The Ambedkar Periyar Study circle, IITM, was targetted in Chennai. Rohit Vemula was sacrificed in Hyderabad Central University. Student leader, Kanhaiya Kumar of JNU, was slapped with sedition charges in Delhi. Attacks have been carried out in Kozikode and Palamur universities in Kerala and Kuvempu, Mysore, Tumkur and Davangere Universities in Karnataka.
Now, Akhila Bharatiya Vidya Parishat, the student wing of India’s ruling party, BJP, are trying to bring Bangalore into disrepute by bringing in allegations of sedition and anti-nationalism. Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, a city known for its cosmopolitan culture attracts many outsiders who are welcomed to the city and is not known as a hotbed of activism. It is a working city inhabited by more middle class people than the average city in India and many millionaires and a few billionaires.
Sowing the seeds of anti-national ethics in a city where the working and middle class are involved in the daily struggles of building their lives, shows how low the ABVP, a brahminical organisation, can sink.
On the 13th August Amnesty International India had organised ‘Broken Families’, an event at the United Theological College, Bangalore as part of a campaign to seek justice for victims of human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. The event involved discussions with families from Kashmir featured in Amnesty International India’s report, “Denied: Failures in accountability for human rights violations by security force personnel in Jammu and Kashmir”. The Kashmiri Pandit community were also invited to speak.
A few of the students at the event shouted slogans against the army and a complaint of sedition was lodged against them by the ABVP at the Bangalore J C Nagar police station and a First Information Report(FIR) was filed.
We are being told Azaadi (Independent) Kashmir is a local issue and we should not talk about human rights violations by the army. Any ordinary citizen living in a democracy will not agree to this unjust ideology. Kashmir is a sensitive place. Whether the minority or majority live there a peaceful living is important. A public debate on this is an absolute necessity.
Is Indian army unquestionable? If citizens of this country have the right to criticise the constitution then they have every right to criticise the army and not allowing it is against the intention of the constitution. If a mistake is made by the army or parliament it is a mistake.
The Army is not an independent nation but serves the nation according to the law of the land and the Constitution sets out these laws.
No dalit or Muslim has ever been a chief of the army in this nation. How can we say then that there is social justice in the army? The Government prevents the oppressed from organising by creating unrest in the society and will not refrain from making use of the sacred cow or even the army. We must stand up against this destruction of democratic culture.
It is a particularly sad state of affairs for women in Kashmir and the North east.
There is no guarantee that children will safely return home. They are constantly under threat of atrocities being committed against them. Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), a continuation of the act the British brought in to suppress the ‘Quit India’ movement in 1942, has extended special powers to every soldier and immunity to the Armed forces personnel against prosecution for human rights violations, making them unaccountable.
The Justice Verma committee recommended in 2013 that the AFSPA be amended to remove the requirement of sanctions from the central government for prosecuting security force personnel for crimes involving violence against women. A commission headed by N Santosh Hegde in 2013 appointed by the Supreme Court mandated to evaluate the role of the security forces in Manipur found that the AFSPA was widely abused by security forces in Manipur. The Justice Jeevan Reddy committee recommended in 2005 that the act be repealed stating: “the Act, for whatever reason, has become a symbol of oppression, an object of hate and an instrument of discrimination and high handedness.”
Irom Sharmila was on hunger strike for 16 years protesting against this act. Amnesty international India has reported: ‘’To date, not a single member of the security forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir over the past 25 years has been tried for alleged human rights violations in a civilian court. An absence of accountability has ensured that security force personnel continue to operate in a manner that facilitates serious human rights violations.’’ By immediately repealing this act India can restore faith in democracy and return trust in the army personnel. How come ABVP and RSS who claim to be the real patriots do not raise these issues? It is everyone’s duty to take a pro life stand. Discussions and interactions should make everyone aware of this.
However, people protesting peacefully are labelled anti nationals so that the Hindutva agenda can be pushed forward. We need to understand the hidden agenda underlying this otherwise freedom of the entire society is under threat. Sensible citizens should take the responsibility of protecting our freedom of expression before the Hindu fundamentalists throttle it.
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Translated from Kannada by Sridhar Gowda
ONE SHOULD KEEP IN MIND THE ARMY FOLLOWS ORDERS OF GOVT,THEY DONT ACT ON THEIR OWN.
BUT THERE ARE QUITE A FEW WHO USES OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE REVENGE ON INNOCENT MASSES.
IT IS HATRED, AND HATE EATS MAN’S ALL GOOD DEEDS, HE IS A BLIND PERSON.