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A Moving, 3.50 minute (Audio) Musical Tribute to Gauri Lankesh: Shehla Rashid

And to the Martyrs Since Gandhi, to Safdar (Hashmi), Narayan Dabholkar, Govind Pansdare, MM Kalburgi who have fallen Victim to Hate and Bloody Bulets

The post Ek Nazm Gauri Lankesh Ke Naam: Shehla Rashid appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image: PTI
                                                            
The celebrated German playwright, poet and fierce anti-Nazi critic Bertolt Brecht once wrote:
“in the dark times,
will there also be singing?
yes, there will also be singing
about the dark times”.
 
Apt words, as we remember the celebrated journalist and human rights defender Gauri Lankesh, who was brutally gunned down exactly a week ago on the night of September 5^th in Bengaluru. Her murder has resulted in an unprecedented outrage of anger, shock and sadness from concerned citizens all over the world over.
 Gauri represented the very best of a free and fearless India, which respects the rights of her citizens, which celebrates pluralism and above all, defends the highest values of democracy! Gauri had the courage to take on the Sangh Parivar and all communal-minded people, she abhorred the caste system, she fought for the emancipation of women, she took up cudgels for the poor and marginalized and she was a relentless crusader for the freedom of speech and expression! She spared none, when injustice was the issue!

The bullets of the assassins that fateful night carried some clear messages: that it is they who ‘apparently’ control the destiny of the nation; that the likes of Gauri, had no place in their scheme of things, that they brook no dissent, that they are cloaked with immunity and can obviously get away with murder.  .

The murder of Gauri provides other insights into her assassins and the powers behind them too; these include: 
 

• They are spineless cowards; masked in anonymity,  they gunned down an unarmed defenseless woman
• They are violent; they have the muscle, the money and the clout to do away with violently anyone who does not subscribe to their fascist agenda. ‘Ahimsa’ obviously  means nothing to them 
• They lack the intelligence, the conviction and the staying power to debate or write objectively on critical issues plaguing the country and our people today. Gauri consistently wrote and spoke about these issues.
• They are afraid of the Truth; when courageous and upright journalists like Gauri expose their evil deeds and other nefarious activities, they are just unable to accept them, leave alone swallow the facts 
• They are adept in defocusing and divisiveness; Gauri’s estranged brother conveniently speaks about ‘Naxalite’ involvement. Some TV channels with their stooge anchors vomit the same possibility The Central government in a manipulative manner asks the state government as to why Gauri was  not given protection from the Naxalites! 
• They are good in sweeping other issues under the carpet. Gauri’s chilling murder is naturally headlines; but at the same time other major issues are quickly turned from the pages of people’s memories like the deaths of children in UP, the official report of the fiasco of demonetization, the institutionalization of corruption, the thousands affected by floods in several parts of the country and the official inability and apathy to respond to those affected, the crimes of ‘godmen’ against women like the Dera Chief and Asaram Bapu, the mob lynching of people; the list is endless.
• They do not care about the rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution of India; for them, journalists who speak truth to power, human rights defenders, right to information activists and for that matter, any one from civil society who dissents, is termed as ‘anti-national’; and needs to be done away with. The trolling and the venom spewed on Gauri in social media by the ‘bhakts’ of PM Modi is a clear indication that  freedom of speech and expression is not something that they cherish. Gauri believed in the Constitution and passionately defended the rights of citizens until the very end!

The above are just some ways fascist forces in India operate today. There is no denying the fact that the cold-blooded, pre-mediated murder of Gauri has political patronage at the highest level. All this has been witnessed before, in the Gujarat Carnage of 2002; the ‘fake encounters’ which followed; in the gruesome killings of rationalists and intellectuals like Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi; in the murders of several other journalists, human rights and RTI activists all over the country.

That there is an overwhelming outrage over Gauri’s murder from several sections of society, speaks volumes that all is still not lost for the country. Gauri’s death has brought together women and men from all walks of life in a show of strength and unity against the emerging fascist forces. Rallies, demonstrations and public meetings have been held in practically every major city and town. Her murder has found significant space in some of the most respected newspapers and magazines in India and abroad. On September 12^th, more than 50,000 people gathered in Bangalore in a rally to protest the killing of Gauri.Shouts of “Gauri Lankesh amar rahe!”(Long Live Gauri!) rent the air.

This visible and vocal unity must continue. Many people are convinced that though they ‘killed’ her, Gauri’s spirit will never die! The greatest tribute one can then pay to this courageous woman is to ensure that the rich legacy she has left behind will never die; that all will be done to protect the democratic and pluralistic fabric of our great country! Above all, to be reminded of the words of Pastor Martin Niemoller, who during the Nazi Regime wrote:       
                                                                                 
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— 
because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— 
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me”. 
 
LONG LIVE GAURI!!!!
                                                                                              
(Fr. Cedric Prakash sj is a human rights activist. Contact:cedricprakash@gmail.com)
 
 

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In another development, the CBI submitted in a sealed cover a forensic report from Ahmedabad Forensic Laboratory on ballistic evidence related to the killing of the three rationalists — Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi.

A bench of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and B P Colabawalla said it was “very unhappy” over the tardy progress in the murder probes.

The judges further said there was also no development in the proceedings of trial courts in Pune and Kolhapur which are trying Dabholkar and Pansare murder cases, respectively.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had informed the High Court earlier that it had sent forensic evidence to Scotland Yard to seek its opinion on whether same weapons were used in the murders of Dabholkar and Pansare in Maharashtra and the killing of another rationalist M M Kalburgi in Karnataka.

“Scotland Yard has informed us in writing that no legal agreement existed between the two countries on sharing of forensic data and hence it will not help by conducting a forensic probe into these murder cases,” Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh told a division bench hearing petitions filed by the families of the two slain rationalists.

CBI also submitted in a sealed cover a forensic report from Ahmedabad Forensic Laboratory on ballistic evidence related to the killing of the three rationalists. This is the third ballistic report from a forensic lab, the other two being that of labs in Mumbai and Bengaluru.

The CBI, probing Dabholkar’s murder, and the Special Investigating Team (SIT) of state CID, probing the killing of Pansare, also submitted reports in separate sealed covers to the high court on the progress made in these two cases.

The judges perused the reports and asked the two investigation agencies not to reveal the contents to anyone, including media, as the probe was still on.

SIT counsel Ashok Mundargi said, “The probe in Pansare killing is on. We have identified two absconding suspects. The chargesheet has been filed and we are investigating further.”

On a plea made by the two agencies seeking eight weeks time to conduct further probe, the bench deferred the matter till March 20.

While Dabholkar was murdered in Pune on August 20, 2013, Pansare was shot on February 16, 2015 in Kolhapur. He died on February 20 that year. Prof Kalburgi was murdered on August 30, 2015.

The families of Dabholkar and Pansare today said they were not happy with the progress in probe in the murder cases.

“The investigation agencies are very slow and the contents of forensic reports always reach the media first,” their lawyer Abhay Nevgi said.

Outside the court after the hearing concluded today, the family members of Dabholkar, son Hamid and daughter Mukta, distributed pamphlets seeking arrest of the wanted accused.

Megha Pansare, daughter-in-law of the slain rationalist Govind Pansare, staged a silent protest demonstration demanding arrest of the wanted accused.

Megha said not much progress had been made in the last two years in the murder cases. However, she refused to comment on the probe being conducted by the investigating agencies.

The judges today came down heavily on the CBI and SIT for slow progress in the investigations into the killing of the two rationalists — Dabholkar and Pansare.

The bench, which is monitoring the investigations, also cautioned the agencies not to disclose any information about the cases to anyone, particularly to the media saying this would hamper probe.

On an earlier occasion, the bench had noted that delay caused by the probe agency would not only benefit the accused but would also give a bad impression to the society at large.

The probe agency had earlier told HC that it had sent bullets and empty shells recovered from Pansare’s body and the crime scene to Scotland Yard to ascertain if there was any link between the Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi murders.

As Mumbai and Bengaluru forensic labs had given conflicting opinions, it also wanted a third opinion from another forensic lab. Hence, it had sent evidence to Ahmedabad forensic lab for its opinion. Its report was today submitted to the high court.

Courtesy: Janta Ka Reporter
 

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