Muslims self-employed, stigmatised

A study of employment and education among Muslims in India by Prof. Rakesh Basant of IIM Ahmedabad has revealed a high proportion of self-employment among Muslims to avoid discrimination given high perceptions of unfairness; this leads low salaries and economic backwardness among the minority. The researcher found most respondents had a ‘stigma of being labeled anti-nationalists” and “being appeased at the same time”. He concluded Muslims are more in need of quotas than Hindu OBCs. The report suggests affirmative action and incentivising diversity in institutes and companies to enable a greater participation in governance and labor force.
The research noted that the gap between upper caste Hindus and Muslims had remained the same, and that of Dalits, Adivasi and upper-caste Hindus had declined.
It cited non-existent credit flow in Muslim areas and low participation in education due to limited access to good quality schools as adversely affecting their status.
It recommends “Nomination of ethnic, linguistic, and religious minorities in local-level bodies”; and that reservation in government employment could enhance returns to education for Muslims. A Central government notification to affect 4.5% minority quota in Central educational institutes is still pending in court due to an Andhra High Court stay.

Faizabad, 19th December 2012,
Forbes Inter College, Faizabad hosted a conference, 'Challenges to Common Heritage', 'Sanjhi Virasat ki Chunotiyan' on 19th December.
Subhasini Ali, former MP and member of CPM said, "The challenge India faces today is a disintegrating sovereignty. Indian states have pledged their policies to America. It's only through American handling of Indian policies that on the one hand FDI is being forced on India and on the other, Muslim youth are being arrested in the name of terrorism and left to rot in prisons all across India. Indians must unify to fight this issue and it's only this that will be a rightful tribute to our martyrs."
The event was also attended by Human Rights activist Gautam Navlakha who said that the freedom gained 60 years ago has not yet been realized and it's the Indian Army that has portrayed people from Kashmir and the north-east as India's enemies and killed hundreds of them. Muslims and tribals are being isolated and the country is being systematically divided by its democratically elected government.
Former Inspector General of Police SR Darapuri said that the anti-terrorism laws being passed by the parliament are draconian and only allow to help officials oppress Dalits, Muslims and tribals. 
Welfare Party Secretary General, Qasim Rasool Ilyas said that terror acts need to be inquired into to that Muslims, who are implicated in cases and released years later, faultless and having all charges against them taken back, their lives are ruined and it defames Muslims. 
All India People's Front leader Lal Bahadur Singh noted that Faizabad did not have a riot even after the Babri Masjid demolition but it had one under SP's communal governance.
Senior CPI-ML leader Mohammed Salim said that Indians must not rely on a political party to protect secularism in the country but they must take the matter into their own hands. He added that the people must use its values of common heritage to fight fascist regimes in the country. Rihai Manch convener Md. Shueb said that IB is trying to divide the country along communal lines. He added that Tariq and Khalid, accused by the ATS and other intelligence agencies in the Court premises bombings have been deemed blameless in the RD Nimesh Report. The SP government fails to make the report public and bring the culprits to book.
PUCL leader Mahtab Alam said that the governement's action in the name of Operation Green Hunt and terrorism only target Muslims and tribals and weaken the anti-imperialist movement. 
The meeting was chaired by Sitaram Verma and organised by DYFI.
Among the attendees were Satban Singh, Gufran, Hafiz Abdul Hafeez, Syed Ashraf Nizam, Jalal Siddiqi, Tariq Saeed Sudhir Singh, K P Singh, Dinesh Singh, Kamlesh Singh, RD Anand, Swapnil Srivastava, Manzar Mehdi, and Rajeev Yadav.
 

To,
     Chief Minister,
     Uttar Pradesh

Subject: Demand letter from the Wada Nibhao meeting
1. RD Nimesh report, on the Tariq-Khalid fabricated cases be made public.
2. Innocents arrested in the name of terrorism be released as promised by the government.
3. The report of Justice I. S. Mathur Commission, formed to investigate the role of current DGP A.S. Sharma in protecting rioters in the 1992 Kanpur communal violence, be made public.
4. Setting-up of special courts for terrorism cases to speed up the process.
5. Arrangement of compensation and proper rehabilitation facilities for those acquitted.
6. Action be taken against police officials responsible for the fabricated cases and wrongful arrests.
7. A CBI inquiry into riots during the present government.
8. CBI probe into the Bajrang Dal members killed in Kanpur.
9. Investigation into all acts of terrorism in the state.
10. Judicial inquiry into the abduction of Sitapur resident Shakeel.
11. An investigation into the 31 December 2007 to January 1, 2008 Rampur riots.
12. National Cooperative Development Corporation, Lucknow, on 15th August 2000, Shramjeevi Express bomb case, Sankat Mochan, Babri masjid premises riot, Cantt Station, Varanasi, 2007 attack on Rahul Gandhi, Chinhat, Lucknow, encounter on 23rd December 200. be inquired into. 
13. The government explain the Batla House Fake Encounter case.
14. Political and social activities of Intelligence agencies be brought in the purview of Right to Information.
15. Indian Police officials not be sent to terrorist nations like Israel and America for training.
16. SP government explain its association with Israel and Shivpal Yadav's trip to the region.



From- Md. Shueb, Md. Suleiman, Tariq Shamim, Dr. Javed Akhtar, Jai Roy, Javed Advocate, Haji Ahmed Hussain, Rabindra Nath Roy, Vinod Yadav, Tariq Shafiq, Arif Naseem, Anshumala, Shiva, Saroj, Kanchan, Punam, Masihuddin.

Illegal detention of Muslim youth is an embodiment of the Government’s betrayal – Md. Shueb

Riots during SP reign planned – Md. Suleiman

Call to Government to clarify stance on Shivpal Yadav’s Israel trip – Tariq Shamim

 Azamgarh, 12th December, Advocate Md. Shueb, during his presidential address at the Wada Nibhao strike organised by Rihai Manch alleged that the SP government was not earnest in its promise of expeditious release of innocent youth implicated in fabricated cases. He added that even senior party leaders are confused about their stance regarding the status quo and that they issue contradictory statements. He commented on the government's reluctance to release the RD Nimesh report and said that its excerpts printed in newspapers only confirm the falsity of charges against the youth held in various cases. 

Indian National League President Suleiman Ahmed said that even though Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal workers were caught making explosives in Kanpur, the Mayawati government failed to take appropriate action and chose, instead, to bow down to the interests of forces detrimental to the nation's unity. He said the instability the inaction in the probe and the subsequent arrests of Muslim youth could lead to civil unrest in the future. He added that the entirely one-sided, pre-planned riots during the SP rule could be likened to the Gujarat riots and were in no way accidental. 

The Nimesh Commission was constituted for the kidnapping of Hakim Tariq from Azamgarh on December 12, 2007 but even after years, the findings of the Commission have not been made public and the suggestions are far from being implemented. Tariq Shamim, National General Secretary, Qaumi Ekta Dal noted that there are differences of opinion among the SP leaders about the report. On the one hand, leaders like Shivpal Yadav denounce it, while on the other Rajya Sabha representatives of the party use it to gain popularity among Muslims.

He demanded the government explain why its leaders visited Israel and also that the State abstain from    taking assistance from Israel in training police and intelligence officials.

The meeting was attended by Hussein Haji Ahmed, Rabindra Nath Roy, Arif Naseem, Anshumala,Vinod Yadav, Jai Prakash Rai, among others.

Community Backing

While many communities are coming up with support/investment funds for their members, such as Kutchi Angel Network, which works with Jains, Muslim entrepreneurs have come up with Halal Investments, a firm based in Ahmedabad that is Shariah compliant and open for everyone in the global community.

"Secura and a couple of others have already floated venture capital funds based on Shariah...Al-Barakah is now planning to launch one soon," H Abdur Raqeeb, general secretary, Indian Centre for Islamic Finance.

Ms. Roy speaks at Writers’ Association

Noted social activist and writer Arundhati Roy stressed the need to intensify revolutionary movements to fight oppression by the state against the people speaking at a Revolutionary Writers' Association meeting in Hyderabad. Ms. Roy said that the successive governments have made lives of common people miserable during the last 20 years by adopting the policies of globalization and liberalisation, bringing about a sea change in the country’s economy and leaving the ones at the margin of the society extremely vulnerable. She added that the reforms being implemented since the last 20 years have only contributed to the declining living standards of common people.
“The reforms being taken up by the governments under the guise of free market regime have resulted in 30 per cent growth of military forces while adivasis forest areas faced extinction. The policy-makers have conspired to evacuate adivasis from forests under the name of Operation Green Hunt. Ironically, the people’s organisations instead of revolting against these policies are maintaining silence,” Ms Roy said. She explained that the mobilization of lakhs of security personnel as part of the Operation under the pretext of combating Maoists was to attack innocent tribals off their mineral-rich land. She also said that the governments were branding Muslims as ‘terrorists’ as and when it suited their policies.
While appreciating the recent Bharat Bandh against FDI in retail sector, she questioned why parties and people did not agitate against incidents such as Gujarat riots. Referring to the ban on Revolutionary Democratic Front imposed recently by the state government, she said the people’s organisations have failed to express their anguish over the decision and play an instrumental role in India’s ‘democracy.’

It is shameful that the CM didn’t visit Faizabad riot victims: Rihaai Manch
Rihaai Manch strongly condemned the irresponsible attitude of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav towards violence in Faizabad. Even after a week of the incident he has not visited the area. After visiting the victims, Rihaai Manch members conclude that the carelessness shows the lack of commitment of the government towards the protection of minorities. The government claims to bring the criminals to book but fails to meet and sympathise with the bereft, instead, innocent Muslims in Bhadarsa are being implicated in false cases. They blamed the state government of appointing a party person, Manoj Jaiswal, a Hindu right-wing man to investigate the riots. The Rihaai Manch representatives also said that the reason why Yadav was not visiting Faizabad was that the role of his party members in the incident is clear and the victims will raise questions about the party’s involvement. Rajiv Yadav said the riots were aimed at communal polarization and reviving BJP’s innings in the region. Even, the current DGP is a man who played an instrumental role in the Babri demolition by giving shelter to Hindu right-wing workers in Kanpur whose role was investigated by the Justice IS Mathur commission. The findings of the report submitted by the commission in 1998 have still not been made public by the ‘secular’ SP government, let alone taking punitive action against him. Instead, the government installed him in an important post and the result is nine riots within a year of him taking office.  Human rights activists, comparing Modi and Yadavs said the Yadavs were even worse as Modi did anti-Muslim activities to win elections while Yadav came to power on Muslim votes.
CM Yadav had claimed that the riots were a conspiracy by the opposition parties, failing to answer why the police didn’t clamp down on the culprits in the hours-long arson, and, also that SP minister Shailender Kumar was found guilty of the Asthan, Pratapgarh incident where-in 45 Muslim homes were set on fire. The activists said his incompetence raises serious questions about his leadership potential.
The investigative team of Rihaai Manch will include intellectuals, journalists and human-rights activists and will visit the riot victims and come out with a report shining light on SP’s role in the violence in Faizabad.

Kill us but don’t deport us: Rohingyas in Jammu

Persecution in Burma from the 1960s has caused the Rohingyas to scattered in adjacent areas but 28 families have chosen to take refuge in Jammu were they work as Safai Karamcharis and their children attend school. They are not allowed to own land in their home country and were stripped off their citizenship and their land was confiscated in 1982 by a ‘pro-democracy’ government and were forcibly made to work without any wages or salaries and had to pay exorbitant tax rates. Remembering how their male children were thrown off cliff and girls violated, they prefer being shot than deported.
They have UN cards with them and are allowed to live near a railway station and the district collector does not object.

Hike in suicide rates in India
The National Crime Records Bureau has come out with its reports for 2011. The previous year saw 1.35 lakh suicides in total with family problems accounting for 24% of the cases and illnesses causing 19% of the total. West Bengal reported the highest number from a state ( 16,492) and Delhi (1,716) among Union Territories. There has been a recorded hike of 25% from 2001 (1,08,506 cases) to 2011 (1,35,585 cases). 

New Bill Banning Manual Scavenging Ray of Hope
The earlier 1993 Act had a narrow definition of a manual scavenger and the absence of a clause on rehabilitation and did not see any offenders. It also saw late implementation of laws by states.
The decision to amend the 1993 Act to fill the lacunae was foregone to avoid a lengthy amendment process and the Law ministry does not accept any other amendments but those in Entry 6 (that of Public Health and Sanitation).
The bill of 2012, takes a better view of manual scavenging, a broader definition, prohibits hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks and deals with severe penalties and rehabilitation. Compared to the severer 2011 Draft bill by P. S. Krishnan, the new Bill sustains, if not perpetrates, manual scavenging by deeming the act done with protective gear on, outside the ambit of the law. The 2011 draft proposes a pension from the previous employers for the persons on account of unavailability of alternative jobs and aggravated economic necessity. The draft recommended rehabilitation in form of service providers and cooks for anganwadis and mid-day schemes or as railway staff assisting the elderly, the disabled or children. It has also suggested various trainers for them to help acquire jobs.
A highlight of the 2012 bill is the unsparing penalty of Rs. 50,000 or imprisonment up to one year or both. 

Anti-dowry law diluted
The Law Commission of India has come up its suggestions on amendments in the anti-dowry law (section 498A of IPC) at the order of the Supreme Court. The commission suggested that instead of arresting a complainer’s in-laws immediately, a 30-day compromise period be given to the parties to reconcile. Following the many cases of misuse of the law, a caveat to the law is that if an aggravated form of cruelty against the woman is disclosed, the in-laws can be arrested. The complainer can, however, withdraw the complain but with a court order. The law commission also dismissed the demands to make the law a bailable offence or to repeal the law given the misuse.

Geelani against making Amarnath RSS hold
Syed Ali Shah Geelani of the Hurriyat Conference (G) condemned the construction underway at the Amarnath cave and raised questions on Shri Amarnath Shrine Boards (SASB) intentions of first extending the during of the yatra from 15 days to 2 months and overruling the State government’s orders and then upholding a Supreme Court ruling of providing infrastructure to the pilgrims which led to people turning up in greater numbers given the free food, accommodation and other facilities offered by Shrine authorities which led to the death of 86 pilgrims. The separatist leader, who hasn’t agreed to compromise on any issue until now pointed out that the 50-fold increase in the number of pilgrims was the root cause of the problem.
SASB is forming a stronghold in the region. A spokesperson from the party raising awareness on the matter said, “ Yatra used to be a religious affair, but in the last two years it has become an instrument of communal and cultural aggression. People from all across India are pushed into Kashmir to scare the local people.” It was also noted the Hindu right wing elements consider it a victory that Hindu pilgrims are able to travel across a Muslim minority area to a place of worship. Syed Geelani demands that the SASB be handed over to Kashmiri Pandits. The J&K chief minister instead offered Geelani a copter ride to the place to see the construction but ducked his question on the loss to the environment at the site. Geelani has refused the offer, with a spokesperson saying the Conference can make it’s own arrangements if the leader’s house-arrest is revoked.

Relief for acid-attack victims
Cases of molestations are reported daily and go unpunished. More intense are cases that are dealth with light in our decades of constitution.
In a hospital in Delhi this week is 27-year-old Sonali Mukherjee’s 28^th plastic surgery after a brutal acid attack in 2003. Sadly, the perpetrators are out on bail and living their easy lives while Sonali’s family struggles with funds for operations that run into lakhs.
The crime is reported under Section 320 of grievous hurt, Section 322 of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, 326, causing grievous hurt by means of an instrument and experts opine that it should have a separate Section for itself. Of all the Sections mentioned above, ten years of imprisonment is the maximum punishment. In the said case, the lawyer was a relative who lost the case at the behest of the accused at a bribe of Rs. 50,000.
Reports of such offence across the continent has compelled Pakistan and Bangladesh to list the offence separately and strict penalty.
A 2012 cabinet resolution to form a separate provision under 326A and 326B of IPC are pending in the parliament which, if passed will make acid attacks a non-bailable offence entailing either a life imprisonment or of up to 10 years, informs Aparna Bhatt, a counsel for Delhi Commission for Women.
Among the ruckus the widespread availability of acid has created is a ray of hope. In a 1999 case, Haseena Fairoz, who had been burnt by her boss got justice when a court granted her Rs. 5 lakh as compensation and the accused a life imprisonment.

Additional Sessions Judge Savita Rao acquitted two men from Jammu and Kashmir and one from Pakistan who had been arrested by Delhi Police in 2007, allegedly outside Dilli Haat, observing that “the prosecution had failed to prove any links between the men and any banned terrorist organisation.”
An FIR registered at the time mentions that secret information had been received of an LeT attack during 1857’s 150^th anniversary celebrations were underway in the Capital. Additional information of a delivery of a consignment at Dilli Haat’s entry gate was received on April 26, 2007. On the date stated, while the Police watched guard, a police informer recognised one of them and on the ‘signal’ of Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, they were nabbed. The Dilli Haat guards were registered as public witnesses.
One of men allegedly identified himself as Shafaquat Iqbal, a member of LeT acting on the direction of his commander in Pakistan.
They were, however, illegally detained despite the Police’s celebrated efforts of information-gathering and sleight-of-hand-nabbing.
One of them, Mohd Hassan, says he had arrived in Kathmandu from Pakistan and was arrested by Indian Intelligence enroute to his hotel. He was then brought to Delhi. The public witnesses in the case could not identify the accused persons in the court; they said the persons had their faces covered when they were nabbed.
Officials from the nearest Police station, Sarojini Nagar were not involved and an RTI reveals that no report was registered at the Sarojini Nagar PS. A PCR van station outside the market did not notice anything unusual even after an 8-hour-long raid was undertaken by 25 police officials. Even when there was a possibility of detection of bombs, the Crime Branch was no informed.  The members of the raid were not carrying a disposal kit themselves and did not have bullet-proof jackets on. Later, the recovered material could not be produced and no links to terrorists in either J&K or Pakistan could be established.
The prosecution had only the FIR as a proof and nothing beyond it.

People’s Hearing on Fabricated Cases

A jury comprising of civil rights activist Dr. Binayak Sen, Dr. Ram Puniyani, Justice Ranjinder Sachar and journalists Saba Naqvi and Ajit Shahi presiding over fabricated cases concluded that it has been established beyond doubt that “the police and investigative agencies have for years run a systematic campaign to brutalise citizens by way of punishing them for defending their homeland, farms and communities, or for simply belonging to a certain community that it is labelled as a whole as being involved in terrorism,” as it is heard a case of Suresh Velamanoor whose organisation Dalit Human Rights Movement was banned by the Kerala police as a terrorist organisation.
Naqvi suggested that a comprehensive database of details of cases should be prepared while Dr. Sen purported that the helpless imprisoned citizens should be given a right to legal defence during the life of their case. Mechanisms to make the judiciary and the police accountable for framing charges and implicating citizens were discussed. Among them was taking fabricated cases to international civil rights forums and action against police officials found party to fabricating cases.

She teaches at a primary school in rural Gujarat and lives in a quarter bereft of a running water supply. Judging by her appearance, simple clothes and a face reflecting years of struggle, she does not fit the bill of being Gujarat strongman Narendar Modi’s wife. She talks about her life and work but bring up the topic of her husband and she goes mum, breaking her silence only to say that she can not say anything about him and fears the consequences of discussing him, before asking to be to be left alone.
While Jashoda Ben Modi’s neighbours in Rajosana address her as ‘Narender Modi’s wife’ she’s left all hopes of living the dream.

Phone-tapping gets sophisticated
Regarding a Union Home Secretary clearing a request for tapping 10,000 phones and 1,000 emails across India, a three-member committee reported that 4,360 orders were for fresh interception and the rest were for continuation of existing interception. Ahead of the lot is I B, with 5,966 interceptions in total, of which 2,135 are new.
Implementation plans are underway for ‘central monitoring system’, a way to intercept calls without involving service operators. The mechanism was built by the Centre for Development of Telematics after the 26/11 attacks.

Since such sophisticated mechanisms pose a threat to the individuals’s privacy, a panel headed by former Delhi High Court Justice AP Shah suggests that the reasons for interception must be specified along with the conditions for authorization, subject to a maximum of 180 days of interception, on a renewal interval of 60 days. The information with the agency should be destroyed within 9 months and with the service provider, within two months.
Keeping a strict eye on snooping devices with the public, 51 private firms with such devices have been asked to surrender them.

ISRO case closed: scientist compensated
According to the ISRO spy case, senior ISRO scientists Nambi Narayanan and D. Sasikumaran collaborated with two Maldivian nationals and a businessman to spy on ISRO's secrets. The Supreme Court dismissed the case in 1996 as it was found to be false. The CBI could find no evidence to corroborate the statements made by the special investigation team in the case diary. The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kochi, discharged all the accused on May 2, 1996. The CBI also sent a report to the State government ‘on the role of certain officials of the Kerala police in the investigation of the case in April 1996 itself.
The case was made up of many inconsistencies. Classified documents found in the scientists’ homes was, in fact, a fabricated allegation as ISRO being an open organisation does not have classify documents. In addition to that, the allegations of the scientists meeting up with the Maldivian agents in a hotel were proved false when records were check and no names/witnesses were found. The other Hotel mentioned was not functional by the date associated with it. The agents also failed to recognise the implicated police officer. All the accused who were alleged to have been making big bucks from the information were found to be struggling to make ends meet. Also, customs documents could not find any entries for alleged cargos to countries buying the documents.
Narayanan later filed a complaint before National Human Rights Commission seeking compensation for being wrongly implicated and was awarded Rs.10 lakh. But the other falsely implicated citizens lost years of their lives in addition to loss of honour and it cost the scientists their career.
What has recently revealed is Ommen Chandy, on June 29, 2011, issued an order to drop disciplinary proceedings against the investigating officers - S Vijayan, the then inspector, Special Branch, Thiruvananthapuram City, K K Joshua, the then DySP Crime Branch and Siby Mathews, the then DIG (Crimes). The matter came to light when Congress leader K Muraleedharan pointed towards UDF Government’s involvement in the case, all in a bid to clear his father, the then Chief Minister K Karunakaran's name.

NSA addresses IGPs and DGPs
National security advisor Shivshanker Menon addressed IGPs and DGPs at an annual conference in the Capital. He advised the officials to not leak details of their gallantry to the media and referring to the Abu Jundal case he added that it could pose serious risks. He shared that the Saudi Arabian government was upset over the coverage crucial points of the operations had got in the media. He also enlightened the need to remain vigilant of happenings around the world; with special reference to India’s neighbours he cited the example of turbulent times Pakistan is undergoing

Administration played a key role in Bhadarsa arson: report

“Even after two weeks of the violence no FIR has been registered by the administration, which is forcing families to get rid of circumstantial evidence from the site instead of compensating them for losses,” says Rihaai Manch fact-finding group from Azamgarh.

It was found that the sectarian violence was planned and well-coordinated, performed with the assistance of the local administration with the media playing a questionable role.

The investigation team concluded that during 24^th and 26^th October Durga Puja celebrations, thousand of hooligans surrounded Muslim areas, raising communal slogans, looting and setting Muslim homes and shops on fire. A hundred homes have been burnt down and the debris are quickly being taken away. The mob also has petrol bombs with them. The locals also revealed that officials and policemen in Bhadarsa had stored huge quantities of Kerosene oil in Police stations before the incident. Taking statements from local leader Vinay Katiyar, the media supports the police campaign of arresting Muslims, Katiyar having said that 5 liters of Kerosene oil was distributed to each Muslim household.

The Political Action Committee was also a mute spectator to the event. Later, the Police refused to file an FIR until passages going against the administration were withheld.

There have also been many irregularities in the process of determination of compensation by the local authority Rakesh Kumar Singh. People whose losses run into lacs have been given a few thousands as compensation while those who had their homes burnt down have not been considered for any compensation. The systematic way in which Muslim businesses have been targeted is similar to the one Muslims in Gujarat suffered.

Fire brigade, police and transport department and other public services were prevented from entering the various areas. The fire brigades that did come, arrived without water and could not extinguish the fire. Para-military forces and police failed to visit Bhadarsa even though it is under-17 km of Faizabad.

The police failed to make amends to the flawed approach it applied the 24^th when the violence abated on the 25^th but resumed with much more vigor on the 26^th.

Apart from local elements like Babu Lal Yadav, men from Keshwapur, Rajepur, Baniyapur, Kevthia, Nimolia, Lalpur, etc. were among the mob.

Police’s systematic communalism can be best understood through their framing of Haji Iftekhar on charges of murder. He is a 75-year-old paralyzed man who can not even walk.

The police misbehaved with women and children in the Muslim area and arrest young boys, among whom was a 14 year old minor.

Rihaai Manch has requested the Press Council of India to take some action on the confusion the media has been creating since the violence erupted. The media has also failed to name the true culprits in its report. Naming Muslims, it’s contributed to an anti-Muslim atmosphere in the region.

The team included members from Sanjarpur and Azamgarh, namely, Masihuddin Sanjri, Ghulam Rasool,
Sharfudin, Mohammed Haroon, Shah Alam, Rajiv Singh, Anuj Shukla, Aafaq Ahmed, Shahnawaz Alam.

Casteism in Bihar police barracks
Widespread casteism in Bihar has Police barracks as its stronghold where constables are divided as Yadavs, Bhumihars, Brahmins, Paswans, Rajputs, Muslims, SCs, OBCs and STs. In 2006, Nitish Kumar had ordered the then home secretary Hem Chandra Sirohi to “dismantle caste barracks and kitchens in police lines”, but nothing happened after a preliminary inquiry.
The only common kitchen in the 14 barracks, called a “government kitchen” where members of all castes can eat only has 60 members. The only exceptions in the premises are the 20 toilets and 18 taps the 3,000 constables can’t help but share.
Most policemen take pride thier caste-consciousness. However, Rajput head constable wishes the government allotted barracks according to seniority. One of them concedes there is “some rigidity about the caste system among senior policemen” and adds, “Policemen of the younger generation do not show such narrow-mindedness.”
Another constable points towards a graver state of affair. “Has anyone thought that there is a three-acre space for one police officer and another three acres housing 3,000 of us,” he complains, referring to the huge bungalows in which most senior IPS officers live.

RTI on relief to violence victims

In response to an RTI the home ministry has relvealed that under the Central scheme to provide assistance to victims of communal violence, used by six states between 2008 and 2012 a total of Rs. 4.32 cr has been issued and Gujarat, implementing a scheme providing in gratia relief has received Rs 429.46 crore over four financial years while Bihar got Rs 29.81 crore in 2008-09 under the same scheme. It added that it “has not received any complaint regarding misuse of money for the victims of communal violence/riots under the scheme titled Central Assistance to the Victims of Terrorist/Communal/Naxal violence”.

Academic’s research reveals ASI inconsistencies


A Ph. D. scholar at Columbia University, Anand Vivek Taneja’s research reveals the “systematic governmental erasure of Muslim sites of memory”, particularly by the Archaeological Survey of India, which has suffered from what he calls "institutional amnesia." The organization, celebrating its 150^th anniversary this year has failed to merge its pre-Independence records with the present ones and has distorted crucial information relating to medieval Muslim sites and their various uses.
“The threat of Hindu right-wing violence against Muslim religious sites makes the ASI change its colonial policies and stop access to many monuments under its jurisdiction, which were prayed in before Partition and Independence. I used the Chief Commisioner's Records which give a very detailed picture of sites in Delhi between 1911 and 1947. The contrast between these records, and the ASI's post-colonial records, especially with regard to the same monuments is striking. These documents are full of instances of the active religious use of mosques in Delhi protected by the then ASI,” he explains.
A striking example is Sultan Ghari’s tomb in Mahipalpur, which a pre-Independence ASI publication mentions held an annual 'urs. A few years after Independence, the ASI denied permission for the 'urs, saying that there has been no worship at the site "for a very long time." Archival evidence for Maulana Qasimi's account of the Tughlaq mosque being buried to make way for the Lalit Kala Academy were found on a pre-1947 map of Delhi. Similar claims made on Oberoi Hotel and Delhi Public School being built on Waqf land are yet to be verified.

Jawans VIP postings higher than sanctioned limit
VIP security in Indian states has inducted 80% more security personnel than the limit for them.
In 2009, 17,451 were granted VIP security and 47,355 personnel were posted. In 2010, 16,788 persons had VIP security while the number of personnel went up to 50,059.
VIP security has clearly become a status symbol but it is the common man who suffers. On an average of 1 lakh Indians there are 100 jawans and 5 lakh posts are lying vacant. The average for developed countries is 200 jawans per 1 lakh of population.

Scam charges against Akali leaders dropped

Scam charges against Akali leaders dropped
Sucha Singh Langah, former agriculture minister, who had been charged for owning Rs 12.17 crore in assets disproportionate to his known sources of income will join a list of Akali leaders who have had cases against them withdrawn. Following a request by Langah, the Vigilance Bureau, which had filed the case against has taken it back.
Among other leaders who had been acquitted is Nirmal Singh Kahlon, former Assembly Speaker Kahlon who had been accused of bribery in panchayat appointments by the same group. He group later conceded that it had nothing to prove its claims.
Former chief parliamentary secretary Sohan Singh Thandal was acquitted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a corruption case and relieved of a three-year jail term a lower court had awarded him.
Vigilance had accused former revenue minister Ajit Singh Kohar of possessing benami properties worth over Rs 20 crore. Later, Vigilance witnesses turned hostile and it had to file an application to withdraw the case, citing lack of evidence.
Other Akali leaders who had faced cases and were later acquitted are former education minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan and Jagdish Singh Garcha. Proceedings in corrpution cases against the Badals, Parkash Singh Badal along with his wife and son are still on but most of the witnesses have turned hostile.