Dear friends, This is just to inform you that the statement that many of you have endorsed has been sent to the Chief Minister, Kerala State Governor, President of India as well the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The statement has already become viral and thousands of shares are taking place in different platforms. It has been published in English, Hindi and Malayalam. I am sharing the main ones so that you can share it further.
In English: https://countercurrents.org/2019/01/08/over-200-individuals-and-organisations-demand-dismiss-the-priests-at-sabarimala-over-violation-of-constitutional-rights-and-return-the-shrine-to-adivasis/?fbclid=IwAR2sGeAYh_WTsRS8dJvYqJfvpnwCzCjgmEw4ttqydMAM3Z9gWogmXav9U00 In Hindi: http://www.hastakshep.com/hindinews/sabarimala-temple-purification-ritual-20653?fbclid=IwAR3p6mn-eMdBUVHupanXTnxXC84T0QBvdXKG4sG2UICxrSPRcxBSvXM0m7Q In Malayalam: https://keyboardjournal.com/mass-petition-against-sabarimala-priest/?fbclid=IwAR1S8PaeZhYgy3NM0ejJYlysfTavFuJA8QYa3PkPw1PEneSkPM4FxY5mZbo Perhaps more can be done on this issue if anybody can take the effort to take it up to the SC/ST bodies, Human Rights Commissions and Women's Commissions. I would request your involvement in this. I would also request your involvement in publicising the statement in whatever way you can. The statement was motivated by the action of the Sangh Parivar when they were physically violent on women who tried to enter Sabarimala. They had declared that Sabarimala would become the Ayodhya of Kerala. They had mobilised cadre from other states and their national level leaders had visited Kerala to pursue this agenda. I am glad to see that this agenda is totally broken now. Women are entering Sabarimala today and the Sanghis are more or less tamed on this issue. I sincerely thank all those who have supported this cause. K.P. Sasi On Sat, Jan 5, 2019 at 4:42 PM KP Sasi <[email protected]> wrote: > Dear friends, > It is quite a pleasure to see that so many people have reacted from all > over the country to support the Sabarimala campaign. I am enclosing the > list of endorsements so far. I would request you the following: > 1. If there are any names left out, please let me know. > 2. If the description of names faulty, or if there are spelling errors, > please let me know. > 3. If more organisations, especially Women's Organisations, Dalit > Oganisations and Adivasi Organisations can endorse the statement, the > campaign can have more strength. > 4. We are planning to close the endorsements by Monday evening, so that > the statement can be released all over India by Tuesday morning. > 5. Those who can help to generate more endorsements will be welcome. > 5. Those who can take efforts to publicise this campaign in mainstream > media and social media anywhere in this country are welcome. > 7. Those who can take efforts to translate the statement in various > regional languages and circulate it would be highly appreciated. > In the context of the Sangh Parivar initiating violence in many parts of > Kerala, we would request you to do whatever you can do within your means. > 8. Further endorsements can be sent to my email id. > 9. Any effort to strengthen this campaign will be highly appreciated > > K.P. Sasi > .................................................................... > > To > > Shri Pinarayi Vijayan > > Chief Minister of Kerala > > > > Sir, > > Adv. Bindu and Kanakadurga made history on January 2, 2019 by entering the > Sabarimala temple , a right accorded to them, by the historic Supreme Court > verdict given on 28 September 2018. This day will also go down as a dark > day in the history of India when the Tantris and Melshanthi (headpriest) of > the Sabarimala temple conducted a 'purifying puja'. > > In the historic judgment Justice D.Y Chandrachud observed that the > practice to ban entry to women between the ages of ten and fifty at the > Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala is "a form of untouchability". He observed > "Religion cannot be cover to deny women the right to worship......To treat > women as children of a lesser God is to blink at constitutional morality." > Justice Chandrachud also said that "exclusion of women is a violation of > right to liberty, dignity and equality..... Exclusion of women because she > menstruates is utterly unconstitutional." > > Article 17 of Constitution of India says that "Untouchability is abolished > and its practice in any form is forbidden. The enforcement of any > disability arising out of Untouchability shall be an offence punishable in > accordance with law." > > It is clear that the purification ceremony performed at Sabarimala is > unconstitutional and violates the Supreme Court judgment. Therefore we > demand that the Tantris and Melashanthi of Sabarimala should be dismissed > from their position as their action is against constitutional morality. > > Since this purification ceremony happened according to the values of > Brahmanical patriarchy we also demand that the Brahmin Tantris should be > debarred from their hereditary rights over Sabarimala temple and the > worship rights at Sabarimala be given back to Adivasis who were the > customary custodians of Sabarimala until the Brahmins took control of the > Sabarimala temple in the early 20th Century. We also demand that the > Tantri status should be abolished and the Melshanthi should be reinstated > to the Adivasis as per the tradition. > > We appeal to make necessary steps to enforce community rights and > facilitate environmental protection of the forests around Sabarimala as > well as Pampa river as per the Forest Rights Act. > > Signatories > > 1. Swami Agnivesh, Former President, World Arya SamajGanshyam > > 2. Aruna Roy, MKSS > > 3. Anand Patwardhan, Film Maker > > 4. Dr. Ram Puniyani. Writer, Retd. Professor, IIT > > 5. K. Satchidanandan, Writer, Poet, Former Secretary of Sahitya > Akademi > > 6. Dr. Sandeep Pandey, Visiting Professor, IIT, Social Activist > > 7. Kavita Srivastava, PUCL > > 8. Prashant Paikray, Anti-POSCO Movement, Odisha > > 9. VS Roy David, National Adivasi Alliance > > 10. Dr. Goldy M George, Founder, Dalit Mukti Morcha, Chhattisgarh > > 11. Leo Saldhana, Environmental Support Group > > 12. Binu Mathew, Editor, Counter Currents > > 13. Satya Sagar, Writer, Public Health Activist > > 14. Jai Sen, Researcher, Editor, New Delhi > > 15. Fr. Cedric Prakash, Human Rights Activist > > 16. Brinda Adige > > 17. Ganshyam Shah > > 18. Valson Thampu > > 19. Arun Kumar, Malcom S. Adiseshiah Chair Professor, Indian Institute > of Social Sciences, New Delhi. > > 20. Hiren Gandhi, Darshan Organisation, Gujarat > > 21. Dr. Saroop Dhruv > > 22. Dr. Renuka Pamecha, Women’s Rehabilitation Group > > 23. Dr. Pawan Surana, Rajasthan University Women’s Association > > 24. Dr. Laad Kumari Jain, Rajasthan University Women’s Association > > 25. Dr. Asha Kaushik, Rajasthan University Women’s Association > > 26. Nisha Sidhu, National Federation Indian Women > > 27. Bharat, Vishakha, Women’s Research > > 28. Prem Krishan Sharma, PUCL/ Academi for Socio Legal Studies > > 29. Kailash Kumbhakar, Academi for Socio Legal Studies > > 30. Nishat Hussein, National Women’s Welfare Society > > 31. Komal Srivastava, Bharat Vigyan Samiti > > 32. Mamta Jaitley, Vividha > > 33. Sumitra Chopra, AIDWA > > 34. Kusum Saiwal, AIDWA > > 35. Rakhi, CFAR > > 36. Vijay Lakshmi Joshi, PUCL > > 37. Dr. Meeta Singh, PUCL, Foundation for Dignity of Girl Child > > 38. Suman Devathiya, All India Dalit Mahila Manch, Rajasthan > > 39. Asha Kaira, Children and Woman Welfare Society > > 40. Dr. Malti Gupta, RUWA, NFIW > > 41. Raj Kumar Dogra, NFIW > > 42. Lata Singh, PUCL > > 43. Shabnam Aziz, PUCL > > 44. Anitha Mathur, Azad Foundation > > 45. Deepak Kalra, UMANG] > > 46. Minakshi, APARAJITA > > 47. Shubha Jindel, PUCL > > 48. Pradnya Deshpande, Psychologist > > 49. Ramesh Asher, Film Maker > > 50. Gerda Unnithan, Kejri Health Trust, RUWA > > 51. Akhil Chowdhari, Lawyer, PUCL > > 52. Nesar Ahmed, BARC > > 53. Chaya Pachauli, Centre for Health and Equity, Jaipur > > 54. Dr. Shobita Rajgopal, Women Studies Consultant, Jaipur > > 55. Dr. Kanchan Mathur, Women Studies Consultant > > 56. Nirja Mishra, Academic > > 57. Dr. Pritam Pal, Women’s Studies and Public Health Consultant > > 58. Dr. Alaka Rao > > 59. Maya Pandit > > 60. Mustafa Desamangalam, Film Maker, Writer > > 61. K.P. Sasi, Film Maker, Cartoonist, Writer. > > 62. RN Jha, Patna > > 63. D.N. Reddy, Hyderabad > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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