Kanshiramji and Mayavati

I heard Kanshiramji in 1983-84 in Ambedkar Hall, Ahmedabad. It was BAMCEF conference. Babaldas Chavada and Vishvash Parmar were the organisers. BSP was not launched at that time, but the process was already underway. “Leaders like Kanshiram are wondering with letter-pad of his party with him in his bag,” such was comment of one leading columnist Vasudev Maheta in daily ‘Sandash’. I still remember the comment. Nobody knows the people who were with Kanshiramji during that period. Who knows Mukesh Vora, who was with Sahab on that night, when he slept on newspapers under Kalupur Railway Bridge after gumming and sticking posters on the walls of Ahmedabad city? Who knows Mahesh Vaghela of Bharuch, who used to purchase under wares for Sahab before 30 years?

The world is mad after power. We have seen in Gujarat. The party office is thronged by ticket hungry people during elections and everybody dreams winning all 182 seats of Gujarat. And After election nobody knows where all those people talking on mission disappear to grab commission. The fact is that everybody wants to become Mayavati. Nobody wants to become Kanshiramji. Because, Mayavati signifies power. Kanshiramji signifies the foundation.

It is not easy to become Kanshiramji, because the meaning of being Kanshiramji is to become the foundation. The meaning of being Kanshiramji is the dedication of whole life, incessant cycle rallies, constant mass contact, importance of organisation and commitment to people. Ninety percent people use to see the result, they seldom see the process. One legend rendered political, social and organisational capital of his life to one unknown girl and gave her an opportunity to write one of the glorious chapters in the history of Dalits.

That opportunity has slipped now. If you want to repeat the history again, you will need Kanshiramji. You will need Kanshiramji in every state of the country, because, if you had Kanshiramji, Mayavati would be possible. If there were a foundation, there would be the palace. Regrettably, we do not want to become Kanshiramji, because nobody among us wants to die of paralysis. 

Mr. Banal-krishnan and clean cheating

Just before two years NHRC ranked Gujarat as the third worst among all states in terms of human violations. And now, Mr. Banal-krishnan gives clean chit to Gujarat government. Here is the report of Indian Express, 20 March, 2009:

State commission refutes findings

The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has refused to accept the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC’s) report, which has ranked Gujarat as the third worst among all states in terms of human rights violations.

SHRC Secretary Dr R L Meena said the body will not accept this report.

According to the NHRC report, Gujarat accounted for 3,813 complaints of human rights violation of the total of 94,559 cases from across the country, which is less than only Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

Meena, however, expressed doubt over the source of the data and the details of the NHRC report. “I don’t believe that Gujarat stands third in terms of human rights violations. I will challenge anyone on this,” he said.

Meena said the SHRC and the NHRC deals with many different issues and there is a possibility of a lot of overlapping of cases, “due to which a same case can be registered with both commissions and that too more than once”.

Besides, many cases indicated in the applications could be false as well, he said. The SHRC Secretary also stressed on the definition of human rights violation as indicated in the ‘Human Rights Violation Act, 1993.

He said the SHRC considered a violation only when it was done by some authority. A person could approach alternative authorities named in the Act, he added.

“A person is required to approach the Human Rights Commission only after the regular system has denied justice. But people generally tend to use the SHRC as a shortcut by filing applications directly. We are in fact fair and more welcoming, and entertain each application, which explains why Gujarat has such a high number of applications,” he said.

The high number of complaints in the state is the result of a more people-friendly SHRC, he added.

He further said the number of applications is no criteria to judge the number of violations.

The total number of applications may include premature cases, false applications, as well as actual cases of violations, and a better way to look at it would be from the number of cases dismissed. Even as this year’s statistics are being compiled, last year’s annual report (2006-2007) indicated a total of 610 cases, he said.

“Of a total of 610 cases, we were able to dismiss 419 by 2007-end while 80 cases are being heard in the courts. The dismissal rate with only four dealing hands at our disposal is quiet satisfactory,” Meena added.

mr. balkrishnan, use quasi-judicial power of commission

police was saying, "motherfuckers, dheds,
 your father is scavenging in village and
 you  are doing this here."
(dalit student beaten by Rajkot police.
recorded in our documentary
 'my father's statue)

Last year, I was invited by National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to witness its hearing held at Nagpur. It was hearing where NCPCR summoned concerned officers using its quasi-judicial powers and in the presence of complainants commission asked concerned officers on relevant complaints. In this sense present hearing can not be called hearing.   

On 14^th April, 2011, Dalit students in Rajkot city were severely beaten by police. The police barged into hostel, broke the doors, windows, thrashed students, beat them mercilessly and then locked them behind bars. Look at these photographs of students. I wrote a letter to IG, but he didn’t reply. The Gujarat police have become broker of estate brokers. Look at this photograph. The police stations of Gujarat are displaying hoardings of land mafias, land sharks. What is the meaning of this ‘may I help you’ board on police station? This is the rotten state of Gujarat police. The commission must order Gujarat police to remove these boards from police stations.

Before two months this government has postponed hearing of NCPCR. Chief Secretary Mr. Joti, Minister Mr. Fakir Vaghela requested NCPCR to postpone the hearing. Mr. Sanjay Prasad (Secretary, Social welfare) is here. He knows what has happened. This government doesn’t want to be exposed. We demand full fledged hearing where all police officers are summoned by the commission and in the presence of complainants the hearing must be held.

(my presentation before NHRC in Ahmedabad on 14 May, 2012)

I am sorry, Mr. Balkrsihnan, this is not democracy.

NHRC in Gujarat to give clan chit to Narendra Modi

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is wasting precious public money in the name of hearing. What commission has done in Gujarat is not hearing. Commission is kidding us. In a genuine hearing the commission is required to collect all complaints and then on the basis of these complaints, the commission summons concerned officers (police officers) by using its quasi-judicial powers. In stead of adopting this procedure, commission holds a ‘darbar’, where Dalit activists and NGOs vent their anger; the media report it next day, the chair-person of commission gives ‘clean chit’ to government of Gujarat and a high profile drama concludes with a happy ending.

I am sorry, Mr. Balkrsihnan, this is not democracy.