to what has happened to them. They also told CCG members that they felt powerless when considering the strength of those who brought about these changes in Jammu and Kashmir. Citizens also hesitated to speak about other major protests in the country such as the farmers’ agitation or the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests because they feel that their issues will get drowned in the larger ones encompassing India.

“We don’t have leaders just as India does not have leaders who have a well thought out critique of the RSS and the BJP and who can lead the people against their designs,” a Kashmiri public intellectual summed up the dilemma.

A business leader in the area also told CCG, Kashmiris were carefully watching communal tensions and conflagrations in mainland India such as the treatment of Muslims to understand their own plight. Beef-related lynching, cow politics and the so-called ‘Love Jihad’ laws, police violence on Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University campuses, anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests and the wanton use of NSA against protestors made Kashmiris cautious about Indian democracy.

To allay some of these concerns, the CCG recommended that civil society organisations be allowed to hold meetings, seminars, and discussions giving people a platform to vent their emotions and relieve the psychological pressure on them. It also suggested that the Indian government not impose artificial political processes on Kashmiris that are bereft of any democratic muscle. The CCG said national Opposition political parties should be able to visit Kashmir, move around freely and meet local political leaders and civil society actors.

The local political collective People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) already expressed difficulties in organising a full-fledged Secretariat and a multi-layered structure, both of which are necessary to strengthen its foundational objectives. At the district-level, the CCG observed that people were moved by PAGD’s resolve to protect the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

During District Development Councils (DDC) elections, people supported the collective. However, meeting with DDC Chairman Mohammed Afzal Parray at the Chowalgam Rest House in Kulgam on April 1 revealed that security personnel prevented Elected Councillors from meeting the public. They were all kept cooped up in a local hotel and repeatedly humiliated by officials for facilities like transport and security, which they were assured was to be provided by the Police Control Room (PCR). Meanwhile, the public, including Councillors, were expected to pay the full fee for electricity connections, although supply was uncertain and erratic.

“The DDC members could offer nothing to the youth, except the prospect of jail. Many stood arrested, amongst whom many remained untraced with Councillors given no assistance in tracing their whereabouts. All felt unsafe,” said Parray.

In response to this, the CCG demanded that DDC members be allowed to visit their constituencies and that the district bureaucracy be made accountable to the DDC. Further, the Delimitation Commission offices should be shifted to Jammu and Kashmir from Delhi so that people can easily access the place.

Moreover, the CCG observed that the government needs to pay special attention to the physical safety and economic well-being of Kashmir’s minorities, especially the non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs and Shias who have lived peacefully in the Valley for centuries. Kashmiri Pandits pointed out that although they were continuously ignored from government plans, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) repeatedly uses their plight as an election argument.

Other persisting issues such as ceasefire along the LOC, friction between non-Kashmiri security officers and local communities and drug addiction worsen the situation in the valley. Support for militancy grows as security forces continue to blow up houses where militants are suspected to take shelter, even during severe winters.

CCG members said that the Indian government should restore the earlier policy of restraint and preventing ‘collateral damage’ during counter-insurgency operations by security forces. However, despite such “balm to wound” suggestions, members observed that the Kashmiri youth hate India, having witnessed violent protests on streets for the past decade and brutal action by police and security forces.

“When they see no options, they are willing to take up the gun. Even if they do not have access to guns as of now, locals point out, they have militancy on their mind,” said the report.

Members also noted that many youngsters considered the Indian flag atop government buildings as a sign of provocation while parents preferred to send their child abroad rather than to other parts of India.

“To bring about peace and restore the identity and honour of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the central government would have to restore its statehood and start a dialogue for a fresh distribution of powers between the Centre and the State, keeping in mind the special history of the region’s accession to India,” concluded the report.

The entire report may be viewed here: 

Related:

Veteran Human rights lawyer IA Rehman passes away in Lahore
The ‘middle’ ground in Kashmir has been completely wiped out: Yashwant Sinha
In Kashmir, even ordinary citizens now speaking language of militants and separatists
Handling of electronic evidence by agencies a perversion of criminal justice: CCG

The post Address people’s anguish to restore peace in J&K: CCG to GoI appeared first on SabrangIndia.

India’s pioneering  IPS, IAS, eminent former judges had come together last month and volunteered to probe the North East Delhi violence of February 2020, including the role of Delhi Police, and its aftermath. The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), a group comprising eminent, former bureaucrats, with decades of experience working with state and central governments, and jurists who have delivered landmark judgements have set up a “Citizens Committee on the Delhi Riots of February 2020: Context, Events and Aftermath”.

The six member committee,  of eminent citizens whose professional reputation is recognised all over the country, and abroad, will put together an updated, “contemporary record of acts of omission and commission” that have been observed during and after the Delhi riots of February 2020.

They are:

• Justice Madan Lokur (Chairperson, former Supreme Court judge)
• Justice AP Shah (Former Chief Justice of the Madras and Delhi high courts, and former Chairman, Law Commission)
• Justice RS Sodhi (Former judge of the Delhi High Court)
• Justice Anjana Prakash (Former judge of the Patna High Court)
• GK Pillai (Retired IAS, former Union Home Secretary)
• Meeran Chadha Borwankar (Retired IPS officer, former Director General Bureau of Police Research and Development)

The CCG is an independent, non-political group that works to foster a civic culture bound by the ethos of the Constitution. The Citizens Committee has now issued a Public Notice “inviting all persons, in confidence,” who have any information and material pertaining to Delhi riots to send such information and material,” in as much detail as possible, to the Committee. Based on a perusal of this information, the Committee may invite persons for further interactions, keeping their identity confidential.”

The terms of reference of the Committee are as follows:

1. To inquire into the events that transpired before and during the riots, including the

response of the state machinery in dealing with the violence, restoring law and order, and related matters.

2. To analyse and assess the response of the police in investigating the riots.

3. To examine the role of the mainstream and social media in spreading information, both genuine and fake, before, during and after the riots, and its impact on events.

4. To assess the civic administration’s efforts at providing relief and extending reparations to the victims of riots.

The Committee is committed to “independence, impartiality and transparency in its functioning, and to ensuring that it conducts itself with integrity, that all persons who engage with the Committee are accorded dignity and respect, and that confidentiality of communications is protected.”

According to the statement issued by the Committee, it will “collect and scrutinize primary material, including first person account of those who have direct knowledge of the events and issues within the Committee’s purview, FIRs, Charge-sheets and other documents prepared by government agencies, audio-visual and documentary material that have a bearing on matters under examination”. 

Secondary material and information will also be reviewed, these include reports and accounts already in the public domain. The Committee will also put out a public notice seeking information and material pertaining to Delhi riots and its aftermath. “Based on information received, the Committee may also invite people for more detailed interactions. The Committee will also proactively collect, review information,  materials related to the  Delhi riots and also “reach out to persons who may have information or materials pertaining to the events under examination,” said the statement. The last date for submissions is November 30, 2020. 

The Committee has invited people to confidentiality share relevant information by uploading them on https://citizenscommitteeondelhiriots.in/submission-form. Citizens can also send information submission by post to: Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), Common Cause House, 2nd Floor, Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi -110070. For any other enquiries, you can email citizenscommittee2020@gmail.com

Related: 

North East Delhi Pogrom: India’s top IPS, IAS, eminent former judges to probe riots
Rethink advertising on channels that spread discord: Constitutional Conduct Group
Citizens speak up against flawed investigation into the February 2020 Delhi 

The post Citizens can proactively help Delhi riot victims and survivors get justice appeared first on SabrangIndia.