IMC-USA Weekly News Digest – June 29th, 2009

by on August 11, 2009

IN THIS ISSUE

NEWS HEADLINES

OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

NEWS HEADLINES

2002 RIOTS: SIT RECORDS ZAKIA JAFRIS STATEMENT (JUN 21, 2009, INDIAN EXPRESS)

The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday began the probe into the role, if any, of Chief Minister Narendra Modi and 62 others in the 2002 Gujarat riots by recording the statement of Zakia Jafri, widow of former Congress leader Ehsan Jafri.

An SIT team headed by former CBI DIG, A K Malhotra, met Jafri at her residence in Gorat area in Surat and recorded her statement in connection to her petition against Modi and 62 others. "Jafri was questioned for nearly three hours," an SIT officer said. Based on her statement, the SIT will decide on the witnesses, whose statement will be recorded next, sources said.

The Supreme Court had on April 27 directed the SIT to "look into" Jafri’s complaint, which alleged that Modi, his cabinet colleagues, police officers and senior bureaucrats had aided and abetted post-Godhra riots of 2002, and asked it to "take steps required as per law". This followed a complaint filed by Jafri, who had lost her husband in the Gulberg Society massacre during the riots.

Besides seeking a probe into the role of the 63 people, Zakia had also raised several other questions. During her interaction with the SIT team, Zakia, sources said, mainly focussed on an alleged meeting of February 27, 2002 where Modi had directed the police to remain silent and allow Hindus to vent their anger.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/479273/

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HINDUTVA IS BJPS PROBLEM: SHARAD YADAV (JUN 24, 2009, TIMES OF INDIA)

As the BJP tries to find its way through the self-created maze of Hindutva, its strongest ally JD(U) is having none of the latest banalities uttered by saffron party leader L K Advani on Hindutva. NDA convenor and JD(U) president Sharad Yadav told TOI on Tuesday that Hindutva was BJP’s problem and it would not be allowed to impact the national NDA agenda in any way. "Whether they want to go two steps forward or three steps on Hindutva is their problem. JD(U) and BJP are in the NDA but we are separate parties. We don’t want to interfere in their internal affairs but how they look upon Hindutva or what they do about it is not going to affect NDA’s national agenda in any manner whatsover," Yadav said.

The leader made the remark in reply to a query about Advani’s statement that the BJP will not abandon Hindutva, even though, as Advani said, it will support its more liberal form. "The JD(U) stands for social and economic parity. Just as their stand on issues like uniform civil code or construction of Ram temple is not in the NDA agenda, this too has no role in NDA’s overall scheme of things," Yadav said, even as he added that his party was firmly in alliance with the BJP as of now.

After the shocking results for the NDA in the general elections, Yadav had come down heavily on BJP for not reining in Varun Gandhi and projecting Narendra Modi as a future PM. The JD(U) government in Bihar is dependent on BJP for survival but that didn’t prevent Congress from citing its ideological proximity with the JD(U) in sending feelers to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar before the elections. Yadav, however, said he did not read too much in the infighting currently on within the BJP. "I know BJP too well. This infighting is not going to damage the health of NDA. BJP is a democratic party and people are allowed to express themselves. Moreover, haar ke baad hi bahas hoti hai," Yadav said.

Even though BJP and JD(U) remain commited to fighting together the crucial Bihar elections next year, speculations that JD(U) may eventually decide to go it alone haven’t completely died down. Kumar has diligently worked to create a support base for the party not just among upper and backward castes but also Muslims and majority of dalit castes whom he has categorised as Mahadalits. Muslims in the Lok Sabha elections showed signs of warming up to Kumar’s efforts and snapping ties with BJP, many believe, can actually help the party come back to power in Bihar on its own.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4693907.cms

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VARUN HATE CDS NOT DOCTORED: FSL REPORT (JUN 22, 2009, TIMES OF INDIA)

BJP MP Varun Gandhi’s position that the UP police had collected "doctored CDs" as evidence of his alleged hate speech during LS polls, was dealt a blow on Sunday when forensic experts said the CDs were genuine. The police, who have been stalled in their efforts to acquire a voice sample of Varun, said the report would be a "good piece" of evidence in court against the young MP.

Varun’s mother Maneka Gandhi – BJP MP from Aonla – dismissed the report of Forensic Science Laboratory, Chandigarh, as "one-sided". She will consult lawyers and challenge the report in court, Maneka added. In a late night development, the investigating officer in the case sought permission of state government to prosecute Varun under Section 153 (A) of IPC (for spreading communal hatred).

The police had given a CD, a mini cassette and a micro-chip to FSL to find out if the three devices had been tampered with. While the CD and mini cassette contain recording of Varun’s speech at Barkhera area of Pilibhit on March 8, micro-chip had recording of his speech in Desh Nagar on March 7. Senior Congress leader Pramod Tewari said the FSL report had "established that Varun and Maneka had lied". "Now it’s moral responsibility of BJP to clarify its stand on the issue," he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4682927.cms

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MALEGAON BLAST ACCUSEDS AIDE HELD FOR ATTACKING CHURCHES, KILLING WORKER (JUN 27, 2009, HINDUSTAN TIMES)

An alleged aide of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, prime accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has been arrested for his "involvement" in various attacks on churches in Delhi and a churchworker’s murder in Noida in the past one year. The Delhi Police arrested Shailendra Chauhan (25) alias Uday Pratap Singh from Harsh Vihar area in northeast Delhi on Thursday night. "So far, we’ve found his involvement in three cases of assault and attack on Christian priests and churches in Noida and Delhi," said S.S. Yadav, deputy commissioner of police (northeast).

On September 14, Chauhan had reportedly vandalised and desecrated a church at Sarita Vihar in south Delhi. The police said on October 19, he had killed Conrad Dominic Xavier (25) who was working for a priest at a church at Sector 20 in Noida. On January 5, Chauhan had attacked a priest with a poison-filled injection at a church at Sector 34 in Noida, the police said. A case of attempt to murder was registered against him at the time.

The police said Chauhan owes allegiance to the Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh and Abhinav Bharat, a Hindu nationalist organisation. "During preliminary interrogation, Chauhan confessed his role in the three cases," said Yadav. "He was trying to meet another person involved in cases of vandalism and arson at churches." The police claimed Chauhan had disclosed his links with Sadhvi Pragya Singh. The sadhvi is one of the prime accused in the Malegaon blast of September 29, 2008.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=6823f874-d5b8-4da5-8edd-b89562a762f6

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PETTY ISSUE SPARKS COMMUNAL CLASHES IN BORSAD (JUN 22, 2009, TIMES OF INDIA)

Communally sensitive Borsad town of Anand district remained tense on Sunday noon after people belonging to two different communities clashed over a petty issue, leaving five persons with minor injuries. Police had to fire six rounds in the air and lob two tear gas shells to quell the rampaging mobs that resorted to stone pelting for almost an hour in Bhobha falia area. The trouble had erupted around 1.15 pm when a speeding scooterist from one community slipped on the road.

Some youths belonging to other community started arguing with him that she should not have been speeding. After moments of verbal abuses, the groups started beating each other and the situation deteriorated when the groups started pelting stones against each other. Although the scooterist ran away from the spot, his vehicle was damaged by the rioters who even damaged another bike that was parked in the locality.

Police were on tenterhooks as the rioting occurred ahead of rath yatra festivities that are scheduled on Wednesday. "The situation was brought under control as we brought in additional force from the district to control the violence," Anand district superintendent of police AK Jadeja told TOI.

Borsad has witnessed such ugly incidents over petty issues in the past also. In a similar incident violence had broke out in the town in September 2002 after a scooterist from one community had knocked down a boy from another community. One person had died in police firing in that incident.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4684960.cms

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1,184 KILLED IN POLICE CUSTODY IN INDIA SINCE 2001, SAYS REPORT (JUN 25, 2009, TIMES OF INDIA)

As many as 1,184 people were killed in police custody in India in the last eight years with Maharashtra topping the chart with 192 deaths, a report said on Thursday. The report – Torture in India 2009 – by the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) released in New Delhi on Thursday stated that most of the victims were killed as a result of torture within the first 48 hours after being taken into custody.

The report is based on the data collected from April 1, 2001, to March 31, 2009, through a right to information (RTI) plea, filed with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). "These deaths in custody do not, however, represent the actual number of deaths in police custody in India. Deaths in the custody of the armed forces and the Army under the control of the central government are not reported to the NHRC," ACHR director Suhas Chakma said.

He said the NHRC does not have jurisdiction to investigate violations committed by the armed forces under Section 19 of the Human Rights Protection Act, 1993 and guidelines on reporting custodial deaths within 24 hours continue to be flouted. According to the report, the highest number of 192 custodial deaths were reported in Maharashtra followed by Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh where 128 and 85 people died in police custody respectively.

The report stated that high number of deaths in custody exposes the abject failure of the 1996 judgment of the Supreme Court in the DK Basu case that provides the procedures to be followed while making arrests. "The Prevention of Torture Bill, 2008, being brought by the government of India is a sham. The bill contains only three operative paragraphs relating to definition of torture, punishment for torture and limitations for cognizance of offences," Chakma said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4702110.cms

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HELP WIPE OUT RAGGING MENACE: PREZ (JUN 26, 2009, CENTRAL CHRONICLE)

Ahead of the commencement of the new academic year, President Pratibha Patil expressed concern over recent incidents of ragging in some colleges and asked Governors to help "wipe out" the "unseemly blot" on the educational sector. In a letter to her representatives in the states and union territories, Patil asked them to examine the regulatory structure for educational institutions and whether a "credible architecture of legal deterrence" can be built to prevent ragging.

She noted that the Supreme Court had already taken a strong stand on this issue and rules and regulations to prevent ragging including laws have already been enacted at different levels or are in the process of being enacted. In the letter, which comes ahead of the new academic year, she said while it is the primary responsibility of the management of educational institutions and the teachers to prevent ragging, "it would make eminent sense if parents and guardians are mobilized to counsel their wards to behave more responsibly and be supportive in their dealings with their juniors".

The President asked Governors and Lt. Governors to use their knowledge, wisdom and experience in galvanizing society to wipe out the, what she has termed as an "unseemly blot" from our educational sector. Patil said that the cooperation of NGOs active in this field would be helpful in creating a climate of awareness against ragging and in alleviating the trauma of victims.

She said the Governors’ "sagacious counsel and guidance" would go a long way in furthering the cause of eliminating the scourge. Recalling recent incidents of ragging, she said the "perverse" practice has not only become rampant in our educational institutions but acquired hideous proportions costing the sanity and life of some of the students. "What is more worrisome is the persistent spread of this scourge both across a range of educational institutions as also across the length and breadth of our country," Patil said.

"Such disorderly, aggressive, and inhuman conduct on the part of senior students inflicting physical cruelty and mental torment on the freshers has outraged society at large," she said. "As the new academic calendar is about to commence soon, time has come when all the stakeholders in the realm of education and civil society need to seriously ponder and put their act together to prevent the menace of ragging," Patil said.

http://www.centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=8839

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MEDICAL REPRESENTATIVE ARRESTED IN DOWRY DEATH CASE (JUN 19, 2009, TIMES OF INDIA)

Hazaribag Sadar Police on Thursday arrested one Manish Sharan from Pugmil locality of the town following alleged unnatural death of his wife Supriya Sinha on Wednesday. Police arrested Sharan, a medical representative, based on an FIR lodged by Supriya’s father Ashok Kumar Vikalp with the Kotwali police station in Gaya. Giving details of the case, DSP (HQs) Naushad Alam told TOI that police received information that 26-year-old Supriya, who married Manish in 2007, was found in the well on the campus allegedly due to mental torture perpetrated by her parents-in-law and husband.

The three had been allegedly demanding more jewellery and cash as dowry from Vikalp which he was unable to meet. Vikalp told Hazaribag police that the at the time of the marriage of his daughter, he had given sufficient money, jewellery and other valuables to the son-In-law. Despite this, Vikalp old police, Supriya’s in-laws continued to torture his daughter which ultimately forced the young woman to jump into the well to end her life.

Since blood was oozing out from the deceased’s mouth, police suspect it to be a case of torture and assault . However, Manish who has been arrested, told police that Supriya committed suicide by jumping into the well and they (he and his parents) had nothing to do with the matter. However, when police asked what compelled Supriya to commit suicide, he failed to give a satisfactory reply.

The DSP said preliminary investigation and circumstantial evidence suggest it appears to be a dowry death. A case under Section 304 B has been registered with the Hazaribag Sadar police station. More arrests are expected to be made after the receipt of the post-mortem examination, police said. Supriya’s body waqs ahnded over to her parents after the post-mortem which was conducted on Thursday.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4673505.cms

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MOB FURY AFTER DELHI WOMAN ALLEGES RAPE BY POLICEMEN (JUN 23, 2009, DECCAN HERALD)

A woman has alleged she was gang raped by five policemen, including an officer, inside a police station in southwest Delhi but the cops refused to register a complaint. This prompted an irate mob to pelt the police station with stones on Tuesday. The woman, who resides in a slum cluster nearby, alleged that the station house officer (SHO) of Inderpuri along with four other policemen raped her inside the police station Monday. The SHO has been temporarily relieved of his duty, police said.

According to the woman, a police team came to her Inderpuri residence Monday night looking for her husband, claiming he was involved in the betting business. "My husband was not at home and the cops asked me to come with them to the police station for questioning. They raped me by turns and later threatened me with dire consequences if I revealed the incident to anyone," she told a news channel.

The woman then informed her husband of the incident following which he took her to the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital. "She was inconsolable and told me about the whole incident. I along with other family members took her to the hospital where doctors are treating her. I informed the police but they did not register any complaint," said the woman’s husband. Angered over the incident, a nearly 200-strong mob threw stones at the Inderpuri police station demanding that the complaint be registered. The security outside the police station was increased and extra police force was deployed to handle the angry mob.

K. Jagdishan, the deputy commissioner of police (southwest), said: "The case has been handed over to Delhi Police Crime Branch and the SHO has been relieved of his post and transferred to the Police Lines for the time being. "There was a PCR call that a woman alleged rape by cops in the police station. The woman’s initial medical reports do not confirm any harassment and for further confirmation we have sent her clothes to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Rohini," he said.

"We have not detained anyone in the matter and a police team will be questioning the woman. She has spoken to the media and has not lodged an official complaint at the police station," he added. S.K. Sharma, chief medical officer at RML, said: "The preliminary medical report of the woman does not confirm rape and her clothes were sent to FSL for further confirmation."

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/9746/mob-fury-delhi-woman-alleges.html

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YOUTH KILLS FOUR OF A DALIT FAMILY (JUN 25, 2009, INDIAN EXPRESS)

A youth killed four members of a Dalit family, including his paramour, in Saandi area of Hardoi district on Wednesday. He was later arrested. Director General of Police Vikram Singh visited the spot and praised the police team for the prompt arrest of the accused. Lucknow Range IG AK Jain, who also visited the place, said the residents of Saandi informed the police after they spotted the bodies of Nandrani (65), her widowed daughter Babita (32) and two grandchildren Gunja (7) and Anshu (5) lying in the house. The victims had been strangled to death.

Jain said the police launched a search for Vinay Singh alias Babloo (25) of Bilgram after neighbours said they had heard a tiff between Babita and Vinay on Tuesday night. The local residents told the police that Vinay had an illicit relationship with Babita and he was living in her house for the past two years. Babita’s husband had died four years ago.

Vinay confessed to the police that he knew Babita had relations with some other youths in the village and he had objected to it several times. An altercation had occurred on Wednesday night over the same issue and he killed the entire family in a fit of anger.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/480925/

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OPINIONS AND EDITORIALS

BJP AT SEA: JUST DOESNT KNOW WHAT TO DO – EDITORIAL (JUN 22, 2009, THE TRIBUNE)

It is not for nothing that the BJP’s Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Ms Sushma Swaraj, recently described the condition in the party after the general elections as "volcanic" and another senior leader Arun Shourie, lamented in a letter to party president Rajnath Singh that the party had been taken over by "conspirators." Earlier, former Union ministers Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha had both given vent to their frustration with equal vehemence. Clearly, the BJP is in turmoil and is groping for direction as never before. The punishing defeat in the elections has left its cadres demoralised and senior leaders disoriented. The just-concluded National Executive meeting that was supposed to do some soul-searching and give a new direction to the party has ended in acrimony and distrust with nothing of consequence coming out of it.

The running thread in Mr Shourie’s letter and those of Mr Jaswant Singh and Mr Yashwant Sinha is that the party leadership is wilfully shying away from an honest analysis of the reasons for its poor performance in the elections. Also, that there is lack of accountability as is borne out by the fact that those charged with responsibility for the selection of candidates, leading the election campaign and working out its strategy are being rewarded with plum posts rather than being punished for failure in the tasks assigned to them. The meeting of the National Executive exemplified the deep divisions within the party and the response of the leadership, with party president Rajnath Singh rubbing it in that in the BJP, success was always a "collective credit" and "failure, a collective responsibility." Honest introspection was, therefore, given a go-by.

The net result of the two-day meeting of the party’s top decision-making body is seeing the country’s principal opposition party caught in utter confusion and which does not know how to face the after-effects of defeat. The party, which needs a catharsis, could not face the basic question whether it should cling to Hindutva or give it up. Allied is the issue of its relationship with the RSS, which, despite denials, continues to have a hold on the party’s mind and ideology. The inability to begin afresh is also clear from its decision to let Mr L.K. Advani continue as Leader of the Opposition despite the fact that he would have taken all the credit if the party had won the polls, but now is reluctant to accept the blame for the failure. So much for his and the party’s adherence to the principle of accountability.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090622/edit.htm#1

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BLOODLETTING IN THE BJP – BY PRAFUL BIDWAI (JUN 25, 2009, NAV HIND TIMES)

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s second consecutive defeat in the national elections has led to vicious infighting. The BJP’s pettiest and meanest traits are on full display in this sordid power-play. Former finance minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha has joined former foreign minister, Mr Jaswant Singh in raising the banner of revolt by attacking the LK Advani camp for its election strategy failure and for ‘rewarding’ those who devised it. Some other leaders blame the BJP’s recourse to Hindutva for its defeat. The RSS has joined the fray for the first time with its ideologue Mr MG Vaidya dismissing the suggestion. Shaken, party president Mr Rajnath Singh has banned leaders from commenting on the defeat until the issue is internally discussed. But Mr Singh lacks the authority to enforce the ban. He played partisan in belatedly announcing Mr Arun Jaitley’s resignation as general secretary. And party leaders’ bitterness is too great for a lid to be put on the issue.

The BJP’s campaign heavily projected Mr Advani as Prime Minister, believing his ‘resolute’ image would appeal to the electorate. The campaign fell flat. But the Advani camp pretends it didn’t. Clean Chit to Undeserved: Yet, Mr Advani’s critics are driven by ambition and ego. Mr Jaswant Singh is loath to forgo his privileges as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha. He attacked Advani groupie Mr Jaitley’s elevation to that post as a reward for poor performance. Similarly, Mr Sinha accuses the party of putting ‘a premium on failure’. In his leaked letter to Mr Rajnath Singh, he mocks Mr Jaitley and Advani aide Mr Sudheendra Kulkarni: ‘those who were responsible for the ‘campaign have already ‘ apportioned blame and given themselves a clean chit’. Mr Sinha also says the leadership disregarded the party constitution in appointing Ms Sushma Swaraj as the Deputy LoP in the Lok Sabha, a post he himself wanted. Mr Sinha is senior to Ms Swaraj and rooted in one constituency (Hazaribagh). She has flitted from Haryana to Delhi to Madhya Pradesh. But Mr Sinha is no exemplar of consistency. When he lost from Hazaribagh in 2004, he had no compunction in getting a Rajya Sabha nomination. His trajectory runs from the Socialists to the BJP, which he had long called communal.

Mr Sinha belongs to the BJP’s ‘left-out’ or ‘lost’ generation, consisting of leaders in the 60-to-80 age group. This lot resents its exclusion from all major party posts and most of the BJP’s privileged Constitutional-parliamentary positions, which have been monopolised by Advani loyalists. This generation, including Mr Murli Manohar Joshi and Mr Arun Shourie, resents younger leaders’ anointment as Mr Vajpayee-Advani’s successors. Tale of Two Camps: This is the beginning of the BJP’s ‘debate’ over its debacle. There will be raucous exchanges between the two camps which divide the BJP’s national leadership: one led by Mr Advani, including loyalists Mr Jaitley, Ms Swaraj, Mr Venkaiah Naidu, Mr Ananth Kumar and Mr Vasundhara Raje, and the other led by Mr Rajnath Singh, supported by Messrs Jaswant Singh, Sinha, Gopinath Munde, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Vijay Goel. Most men from the second camp, barring Maharashtra BJP president Mr Munde, have no base. Mr Jaswant Singh, for instance, couldn’t have got elected from Rajasthan given Ms Raje’s opposition. But then, neither could many in Mr Advani’s camp. Ms Swaraj won by fluke: her opponent didn’t file his nomination papers in time. Mr Naidu can’t get elected from his native Andhra. And Mr Jaitley has never contested an election.

Mr Narendra Modi, other BJP Chief Ministers and the super-ambitious Mr MM Joshi are waiting and watching. They’ll try to recruit support from different sangh parivar elements, including the RSS. The RSS is keen to wrest control of the BJP from Mr Advani, after his strident loyalist Mr Jaitley attributed the BJP’s defeat to its ‘shrill’ opposition to the United Progressive Alliance, and called for ‘moderation’. Mr Kulkarni and journalist-ideologue Mr Swapan Dasgupta have riled the RSS the most. Neither has a party base, but both are considered Mr Advani’s agents. He probably used them to float a trial balloon. Mr Kulkarni blames the BJP’s anti-Muslim bigotry for its defeat and demands it sever its links with the RSS. Mr Dasgupta too wants the BJP to adopt a Right-wing economic, social and political agenda, without the tag of religious fundamentalism, much like Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives although his opposition to Hindutva is purely tactical. Mr Advani’s critics are as communal as him. Mr Sinha stridently defended Mr Narendra Modi. Mr Jaswant Singh is no less hawkish than Mr Advani although he doesn’t like the RSS, and vice versa. The BJP’s infighting isn’t over ideology or Hindutva, but over the top organisational positions.

Historic Decline of the BJP: The BJP is in historic decline and unlikely to rebound quickly. The unique circumstances of its ascent from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s have passed, including the Ayodhya mobilisation, the anti-Mandal platform against affirmative action, the Congress’s decline, and the rise of militant, illiberal, ethno-religious nationalism within the middle class. These catapulted the BJP into power and created an illusion of success for its ‘social engineering’ approach of combining elite support with OBC votes. The party was buoyed by forces and conditions it didn’t even comprehend, and which may never return. The BJP’s ideological confusion, political mobilisation crisis, and organisational crisis will now worsen. It cannot cut the umbilical chord with the RSS. It couldn’t sever it during the Janata period (1977-79), when it chose to split over the ‘dual membership’ issue. It didn’t break with the sangh after the Babri demolition or the Gujarat pogrom. It’s unlikely to do that now. Those who want the BJP to break from the RSS are asking for the moon. When under pressure, the BJP is likely to return to Hindutva. That means marginalisation, going back into the ghetto, losing yet more elections and being reduced to a niche party with a limited base, like the former Jana Sangh with 20 to 35 Lok Sabha seats. Whatever happens, the BJP’s internal bloodletting will continue relentlessly.

http://www.navhindtimes.com/story.php?story=2009062519

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VARUN SAID IT ALL: HE MUST BE PROCEEDED AGAINST UNDER LAW – EDITORIAL (JUN 23, 2009, THE TRIBUNE)

When the venom spewed by Varun Gandhi on the Muslims had shocked the nation some months ago, he had tried to hide behind the canard that his voice had been doctored. Now that forensic examination has nailed his lie, it is time to prosecute him like any other person who spreads communal hatred. That he was supported by the BJP or that he made the searing remarks in the election campaign should not come in the way of his facing the consequences of spreading hatred. At that time, howls of protests that had also arisen were because Ms Mayawati in her usual style had decided to invoke the draconian National Security Act against Varun, which indeed was excessive and an ill-thought-out move and was rightly struck down by the court.

As far as the BJP is concerned, it will be exorcising its own ghosts if it admits that backing Varun Gandhi was a blunder and one of the factors which led to its poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections. It may have won Pilibhit for the party, but it lost the elections for the Lok Sabha. What was most unfortunate was that none of the leaders – even those who are now asking it to do introspection – really disowned him then. On the contrary, party president Rajnath Singh rushed to Pilibhit in his defence and tried to make him a poster boy of warped Hindutva. Had the party asked him to stand down, it could have found itself in less hot waters. But then, the BJP has never picked up moral courage to disown such depredations either in Gujarat or Mangalore or Kandhamal.

Men like Varun Gandhi come into prominence only because parties and organisations backing them do not have the foresight to stop them in their tracks. The Frankensteins get drunk on their own notoriety and cause tremendous harm to society at large. Adequate punishment meted out to him will send a strong message to all of his ilk that the country’s patience is now running out with those divisive in nature and approach.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090623/edit.htm#1

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BANNING MAOISTS – EDITORIAL (JUN 24, 2009, THE TRIBUNE)

By clamping a ban on the Communist Party of India ( Maoist) across the country, including West Bengal, New Delhi has taken a decisive step in its fight against the Maoists. The move signals a sense of purpose in dealing with the rebels’ overthrow of the state by violence. No government can tolerate the kind of challenge to its authority as posed by the Maoists’ revolt at Lalgarh, declaring it a "liberated zone". This, as it appears, finally prompted the Home Ministry to update the list of organisations banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The new firmness of purpose is specially welcome in view of the senseless violence unleashed recently by the Maoists in several states, including Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand, and their increasing belligerence. Detonation of remote-controlled landmines has killed over 50 policemen this month alone and the Indian state, it is clear, could no longer afford to treat the Maoist menace lightly.

The Left Front’s reluctance to ban the Maoists, although somewhat hypocritical, is seemingly consistent with its political stand. The West Bengal Chief Minister had reiterated in July last year the state government’s plan to deal with the Maoists politically and through administrative action. CPM general secretary Prakash Karat’s explanation on Monday that party cadres were being targeted in West Bengal by the Maoists largely because the CPM had been politically opposing the rebels was also meant to stress this line. The clash between the Marxists and the Maoists is an old one, dating back to the 1960s. But even then it should have been clear to the CPM that the plan had not quite worked out in West Bengal. Or else the Left Front government’s police would not have been forced to abandon Lalgarh in November last year, only to return this month under the protective umbrella of the Central Reserve Police Force. The Maoists, the CPM knows, can’t be contained by it in any way.

An official ban does serve only the limited purpose of restricting public activities of the banned outfits. It also helps the state in detaining and arresting people found with banned literature or those sheltering the rebels associated with the banned outfits. But while the ban by itself is unlikely to stop largely underground bodies from mischief, the difference of opinion between the West Bengal government and the Union Government is unfortunate. One expects a national consensus on the need to combat the Maoists and also concerted action against the armed rebels by the Centre and the states, including West Bengal. No one can be allowed to play with the country’s security.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090624/edit.htm#1

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BILL OF WRONGS – EDITORIAL (JUN 25, 2009, THE HINDU)

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi protests too much about the Union Cabinet’s decision to recommend that President Pratibha Patil return the controversial anti-terror Bill passed by the State Assembly in 2003. The Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Bill has some patently draconian features reminiscent of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which was repealed in 2004. It is not even in keeping with POTA’s somewhat milder successor, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which has raised serious concerns from a jurisprudential and civil rights standpoint, particularly after it was amended in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack.

The central government has objected to three provisions of the Gujarat Bill. These relate to making confessions to a police officer admissible in evidence; restricting the court’s power to grant bail when opposed by the public prosecutor; and giving courts total discretion to extend the period of pre-trial detention from 90 to 180 days. Mr. Modi has bluntly refused to make the changes suggested, arguing they would knock the

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