All India Secular Forum Convention, Bhubaneswar

Dear All, I am circulating the minutes of the All India Secular Forum for your ready reference. The list of participants with their contact details will also be circulated shortly. Regards, - Irfan Engineer



Minutes

All India Secular Forum Convention, Bhubaneswar

Date: 20-21st January 2010



By-

Dr. Shahiuz Zaman Ahmed, Assam

Phone: 9401396486

Email: shahiuz@gmail.com



Day One (20th January): 10 AM



The meet of All India Secular Forum (AISF) at Bhubaneswar was initiated by Irfan Engineer. Welcoming all the delegates of the convention, he introduced the founders and other members of the Forum. The introduction of the founder members was followed by observing one minute’s silence to mourn the death of Jyoti Basu, former Chief Minister of West Bengal.



The welcome Address of the meet was delivered by Prafulla Samantra, the Chairperson of the organizing committee, Bhubaneswar Convention. In his welcome address Mr. Samantara first welcomed all the delegates of the Forum. He said that in Orissa though earlier there were no communal riots; unfortunately they have been increasing in the state rapidly. He elaborately speaks on the communal riots of Kandhamaland said that the prolonged conflict in Kandhamal was due to the fact that the communal forces were in power. The police and the state in Kandhamal abdicated their responsibility during the BJD rule. The communal forces have permeated in various political parties. He is dissatisfied with the role of the political parties, who instead of encouraging secular political thought are adding fuel to the communal fire. He said that even secular political parties do not fight communal forces. He says that overwhelming toiling majority of people are secular, however the middle classes, the elite and the pro-capitalist forces were communalised. Imperialism spreads hatred against Islam and Hindutva derives its strength from the growth of consumerism, market forces and imperialism. Fight against communalism is also fight against imperialism, globalisation and market forces. He also mentions of the Gujarat politics which is communal in practice. In Gujarat the Muslim community is widely discriminated from all possible corners. Gujarat is one of the major workshops in India for communal politics. Summing up his lecture he appeals the delegates of the convention to raise their heads and to fight against the communal forces. He says that it is not enough to fight against communalism, we have to fight for issues dear to the people and provide an alternative.



Key note address of the convention is given by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer. Speaking on the mission of the AISF Dr. Engineer says that the Forum was initially formed to make a nationwide network with the activists and other workers working for communal harmony. The Forum’s decided to study the school text books of each state which directly or indirectly infuse communal sentiments in the mind of the students. But unfortunately, till date the Forum has not been able to undertake the task.. The text books having seeds of communalism, greatly influence the attitudes of the students. He also says that the AISF should not only study the text books of government schools but also should study text books taught in private schools of the country.



He appeals that the peace activists should raise their heads and raise the awareness of the people against the communal political parties. There is an urgent need to fight against the communal forces like RSS. We should spread awareness so that the communal political parties like BJP can’t come to the power. He says that it is the political parties and communal political leaders that create communal environment. In no way religion is responsible for communal situations. Religion teaches us to unite and not divide. Main aim of the AISF and its constituents should come up to fight against the communal forces and try to bring harmony amongst the people belonging to different religious groups.



The Key note Address is followed by inauguration of the book of ‘Striving for Peace’ written by Dr. Ram Puniyani that has been translated in Oriya by Devaranjan and Gyanendra titling ‘Santi Pain Udyam’.



Book release is followed by the self introduction of the delegates coming from different states of the nation.



L S Herdenia while introducing the Manifesto of AISF says the AISF was born in Madhya Pradesh. Narrating the communal scenario of the nation Herdenia says that still the majority of the people in India believe in secular ideology. Only difference is that the communal forces bark more to show their strength and the secular forces remain silent. He says that there should not be any discrimination in the name of religion. The minorities should be treated equally and equality is the right of every citizen. The communal forces in India try to mislead the masses that the Muslims in India exploited the nation snatching its power in medieval times and the same community is now trying to become the majority group of the country. To justify this statement they propagate that the Muslims in order maximize their population marry as many as four wives and give birth maximum number of children, which is a bogus propaganda, says Herdenia. He is also of the opinion that the BJP can never be a secular political party as the party has close connection with the RSS which has been creating communal sentiments in India.



Dr. Ram Puniyani explained the manifesto of the All India Secular Forum This manifesto elaborately speaks the Preamble, the aims and future plans of the AISF. Dr. Puniyani then called for suggestions from the house to amend the manifesto



Tea Break: 10 Minutes



Irfan Engineer presented the Annual Report of the AISF from 23rd March2009 till date. He says that the initial name of the Forum was Rashtriya Secular Manch which has been finally renamed as All India Secular Forum. The AISF units in different states of the nation have been formed. The Forum organized several state conventions and workshops in the last year. The last Annual AISF Convention (2009) was in Nagpur. He also gives detail of the financial statement of the Forum. In the Nagpur Session it was decided to convene the AISF convention for two days instead of one day.



Irfan says that biased education and media are the two most responsible factors for creating communal attitudes amongst the people.



State Reports:



Assam:

The report is presented by Dr. Shahiuz Zaman Ahmed, Assam as follows:



The Forum for Harmony and Humanity, Assam has been formed. The main aims of the forum are:

1. The ‘Forum for Harmony and Humanity, Assam’ has been appealing to keep the unity of the people belonging to different religions, tribes and castes intact.

2. The government should not make any discrimination with the people belonging to different religious and linguistic groups while upgrade it’s National Registrar of Citizen (NRC) in the state of Assam.
3. It also appeals not to disrupt at any cost the present initiatives for peace talks between the terrorist groups and the government.

4. The forum also appeals the government not to harass any legitimate citizen of the state in the name of foreigner’s deportation process.

5. To raise voice against communalization of education.

6. The forum appeals the government to uplift the present condition of all the state universities. It also appeals the government to provincialise all the colleges, schools and other educational institutes those are running without any government assistance.

7. To provide a platform to all like minded organization of the NE to raise their voice for the greater cause Harmony and Humanity.
8. Our Publications:

a. Assamese translation of the book ‘Striving for Peace Combating Communalism Terrorism’

b. Assamese translation of the book ‘Communalism: What is False, What is True?’

c. Bengali translation of the book ‘Striving for Peace Combating Communalism Terrorism.

g. We are also organizing workshops and seminars.



Meghalaya:

This report presented by Sister Joy Anne gonsalves. She basically cites about the ethnic problems of the state.



Bihar:

This report is presented by Philip Mantra. The Bihar unit invites all the political activists to work for communal harmony and appeals not to instigate any communal feelings in the state. The unit last year organized one seminar on communal harmony.



Delhi:

This report is presented by Shakeel. The unit is working on ‘demonization of Muslims. It has been constantly criticizing the Batla House incident wherein innocent students were labelled as terrorists by the police and killed in cold blood in the name of encounter killing. In Delhi the Muslim workers who mainly come from Assam or Bengal are inhumanly harassed on the false and unsubstantiated allegations that they are Bangladeshi nationals. Moreover, youths of this community are often harassed in the name of terrorism. Delhi Unit is also fighting for the rights of these marginalized people.



Goa:

This report is presented by Sumita Sawant Dessai. In Goa communal violence is increasing rapidly. In the state the organization ‘Sanatan Prabhat’ sows the seeds of communalism. Recently during Diwali festival, members of this organization planted a bomb with a view to incite Hindus against Muslims. Interfaith Dialogue for Life (IFDIL) was active and organised workshops and training programmes for youth and college students. IFDIL has active members from Hindu, Christian and Muslim community. IFDIL was intervening to resolve conflict regarding space for cemetery for Muslim community.



Gujarat:

This report is presented by Meera Mehta. In the 2002 communal riots of the state more than 1.5 lakh people were victimized. Many people got killed, thousands got displaced and many women were raped by the rioting mobs belonging to the communal forces. The police and the state were complicit during the rioting and did not take any interest to register the FIRs of the victims. Justice was not given even by the court. All were biased. Now the Muslims of the state are frequently sent behind the bars, labelling them as terrorists. Recently in in the month of December 2010 in Godhra some Muslim women were subjected to inhuman sexual violence. Muslims in the state are considered as Pakistani and the treatment of enmity is given on them. Centre For Development (CfD) was organising the dalit and Muslim youth and forming and bringing them together in various programmes. Two training programmes were organised on the subject.



Lunch Break: 1 Hour

Madhya Pradesh:

This report is presented by L.S. Herdenia. Gandhi anniversary is observed each year by the unit. National days like Independence Day, etc are observed. Book on Karl Marx has been published. MP Chief Minister is more clever/communal than Narendra Modi. The unit opposed the government decisions like introduction of compulsory prayer of ‘Surya Namaskar’ in the schools, calling school teachers as ‘Rishi’. It Organized seminars on the reports of Liberhan Commission, Sachar Committee and Publishes books, posters, etc. Deepak of the same unit says the Muslim youths are constantly harassed in Madhya Pradesh in the name SIMI.



Haryana:

This report is presented by Jagdeep Singh. He starts his presentation with a song on communal harmony. In Haryana caste system and caste discrimination is deeply rooted. Female infanticide is widely prevalent in the state. A person commits female infanticide is honored in public place by the panchayats. Sangh parivar is slowly strengthening its position in the state and are sowing seeds of communalism. Cow protection is used to communalize the people of the state.





Orissa:

Dhirendra Panda presented the report of Orissa Unit. Communal feelings in the state have been growing rapidly and so are the communal forces. In Kandhamal the minority groups feel threatened. Forces of Sangh Parivar are strengthening its position in Kandhamal. Christians are the main victims there. The government is also not interested to look after the cause the minority people. A war like situation has been existing. Next target of attack on Christian community might be in Karnataka. The Forum organised two conventions in Orissa and bothe were well attended by representatives of various organisations working for human rights and peace. AISF activists also helped bringing together lawyers and activists working for justice to the victims of Kandhamal riots.



A lady Rachi Pradhan, a Christian from Kandhamal says that in front of her eyes, her son’s right hand was cut down by the communal forces. Later dogs were allowed on the wounded victim to bite and eat the flesh of his body. She identified all the culprits but the police is unwilling arrest them. The police as well as the court are bias and are reluctant to take action against the culprits as they are guided by the communal government and forces. These communal forces are threatening and pressurizing on this family to get converted to Hinduism.



Resolutions:

The first Resolution was moved by Irfan Engineer.

“This house demands that there be a comprehensive legislation to deal with the communal violence with the provision to make bureaucrats and officers responsible for maintaining peace order and security accountable for their omissions and commissions should they fail to prevent or control communal riots and further hold them responsible for the offences committed during the riots. The legislation should also have provision to make criminal justice system more accountable and victim friendly and victim to have important role at each step. The legislation should provide effective procedures to see that victim get justice and if need be to transfer cases out of the district. The legislation should also provide for compensation, relief and rehabilitation according to best international standards and to ensure that the lives of the victims are not in any manner worst than before the outbreak of violence.”



Proposed Communal Violence Bill is raised on the floor by Irfan Engineer. Mr. Engineer gives a detail prose and cons of the Bill. He says that in most communal violence both government and police are complicit. Under present law, the officers use their discretion and are often complicit during riots. Communal violence becomes possible only in these circumstances. The communal violence bill proposed by the government gives draconian power to the police department which will be used against the minority victims rather than the rioters. Instead of giving more power the bill/rule should make the police department responsible and accountable for any communal violence.



Opposing the government proposed Communal Violence Bill, Hanif Mostaque Ahmed, Assam also suggests that a bill should make police responsible for a violent situation. He wants that a victim of violence should get the privilege to file FIR or to go the court to get his/her grievances redressed.



Philip Mantra also opposes the government proposed Communal Violence Bill vehemently.



Abul Hussain too opposing the government proposed communal violence bill says that the power of the police should be reduced. Uniform compensation should be given to the victims of communal riots.



L S Hardinia suggests that-

* In most of the cases the police people think that the Muslims and the Christians should be finished off to reduce the chances of occurring communal violence. In such a situation if the communal violence bill gives more power to the police or any other defense personnel in suppressing communal act, it would be big a blunder.

* Recruitment process of defense personnel should be such as to gauge their communal biases and attitudes. During training biased attitudes should be addressed

* Number of police/defense personnel belonging to the minority groups of people should be increased to the proportionate of their population

* The police and the district or any other administrative authority should be made responsible and answerable for occurrence of any communal act/s.



In the end all endorsed the resolution proposed by Irfan Engineer



Dhirendra Panda thanking all the delegates concludes the session for the day.





Day Two: 10 AM



Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer moved the resolution on Equal Opportunity Commission. “This house demands that there be a legislation creating Equal Opportunity Commission with appropriate powers of investigation, prosecution and penal wherein all those groups/classes who feel discriminated by any establishment or enterprise may complaint and her/his grievances are addressed effectively through evolution of equal opportunity codes”

He analyses the need of equal opportunity Bill from various point of view. He says that in European countries like, France, Germany, etc. there was no notion of multi culturalism. Switzerland is the only European country where four languages are spoken by the people and they belong to various cultural groups. Switzerland, in Europe was first country to enact a bill on equal opportunity. In India people belong to numbers of religions and linguistic groups. In India discrimination is often made in the name of caste, gender and religion. The Dalit Christians and the Muslims were socially, economically and educationally backward on account of their rampant discrimination. They were grossly under represented in the government sectors. The Sachar Committee Report has exposed the real picture. Thus in India, it is very much necessary to enact an equal opportunity law to give justice to the marginalized sections of the nation. An equal opportunity commission should immediately be formed.



Hanif Mostaque from Assam says that these kinds of commissions are often formed to give justice to the minority groups of people, but all go in vain. He suggests of a concrete law. He supported the resolution.



Prof. Dilip Bora says that equal opportunity law should immediately be implemented in India and supported the resolution.



Philip Mantra says that the religious minority groups should get the privilege of claiming all rights as full citizens with equal opportunities. This resolution was also passed unanimously.



AISF Resolutions On Assam:

1. The All India Secular Forum expresses its great concern on the issue of NRC up-gradation process in Assam. The Forum condemns Assam government’s decision that no other group of people other than the religious and linguistic minorities would have to apply and prove their citizenship.



The Forum strongly opposes the deviation from the All India Rule and the effort of the Assam Cabinet to pass a specially and highly discriminatory policy that will badly affect the normal life and threaten to the citizenship rights of religious and linguistic minority groups as a whole.



2. The Forum expresses its great concern on the issue of foreigner’s detection process of the state of Assam. The Forum deeply regrets that Assam government has been serving notices targeting the Muslim community and requiring them to substantiate and prove their citizenship within short and inadequate span of time and failing such substantiation, arresting them, giving inhuman treatment and under pretext of deportation, leaving them on the Indo-Bangladesh border threatening to kill them if they returned.
3. The All India Secular Forum also expresses its great concern on the insurgent issue as well as the tendency of separatism of North East and appeals to the Union government to take all possible measures to negotiate with the insurgent groups and solve the problem permanently.



AISF accepting all the above resolutions decides to send a Fact Finding Mission regarding the foreigners’ identity process of Assam with the following members:



1. Dr. Hardinia
2. Irfan Engineer
3. Meera Mehta
4. Shakeel

Orissa:



A debate goes on the Kandhamal Violence. All are blaming the Orissa government for not taking any concrete action to bring peace in the region. Issues of conversions are serious in Kandhamal. Adequate compensation and rehabilitation should be given to the victims of the communal violence of Kandhamal. Hemant Nayak says that the religion of the tribal people should be acknowledged as separate religion. Religion of indigenous people should be acknowledged as indigenous religion.



Following resolutions on Kandhamal are taken by the AISF:



1. White paper should be demanded from the government on the role of communal parties and on conversions.
2. Tribal culture and religion should be acknowledged and given due protection.
3. AISF should work on community level at Kandhamal.
4. Freedom of religious acts should be withdrawn.



Godhra Gujrat:

Meera Mehta moved resolution condemning the violations of human rights and brutal sexual molestation of Muslim women in Godhra in December 2010. The resolution was passed unanimously.



Goa:

The house also passed a resolution demanding constitution of Minority Commission in Goa State.



Suggestions on AISF Manifesto:



1. Irfan Engineer submitted written suggestions to amend the AISF Manifesto which included correction of grammatical and typographical errors. He also suggested that we should include reference to the emerging unipolar world, demonization of Islam at the international level which contributes to growing conflicts in south Asia as well as within India. He further suggested that role of media and education in shaping communal attitudes should also be mentioned. Irfan Engineer’s written amendments were accepted by the house unanimously. The delegates were called upon to submit their own suggestions, if any, within a reasonable time and that would be incorporated.



Lunch Break: 1 Hour



Presentation of State work plans, 2010



Groups have been formed. Each group discusses on their future plan and submits it before the floor.



Work Plan, 2010 of Assam, Meghalaya, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal and Delhi:



1. Fact Finding Mission on the Foreigners’ issue of Assam by the end of February.
2. Completion of the report by the month of March and release of the report in Delhi organizing one day Consultation by the first week of April.
3. Workshop on Peace and Conflict Resolution as well as state convention in Guwahati by the end of April.
4. Formation of Meghalaya AISF unit at the workshop of Guwahati.
5. Publication of Assamese News letters of the Forum of Harmony and Humanity, Assam twice in a year and the publication English News letter once in a year.
6. National workshop on Capacity Building of Peace Activists for three days in April at Pachmari, Madhya Pradesh. Deepak will take the initiative to organize it.
7. Formation of AISF unit in Haryana and organization of its convention. Jagdeep will take its initiative.
8. First Delhi-Haryana joint state convention of Women for Secularism tentatively on 8th March 2010. Jagdeep and Shakeel are responsible to organize it.
9. State Convention of Bengal in May 2010. To be looked after by Emanual, Kolkata.
10. Regional convention of AISF taking state representatives of UP, MP, UK, CG, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh. Deepak will take its initiative.



Work Plans, 2010 are presented by other group conveners like, Sumita Sawant Dessai (GOA), Amir Kumar Naik (Kandhamal, Orissa) and Pradipta Naik, (Orissa).



Formation of AISF Convening Committee, 2010

Chief Adviser: Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer

Chief Convener: Dr. LS Hardinia

Conveners: Ram Puniyani

Irfan Engineer (Treasurer)

Dr. Dilip Bora

Prof Mohd Arif

Anuradha

AISF News Letter Editor: Dr. Ram Puniyani

Open Session

Chair: Prof. Mrs. Lopa Mudra Mahanti

Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer:

‘Secular thought is the only way out to keep the unity of India intact’, says Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer. Secularism does not mean rejection of religion. Imposed secularism can never be real secularism. Dr. Engineer condemns the decision that a taxi driver in Mumbai should be fluent in speaking Marathi language to ply his taxi.



The other distinguished guests like, Sudhir Patnaik (A leading journalist from Orissa), S Das, (a leading journalist from Orissa), Dr. LS Hardinia, Dr. Ram Puniyani and Prafulla Samantara delivering their lectures appeal to work for communal harmony. All the guests condemns the violent incidents like Kandhamal, Godhra, etc. Rise Communal Forces are big threats to the secular thought.



In this open session a few numbers of Kandhamal residents who bravely tried to resist the communal forces have been felicitated by the AISF.



Mrs. Chairperson in her Presidential address appeals all the delegates to be good humans which can bring hopes of total secular society in the nation.



At the end of the meeting Advocate Irfan Engineer offers vote of thanks to all the distinguished guests and the delegates of the convention.