Frontline
February 1999
Breaking Barrier

INDIA

March for global peace planned

From: [email protected]

Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1999 22:59:27 +0530 (IST)

Subject: Peace March: Minutes of Jan 3,’99 prepara tory meeting for the

Global Peace March, May 11 to August 6, 1999.

Attendance in meeting: Ram Prakash Shastri and Mewalal Goswami from Sarvodaya family, Chittranjan Singh of P.U.C.L., Dinkar Kapoor, Ganga Prasad and Arun Kumar of CPI (ML), Maniram Puniya, Gurudayal Sheetal of Internationalist Democratic Party, Unnao, Umesh of Socialist Yuvajan Sabha, Sanjay Rai and Kusum of Insaf, Vishwambhar Vidyarthi, Arundhati Dhuru, Bobby Ramakant and Sandeep of Lok Abhiyan.

Among those who have so far extended support to this march are Medha Patkar, Narayan Bhai Desai, Siddharaj Dhadda, Anand Patwardhan, G R Kairnar, and Banwarilal Sharma.

Those who were not able to attend the Jan. 3 meeting but conveyed their support through letters include Sukhendu Bhattacharya, coordinator of West Bengal unit of National Alliance of Peoples Movement (NAPM), Heeralal Jain from Kota, Ashwini Paliwal of Aastha, Udaipur, Vinay Bhai, editor of Sarvodaya Jagat, Madhav Bavge of Bharat Jodo Yuva Academy, Maharashtra, Sharad Kumar Sadhak of Jai Jagat Sewa Sansthan, Varanasi, Satyapal Grover of Servants of People Society, Delhi, and Yuva Parivar from Guwahati/Bodhgaya.

A National Organising Committee was constituted for this meeting. With Shri Ram Pravesh Shastri from Lucknow as chairman, the other members of this committee are - Laxmi Chand Tyagi (Jodhpur), Vishwambhar Vidyarthi (Lucknow), Sawai Singh (Jaipur), Arundhati Dhuru (Lucknow), Satyavrat Samvedi (Jaipur), Chittranjan Singh (Allahabad), Manohar Joshi (Pokran), Ghanshyam Democrat (Jodhpur), Suresh Khairnar (Maharashtra), Geo Jose (Kerala), Gurudayal S. Sheetal (Punjab).

Besides this national organising committee, a state-level organising committee was also formed. The secretary of Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh and coordinator of Rajasthan unit of NAPM, Shri Sawai Singh, has agreed to shoulder responsibility of constituting a state-level organising committee in Rajasthan. It was discussed that at places where major programmes will be organised either before or during the yatra, local people could form committees on their own.

The route of the march was also discussed. The yatra will commence from Khetolai village in Rajasthan, the nearest human habitation from the site where India conducted its nuclear tests on May 11,’98 and will pass through Pokhran, Nagaur, Jaipur and Bharatpur before entering UP at Agra. This distance is estimated to be around 700 km. Sawai Singh alongwith other friends from Rajasthan, shall organise the yatra programme so as to cover it in about 45 days. The yatra will move ahead from Agra on June 26 and reach Kanpur via Shikohabad. There are two possible route options which have been kept open at this point for this yatra beyond Kanpur. One possible route is through Lucknow–Rai Barelly–Amethi–Allahabad and then reaching Varanasi– Sarnath. And the other route-option takes us directly to Fatehpur from Kanpur, before going to Allahabad and then reaching Varanasi–Sarnath. The first route-option, which passes through Lucknow, is about 100 km longer. It has been agreed that the route beyond Kanpur shall be finalised only after the finalisation of route in Rajasthan and from Agra to Kanpur. We hope that by March–end the programmes all along the route will become clear and final, so that the detailed information can be intimated in good time to all supporters. The programme is being so decided that the yatris cover an average distance of 17 k.m. per day.

On the completion of this march on August 6 in Sarnath, the yatra will reach Delhi by train, and organise a meeting at Rajghat on August 9 (Nagasaki Day). The signature campaign shall also close on that day, copies of which shall be handed over to the Prime Minister of India, the heads of the states of remaining six nuclear-powers and the secretary general of United Nations through their respective embassies.

With the intention of mobilising support for this yatra, one day seminars shall be held in Lucknow on March 23 (Birthday of Lohia and Martyr Day of Bhagat Singh) and in Jaipur on April 18 (Bhu–Kranti Diwas of Vinoba Bhave’s movement) in which prominent intellectuals and social activists who have taken an anti-nuclear stand will be invited.

If local people so desire, such seminars can also be held in Mumbai, Allahabad, Varanasi, Jodhpur, etc. A combined meeting of the national organising committee and the state organising committee of UP shall be held on March 22 in Lucknow. Similarly, a combined meeting of the national organising committee and state organising committee of Rajasthan shall be held on April 17 in Jaipur. The coordinator of UP organising committee, Shri Ravindra Singh Chauhan, shall also convene a meeting of the state committee before March 22. Besides, formal seminars and informal meetings could be held at different places on the initiative of local people. If the organisers of these meetings intimate Lok Abhiyan in advance then one of the main organisers of the yatra could attend these meetings. The formal seminars shall be followed by a press conference. Signature campaign should be carried out during such meetings and seminars.

The proposed target for the signature campaign is about two lakh signatures. Those who can help organise the signature campaign may obtain sheets already printed for this purpose from the office of Lok Abhiyan. One sheet has 50 slots for signatures. With every signature, a token donation of Rupee One will be collected. This fund will meet the expenses of the entire organisation of yatra.

This signature campaign will be carried out in other countries as well. Kashyapa Yapa, a Sri Lankan activist, and some activists working abroad against the multinational company Monsanto have indicated their willingness to join the yatra for some duration.

A camp is going to be organised by experts on the nuclear issue, Surendra and Uma Gadekar, for those involved in the organisation of this yatra or are interested in the issue. This camp will be organised at Sampoorna Kranti Vidyalaya, Vedchi, Surat district, Gujarat. The tentative dates for this camp are March 7–11. Those who are interested in attending this camp may confirm their participation and obtain confirmed dates either from Lok Abhiyan or Surendra/Uma Gadekar directly.

For further details contact:

Lok Abhiyan, Upkaram Karoti, Dayanand Sewa Sansthan, Moti Nagar, Lucknow-226004; Phones: (0522) 347365/382333 (Sandeep/Arundhati), 230819 (Vishwambhar Vidyarthi), Sanjay Rai (387509) Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangha, Gokul Vati, Durgapura, Jaipur, Phone: (0141) 552878 (Sawai Singh).

INDIA

Shivani’s murderer must be punished

(Letter to the Prime Minister by the Committee to Protect Journalists, in dismay over the murder of Shivani Bhatnagar.)

His Excellency Atal Behari Vajpayee

Prime Minister of India

Office of the Prime Minister

South Block

New Delhi 110 011, India

January 27, 1999

Your Excellency,

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is writing to express our deep dismay over the brutal murder of Shivani Bhatnagar, special correspondent for the prestigious English–language daily newspaper The Indian Express.

On January 23, unknown assailants entered Ms. Bhat-nagar’s East Delhi apartment, strangled her with a length of wire, and then stabbed her in the neck and abdomen with kitchen knives. Ms. Bhatnagar had been at home alone with her three–month old son, Tanmay, who was not harmed.

Ms. Bhatnagar was a member of the special investigations team at The Indian Express, and news reports speculated that her killers may have been attempting to recover certain incriminating documents.

As an organization of journalists dedicated to the defense of our colleagues around the world, CPJ condemns this vicious attack. We join The Indian Express workers union in calling for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the country’s federal intelligence agency, to take on this case.

We urge Your Excellency to do everything in your power to ensure that the murder of Shivani Bhatnagar is thoroughly investigated, so that her killers may be brought to justice.

We thank you for your attention to this matter, and await your response.

Sincerely yours,

Ann K. Cooper

Executive Director

Committee to Protect Journalists

330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001 USA Phone: (212) 465–1004 Fax:(212) 465–9568

Web: www.cpj.org E–Mail: [email protected]


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