Gujarat Pogrom

#Let’sRaiseHell

On the day India was born eleven demons were let loose. A great celebration ensued Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! India won the match again! The match is always fixed. A man versus woman Bilkis versus eleven Satans played in broad daylight. A great uproar, carnal pleasure, proud chest, thumping victory: Bilkis: Zero, India: Eleven. It’s always the same match . India[Read More...]

Demonstration in Mumbai condemning release of murderers of family of Bilkees Banoo

A militant demonstration was held at Dadar Railway Station (East) on August 23rd, besides Hanuman Mandir, Dadar (East), Mumbai, attended by over 300 activists which is mainly consisted of women. It was organised by All India Womens Democratic Association, ,  Forum Against OppressionOf Women, Indian Christians For Democracy Jan Swasthya Abhiyan #National SolidarityForum  Police Reform Watch , Vinayak Foundation Shoshit[Read More...]

Communalism Overtakes Constitution

(This long article of 2013 was published in the form of a booklet in 2014. The same is reissued here for the benefit of new readers. Even those who have read it earlier may find some relevance in the present political context.) Against Forgetfulness The supporters of Narendra Modi have been insisting for some time now that what happened in[Read More...]

Communal Virus & Indian Politicking! 

The nature of communal virus plaguing India even in this era displays political “strategies” still being deliberately manufactured and propagated to spread communalism at cost of secularism. The saving grace lies in questions being raised from secular activists, politicians and certain sections of media criticizing such communal moves. Sadly, some right-winged extremists bear little remorse about spreading communal virus. Paradoxically,[Read More...]

Bilkis in Hindu Rashtra !

 Whether Remission of Sentences of her Perpetrators offers a template for Victims / Survivors How Justice Would End for them now onwards ?   Who gets ‘Amrit’ , who gets ‘Vish’ ? Hindu mythology according to ‘Vishnu Purana’ talks about gods getting ‘Amrit’ (nectar) and asuras ( demons) getting Vish ( poison) after the Samudra Manthan of Kshirsagar. Well, in[Read More...]

The shame of a nation: The tragedy of Bilkis Bano!

India completed 75 years of independence on 15 August 2022! That ‘special day’ however, was one of the blackest days in the history of post-independent India. It was indeed a terrible day for Bilkis Yakub Rasool and for millions of other Indians, who cherish all that is sacred: justice, liberty, equality and fraternity! On that day, as Bilkis Bano (as[Read More...]

The Gujarat Politics of Remission

The controversial garlanding of the recently released 11 individuals by members allegedly belonging to the VHP on August 16, 2022, raises a pertinent question: why were these individuals released? Obviously, the fact that they had been in prison for well over the mandatory 14 years made them eligible for availing the remission policy of the state government. It is a[Read More...]

PUCL condemns the remission of the sentence of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis case as arbitrary, unfair and dangerous for Indian democracy

Peoples Union for Civil Liberties condemns the release on remission of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case on August 15, 2022. 11 convicts charged with charges of gang rape of a pregnant woman and multiple murders  walked out free.  The release of the 11 convicts,  even as many others accused of less serious offences remain in jail is[Read More...]

Gujarat Carnage: Human Rights Defenders as Culprits

The Supreme Court in its judgment the case of Zakia Jafri vs. State of Gujarat dismissed the petition filed by Zakia Jafri. Zakia Jafri had called for an investigation into the conspiracy to hatch the events which resulted in the massive carnage in Gujarat following the Godhra train burning on the morning of 27th February 2002. While dismissing this Supreme[Read More...]

Twenty Years After Godhra – Some Reflections

by Admiral L Ramdas and Lalita Ramdas Twenty years ago, in end February 2002 we were in Palo Alto with our daughter towards the end of a successful lecture tour organised by  friends –to build a coalition of groups and voices prepared to stand up against the proliferation of Nuclear weapons. It was with horror and disbelief that we watched[Read More...]