[IndyMedia Bombay] letter to pm

[Riddhi Shah]

----- Original Message -----
From: Rajashree
To: anjum1@vsnl.com


Dear Friends,
Somebody sent me this story a few days back:

The first incident took place in front of the small hotel in the
street corner. A sentry was immediately put on duty there.

The second incident happened the next evening, not too far from
the local general store. The sentry was moved to the site of the
new occurrence.

The third incident took place at midnight just in front of the
laundry.The sentry was ordered to stand guard at the murder spot.
'Can you post me where the next incident is going to take place,
sir?' he asked.
-Sadat Hasan Manto

Well, for a change, we do have a good idea where the next incident
is going to take place. My mother and my sister, Manju, have been
working in the relief camps in Ahmedabad, and they say that the
Muslims are absolutely terrifed of what may happen on the 12th
during the Rath Yatra.

How can we do anything about it? You can send an email or fax to
the PM. The text suggested by the Aman Ekta Manch is given at the
end of this letter. The Aman Ekta Manch is organizing a protest on
the 12th in New Delhi. If you are there, please do join and tell
everybody else you know to join.

Sometimes I wonder how effective a dharna is. But then I remind
myself that it is extremely difficult to even have a peace dharna
in Ahmedabad today.

A strange thing happened a couple of days back. My mother went and
spoke to some Hindu shopkeepers whose shops adjoined the shop of a
Muslim shopkeeper who was trying to set it up again. She just said
to them that they should help him, etc. Two shopkeepers agreed
with her, but the third got very aggressive. "Who says that I had
anything to do with burning down that guy's shop?" he demanded.
The next day, somebody told my mother, "Yahaa pe nahi aana. Nahi
to tumhe kaat dalenge."

I am sending you the letter from Aman Ekta Manch. Please do email
the prime minister and send this mail to as many people as you
can. (It would be better to cut and paste it in 'Compose' rather
than forwarding it, since that would make it difficult to read.)

With warm regards,
Rajashree

From: "Aman Ekta Manch" <peopleforpeace@rediffmail.com>
Subject: TWO PROTEST ACTIONS ON RATH YATRA


Friends,

You would be aware that while the Gujarat government has called
off the Gaurav Rath Yatra of Narendra Modi, the Jagannath Rath
yatra on July 12 continues to pose a grave threat to lives and
general security in Ahmedabad. While this Yatra is 125 years old,
the VHP has for many years been using it in the service of its own
agenda. As a result the Yatra, passing with often provocative
slogans through several Muslim localities, has been the flashpoint
of serious incidents of communal violence especially in 1985 and
1992. This year we fear the Yatra promises to be more bloody than
ever, particularly in the light of Ashok Singhal's threat, issued
on June 22 at the VHP Margdarshak Mandal, that all Indian Muslims
will henceforth have to live in refugee camps as in Gujarat.

The Aman Ekta Manch has tried since mid-June to raise this issue
at several levels, through letters to the editor and by
approaching three ex-Prime Ministers to write letters to A B
Vajpayee appealing to him to ensure peace in Ahmedabad. In
addition, a Memorandum is to be submitted to the PM by Aman Ekta
Manch on Monday.

Two further immediate actions are planned:
1. Mass faxing and e-mailing of letters to the Prime Minister's
Office by concerned individuals and organizations. The suggested
text of the message is given at the end of the letter. Please
deluge the PMO with faxes or e-mails or both by Monday/Tuesday.

The fax numbers are: (011) 3019334, 3016857, 3019545 and the
e-mail ids are:
vajpayee@sansad.nic.in
pmosb@pmo.nic.in

2. A daylong dharna on July 9 (Tuesday) in front of the office of
the Resident Commissioner of Gujarat in Delhi. (This office is
located above the Gujarat government emporium "Gurjari" on Baba
Kharak Singh Marg.) The dharna will be from 10 am to 6 pm. Please
try to commit to stay for the whole day. If this is absolutely not
possible, do stay either from 10am to 2pm or from 2pm to 6pm.
Please mobilise as many people as you can. We request this
commitment from one another to ensure that a sizeable number of
people are on dharna at all times during the day.

A memorandum will be submitted to the RC at the end of the
dharna.

Please come with plays and songs, placards, etc.

Aman Ekta Manch




Suggested Text of the letter to the PM:

It is reported that the decision to call off the Gaurav Rath
Yatras in Gujarat was because of apprehension by the National
Human Rights Commission of large-scale violence and taking into
view intelligence reports of the possibility of violence.

Are these apprehensions and reports not true of the July 12
Jagannnath Rath Yatra too, particularly given the fact that this
yatra is to pass through the sensitive areas of Ahmedabad?

In the above context, if there is any damage to life and property
during the course of the Rath Yatra on July 12 or after, you, as
Prime Minister, and your government will be held wholly
responsible and accountable by the people of India and in the
court of world opinion. I appeal to you to take immediate steps to
restore confidence and ensure peace in Ahmedabad.

(I would suggest that you add a line saying that the Rath Yatra
should be taken out through the Hindu area of town, as the temple
trustees were planning to. That's just the suggestion of some
progressive groups in Bombay, not the Aman Ekta Manch's -
Rajashree)

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