Action Alert: IMC-USA urges action in demanding revisions to Communal Violence Bill 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2010

Indian Muslim Council – USA (http://www.imc-usa.org), an advocacy group dedicated towards safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, urges action from all in demanding that the Indian government revise the proposed Communal Violence Bill 2009 and we urge all Indian Americans to help in getting the word out to Indian lawmakers. Since 2005, despite repeated efforts by legal experts, human rights defenders and secular activists to enact sound and fair legislation regarding communal violence, the government of India has not taken proper heed of their suggestions.

At present, the proposed Communal Violence Bill 2009 has numerous flaws and it does not properly touch on much needed improvements.

· The current bill is very dangerous as it gives the authority to declare a “communally disturbed area” only to the state government which has often been the culprit in perpetrating communal violence.

· The current bill says that an area can be declared “communally disturbed” if it poses a threat to national security- this means under this bill that Gujarat probably would not have been declared a “communally disturbed” area even at the height of the 2002 massacres because (a) it cannot be conclusively argued that the situation posed a threat to national security and (b) the power to declare “communally disturbed areas” was only with the state administration.

· Further, there is no provision in the bill to hold any public servant accountable for incidences of communal riots in his jurisdiction and neither is there any provision to specifically protect minorities in that bill.

Numerous anti-communal groups have also rejected the bill as it will prove not only unjust and unfair to minorities but also very dangerous.

See the letter from IMC-USA National President Rasheed Ahmed in this link highlighting much needed improvements: CLICK HERE

IMC-USA needs your support in getting this message out to Indian lawmakers to ensure that our voice is heard and that these demands are being paid attention to. We need to mobilize pressure in the next few days to prevent the current bill from being tabled in Parliament.

We invite all concerned citizens to send individual faxes / e-mails to:

· The Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh, Fax: +(91-11) 23019334 email-manmohan@sansad.nic.in

· UPA Chairperson and Leader of the Congress Party Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Fax: +(91-11) 23018651 email-soniagandhi@sansad.nic.in

· The Home minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, Fax: +(91-11) 230 94221 email: hm@nic.in

· Rahul Gandhi, Fax: +(91-11) 23012410 email: office@rahulgandhi.in

****Emails are important but they can easily be ignored. In addition to an email, we urgently need you to fax a copy of the attached letter also. Faxes mount pressure and increase visibility on this issue.****

Instructions for Fax:

1. Download Attached Sample Fax Letter

2. Write in your information in the correct spaces

3. Fax to above numbers and Dial 011 (if dialing from the US) before entering above numbers

4. Send!

Instructions for Email:

1. Copy text below into body of email

2. Put “Disappointment to Proposed Communal Violence Bill, 2009” in Subject line

3. Attach Fact Sheet

4. BCC info@imc-usa.org

5. Send!

Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister

Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, UPA Chairperson and President, Indian National Congress

Mr P. Chidambaram, Home minister

Mr. Rahul Gandhi, Member of Parliament, Amethi (Uttar Pradesh)

Your Excellencies,

I am very disappointed at the current version of the Communal Violence Bill, 2009. I urge you to assure the recommendations supported countless social justice and anti-communal groups in the final bill.

The recommendations and the rationale behind these recommendations are very well explained in letters previously forwarded to your offices but are also attached here in this email. The focus must be on prevention as much as rehabilitation after the fact.

I am confident in your leadership and the final bill will be something UPA and congress will be proud of and it will become another Indian example of global leadership.

Attached: Communal Harmony Fact Sheet

Thank you,

Sincerely,