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BLOGS / Mobs - Violence

POSTED BY Sundeep ON Nov 19, 2012 AT 23:56 IST , Edited At: Nov 19, 2012 23:56 IST

This is the (unedited) full-text of the status update by Shaheen Dhada which was 'liked' by her friend Renu Srinivasan on Facebook:

"With all respect, every day, thousands of people die, but still the world moves on. Just due to one politician died a natural death, everyone just goes bonkers. They should know, we are resilient by force, not by choice. When was the last time, did anyone showed some respect or even a two-minute silence for Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Azad, Sukhdev or any of the people because of whom we are free-living Indians? Respect is earned, given, and definitely not forced. Today, Mumbai shuts down due to fear, not due to respect."

As the press reports summed up:

Though the girl withdrew her comment and apologised, a mob of some 2,000 Shiv Sena workers attacked and ransacked her uncle’s orthopaedic clinic at Palghar.

Getting the statement withdrawn or an apology under intimidation was clearly not enough for the brave Sainiks of the Sena as they went ahead and lodged a complaint with the police. It is instructive that the police, instead of taking action against the mob, wanted 14 days' custody for the young girls, not even straightaway releasing them on bail as provided under law.

Consider this: the police commissioner has confirmed that no action has been taken against those who attacked the clinic of Shaheen Dhada's uncle’s orthopaedic clinic at Palghar.

And just to put matters in perspective, let's remember that the state's chief minister yesterday chose to "honour the sentiments of Mumbaikars" by according a state funeral -- taking the body draped in the Tricolour in a procession on a gun-carriage with full police bandobast, besides a 21-gun salute ahead of the funeral -- to someone about whom the Sri Krishna report had stated:

From 8th January 1993 at least there is no doubt that the Shiv Sena and Shiv Sainiks took the lead in organizing attacks on Muslims and their properties under the guidance of several leaders of the Shiv Sena from the level of Shakha Pramukh to the Shiv Sena Pramukh Bal Thackeray who, like a veteran General, commanded his loyal Shiv Sainiks to retaliate by organised attacks against Muslims.

For more inconvenient truths about the one honoured with a state funeral, here's a random compendium.

The message from the ruling establishment about those it chooses to honour and protect and those it chooses to penalise could not be clearer.

Also read:

Markandey Katju: 'This Arrest Itself Appears To Be A Criminal Act'
Pranesh Prakash: Adding Insult To Injury

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POSTED BY Sundeep ON Nov 19, 2012 AT 23:56 IST, Edited At: Nov 19, 2012 23:56 IST

Jagdish Tytler: A Reminder

POSTED BY Sundeep ON Sep 08, 2012 AT 08:25 IST , Edited At: Sep 09, 2012 11:27 IST

For those who came in late...

It is a mere matter of record that Narendra Modi "promoted" Maya Kodnani from an MLA to a minister in 2007, despite knowing the serious charges of having led the the Naroda Patiya brutalities and killings of 2002.

While five years were allowed to elapse in the case of Ms Kodnani, Mr Jagdish Tytler's rise was far swifter, as Manoj Mitta and HS Phoolka record in When a Tree Shook Delhi:

...the political career[] of ... Tytler, far from suffering on account of 'the taint of 1984' blossomed as if [he] had been rewarded for engineering the violence. Having won the 1984 election under the shadow of the carnage, Rajiv Gandhi immediately...inducted Tytler into the government for the first time as minister of state...[He] remained in the Rajiv Gandhi government till the end of its tenure in 1989...

He remained a minister whenever Congress returned to power: He was back under P.V. Narasimha Rao, and then again under Manmohan Singh in 2004, till he was forced to resign under duress, following his indictment by Nanawati Commission report on 1984 anti-Sikh violence. Which of course was claimed by the worthies of the Congress to be "in keeping with the high traditions of sacrifice exemplified by the party"

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POSTED BY Sundeep ON Sep 08, 2012 AT 08:25 IST, Edited At: Sep 09, 2012 11:27 IST

'What Are You Doing? What, How...STOP IT!'

POSTED BY Sundeep ON Jul 17, 2012 AT 23:59 IST , Edited At: Jul 17, 2012 23:59 IST

If you read one piece today, read Natasha Badhwar's must-read, powerful piece in the Mint today:

It never occurred to us that staying at home might make our life safer. You know why? Because it doesn’t.

A visiting uncle suddenly grabs you and you know IT IS NOT A HUG. Family weddings, festivals, vacations, my mother’s tailor, the X-ray technician, the physiotherapist, your Maths tutor, the neighbour, the home delivery man...you can be fondled, touched, flashed, anytime, anywhere. And we are. If I say, raise your hand if you haven’t been physically violated in a place where you were supposed to be safe, there will be NO HANDS RAISED.

The dead silence, the repeated breach of trust in our private spaces makes them more dangerous than the brutal world outside. Nothing happened to you, we are told. Don’t tell anyone. We are left hurting where the wounds don’t show, and sometimes those wounds never heal.

We have spent so much energy forgetting and then being rudely reminded that each one of us has been victimized. Each one of us has been hurt, isolated and confused. Men and women, growing up in a world of casual, unreported sexual violence.

What is the difference between the world that I grew up in and the world our children are growing up in?

It’s a one word answer.

I am the difference.

Read on at the LiveMint: Views | The harsh realities of sexual violence: Guwahati and beyond

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FILED IN: Mobs - Violence|Sexual Harassment & Misconduct|Women

POSTED BY Sundeep ON Jul 17, 2012 AT 23:59 IST, Edited At: Jul 17, 2012 23:59 IST