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MP Minister appeals to Hajj pilgrims to pray for state’s glory

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By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,

Bhopal: The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) ruled Madhya Pradesh Government’s Minorities Welfare, Labour and Backward Classes Development Minister Antar Singh Arya inaugurated the distribution of forms for Hajj pilgrimage 2014 in Bhopal on Saturday by handing over forms first to senior citizens.

Speaking on the occasion Arya appealed to the pilgrims who intend to go for Hajj pilgrimage to pray at “Baitullah” (House of Allah) for enhancing of Madhya Pradesh’s glory as a state with exemplary peace, love, brotherhood and progress.



Madhya Pradesh’s Minorities Welfare, Labour and Backward Classes Development Minister Antar Singh Arya inaugurating distribution of forms for Hajj pilgrimage 2014 in Bhopal by handing over forms first to senior citizens.

Bhopal Shahar Qazi Maulana Syed Mushtaq Ali Nadvi while congratulating people who intend to undertake Hajj pilgrimage of 2014 appealed them to present a pleasant picture of Madhya Pradesh and that of India in Saudi Arabia by their words and action.

On the occasion, the Minorities Welfare Minister felicitated advocates Sanjeev Shrivastava and Mrs. Nikhat Ali who gave unprecedented contribution to removal of legal hurdles in the construction of Hajj House which is underway on 2 acre land at a cost of Rs.6 crore at village Singarcholi near Bhopal.

The Minorities Welfare Minister presented mementoes to Chairmen of District Hajj Committees. Distribution of Hajj 2014 forms commenced in all districts from today.



Minorities Welfare Minister felicitating advocate Mrs. Nikhat Ali

Members of the State Hajj Committee Abdul Qayyum, Hyder Bhai Mhow Wala, Manzoor Bhai, Indore District Hajj Committee Chairman Farooq Raeen, Minorities Morcha President Nasir Shah, District Hajj Committee President Asadullah Khan, former President of Alpsankhyak Morcha Abdul Saleem and large number of people were present on the occasion.

Chairman of Madhya Pradesh State Minorities Commission Anwar Mohammad Khan and Chairman of Madhya Pradesh State Hajj Committee Dr. Sanwwar Patel were also present on the occasion.


Candle vigil and protest in solidarity of death of Arunachal Student in Delhi

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By TCN News,

New Delhi: Civil society groups such as Khudai Khidmatgar, NAPM, Asha Parivar and SSSC (Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign) organised a protest gathering in support of North Eastern people near Rajghat.

Son of an Arunachal MLA was killed in Lajpatnagar, in what has been termed as racial attack.



Social activists like Magasasay Awardee Prof Sandeep Pandey, Peace Activist Faisal Khan from NAPM, Feminist Activist Kathijah, Sunita Jain, Inamul Hasan, Mohd Faizan, Muneshwar Sharma from Khudai khidmatgar and others participated in the protest.

“It is impossible to see in isolation the latest beating that resulted in the death of a young boy from North East who was studying in North India and was on a visit to Delhi. It not only reminds one of the exodus of the north east people from the South some time back, but also brings to mind all other major manifestations of violent discrimination each of which hogged the national headlines for some time. However we note with dismay that no meaningful steps, whether short- or long- term, were taken to stop recurrence of such abominable incidents. Rather, the intolerance and barbarity appear to be on the rise in our society,” said a joint statement.

They said that they oppose any and every discrimination - be it on the basis of geographical region, such as north east, or religion, or caste, or gender, or colour, or nationality, or any other.

“As an expression of solidarity with the discriminated sections of our society, in order to take our society along the desirable path of equity and justice, and to demand upholding of the law of the land, let us assemble as per the following details,” the statement added.

Public manifesto of JIH and nationwide campaign for general elections

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By TCN News,

Mumbai: On the occasion of 16th Parliamentary elections Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, after consultation with others, have come up with a public manifesto and a nationwide campaign “Desh Ka Vikas Nyay Aur Sadbhavna ke Saath”.

A statement by JIH read, “Amid all the chaos and confusing marketing campaigns, important issues affecting the common people of our country are getting confused…Social networking sites empowered the common people but sad to that are influenced by hiring professionals and became a platform for a fight between personalities.”



It also praised the emergence of Aam Aadmi party for rising out of a social movement, but warned them of falling “prey to prevailing political system.”

JIH believes that although inflation and corruption are the biggest problems today, but the country also needs inclusive development but emergence of fascist and totalitarian political movements constitutes a great threat to the country.

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Maharashtra is conducting this campaign from 31st January to 09th February 2014.

The objective of the campaign are (1) To make the public politically aware of their rights and how to achieve and protect them, (2) To achieve and maintain communal harmony in the society, (3) And to defeat fascist forces.

JIH argues that the elections 2014 provide one more opportunity to people of India to come forward to fulfill their constitutional obligation to protect the fundamental values of the constitution and the Idea of India.

Taufiq Aslam Khan
President
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Maharashtra

Tibetan movement to continue: Dalai Lama

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By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,

Guwahati: His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama met the Tibet Support Group, Assam and said that the non-violent movement for freedom of Tibet will set an example for hundreds of other nations who are struggling for freedom across the globe.

The 14th Dalai Lama was in Guwahati to take part in the ongoing Tibetan Art Festival, which is underway at the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwhati. He appreciated the efforts of the Tibet Support Group, Assam for its continued support for the movement of millions of Tibetans in the northeastern part of India.



Dalai Lama addressing the Interfaith Conclave on Peace and Religious Harmony in Guwahati.

“We must continue the freedom struggle through the way of non-violence, which is the Buddhist way. It is important for us to win the struggle. If the struggle or the movement fails, the world will feel that the non-violence and Buddhism has failed,” said the 14th Dalai Lama while interacting with the group.

“The victory of the non-violence movement or the Buddhist way of struggle is important for China also as there are many Buddhist in China. The Chinese government must understand this,” he said.

The Tibetan spiritual leader also took up the issue of environment and said that the Tibetan movement for freedom is also important for the ecology and environmental aspects. “The mighty Brahmaputra River which flows through many parts of India and South East Asia has its origin in Tibet. The success of the Tibetan movement is an imperative for saving the environment and ecology of the entire world,” said Dalai Lama while referring to the Chinese government's move to build major hydro power projects on Brahmaputra River in the Tibet region.

“We must continue the freedom struggle with non-violence and Buddhist spirit. The Chinese government is systematically destroying Buddhism and Buddhist culture in Tibet, which must be resisted,” he said.



Dalai Lama along with other religious leaders inaugurating the Interfaith Conclave on Peace and Religious Harmony in Guwahati.

It may be mentioned here that the Tibet Support Group, Assam was created in 2012 with the representative of Tibetan government in exile in Guwahati. The Home Minister of Tibetan Government in Exile Gyari Dolma participated in the first meeting that was held in Guwahati in 2012.

Among the members of the Tibet Support Group Assam, who met the 14th Dalai Lama included former minister and Lok Sabha member from Arunachal Pradesh and Convener of the Tibet Support Group in the northeast R.K. Khrimey, Rupam Baruah, Jawaharlal Saha, Soumyadeep Datta, Nava Thakuria, Pramod Kalita, Anup Sharma and Manoj Deka.

Related:

Dalai Lama advocates including secular ethics in schools

Mission Impossible: Three students hunt for Dawood, return home

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By IANS,

Patna : Three school students embarked on a "mission" to get-rich-quick by hunting down Dawood Ibrahim and handing over the underworld don to authorities. The sheepish students are now back home after they ran out of money.

The class nine students of St Michael High School in this Bihar capital went missing last week and only returned home after their mission to catch Dawood Ibrahim failed, said police Monday.

Patna police is stunned over their motive and mission.

Police have now appealed to parents to take greater care of their children.

"Please take care of your wards and keep a watch on their activities, so that they don't take the wrong path," Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said.

India's top intelligence agencies are trying hard for years to catch the fugitive Dawood Ibrahim. And till date they have failed to make a breakthrough.

But the three students, either inspired by films or TV serials, decided to make plenty of money in a short span of time by catching Dawood Ibrahim.

"Three of them decided to go on their mission in school itself. They felt that by catching Dawood Ibrahim and handing him over to the Indian government, they would get crores of rupees as reward which they can use to enjoy life later," he said.

Manu Maharaj said that police got to know of their motive when they began the search to locate the three missing boys.

"Police managed to trace one of them Bipin Kumar, who said that they were not interested in studies and chalked out a plan to catch Dawood Ibrahim to make millions," he said.

Another police official, said that three boys were confident of nabbing Dawood Ibrahim.

"They decided to approach (Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United legislator) Anant Singh for financial help to catch Dawood. They tried to meet Singh but failed."

According to police officials, the students decided to go ahead with plan when they were on way to school.

"First they visited a mall before leaving Patna and reached Mokama and then went to Kolkata.

"Soon after reaching Kolkata, they realized that mission is impossible.

"They soon decided to return home as they had few hundreds left with them," police officials said.

Manoj Jha, a police official, said two separate cases had been lodged.

Manu Maharaj said parents must teach children to concentrate on their studies.

A teacher of their school said on condition of anonymity that three three boys were least bothered about their studies.

Ashok Vajpeyi to deliver Devdas Gandhi Memorial Lecture at Jamia

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By TCN News,

New Delhi: The Department of Hindi, Jamia Millia Islamia is going to organize the VI Devdas Gandhi Memorial Lecture on “Kalayein Evam Hindi Media” by Shri Ashok Vajpayee.

Ashok Vajpeyi is a poet in Hindi, essayist, literary-cultural critic, apart from being a noted cultural and arts administrator and a former civil servant. He was the Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi from 2008-11. He has published over 23 books of poetry, criticism and art, and was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award by Sahitya in 1994 for his poetry collection, Kahin Nahin Wahin.

His notable poetry collections include, Shaher Ab Bhi Sambhavana Hai (1966), Tatpurush (1986), Bahuri Akela (1992), Ibarat Se Giri Matrayen, Ummeed ka Doosra Naam (2004) and Vivaksha (2006), besides this he has also published works on literary and art criticism: Filhal, Kuchh Poorvagrah, Samay se Bahar, Kavita ka Galp andSidhiyan Shuru ho Gayi Hain. He was also the first Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University, Wardha.

Prof. S.M. Sajid, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia shall deliver the Presidential Remarks on this occasion.

The programme is scheduled to be held on February 4, 2014 at 11 AM in Yasser Arafat Hall, Administrative Block, Jamia Millia Islamia.

Paresh Baruah: A Fallen Hero

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By Joydeep Hazarika,

Heroes rise and heroes fall. This piece is for one such hero who has fallen from grace in such a manner that he is now a criminal to scores of people whom he set out to emancipate. I am one of those scores of people. And our criminal is Paresh Baruah.

The recent news of a Bangladeshi court sentencing ULFA’S commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah to death over his involvement in a major smuggling case in 2004, got me thinking as to how a man who was once revered by thousands, is today remembered as perhaps one of the biggest black sheep that Assam has produced post India’s independence. Baruah was awarded the capital punishment along with 13 other people who included Bangladesh’s former ministers. And all this while he is snugged up somewhere away in Myanmar and perhaps dreaming of ruling over an independent Assam through the aegis of a regime a la the Khmer Rouge.



Paresh Baruah [Courtesy: The Hindu]

The man was once more respected than feared among the Assamese people, who saw in him their liberator. He gave the disgruntled youth of the land a reason to fight and assert themselves. He and his comrades once started a revolution that fired up the imaginations of the youth of the Assamese nation. But where has it all landed today? Today the newer generation of Assamese wants to forget all that happened about two decades back as a bad dream and move on. A case here being our last Republic Day. Throughout my childhood, Republic Day and Independence Day were seen as days to stay indoors, partly because there was always calls for shutdown by the ULFA and other such groups, and secondly nobody wanted to be blown up by some bomb. But this year, people came out in large numbers all over Assam, enjoyed themselves and dismissed off Paresh Baruah and the ULFA as nothing but trouble mongers. Yes, they still fear ULFA for the bomb blasts that it can carry out from time to time. But yes, they also regard them as traitors.

While some of his comrades were forced to move over to the Indian government’s side some time back, Paresh and his troop of comrades continued to carry the battle from their camps in Myanmar while being aided by Pakistan and China. The ULFA boys had a golden run in Bangladesh for more than a decade. They had camps there, support by the Islamists and parties like the BNP, and had started businesses running into millions which facilitated their campaigns against India. Baruah, under the garb of Zaman Bhai, ran a profitable hotel business there and owned a transport business which is perhaps one of the largest in the country. All that changed with the coming of the Awami League to power when all their work began to be busted one by one. And now this death sentence has come as a final blow to Baruah from Bangladesh.

For year as Baruah and the other ULFA honchos enjoyed the comforts in Bangladesh, embittered young boys and girls, without proper education or employment, were being recruited in Assam to run the organisation’s operations. The decade of 90s was particularly gloomy in this regard. Bomb blasts and violence were a common norm, in which mostly innocent civilians died. The ULFA began its revolution mainly on the issue of driving away foreigners (illegal Bangladeshis) from the land. What they ended up doing was killing poor Biharis and extorting from wealthy Marwaris. And while the Assamese people continued to suffer, the ULFA leaders under Baruah continued to live a wealthy lifestyle in Bangladesh and illegal Bangladeshis continued to prosper in Assam.

Baruah’s family still reportedly lives in Bangladesh. Having reportedly converted to Islam, the family now lives in secrecy under the protection of the Islamists. The Indian government has not been successful in luring them over to the Indian side of the border. Apart from Baruah’s family, the jailed ULFA leader Anup Chetia’s family is also based in Bangladesh currently.

Now what does the future hold for all? Well while the surrendered ULFA faction under Arabinda Rajkhowa is slowly transforming themselves into power breakers in Assam’s politics, ULFA-I (Independent) under Baruah is still carrying on the fight from Myanmar while trying to lure the youth of the state and sneaking in explosives into Guwahati and other parts. While currently, the Bodo militants seem to have stolen ULFA’s thunder in the state, Baruah still remains the biggest factor to instability and chaos in Assam. This new court order is not a good sign for Baruah. With Bhutan closing its doors towards Indian militants in 2003, Bangladesh has also decided to shut the doors on the ULFA. Now Myanmar is their last hope and the Indian government better act fast in this regard. Till definitive steps are taken, men like Baruah will continue their efforts to brainwash the youth and create anarchy in the state.

The ULFA was a revolution that has gone horribly wrong. It was a dream that went sore after top leaders like Baruah transformed themselves from freedom fighters to mercenaries for states like Pakistan and China. I rarely come across a person nowadays who doesn’t curses Baruah and the ULFA for the troubles they put Assam into. They are traitors to the Assamese people. They are traitors to me.

One last advice to Baruah in these tough times. Always keep a gun close to yourself. Shoot yourself before one of us does and rips you apart.

(Writer is a Guwahati based freelance Journalist and blogs athttp://writingwarrior.wordpress.com/)

World Wetlands Day 2014 celebrated in AMU

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By TCN News,

Aligarh: To mark the World Wetlands Day and make the students aware of issues of conservation and sustainable management of wetlands, the Eco-Club of Aligarh Muslim University, organized a programme in the Arts Faculty Lounge here today.

Dr. Shahid Farooq, Professor, Department of Geology and Mr Pankaj Chandan, Head, Wetland program, World Wildlife Fund-India, New Delhi were the guest speakers. The Vice Chancellor of the university, Lt. Gen. (Retd) Zameer Uddin Shah graced the occasion as chief guest.



The president of Eco-Club, Dr Afiffullah khan in his welcome speech, addressed the problems that are currently prevailing in the world with reference to wetlands.

Dr Shahid Farooq shed light on importance of wetlands and the need to conserve them.

Mr Pankaj Chandan, through his presentation, ‘Journey of Himalayas’, highlighted the threats posed to wetlands and need to maintain it for preservation of flora and fauna.

In his presidential address, the Vice Chancellor said that he was impressed by the energy and enthusiasm of the members of Eco-Club. He highlighted ways to preserve the wetlands in and around Aligarh.

Mr. Arif Md Yeasin Jwadder, Secretary of Eco-Club thanked the guest speakers for their thought provoking speeches and described the activities of the club. He said that an investment in Eco-Club and green movement would never go waste.

The programme was conducted by Mr Haider Abbas, a senior member of the Club. Nabila Zehra, Areeba Naseem, Haris Ahmad, Ali Faran Gulrez, Faiz Ahmad, Shreya Mahalwar, Mohd Asif, Mohd Haris and other members were present on the occasion.


Delhi cabinet clears Lokpal Bill

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By IANS,

New Delhi : The Delhi cabinet Monday cleared the draft of the anti-graft Delhi Lokpal Bill, 2014 according to which an independent probe can be initiated against government employees, ranging from chief minister to a peon.

The anti-corruption legislation -- which will be tabled in a special assembly session at the Indira Gandhi stadium here for its passage -- was one of the major poll promises of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

"It is an important day in the history of Delhi as the Delhi Lokpal Bill has been passed," minister Manish Sisodia told after the cabinet meeting.

Besides, the bill envisages protection for those who blow the lid off corruption, Sisodia added.

As per the draft, the Lokpal will have the power to initiate an investigation on its own or on a complaint from an individual and the quantum of punishment will range from six months to 10 years and life imprisonment in rarest of rare cases, a government official said.

The only law which comes closest to this bill is the bill passed by the Uttarakhand assembly in 2011, but it too had some limitations in filing complaints against the chief minister and ministers.

If the beneficiary of an offence is a business entity, in addition to the punishment provided under this law, the guilty will have to pay a fine up to five times the loss caused to public exchequer.

The Lokpal chairperson and and its 10 members will be selected by a panel comprising the chief minister, leader of opposition in the assembly, and two judges of the High Court selected in a full court meeting.

Kejriwal congratulated the people of Delhi on the approval of the bill draft.

He had earlier announced that the bill would be passed at Ramlila Maidan - a sprawling ground in the heart of the city.

Illegal Indian workers in Saudi Arabia desperate to return home

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By IANS,

Dubai : A group of Indian cleaners in Saudi Arabia, living in pathetic conditions after their work contracts expired two years ago, are desperate to return home.

The workers, mostly from the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, said they were recruited by a maintenance and contracting company in Taif city in Mecca Province in 2010, but have since then not been paid their salaries on time and were denied their residency permits, the Arab News reported Monday. Taif Municipality’s cleaning project is under a contractor.

“We are just exhausted and frustrated. We do not want to stay anymore with our employer and we want to return home,” one of the workers was quoted as saying.

The workers said the employer has not handed over their iqamas, residency permits given to expatriates in Saudi Arabia, to them since their arrival in the country four years ago and last week one of their colleagues was detained by security forces during a campaign against illegal residents.

They said it was common practice among municipality cleaning companies across the country not to hand over iqamas to the cleaners as a precautionary measure to prevent them from fleeing their jobs.

The workers went on strike twice for non-payment of wages and for not getting their iqamas.

Last year, police had to intervene to quell a protest by these workers.

Taif Municipality has not renewed the cleaning contract of the company which expired in October 2013 due to poor work record and frequent labour strikes that resulted in garbage piling up in the hill resort city. Since then, the condition of these workers has further aggravated.

The workers said they get only 600 Saudi riyals (around $160) per month and that too was not paid on time, pushing them into extremely difficult conditions.

“We are without iqama or money. We had asked the Indian consulate in Jeddah for help and they had advised us to come over to Jeddah to lodge an official complaint, but due to having no iqama we simply couldn’t travel,” one of them said.

They alleged that their employer was trying to send them to other companies in major cities now.

They alleged that they were brought to Jeddah for a few days then moved back to Taif, and again after a few weeks they were taken to Riyadh to work in some other companies.

“We are being moved all around without iqama in our employer’s transport vehicle and only the driver has papers,” the worker said said.

They said one of their colleagues, V Bhoomaih, who was detained by Riyadh police a week ago for not having Iqama, is still in the lock-up.

“Since then we are not stepping outside for fear of arrest as massive inspection is taking place in some areas of Riyadh city,” one of the workers said.

The workers have requested the Indian embassy in Riyadh to help them return to India.

No tie up with BJP under any circumstances: NCP

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By IANS,

Mumbai : Terming itself a "die hard" secular party, the NCP Monday dismissed reports that it was planning to join hands with the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

"We are die hard secularists... we believe in secular principles and will go with secular parties," said Jitendra Awhad, the working president of the party's Maharashtra unit.

Awhad categorically asserted that the Nationalist Congress Party would take a stand against communal forces and "would not compromise with BJP under any circumstances".

"We shall not support communal forces in any manner and will not take any steps favouring people who believe in a fascist ideology," he said, adding party chief Sharad Pawar had often repeated the party's stand against communalism.

Earlier in the day, the NCP state unit held a marathon meeting at the residence of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to discuss the candidates for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

"We have finalized our list of candidates but the announcement shall be made only after holding consultations with the Congress," Awhad said.

Denying any "ultimatum" to the Congress over seat-sharing, Awhad said the NCP is "patient" and will wait till the talks with its alliance partner at the centre and Maharashtra are held.

"We have not given any ultimatum nor are we keeping anybody guessing on the elections and candidates. We shall announce the names within 24 hours after talks with Congress," he said.

WAMY holds Zakir Naik talk on Qur’an, science

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By IINA,

Riyadh : Hundreds of people representing different religious backgrounds across Asian, European and American countries attended Zakir Naik’s talk on Qur’an and Modern Science at King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh on Thursday.

“The Qur’an was never meant to be a book of science. Instead, it’s accurate verses direct us to reflect on God’s glory,” said Naik, internationally renowned orator on Islam and comparative religion. The event was organized by the World Association of Muslim Youth (WAMY), and supported by the volunteers of IRF and WAMY. Naik, President of India-based Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and head of Dubai-based Peace TV network, said, “There are more than 6,000 verses in the Qur’an of which1,000 speak about science.”

Quoting some of the verses, Naik presented the accurate description of embryonic developmental stages, how the roots of the mountains are like pegs anchoring the earth’s crust, how a natural barrier exists where two oceans meet, waves occur in layers in the ocean’s depths and heaven and earth were first joined together before being split apart and that heavens emerged from gases and dust that characterize nebulas as stars are forming which are all as described in the Qur’an. “Through this event, WAMY serves to present Islam to non-Muslims in its purest form and as a complete system and way of life. We are pleased to have Dr. Naik addressing the huge gathering in the Kingdom today,” said Mohammad Kareemullah, event manager.

Over 2,000 non-Muslims participated on special invitation in the event that included cross-questioning sessions on Islam and inferences about scientific evidences referred to in the Qur’an. Naik, who has delivered more than 2,000 public lectures across the world, including some 225 in Saudi Arabia alone on comparative religion, clarifies Islamic viewpoints and clears misconceptions about Islam, using the Qur’an, authentic Hadith and other religious scriptures as a basis, in conjunction with reason, logic and scientific facts. He is popular for his critical analysis and convincing answers to challenging questions posed by audiences after his public talks.

Special arrangements were made for women with a separate play area for the children of attending mothers.

The talk was preceded by Qur’an recitation by Al-Hasan Al-Hazi and its English translation rendered by Muhammad Quraishi. Sheikh Yousuf Idris of Knowledge International University was the moderator for the program. Dr. Saleh Al-Shamrani, WAMY’s Dawah section director, Ahmed Ismail, secretary, and Abdullah Reddy, project manager were also present at the event.

The program was supported by Jumuah Magazine, Darussalam Publications, Al-Huda Publications, Al-Wafi Program, Teaching Arabic Language and Islamic teaching for non-Arab students under Sultanah Jaliat and United India International School. Free books on Islamic guidance including 5,000 Qur’an translations and Tafseer Al-Qur’an in different languages from WAMY, Islamic propagation centers of Rabwa, Rowda, Sanaya and Sahee International were given to non-Muslim and Muslim attendees.

Discussion on 2014 general elections in Jamia

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By TCN News,

New Delhi: The Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia is organising a one-day Symposium on “Making Sense of 2014 Indian Election: Who Wins, Who Loses” which has been sponsored by Northern Regional Centre-ICSSR.

The Inaugural Session of the symposium today began in Tagore Hall, Dayar-I-Mir Taqi Mir, Administrative Block, Jamia Millia Islamia. Prof. S.M. Sajid, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia delivered the Inaugural Remarks on this occasion.

Prof. Sudha Pai, Centre for Political Studies & Rector, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi delivered the Keynote Address. She spoke on “Political Competition in the Heartland 2014: Emerging Patterns in Uttar Pradesh”.

The Symposium is spread over three Sessions as per the details given below:

1) Situating Indian Democracy (from 11.15 to 1.15 PM)

Chair: Dr. Mukul Kesavan, Associate Professor, Department of History, JMI

Speakers: Prof Niraja Gopal Jayal; Prof Dipankar Gupta; Dr. Ananya Vajpeyi

2) Political Journalist Roundtable (from 2 to 3.30 PM)

Chair: Ms. Saba Naqvi, Political Editor, Outlook

Speakers: Paranjoy Guha Thakurta; Shankar Raghuraman; Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay

3) Battleground 2014 (from 3.30 to 5 PM)

Chair: Prof. Balveer Arora, Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi

Speakers: Prof Sanjay Kumar, Dr. E Sridharan; Dr. Manisha Priyam

Distinguished faculty members, research scholars of various Universities/Educational Institutions, Senior Journalists from reputed Media Houses are also attending the programme.

Indian envoy, UAE minister discuss labour issues

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By IANS/WAM,

Abu Dhabi : The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Minister for Labour Saqr bin Ghobash Saeed Ghobash discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation regarding the Indian workforce there for mutual benefit with India's ambassador to the UAE, T. P. Seetharam.

In the meeting here Monday, Ghobash informed the Indian ambassador that his ministry was implementing a strategy aimed at stabilising the local labour market and increasing the productivity of the workforce in a way that supports the drive towards a competitive knowledge-based economy in line with the UAE Vision 2021.

The two sides stressed the importance of sharing ideas and expertise on best real practices within the Abu Dhabi Dialogue between the labour-exporting countries and labour-importing countries.

For his part, Seetharam appreciated the labour ministry's policies and initiatives and their positive impact on the labour market. He also asserted India's keenness to further boost cooperation with the UAE on labour issues.

There are around two million expatriate Indians in the UAE, many of them blue collar workers.

Bihar's first woman Muslim minister resigns

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By IANS,

Patna : Bihar's Social Welfare Minister Perween Amanullah, the first Muslim woman minister in the state, Tuesday resigned from the Nitish Kumar cabinet as well as the Janata Dal-United.

"I have resigned from the cabinet and the JD-U and sent it (resignation letter) to the chief minister," Amanullah told media persons here.

She refused to disclose the reasons behind her decision to quit the cabinet and party, but only hinted at her anger against the system that prevented her from functioning as per her desire.

Amanullah, the daughter of diplomat-turned-politician Syed Shahabuddin and wife of a senior IAS officer Afzal Amanullah, did not rule out the possibility of joining another political party soon and to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

"I may inform about it soon," she said.

Amanullah, who is in her early 50s, said she is open to returning to social work again.

She had won from Sahebpur Kamal, a Muslim-dominated constituency in Begusarai district, in the 2010 state assembly polls.


SIMI ban renewed for five more years

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By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,

New Delhi: Government of India through a notification has banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) for a period of five years.

SIMI was first banned on September 27, 2001 and the ban renewed every two years. The ban for five years comes under the modified Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA. The notification was issued on Feb 1st, just a day before the previous ban was to expire.

Government of India listed 21 cases to back up its claim of SIMI indulging in activities that are “prejudicial to integrity and security of the country. ” However, a cursory look makes it ample clear that most of the cases are of rioting and of simple crimes including attempts to escape from prison. Only two cases can be considered related to terrorism.

SIMI has been previously banned on Sept 27, 2001; Sept 26, 2003; Feb 8, 2006; Feb 7, 2008; Feb 5, 2010; and Feb 3, 2012. Each time SIMI lawyers have appealed the ban but the appeals have been pending in the Supreme Court unheard.

Bhatkal's custody handed over to Mumbai ATS

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By IANS,

New Delhi : A court here Tuesday allowed the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to arrest Indian Mujahideen (IM) co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and his aide Asadullah Akhtar in connection with the July 13, 2011 terror attack in the Maharashtra capital.

District Judge I. S. Mehta allowed the pleas of Mumbai ATS seeking custody of Bhatkal and Akhtar in connection with the case. The ATS told the court that their custodial interrogation was required to complete the probe.

Over 20 people were killed in the July 13, 2011 terror attack.

Bhatkal, who was in the custody of the Karnataka Police in connection with the 2010 blasts at Chinnaswamy Stadium, was produced before the court Tuesday.

Arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in August 2013, Bhatkal is accused of being involved in many terror attacks across the country.

Mehbooba criticises Kashmir government's new administrative units

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By IANS,

Srinagar : Opposition leader Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday blamed the Jammu and Kashmir government of inter-regional discrimination through its announcement to create new administrative units in the state.

"The National Conference has always treated institutions with contempt and the expert committees on reorganisation of administrative units were no exception to this rule," the People's Democratic Party president said at a media conference here.

"The government ultimately threw the expert advice out of window and decided to go by the electoral calculations of the allies. No rules, no guidelines, no criteria were applied and an entirely new administrative map has been proposed," she said.

The PDP leader said the state government has pitched villages against one other through its announcement to set up 659 new administrative units, comprising sub-divisions, tehsils and community development blocks without application of mind on topography and administrative exigency.

"Given this state's topography and distances, new units were always required. But the way the government executed its plans with an eye to the elections has generated a dangerous situation," she said.

On the reported deadlock over the creation of the new administrative units between the National Conference and the Congress, Mufti said it was "a fixed match to divert public attention from the failures of the government and create a new political discourse in the state when elections are round the corner".

Omar approves plan for excellence in higher education

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By IANS,

Jammu : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Tuesday approved an ambitious Rs.1,039 crore plan to establish new universities, technical colleges, model degree colleges, polytechnics and upgrading the existing higher educational system in the state.

Chairing the first meeting of state higher education council here, Abdullah gave his nod to the comprehensive proposal to be sent to the union government seeking assistance under the newly launched Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), a final tier of centrally sponsored schemes of the ministry of human resource development (MHRD).

Two other schemes implemented in J&K with the help of MHRD are Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamaik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA).

Abdullah said the RUSA will provide necessary edifice and give fillip to the state government's initiatives for equitable growth of education in all the regions and sub-regions by setting up institutions in unserved and underserved areas.

It will also improve opportunity for higher education to socially deprived communities, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes, women and disabled, he added.

The chief minister said the scheme will also help achieve excellence by way of improving the learning outcomes and employability of the graduates and scaling up research development and innovations.

Battered and betrayed: A report of visit to Muzaffarnagar camps

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By Hasina Khan and Saumya Uma

A visit to the camps in Muzaffarnagar was made on 19 and 20 January 2014. The objective of the trip was to obtain a first hand account of the present status of the victim-survivors of the communal violence, more particularly women and girls, the challenges they face and the extent to which the state government and the district administration have fulfilled their responsibilities to facilitate reparative justice for the victim-survivors. The visit was also intended to report back to a larger group of concerned women’s rights activists in Mumbai. The visit was facilitated by Joint Citizens’ Initiative (JCI). Given the paucity of time, we visited three camps in Muzaffarnagar district and conversed with victim-survivors, members of local organizations working with the victim-survivors as well as officials of the district administration.

A. INTRODUCTION

Despite isolated incidents reported in the last week of August 2013, targetted attacks on Muslims by the Jat community in Muzaffarnagar and the adjacent Shamli districts commenced on or around 7 September 2013. This was in persuance of a mahapanchayat called by the Jat community, for the ‘protection’ of daughters and daughters-in-law (‘bahu-beti bachao’). This meeting was planned, supported and facilitated by Hindu right wing groups, in order to facilitate their divisive political agenda.[1] There was fresh violence reported even in November 2013. Although 13 members of the Jat community were reportedly killed during the violence, the Muslim community was disproportionately affected by the violence in terms of loss of lives, injuries, destruction and damage of homes, land, property, livestock and livelihood. Reports indicate that the killings were brutal, and many girls and women belonging to the Muslim community were raped, gang-raped and subjected to varied and brutal forms of sexual assault, and many were also reported missing.[2] According to official statistics submitted by the state government to the Supreme Court in September 2013, atleast 44 persons were killed, 97 persons injured and 41,829 people displaced across Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts.[3] According to a report, atleast 600 FIRs have been registered, but more than 80% of the perpetrators named in the FIRs are yet to be arrested.[4] Political leaders - MPs and MLAs who gave hate speeches on visual media and elsewhere - have either not been arrested or released on bail soon after their arrest.

A total of 58 relief camps – 41 in Muzaffarnagar and 17 in Shamli districts had been set up.[5] Most of the camps have been established and run by local Muslim groups, stretching their available resources. The conditions in the relief camps have been dismal. There were reportedly atleast 50 more deaths in the hospitals and relief camps thereafter, including young children and the elderly.[6] In a few places where the victim-survivors had pitched tents on government lands, the government forced them to vacate the same in December 2013. However thousands of victim-survivors of the violence continue to live in make-shift tents in open land with only a plastic sheet above their heads, in extreme winter and occasional rain, as they have no alternative place to reside in. They fear for their lives if they return to their villages.

The compensation scheme announced by the government is as follows: For loss of life, Rs. 10 lakhs from the state government and Rs. 2 lakhs from the central government + a government job to a family member; for loss of house / land in village, Rs. 5 lakhs per family; for injuries sustained, Rs. 50,000. The affidavits that the victim-survivors were made to sign at the time of receiving Rs. 5 lakhs compensation from the government, had the following conditions:


• "That myself and members of my family have come leaving our village and home being terrorized due to violent incidents in ......... village and we will not now return to our original village and home under any circumstances".
• "That the lumpsum financial help being given for my family by the government will only be used by me to rehabilitate my family. By this money I will live with my family voluntarily arranging for residence at appropriate place elsewhere".
• "That in the condition of receiving lumpsum financial help amount, myself or members of my family will not demand compensation relating to any damage to any immovable property in my village or elsewhere".

Such affidavits have resulted in the ghettoization of Muslims in specific towns and localities. When this issue was highlighted by the media and civil society, state government denied that they have stopped victim-survivors from returning to their villages. However the above-stated objectionable clauses continue to exist in the affidavits that victim-survivors sign at the time of receiving compensation.

Atleast 4 writ petitions are pending in the Supreme Court - one filed by Mohammad Haroon and eight other residents of Muzaffarnagar, and another filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association have sought a CBI investigation into the communal violence and for relief and rehabilitation. A petition filed by Citizens for Justice and Peace praying for the appointment of a High Powered Committee of Court Commissioners to survey the four worst affected districts (Shamli, Baghpat, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar), assess details of the dead and missing, the scale of damages and monitor the transparency and quality of the probe/investigation and report back to the Supreme Court. In another writ petition, 7 victim-survivors of gang rape approached the Supreme Court for setting up an independent investigating team, expressing their loss of confidence in the UP government for arrest, investigation and prosecution of accused persons..


B. OBSERVATIONS MADE AT THE RELIEF CAMPS

We visited three relief camps in Muzaffarnagar district – Loi, Juwala and Bassi Kalan camps and interacted with victim-survivors – women, men, youth, adolescent girls and children.

B1. Status of Camps:
The inmates of Loi camp were evicted from the land where they had pitched their tents, by the UP government, and bulldozers had been deployed in the relief camp to demolish the same on 27 December 2013. The claim of the government was that the victim-survivors had received Rs. 5 lakhs compensation per family, and should vacate the camps, purchase land and build their houses. However, the reality was different. Many victim-survivors had not received compensation, and those who did were unable to immediately purchase land and build their houses. Hence all of them were in need of shelter. They now reside in an open land on the opposite side of the road, from where they had been evicted. About 20000 persons reside in this makeshift, open land in plastic tents in extremely cold weather conditions.
In and near Juwala camp, over 400 families, consisting of over 20,000 persons live. Out of this, about 900 persons had moved into the village next to the camp, and lived there. Presently the camp houses about 215 families. This camp has victim-survivors from 30-40 villages in both Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts, including the villages of Hasanpur, Kutba and Kutbi.
The situation in Juwala camp was far worse than in Loi camp. While Loi camp has often captured media attention, Juwala camp, which is situated merely a few kilometres away, has been largely ignored, both by the government and the media. The tents at this camp are smaller, the lighting is poor, there are no health facilities provided by the government, no supply of groceries or food items by the government, no security personnel posted at the camps, and extremely poor sanitation. We were told that the camp in charge of Loi camp (Mr Jabbar) was directly in contact with the district administration, and hence the facilities at the camp were relatively better. The day prior to our visit to the camp, it had rained, worsening the situation. The inmates of this camp had reportedly spent a sleepless night due to water seepage in their tents. It is an understatement to say that the victim-survivors live in sub-human conditions.
The relief camp at Bassi Kalan had been forcibly vacated by the state government in end of December 2013. As the victim-survivors have nowhere to go, they have settled down in two adjacent colonies. About 150 families who received compensation from the government have pitched tent on land they have purchased, close to Palda village. However the land is uneven and not firm, and would require levelling and firming up before construction of houses can begin. Those victim-survivors who have received no compensation pitched tents on open land and reside there. There are 55 such families living in a juggi. The victim-survivors hail from many villages including Kutba, Kutbi and Kedwa.
B2. Physical security: There were no security personnel posted outside or around Juwala and Bassi Kalan camps. Juwala camp was very poorly lit, and on our second visit to the camp, there had been a major electrical fault in the area, reducing the camp to pitch darkness. This impacts the safety and security, particularly of women and girls residing in these camps.
In Loi camp, women and children described the snakes they had twice seen in the area, which compounded their sense of insecurity and fear. Residents of various relief camps had shared spotting snakes in the locality of the camps a few months earlier, and the same had been referred to in previous reports of civil society groups. The fact that this issue has continued to persist indicates that the state government has done nothing about it, and is ignoring the security of the victim-survivors.
The inmates of Juwala and Bassi Kalan camps also told us that the police had raided the camp several times and searched all the tents, and questioned the inmates, in order to ascertain if any of them had been approached by the Lashkar-e-Toiba or any other terrorist outfit. Howewver the police found nothing and arrested no one. These actions started taking place after Rahul Gandhi’s claim that the victim-survivors of the violence were being approached by terrorist outfits owing allegiance to Pakistan.
B3. Education: Joint Citizens’ Initiative has raised funds and appointed 2-3 teachers from among the inmates, for teaching children in all the three camps, for a salary of Rs. 3000/- each per month. These teachers now teach close to 265 children living in Loi camp and 120 children from Bassi Kalan camp, under the age of 15 years, from 9 am to 2 pm everyday. In Juwala camp, although there are about 350 children, most have reportedly discontinued their studies. Although there is a government school adjacent to the camp, a combination of fear, insecurity and lack of motivation has prevented the children from being sent to the government school. Members of the Joint Citizens Initiative have tried to commence classes for the children at the camp, but say that many children lack motivation and are disinterested in studies. Some girls that we met at Juwala camp, under the age of 15 years, said that they were not studying in the camp as they “didn’t feel like”. Clearly they require special motivation to continue their studies, in the wake of the violence they have witnessed and the trauma they have suffered. In Juwala camp, children aged 5-10 years sit in an open space braving the cold winter, wind and rain, to study. In Bassi Kalan camp, some children have started going to a government school nearby; others go to madrassas.
Efforts are being made to provide coaching classes to children who were studying in 10th and 12th standards, in order to help them appear for the Board exams. In Juwala camp, there are atleast 70 children who were studying in 9th – 12th standard, whose studies have now been discontinued. In Bassi Kalan camp, atleast 7 girls studying in 12th and 10th standards are preparing to give their Board exams in Shahpur.
B4. Food and Nutrition: In Loi camp, the women said that they were receiving monthly rations from the government, consisting of 5 kg rice, 5 kg dal, 10 kg wheat flour and 1 kg sugar from the government. No firewood, salt, turmeric powder or oil was being provided, which caused hardship to the women as their families had no source of income now. In Bassi Kalan camp, the victim-survivors told us that no rations are being provided by the government since the last 3-4 months; there has been no supply of clothes to the inmates. There is immense difficulty in accessing clean water. The inmates say that no relief materials and essential supplies are now being distributed to them by NGOs either, though medical facilities are provided from time to time by the NGOs working in the camps. In Juwala camp, the women have a hard time cooking in the winter without firewood. They gather dry leaves from the sugarcane fields nearby and used them as fuel. Due to the rain the day before our visit, the dry leaves had become soaked with water, resulting in further difficulty.
B5. Health and Sanitation: At Loi camp, Faisal - a young man, resident of the camp who also doubles up as a teacher - said that about 22 children and 2 elderly men have died in the camp due to the cold and a lack of medical services. The government reportedly paid a compensation of Rs. 20,000 for the death of the child in the case of 16 deaths. He said that after this high number of deaths, and based on people’s demands, the camp now has a government appointed lady doctor on 24 hour duty. She provides basic medicines at no cost, and refers patients for medical tests to Budhana town. Neither Juwala camp nor Bassi Kalan camp have a government-appointed doctor, although one child had died in Juwala camp due to the weather condition and a lack of medical facilities.. There is only a private doctor who visits these two camps once in 7-8 days.
Victim-survivors who resided in the Loi camp included 74 pregnant women who had fled for their lives. While many have delivered their babies subsequently, atleast 48 pregnant women continue to reside in the camp. The pregnant women were reportedly given 2 tins of Protinex and those with new borns were distributed 1 tin of milk powder each by the state government – grossly inadequate. In Bassi Kalan camp, there were 10-12 pregnant women, who have since had deliveries.
In Juwala camp, the women told us that the only makeshift toilet that had been constructed for them has sunk in due to the rain. They were forced to use the adjacent fields for nature’s calls, but feared for their safety when they went into the fields. The women also showed us how they converted the space between two tents into a makeshift bathroom, tied pieces of cloth on either side to provide a semblance of privacy, and bathed in that space.
B6. Mental Health: In all the three camps we visited, the victim-survivors of violence continued to talk about the brutal killings of their family members, relatives and friends, and the extreme violence that they had witnessed. It was clear that they are yet to overcome the trauma of witnessing the same. These incidents have already been referred to in previous reports of civil society. We spoke to an adolescent girl who was a victim-survivor of gang rape. She was withdrawn, non-communicative and appeared in need of trauma counselling. At Bassi Kalan camp, we spoke to a 16 year old girl, whose father had been brutally killed and his body dismembered. Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke of how her father was attacked and how the perpetrators continue to be moving around freely.
B7. Relationship between Jat and Muslim women: Many women recalled with fondness the close bond that Jat and Muslim women shared in the villages, and said that they would celebrate and share births, deaths and festivals together. One victim-survivor said that if one were to visit the village prior to the violence, it would be hard to differentiate between the Jat and Muslim women. Many victim-survivors recalled that Jat women had tried to save them during the violence and provided them temporary shelter. The Jat women had tried to negotiate for the Muslim women’s safety with their husbands. However the Jat women had been threatened by their husbands that they too would be attacked and killed along with the Muslim women if they tried to protect them any longer. Muslim women recall that their Jat neighbours had safeguarded their cattle for some days, and later sold them and sent them the money. Young girls too recalled with fondness, their close friends and classmates from among the Jat community. They said that though they missed their friends, there was no possibility of returning to the village due to fear of violence. The women said that after the violence, when they returned to their villages to reclaim their movable properties, the attitude of the Jat women had changed; they were reportedly rude, hostile and drove the women away from their property.
B8. Return to Village: Most victim-survivors were emphatic that they did not want to return to the villages as they were fearful of the Jats and their personal security. They are unsure of the fate of the land they owned in their village, and of the village masjid and kabrastan. Many spoke of owning large 5-6 roomed houses in their villages, as they lived in a joint family and had invested their life savings in maintaining and expanding their houses. Some who returned to their village subsequent to the violence, when a government survey was being conducted, found that their houses had been looted of valuables including furniture, clothes, books, cash, cattle, utensils, even door and window frames and the houses broken / burnt down. They said that in the last 10-15 years, the Muslim community in the area had slowly climbed up the social ladder. However, the violence has pushed the community back in its social status. As Rafikanbi, a 60 year old woman from Kutba village asked us, “How will I go back to my village when I know that 8 persons have been killed there?” It is clear that the state government has undertaken no confidence-building measures, and measures to ensure peace and communal harmony in the villages.
B9. Land, Livelihood and Issues of Survival: A few men have found daily wage work, as masons, painters and rickshaw drivers. They told us that on days they earn, their families eat two square meals a day; on other days, they starve. However a large majority of men continue to be unemployed. Many men across the three camps we visited, said that they could not pursue their livelihood till their families were settled down with a proper housing after receiving compensation, as the men travel from place to place selling clothes and other things and are required to be away from home for many days. For example, in Juwala camp, we spoke to Sajid, a man aged about 25 years, had worked as a cloth merchant, moving from state to state. He told us that he is unable to return to work and leave his family consisting of his wife and a small child, till the issue of shelter is settled, as he feels insecure about leaving them alone in the camp.
Some women expressed a willingness to work to support their families, but were clueless as to the livelihood options before them. Some women said that they knew tailoring and would be able to work as tailors if they were provided sewing machines.
B10. Mass Marriages: About 550 mass marriages have taken place in the relief camps, faciliated by Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind (JUEH), according to its local leader Maulana Nazhar Mohammed. He said the girls who were married were “not very young.” About 175-180 of these marriages reportedly took place in Juwala camp alone, and another 17-18 marriages in Bassi Kalan camp. The first 55 marriages were reportedly conducted by Maulana Arshad Madani in Shahpur camp, with the active support of the UP government. The couples were given cash of Rs. 1 lac (Rs. 1,00,000) per couple (in addition to Rs. 10,000 by JUEH) as well as five pieces of gold jewellery and many household articles including blankets, furniture and vessels. For the latter batches of mass marriage, the couple reportedly received Rs. 5001. Most of the girls have been married to young men from villages within 50-60 kms from the vicinity of the camp, where there had been no violence.
At one of the camps, we conversed with a group of adolescent girls between the ages of 11-18 years, some of whom had been married after the communal violence. A girl, aged 16 years, has studied upto 8th standard, and is married to a boy of 17 years, who sells clothes. Another girl, aged 17 years, has studied upto 12th standard, is married to a boy of similar age who repairs motorcycles for a living. Both the girls said that they had been married against their wishes and wanted to continue their studies. Those who were married expressed anger and helplessness at the fact that their childhood has been robbed. They said that their parents were forced to get their daughters married for their own security. They also said that marriage of young daughters was posed as a pre-condition for the parents to continue residing in the relief camps. The young girls also expressed anger at the Jat community and the violence they had caused which resulted in the present situation.
We enquired from the adult women in the camp as to why they did not prevent the marriage of their young daughters after the violence. They said that community members kept pressurising them, complaining that the girls were standing here and there. The women said that they were worried that their daughters would be molested or sexually assaulted. They got their daughters married in order to save their honour (“izzat bachaane ke liye”). Many women also complained that they had been promised cash of Rs. 1,10,000 for the marriage of the daughter but were not paid any money. It is clear that in a community that had been violently stripped of all its property and had become destitutes, Rs. 1,00,000 is a huge amount and would have been a strong incentive for many families to get their daughters under the age of 18 years married, with little consideration for the wishes or interests of the girls.
B11. Compensation: The JEUH is reported to have had a meeting with the UP govt soon after the violence, where two conditions were posed by the JEUH to the government – a) that the offences should be properly investigated and perpetrators convicted and awarded stringent punishment; and b) those who are unable to return to the villages should get just compensation. JEUH says that it had suggested Rs. 8 lakhs (Rs. 8,00,000) as compensation per family but the government agreed to pay Rs. 5 lakhs (Rs. 5,00,000) for loss of land in the village. Till date, atleast 1800 persons seem to have been paid the Rs. 5 lakhs compensation for loss of houses / lands. However thousands more are waiting to be compensated and face uncertainty.
Non-Inclusion of Villages in the Government List: We were told that in Shamli district, the victim-survivors from 3 worst-affected villages – Lisadh, Laakh and Bawdi – initially estimated at 680 persons, but later increased to 712 persons – received a compensation of Rs. 5 lakhs per family. In Kharad and Hadoli villages of Muzaffarnagar district, there were two murders that took place during the violence; however these were not included in the government list for compensation. The victim-survivors from these villages were promised Rs. 3 lakhs compensation for loss of property (as the loss was relatively lesser); however they are yet to receive any compensation. Many of the villages from which the victim-survivors fled out of fear was not included in the government list for compensation, as there had been no loss of lives or damage to property in those villages. The victim-survivors were subsequently forced to return to their villages despite fear and insecurity. Reportedly, some such families whose names did not appear in the compensation list had approached the Pradhan (leader / chief) of the village, who was mostly a Jat, who agreed to ensure payment of compensation on the condition that the criminal complaint lodged against the perpetrtors be withdrawn.
Inadequate, Ad Hoc, Discriminatory, No Political Will to Compensate: Payment of compensation has been grossly inadequate, ad hoc, arbitrary and not paid to many victim-survivors as yet. Although close to 64 villages from Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts had been reportedly attacked during the violence, compensation has been paid only for the victim-survivors of 9 villages, including Fughana, Kakda, Kutba, Kutbi, Mohammadpur Raisingh from Muzaffarnagar district, and Lisadh, Bhawdi and Laakh from the adjoining Shamli district. Each of the three camps that we visited had many families of victim-survivors who had not received compensation, particularly from the village of Hasanpur in Shamli district. one queried: “If the CM (Chief Minister) gave orders that we should be compensated, will the DM (District Magistrate) not pay us the compensation?”, highlighting the lack of political will to ensure reparations to the victim-survivors of violence. On questioning the Chief Development Officer (CDO) of the Muzaffarnagar district administration regarding the same, we were told that the District Magistrate was “working on it”.
Ramifications for Young Widows: Payment of compensation has had ramifications on the lives of young women whose husbands were killed in the violence. For example, a local leader of a camp told us that the receipt of compensation by the wife for loss of life of the husband often resulted in coercion by the family members of the husband. He spoke of a 17 year old girl, whose husband had been killed in the violence after 6 months of marriage. She was reportedly paid Rs. 10 lakhs by the state government and Rs. 2 lakhs by the central government, but her husband’s family is pressurizing her to give up the government job she has been allotted, in favour of the deceased husband’s brother, who was married with children.
B12. Challenges to Justice: Criminal complaints and legal processes of victim-survivors are being handled by a variety of lawyers and organizations based in Muzaffarnagar, Lucknow and Delhi, including Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind (JUEH), which says it handles over 100 cases of victim-survivors through a team of six lawyers. The JUEH also says that it had visited every relief camp and encouraged victim-survivors to lodge criminal complaints, and assured them of free legal support for the trials / prosecutions. At present the effort of various groups to assist victim-survivors in justice processes is extremely important and commendable, though it seems ad hoc, piecemeal and not co-ordinated. Through our conversations with victim-survivors and the Maulana, we realized that there were many challenges to justice, such as:
Registration of complaints - There are many who have not registered their complaints. Maulana Azhar Mohammed – a local leader of Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind – claimed that the police was sent to each camp to register the complaint of victim-survivors, and that more than 600 complaints had been registered in this manner. He also said that if victim-survivors were from the jurisdiction of another police station, a ‘zero’ FIR was lodged and then transferred to the relevant police station. In fact, we recall that this has been a long-standing demand of members from civil society who have engaged with justice for the victim-survivors of Muzaffarnagar violence. Victim-survivors from the three camps contradicted the Maulana’s statement, and said no police officials had visited those camps to register complaints.
Registration of false complaints against victim-survivors: many false and baseless criminal complaints have been registered against their family members in order to coerce them to withdraw the complaints they had lodged with the police. As the mother of a girl who was gang-raped prior to the violence asked, “We are the victims and we are getting punished. What kind of justice is this?”
Failure to arrest perpetrators: Many victim-survivors told us that the perpetrators against whom they had lodged complaints with the police were not arrested, and the few who had been arrested had been released on bail. They shared with us the consequent fear, threat and insecurity that they, as victim-survivors, were facing. One police van in Kutba village was reportedly attacked and burnt down. Police is reportedly unable to arrest perpetrators as the women members of the Jat community prevent the police from entering the villages to do so. A similar tactic had been adopted by Hindu women in the villages of Kandhamal district of Odisha, which too faced communal violence in 2007-8. We were also told that while the district judge of Muzaffarnagar had a lenient approach and released persons on bail even if they had been accused of murder under S. 302 IPC, the district judge of Shamli district did not grant bail even for persons accused under S. 307 IPC. The different approaches of courts to the issue of bail also resulted in many perpetrators escaping the clutches of law.
Attempts to Influence / Threaten Complainants and Witnesses: Failure to arrest perpetrators has a direct impact on the welfare of complainants and witnesses. Victim-survivors told us that witnesses and complainants are reportedly being threatened, coerced or offered money and material wealth by the Jat community in return for withdrawing their complaints or failing to cooperate with the investigation / prosecution. The Maulana stated that so far, 54 persons had withdrawn their complaints due to threats and intimidation. Victim-survivor narratives support this. One survivor that we conversed with said that members of the Jat community from their village contacted the family, requested them to return to the village, promised to re-build the house of the survivor in exchange for withdrawal of the criminal complaint, as young Jats’ future will be spoilt through criminal prosecutions. A girl, who had witnessed her father being brutally killed, said that her family is facing severe threat and intimidation to withdraw the crimonal complaint, and has been offered Rs. 20-25 lakhs for doing so.

B13. Apathy of the government and political parties: Although the local MLAs are duty-bound to help people of their constituencies, victim survivors said that they had failed to help them with regard to relief and rehabilitation. Victim-survivors told us that some local MLAs had reportedly tried to visit the camp four months after the violence, and were driven away by the victim-survivors out of anger, and the blankets he tried to distribute were returned. Some wondered why the Samajwadi Party, which had assured support to the Muslim community, let the community down by failing to stop the violence, and by its apathy thereafter. Tensions between Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) seem to have an adverse impact on the relief and rehabilitation measures taken for the victim-survivors of the violence. For example, we were told that one reason why Juwala camp has poor facilities and is ignored by the Muzaffarnagar district administration (SP-dominated) is because most of the residents of this camp are from Shamli district (BSP-dominated). For a similar reason, victim-survivors from Hassanpur village (in Shamli district) who are in camps in Muzaffarnagar, are yet to be compensated.


C. INTERACTION WITH MAULANA AZHAR MOHAMMED, LOCAL LEADER OF JAMIAT-ULEMA-E-HIND

Subsequent to the violence, Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind (JUEH) had assumed a huge responsibility in setting up relief camps and providing food, clothing and shelter to the victim-survivors in large numbers. JEUH is also an influential body and has been negotiating with the state government on behalf of victim-survivors, and also motivating the victim-survivors to state their problems before government officials. Hence we felt that speaking to a local leader of the organisation was important, as they have crucial information about the status of the victim-survivors.
On the issue of housing, the Maulana stated that JUEH planned to construct a total of 500 houses for victim-survivors of violence who were not eligible to obtain compensation from the government, and that land had been purchased at Buldana road for this purpose, and some houses had already been constructed. He said that each housing colony will have a masjid, a madrassa and if no government school was available in the area, a school would also be built. He said that the houses would initially be in the name of JUEH and after a year, transferred to the name of the family member through a hibanama<.em> (deed of gift). There seemed to be no plans to transfer the same in the joint names of the husband and wife, but the Maulana accepted our suggestion to do so.
On our enquiry as to why a majority of the perpetrators had not been arrested by the police, the Maulana justified the same by observing that where Jats had been killed, the Muslims also had not been arrested. However, it was pointed out to him that the loss of lives and properties, and injuries sustained by members of the Jat and Muslim communities was not comparable in any way.
Although the Maulana was disappointed that the police and district administration did not prevent the violence, he did not criticise the failure of the state government to discharge its responsibilities towards the victim-survivors after the violence. Conversely there was an attempt to highlight what the government had done so far, with a tinge of paternalism. This approach, coming from a local leader of an influential organisation, can have an adverse effect on victim-survivors who are mostly dependent on it for survival.

D. INTERACTION WITH THE CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (CDO) – MUZAFFARNAGAR DISTRICT

Since the District Magistrate (DM) Mr Kaushal Raj Sharma had gone to Lucknow for a meeting, and was unavailable for us to interact with, we met with Mr. Ravindra Godbole, CDO of Muzaffarnagar district. We raised issues of lack of sanitation, health facilities, urgent need for firewood and rainproof sheets in tents at Juwala camp, which he noted and has promised to take positive steps. He made a telephone call to the secretary of Health Department, asking for a doctor to be made available at the camp for atleast 2 hours every day. We also enquired about the admit cards for students from the affected villages, which would facilitate their admission into government schools situated near the camps. He said that the Directorate of Education had issued directives in this regard to all schools, to admit children from the affected villages without asking for proof of attendance etc.
We also emphasized on the need for proper toilets for women and on counselling for the victim-survivors. The CDO said that trauma counselling warranted specialized skills and would be looked into. Though he appeared positive and responsive, we are unsure if concerted action would be taken. We have requested Mr. Javed and Mr. Abad from Joint Citizens Initiative to do the necessary follow up with him.

E. ISSUES OF CONCERN


1. State Apathy and Abdication of Responsibilities:
The state government has shown callousness and apathy to the plight of the victims. More seriously, it has abdicated its constitutionally mandated responsibilities in preventing the violence, and subsequently, in providing relief, rehabilitation and reparations. This strikes at the core of the state government’s duty to good governance, and to uphold principles of democracy, secularism and socialism. It has also blatantly violated the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), guaranteed by the UN Guiding Principles on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and 10 Years of Guiding Principles.[7] The Central government too has failed in its duty to ensure that the governance of the state is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, and to ensure that fundamental rights of the people are protected. Some aspects of state’s failure to discharge its responsibilities are:
• Failure to prevent violence;
• Shirking its responsibility to set up relief camps, and shifting the burden on to religious organisations;
• Failure to provide potable water and sanitation, lighting and security in the relief camps;
• Failure to make government-appointed doctors, free medicines and trauma counselling available in the relief camps. Health is not a political issue for most governments, and mental health is almost never given the importance it deserves. We believe that the mental health of victim-survivors is a largely neglected area;
• Failure to arrange teachers in the relief camps for ensuring that children’s studies is not disrupted;
• Brutally, and without any humanitarian consideration, vacating victim-survivors from open government land that they were occupying, with the use of bull-dozers;
• Stoppage of distribution of relief materials, including rations and clothes, giving a semblance of return to normalcy, although victim-survivors continue to be dependent on governmental and non-governmental sources as they are without housing and livelihood;
• Absence of any confidence-building and peace-building processes in the village for safe return of the victim-survivors, and for facilitating their re-integration into society;
• Causing a ghettoisation of the Muslim community by laying down conditions in affidavits signed at the time of awarding compensation, preventing the return through conditions in affidavit, thereby increasing dependency on community;
• Sponsoring mass marriages of young girls, thereby perpetuating the patriarchal attitude of girls as symbol of honour, and without recognizing the wishes or agency of the girls concerned. The mass marriages stemmed out of a fear that the girls would be sexually assaulted. It was the duty of the state to assuage their fears and provide protection, rather than giving credence to their fear and facilitating their marriages;
• Unjust, biased, selective payment of compensation; failure to give compensation to many victim-survivors, forcing them to become dependent on religious organisations that are bound to be patriarchal, conservative and inward-looking. This could have an adverse impact on the victim-survivor community, particularly on the women and girls, and their enjoyment of fundamental rights;
• Failure to implement the laws with due diligence and without any bias, and to facilitate
processes of justice through prompt and accurate registration of FIRs, arrest of perpetrators, efficient investigation, witness protection and provision of legal aid.


2. Gendered Dimensions of the Violence and its Aftermath:
Apart from the brutal and targetted sexual attacks on women from the Muslim community, we observed many gendered dimensions of the violence and its aftermath which concerned us. These include:
• In a society and community that is deeply patriarchal and conservative and imposes strict dress codes and rules on mobility of women, the communal violence has pushed the women further away from empowerment. Women in the camps lead a sub-human existence. While they enjoyed some mobility in their villages and could work in the fields, they are restrained and restricted in the relief camps behind the purdha and within 6’ x 6’ tents.
• The attacks on women during the violence has further justified restrictions on women’s and girls’ education, clothings, mobility and interactions.
• With the state washing its hands off the responsibility of rehabilitation and reparative justice, the Muslim women have been forced to become dependant on religious organisations for their survival and housing, which are bound to enforce strict patriarchal norms.
• Education for girls, livelihood for women, exercise of their agency and enjoyment of fundamental rights by Muslim girls and women who are affected by the violence have become a distant dream.
• Camp leaders, who take decisions on behalf of the camps, and inform the district administration of the status in the camps, are all men.
• To the best of our knowledge, women victim-survivors of the violence have not participated in any dharnas or demonstrations, seeking better facilities at the relief camps, despite being pushed to the brink of survival and despite having gender-specific needs and experiences.
• Their traditional roles as wives, mothers and care givers, has been further reinforced in the aftermath of the violence.
• Young women whose husbands were killed in the violence, face immense pressure from the husband’s family due to the government entitlements they have received. Adolescent girls are extremely vulnerable to forced marriages.
• It is a matter of deep concern that the state government and the JEUH arranged marriages of under-aged girls, using direct and indirect coercion and cash and material incentives, thereby undermining women’s and girls’ agency as well as subverting the law. Through their deeply patriarchal act, aimed at protecting the family’s “honour”, young girls have been subjected to a married life much before they were physically or mentally prepared for the same. Their aspirations for accessing education and obtaining jobs have been snuffed.


3. Undermining Rule of Law:
Time and again, in successive incidents of communal violence, we have witnessed how processes of reparative justice to victim-survivors are scuttled by culpable acts of ommission and commission by public officials. The Muzaffarnagar-Shamli communal violence is no exception to this deeply disturbing trend.
• We see history repeating itself through a non-registration of FIRs, failing to exercise due diligence in their registration, and a failure to arrest the perpetrators, which allows them a free hand in threatening and influencing the complainants and witnesses.
• On one hand, how will victim-survivors return to their villages if the perpetrators continue to roam freely, with the patronage of the local police? On the other hand, how successful will the prosecutions be and what would be the potential for reparative justice if complainants and witnesses continue to be influenced and threatened with impunity?
• The complicity of the police, and by its extention, the state, is also visible in the fact that victim-survivors have spoken of false and baseless complaints being filed against them by the police in order to silence and intimidate them.
• The actions of the state and district administration, particularly the police, in the last five months, do not indicate a political willingness to implement the rule of law in a sincere, rigorous and bipartisan manner.
In conclusion, the culpable acts of omission and commission on the part of state and central governments indicate that they have little value for human lives, and scant respect for Constitutional values and the rule of law. The larger question that remains is – will the public officials be made accountable for such acts, or will the victim-survivors have to pay the price for the same by losing their right to reparative justice?

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Hasina Khan is an independent consultant and a member of Forum Against Oppression of Women. Saumya Uma is an independent human rights and law researcher, and trustee of Women’s Research and Action Group. Both are women’s rights activists based in Mumbai. The visit to Muzaffarnagar was made possible due to the logistical support provided by the Joint Citizens Initiative (JCI), and insights provided by its volunteers.

[1] For more information, please refer to report titled ‘Thirty Days After’ and report of Joint Citizens Initiative.
[2] Please see dossier titled ‘Muzaffarnagar Riots: Engineering Communal Violence for Electoral Gain’, printed and Published by Forum Against Oppression of Women on behalf of several progressive organizations, 2013.
[3] ‘Taking Steps to Curb Muzaffarnagar Violence, UP Tells Supreme Court’, The Hindu, 16 September 2013
[4] ‘Muzaffarnagar Riots Criminals Moving Freely As Per Reports Submitted to Supreme Court’, Daily News and Analysis, 22 January 2013
[5] ’50 Deaths Post Riot at Relief Camps, in Hospitals’, The Indian Express, 21 January 2014
[6] ’50 Deaths Post Riot at Relief Camps, in Hospitals’, The Indian Express, 21 January 2014
[7] Report of the Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, A/HRC/10/13 dated 9 February 2009

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