Category Archives: Violence/Conflict

Centre watch, Politics, Right watch, Violence/Conflict

Boycott Zionazi Apartheid at Delhi International Arts Festival!

19 Comments

[Posted below is a statement by artistes, writers and the Indian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. The statement is self-explanatory. However, as we shall be explaining in a series of posts on Kafila soon, Zionism in Israel has perfected the most hated techniques of their own twentieth century tormentors, the Nazis, against the people of Palestine. Worse still, it has given these techniques a veneer of ‘normalcy’ – and every ‘cultural exchange’ with Israel only helps further normalize this most despicable form of colonial occupation.  ‘Settlements’, in this game of occupation, become the mode of annexing more and more of the Palestinian territory through settling of civilian Jewish populations in what still remains of Palestinian areas. – AN]

Call to boycott The Cameri Theatre at the Delhi International Arts Festival 2012

The organizers of the Delhi International Arts Festival (DIAF) — the Prasiddha Foundation, the Hindustan Times and the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) — have invited The Cameri Theatre from Israel to perform at Siri Fort on November 4th as part of the Festival’s celebration of “the spirit of Delhi”.

The Cameri Theatre serves as an official propaganda tool for the State of Israel — a state that occupies Palestinian lands and practises apartheid policies on the Palestinian people. The Cameri theatre is complicit in the Israeli Occupation of Palestine because it chooses to perform in the illegal settlement of Ariel. Ariel is one of the largest settlements in the occupied West Bank, located on expropriated agricultural Palestinian land. The construction of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land violates international law, and amounts to a war crime.

The apartheid wall with watch tower - photo taken during a visit in September
The apartheid wall with watch tower – (photo AN/NM) taken in September

Illegal Ariel contaminates Palestinian water and agricultural lands. Illegal Ariel is surrounded by walls and fences, and closely guarded by soldiers and armed security personnel. A theatrical performance in this illegal settlement is, by definition, a performance to an exclusively Israeli audience. Palestinians living even in the nearest village are physically excluded from attending. By performing in such circumstances, the Cameri profits from and legitimizes Israel’s illegal colonization policies, and becomes an accomplice to these crimes.

Continue reading Boycott Zionazi Apartheid at Delhi International Arts Festival! →

Bad ideas, Countryside, Frontiers, Right watch, Violence/Conflict

The Beginning of the Middle of the End: Haseeb Asif

11 Comments

Guest post by HASEEB ASIF

Pakistan’s remote North Waziristan tribal area is seen from the air Feb. 17, 2007. Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

One day as I walked to the market to buy some eggs, I noticed strange graffiti on a wall. Emblazoned in red paint was an invitation to join the fight against zionist subversion, western imperialism and painful hemorrhoids; the end having been muddled with a physician’s note.

It was an open call to Jihad by a militant Islamic organization. Jihad! The camaraderie, the righteousness, the third degree burns; it’s all I’d ever wanted. I was tired of being oppressed. There I was, in the prime of my youth, jobless, eggless, with subnormal visual acuity and four strands of the dengue virus, and who was to blame? I could imagine the conversation with my therapist.

“Doctor, I’m moody, I can’t sleep and I never seem to have enough energy to do anything.”

“Why, I believe you’re suffering from oppression”

I called their toll free number and signed myself up. They sent me a brochure and a medical plan; both had pictures of the same mutilated bodies.

‘Jihad summer camp, three months, graduating candidates get a certificate of martyrculation and up to 72 virgins in heaven (note: amount varies according to stock), HEC accredited, facial hair mandatory’.

I consulted with my parents, my mother was thrilled; she’d always wanted a martyr in the family. Father just grunted and made a time honoured gesture with his middle finger.

Two days later a brother Mehsud showed up at my door, he’d been sent by the organization to escort me back to their base.

“It’s a great thing you’re about to do, brother.” I was only packing my clothes. Continue reading The Beginning of the Middle of the End: Haseeb Asif →

Bad ideas, Centre watch, Empire/ Imperialism, Frontiers, Identities, Politics, Violence/Conflict

To Build A Bridge in Kashmir: A fable by Abhijit Dutta

15 Comments

Guest post by ABHIJIT DUTTA

Once upon a time, a young politician – young enough to have a ‘baba’ appended to his name – came to Kashmir to build a bridge in Srinagar. Now as anyone who knows Srinagar knows, the city is filled with bridges. Some are famous, like Gawkadal, some are pretty, like Zero Bridge, and some are simply without charm, like the Abdullah Bridge that goes from fountain square to Rajbagh. There are several others too, each with their own unique character, their own unique relation to the Jhelum.

When he was told about the many bridges in Srinagar, the politician shouted, “I want to build a bridge.”

“But we don’t need a bridge,” said a man softly to him, wanting not to embarrass this well-meaning man who had come to Kashmir from aafar. In response, the young politician turned around and shouted once again: “I want to build a bridge.” Continue reading To Build A Bridge in Kashmir: A fable by Abhijit Dutta →

Centre watch, Empire/ Imperialism, Excavation, Frontiers, Government, Violence/Conflict

Fifty villages

3 Comments

This report was released in Srinagar today by THE CITIZENS’ COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE. It is a statistical study of violence in north Kashmir between 1990 and 2011

Centre watch, Frontiers, Government, Law, Violence/Conflict

An appeal to release three Pakistani fishermen imprisoned in India since 1999: Jatin Desai

4 Comments

Given below is the text of a letter sent yesterday by JATIN DESAI to the Indian foreign secretary

Shri Ranjan Mathai,
Foreign Secretary,
Ministry for External Affairs,
Government of India,
New Delhi -110001

Shri Ranjan Mathai ji,

Greetings from Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace & Democracy (PIPFPD).

This is in regarding three Pakistani fishermen arrested in 1999 when their boat was destroyed in a cyclone and they strayed into Indian water. The Indian Coast Guard arrested few Pakistani fishermen including Nawaz Ali Jat, Usman Sachu son of Haji Ibrahim Jat, Zaman Jat son of Haji Jat and Usman Jat son of Ali Mohammad Jat.

Nawaz Ali passed away on September 8 2012 in Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad and his body was sent to Karachi, Pakistan on October 1 2012 by PIA’s Mumbai-Karachi flight. We believe, remaining 3 arrested Pakistani fishermen are in some prison of Gujarat and most probably in Rajkot as Nawaz was taken to Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad from Rajkot Prison. Continue reading An appeal to release three Pakistani fishermen imprisoned in India since 1999: Jatin Desai →

Excavation, Frontiers, Genders, Images, Mirror Worlds, Violence/Conflict

Shabbo Kumari patrols the border

1 Comment
Photo by Poulomi Basu

The Lens blog at NYTimes.com has a photo essay by Poulomi Basu about women guards of the Indian Border Security Force.

Most of the recruits were from impoverished rural areas. If she could observe them not only in training but with their families as well, she would be able to tell the story of their transformation from villagers into soldiers.

The most haunting image Basu has  is the one above.

One of the most riveting photographs shows a dead man hanging upside down, his legs caught in the high barbed wire fence that India has constructed to demarcate the border. Guards had shot the man as he and others tried to enter Pakistan near Attari, in Punjab State, Ms. Basu said. Continue reading Shabbo Kumari patrols the border →

Bad ideas, Empire/ Imperialism, Frontiers, Mirror Worlds, Violence/Conflict

The intruders were not found in possession of any objectionable material apart from a large cache of fish

8 Comments
An arrested Indian fisherman sits at a police station in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi on October 1, 2012. Pakistan maritime security agency arrested 33 Indian fishermen and seized five boats for allegedly fishing illegally in Pakistan’s territorial waters. By Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images.

The insensitive governments of India and Pakistan are not moved even when one of their citizens dies in the other country, especially if the citizen was a poor fisherman arrested for the crime of inadvertently crossing a maritime boundary.

After 23 days of lying in the morgue of Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital, the body of 32 year old Nawaz Ali Jat will finally reach Karachi on Monday by a Pakistan International Airlines flight. His family waited 14 years for his return, but they didn’t even get to know when he died of kidney failure on September 8. Continue reading The intruders were not found in possession of any objectionable material apart from a large cache of fish →

Empire/ Imperialism, Frontiers, Law, Violence/Conflict

Allow UNWGEID to probe disappearances in Jammu and Kashmir: APDP

Leave a comment
This press release was put ou on 28 September 2011 by the ASSOCIATION OF PARENTS OF DISPLACED PERSONS, The Bund, Amira Kadal, Srinagar – 190001
In Pakistan the judiciary is attempting to provide justice to the family members of those who have been subjected to enforced disappearance. In 2008, the Chief Justice of Pakistan entered into confrontation with the then President of Pakistan for taking a pro-active stance against disappearances. That confrontation ultimately emboldened the judicial system in Pakistan to be more pro-active on human rights issues. This judicial intervention on enforced disappearances has created an atmosphere in Pakistan which has pushed Pakistani government to invite United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UNWGEID). The UNWGEID recently concluded its first 10 day visit to Pakistan and have begun their investigations on enforced disappearances. Continue reading Allow UNWGEID to probe disappearances in Jammu and Kashmir: APDP →
Bad ideas, Government, Movements, Violence/Conflict

Expired Explosives and Health of Kudankulam: Anoo Bhuyan

4 Comments

Guest post by ANOO BHUYAN

Anitha spits blood and wipes her lips as she talks to me. A few sentences later, a large blister on her lips begins to glisten with blood again, and she has to spit it out one more time. Hundreds of villagers at Idinthakarai have similar clusters of blisters on their lips. They say that they developed the sores as a reaction to the tear gas that was used during the clash that took place between police and protesters who were protesting the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. This event occurred on tenth September. Nearly a week later, the sores continue to remain fresh and open, and a scab does not seem to be forming for any of those who were involved in the clash.

Anitha 

 

Continue reading Expired Explosives and Health of Kudankulam: Anoo Bhuyan →

Bad ideas, Culture, Government, Identities, Images, Language, Law, Politics, Right watch, Sex, Violence/Conflict

Stuck Between Gandhi and Cultural Crap: Papilio Buddha Reveals Much

14 Comments

Sometimes a minor cut on the surface of the skin will do to reveal the rot beneath. This is precisely what the film Papilio Buddha, made by the New York-based Malayalee film-maker Jayan Cherian, which draws broadly upon contemporary caste politics in Kerala, has achieved for us. In fact, its achievement on this count is simply amazing. At a single stroke, it has brought to light several stinking sores above which Malayalees, especially many Malayalee intellectuals who  occasionally don the garb of public intellectuals, strut. Continue reading Stuck Between Gandhi and Cultural Crap: Papilio Buddha Reveals Much →

Bad ideas, Centre watch, Government, Law, Violence/Conflict

JTSA responds to Delhi Police’s comments on their report “Framed, Damned, Acquitted”

4 Comments

This guest post by the JAMIA TEACHERS’ SOLIDARITY ASSOCIATION is a response to the Delhi Police’s comments on their report, “Framed, Damned, Acquitted”

Did you think that the Special Cell or the Delhi Police would introspect on its ways after the publication of Framed, Damned, Acquitted? How wrong you were. It is now attempting desperately to defend the indefensible by hiding behind a maze of statistics, ignoring the real questions that the report has raised: namely the brazen and systematic violation of all established legal norms and due process. Continue reading JTSA responds to Delhi Police’s comments on their report “Framed, Damned, Acquitted” →

Centre watch, Government, Law, Violence/Conflict

Framed, Damned, Acquitted: Dossiers of a ‘Very’ Special Cell

5 Comments

Given below is the report Framed, Damned, Acquitted: Dossiers of a ‘Very’ Special Cell, released yesterday in Delhi by the JAMIA TEACHERS’ SOLIDARITY ASSOCIATION.

When human rights activists, or families of those arrested on charges of terrorism, allege foul play on part of the investigating agencies, the usual response is this: Surely, there must have been some involvement, or else why would the police arrest him, and not me? Continue reading Framed, Damned, Acquitted: Dossiers of a ‘Very’ Special Cell →

Countryside, Excavation, Media politics, Movements, Violence/Conflict

The Unreality of Wasseypur: Javed Iqbal

9 Comments

Guest post by JAVED IQBAL

Posters for ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ in Dhanbad. All photographs by Javed Iqbal.

‘The ending of the film was shown properly,’ speak unanimous voices, the well-known folklore of Wasseypur, Dhanbad, ‘Gangster Shafiq Khan was really gunned down at the Topchachi petrol pump like it was shown in the first part of the film.’

‘That’s how it’s done in Dhanbad.’ Continue reading The Unreality of Wasseypur: Javed Iqbal →

Centre watch, Empire/ Imperialism, Identities, Law, Violence/Conflict

Joga’s disappearance: Amandeep Sandhu

5 Comments
Rupa Publications; pp 252; Rs 275

This guest post by AMANDEEP SANDHI is an extract from his new book, Roll of Honour, a novelset in the backdrop of the Indian Army’s Operation Blue Star in 1984

During the last summer vacation (from my military school), when I was at home in Patiala, the soldiers had taken away my friend Joga. The government had already censored the newspapers, but the airwaves sneaked in the news of what was happening elsewhere in Punjab. In our living room, Nanaji’s white beard had trembled when we listened to Mark Tully from the British Broadcasting Corporation on our Murphy radio:

The battle of the Golden Temple in Amritsar is being fought hard and constantly. At the height of the battle, there were three hours of hand-to-hand fighting. Weapons allegedly recovered from the separatist Sikh militants were displayed to the world. The fatalities are not… Unofficial estimates go into thousands… Continue reading Joga’s disappearance: Amandeep Sandhu →

Centre watch, Law, Violence/Conflict

Will there be justice in the Bhaderwah triple murder case?

1 Comment

This press release was put out by the JAMMU KASHMIR COALITION OF CIVIL SOCIETY on 13 September

Kuldeep Khoda, former Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir
On 12 September 2012, a little less than five months after the son of one of the victims of the infamous Bhaderwah triple murder case filed a complaint before the State Human Rights Commission [SHRC]. The SHRC dismissed the case implicating Kuldeep Khoda, ex-Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir [retired from service on 31 May 2012]. No notice was given to the complainant or his advocate to appear for the hearing. On 13 August 2012, the advocate for the complainant had sought an opportunity to advance further arguments on 22 August 2012. While this request was granted, no hearing was held on 22 August 2012. Instead of providing notice for the subsequent hearing on 12 September 2012, the SHRC chose to dismiss the case. Continue reading Will there be justice in the Bhaderwah triple murder case? →
Bad ideas, Right watch, Violence/Conflict

I am a Hindu and I am not a terrorist

22 Comments

I am a Hindu and I am not a terrorist. Don’t get me wrong. Not all Hindus are terrorists and not all terrorists are Hindus. Heck, all Hindus don’t even subscribe to the political ideology called Hindutva. No, I am not saying all Hindutvawaadis are terrorists or that all terrorists are Hindutvawaadis. Let’s get this straight: terror has no religion. Continue reading I am a Hindu and I am not a terrorist →

Centre watch, Government, Identities, Law, Violence/Conflict

Sedition? Who, me?

2 Comments

I am taking the liberty of sharing here this brilliant cartoon by R PRASAD of Mail Today

We Are All Seditious Now

Capitalism, Centre watch, Government, Law, Violence/Conflict

On the Violence Unleashed against Protesting Citizens in Koodankulam: Chennai Solidarity Group

2 Comments

A Statement issued by the Chennai Solidarity Group

Background

For more than a year the people of Idinthakarai village, along with fellow citizens from nearby villages have been protesting the setting up of a nuclear power plant at Koodankulam in Southern Tamil Nadu. The protests have been peaceful and have included people from different strata of society. Women have been in the forefront of the struggle, and over the last year even children have learned about the perils of nuclear power plants and the need to look for alternative energy sources.

In spite of this being a peaceful citizens’ protest, the state has chosen to treat it as dangerous – and arrested hundreds of people, intimidated many others and have more than once treated Idinthakarai village and its environs as if it were ‘enemy’ territory. Sedition charges have been slapped against the protesters, along with other criminal charges. The legality of these measures has since been subject to questioning. A high level Public Hearing, presided over by Former Chief Justice A B Shah has in fact called attention to the manner in which the law has been misused in this instance, and in fact abused to harass and prevent ordinary citizens from exercising their right to protest, and defend their constitutionally guaranteed right to life and livelihood. Continue reading On the Violence Unleashed against Protesting Citizens in Koodankulam: Chennai Solidarity Group →

Capitalism, Centre watch, Ecology/Environment, Politics, Violence/Conflict

Zero tolerance for democracy – Kudankulam, Omkareshwar, Aseem Trivedi

3 Comments

Which of these three images brings dishonour to India?

This one?

The full coercive force of the state slams down on villagers who have been so far peacefully protesting the location of a nuclear power plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu.

Charges of sedition have been laid on hundreds of protesters in Kudankulam.

The women of Kudankulam wrote recently in a moving message to their fellow citizens:

When we carried the dead body of democracy and burnt it in the outskirts of our village on Aug 15th, 2012, little did we realize that so soon we would witness the real death of democracy. As this last nail is being tightened on our lives, we realize how insignificant has been our voice. But this has only strengthened our vow to be together.

(Read the latest update from Kudankulam below)

Continue reading Zero tolerance for democracy – Kudankulam, Omkareshwar, Aseem Trivedi →

Identities, Politics, Violence/Conflict

Muslim youths launch peace forum in Assam

2 Comments

This press release was put out by MY-FACTS, Guwahati, on 3 September 2012

As a response and being aggrieved over the communalisation of the recent violence and mass displacement in BTAD (Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts) area and in order to analyse the situation, on 2 September, 2012 about 60 highly educated, secular and liberal Muslim youths from all over Assam assembled at the Bhagabhati Prashad Baruah Bhaban, Guwahati, Assam, to brainstorm about a peaceful solution for the present scenario of hatred and violence prevailing in Assam that is spreading all over the country. The meeting was convened under the aegis of a newly formed platform named MY-FACTS (Muslim Youths: Forum Against Communalism, Terrorism and Sedition). Continue reading Muslim youths launch peace forum in Assam →

Government, Politics, Violence/Conflict

Protesting the Forced Repatriation of Visiting Sports persons and Others from Sri Lanka

Leave a comment

Previously posted on dbsjeyaraj.com

We the undersigned are aghast and anguished by the recent decision of the government of Tamil Nadu, acting on the Chief Minister’s orders, to send back two sports teams from Sri Lanka that were in Chennai to play matches against local school teams.

Two days after the Chief Minister issued her orders, members of a Tamil nationalist group, Naam Tamizhar Iyakkam protested against a group of pilgrims from Sri Lanka visiting a church near Thanjavur.

There have been similar protests in the past against visiting teams – by members of the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam. Continue reading Protesting the Forced Repatriation of Visiting Sports persons and Others from Sri Lanka →