PaRCha - JNU - AISA - 2004 ID-2087
.
All India Students' Association (AISA) 12.08.04 .
Speak Out Against The Refusal To Scrap Armed Forces Special Powers Act I Say NO to POTA Through the Backdoor I .
~ Join J,UO'J'I~S'f )JJ\Jl(~ll .
... .
r. 9:30pm.
12.08.04(Tonight) .._..., -~.
from Ganga Dhaba As we approach Independence Day. the 3 montit-oldUPA Government tells us that it has ushered in a new da'~-off!_eedom, a "return to democracy" after the draconian mlc of the BJP-led NDA. But the new Govt.1s self-congrntulalions arc intem1pted.by the slogans of the pcopl~on the streets ofManipur, protesting the rape and murder ofManorarna Dcvi. The ~ople in Manipu_r rcmi_nd . .
us that in Independent India, the poor and marginahscd are not free. They demand democracy-they recetve m return da1ly P?hcc .
bullets. This crackdown on the voices ofdemocracy in the North East, and the Congress' outright refusal to scrap tl!e Armed . .,._. .
Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which gives the army the legal righttotorture and kill people in custody on mere suspicion, · is an ugly stain on the rosy picture of'restored democracy' painted by the UPA. .
Goodbye 'Human Face', Welcome Back to Congress' Draconian Face I POTA Will Die, But Its Spirit Will Live On in the Unlawful Activities Act t haven't lasted long. Already, Pranab Mukheijee has said there is 'no question'.of.
The Congress claims of a 'human face' scrapping the AFSPA. and POTA may go. but its key provisions will stay. The UPA says 1t will scrap POTA or allow 1t to lapse. Docs this mean that you can no longer be called a 'terrorist' for your beliefs .
in certain ideas? That the definition of·terrorism' will no longer be vague enough to include members ofhuman rights groups who campaign against false encounters? Does it mean that popular protest movements will no longer be branded as 'terrorism'? Nothing ofthe kind! The Government is taking care to make sure that POTA lives on in disguise. POTA's definition of terrorism will be tncorporatcd in the c.xisting Unl;mrful Acli\itics Act Just as a rose by any other nnmc will smell as sweet. a bl&tek taw by another name will be as draconian as ever! TADA, POTA. AFSPA, Unlawful Activities Acl. .. the brand names change, but the ruling class keeps producing such laws which equate dissent and protest with crimeand terrorism. .
Further, all the organisations banned under POTA will continue to be banned, and those booked under POTA will continue to be tried under POTA. These cases will be reviewed by a panel constituted under POTA itself. Will such a panel really withdraw cases .
3ga1nst the innocent tribals and activists booked under POTA? We have seen how the Bihar Govt. is pursuing TADA etscs. long .
afterTADA1 s lapse, against innocent datil agrarian labourers, while withdrawing the case against the chiefofa landlords1 army. We .
.
have also seen how the UP Government has withdrawn the POTA case against Raja Bhaiyya, notorious for his feudal crimes against .
dalitand backward poor. Recently, Kranti Kumar Singh, a former AISA activist ofLuclmow University who is nmv a CPI(ML) activist .
.
in Lakhimpur, UP, has been booked under the Gangster Act and thrown injail. For the system, Raja Bhaiyya is a hero and a Minister, .
while anyone who organises the struggles ofpoor and marginaliscd people is a ·gangster', a 'terrorist', a 'criminal' who indulges in .
'review' may set free VlPs like Vaiko, but U1e bulk ofpoor tribaJs and minorities, who are victims.
.
'unlawful activities'. No doubt, the .
ofPOTA, will continue to suffer long after its lapse. .
.
Mainstream Media in Defence of Draconian Laws .
The mainstream print and electronic media revealed its prejudices and biases, as "veil as its ignorance, on the issue ofblack laws. First, .
u blacked out the rape and killing ofManorama Dcvi~ only the brave and continued resistance oflheManipuri people, including tile nude .
.
protest women activists, could force the media to stop ignoring the issue. Further, a leading national daily, the TO!, even published a .
photograph of Vietnamese monks, claimingthat they were North East students! .
'act responsibly' on the AFSPA issue..
.
The HTeditoriaJ of August 9, also revealed its biases by exhorting the Government to .
The cditoria1advises the Govt. not to scr:lp the AFSPA. but to set up a public griev:~nces p:mcl to "take up every alleged ·:11 rocity,., . .
It urges the Govt. to retain the AFSPA in order to g1vc the police and army "legal protection for domg thc1rjobs", but adds that they .
mustbe '-answerable for any illegal acts they may corrunit in the process". Clearly the editorial refuses to acknowledge the fact that .
acts like the custodial torture and killing ofManorama Devi are legal under the AFSPA! It is not the·misuse' ofAFSPA. but its use .
which is dracoruan. Such language by the media, accepts and excuses 'atrocities' and 'iiJegal acts' by the Armed Forces, as part of .
.
the 4proces..~' of the fi~ht n~ain~t terrorism. Once the lileople ~·Democracydt 1-8.Iugust). The CPI(M) staLCillCnL docs not CJil the AfSPA a draconi4U1lcgislatJml, nc1lh~r .
'ent to the e.xtentofsayingthat the "Actcould.
does it accuse AFSPA ofviolating human rights. In fact, its PB Member, Sitaram Yechury v..
not be repealed because itwould hamper the government's ability to declare area'i as 'disturbed'. Ifan areawas to be declared ali .
.
disturbed, this act should be in place".(HT.com, Aug 10). watchdog 1 the CPl and CPI(M) have no intention ofgetting the AFSPA.
Clearly,_ both the ruling establishment UPA and its ' .
It ~s the common people who have sacrificed their blood, liberty and even life to keep aliYc the struggle against draconian.
scrap~. .
laws. It 1s this struggle which we must strengthen ifour democracy is to have any meaning. .
Sd./-Mona Das. President. AISA. JNU. Sd./-Satya Venkat Siddhardha Kr. D., Jt. Secy.. AIS~JNU. .
'.
-----~ .. -·.., ~· '-'i.:lW-I'UIJC:SD IGIDJKD, Jl. ;:,ecy.~ AL3""H; .lr«T. .
.
PaRCha - JNU - AISA - 2004 ID-2087
.
All India Students' Association (AISA) 12.08.04 .
Speak Out Against The Refusal To Scrap Armed Forces Special Powers Act I Say NO to POTA Through the Backdoor I .
~ Join J,UO'J'I~S'f )JJ\Jl(~ll .
... .
r. 9:30pm.
12.08.04(Tonight) .._..., -~.
from Ganga Dhaba As we approach Independence Day. the 3 montit-oldUPA Government tells us that it has ushered in a new da'~-off!_eedom, a "return to democracy" after the draconian mlc of the BJP-led NDA. But the new Govt.1s self-congrntulalions arc intem1pted.by the slogans of the pcopl~on the streets ofManipur, protesting the rape and murder ofManorarna Dcvi. The ~ople in Manipu_r rcmi_nd . .
us that in Independent India, the poor and marginahscd are not free. They demand democracy-they recetve m return da1ly P?hcc .
bullets. This crackdown on the voices ofdemocracy in the North East, and the Congress' outright refusal to scrap tl!e Armed . .,._. .
Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which gives the army the legal righttotorture and kill people in custody on mere suspicion, · is an ugly stain on the rosy picture of'restored democracy' painted by the UPA. .
Goodbye 'Human Face', Welcome Back to Congress' Draconian Face I POTA Will Die, But Its Spirit Will Live On in the Unlawful Activities Act t haven't lasted long. Already, Pranab Mukheijee has said there is 'no question'.of.
The Congress claims of a 'human face' scrapping the AFSPA. and POTA may go. but its key provisions will stay. The UPA says 1t will scrap POTA or allow 1t to lapse. Docs this mean that you can no longer be called a 'terrorist' for your beliefs .
in certain ideas? That the definition of·terrorism' will no longer be vague enough to include members ofhuman rights groups who campaign against false encounters? Does it mean that popular protest movements will no longer be branded as 'terrorism'? Nothing ofthe kind! The Government is taking care to make sure that POTA lives on in disguise. POTA's definition of terrorism will be tncorporatcd in the c.xisting Unl;mrful Acli\itics Act Just as a rose by any other nnmc will smell as sweet. a bl&tek taw by another name will be as draconian as ever! TADA, POTA. AFSPA, Unlawful Activities Acl. .. the brand names change, but the ruling class keeps producing such laws which equate dissent and protest with crimeand terrorism. .
Further, all the organisations banned under POTA will continue to be banned, and those booked under POTA will continue to be tried under POTA. These cases will be reviewed by a panel constituted under POTA itself. Will such a panel really withdraw cases .
3ga1nst the innocent tribals and activists booked under POTA? We have seen how the Bihar Govt. is pursuing TADA etscs. long .
afterTADA1 s lapse, against innocent datil agrarian labourers, while withdrawing the case against the chiefofa landlords1 army. We .
.
have also seen how the UP Government has withdrawn the POTA case against Raja Bhaiyya, notorious for his feudal crimes against .
dalitand backward poor. Recently, Kranti Kumar Singh, a former AISA activist ofLuclmow University who is nmv a CPI(ML) activist .
.
in Lakhimpur, UP, has been booked under the Gangster Act and thrown injail. For the system, Raja Bhaiyya is a hero and a Minister, .
while anyone who organises the struggles ofpoor and marginaliscd people is a ·gangster', a 'terrorist', a 'criminal' who indulges in .
'review' may set free VlPs like Vaiko, but U1e bulk ofpoor tribaJs and minorities, who are victims.
.
'unlawful activities'. No doubt, the .
ofPOTA, will continue to suffer long after its lapse. .
.
Mainstream Media in Defence of Draconian Laws .
The mainstream print and electronic media revealed its prejudices and biases, as "veil as its ignorance, on the issue ofblack laws. First, .
u blacked out the rape and killing ofManorama Dcvi~ only the brave and continued resistance oflheManipuri people, including tile nude .
.
protest women activists, could force the media to stop ignoring the issue. Further, a leading national daily, the TO!, even published a .
photograph of Vietnamese monks, claimingthat they were North East students! .
'act responsibly' on the AFSPA issue..
.
The HTeditoriaJ of August 9, also revealed its biases by exhorting the Government to .
The cditoria1advises the Govt. not to scr:lp the AFSPA. but to set up a public griev:~nces p:mcl to "take up every alleged ·:11 rocity,., . .
It urges the Govt. to retain the AFSPA in order to g1vc the police and army "legal protection for domg thc1rjobs", but adds that they .
mustbe '-answerable for any illegal acts they may corrunit in the process". Clearly the editorial refuses to acknowledge the fact that .
acts like the custodial torture and killing ofManorama Devi are legal under the AFSPA! It is not the·misuse' ofAFSPA. but its use .
which is dracoruan. Such language by the media, accepts and excuses 'atrocities' and 'iiJegal acts' by the Armed Forces, as part of .
.
the 4proces..~' of the fi~ht n~ain~t terrorism. Once the lileople ~·Democracydt 1-8.Iugust). The CPI(M) staLCillCnL docs not CJil the AfSPA a draconi4U1lcgislatJml, nc1lh~r .
'ent to the e.xtentofsayingthat the "Actcould.
does it accuse AFSPA ofviolating human rights. In fact, its PB Member, Sitaram Yechury v..
not be repealed because itwould hamper the government's ability to declare area'i as 'disturbed'. Ifan areawas to be declared ali .
.
disturbed, this act should be in place".(HT.com, Aug 10). watchdog 1 the CPl and CPI(M) have no intention ofgetting the AFSPA.
Clearly,_ both the ruling establishment UPA and its ' .
It ~s the common people who have sacrificed their blood, liberty and even life to keep aliYc the struggle against draconian.
scrap~. .
laws. It 1s this struggle which we must strengthen ifour democracy is to have any meaning. .
Sd./-Mona Das. President. AISA. JNU. Sd./-Satya Venkat Siddhardha Kr. D., Jt. Secy.. AIS~JNU. .
'.
-----~ .. -·.., ~· '-'i.:lW-I'UIJC:SD IGIDJKD, Jl. ;:,ecy.~ AL3""H; .lr«T. .
.