আজ থেকে ঠিক ৩৪ বছর আগে এই দিনে ‘জরুরি অবস্থা’ জারি হয়েছিল। সেদিনের কালা আইন ছিল এম আই এস এ (MISA), ই এস এম এ (ESMA) ইত্যাদি। আজ যেমন ইউ এ পি এ (UAPA)। কী লজ্জা!
অভিযোগকারীকে অভিযোগের সত্যতা প্রমাণ করতে হবে। এমনটাই ভারতের সংবিধানের ঘোষিত নির্দেশ। যে কোন উন্নত ও সভ্য রাষ্ট্র এই নীতিই অনুসরন করে। কিন্তু, সন্ত্রাসবাদী রাষ্ট্রগুলি অনেক্ষেত্রেই এই নীতি মানে না। বিনা প্রমাণেই যাতে ‘বিচার’ সম্পন্ন করে ফেলা যায়, সে উদ্দেশ্যেই এই ব্যবস্থা। বলা বাহুল্য, এই ব্যবস্থায় রাষ্ট্রের নীতি-বহির্ভূত ও মানবাধিকার লঙ্ঘনকারী যে কোন কাজকে ‘আইনি’ ছাপ দেওয়া যায় খুব সহজেই। এই সন্ত্রাসবাদী রাষ্ট্রগুলির অন্যতম আমাদের দেশ ভারত। ভারতে এমন কিছু আইন রয়েছে (কালা আইন), যেসব আইনে মামলা দায়ের হলে অভিযুক্তকেই প্রমাণ করতে হয় যে, সে অপরাধী নয়। The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) এমনই একটি কালা আইন। মুম্বই বিস্ফোরণের পর তড়িঘড়ি করে সংশোধনী বিল পাশ করিয়ে যে আইনকে আরও কঠোর করা হল।
উল্লেখ্য যে, অভিযুক্তের পক্ষে প্রমাণ করা (সে অপরাধী নয়) তত্ত্বগতভাবেই অসম্ভব। তাই অভিযোগের সত্যতা প্রমাণ করার দায়িত্ব অভিযোগকারীর ওপরই বর্তায়।
কিন্তু প্রশ্ন হল, সংবিধানের নির্দেশকে অমান্য করে আইন তৈরী হয় কি করে? উত্তরটা খুবই সহজ। দুর্নীতিতে বিশ্বের প্রথমসারীতে অবস্থান করা যে দেশে শাহবুদ্দিনের মতো জঘন্য অপরাধী অনায়াসেই আইনপ্রণেতা বনে যেতে পারে, সে দেশে সংবিধান লঙ্ঘনকারী আইন তৈরী হওয়া অসম্ভব কি!
নির্বিচারে দমন-পীড়ন-সন্ত্রাস সংঘটিত করার উদ্দেশ্যে ভারতের বর্তমান শাসকগোষ্ঠী যেভাবে সংবিধান লঙ্ঘনের খেলায় মেতেছেন, তা দেখলে ব্রীটিশ শাসকরাও লজ্জা পেতেন। কেননা, স্বাধীনতা সংগ্রামীদের বিরুদ্ধে মামলা দায়ের করলে অভিযোগের সত্যতা প্রমাণ করার দায়িত্ব পালন করতেন ব্রীটিশ শাসকরাই।
প্রমাণের অভাবে অভিযুক্ত বেকসুর খালাস পেয়েছেন – এমন সংবাদ হামেশাই প্রকাশিত হয় । এমনকি, দীর্ঘ বছর বিনা বিচারে কারাবাসের পরও এমনটা ঘটা নতুন কিছু নয়। ইউ এ পি এ সংশোধন করে (অভিযোগের সত্যতা প্রমাণ করার দায়িত্ব কাঁধ থেকে ঝেড়ে ফেলে দিয়ে) সরকার নিশ্চিন্ত হল, এমন ঘটনা আর ঘটবে না।
কিন্তু, সাধারণ মানুষ এই স্বেচ্ছাচার মেনে নেবেন তো?
Why is there so much bloodshed? Why such terrorism everywhere?
Any honest and impartial person is against terrorism. We too, the rationalists and humanists are against any kind of murder, torture and terrorism. We sincerely wish that all this mindless killings should come to an end. Why is there so much of terror in this country?
Let us first take the case of this state – West Bengal.
In the terrorist nation India, all the terrorist political parties thrive.
The surprising fact is that most of the political parties of India are up against terrorism and are ever ready to implement ‘stringent anti-terrorism measures’ to combat terrorism. At the same time, these very political parties themselves are nothing but terrorist groups.
India is one among these 82 nations identified by Amnesty Intl.
‘State terrorism’ is severe in the North-eastern states – Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, in Kashmir in Northern India, in Chhattisgarh in central India and in Andhra Pradesh in South. The atrocities carried out by the state machinery are unimaginable. The gravity of it is beyond the comprehension of people outside these regions. It is more so because the media are never truly impartial. They have to toe the line of the ruling party or the rich and powerful opposition. The media in West Bengal do the same by suppressing or distorting news, or even by total blackout in some cases. Sometimes they are shadows of CPM party, and as soon as the tables turn, they hang around the opposition leader, travel with her, fly with her, lifting her sky-high only to pull her down and ridicule her later as time comes. It is they who create Maoist leaders like ‘Kishenji’ or ‘Bikash’ and make exclusive stories.
‘Public Committee against Police Atrocities’
It was an afternoon on November 2008; Chief Minister Buddahdeb Bhattacharya and Central minister Rambilas Paswan were returning through Shalboni in their convoy after inaugurating a proposed Steel plant by the Jindal group. The Maoists triggered an explosion aiming at the convoy. After this incident which missed the CM’s vehicle and slightly injured a few others, the police started massive operation and arbitrary arrests.
Under the leadership of Police Superintendent of West Midnapur district, they entered tribal houses some 70 kilometers away from the spot and arrested some schoolboys of 7th and 8th class, an old retired schoolteacher and some others as ‘suspected Maoists’. During this action they reportedly roughed up tribal women – the male police force manhandled and molested them, abused with vulgar threats.
The suppressed grievance of the long deprived local people exploded after this criminal offence. The poor tribal populace of the region united and formed the ‘Public Committee against Police Atrocities’. Their main demand was that – the Police Super and the misbehaving police personnel have to come to the Tribal village and publicly apologize for their mistake and misdemeanor.
Now, the West Bengal government always appears as the savior of the police whenever they are in trouble. We have seen it before – in Singur, Nandigram, Khejuri, Memari in Burdwan and in case of the hapless Rizwanur. The Police actively participated in genocide, loot, rape and setting fire. The police force usually comes as the pilot convoy before the armed hooligan party-cadres and together they jointly carry out the massacre. In return, the Buddhadeb government takes good care of the police force, turning a blind eye to all their crimes. So, when the PCAPA made their demand, the Chief Secretary of Buddha government called a press conference and announced – that there could be no question of apologizing.
The self-respecting poor tribal people could not digest this kind of arrogance. They started a movement – PCAPA—and are continuing it for the following eight months. The leader of the committee, Sri Chhatradhar Mahato pointed out that some of the media are diverting attention from the police by shortening the name to just ‘People’s Committee’, ignoring the point of Police atrocities.
In eight months Lalgarh saw progress that did not happen in the past 32 years.
Some able and sympathetic people came forward to help the PCAPA. They showed them the way to become self-reliant, to unite and work together to make self-ruled villages. The villagers joined hands to work together and made unimaginable progress in a few months. What the left-front government failed to do in 32 years, they did in 8 months –claims Chhatradhar. A 60 feet deep reservoir to store water for irrigation, miles of canals cleaned and channeled to the fields, tube-wells in villages for drinking water, 50 kilometers of solid gravel road that saved them a long detour to go to the nearest Midnapore town; these are some of their achievements. A health centre with a doctor is also set up by them. All this has been done by the villagers themselves without any help from the state.
Some able and sympathetic people who came forward to help and guide these villagers have been branded as ‘Maoists’ by the CPI (M). Once you call them ‘Maoists’, they can be arrested, detained without trial or better still, killed in the name of encounter. So simple!
It is only natural that the cruel and fascist CPI (M) government will call these people ‘Maoists’ or ‘Terrorists’.
In India infested with terrorists, the CPI (M) is the largest terrorist group
In the past 32 years, there have been 45000 political killings. Of that 40000 have been perpetrated by the ruling party CPI (M). In cruelty, comparable only to the Nazis, this outfit has carried out genocide in Marichjhapi, Naxalbari, Sainbari, Kashipur, Baranagar, Beliaghata, Dhantala, Bantala, Ghoksadanga, Keshpur, Garbeta, Arambag, Nandigram etc during their long tenure. The cruelty of these massacres was unimaginable.
Even after all this, why the Central government is not taking steps to ban this party is a mystery. Is it because in future they may again have to tie the knot with this party at the centre? The party that believes in genocide as a political weapon should be banned in the state at least!
The reader must be wondering why all these facts were not made public so long. It is mainly because of the left inclined media owners and intellectuals who were in some way indebted to the leftist government. They, out of their own sense of gratitude kept mum all these years. All the wrong ideas got publicity. We were told that even if you take up arms against police, military or ruling party workers in self defense, it is tantamount to going against the Nation/State. It is ‘Terrorism’. These fighters are ‘terrorists’ – even if they are poor, hungry and naked. Even if they live without electricity, water supply or health care and get humiliated and tortured by police at regular intervals.
We are clearly against terrorism and cold blooded man-slaughter
Each and every progressive, rational and humane person must be against mindless cruelty. At the same time one has to agree that continuous deprivation, ill-treatment, neglect and above all, state-terrorism can steamroll the people to make them revolt at a point of time– to make them rise up to counter-terrorism. Such possibility cannot be ruled out.
Finally genocide and counter-killings go on to cripple the society. We cannot think of a beautiful society to live in, to progress towards a better future. So we express our strong hatred and disapproval of all the terrorist political parties and terrorism of the state.
An example of an ideal ‘terrorist’ state
18 June, 2009: To suppress the terrorist upheaval the state police and the central armed forces have jointly entered the jungle-covered Lalgarh, the poorest region of West Bengal.
Quoting from the first page of daily paper Bartaman – a tribal woman Usharani from Kuldiha says – “On Friday afternoon, I sat with two morsels of rice to feed my child. Police came, kicked and broke open the door. They entered in a group, kicked and overturned the plate of rice. They ransacked and broke everything in the house. We are Maoists, they said. They threw everything we had – plates, vessels, sacks of rice and daal – everything into the well. Before leaving they threatened to sexually abuse me”.
The experience is more or less the same in households in the villages of Kuldiha, Goaldanga, Kankshol, Malida, Sarberia, Peyarakuli, Pechapora and 40 others like them. The people all belong to Tribal community or aborigines of the place. Police and central forces manhandled the women, lifting their saris in the name of frisking, beating with lathis, and ridiculed them offering their services at night in the absence of their husbands. In some places, they urinated in the wells or put their excreta rendering them unfit for drinking.
Next day we saw the shocking picture (Times of India) of local boys being made to look for landmines, while the police personnel were behind them with their weapons. This is a definite case of gross violation of human rights.
We hereby draw the attention of National Human Rights Commission, with a request for immediate enquiry and steps against the police involved.
What is going on? Is it warfare?
Are Indian soldiers fighting with their own countrymen?
Now if any foreigner questions the very character of our Nation, and calls it a terrorist state, do we have a reply?
Picture courtesy: THE TELEGRAPH and THE TIMES OF INDIA
This letter has been sent to the Editor, The Telegraph.
All the news items point to one thing-- lack of understanding, resulting in utter confusion.
"We have come here for peace. Innocent villagers are getting trapped between the Maoists and the security forces. We would like both sides to drop their arms and come for talks," said film director Aparna Sen.
We are surprised that the intellectuals who visited Lalgarh are dividing the poor villagers from the so-called 'Maoists'. The active group comprised of some of the villagers only are trying to protect their folks from police atrocities. Their only demand is to remove the police. And Police has justified the demand of the so -called Maoists by cruel and indecent behaviour during the last 4 days.
In Pirakata a section of the state armed police (SAP) — terrified of IED explosions - caught hold of local youths and forced them to poke around for hidden mines and explosives?
Acts like this will trigger more calls for vengeance and lead people to doubt the sincerity of the government's attempts to pacify the tribal villagers.
In Kuldiha, poice forces are torturing women. As per the report, a woman, Bijola Mahato says that the police women lifted her sari, while showering lathis on her the menfolk ( Police) made indecent remarks -- " Since your husband is not at home, let me come tonight..." The husbands have fled, some are in relief camps, the cows are left without food, the wares they make for a living -- plates and bowls made of dried Saal-leaves are bundled and left unsold.
Who gave the Army and Police the right to disrupt the normal life in villages and insult poor, hungry people in this manner? Isn't forcing local youths to look for mines -- the height of human rights abuse? Where is army discipline? Are they at war with their own people?
We request the intellectuals to highlight these Army and Police atrocities, for which these people are fighting for the last eight months.
It is equally sad that Mamata Banerjee, instead of voicing sympathy for the poor & deprived people of our land, has asked for announcing the zone as "Disturbed Area". Does she know that 'Disturbed Area' will justify permanent Police posting and continuing atrocities? Have we all foergotten Manipur and what rights the Armed Forces Special Powers Act are endowed with?
Please stop this confusion and face the facts --
The people are hungry and without a livelihood,
The Army and police are not their well-wishers.
Let us all unitedly demand social justice.
SUMITRA PADMANABHAN
G.S., HUMANISTS' ASSOCIATION
P 2, BLOCK B, LAKE TOWN
KOLKATA - 700089
Kuldiha, June 21: Shame is abandoned with great effort. But the women of this village are willing to draw up their saris, just to show how brutalised they are.
At a relief camp in Pirakata, the crossroad that practically marks the end of the authority of the West Bengal government on the route to Lalgarh, they pulled up saris to reveal weals and scars to show how mercilessly they were beaten by the police.
The police did not have orders to open fire. They were free to beat and brutalise.
Kuldiha is 4km up ahead from Pirakata. It is desolate, save for the cows tethered to bamboo masts. The village has about 40 households. The refugees from the village say there was only one person in the village with a regular job — a government employee in the land reforms department. Most were farmers and cowherds. But this afternoon there is no one in any of the houses. The village is desolate. The men fled to the forests when the security forces began assembling.
The battered women of Kuldiha roamed the fields and forests around here for two nights. This morning and afternoon, they began trickling into the camp at the Pirakata Primary High School set up by the local Trinamul Congress.
Every armed conflict must have its share of refugees. The relief camp in Pirakata is the first to shelter the first in Lalgarh’s latest round of violence.
The village is spread on either side of a narrow metalled road. Inside, a motorcycle upturned into a pond is evidence of the violence that it has been through.
There isn’t a soul in sight. Cows tethered to bamboo masts moo because they are hungry. Their owners have left home. They are in the relief camp this afternoon.
“The policewomen lifted my sari,” sobs Bijola Mahato, “and kicked me while lathis rained down and a man shouted ‘since your husband is not at home, let me come tonight and be your husband’”.
The Bengal government’s order to the security forces it has amassed over here to go easy on the trigger has meant they can go hard with the lathi...
Courtesy: THE TELEGRAPH
Earlier today, the Unified CPN (Maoist) called an all-party meeting to discuss the border encroachment and evacuation of Nepali settlers from several border villages in Dang. At the meeting the parties agreed to send a joint delegation to Dang district to assess the situation there.
Madhesi parties including Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, Terai Madhesh Loktantrik Party and Sadbhawana Party didn't attend the meeting.
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