Govt refuses to heed NCM

AHMEDABAD, Dec 28: Three months after the National Commission for Minorities NCM asked the Gujarat government to call a meeting of no...

AHMEDABAD, Dec 28: Three months after the National Commission for Minorities NCM asked the Gujarat government to call a meeting of 8220;non-political representatives of all religious communities8221; to discuss and evolve ways and means to promote communal harmony in the state, the government is yet to do it.

8220;We wonder why such an easy thing hasn8217;t been done,8221; remarked Father Cedric Prakash, co-ordinator of the United Christian Forum for Human Rights Gujarat. Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya, however, said that the government had made 8220;a beginning8221; by constituting a peace committee in the trouble-torn Dangs district.

Pandya, who returned from the Dangs on Monday, said the meeting of the peace committee, which consisted of representatives of all communities, 8220;had a very healthy impact on the situation8221;. But Father Prakash, even while welcoming the committee, had his apprehensions. 8220;I hope the government will not shift its responsibility to the peace committee,8221; he said.

Calling a meeting of religious leaders was one of the 10 statutory recommendations which the NCM had made after a visit to Gujarat in August, following attacks on Christians and Muslims. Father Prakash alleged that no action has been taken on many of these recommendation, while action on others was inadequate.

For instance, NCM had asked the government to take deterrent measures 8220;to curb tirades against particular communities and their religious practices, carried on through vituperative pamphlets, leaflets, periodicals and false or exaggerated media reports8221;. No action had been taken against anyone for such offences, he alleged.

As recently as December 23, Bishop Stanislaus Fernandes, Rev M.V. Christi and others had met a number of ministers, including Bimal Shah and Mahendra Trivedi, and Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel8217;s son-in-law Mayur Desai, to bring to their notice inflammatory pamphlets being circulated in the Dangs by the Hindu Dharma Jagran Manch.

Copies of pamphlets were also sent to the chief minister8217;s office, but 8220;we do not know if the government took any action8221;, Father Prakash said. Pandya said some cases had been registered in connection with the incidents in the Dangs, but wasn8217;t sure if these covered the pamphlets.

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Additional Chief Secretary Home V V R Subbarao said the government was looking into it.

Another grouse of Father Prakash was that, contrary to NCM recommendations, the government had not made a policy announcement to 8220;affirm its commitment to the protection of the human rights, civil liberties and fundamental freedoms of all citizens8221;. However, Subbarao said that the chief minister had made such a statement in his Christmas Eve greetings.

Subbarao said that 8220;from time to time8221;, the government had given clear instructions to civil and police officers to protect the life and property of citizens. 8220;We have even told field officers that they will be personally responsible for maintaining peace and order in their areas,8221; he said. The commission had also asked the government to convert the Gujarat Minorities Board into a corporation for 8220;the promotion of socio-economic development of the minorities8221;. It had also recommended creation of a Minorities Welfare Department on the pattern of Andhra Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal. Neither has been done.