Dears, What we are now seeing in Khandhamal district of Orissa these days is YESTERDAY ONCE MORE. As almost always, the issue is of ECONOMICS rather than RELIGION. It is however, difficult to provoke arson, loot, rape and murder based on an income certificate. Caste and religion are more easily adaptible to such issues.
During the Konkani agitation, men from Agacaim were allegedly killed and castrated. In normal circumstances they might just have been assaulted with iron rods. They would at best feature on page 4 or 6 in a single column four inch report near the fold. Because of the KPA agitation EVERYTHING got magnified ...the conflict over the sluice gate [manos], crime, the report and the hype. There is a memorial erected to their memory. Ditto for some of the so called "Freedom Fighters" . The fakes have got into the ranks of the genuine ones ...leaving many a genuine FF out because of the "co-prisoner" certificate, that allegedly came with a price tag. See the petition below. It was drafted after the Christmas fireworks of December 2007. Equally useful at Ganesha festival or Diwali or Id. Those who forget their history and condemned to see it repeat. Mog asundi. Miguel ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: ram puniyani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2008 15:18:31 +0530 Subject: [Secular Goa] Online Petition to PM on Orissa Christians and Dalit Christian and Muslims Reservation To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi Friends, The following petition to Prime Minister of India is from Ram Puniyani on behalf of Orissa Christians who were suffering from the attacks by Hindutva forces during Christmas eve. Kindly sign your name and organisation if possible and submit to the PMO. The same petition is also available online, http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?orissa you may login and sign. There is also another online petition available on Dalit Christian/Muslim reservation. Kindly sign there also. *http://www.petitiononline.com/cova_csj/*<http://www.petitiononline.com/cova_csj/> *.* Thank you very much. Madhu chandra Regional Secretary All India Christian council Request to send the following to PM on urgent basis To, Dr. Manmohan Singh Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister's Office, South Block, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, 110011, India Fax : (+) 91 -11- 2301 9545 / 23016857 Email : [EMAIL PROTECTED] / [EMAIL PROTECTED] Honourable Prime Minister, Protection of the Rights of the Christian Minorities in Orissa We write with deep concern over the communal violence that engulfed the district of Khandhamal in Orissa since the eve of Christmas. The violence has led to the death of persons; injury to many and thousands of people have been rendered homeless and penniless. Many houses have been torched and looted. Hundreds of people have fled to the woods. The victims of this violence have been Christians. The timing of the attack and the way it has been carried out reveal that there is a dangerous attempt by some forces to eliminate Christians and to annihilate Christianity. The State has failed in its duty to protect the rights of Christians - to protection of life and personal liberty and to freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion – the very rights enshrined in the Constitution of the country (Articles 21 & 25) and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR Articles 18 & 27) to which the Government of India is a party. In this context, we appeal to you, Sir, to initiate suitable measures so as to : • Protect the rights and the lives and the properties of Christians in Orissa • Provide immediate relief and adequate compensation to the victims as per ICCPR Article 2.3.1 • Ensure peace and harmony in the State so that people may live without fear and freely practise their faith. Thanking you, Yours sincerely, Signatures as under : S. No. Name Signature 1. 2. -- Ram Puniyani -- -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Miguel Braganza, S1 Gracinda Apts, Rajvaddo, Mhapsa 403507 Goa Ph 9822982676 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
