Articles

Articles posted by Radical Socialist on various issues.

NTUI statement on Prafulla Chakraborty's arrest

Details: Published on Sunday, 16 October 2011 16:23

New Trade Union Initiative , West Bengal State Organising Committee,

4/1, Bhabanath Sen Street, Kolkata 700 004

The New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI) condemns the arrest of veteran trade-union leader, Prafulla Chakraborty. We demand his immediate release!

The New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI) condemns the arrest of veteran trade-union leader, Prafulla Chakraborty. Comrade Chakraborty who was picked up from his residence by the police this morning was long associated with the workers movement of Kanoria Jute Mill at Phuleshwar, Howrah. He was charged with IPC Section 326 (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), IPC 324 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), and Sections 149,147,120B and 323.( case number 1145/11 dated 9.10.2011). His bail application was later rejected by the Uluberia Court and is remanded in judicial custody till 24/10/2011.

The Kanoria Jute Mill which reopened on 10/09/2011 had absorbed only about 300 workers out of the total workforce of approximately 2000. There was no real commitment either by the new owner Shiv Shankar Pasari or by the Government of West Bengal about the induction of the balance workforce. This automatically led to tension and disquiet amongst workers left out in the wilderness at the mercy of their fate by all parties concerned. It is learnt that Comrade Chakraborty was having a meeting with those workers on 09/10/2011 at the house of Tapan Mallik, a worker still waiting re-absorption, when they were attacked by a group owing allegiance to the owner of Kanoria Jute Mill. A scuffle took place and later a case was registered against Comrade Chakraborty and others by one Shamsher, a worker who is linked to the group which attacked the meeting. This has been supposedly instigated by ShivShankar Pasari. There are also reports of clashes between rival groups of Trinamool Congress (TMC).Workers apprehend that this fabricated incident is another ploy by the owner to close the mill for certain vested interests. It is also learnt that the management of the Kanoria Jute Mill prepared a letter which is dated 08/10/2011, the day before the incident, trying to indict Comrade Chakraborty and others for instigating violence, etc.

NTUI demands that Comrade Chakraborty should be immediately released. We condemn the vile attempts of Shiv Shankar Pasari and others to instigate violence and tension amongst workers for the furtherance of their own vested interests. We feel that the Government of West Bengal has full responsibility for the induction of all 2000 workers employed with Kanoria Jute Mill. The Government moreover has to play a non-partisan role in solving the problems that the workers are facing, instead of wrongfully arresting Comrade Chakroborty who is a veteran trade unionist and in a precarious health condition .

We note with extreme alarm the increasing attack on workers, trade-unionists and trade-unions in violation of all the worker-friendly promises made by the TMC in its election manifesto. This has to be resisted at all costs.

For more information, contact:

Anuradha Talwar, Convenor-NTUI West Bengal State Committee and Secretary, NTUI (09433002064)

Pradip Roy, Convenor-NTUI West Bengal State Committee (03322192306)
--
New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI)
West Bengal State Organising Committee
4/1 Bhabanath Sen Street, Kolkata-700004
Telephone - (33) 2543 5381

Head Office : B-137, First Floor, Dayanand Colony, Lajpat Nagar – IV,New Delhi – 110024

Appeal from the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union

Details: Published on Sunday, 16 October 2011 12:30

Appeal from the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union : Guest Post by Shiv Kumar, Gen. Sec. MSEU, sent by, New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI)

OCTOBER 16, 2011

Appeal from the MSEU – (Maruti Suzuki Employees Union)

- to All Trade Unions, Organisations and Individuals

We, the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union (MSEU), Suzuki Powertrain India Employees Union (SPIEU) and Suzuki Motorcycle India Employees Union (SMIEU), have been on strike in our respective plants in Gurgaon-Manesar from the 7th of October, 2011, demanding our right to respectable and non-precarious employment and unionization. Our movement stands at a crucial juncture today, we therefore send this appeal to all the labouring people of the country and beyond, the trade unions and all other sections of society which have stood with us in solidarity to come forward with renewed vigour to take this movement forward. Our struggle is not a struggle for a mere wage-hike of any one section of workers, but is a struggle for our dignity and right to organise. We struggle also more importantly for the contract workers among us, whose insecurity and precarious condition of existence is a burning issue before the entire labouring people of the country today, which puts the very framing of the available labour laws into question.

We, permanent and contract workers, have and do stand united in this struggle. To break our unity and resolve, the management of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, Manesar is continuing to indulge in anti-worker activities and increasingly harass us with the absolute complicity of the state administration. The management began violating the terms of the last agreement from the very next day of our calling off the 33day long agitation continuing from August 29th till a settlement was reached on the 30th September. Going back on its word of treating the workers with respect, it has on the contrary been acting with vengeance, trying to create divisions among us. On the workers reporting for duty the day after the strike, the management flatly refused to let the over 1,200 contract workers enter the factory, so as to divide the unity between permanent and contract workers that this movement has achieved. It shuffled permanent workers from their workstations so that allegations of ‘production sabotage’ could be put on us. Such a shuffling of skilled workers, accustomed to and specialized at their specific tasks is far from being conducive to optimal production in the factory. Such a move therefore makes evident that fulfilling production targets are not a priority with the management at this point. Rather the point is to break our unity and resolve to struggle. The already inadequate bus service was also stopped to further harass us.

Later contractors on the behest of the management used bouncers who threatened and attacked us recently in front of the factory gate on the morning of 7th Oct, this incident took a more blatant aspect when some goons came and beat us up at the factory gate on the 8th and threatened us for our lives. They even attempted to actualise their threat by coming with guns inside the Suzuki Motorcycle plant on the 9th morning and firing on our comrades there. All legal and illegal means have been used by the management to break our resolve and unity forged during the struggle in June and then again in August-September. The state and central government is acting hand-in-glove with the management. Earlier it merely gave us empty promises after the company broke the spirit of the settlement by acting in antiworker bad faith.

Ever since we have been on strike due to circumstances created by the management, it has been issuing us show-cause notices instead of acting against the company which is habitually reneging on its promises and violating all labour laws, having turned all their instrument to implement justice to break our fight for a just cause. The number of police personnel, stationed in and out of the factory increased first to 1,500 and soon to 2,500. Having tried to push us into starvation by occupying the canteen and dismantling our set-up to cook food for those inside the factories, yesterday 14th October the management blocked our food and water supply and locked up the toilets. Given that it had no problem in arresting our leaders last month on false charges, the attacks on some of our fellow workers and the brutal lathi-charge on the workers of Honda in 2005, we also think that brutal repressive force could be used any time on us. With the company and the state acting together to control and oppress us, we feel the need to make a renewed appeal to all to extend and be part of our collective struggle.

Since our struggle began, all workers, various Trade Unions and other sections of society have stood strongly by us. But now, the struggle in Maruti Suzuki has emerged as the concrete struggle of the around 8000 workers of the four plants of Suzuki group- Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd., Suzuki Castings, Suzuki Motorcycle India Ltd. On 7th October, workers of another eight plants in IMT had also gone on a one day tool down strike in support. WE, Maruti Suzuki Employees Union (MSEU), Suzuki Powertrain India Employees Union(SPIEU) and Suzuki Motorcycle India Employees Union (SMIEU) continue to sit on strike at our factory gates. Our movement has been able to achieve an unprecedented unity among permanent and contract workers, local and migrant workers and workers of all our plants forged in course of struggle by the initiative of all struggling workers; this we consider to be our greatest strength and are resolved to take this strength forward. We shall not relent until our demands are met and all workers are taken back unconditionally. No degree of sacrifice can deter us from seeing this fight to the end.

We appeal to all the workers and Trade Unions to extend concrete support in our struggle with both solidarity actions in their own factories, areas and before their own state governments and by contacting us and fighting this struggle with us. Even if a single worker sticks one poster on the wall facing an oppressive management, we consider it a concrete act of solidarity. The possibility that this strike and these solidarity actions are throwing up can lay the foundation of a new and more advanced phase of workers movement in our country, such that can compel each and every government and arrogant management to think many times before taking any antiworker measure in the future. In face of the brutal hand twisting of the workers sitting-in on strike in the Maruti Suzuki plant, by holding food and water ransom, we are now continuing our struggle outside our respective factory gates. It has now become evident that the Haryana administration is preparing for taking brutal and violent steps to smash our movement and disperse us from here. Such an assault will not just be on us but the right of all working people and we expect that would become the beginning of unprecedented protests in all corners and among all progressive sections of the country.

United in Struggle.

Shiv Kumar

General Secretary, MSEU on behalf of MSEU, SPIEU and SMIEU

From Occupy Wall Street to Occupy America

Details: Published on Sunday, 16 October 2011 08:35

http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article2323

From Occupy Wall Street to Occupy America

The emergence of a mass movement
Dan La Botz

A handful of young people started Occupy Wall Street in mid-September, as a protest against the banks and corporations that have grown rich while most Americans have grown poorer. Within weeks they had attracted hundreds and then thousands to marches and demonstration in New York City—one of them leading to the arrest of hundreds on the Brooklyn Bridge. The movement’s chant “We are the 99%” rang out not only in the Wall Street canyon but also across the country.” Now there are scores of Occupy groups across the United States camping out in public places, marching and rallying in cities and towns against corporate greed.

Occupy Wall Street and its offspring, nearly all of which began with white youth, have grown not only larger, but more diverse, attracting people from all walks of life and every segment of the society. They are making real their chant, “This is what democracy looks like.” While some of the young people have been inspired by the occupation of Tahrir Square and by the indignados of Spain, this is an essentially American movement about American issues. The Occupy folks are furious at the corporations and many are angry at government as well, they are generally hostile to the Republicans and disappointed in the Democrats. Frustrated with the economic and political situation, they want to tax the rich, they want to stop the foreclosures, they want jobs for themselves and all the other unemployed. Many demand an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

An impressive organization

While most of those down at Zuccotti Park where the occupation is taking place are from New York, others have come in ones and two from around the country to take a stand against corporate greed. Visitors are impressed with the organization: the kitchen, the medical center, the media center, the daily lectures. Intellectual luminaries such as Joseph Stiglitz, former chief economist of the World Bank; Jeffrey Sachs, Harvard Professor and special advisor to the United Nations’ secretary general; and Barbara Ehrenreich, feminist and author. There is now also a newspaper, The Occupied Wall Street Journal, which plans to go national soon. Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised through small contributions by both Occupy Wall Street and the newspaper.

The peaceful movement has had clashes with the police both in New York City and in other cities and towns, but it has forged ahead. There have been dozens of arrests not only in New York City but also in Boston, Seattle, Des Moines, and yet this has not deterred the growing movement. The weekend of October 8-9 saw a huge demonstration of 10,000 in Portland and good size protest of 750 in Cincinnati. While, as usual, things may be larger, faster moving, and more radical on the coasts, the movement has also touched the “fly-over” country of the Midwest. In Chicago previously planned protests by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), other unions and community groups brought out thousands in demonstrations against financial institutions that ended up merging with Occupy Chicago, a development that could either strengthen or swamp the Occupy movement there.

Utopian and inspiring

Occupy is in part a coming together of activists. Watching any of the demonstrations in any city on any day one sees pass by on the t-shirts and jackets all the logos of every movement that has touched the country in the last decade: anti-war, LGBTQ, foreclosures, and civil rights activists. Walking among them are others new to the movement, blue collar and white collar workers, so far without their logos, slogans, and banners, carrying their hand painted signs with slogans like “Create Jobs, Reform Wall Street, Tax the Wealthy More,” and “The People are Too Big to Fail” (a reference to the argument that the U.S. government had to save the banks because they were “too big to fail”). The sense of hope that the movement is creating was expressed by one sign down at Wall Street that read, “This is the First Time I’ve Felt Hopeful in a Very Long Time.”

The movement has a utopian character. Many of those involved in it want not only to overcome the immediate effects of the economic crisis—they want a better life, a better country, a better world. The movement as such has no ideology. This is populism of a left wing sort: the people versus big business and bad government. Though there are anarchists in it and they have given it some of their style, it is not an anarchist movement. Though there are some socialists in it, the movement is by no means socialist. What is perhaps best and most exciting about the movement is the confluence of the many social movements with middle class and working class people who have come down to Wall Street or in some other town or city down to Main Street to say, “We’ve had it.” The utopianism of the movement has inspired ordinary people to say, “We can live differently, we must, and we will.”

A month or so into the Occupy movement, the labor unions began to take an interest. In New York the unions turned out thousands of their members for a major march in October. At about the same time, Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO spoke out in favor of the movement, as did leaders of various national and local unions. Yet the AFL-CIO and the Occupy movement remain wary of each other. The AFL’s principal goal in the next year is to help Obama and the Democrats win the November 2012 elections, and both the AFL and the Democrats would love to figure out how to harness Occupy for their political goals. Many in the Occupy movement would love to have more workers involved, the unions involved, but they fear the labor bureaucracy’s heavy hand. And, more important for some, they fear losing their political independence to union officials and Democrats.

Occupy Wall Street and politics

The Republican Party, of course, loathes the politics of Occupy. House Majority leader Eric Cantor referred to the Occupiers as “mobs.” Alluding to President Barack Obama he said, “Some in this town condone “pitting Americans against Americans.” Mitt Romney, the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination said, “I think it’s dangerous, this class warfare.” Whatever they may say to the media, the Republicans’ real fear is that Occupy Wall Street could buoy up the Democrats, while their hope that the movement’s radicalism will blow their opponents to the left, costing them votes in the center.

The Democratic Party Congressional Campaign Committee and the think-tank Center for American Program would like to bind the Democratic ties to Occupy Wall Street, believing that the movement could put wind in the party’s sails for the 2012. Other party leaders fear that the identification with the movement would move the party toward the left and away from the center where they believe the voters are. Even more important, some Democratic Party leaders argue, supporting a group that is attacking Wall Street could result in fewer donations from the banks and corporations that fund the Democrats. Bernie Sanders, the only independent in the Senate who calls himself a socialist (though he caucuses with the Democrats) spoke to the Occupy movement with an op-ed piece calling upon the government to break up the banks, support small business, and stop speculation in the oil industry. That was the Progressive Party program of 1912, the traditional program of American populism, but it misses completely the radical spirit of this movement.

Some Democrats would like to see Occupy Wall Street become their Tea Party, the rightwing group that brought new vitality to the Republicans. But Occupy Wall Street activists have kept their distance from the Democrats refusing to provide them a platform for their candidates. For example, when Representative John Lewis, a legend of the civil right movement and liberal African American Congressman from Georgia appeared at an Occupy Atlanta, he was not permitted to speak. Apparently, so far, the movement is committed to defending its independence.

Many of us are working to nurture this movement, to build it, and to help its potentially radical implications emerge.

Police Intimidation of Rohit Prajapati, Environmental, Human Rights and Trade Union Activist of Gujarat

Details: Published on Tuesday, 11 October 2011 03:51

Police Intimidation of Rohit Prajapati, Environmental, Human Rights and Trade Union Activist of Gujarat.

Is it a crime to raise peoples' issues? - Rohit Prajapati

Letter to the Police Commissioner of Vadodara - Kindly provide me the reasons for the repeated questioning by police, whether there are any allegations or charges, and if so, what these are and if there is an investigation of any kind, I would like to know the nature of the investigation. – Rohit Prajapati

On Sunday, Oct 9^th 2011, at around 12.30 p.m., two policemen in plainclothes (Ajaysinh Gajendrasinh, ASI from LIB branch and Maheshbhai Prajapati, ASI at JP Police Station, Tandalja, Vadodara, Gujarat) visited my house. They asked for my phone number, name of my organization, and about my present ongoing activities. Having nothing to conceal, since our activities are public, I provided the requested information. Within 5 minutes of their departure two more policemen in uniform appeared and demanded two passport size photographs. I responded that I could provide the photographs only if there was a written request. Within 15 minutes we got a phone call from (Phone No. 2358132) Mr. Maheshbhai Prajapati requesting me to provide the two passport size photographs. I repeated that I would require the request in writing. The letter was provided within 10 minutes (letter no. 5098/2011from JP police station, signed by the station PI). Accordingly I promptly provided 2 passport size photographs.

This was not a case of one day of sudden activity by the police, but the latest in a series of such enquiries that have been going on for some 2 years – police have visited both our home and the offices of Jyoti Karmachari Mandal (JKM). The first visit to Jyoti Karmachari Mandal was on March 7, 2010, followed by a police visit to our home the next day. The first visit to our home occurred in our absence, and the police questioned our minor son, who was present at home at that time. The next visit from the police occurred on 20^th April, 2010. There were 2 officers (Mr. Dinesh Chaudhari, PI, State IB, along with a colleague). They remained for nearly an hour asking about details of my background, contacts, activities etc. After a few days they returned to collect copies of my passport. A few months later a team of the Special Operations Group (SOG) came to my home in the late evening. Six or seven members of the SOG team barged into my house and straight away went upstairs. We objected to their entry and demanded to know their identity and the reason for their “visit”. After that several of the team left, while three remained to question me. We pointed out that the same kind of extensive (relevant as well as irrelevant) questions had been asked and information collected by the police on earlier occasions, to which they replied that this occasion was different because they were from the SOG. The SOG members too took copies of my passport. The next police visit was on the afternoon of 3^rd October 2011, involving Mr. Dineshsinh Chauhan (PI, State IB), Mr. Sureshbhai B. (PI, State IB) and Mr. Pappubhai (IO, State IB). They spent about 45 minutes getting “updates” on my activities. One of the matters they questioned me about was my complaint about the residential complex coming up next to industrial hazardous solid waste sites in Ahmedabad (Vatva & Naroda). They demanded to know why I was raising objections against the State Government’s move to amend the law prohibiting residential construction within 500 metres of hazardous waste sites (to permit construction within 100 metres of such sites). Mr. Chauhan gave me his e-mail ID and I even provided him further information by e-mail. Inspite of this once again on 09-10-2011 police officials came for further investigation as mentioned above.

In the several visits and questioning by the police, no specific reason has ever been given for the questioning; the police have always insisted that these were “merely routine” enquiries. So far, I have cooperated with the police and provided whatever information or documents they have asked for, including things like bank account details. My activities in association with the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Jyoti Karmachari Mandal and Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti (Environment Protection organisation, a radical environmentalist group operating in Gujarat) organizations have been completely open, legal and public (and in the public interest). I have never had any reason to conceal any information related to these activities. However, in the light of repeated visits by the police, with demands for the same information provided earlier and already available with them, it is now difficult not to conclude that these repeated visits have any other purpose than intimidation and harassment. In today’s Gujarat, it appears that anybody who questions the correctness of government policy or actions, or is seen in any way to obstruct the purposes of the government, is becoming a target for intimidation and harassment. Yesterday I have written to the Police Commissioner requesting to know the reason for the repeated questioning by police, whether there are any allegations or charges, and if so, what these are and if there is an investigation of any kind, I would like to know the nature of the investigation.

In this connection, I feel I should provide a summary of my public activities, and present my assessment of why this harassment is being organised.

My Recent Activities

As I have written above, I am involved in three organisations – PUCL, JKM, and PSS. As a Trotskyist, I have been an internationalist, and have collaborated with comrades in the Fourth International over trade union, environment and other issues. In 2002, during the pogrom like atmosphere created by Hindutva fanatics, I along with other friends played some role in fighting that. As a matter of principle, we decided to stay on in Tandalja, resisting the attempt to turn it into a purely Muslim ghetto. We campaigned for the restoration of peace. We brought out, through PUCL, a comprehensive report of the Gujarat Carnage. We campaigned over the Best Bakery case. We also collaborated in bringing out the first collected documentation in English about the Gujarat Carnage, The Genocidal Pogrom in Gujarat: Anatomy of Indian Fascism. Though I am also involved in a new organisation, Radical Socialist, my chosen areas of work have been, in the last half a decade or more, the three organisations already named.

My work as a trade unionist and my work as an environmental activist have been intertwined. We believe in the need for environmentally aware trade unionism, as well as a class approach to the question of environment protection. As a result, for a decade and a half, we have been developing environmental agenda connected to industrial pollution.

We have consistently been raising the issue of industrial pollution in Gujarat and exposed the industry-Gujarat Government nexus that touts ‘treatment facilities’ as a solution to the problems of hazardous solid waste, effluent, surface & groundwater contamination. Our position has been founded on the facts & figures obtained under RTI. Gujarat Pollution Control Board officials admitted that a lot still has to be achieved in pollution control.

As treatment facilities were / are not able to meet the Gujarat Pollution Control Board‘s (GPCB) norms a moratorium on starting of new industries or expansion of existing industries was declared for the Ankleshwar area on 7-7-2007, and now Ministry of Environment and Forests has extended it up to 31-3-2012. Later on, on 13-1-2010 a moratorium was declared for other areas like Vatva, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Vapi, etc. The moratorium was ubsequently lifted for the Vapi, Bhavnagar, Junagadh area. PSS objected to the lifting of moratorium for Vapi because treatment facilities of Vapi are still not able to meet the GPCB norms. Today the moratorium for Vatva, Ankleshwar is extended till 31-3-2011. This has stalled the projected huge investment in these areas of Gujarat. However, we believe that as responsible citizens, we are not and cannot be concerned only with the quantum of investment, but with what is being invested, what the goal of the investment is, and how it affects the masses of working people.

On 4-1-2007 Government of Gujarat granted permission to incinerate the hazardous waste of Union Carbide, Bhopal at Ankleshwar. We opposed it and also filed an intervention application in the Jabalpur High Court. Ultimately Government of Gujarat was forced to withdraw its permission by letter dated 4-10-2008 and now case is pending in the Supreme Court.

A direct outcome of our persistent efforts since 1994 has been GPCB / Government having to act against Hema Chemicals which was responsible for illegal dumping of hazardous chromium waste. As per the direction of the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee the company has been ordered to pay Rs. 17 crores as first instalment towards remediation of the site. GPCB was constrained to order the confiscation of passport of Hema Chemicals’ owner, and prohibiting him from disposing of his property etc. The owner’s name has been flashed across all international airports in India so that he does not leave the country.

We had also launched a complaint against residential & commercial complexes coming up in the vicinity of hazardous solid waste sites in Ahmedabad (Vatva & Naroda) in violation of GPCB notification on industrial hazardous solid waste and The Hazardous Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 1989.

Now we are given to understand that Forest & Environment Department and Urban Development and Urban Housing Department of Government of Gujarat have decided to modify the CPCB & GPCB guideline and norms – which require 500 meters distance from TSDFs & CETPs for the residential complexes – and reduce it to 100 meters to legalize illegal residential complexes. The original guideline was issued with the intention of preventing risk to the health and safety of the people. The revision obviously looks at the profit margin of unscrupulous promoters, not the innocent buyers who will suffer in future.

The decision to continue to enforce the 500 meters distance stipulation for future clearly shows that this norm is not wrong and that is why Government of Gujarat is now modifying it to 100 meters only for post-facto regularization of illegal residential complexes which came up in violation of the CPCB & GPCB guideline and norms. This is going to be a disastrous action on the part of the concerned authorities as far as the health and safety of the people is concerned.

It is clear that such a decision can only be due to immense pressure from the rich and powerful.

It cannot have been a suo moto decision. Instead of taking firm action and enforcing the regulations, these departments are succumbing to pressure from all sides from powerful rich people who want to legalize their illegal residential complexes.

Any post facto relaxation in the present environmental guidelines and norms is nothing but manipulation of present environmental norms to legalize illegal construction activities in order to favour powerful rich people who can pressurize the Government to act against the interests of ordinary people. We opposed the proposed dilution of norms and letters were written to Government of Gujarat and also to Ministry of Environment and Forest to intervene in the matter to prevent such illegal modification.

Vapi Industries Association (VIA), United Phosphorus Limited (UPL), and Avik Pharmaceutical Ltd. have filed a defamation case to the tune of Rs. 25 Crores against ‘The Times of India’ and Rohit Prajapati in the Vapi Court, District Valsad, Gujarat with reference to a news item which appeared in ‘The Times of India’ on 5^th June 2010 [Vapi: caught in a toxic chokehold, The Times of India, 4^th June 2010. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-06-05/pollution/28278983_1_cpcb-comprehensive-environmental-pollution-index-gpcb

On 17^th September 2011, I filed an RTI application with the Chief Minister’s office, seeking information regarding the ‘Sadbahvna Mission’. The RTI application sought to know how much money was spent on this programme, who were the sponsors, and under which policy or rules this programme was conceived and carried out.

There is sufficient reason to apprehend that individuals and interest groups affected by our efforts may resort to legal, extra-legal and other means against some of us. We want to alert you to that possibility and request quick action in case of any such eventuality. I have already been subjected to repeated questioning by police both in our office and at home, amounting to intimidation and harassment.

I would therefore appeal to friends and activists in trade unions, in human rights movements and in environment protection movements, as well as in other sectors of social movements, to take note of these developments and to extend solidarity with us.

Rohit Prajapati
Environmental and Trade Union Activist
Member of People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Jyoti Karmachari Mandal & Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti

Copy of the letter send to the Police Commissioner of Vadodara

Rohit Prajapati
37, Patrakar Colony, Tandalja Road, Post: Akota, Vadodara 390 020
Phone No: +91-265-2320399
Email No: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

By Fax, Email & Speed Post

10^th October 2011

To,
The Commissioner of Police, Vadodara
Police Bhavan, Indira Avenue,
Jail Road, Vadodara – 390 001

Reference: Various and sudden visits by persons claiming to be police officers or persons belonging to LIB, IB and SOG divisions of police force during last 2 years and latest visit on 09/10/2011.
Subject: Kindly provide me the reasons for the repeated questioning by police, whether there are any allegations or charges, and if so, what these are and if there is an investigation of any kind, I would like to know the nature of the investigation.

Sir,

I, Rohit Prajapati, the undersigned, am associated with various voluntary organizations and am a social activist concerned with various issues including environmental protection and the menace of pollution. As a part of my mission I have taken up and raised a number of matters and issues concerning environmental pollution.

In view of the aforementioned I thought it fit to bring to your kind notice the following facts which seriously threaten my rights as an ordinary human being and citizen of this country:

During last 2 years, some 5 or 6 times persons claiming to be police personnel have suddenly visited my residence and office and made oral / verbal inquiries regarding my personal life, including matters related to my social being. Being a law abiding citizen, I have always extended cooperation in these enquiries.
However, during the last 2 or 3 of the several visits, the concerned individuals claiming to belong to the SOG conducted their enquiries in an aggressive manner and tone. As a law abiding citizen I have continued to extend all cooperation and hitherto never thought to refer the matter to you, because I believed that this might essentially be an unavoidable circumstance of my mission, since my work might be causing inconvenience to Government and persons in positions of power.
However, during the most recent visit on 09/10/2011, after the “routine” repeated inquiry was over, i.e. after I had replied to all questions, the police personnel asked for two copies of my photograph, which I thought was unreasonable and therefore asked for their request in writing; on receiving a letter bearing no. 5098, issued under the signature of the PI of JP Police Station, I did supply the photographs as demanded by them.
As a citizen, I am concerned about the treatment being meted out to me through secret inquiries, as I am not aware of any ongoing inquiry, or of any cause or reason for such an inquiry.
The process of inquiry has already caused considerable inconvenience to me. While I respect the fact that security agencies may at times be required to carry out certain investigations, I am unable to see what is prompting this rash of enquiries in this case, and feel compelled to bring to your notice the incidents and events. Law abiding citizens engaged in lawful, constitutionally sanctioned and guaranteed activities are not ordinarily subjected to repeated “routine” police enquiries and surveillance.

I am optimistic that my communication to you may play a role in correcting and regulating the administration of inquiries by your department such that innocent citizens are not unnecessarily harassed for engaging in lawful activities considered essential to the proper functioning of a democratic state.
I am sure you will take serious note of the aforesaid matter, which has caused absolutely unwarranted pain to me and my family, and therefore take some corrective and remedial steps to prevent any unjustifiable use of power and force.

I am an activist who has agitated by remaining within the four corners of the law, and has never indulged in any illegal activities.

The aforementioned type of actions carried out by persons from your department amount to intrusion into my fundamental rights of privacy. Your department’s actions amount to violation of my fundamental rights to privacy and dignity. Because of health reasons my movements have become very limited, as I have been advised substantial rest, and such intrusions into my home are having adverse effects on my health.

Kindly provide me the reasons for the repeated questioning by police, whether there are any allegations or charges, and if so, what these are and if there is an investigation of any kind, I would like to know the nature of the investigation.

I shall be thankful if you supply this information to me as a conscientious public servant, so that I shall not be compelled to take recourse to the RTI law.

Rohit Prajapati

Police Intimidation of Rohit Prajapati, Environmental, Human Rights and Trade Union Activist of Gujarat

Details: Published on Tuesday, 11 October 2011 03:51

Police Intimidation of Rohit Prajapati, Environmental, Human Rights and Trade Union Activist of Gujarat.

Is it a crime to raise peoples' issues? - Rohit Prajapati

Letter to the Police Commissioner of Vadodara - Kindly provide me the reasons for the repeated questioning by police, whether there are any allegations or charges, and if so, what these are and if there is an investigation of any kind, I would like to know the nature of the investigation. – Rohit Prajapati

In this connection, I feel I should provide a summary of my public activities, and present my assessment of why this harassment is being organised.

My Recent Activities

It is clear that such a decision can only be due to immense pressure from the rich and powerful.

Rohit Prajapati
Environmental and Trade Union Activist
Member of People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Jyoti Karmachari Mandal & Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti

Copy of the letter send to the Police Commissioner of Vadodara

By Fax, Email & Speed Post

10^th October 2011

During last 2 years, some 5 or 6 times persons claiming to be police personnel have suddenly visited my residence and office and made oral / verbal inquiries regarding my personal life, including matters related to my social being. Being a law abiding citizen, I have always extended cooperation in these enquiries.
However, during the last 2 or 3 of the several visits, the concerned individuals claiming to belong to the SOG conducted their enquiries in an aggressive manner and tone. As a law abiding citizen I have continued to extend all cooperation and hitherto never thought to refer the matter to you, because I believed that this might essentially be an unavoidable circumstance of my mission, since my work might be causing inconvenience to Government and persons in positions of power.
However, during the most recent visit on 09/10/2011, after the “routine” repeated inquiry was over, i.e. after I had replied to all questions, the police personnel asked for two copies of my photograph, which I thought was unreasonable and therefore asked for their request in writing; on receiving a letter bearing no. 5098, issued under the signature of the PI of JP Police Station, I did supply the photographs as demanded by them.
As a citizen, I am concerned about the treatment being meted out to me through secret inquiries, as I am not aware of any ongoing inquiry, or of any cause or reason for such an inquiry.
The process of inquiry has already caused considerable inconvenience to me. While I respect the fact that security agencies may at times be required to carry out certain investigations, I am unable to see what is prompting this rash of enquiries in this case, and feel compelled to bring to your notice the incidents and events. Law abiding citizens engaged in lawful, constitutionally sanctioned and guaranteed activities are not ordinarily subjected to repeated “routine” police enquiries and surveillance.

After the Danish Elections

Details: Published on Saturday, 08 October 2011 06:36

A new period for the Red Green Alliance

After the Danish elections
Thomas Eisler

from http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article2311

The national elections in Denmark on 15 September marked the end of ten years of the Liberal-Conservative government based on support from the xenophobic populist right Danish Peoples Party (DPP-Dansk Folkeparti). It will be replaced by a centre-left government of the Socialist Peoples Party (SPP-Socialistisk Folkepart), Social Democrats (SD-Socialdemokraterne) and the Social Liberal Party) (SLP-Radikale Venstre) supported by the Red Green Alliance (RGA-Enhedslisten). The big winners of the election were the SLP and the RGA, the latter with a tripling of their support. The main losers were the Conservatives (Det Konservative Folkeparti) and Socialist Peoples Party.

Ten years of right government

When the Liberal-Conservative government won a majority with the DPP it was a break with decades of governments based on participation or support from centre parties like the SLP. Though the DPP maintains a profile as the defender of workers and pensioners it has been willing to lend votes to government attacks as long as they were paid off with attacks on immigrants. During the Liberal-Conservative government, mobilisations in defence of workers’ rights, against social cuts and the Iraqi war have been closely linked to the perspective of another government.

The attacks on early retirement

One of the central questions in the Danish political debate during the last 15 years has been the right to early retirement at the age of 60. During the centre-left government in the 90’es the prime minister guaranteed that early retirement was there to stay. When the centre-left government changed the early retirement in 1999 from a general right to an insurance system linked to the unemployment system it lost a lot of trust from the working class and thus paved the way for the right. The Social Democrats and Social Liberals also took part in a political agreement to gradually raise the age where people would entitled to early retirement and pensions by five years. In his new year speech on 1 January 2011 the prime minister came with a proposal to abolish the early retirement entirely. This initiated campaigns by the trade unions in defence of the early retirement scheme and in opinion polls it was close to a left majority without the Social Liberals. The Conservative-Liberal government managed to get an agreement with the Social Liberals and the Danish Peoples Party to advance the cuts on the early retirement.

The Centre-left “alternative”

The central topic in the political debates up to and during the electoral campaigns was how to balance the state budget in 2020. According to some economic forecasts there will be a deficit of 47 billion kroner in 2020 on the public finances and there will be a shortage of labour. The Social Democrats and Socialist Peoples Party basically accept the same economic and demographic assumptions as the right. Their alternative economic plan called “fair solution” is based on increasing working time by 12 minutes per day through agreements with the trade unions and employers’ organisations. They claim that this a necessary measure to keep early retirement and avoid cuts in public welfare. To meet criticism that this is ridiculous while there are 200,000 unemployed they have made the concession that it should not happen before there is full employment. Also the economic plan of the right is based on the assumption that in the long run there will be full employment.

A centre or left government

The trade unions and most of the electoral base of SD and SPP have put hopes in a new left government that would defend the interest of the working class. Nevertheless the leaders of SD and SPP have been more ambiguous, while some have mentioned the importance of reinstating the cooperative parliament that makes agreements across the centre excluding the extreme parties, meaning the RGA and DPP. This was also a clear invitation to the Social Liberals and since the elections the SD-SPP alliance has made an agreement with the Social Liberal Party to form a common government. The government platform includes the agreed attacks on early retirement. There is a majority for the parties which made the agreement. If the SD-SPP had kept the Social Liberals outside the government they could have avoided taking responsibility for the attack. In the Danish political system a government has to follow decisions by a majority of the parliament but can be in minority without having to resign.

The rise and fall of the SPP

This is the first time ever that the Socialist Peoples Party has been in government. It has been a goal of the party for many years and led to making many concessions in order to prove it is a responsible party. One of the first was the acceptance of the Maastricht treaty in 1993. During the last five years it has gone through a dramatic transformation to become more a peoples’ party and less a socialist party. This included a very populist attitude towards immigrants. They gave up the defence for immigrants and asylum seekers rights. The chairman condemned reactionary Muslim groups in a way that it could be understood as being generally against all Muslims. The new populist profile of the party seemed to a great success. From the 2005 to 2007 elections they rose from 6 to 13 %. Later polls gave the party around 20 % though closing in on the Social Democrats to be the main left party. During the last years the Social Democrats and Socialist Peoples Party has formed a very close political alliance. Not only have they developed common political proposals but they have made common advertisements on bill-boards etc.

In autumn 2010 the Liberal-Conservative government presented a plan to put extra criteria for family union with immigrants. This could mean that it would be much more difficult to get a stay-permit for a spouse from a non-European country. The SD and SPP took some time as they considered whether to support this proposal. Finally they decided to present an alternative that still included more strict criteria than the existing though more moderate than the right had proposed. This seemed to the straw that broke the camels back and they started to lose support.

The recent success of the RGA

The RGA first passed the 2% threshold needed for parliamentary representation in 1994, after the SPP accepted the Maastricht treaty. Since then the RGA reached a low point in the elections 2007. On the one hand the RGA was in a difficult situation with internal disagreement and external attacks for choosing a Muslim woman wearing a hijab as a candidate, and on the other the SPP was profiting from a general “cool factor” making it a very popular party in particular among youth. The discontent with the populism of the SPP is the main reason for the possibilities for the RGA. But it is also the general adaptation to the liberal economic policies by the SD-SPP alliance. According to opinion polls the rise in its support began in autumn 2010. Many new members have also joined. When the elections were announced on 26 August support was about 4.5%. During the three weeks of electoral campaign SD-SPP continued to lose support as they did not represent a clear alternative to the right and thus made it possible to undermine their credibility. It was thus only with a small margin that the four parties for a new government got a majority of 50,2% of the vote against the right.

The RGA campaign

The electoral campaign of the RGA beat everything it has done before. There were more militants taking part in the distribution of materials and postering than ever before. Around 1.5 million leaflets and pamphlets were distributed. Furthermore the RGA reached a new audience, breaking through the barrier of being a “strange” party and being taking seriously by a broader part of the population. The RGA became the “cool” party among youth with the charismatic spokesperson Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen in front. The campaign had the slogan: “There is room for welfare”. It was to break with dominating economic agenda and pointed to the taxation of rich, multinationals, speculators and the oil resources. The RGA presented a plan to create 100,000 jobs in public services and to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Defence of asylum-seekers and immigrants as well as unemployed were other central issues.

RGA and the new government

To fight to overthrow the right government and make the populist right lose their dictatorship over immigration policies has been a goal for the RGA ever since the government won the majority with the DPP 10 years ago. RGA gives its unconditional support to the new government. The RGA supports the formation of the government but makes no promises to support the proposals from the government. Decisions will be taken on an issue by issue basis and the RGA will not accept packages that link attacks on some with improvements for others. This will not prevent the RGA being put under pressure from the centre-left government. The government will try to give the RGA the responsibility for forcing the government to make deals with right. The ultimate pressure will be on the approval of the budget because the government will have to resign if it is not able to pass a budget. In its nature the budget is a package that includes all sorts of things including a budget for the military. During the SD-led government 1992-2001 the RGA never voted in favour of the budget though abstained on one occasion.

In order to prepare for this situation the RGA have had several debates on how to deal with the situation under a new government. At the 2010 RGA congress it was concluded that:

“The RGA encourages a new government to make a break that replaces the policies from the previous government with policy that is based on social equality, solidarity and sustainability. A budget that marks such a break will also have our votes. But we will under no circumstances vote in favour of a budget that:

includes attacks;
doesn’t include significant improvements;
is the summary of one year of austerity, done with the parties from the right.”

This formulation was proposed by two SAP members in order to sharpen the original proposal from the leadership of the RGA.

The RGA will put forward demands on the government and work within the movement to build support for the demands to put the strongest possible pressure on the government. The RGA executive committee has made a call to branches, commissions and candidates of the RGA to organise public meetings with invitations to trade unions to debate expectations and demands on the new government.

PUCL Condemns Raid at the House of Kavita Srivastava at Jaipur

Details: Published on Thursday, 06 October 2011 12:49

PUCL Condemns Raid at the House of Kavita Srivastava at Jaipur

The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) strongly condemns the outrageous and uncalled for act of raid at the residence of Kavita Srivastava, PUCL national secretary in Jaipur early morning today (3 October 2011). The raid was conducted by the Chhattisgarh Police with active assistance of Rajasthan Police, supposedly searching for a maoist. We understand that this was done at the behest of inputs from central intelligence agencies which prompted Chhattisgarh police to seek a search warrant. The raid is a scandalous act of maligning, intimidation and harassment to muzzle dissent at the behest of the government of Rajasthan which is out to victimise human rights activists who expose its misdeeds of atrocities against Muslim minorities and poor. The arrival of police with a truck load of them is nothing but to create fear amongst the family members of Kavita Srivastava and others. There is no doubt that the raids were a well thought out design to go after the human rights activists aimed at silencing them through the misuse of law and official machinery. In all its manifestations the present raid is in the series of acts of blatant vindictiveness aimed at sending a message to the larger human rights community that the present central and state governments have no faith in and respect for the value of dissent and protest as a cardinal principles as enshrined in our constitution. It is clear that Kavita Srivastava has been targeted primarily because of her role in pointing out Chhattisgarh government’s violation of human rights, Rajasthan government’s mindless use of force against Muslim minorities and centre’s anti-poor policies. PUCL appeals to the larger human rights community and freedom loving people of the country to come forward strongly to resist the unabashed crusade of the government against the human rights defenders in the country. PUCL also demands that the National Human Rights Commission must take a serious view of the matter and as per its commitment to protect the human rights defenders ensure that no further harassment is meted out to Kavita Srivastava and her family.

PUCL will hold a press conference with other human rights organisations tomorrow at 3: 30 at Indian Women's Press Club, 5 Windsor Place, Ashoka Road, New Delhi.

Prabhkar Sinha, President PUCL

Rajinder Sachar, former President PUCL

Pushkar Raj , General Secretary PUCL

Mahipal Singh, Secretary PUCL

Chitranjan Singh, Secretary PUCL
V. Suresh , Secretary PUCL

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Police Intimidation of Rohit Prajapati, Environmental, Human Rights and Trade Union Activist of Gujarat

Police Intimidation of Rohit Prajapati, Environmental, Human Rights and Trade Union Activist of Gujarat

After the Danish Elections

A new period for the Red Green Alliance

Ten years of right government

The attacks on early retirement

The Centre-left “alternative”

A centre or left government

The rise and fall of the SPP

The recent success of the RGA

The RGA campaign

RGA and the new government

PUCL Condemns Raid at the House of Kavita Srivastava at Jaipur

PUCL Condemns Raid at the House of Kavita Srivastava at Jaipur

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