Day: March 2, 2022

Islamabad, March 02, 2022 (PPI-OT):The incarcerated Vice Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, and APHC-AJK leaders have expressed profound grief and sorrow over the sad demise of former chief justice of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Justice (retd) Abdul Majeed Malik, in Mirpur, Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Shabbir Ahmad Shah in a condolence message from New Delhi’s Tihar Jail extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. He said with the demise of Justice Majeed Malik, Kashmir has lost a true friend and supporter who has been a strong proponent of Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.

Meanwhile, the APHC-AJK Convener, Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, and other leaders including Mahmood Ahmed Saghar and Altaf Hussain Wani paid rich tributes to Justice Majeed Malik for his services as a jurist, political leader and writer. They also appreciated his contribution for the Kashmir cause. The leaders prayed Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved family to bear this loss with patience.

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Islamabad, March 02, 2022 (PPI-OT):Anti-Muslims hatred has touched new heights in Modi’s India and extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) inspired Hindutva forces want to obliterate Muslims from India. Unprovoked attacks on Muslims by Hindu extremists have become rampant in India and BJP and its affiliates are making hateful remarks against Muslims to gain Hindu votes in elections.

Hindutva leaders are asking Hindu extremist to carry out genocide of Muslims and after Hardiwar genocidal call, now a Hindu woman has called for massacre of Muslims. “Hostility against Muslims is ingrained in BJP and RSS followers. Woman leader of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student organization of RSS, has expressed her desire to kill 60,000 persons supporting hijab.

The Human Rights Watch in 2022 report noted that Hindu mobs beat up Muslims with impunity. Muslims are being stopped to offer prayers and lynched over transporting cattle, it said, adding that the space for Indian Muslims is squeezing as part of a deliberate design invoking constitutional amendments. Modi is working to downgrade Muslims as 2nd class citizens even worse than Dalits. It pointed out that in Modi’s India, Muslims are being forced to renounce their faith and convert to Hinduism.

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New Delhi, March 02, 2022 (PPI-OT):Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government has announced to revive and strengthen the Indian Army-backed dreaded militia Village Defence Committees (VDCs) in Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir to suppress the Kashmiris’ ongoing freedom movement.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Tuesday that all VDCs will be revived and more would be set up as per requirements, their nomenclature will be changed and every member will be paid. The VDCs comprising Hindus exist mainly in Jammu region.

“The Village Defence Committees will now be called the Village Defence Groups (VDGs) and their members as Village Defence Group Guards (VDGGs),” Amit Shah said in his meeting with the BJP leader and VDC members in New Delhi.

Amit Shah, as per the Indian media, has assured the delegation that the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs will issue an order shortly regarding revival of the VDCs by renaming them as VDGs and all the members will be paid honorarium by the government.

Each VDG will have eight to 10 members and all of them will have equal rank. They will be paid equal remuneration every month by the government which will be directly credited to their accounts, Amit Shah assured the delegation. It is to mention here that the VDC members have been involved in killing of a large numbers of Muslims in Jammu region.

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Jammu, March 02, 2022 (PPI-OT):Contrary to tall claims of the Indian Government and the ruling BJP, the Kashmiri students studying in the war torn Ukraine who reached home safely, narrated that no help was extended by the Indian Embassy there except, issuing an advisory to leave the country that too very late.

Two girl students from Udhampur, Aheena Rajput and Stuti Kashyap, who were studying in a Medical College at war ravaged Kharkiv city in Ukraine and safely reached home recently said, “We reached home on our personal expenses with no help from Indian Embassy, which only issued an Article to temporary leave the country within three days.”

They further maintained that air fare of Indian Airlines from the capital city Kiev to New Delhi was costlier than other airlines, which forced the students to take flight of Qatar Airways and other airlines to reach home. The two students are MBBS students of the Medical College B N Karazine in Kharkiv where an Indian student from Karnataka died in shelling on Tuesday.

Both Stuti and Aheena told the media that thousands of students from India and IIOJK were still stranded in Ukraine. Parul Mahajan, a resident of Sallan Talab area in Udhampur, is one of those still stranded in Ukraine.

“On February 19, Indian Embassy in Ukraine issued an Article advising we people to temporary leave the country within three days because of the emerging crisis that led to war,” Stuti said. However, she added, no other help was provided to them while the advisory was also issued too late whereas the other countries had asked their nationals to leave Ukraine more than a week earlier.

On the other hand, the New Delhi and more particularly the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party are claiming that all possible help was being extended by the Indian government through its Embassy in Ukraine to ensure safe return of stranded Indian people in the war ravaged country.

Meanwhile, as per reports, many Kashmiri students have managed to leave Ukraine for Moldova and Romania on their own, apparently without any official support. Three different groups of 49 Kashmiri students have managed to crossover into Moldova and Romania, after being caught up in the middle of air raids and fierce fighting in Kharkiv, Sumy, Kyiv and Odessa cities.

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Srinagar, March 02, 2022 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a constable of Indian paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) committed suicide in Srinagar city. The CRPF constable identified as Anand Lal ended his life by shooting himself with his service rifle at the camp of 29th battalion in Sanat Nagar area of the city. This incident raised the number of such deaths amongst the Indian troops and police personnel to 533 since January 2007 till date.

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New Delhi, March 02, 2022 (PPI-OT):To marks two years of the communal carnage that shook several localities of Northeast Delhi in February 2020, a group of concerned citizens and organisations released a jury report.

The report released by what they called ‘People’s Tribunal’ indicated the complicity of all state actors in the killing of innocents and framing the victims in cases. At a press conference held at the Press Club of India here, former Indian diplomat Deb Mukharji read out the a People’s Tribunal report.

Slamming the Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal for its partisan role, the Tribunal demanded that it must immediately set up an Empowered Group to look into all cases of inadequate and delayed compensation.

It said despite having all intelligence the Delhi Police failed to take adequate measures to prevent the spreading of the riots. Widespread instances of police misconduct have been noted including misusing of technology to frame people, to biased and unjust chargesheets, the police have been even more complicit in the violence.

The Tribunal brought together survivor families and individuals from Northeast Delhi, field experts, and lawyers to testify before a Jury composed of people who have had long experience in their respective fields. It was a day-long, closed-door event that saw a series of discussions on five key themes: – Impact of State Apathy in Northeast Delhi – Testimonies of Families from Northeast Delhi – Medical Cases and State Response – Police Investigation and the Riots – Compensation – Access, Amount, Framework.

Jury Findings

1. In spite of adequate intelligence and warning indicators of heightened tensions and threats, the Delhi Police failed to take adequate measures to prevent the spreading of the riots. Once the violence broke out, the Delhi Police along with acts of omission and commission, allowed the riots to continue for a longer period. Taking no action against the mobs perpetrating the violence, and letting victims fend for themselves more often than not, this only resulted in larger casualties, more suffering and harassment 2. Widespread instances of police misconduct have been noted. From harassing victims and innocent citizens by various means including large-scale arrests, refusing to arrest and take action against ‘powerful’ people implicated in inciting violence, corruption and attempts at extortion; misusing of technology to frame people, to biased and unjust chargesheets, the police have been even more complicit in the violence. And this has not been highlighted by the media – especially those mainstreams – over the past two years.

2. There has been a lack of proper and transparent investigation, and a biased approach leading to lack of credibility in the overall investigative process. These were also brought out by innumerable adverse comments of the Courts during this period. Hundreds of innocent people, including victims, have been in jail on what seem to be completely trumped-up charges.

3. The Delhi Government failed miserably in providing adequate relief to victims of the violence. It has also not been able to prevent harassment and fair investigation of riot-related cases over the last two years.

4. Precious little has been done by the state to bridge the communal divide created and widened by the riots. This has led to insecurity and ghettoization with people moving into mono-religious neighbourhoods.

5. The compensation scheme drafted and provided by the state government has been blanket and discriminatory. While a policeman’s death was offered more than Rs. 1 crore, the death of an ordinary victim of the violence was given only Rs. 10 lacs. Furthermore, a child’s death was allocated merely Rs. 5 lacs according to the scheme. These blatant and arbitrary discrepancies have been pointed out repeatedly and need to be questioned further.

6. It is noted that the most amount of legal support provided to survivors of the violence have been by young and community-based lawyers. The state has done little to nothing to provide free legal aid to them.

Jury Recommendations

1. A Judicial Commission of Enquiry headed by a Retired Judge of the Supreme Court must be set up immediately to inquire into the riots. The impunity enjoyed by the state and non-state actors can only be challenged through setting up of such a commission of enquiry with members who have stature and credibility among the affected communities.

2. The Delhi Government must immediately set up an Empowered Group to look into all cases of inadequate and delayed compensation. The process of assessing the claims and giving compensation must be completed within 3 months. The Empowered Group must also take into account the hardships faced by riot survivors over the last two years because of the faulty compensation scheme of March 2020 and recompense them for the same. The Empowered Group must have members from Northeast Delhi who understand the political-economy of the area and can effectively engage with the community.

3. The use of predictive policing must be brought under a regulatory framework. A sharp rise in the use of predictive policing including facial recognition technology which was used by the Delhi Police to round up those they framed as instigators of violence is based on a fallacious assumption that the algorithms ensured bias-free investigations. There are influential research studies pointing to the bias built into its very design in order to deliver pre-determined outcomes. The use of such technology must come with a guarantee of a proper regulatory framework.

4. The State and Central governments must have programs for rebuilding employment opportunities for riot survivors who lost their livelihoods and provide them with crucial livelihood support (for example e-rickshaws, sewing machines, technical training and equipment).

5. Both the Central and the State governments must make efforts to prevent communal violence in future by taking steps toward building communal harmony and preventing further ghettoisation. Rebuilding of mutual trust and relationships is necessary for the long-term coexistence of all communities. Attempts must be made to bring back the people who have left their homes so that distress sale of properties can stop. While members of the civil society have taken on the responsibility of rebuilding trust, schools – especially government schools – could be important sites of promoting communal harmony by ensuring participation in activities from children of all communities. There must be workshops for teachers on how they can counter feelings of hatred and otherising among children.

6. All instances of neglect and delay in treatment of serious injuries of riot victims, some of which resulted in death or permanent disability at government hospitals must be probed by the Judicial Commission of Enquiry. They must also look into the alleged communal bias of the doctors and hospital staff. The State Government must ensure that adequate and free medical care is provided to the riot victims so that their treatment can continue.

7. State and Central Governments must remedy the disruption of education of young people. An assessment and evaluation, with the cooperation of civil society organisations working in the field of education, must be done of instances of youth dropping out of school to earn a living. Bridge courses must be organised for those willing to re-join schools. It is important to ensure retention of girl students in schools to avoid early marriage.

The Jury comprised former Indian ambassador Deb Mukharji, former Home Secretary (Ministry of Home Affairs of India) Gopal Pillai, historian Mridula Mukharji, senior journalist and researcher Pamela Philipose, and former member of Planning Commission of India and writer Syeda Hameed.

To mark the carnage, and take forward the much-needed discourse on the lives of the victims, a group of concerned citizens and organisations – comprising National Federation of Indian Women (NIFW), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), United Against Hate (UAH), and Karwan -e -Mohabbat – came together on February 26, 2022, to organise a People’s Tribunal.

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New Delhi, March 02, 2022 (PPI-OT):An Indian student was killed in Ukraine’s Kharkiv morning in shelling as the war between Russia and Ukraine reached big cities’ streets. India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “With profound sorrow we confirm that an Indian student lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv. The Ministry is in touch with his family.”

He also said: “We convey our deepest condolences to the family.” India’s foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla is calling in Ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to reiterate India’s demand for urgent safe passage for the Indian nationals who are still in Kharkiv and cities in other conflict zones.

“Similar action is also being undertaken by our Ambassadors in Russia and Ukraine,” Bagchi said. The Russian troops have also surrounded Ukraine capital city Kyiv on Tuesday and asked civilians to leave the city on the urgent note.

“All civilians in the city can freely leave the Ukrainian capital along the Kyiv-Vasylkiv highway. This direction is open and safe,” Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. Immediately thereafter, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine asked the stranded nationals to leave Kyiv immediately by any means.

“All Indian nationals, including students are advised to leave Kyiv urgently. Preferably by available trains or through any other means available,” Indian Embassy said in an advisory. Russian and Ukrainian troops continued to engage in fighting on Kharkiv streets as war entered into the fifth day after Russian President Vladimir Putin called for military operation.

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Washington DC, March 02, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Indian Government has a duty under the Genocide Convention to immediately punish those who have called for the genocide of India’s Muslims at the Haridwar ‘dharam sansad’ in December, 2021, the world’s foremost genocide expert Dr. Gregory Stanton has said.

“Genocide does not have to be underway to be punishable,” Dr. Stanton said delivering a plenary address at the end of a three-day global summit. “Incitement to commit genocide is covered under the Genocide Convention, Article 3. Incitement to commit genocide is exactly what was preached at the Haridwar congregation.”

Dr. Stanton’s reference was to a Hindu religious gathering organised in December at the north Indian city of Haridwar, last year, where speakers openly called for the killing of Muslims. The self-styled Hindu monk, Yati Narasinghanand, who organised that meeting, was bailed by a court within days of arrest. Pooja Pandey, a saffron-robed female monk who also gave the call for genocide is yet to be charged or arrested.

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was conceived in response to last century’s Holocaust in which over six million Jews were killed. India has ratified the Convention and is therefore covered under it. Article 3 covers “direct and public incitement to commit genocide.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has maintained a silence on the calls for genocide. His government has rejected international calls to act against hate speeches and persecution of Muslims and Christians. Narasinghanand and Pandey are well known affiliates of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the 96-year-old Hindu supremacist movement that wants to convert India into a Hindu nation and strip Muslims and Christians of equal rights. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is an affiliate of the RSS.

While identifying “ethnocentrism” as the cause of genocide, Dr. Stanton said nationalism was the “most deadly form of ethnocentrism… It is racism on steroids.” Genocide begins by portraying “as the real killers – that they will kill us, if we don’t kill them first,” he said. This is “mirroring,” a “most accurate prediction of what the perpetrators intend to do themselves,” which is genocide, he added.

Dr. Stanton is the founder-president of Genocide Watch, a US-based non-profit that has issued an alert for genocide of Muslims in India. Thirty years ago he had predicted the genocide in Rwanda. He is also the founder of the global Alliance Against Genocide.

He made his remarks bringing up the concluding day of the three-day summit, titled India On The Brink: Preventing Genocide, where over 50 panellists spoke on 17 panels.

“Genocide also involves dehumanising a community. India’s home minister Amit Shah has called Muslims “termites.” It renders other people not human, and killing them not murder. Dehumanisation overcomes the normal human revulsion of committing murder. Exclusion becomes a religious doctrine ordained by God,” he said.

Dr. Stanton blamed social media for making “propaganda fast, and deadly. Facebook and WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, are now the main platforms for incitement to genocide in India.”

To counter Hindu majoritarian nationalism, India “must recentre nationalism. It must take the religion out of India’s nationalism. It must be re-centered on the secular vision of India’s founders. This movement must be led by people in India that believe India must remain a secular democracy,” he asserted.

Dr. Stanton said the Indian diaspora can help the “movement for a secular Indian nationalism. We should organise a continuing movement to keep the defeat of Modi’s nationalism at the top of the policies around the world. We have therefore announced the launching of a campaign to counter Modi’s nationalism.”

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