|
Action Alerts
|
Press Releses / Sabrang Alerts ______________________________________________________ March 26, 2003 URGENT
APPEAL TO THE PRESIDENT
An
Appeal for Peace and Restraint!
To
Shri Abul Kalam, Honorable
President of India Fax-
011-23017290 Phone-
011-23014507 Copies:
Honorable Prime Minister, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee
Honarable Deputy Prime Minister, Shri LK Advani. Dear
Sir, We
condemn the tragic killing of former Gujarat minister, Haren Pandya
by unidentified assailants this morning. We urge the people of
Gujarat to maintain calm and urge you as the Constitutional Head of
the union to ensure that the Government of Gujarat takes measures to
prevent outbreaks of needless violence and ensures restraint and
peace. We also urge and demand that the Government of India
immediately institutes a Judicial Inquiry, with a time bound agenda,
to help identify the accused and also investigate into all the
causes and circumstances behind the killings.
While
unequivocally condemning the killing of Mr Haren Pandya, we appeal
to you as President of the India, to ensure that no violence is
unleashed on innocents in the wake of the murder as happened barely
a year ago after the tragic Godhra killings.
In
this connection, we urge that all law and order forces are kept on
alert so that were it to b needed prompt actions could be taken to
take over sensitive locations and prevent the outbreak of needless
violence. This is desperately needed in Gujarat, besieged as its by
a deep communal cleavage, so that mobs belonging to political
outfits do not take matters into their own hands. What
is also ominous is the provocative SMS message sent by Praveen
Togadia, international general secretary of the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad (VHP) to Political Editor, Rajdeep Sardesai news of which
telecast on Star News at 1 p.m. this afternoon. “Gujarat
ex-Minister Hindu leader shot dead by Jehadi terrorists in Ahmedabad,
Civil war against Hindus unleashed.” The unsubstantiated allegations contained in this message
blame all Muslims (with their Jehadi tendencies!) of such acts and
this amounts to nothing short of violation of sections 153A and 153B
of the Indian Penal Code which are prosecutable.
This
message sent by a person who has been responsible for making the
most provocatory statements to aid unleash violence against
minorities in Gujarat ad all over the country bodes ill for law and
order and should be enough to prompt the State into immediate
preventive action. A
repeat of the Gujarat Carnage Should Not be Allowed! Cyrus
Guzder
Teesta Setalvad
Javed Anand Alyqye Padamsee
|
||||
Sabrang Communications & Publishing Pvt. Ltd.