TWELVE YEARS NOW THE WAIT FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE! by Fr. Cedric Prakash

 

Reading Fr. Cedric Prakash's article makes one wonder what is in store to the minority population of this country ones the hardliner Hindu Leader takes on the reins of this multi linguistic, multi cultural and most important multi religious country of us. The Gujrat riots cannot be forgotten by the people who have suffered and lost their children and families , women raped and killed by the so called majority cadre. It is a pity that someone who was instrumental in letting loose these wolfs on the innocent people has no ramose for his actions following the Godra incident where as the head of the state he did not  try to curtail the situation. Such a horrific thing can be done only when you are 100 % follower of a religious order where your religion is supreme. We find a lot of support for the Prime ministerial candidate , it is again those fanatic people who are supporting him who look at him as their only protector of their religion and has faith in him to supress the other religion in this country. The rich business man will support him for their own benefit ,they have not suffered in the riot or are sure that they will not be subject to any thing of that sort in the future . It is the poor minority that suffer when such riots takes place. Development only cannot be the plank to choose a countries leader communal harmony should be the desire and assurance committed to the minority of this country.

 

ALVARESCLARENCE

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	TWELVE YEARS NOW THE WAIT FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE! by Fr. Cedric Prakash (28th February, 2014)
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TWELVE YEARS NOW: THE WAIT FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE!

-Fr. Cedric Prakash sj*

 

It is Sunday, 23^rd February 2014:  the UN Special Rapporteur of Freedom of Religion or Belief Prof. Dr. Heiner Bielefeldt was visiting Ahmedabad listening to eye witness accounts from the victim-survivors and others on the reality of Gujarat.

 

Ms. Rupa Mody came up to the podium. She began in her usual calm, composed manner. She would have perhaps narrated the heart-rending story of her great personal tragedy a million times over. In a matter of minutes, however, she could hardly continue. She broke down and sobbed inconsolably asking this one question: “will my Azhu ever come back?”   Rupa, we all know is a Parsi and on that fateful day of February 28^th 2002, when all hell broke loose, she was there in Gulberg Society with her two little children – Azhar and Binaifer. 

 

She shared with the Rapporteur how several persons in authority were contacted by Mr. Ehsan Jafri (a former Member of Parliament), seeking security for the members of the housing society where they lived when the mobs had gathered outside to attack them. But no help came.  The mobs broke in and ruthlessly attacked the people, raped the women and burnt them, leaving 69 dead in one of the most horrific attacks during the Gujarat Carnage of 2002.

 

What happened the previous day, February 27^th 2002, when 58 passengers traveling by the S-6 coach in the Sabarmati Express lost their lives (near Godhra) was a tragedy beyond comprehension! For next 24 hours, nothing happened anywhere! But early noon, on February 28^th, after Maha-aartis in several parts of Ahmedabad city and other parts of Gujarat, all hell broke loose!

 

Mobs belonging to the Sangh Parivar, with complete connivance of the Gujarat Government, raped and brutalized, plundered and pillaged, burnt and killed at will! Even as she breaks down, Rupa asked this one question: “what did I do to deserve this?” Apart from being attacked herself, till today, she does not know what has happened to her only son: Azhar. Rupa’s traumatic story of a mother longing for her son to return is just one story of hundreds of victim-survivors of the Gujarat Carnage, who still relentlessly struggle for truth and for justice.

 

It is true that there have been some convictions – some powerful people like Maya Kodnani and Babu Bajrangi have been found guilty and have been given some exemplary punishment.  But, everybody knows that these convictions are just the tip of the iceberg and quite often the small fry are sacrificed to save the big fish.

 

Top of the list is Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat who presided over the carnage and who has not shown the slightest bit of remorse or taken responsibility of what took place.   There is an overdrive by his PR machinery to show that he has got a “clean chit” from the courts. It is extremely strange that a report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by R.K. Raghavan is regarded as the ‘final’ say whereas another report by Raju Ramachandran, the amicus curiae suggesting several lapses and loopholes in the SIT report is ignored by many.

 

An important new book by Manoj Mitta entitled ‘The Fiction of Fact-Finding: Modi & Godhra’ clearly lays bare the many contradictions in the SIT report and forcefully argues that “crucial evidence has fallen through the cracks”. In his interview to the Outlook magazine (17^th February, 2014), the introduction states, “Indeed as he (Mitta) forcefully argues, the anomalies of the SIT’s closure report point to far more than the relativism of the truth; they mock India’s commitment to its national motto: Satyameva Jayate (truth alone triumphs)”.

 

Yes, today marks twelve years since that terrible tragedy unfolded in Gujarat on a hapless minority community. Some would like the victim-survivors to forget things; to bring to closure that terrible chapter; some even think of making the man who presided over this violence the next Prime Minister of the country! But for a person like Rupa, whose tragedy has been immortalized in the film “Parzania”, there will never be any closure. She waits…. she waits….. she waits…. for her Azhu to return home.

 

Will Rupa experience the triumph of truth and justice?

 

27^th February, 2014

 

(*Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ is the Director of PRASHANT, the Ahmedabad-based Jesuit Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace.)

 

Address: PRASHANT, Hill Nagar, Near Kamdhenu Hall, Drive-in Road, Ahmedabad–380052

Phone: 79 27455913, 66522333   Fax:  79 27489018   Email: sjprashant@gmail.com     www.humanrightsindia.in

 

What if Modi becomes Indian premier?

 

 Four myths about India's leading prime ministerial candidate
 
As a Christian and particularly a Jesuit priest, I take stands and believe that while being open to dialogue and reason, one has to be unequivocal about what one stands for.  So, I take a stand against politicians or political parties that are sectarian, corrupt, casteist and above all those who indulge in the criminalization of society.
I do not espouse any political party. All have their own drawbacks. A reality check would show that each one has failed the people of India in some way or another, especially the poor and the marginalized, either because of their particular ideology or because they have catered to a particular class or caste.
All this brings to mind the powerful words of Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) in which he condemns “the economy of exclusion and inequality” and “a financial system which rules rather than serves”.
We have to accept that genuine fears and anxieties exist about Narrndra Modi, the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate and three-time chief minister of Gujarat becoming prime minister, after the general election due in May.
However let me clarify some matters about Modi and his rule in Gujarat. 
Myth 1: Modi is a development man
This cannot be further from the truth. Gujarat has always been a developed state from the time it was carved out of Bombay state in 1960. Economic indicators clearly show that Gujarat under Modi has been ‘worse off’ than under previous governments (even the BJP one before him).
The fact is that foreign direct investment in Gujarat has taken a severe beating in the last few years and even local investment is far below what is being flaunted. Regarding social indicators, Gujarat fares poorly.
A UNICEF report published in 2013 says social development in the state has not kept pace with economic development; almost every second child in Gujarat under five years old is undernourished, while three quarters are anemic.
Myth 2: The Gujarat carnage is a thing of the past and Modi has been given a “clean chit”
Many believe the courts exonerated Modi of involvement in the Gujarat anti-Muslim riots in 2002. The hard facts are, however, very different. First of all, no court has given Modi a clean chit. 
True, there is a Special Investigation Team (SIT) report that says there is not enough evidence against Modi. 
But this has been challenged, with the petitioner Zakhia Jafri being given leave by Ahmadabad magistrates to question  the merits of the SIT report in a higher court.
Raju Ramchandran, appointed by the Supreme Court as amicus curiae for many of the Gujarat riot cases, asserts that there is enough evidence to prosecute Modi on several counts with regard to the violence in 2002, in which more than 1,000 people died.
Modi has neither shown any remorse nor taken responsibility for the killing of innocent people under his watch. The least a chief minister could have been expected to do was to enforce law and order and protect the life and property of every citizen in his state. That he ignored this responsibility, there is no doubt among many. That he has denigrated minorities has been documented by the print and the electronic media.  
Myth 3: Modi has “made up” with the minorities
There are some claiming to be representatives of minority Christian and Muslim communities who sing Modi’s praises.
A careful analysis indicates these people have vested interests, especially in business, and are not really interested in their community or what is happening to minorities in the country. 
In 2003 Modi introduced an anti-conversion law and established rules to govern the implementation of this law in 2008. 
It is perhaps one of the most draconian laws in the history of democratic India. It forbids a citizen from converting to another faith unless she/he has permission from civil authorities.
Even now, police and intelligence officers constantly visit Christian institutions and Christians in general, making all kinds of inquiries and demanding to check baptism registers and other records.
Myth 4: Modi is not corrupt
In May 2012, anti-corruption campaigners Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal visited Gujarat. They came away declaring it the most corrupt state in the country. Why they have not continued to highlight corruption in Gujarat is anyone’s guess.  
Several years ago, the Tata Motor Company was allowed to establish a plant to build the “world's cheapest car” in Gujarat with surprising ease, flouting every rule in the book and even the state's industrial policy.
It is alleged that the Adani Company controls the price of compressed natural gas, amassing huge profits. In addition, the role of the Ambanis in mega projects in Gujarat is being questioned. The way environmental laws are flouted and the terrible ecological degradation that is taking place all over the state, all point to the fact that corruption is alive and kicking in Gujarat.
Another indicator is the way land has been handed to big corporations, displacing thousands of small farmers across the state. There have been huge protest rallies, but they were not covered by a media, which by and large seems to have been muzzled in Gujarat.
These four myths provide an insight into the grim reality in Gujarat under the leadership of Modi. No one really knows if he will become prime minister.  But India deserves better leaders. Indian politics revolves around regional parties. As of now, the BJP has practically no allies from several states. Most regional parties are obviously waiting to see which party will emerge as the single largest party in the 2014 elections.Fr Cedric Prakash SJ is the director of PRASHANT, the Ahmedabad-based Jesuit Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace. 

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