Folk school at Lohata village of Varanasi, victims of imperialism and sez

सेज परियोजना के शिकार किसानो और बुनकरों का लोक विद्यालय वाराणसी के लोहता मे 30 मई को

Shruti from South Korea

प्रिय साथी,

क्रांतिकारी अभिवादन।

साऊथ कोरिया के ग्वांगजू शहर मे १८ मई १९८० मे सैनिक शासन के खिलाफ वहाँ की जनता ने बगावत कर दिया।जिसमे एक हजार से ऊपर लोग शहीद हुवे। किन्तु सरकार तकरीबन २०० लोगो की शहादत को मानती है। उनकी याद मे मई १८ फाउंडेशन की स्थापना की गयी है। जिसने २००० सन से ग्वांगजू ह्यूमन राइट्स पुरस्कार की शुरुवात की है।यह पुरस्कार ईस्ट तिमोर के राष्ट्रपति, एशियन ह्यूमन राइट्स कमीशन के बासिल फ़र्नांडो, बर्मा मे आज़ादी की जंग लड़ रही आन् सु की को मिला है। २००७ ग्वांगजू ह्यूमन राइट्स अवार्ड्स हमारे संगठन के लेनिन रघुवंशी को मणिपुर मे संघर्ष कर रही इरोम शर्मीला के साथ मिला है। लेनिन को यह पुरस्कार भारत मे
दलित के अधिकार पर काम के लिए मिला . shruti

Nandi Gram’s incident and patriarchy: statement of Shruti from Varanasi,UP,India

Nandi Gram’s incident and patriarchy: statement of Shruti from Varanasi,UP,India
Communist Party of India (Marxist) has gone far ahead in Nandigram, East Midnapur district, West Bengal state, India to establish chemical plant of a multinational company and to strengthen the roots of other multinational companies in West Bengal by inflicting indiscriminate violence against the villagers and illegally dispossessing the poor peasants from their lands. Through democratic means people’s power is vested into the government for their welfare and security but CPM government is acting as an agent of multinationals and using the power given by the people against the common people of the state. Now it has been clear beyond any doubt that for the benefit of few people West Bengal government is brutally suppressing the demands of the people and inflicting all sorts of violence against the poor people. It is unfortunate that it is being done by a leftist government that boasts to be a party of workers and peasants.

To terrorize the people, State government of west Bengal is taking resort to all those means which can not be imagined in any civilized society. We are shocked to know that in Nandigram, the women who were protesting peacefully against the acquisition of their lands were brutally assaulted, raped and then killed. Rape against women in Nandigrame is nothing but one of the ways deliberately exercised by the police force and CPM activists to terrorise the people in favour of the benefit of the multinational company. It is a matter of great shame that the CPM women’s wing, which is very powerful and has its membership in millions, did nothing and kept silent for the violence committed against women by the state government led by CPM.

In 21st century when people from all corners of the world are reaching on a consensus that the women should be given equal opportunity and freedom so that they could be able to take decision about their life and could be able to resist against the patriarchal supremacy. But so called progressive and communists in India are still involved into oppression of women and playing with the dignity of women. It is unfortunate that the CPM is doing the same thing to crush the voice of women and it is really a matter of great concern for all those women’s organizations who work for the upliftment of the women in India.

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Shruti is founding member of People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) and Managing Trustee of Jan Mitra Nyas.
Savitri Bai Phule Mahila Panchayat is women forum for rights of Dalit women. Mobile Number:+91-9935599330

Open letter to Governor of Gujrat,India

Sri Naval Kishore Sharma
The Honorable Governor of Gujarat
Gandhinagar.

Sir,
The People's Vigilance committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) would like to draw your attention to some of the very vital problems of Gujarat haunting the state and taking a very ugly turn in an alarming scale.

The Soharabuddin encounter case

The Govt. Gujarat has submitted all the documents related to the fake encounter of Soharabuddin and admitted the murder of Kasur Bano. The Gujarat Govt. too admitted in the Gujarat State Assembly that Sohrabuddin was an ordinary criminal & not a member of Lashkar-e-Toiba in last November, 2006. The Govt. of Gujarat is taking all the measures to show the SC just to avoid the CBI enquiry. The SC too finds enquiry in right path. Once the SC said no to CBI enquiry, the Govt. of Gujarat breathed a sigh of relief and there after started all kinds of hurdles for the enquiring officer Ms. Geeta Johri. As a result she is reluctant to proceed further as she is not getting any co-operation rather facing hurdle in each step. Even she has gone to the extent of asking for CBI enquiry. The duality of the state Govt. in this case has been nakedly exposed.
Moreover the BJP and the Sangh Parivar has launched a serious campaign & released the CD defending the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin and trying to create a cult figure around Vanjhara. The local film channels are showing movies justifying the fake encounter by the police, where the human right bodies, courts are ridiculed.
An atmosphere has been created to create halla gulla that if the case is transferred to CBI,alleging that the Central Government is interfering in the state affair. A public psychology is created in an alarming scale.
Baroda in Turmoil
The trail of the vandalism in the faculty of Fine Arts of M.S.University finally did not leave the Muslim community. They were provoked at the nude painting of Prophet Mohammed by an unknown scrupulous element in the University campus. The naked painting of Prophet Mohammed was done deliberately to provoke the Muslim Community. The senate member of the M.S.University Shri Deepak Shah declared a prize of one lac rupee cash who can dare to paint Prophet Mohammed in nude. The Muslim community raised objection before the authority but the administrative authority did not bother to take any measures and Shri Deepak Shah was allowed to move freely without being charged by the police. It is very shocking to see the desperate Muslim came out in open protest with the portraits of Osama Bin Laden. Of course this act has been condemned by the Muslim Community immediately. Instead of finding a solution to control and calm down the wounded Muslims the police & the administration taken repressive measure making the situation more volatile.
The law and order situation
The law and order situation in the State is in shamble. Day by day rapes and murders are increasing. The rape of murder of a girl belonging to Koli community in Junagadh has caused strong public resentmentcreate and now taking a political turn. This shameful incident is the mirror of the State. Thefts and loots have become a very common phenomenon. The securities of the senior citizens are in danger. They are looted and killed. Suicide for economic as well as the social reason too has become routine affair. The State which was enjoying the social security years back has been totally destroyed. The criminalisation apart from the existing communalization of the society, administration, and police is endangering the very fabric of democracy.
This State Govt. is relaxing the Prohibition Policy in the name of SEZ & investment which will push the State towards criminalization where women will become the worst victim.
Now as the election for the Assembly is nearing. The political atmosphere is taking very ugly turn fragmenting the society. The show of strength of Sri Narendra Modi led meetings and conferences and the Yatra of Congress and their utterances are creating more social cleavage detrimental to the democracy.

Apart from it the condition of the unorganized workers are in a pitiable condition. The workers are devoid of any kind of legal rights.

The education has been totally thrown to the market forces encouraged by the Govt. The attack on education will have a severe consequence in the social as well as cultural fabric of the society and break the moral backbone of the coming generation.

There are many more problems taking away the life, bread and spirit of the people
.In a democracy it is the duty of the Govt. to protect the citizens from all kinds of insecurity.

The PVCHR urge upon you to take measures to provide all out protection and security to the people of Gujarat

Thanking You-- Dr. Lenin (Ashoka Fellow) Mobile:+91-9935599333 Please visit: http://www.universalrights.net/heroes/display.php3?id=101 www.pvchr.org www.webspawner.com/users/pvchr www.pvchr.blogspot.com www.sapf.blogspot.com www.antiwto.blogspot.com www.rtfcup.blogspot.com http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/930408838

518 International Solidarity Program: Acceptance Speech of Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi

518 International Solidarity Program: Acceptance Speech of Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi

Mockery of Indian Constitution by High Court of Rajsthan,India: Ms. Shruti, Coordinaor,Savitri Bai Phule Mahila Panchayat

Mockery of Indian Constitution by High Court of Rajsthan,India: Ms. Shruti, Coordinaor,Savitri Bai Phule Mahila Panchayat

Was Manu the maker of modern Indian constitution? If not then what was the purpose of installation of the statue Manu in front of the Rajasthan High Court in 2001 that first made the discriminatory code of conduct in ancient India that that made it possible for millions of people to live a life worst than the animals? Is it not the insult of those millions of people who has been suffering for centuries?

Our modern constitution which declares the right to equality of every citizen irrespective of caste and creed, sex and religion and which declares any kind of discrimination illegal and unlawful and on the basis of which our judiciary is functioning then the installation of a statue of Manu in front of the building of the High Court of Rajasthan at Jaipur indicates that even today the castiest and patriarchal forces want to keep alive the discriminatory practices in the society which deprived the large section of the society from their equal social and cultural life and which had been the main reason of all sorts of backwardness that took them hundreds of year back in the past and made it impossible for them to resist the injustice based of extreme inequality, exploitation and degradation.

According to the code of Manu “If a human from lower caste or outcaste dares to sit equal to upper caste Hindu then as a punishment s/he should be marked on his/her hip by the means of burning and should be expelled from the locality”
“A person belonging to a lower caste should depend upon the foods left by the upper caste man after eating and they should wear only old clothes. They should be given poor quality of food grains and other used and old articles.”
“A man from lower caste should be provided with food only after work”

After a long and strenuous struggle and resistance of our dalit thinkers and leaders like Jyoti ba Phule, Savitri bai Phule, Dr. Ambedkar and others we became successful to have a constitution drafted by Dr. Ambedkar which propounds our rights without any discrimination and prejudices. In 2001, after more than 50 years of the formation of our constitution, the installation of statue of Manu means the attempt of reestablishment of discriminatory Manuist Code of Conduct which had long before been the subject of museum. It is surprising that even in this modern age of democratization, the reactionary Hinduist forces are trying to usher in undemocratic and unjust system.

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Shruti is founding member of People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) and Managing Trustee of Jan Mitra Nyas.
Savitri Bai Phule Mahila Panchayat is women forum for rights of Dalit women. Mobile Number:+91-9935599330

Two Indian Human Rights Defenders Win the 2007 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights http://www.forum-asia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=309&

http://www.forum-asia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=309&Itemid=32
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development is a regional human rights organization with 40 member-organizations in 15 countries in Asia.
Statements

Two Indian Human Rights Defenders Win the 2007 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights


Thursday, 24 May 2007
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) applauds the awarding of the 2007 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights to Lenin Raghuvanshi and Irom Sharmila, two human rights defenders from India. The award was given during the Gwangju International Peace Forum and the East Asian Human Rights Forum on 18 May 2007 in Gwangju, South Korea.The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights is awarded annually by the South Korea-based May 18 Memorial Foundation to people who have worked tirelessly for the promotion and protection of human rights. The recipients’ work reflects democracy, freedom, and human rights, the main tenets of the spirit of the 18 May 1980 uprising, when the students and citizens of Gwangju protested against a military dictatorship. Lenin Raghuvanshi leads the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), a group at the forefront of the resistance against the discriminatory caste system in India. Caste is a multi-layered social hierarchy system practiced in India for hundreds of years. The caste system was banned in the Constitution of India 50 years ago, but its discriminatory and inhumane practices still exist today. The PVCHR has grown into a nationwide and worldwide network composed of legal experts, journalists, and human rights advocacy groups. As the organisation’s leader, Lenin Raghuvanshi brings hope to people discriminated on the basis of caste as more than 3,500 bonded child labourers in India who work as slaves to pay for their families’ debt.Lenin Raghuvanshi considers the Gwangju uprising an inspiration to people like him who are fighting for human rights in India. In his acceptance speech, he declared, “It is time to revive the far-sightedness, the vast imagination and great sensitivity of the people who are remembered on May 18. It is time that we re-articulate their aspiration in global terms and it is time to grasp the possibilities of that moment. The spirit of the May 18 Gwangju uprising has become the light of hope to us.”Lenin Raghuvanshi’s co-recipient, Irom Sharmila, is a citizen of Manipur state who has initiated her own protest against the military forces in India under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The AFSPA was enacted in 1958 and allows arbitrary detention, shooting and killing of civilians, and search and enter on private property without a warrant by the military forces under the ambiguous cover of “maintaining public order”. On 2 November 2000, the Indian military fired into a crowd of citizens in Manipur. Since the incident, Irom Sharmila has refused to eat and drink anything to protest the indiscriminate use and abuse of the powers under the AFSPA. She was arrested on charges of “attempted suicide” and force-fed by the Indian authorities. Irom Sharmila was eventually released from detention, but continued to fast in protest. In October 2006, Irom Sharmila travelled from Manipur to New Delhi to pursue her campaign for the abolition of the AFSPA. She was arrested by police authorities on her second day in the city. Irom Sharmila is currently in the custody of police authorities at the JN Hospital in Manipur.The brother of Irom Sharmila, Irom Singhajit Singh, accepted the award on her behalf. In his speech, he relayed the response she gave after being told she had won the award: “Go and accept the award on behalf of the people of Manipur,” she said, “The movement needs it. We must thank Gwangju and the world for the solidarity and support.”FORUM-ASIA’s Executive Director Anselmo Lee believes that the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights serves as a reminder that the uprising in Gwangju was not an isolated struggle by the people of Gwangju: “The Gwangju uprising should be seen as part of a universal battle to advance democracy, freedom, and human rights by all humanity.”FORUM-ASIA invites all human rights defenders in Asia to relive the spirit of Gwangju, support the struggle of this year’s awardees and show solidarity. FORUM-ASIA also urges the government of India to address the issues of discrimination against those labelled “untouchables” in India and to abolish the oppressive AFSPA.India was re-elected on 18 May 2007 to the UN Human Rights Council for another three-year term. India must thus show the international community that it is committed to further respect for human rights and the rule of law. “The government of India must demonstrate its sincerity in eradicating discrimination against so-called ‘untouchables’. It must also prove its commitment in establishing the rule of law by abolishing oppressive legislation like the AFSPA,” said Mr. Lee.Past awardees of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights are former president of East Timor, Xanan Gusmao, Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi, and Thailand’s Angkhana Neelaphaijit.For more information, please contact Anselmo Lee, Executive Director, telephone +66 2 391 8801; email:anselmo@forum-asia.org or Emerlynne Gil, Programme Officer of the Human Rights Defenders Programme, telephone: +66 2 391 8801; email:em@forum-asia.org.