I find that while I'd given you the reactions to the letter addressed to the Prime Minister by the 49 celebrities, I'd not posted their letter as such. Shall, therefore, post a copy of that letter here. It's essential since I've already told you of the contents of the letter endorsed by 61 other celebrities in reply to it.
This missive has been signed by Aparna Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Ramachandra Guha etc. So, without much ado, here I go.
Dear Prime Minister,
We, as peace loving and proud Indians, are deeply concerned about a number tragic events that have been happening in recent times in our beloved country.
Our Constitution describes India as a secular socialist democratic republic where citizens of all religions, ethnicity, gender and castes are equal. Hence to ensure that every citizen enjoys the rights given to her/him by the Constitution, our submission is:
1. The lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities must be stopped immediately. We were
shocked to hear from the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) reports that there have been
no less than 840 instances of atrocities against Dalits in the year 2016 and a definite decline in
the percentage of conviction.
Further, 254 religion identity-based hate crimes were reported between 01 Jan '09 and 29 Oct '18
where at least 91 persons were killed and 579 were injured (Fact Checker, indatabase 31 Oct '18)
The Citizen's Religious Hate-Crime Watch recorded that Muslim(14% of India's population)
were the victims in 62% of cases and Christians (2% of the population) in 14% of the cases.
About 90% of these attacks were reported after May '14, when your government assumed power
nationally. You have criticised such lynchings in Parliament Mr Prime Minister, but that's not
enough! What action has actually been taken against the perpetrators? We strongly feel that such
offences should be declared non-bailable and that exemplary punishment should be meted out
swiftly and surely. If life imprisonment without parole can be the sentence in case of murder,
why not for lynchings which are even more heinous? No citizen should have to live in fear in
his/her own country!
Regrettably "Jai Shri Ram" has become a provocative 'war cry' today that leads to law and order
problems and many lynchings took place in its name. It is shocking that so much violence
should be perpetrated in the name of religion! These are not the Middle Ages! The name of
Ram is sacred to many in the majority community of India. As the highest Executive of this
country, you must put a stop to the name of Ram being defiled in this manner.
2. There is no democracy without dissent. People should not be branded 'anti-national' or 'urban
naxal' and incarcerated because of dissent against the government. Article 19 of the Constitution
of India protects freedom of speech and expression of which dissent is an integral part.
Criticising the ruling party does not imply criticising the nation. No ruling party is synonymous
with the country where it is in power. It is only one of the political parties of that country. Hence,
the anti-government stands cannot be equated with anti-national sentiments. An open
environment where dissent is not crushed, only makes for a stronger nation.
We hope our suggestions will be taken in the spirit that they are meant - as Indians genuinely
concerned with and anxious about, the fate of our nation.
With best regards,
Yours sincerely
Tailpiece.
Is there an alarming situation prevalent in the country? How have the minorities' lives changed under Modi? And where did the hundreds of lynchings take place?..........This is the fundamental doubt that persists in every citizen. Could anyone explain this to me, please?
PS.
It was a quiet day today. Saw Mammootty's film 'Yathra', a biopic on the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. His 'padayatra' prior to the elections, on which he won a massive mandate, has been clearly etched and Mammootty has done it effortlessly!
This missive has been signed by Aparna Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Ramachandra Guha etc. So, without much ado, here I go.
Dear Prime Minister,
We, as peace loving and proud Indians, are deeply concerned about a number tragic events that have been happening in recent times in our beloved country.
Our Constitution describes India as a secular socialist democratic republic where citizens of all religions, ethnicity, gender and castes are equal. Hence to ensure that every citizen enjoys the rights given to her/him by the Constitution, our submission is:
1. The lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities must be stopped immediately. We were
shocked to hear from the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) reports that there have been
no less than 840 instances of atrocities against Dalits in the year 2016 and a definite decline in
the percentage of conviction.
Further, 254 religion identity-based hate crimes were reported between 01 Jan '09 and 29 Oct '18
where at least 91 persons were killed and 579 were injured (Fact Checker, indatabase 31 Oct '18)
The Citizen's Religious Hate-Crime Watch recorded that Muslim(14% of India's population)
were the victims in 62% of cases and Christians (2% of the population) in 14% of the cases.
About 90% of these attacks were reported after May '14, when your government assumed power
nationally. You have criticised such lynchings in Parliament Mr Prime Minister, but that's not
enough! What action has actually been taken against the perpetrators? We strongly feel that such
offences should be declared non-bailable and that exemplary punishment should be meted out
swiftly and surely. If life imprisonment without parole can be the sentence in case of murder,
why not for lynchings which are even more heinous? No citizen should have to live in fear in
his/her own country!
Regrettably "Jai Shri Ram" has become a provocative 'war cry' today that leads to law and order
problems and many lynchings took place in its name. It is shocking that so much violence
should be perpetrated in the name of religion! These are not the Middle Ages! The name of
Ram is sacred to many in the majority community of India. As the highest Executive of this
country, you must put a stop to the name of Ram being defiled in this manner.
2. There is no democracy without dissent. People should not be branded 'anti-national' or 'urban
naxal' and incarcerated because of dissent against the government. Article 19 of the Constitution
of India protects freedom of speech and expression of which dissent is an integral part.
Criticising the ruling party does not imply criticising the nation. No ruling party is synonymous
with the country where it is in power. It is only one of the political parties of that country. Hence,
the anti-government stands cannot be equated with anti-national sentiments. An open
environment where dissent is not crushed, only makes for a stronger nation.
We hope our suggestions will be taken in the spirit that they are meant - as Indians genuinely
concerned with and anxious about, the fate of our nation.
With best regards,
Yours sincerely
Tailpiece.
Is there an alarming situation prevalent in the country? How have the minorities' lives changed under Modi? And where did the hundreds of lynchings take place?..........This is the fundamental doubt that persists in every citizen. Could anyone explain this to me, please?
PS.
It was a quiet day today. Saw Mammootty's film 'Yathra', a biopic on the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. His 'padayatra' prior to the elections, on which he won a massive mandate, has been clearly etched and Mammootty has done it effortlessly!
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