By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,

Bhopal: India's giant Public Sector Undertaking Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, (BHEL), Bhopal Unit has won the prestigious CSI National Award for Excellence in IT 2013 in the category of Business Collaboration solutions: Banking & Finance.

The award was conferred by J Satyanarayana, Secretary, Department of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India in the 48th CSI Annual Convention held the other day at Visakhapatnam (A.P.). V. Raghavan, President of CSI and Scientific Secretary to the Union Government, Anil Srivastava, Joint Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation & Chairperson & convenor CSI Awards and other senior officials of Government of India, private companies & CSI were also present during the award ceremony.

BHEL, Bhopal Unit officials Dr. Mukesh Arora Head (IT & Comm), Vivek Pathak, Sr. Manager - IT and Rajneesh Rai, Sr. Engineer - IT, receiving the CSI National Award for Excellence in IT 2013.

The award was received on behalf of BHEL, Bhopal Unit by Dr. Mukesh Arora Head (IT & Comm), Vivek Pathak, Sr. Manager - IT and Rajneesh Rai, Sr. Engineer - IT. The first prize comprised of a cash award of Rs.1 lakh and a memento and certificate

The CSI awards are instituted to acknowledge and motivate organizations working in private & public sectors to recognize benchmark IT excellence in corporate.

By TCN News,

New Delhi: The Department of English, Jamia Millia Islamia is going to organize an International Conference on “Dalit Literature and Historiography: Resistance and Reconstruction” from December 19-21, 2013.

The proposed Conference aims at providing an interdisciplinary platform for writers, poets, researchers, academics and non-academics to deliberate upon the trends, issues and methodologies in “Dalit Literature and Dalit Historiography”, in the true spirit of exchanging ideas and mapping new horizons.

The Inaugural Session of the Conference is scheduled to be held on December 19, 2013 at 10 AM in Edward Said Hall, Administrative Block, Jamia Millia Islamia.

Prof. M Asaduddin, Head, Department of English, Jamia Millia Islamia will deliver the Welcome Remarks on this occasion.

Prof. Kancha Ilaiah, Director, Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad shall deliver the Key-note Address of the Conference.

Prof. S.M. Sajid, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia shall Chair and deliver the Chair’s Remarks in the Inaugural Session of the Conference.

In the three-day International Conference, spread over 14 academic sessions, more than 60 papers are expected to be presented on the themes/sub-themes of the Conference by senior national-international faculty members, research scholars of various colleges/universities.

The Broad Themes-Sub-Themes of the Conference are –

1) Revisiting the Subaltern: Dalit Literature and its Discontents
2) Dalit Literature: Trends and Issues
3) Dalit Literature & Dalit Historiography
4) Dalit Historiography vs Marxist Historiography
5) Dalit Historiography vs Subaltern Historiography
6) Dalit History: Oral vs Written
7) Dalit History: Resistance and Reconstruction
8) Dalit Literature: Politics of Translation
9) Dalit, Afro-American and Aboriginal Identities: Convergence and Comparative Perspectives

The Conference shall be attended by the Invitees from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Delhi University, University of Hyderabad, Utkal University, EFLU, University of Calcutta, etc. as also other foreign Universities.

On December 20, 2013, there will be two Special Sessions called Writers’ Meet from 2.15 PM onwards at Tagore Hall, Dayar-e-Mir Taqi Mir, Jamia Millia Islamia.

The Panel Discussion by Jamia Research Scholars is scheduled to be held on the last day of the Conference i.e. December 21, 2013 at 2.15 PM in Tagore Hall, Dayar-e-Mir Taqi Mir, Jamia Millia Islamia. Mr. Saroj Kumar Mahananda, Department of English, Jamia Millia Islamia shall Chair the Panel Discussion.

The Valedictory Session is scheduled to be held at 4 PM in Tagore Hall on December 21, 2013. Dr. Nandu Ram, formerly Dean and Ambedkar Chair Professor, CSSS, Jawaharlal Nehru University will deliver theValedictory Speech.

Mr. M Asaduddin, Head, Department of English, Jamia Millia Islamia shall Chair the Valedictory Session. Dr. Saroj Kumar Mahananda will deliver the Vote of Thanks.

For more information of the Conference, please visit at www.dalitliteraturehistoriography.blogspot.in

By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,

New Delhi: An Independent Peoples' Tribunal was jointly organised by Human Rights Law Network, All India Network of NGOs and Individuals working with National / State Human Rights Institutions [AiNNI], Human Rights Alert, Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights, Human Rights Advocacy and Research Foundation and Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) on the functioning of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on December 14, 15 & 16, 2013 in New Delhi.

This was being organised on the occasion of the 20 years of Paris Principles [1993], 20 years of the Protection of Human Rights Act [1993] and 20 years of the Vienna Conference [1993].

The jury was chaired by Justice (Retd.) Hosbet Suresh, [Former Judge of the Mumbai High Court] and comprised Justice (Retd.) Surendra Bhargav, [Former Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court], Justice (Retd.) W A Shishak, [Former Chief Justice of Chattisghar High Court ], Justice (Retd.) K Sukumaran, [Former Judge of the Mumbai and Kerala High Court], Mr. Yambem Laba, [Former Member of Manipur SHRC], Prof. Babu Mathews, [Professor, National Law University, New Delhi], Prof. Kamal Chenoy, [Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi], Prof. Anuradha Chenoy, [Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi], Prof.Vimal Thorat, [Professor and Social Activist].It's been 20 years since the formation of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The NHRC was constituted under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, for the protection and promotion of human rights in India.

The first day comprised of three sessions. The first session was on 'NHRC's compliance to UN standards'; the second session on 'Police encounter, custodial torture, custodial death and the response of the NHRC'; and the third session on 'Killings and torture by armed forces and the response of the NHRC'.

The second day comprised of five sessions. The first session was on 'Attack on human rights defenders and response of NHRC; the second session on 'Communalism and Response of NHRC, the third session was on 'Violation of Women's Rights and Responses of NHRC, the fourth session was on 'Dalit issues and the Response of NHRC'; and the fifth session was on 'Tribal Rights and the Response of NHRC'.

The third day again comprised of four sessions. The first session was on 'Environment, housing and displacement and the response of NHRC; the second session on 'Health rights and response of NHRC; the third session on 'Child rights and the response of NHRC'; and the fourth session 'Disability and the response of NHRC'. We patiently listed in each session to a series of expert testimonies followed by depositions from victims of different violations who had approached the NHRC at different points of time.

Many noted activists, lawyers and intellectuals from various organizations shared their views on the issues concerning the grass root problems in the country.

NAPM and NBA was represented by Ms. Medha Patkar, she talked about the displacement and inadequate rehabilitation of the people displaced because of land acquisition and especially those of displacement. She especially emphasised on the need of NHRC to play a proactive role in the rehabilitation of homeless people. She also talked expanding the role of NHRC towards providing justice to the people looking beyond the current system of justice mechanism.

“The NHRC should engage more with the different ministries and work towards a broader development of Act where issues are mitigated with and through democratic processes,” she said.

Ms. Shivani Chaudhary of HLRN, talked about preparation of a National Plan of Action on Human Rights as per Vienna Principles, which should be put up before the Parliament of India for further action.

Mr. Praful Samantarai spoke about land issues. “In the present regime of the law, the land is grabbed by the mafias, corporates and the government is also exploiting the tribals and farmers forcing them to quit from their own land,” he asserted.

Mr. Simpreet Singh talked about the urban homeless poor. “NHRC has made appointment of core groups on bonded labour, health etc, but nowhere the urban poor or housing is a core group. It is clear that for the NHRC, the urban poor are not a focus area at all,” he said. He also added that the NHRC should recognise "Right to Housing" as a fundamental right.

At a time, when a majority of the Indian population is living in a state of continuous famine and which is getting worst over years, Mr. Binayak Sen talked about the need for proactive role of the NHRC. He said that there should be a right to health and the NHRC should make recommendation to the government regarding that.

At the end of the third day the Jury made the following interim recommendations:

- The PHRA 1993 needs an urgent , immediate, overhauling ,after 20 years of working with the same – the amendments are urgently required in the fields of the definition of human rights, the composition, selection and appointment of the Chair and Members/ Deemed Members, its functions, procedures in complaints handling, powers of the commission, steps after enquiry etc.

- The Government and Parliament needs to know that the NHRC has been granted 'A' grade status at the time of its accreditation before the ICC in May 2011 and made very serious recommendations that need to be strictly adhered to urgently.

- The Paris Principles 1993 and ICC General Observations of May 2013 need to be strictly adhered to in any effort at law making that is made.

Bathe massacre survivors submit 5 million signatures to President.

By Saiyed Danish, TwoCircles.net,

New Delhi: A public hearing was held at Jantar Mantar challenging the series of Patna High Court verdicts that acquitted all accused in massacres by the Ranveer Sena.

The hearing was addressed by survivors and eyewitnesses of the Bathani Tola, Laxmanpur Bathe and Nagari Bazaar massacres, and family members of the victims. A delegation of the massacre survivors was accompanied by eminent citizens and activists, including several writers, intellectuals and journalists, over the past month.

Several survivors of the Laxmanpur Bathe and Nagari Bazaar massacres spoke of their long struggle for justice, battling all the efforts to terrorise them into silence.

“Foetuses were ripped apart from the stomachs of eight women, and flung in the air”, said Madhuri from Laxmanpur Bathe, recounting the horror. “We routinely receive threats. When we were making depositions, we were told ‘now we have killed 58, we will kill 116 if you say anything’,” she added.

“Today those who threatened and murdered us are roaming free. Nitish Kumar and those in power in Delhi should answer: is this justice?” said Rita, another survivor of the Bathe massacre.

Bathani Tola massacre survivor Naeemuddin Ansari, who lost 6 family members in the massacre recalled that President KR Narayanan had in 1997 called the Bathe massacre a 'national shame.'"We hope President Mukherjee too will raise his voice for the cause of justice against this second national shame – the acquittal of all the accused. The High Court refused to believe us, saying that we cannot be ‘survivors’, we should all have been dead had there been a massacre! Now the very fact that we are alive is being used to deny us justice,” he said.

Another survivor Oghraj said, “I have personally identified several among those who led the assault in my village. And now the High Court refuses to believe me, and says I am a liar! We were filled with terror when the murderers were acquitted, fearing retaliations. But now we have decided we just have to fight, we can’t turn back”.

The jury at the public hearing included Prof. Nandini Sundar of DU, Profs. Sona Jharia Minz and YS Alone of JNU, Prof Nawal Kishor Choudhury of Patna University, and JNUSU VP Anubhuti Agnes Bara, Chittaranjan Singh, PUCL and others. Among those who addressed the gathering were CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPRM General Secretary Taramani Rai, and Atul Dighe of Lal Nishan Party (Leninist). The proceedings were conducted by Revolutionary Youth Association General Secretary Ravi Rai.

Terming the acquittals a 'massacre of justice', CPI(ML) GS Dipankar Bhattacharya said the erstwhile Laloo-Rabri regime and the current Nitish Kumar regime had betrayed the massacre victims alike, and protected the perpetrators.

The memorandum submitted by the survivors to the President reminded that in 1997, "the Bihar Government was prompted to set up the Justice Amir Das Commission to probe and identify the political leaders backing the Ranveer Sena. This Commission was wound up by the present Bihar Government when it was on the point of submitting its report."

The memo appealed to the President to "ensure the reopening of the Justice Amir Das Commission, or else institute a fresh enquiry commission, and ensure the time-bound submission of its report, so that the political actors implicated in the massacres can be identified and punished."

By Sheikh Qayoom, IANS,

Srinagar : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has asserted the National Conference (NC) would continue to support the Congress but speculations are rife locally as to how much his party can concede to its ally in the forthcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections.

At present, the NC has three members in the Lok Sabha representing Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla constituencies.

The Congress has two, representing Jammu and Udhampur seats, while the lone seat from the Ladakh region was represented by an Independent candidate, who however resigned earlier this year after he was elected to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council in Kargil.

NC patron Farooq Abdullah has already announced party candidates for the general elections from Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla, angering many among the Congress who say this was done without consulting them.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad recently said no formal discussions have so far been held between the two parties on an electoral alliance for 2014.

He was reacting to media reports saying Omar Abdullah, who is also the NC president, called on UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and discussed an alliance for the 2014 elections.

Azad also said since the Lok Sabha and assembly elections are likely to be held separately, the working out of an electoral understanding would have to take a holistic view of both these elections, or in other words, sought a clear-cut assurance from the NC as to how much it was prepared to concede to his party.

Since the NC has little chances of winning either the Jammu or the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat on its own, it would have not have much problems supporting the Congress candidates for these two Lok Sabha seats in 2014.

The real problem for the NC-Congress 2014 electoral alliance is the sharing of the state assembly seats.

In the 87-member assembly, the NC has 28 members and the Congress 17 this time. Out of these, the latter has just three members from the Valley which has 46 assembly constituencies.

Out of 37 assembly seats from the Jammu region, the NC has just six members. The Congress has 13 members from the Jammu region at present.

Ladakh region has four assembly constituencies out of which the NC has three members while the fourth seat is represented by a Congress candidate.

This would mean that the assembly seat adjustment would have to be focused on how much the Congress can concede to the NC in the Jammu region and how much can the NC concede to the Congress in the Valley.

Traditionally, the Valley has been seen as the political stronghold of the NC, but now it faces serious challenges there from its regional arch rival, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), which has 21 seats in the state assembly.

Congress insiders reveal the party would like to field candidates from least three more seats in the Valley in addition to Uri, Dooru and Kokarnag which are this time represented by its candidates.

Senior NC leaders like Mustafa Kamal are already opposing any electoral alliance with the Congress. Kamal maintains that instead of helping his party, the Congress would like it to give up places where the NC's support alone could make victory possible for the Congress nominees.

Forming an alliance like the two parties did after 2008 elections after both had fought the elections separately and forming an alliance to fight the elections jointly in 2014 are two different ball games.

There is another view on this. Many in the NC and the Congress suggest the two should fight the 2014 elections separately and then get together to form a coalition depending upon who wins how much.

Political expediency - more than family ties or idealistic priorities - would determine friends and enemies for 2014 elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

(Sheikh Qayoom can be contacted at sheikh.abdul@ians.in)

By Ras H. Siddiqui, TwoCircles.net,

San Francisco: The American Muslim Voice Foundation held a peace convention at Chandni Restaurant in Newark, California on Sunday, December 8, 2013 to the delight of many community activists from across the region.

Although the AMV is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, its outreach effort is now well-known far beyond its roots, and it is actively building up its base of support in the Sacramento area as well. What is unique about this organization is its approach to the American-Muslim interaction post 9/11/2001 when terrorists attacked the United States.

Ras Siddiqui (Left) presents Media Award to Keit Do (Right) while K. Saeed(M) looks on.

The AMV organization celebrated its 10 years of existence this year and has been successful by encouraging Muslims to take the “bottom up” or grassroots community approach first instead of the usual temptation to prioritize building of relations with the top political powers in this country.

AMV founder Samina Sundas says that the vision of the organization start a dialogue with your immediate neighbour first and explain what Islam is and what Muslims are all about to him or her before you try to get the attention of your Member of Congress or Senator (although that happens later as California Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett was present at this event).

The afternoon formalities conducted by Maria Tariq started off with a Recitation from the Holy Qur’an and formal words of welcome by AMV Board Member A. Sattar Ghazali. The Plenary speech delivered by Sadia Saifuddin was clear and informative and delivered with incredible style. Sadia was introduced to us at this venue by Rameesha Sattar. Sadia is fast becoming a role model for many young ladies in our community as a confident young activist. She is the first elected Muslim student member of the UC Board of Regents which represents over 200,000 students (system wide). Sadia spoke about the challenges one is faced growing up Muslim in America.

L-R: Reshma Inamdar, Senator Ellen Corbett & M. Shaiq.

The loaded question one is asked, are you “American-Muslim” or “Muslim American” was elaborated on by her personal experience growing up in California’s Central Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. She stresses the fact that Islam is a message for all of humanity and is not to be confined exclusively to our community. She said that she had worn a hijab since before 9/11 and that being a Muslim should expand our responsibilities in this country. She added that Muslims have the same concerns as the rest of this society and (for our young readers here) that being Muslim can also be synonymous with being cool and that we need to create our own narrative in this country.

After the presentation of the Martin Luther King Jr. Beloved Community Building Award to the Silicon Valley Foundation panel discussions kicked off the afternoon activities. The first panel discussed “Who will be left out of Immigration Reform” and the second “Income inequality & its impact on our communities, especially youth” (Dr. Cindy Chavez was a part of this panel). A workshop: "Made into America" Immigrant stories” was also on the cards.

Another set of panels followed which tackled “Bring all of your burning questions about Islam and Muslims” and a parallel effort “What is post racial about post racial?” both of which were quite informative. And a “Meet the Authors” panel conducted by Meer Shams concluded the afternoon activity which featured five writers Dr. Ejaz Naqvi, Pamela Olson, Rev. Ben Daniel, Rabbi Shelly Lewis and John Titus who we will revisit at the conclusion of this report.

L-R: Samina Sundas and keynote speakers Shane Claiborne and Terry Holdbrooks.

The evening program emceed by Naeem Syed began with a unique multi-faith prayer in which a young Muslim Child, a Jewish representative and a Christian female Reverend presented a religious bouquet to bless everyone. Next, M. Asif Sattar representing the AMV Sacramento Chapter spoke passionately about the need for everyone to work together to spread knowledge about true Islam in their communities. Introductions of the AMV team of activists followed and a moving video in which the work that the AMV Foundation has been doing along and the recognition that it has received in the mainstream media was highlighted.

AMV President Khalid Saeed next appeared on stage and introduced the first keynote speaker Shane Claiborne. Shane is a peacemaker whose extensive efforts include writing books, traveling to troubled lands and speaking about the need to find an alternate to conflict. Shane’s books include Jesus for President, Red Letter Revolution, Common Prayer, Follow Me to Freedom, Jesus, Bombs and Ice Cream, Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers – and The Irresistible Revolution. In his speech before the AMV audience this evening he shared his observations as a person on the ground (he was actually there in 2003) during the bombing of Iraq, and how in spite of the sufferings that mankind inflicts on itself, humanity still resurfaces and prevails. He stressed the need to build bridges instead of resorting to violence. “Love is more powerful than hatred,” he said, and shared how his life was saved by Iraqis while they were being bombed. He said that we all fear what we don’t know and commended AMV on its mission.

After Dinner AMV Executive Director Samina Sundas took the stage and introductions were made of the second keynote speaker Terry Holdbrooks. Terry has led an amazing life which he shared with us. He is from Phoenix, Arizona and was living quite a life when 9/11 happened. He joined the US Army and like many others wanted to defend his country but kept getting rejected by the recruiters. But when he finally did get in he made the mistake of asking for a job which paid a bonus, and found himself in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as a Military Police Officer ( after a trip to Ground Zero, in New York), guarding the world against the “worst of the worst” of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban imprisoned there. During his speech he mentioned some of the workings at Camp Delta, which many of us really feel uncomfortable knowing now (torture etc.) and after seeing prisoners there practicing Islam in that environment, he decided to convert to the faith himself. He spoke of the numerous languages spoken there (Arabic, Pashto, Urdu and Farsi were the main ones) with only a handful speaking English and how he had started hating the place and its environment. He said that he got a Qur’an from a detainee and finished reading it, quit drinking and decided to become a Muslim. He added that after 10 years over 600 of the 780 detainees at the facility were returned to their countries and many of the rest are an embarrassing reminder of our zest to get even and that it is possible that only a few are actually guilty.

AMV Foundation’s Awards Ceremony (and a brief fundraiser) closed the event during which the Fred Korematsu Civil Rights Award was given to the CAIR, Cesar Chavez Social Justice Award to Fr. Jon Pedigo STL Pastor, Virtuous Public Official Award to Kansen Chu, Badshah Khan Peace Award to Shane Claiborne, Marla Ruzicka Humanitarian Award to MAS Bay Area, an additional Martin Luther King Jr. Beloved Community Building Award to the Kamil Family, Spirit of Islam Lifetime Achievement Award went to Rev. Phil Lawson and Mertze Dahlin and the Peter Jennings Unbiased Media Award was (presented by Ras Siddiqui) to Keit Do.

It is people like author John L. Titus whose daughter Alicia was murdered on 9/11/2001, whose journey as a grieving father is documented in the book “Losing Alicia”, a man who has devoted his life to the cause of peace which gives us hope. America was attacked by a murderous bunch on that horrible day and not by a whole religion of 1.5 billion people. The damage that those attackers have done will take decades to heal. But the solution does not lie in wars and our doing more damage overseas. The only real healing process is in developing understanding between cultures and faiths, and there is no better place to start than by getting to know your neighbour.

By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,

Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee’s close aid and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim has hinted at the state government’s reluctance to allow the controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen in Kolkata.

Speaking at a function organized on the occasion of the Minority Rights Day on 18th December, in Kolkata, Firhad Hakim, alias Bobby Hakim said that there is no place for the woman in state, who hurts the sentiments of the Muslims, without actually naming the author.

He also said people like Salman Rushdie, who write against Islam are not welcome in the state.

Firhad Hakim speaking in a program on the occasion of Minority Rights Day in Kolkata.

He said that to maintain the communal harmony in the state, the controversial author, who has been living in exile in Delhi, after she was forced to leave Kolkata, could not be allowed to enter the city.

He also took a dig at the Congress led central government, which according to him, plays the minority cards, but at the same time has let the author stay in Delhi. He also alleged that the central government pressurized the state to even let her stay in Kolkata.

Hakim also claimed that the Muslims under Mamata Banerjee are getting due justice and shares in welfare schemes.

By IANS,

New Delhi : Terrorism that receives support from outside the country from state and non-state actors inimical to India needs to be fought, President Pranab Mukherjee said Thursday, noting also the threats posed by changing technology.

The president said state and non-state actors were engaged in efforts to destabilise the country.

"We have to fight against terrorism that receives support from outside our country. Both state and non-state actors inimical to the nation are continuously engaged in efforts to destabilise India," he said, delivering the annual Intelligence Bureau Centenary Endowment lecture at Vigyan Bhavan.

"The challenges to our security can come from many sources," he said.

Left-wing extremism is another serious threat to social peace and harmony in India, the president said.

"Rapid change in technology has also resulted in new threats," the president said, adding: "The misuse of the social media is now a weapon that terrorists across the world and anti-nationals are employing with greater sophistication."

"This has to be combated (through) adopting superior tactics and technology," he said.

The security system needs to be geared up for new challenges, the president said.

"As new challenges emerge, we would also need to upgrade our skills and technological capabilities. For security personnel to effectively counter these threats, timely and reliable intelligence is of utmost value," he said.

By IANS,

Kolkata : The telecast of a Bengali serial based on exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen's script has been deferred indefinitely in the wake of protests by minority religious groups in West Bengal, Aakash Aath TV channel Thursday said.

"Dusahobas" was scheduled to be screened Monday to Saturday at 10 p.m. on Aakash Aath channel, starting Thursday.

"Although Aakash Aath is willing and is ready to commence the telecast of 'Dusahobas' today at 10 p.m. as was envisaged, but due to reasons beyond the purview and control of Aakash Aath we may be forced to defer the telecast of this serial indefinitely," the channel said in a statement.

As many as 22 organisations had opposed the telecast of "Dusahobas", which according to the celebrated feminist "portrays women in strong roles, fighting against oppression and demanding their rights".

However, the religious minority groups claimed the script could "hurt the sentiments of the community".

The channel contended that the serial was based on "women's empowerment and had nothing to do with any religion or community whatsoever".

Nasreen has strongly reacted to the development and used a social networking site to vent her ire.

"To protect the bull**** 'sentiments' of Muslims, govts are taking actions against honest writers and artists, banning and censoring their works," tweeted Nasreen.

By Dr. Syed Ahmed for TwoCircles.net,

Imphal: Like other parts of the world, Minorities Rights Day was observed in Manipur too on December 18, 2013 by the Pangal (Manipuri Muslim) Political Forum (PPF), Manipur, at Manipur Press Club, Imphal.

The observance function was graced by Former Minister C. Doungel, President of PPF Md. Azizul Haque Khan, Former Minister Dr. M. Nara Singh, President of Women Society (PPF) Leina Begum, President of Meetei Christian Minority Forum (Imphal East) Rev. Asem Shyam Meetei, representative of Sanamahi Lup Yangoi Piba and Advocate Md. Jalaluddin as Chief Guest, President and Guests of Honour respectively.

Addressing the key-note address, Spokes-person of PPF, M.I. Khan said the Forum observed the day to make the minorities aware of their rights and to raise some of the key issues of the minorities of the State. He said, “On December 18, 1992 the United Nations promulgated the declaration Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities to strengthen the cause of minorities. Since then, Minorities Rights Day is observed to create awareness on rights of minorities. The Indian Government also passed the National Commission for Minorities Act in 1992 which identified the minorities in India. As per the Act the minorities in the country include Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh and Parsi. The National Commission for Minorities and the State Commissions for minorities have been trying to safeguard the rights of the minority communities in India. In Manipur too the Manipur State Minorities Commission was instituted in 2004 to protect the rights of minorities.”

“To bring the minority communities, especially Muslims, on par with other developed communities the UPA Government constituted the Sachar Committee to study the socio-economic and educational status of the Muslims in India. The report, tabled in the Parliament in 2006, revealed that the condition of Muslims in this country is worst than that of the STs and SCs. The Committee recommended numerous measures to improve the condition of Muslims. Considering the recommendations, the Central Government had introduced numerous programmes and schemes, which include among others the New PM’s 15-Point Progrmme, Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MsDP), Scholarship and Coaching Schemes for the minority communities. Many of these programmes are introduced in Manipur too. However, most of the programmes, including the MsDP and other beneficiary schemes, are not effectively implemented in the State,” he added.

“It is very unfortunate that the State Government has failed to observe such a significant day today,” he further said.

Dr. Nara said the State cannot develop if the Muslims remain backward. The State Government should initiate steps to bring the Muslim community on par with other communities. The politicians and Government officials should be sincere in implementing the developmental programmes. These programmes should reach the poor and the backward, he added.

Asem Shyam Meetei said the State Government has so far failed to recognize Meetei Christians as a minority community, even though a representative of the Meetei Christian is a member of the Manipur State Minorities Commission.

Md. Jalaluddin spoke on the rights of minorities laid down in the Indian Constitution. Former Secretary of Manipur State Minorities Commission Dr. Raheijuddin Sheikh and Assistant Professor of Lilong Haoreibi College Dr. Syed Ahmed also spoke at the function.

The function was attended by representatives of different minority communities of the State.

The Manipur State Minorities Commission is observing Minorities Rights Day on December 20 at Maharaja Chandrakirti Auditorium at Imphal. Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh will grace the function as Chief Guest. Minister (Agriculture and Fisheries) Md. Abdul Nasir, Parliamentary Secretary (Minorities & Other Backward Classes) Md. Amin Shah and MLA Md. Fajur Rahim will also attend the function.

By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,

Guwahati: Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and BJP on Thursday staged strong protest against the Indo-Bangladesh Land Swap bill after it was tabled in Rajya Sabha.

The opposition parties alleged that the bill was tabled in an undemocratic way at the house on Wednesday. The MPs of BJP have staged protest in New Delhi while the MLAs of BJP and AGP in Guwahati have staged a walk out during the winter session of Assam assembly on Thursday. All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) too has reacted at the development by burning effigy of the bill.

AASU and AGP, however, alleged that BJP did not do much in the house to stop the bill.

“The Congress government wants to hand over Indian land to Bangladesh and that too in undemocratic way. It’s a shame for trying to do so. We will not let it happen at any cost. We won’t let it pass in Lok Sabha,” BJP national vice president and Guwahati MP Bijoya Chakraborty said at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Thursday.

The constitutional amendment bill which will facilitate the swap of land enclaves with Bangladesh was introduced in Rajya Sabha amid din and high drama which saw members of Trinamool Congress and AGP trying to snatch copies of the proposed legislation on Wednesday. The protesting members complained that deputy chairman P J Kurien did not keep his promise not to allow introduction of the legislation without taking the sense of the House.

The saffron party has also called for a 12-hour Assam bandh on Friday.

“The way the bill was tabled from back door is not democratic. We condemn the process. All of our MLAs have walked out of the assembly today and we are observing the day as black day for insulting the democratic system by the government,” said AGP president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. Besides, the MLAs of BJP also staged a walk out from the assembly.

AGP also burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the tabling the bill. The agreement was signed during PM Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in 2011. In this agreement, the issue of exchange of ‘adversely possessed land’ in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and West Bengal along the India-Bangladesh border were finalized.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has been arguing that the agreement is in favour of the state’s interest as it will help tackle infiltration, smuggling and promote trade relations between the two countries. He said that Assam will get 397.50 acre land from Bangladesh, while the state will part with only 267.5 acre as part of the land swap agreement.

AASU, the apex students’ body of the state also burnt the effigy of PM Manmohan Singh and Assam CM Tarun Gogoi. “At any cost the interest of the people of the state and the region has to be addressed. We can protest but the opposition parties have to do the actual work in the house. All have to do it. But we are shocked that BJP did not do much when the bill was being tabled,” AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya said in Guwahati.

By TCN News

Lucknow: The 2 member CPIM Relief Committee for Muzaffarnagar comprising of Comrades DP Singh and Subhashini Ali visited Muzaffarnagar on the 7th and 8th December. Just before their visit, on the 6th, shocking reports of the district administration attempting to forcibly evict the riot affected from relief camps were received from those in charge of the camp at Loi and were also widely covered by the electronic and print media. Along with the CPIM national leadership, the Relief Committee members contacted the District Magistrate and also prominent Samajwadi Party leaders and, as a result, the police force and administrative officers left the Loi Camp. Unfortunately, in the ealy morning, they succeeded in dismantling a smaller camp at village Dhandera, PS Sikheda. About 25 families were left without shelter. Many of them lost their cots and tents because the administration took them away. They have now been forced to find shelter with people in the neighbourhood and in other camps.

After the committee members reached Muzaffarnagar, they met many of those who are actively organising the relief camps, lawyers, social workers and others. The information that they were given is very disturbing. The conditions in the camp are extremely precarious and, despite repeated requests, the State Government is not providing any essential services, medical, sanitary etc. or rations etc. Its entire emphasis is on trying to get the victims to leave the camps.

In one camp at Jaula, more than 50 bables have been born since the first week of September. They have been delivered by women in the camps or in private nursing homes. There has been no Govt. help whatsoever and this is true of all the camps. There are reports of several children, especially infants, dying in the camps due to the cold. One child died on the 6th December at Loi camp.

Payment of compensation to the dependants of those killed has been made but it is being denied to dependants of those who have been missing since the 8th September. The SP Govt. in 1995 had paid compensation to the dependants of 5 persons in Kanpur whose bodies were never recovered and recently the Uttarakhand Govt. has paid a similar compensation. In both cases, those receiving the compensation have signed affidavits that if the missing persons return, they will give back the amount received but, in the case of Muzaffarnagar, this precedent is not being followed. The 5 lacs compensation being paid to those who are homeless is also not being done in a fair and just manner. Many are being denied this amount all together and, in other cases, extended families of parents and several sons with their own families are being treated as one unit. There are also cases of persons who have not been able to go to the police station to register cases of arson because of fear and threats. The administration has adopted a very negative approach to these genuine problems.

Another very disturbing feature that was reported concerned the action or lack of taken against those accused to murder and rape. Till date, not a single accused of rape or gang rape has been arrested. Many of those accused of murder have also not been arrested. Those who have, have all been released on bail by the District Court within a few weeks of their arrests. All this has, naturally, made people extremely reluctant to return to their villages and their faith in the administration and judiciary is at an all-time low.

By IANS,

New Delhi : Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Thursday expressed hope that the National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid) centre in Delhi would function as a deterrent against terrorism in the country.

"The National Intelligence Grid is an integral intelligence system that will plug our vulnerabilites by upgrading and enhancing our capability to detect and respond to such threats at the earliest," Shinde said while laying the foundation stone of the data centre and main office in Vasant Kunj area of south Delhi.

This is the second centre of Natgrid after Bangalore -- which will work as a disaster recovery centre.

A home ministry official said the Natgrid data centre will use cutting-edge technology to help strengthen intelligence and law enforcement agencies' ability to detect terrorist activity, and swiftly piece together information that could help pre-empt attacks or find the perpetrators if an attack does take place.

"The government has ensured that there is no repeat of the 26/11 type of attack. 2013 witnessed four bomb blast cases. Hyderabad, Bangalore, Bodh Gaya and Patna suffered from terrorist violence," Shinde said.

The home minister expressed happiness that the Bangalore, Bodh Gaya and Patna blast cases have been solved.

"For our men and women who ensure the internal security of the nation, effective and timely intelligence is often what stands between saving precious lives and a possible disaster," he said.

"It is for this reason that our government resolved to create a tool that would support the intelligence and law enforcement agencies in the vital work that they do," the minister added.

By IANS,

New Delhi : A Delhi court Thursday issued a production warrant against 'Iron lady' Irom Sharmila to appear Jan 30, next year in a case of attempted suicide during her fast-unto-death at Jantar Mantar here in 2006.

Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain issued the production warrant after Sharmila failed to appear before the court. Earlier, the court had issued summons Oct 30 against her after Sharmila's counsel failed to turn up.

The testimony of the prosecution witness in the case is being recorded at present.

Sharmila is being detained in the security ward of a hospital in Imphal, Manipur.

She has been on a fast for about 12 years, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

On March 4, the court had framed charges against 40-year-old Sharmila, popularly known as 'Iron lady', for attempting to commit suicide and put her on trial after she refused to plead guilty.

Sharmila was present in the court in March and had denied that she attempted suicide while fasting at Jantar Mantar here in 2006.

The court had earlier told her that the maximum punishment in the case was a few months to a year, and since she had been in custody for more than six years, if she pleads guilty, the case would be settled.

But Sharmila refused to accept the charges against her.

Sharmila told the court that she has been protesting for the last 12 years in the "most non-violent way, like Mahatma Gandhi".

She said that she is fasting for the people of Manipur, as they are being neglected by the government, and requested the court not to ask her to appear in court because of her medical condition.

By IANS,

New Delhi : The central government will bring the anti-communal violence bill and the bill on creating Telangana in the next session of parliament, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said Thursday.

The cabinet passed the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2013, Dec 16. It was expected to be introduced in the winter session which ended Wednesday.

The bill is facing stiff opposition from the BJP and some other parties.

The cabinet had earlier approved a bill to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh and create a separate Telangana. The bill is currently with the Andhra Pradesh assembly for its approval.

By IANS,

New Delhi : The National Human Rights Commission is short of staff to take on the added responsibility if the anti-communal violence bill is passed in its present form, its chairman K.G. Balakrishnan said Thursday.

"The commission will have to share a huge responsibility for which its present capacity in terms of staff and infrastructure will not be sufficient," he said referring to the anti-communal violence bill.

However, the commission is prepared to take the responsibility in the right spirit, said Balakrishnan, a former chief justice of India.

On Monday, the cabinet approved the revised bill which provides for penalty for hate propaganda.

The NHRC chief was speaking at a day-long workshop here for media persons called "Media and Human Rights: issues and Challenges".

It was organised by the NHRC and the Indian Law Institute.

By IANS,

Dubai : Two doctors, including an Indian, are facing trial for manslaughter in Bahrain nine months after a woman died on the operating table.

Ruqaya Mahmood was reportedly suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure and could not undergo surgery, but a Brazilian plastic surgeon and an Indian anesthesiologist went ahead with the operation, the Gulf Daily News reported Thursday.

Prosecutors said the defendants had failed to provide the victim, who was in her 50s, proper medical treatment.

Both the doctors, however, pleaded not guilty at the Lower Criminal Court Wednesday.

The lawyer for the Brazilian surgeon requested the court to summon the medical panel, which examined the victim, to the next hearing.

The judge adjourned the trial till Jan 16.

By IANS,

New Delhi : In a rare show of unity, several religious leaders said here Thursday that political parties in favour of decriminalising same gender consensual sexual relationships should not take any step that threatens Indian culture and society.

A few Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian leaders said at a conference here that homosexuality not only prevents the evolution process of humans but also destroys the family system and social relationships.

"Lovers of western culture, in the name of freedom and minority rights, want homosexuality to be decriminalised. This is illogical," said Syed Jalaluddin Umari, national president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.

Dominic Emmanuel of the Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi said encouraging homosexuality would result in the spread of HIV/AIDS.

"Gay sex is a danger to public health as medical research has found it as a basic reason for the spread of HIV/AIDS," Emmanuel said.

Overturning a 2009 Delhi High Court judgment decriminalising homosexuality, the Supreme Court Dec 11 upheld Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which classifies gay sex as a crime. However, the court left it to parliament to amend the section if needed.

The union government has expressed "deep disappointment" over the verdict and said it was considering all options to restore the Delhi High Court order.

"We want the government and all parties to accept the Supreme Court's decision. We will never accept any amendments if they do it ignoring religious teachings, eastern culture and opinion of the overwhelming majority of the people," said Ranjit Singh, chief priest of Gurdwara Bangla Sahib.

Omkar Anand of Omkar Dham Ashram was of the view that early marriage could prevent people from straying.

"If the law allows youngsters to get married in their teens and in turn get sexually satisfied they won't stray," he said.

By Danish Khan for TwoCircles.net

Faisal Devji’s latest book ‘Muslim Zion: Pakistan as a political idea’ offers a fresh perspective to the Pakistan movement by linking it to the creation of Israel. In doing so, Devji takes us through some of the less explored themes like the collaborative and competitive politics of Ambedkar and Jinnah and the role of the Bombay’s Muslim merchants. In doing so he carries forth the larger argument of Pakistan and Israel being based on ideas and social contracts rather than blood, history and soil.

Danish Khan had earlier reviewed the book

What made you write Muslim Zion?

While important work has been done by scholars on the Pakistan Movement, I was tired of narratives about that attributed it entirely to the instrumentality of pre-constituted "interests", leaving out the ideas brought about by this politics altogether. The focus on interests, moreover, takes colonial India for granted as the site of this politics. What I try do in my book, then, is to suggest both that ideas were crucial in the making of Muslim politics, and that their world of reference was not confined to the British raj.

Do you think the creation of Israel would have stirred the same kind of passion among the Muslims as the Khilafat movement if the Partition had not taken place?

The Khilafat Movement represented India's first serious effort to make her voice heard in the international arena. In this sense it must be seen as succeeding Gandhi's struggle in South Africa, which attempted to address the equally international issue of the rights of Indian migrants and labourers in the empire. By the time of Partition, these imperial and international movements had given way to purely national ones on the one hand, and purely communist ones on the other. The Pan-Islamic or Pan-Asian, to say nothing of anarchist, mobilizations of the past had sunk into insignificance. If India had not been partitioned, she would no doubt have raised her voice against Israel's creation in a much more effective way, but unlike the Khilafat, it would have been in support of a national rather than religious cause.

You argue that the international or non-national characteristics of Zionism and Muslim nationalism (factors contributing to creation of Israel and Pakistan) bring them together among other variables. Does this denote that much remains to be explored regarding the birth of Pakistan especially in terms of global happenings rather than only domestic politics?

The problem with so much Pakistani historiography is that it is held prisoner by a small number of stereotyped and unproductive questions. Did Jinnah want Pakistan or not? Was it meant to be a secular or religious state? Who was responsible for Partition? Apart from being unanswerable, these questions are all highly legalistic, presuming to hold someone accountable, in a positive as much as negative way, for historical events. Such narratives betray their colonial inheritance, and one of my purposes in writing this book was to think about how we might look at the Pakistan Movement differently. There are many ways in which this shift in perspective can be accomplished, but the one that interested me was to internationalize the debate.

Would it be correct to say that groups like the Jamiat ul Ulema Hind too subscribed to the non-national or international characteristic of Muslim nationalism but with a different conception?

The Jamiat was not unusual in possessing an ambiguous vision of nationalism. For by the time the Second World War had begun, there was a general loss of faith in old-fashioned nation-states, which had been as unable as earlier monarchies to prevent another world war. The expansion of imperial power in the international order that emerged following the First World War, and the fate of minorities in the new states that came into being after it, also led to a widespread disillusionment with nationalism that was expressed most eloquently by men like Tagore and Iqbal. The Jamiat's critique of nationalism was targeted at the Pakistan Movement, which was seen as turning Muslims into a national rather than religious group, whereas an undivided India would be made up of inter-related religious and other groups whose identities would remain non-national.

Why do you think the early Muslim League members from Bombay who made huge donations to the League remain largely unexplored?

The historiography on Pakistan continues to be obsessed by North Indian and to some degree Punjabi Muslims, with Bengalis, Sindhis, etc. routinely left out. This is because every historian wants to play to a narrative cliche and draw some kind of connection between the loss of Muslim empire in the north, the rise of an Urdu-speaking intelligentsia there, and the founding of the Muslim League. Instead of focussing on the "neglected" regions and ethnicities of what became Pakistan, however, I decided to mount an internal critique of this narrative by looking more closely at the merchants of Bombay who were crucial in funding the League from the very beginning, and from whose ranks Jinnah came. I was also interested in the role of sectarian minorities like the Shia in League politics. Both these groups deserve much more historical scholarship than has been spent on them.

You have mentioned the two kinds of political strategies that the Muslims in British India could deploy - as a minority and as nation. Were these categories really distinct or did they overlap as well?

The curious thing about political strategies in this period is how ambivalent they often were, as if the categories that had to be deployed, including nation, majority and minority were recognized as describing Indian realities rather badly. And yet these received categories had to be used, if institutional politics both within India and internationally were to be possible. Both Iqbal and Jinnah, in their very different ways, were vocal in criticizing the categories of modern European politics, with Muslim politicians from early in the twentieth century seeking to undo or at least avoid them. For a while, during the 1930s, it seemed as if it would be possible to dismantle the terms majority and minority for Hindus as well as Muslims, given the great and multiple diversities of Indian populations, but it was not to be.

By TCN News

New Delhi: A Ministry of Human Resource Development sub-committee set up under the chairmanship of Prof. Akhtarul Wasey has recommended setting up of a monitoring committee to ensure the implementation of the programmes related to the promotion of Urdu.

Committee found that none of the over a thousand schools run by Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan(KV) provide Urdu education. Committee suggested reducing the minimum requirement from 15 to 5 students for KV to offer Urdu as a course.

Committee has also recommended removing the legal hurdles in setting up of government Urdu medium schools in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere.

This sub-committee was set up in April 2012 and other members are Sayyed Hasan Shuja, Editor, Sahafat Daily; Dr. Majid Deobandi, Prof. S.R. Kidwai, Professor of Urdu, University of Delhi, Syeda Balgrami Imam, member, National Commission for Minorities, and Deputy Secretary of Depatment of Higher Education as member secretary.

The major recommendations of the committee are:

(1) The Sub-Committee has recommended the setting up of a monitoring committee of experts to ensure the implementation of programmes related to promotion of Urdu in the light of the recommendations of the Sub-Committee and other proposals that might come up as an offshoot of these recommendations. The proposed Committee should comprise Principals of Urdu-medium schools and Urdu teachers from Delhi University, Aligarh Muslim University,Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jawaharlal Nehru University and other institutions and some other eminent Urdu scholars.
(2) A database of the institutions responsible for training Urdu teachers should be developed.
(3) None of the schools run by the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan in the country provide Urdu education due to the condition of minimum of 15 students for providing such as a facility. Section 122 of the Kendriya VidyalayaSangathan Code may be suitably amended to bring down the number to 5 or 6 students as is being done in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi respectively.
(4) Urdu should be introduced as a subject in the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas as well as Kasturba GandhiBalika Vidyalayas.
(5) Urdu-medium schools should be granted a 5 per cent exemption and a quota for admission to government colleges.
(6) Students having training to teach Urdu as a subject and not teaching through Urdu as a medium should also be provided the required training. This would include madrasa pass-outs. A teacher-training diploma course should be introduced for the madrasa pass-outs and the diploma in Madrasa Teacher Education (MTE) be made at par with the Diploma in Elementary Teacher Education (ETE).
(7) It is unfortunate that Urdu medium schools cannot be opened in Uttar Pradesh and many other states because they have some legal provisions that make the use of the official language of the state mandatory as medium of instruction and examination. Therefore, the government may formulate such laws that may allow the state governments to establish Urdu-medium educational institutions and conduct examinations in Urdu language in Uttar Pradesh and such other states.
(8) There should be transparency in implementing the three language formula. Urdu has been practically ousted from the category of modern Indian languages, depriving the students aspiring to learn Urdu of any such chance and forcing them to learn some other language in place of Urdu.
(9) Knowledge of Urdu must be made compulsory for administrative and semi-academic staff in every institution meant for education, teaching, promotion and propagation of Urdu such as Maulana Azad National Urdu University and National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language.
(10) The system of Distance Education can very effectively be used for teaching Urdu to certain sections of the population, particularly women, who cannot join regular schools for their education. The Aligarh-based institution,Jamia Urdu, has performed a pioneering role in this field in its 75 years of existence. It should be accorded the status of a deemed university.
(11) (i) There is an urgent need for English language skills to be developed and honed amongst the underprivileged sections of society – especially the Urdu-speaking minorities in the country. Inculcation of English language skills will, therefore, go a long way in contributing to the establishment of an inclusive society which is marked by literacy and awareness.
(ii) A Monitoring Committee to be formed to take care of the academic and administrative aspects of English-Language Courses.
(iii) Special emphasis should be laid on communicative strategies of teaching that would revolve around listening, reading, writing and speaking skills in English.
(12) The National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) is doing some excellent work in various ways to achieve this objective. The following activities should be added to its programmes:
(i) Introduction of translation courses.
(ii) Adding more CABA – MDTP and Urdu Centres in different parts of the country, particularly in districts and blocks with substantial Urdu-speaking population.
(iii) Instituting a National Register of trained Urdu teachers
(iv) Promoting use of digital media in the field of Urdu.

(v) Development of Urdu softwares.
(vi) The NCPUL budget allocation needs to be raised to Rs. 100 crores. Additional infrastructure should be provided for storage of publications.
(13) The rules for the minimum qualification of B.Ed. or TTE-trained Urdu teachers should be amended formadrasa pass-outs as they have only one qualifying certificate at par with certificates of 10th and 12th classes, so that they may also qualify for training as Urdu teachers.
(14) Separate grants should be provided to the universities and colleges which are running Urdu journalism courses meant for producing competent Urdu journalists to be absorbed in Urdu TV news channels and radio, so that there are funds to procure necessary equipments to facilitate budding Urdu-media persons to get hands-on training.