For defence of Teesta Setalvad: URGENT APPEAL TO MAINTAIN PEACE AND ALLOW WORSHIP AFTER EID NAMAAZ AT DARGAH

PLEASE GIVE EXTENSIVE COVERAGE TO THIS AND ASSIST OUR APPEAL FOR PEACE AND THE RIGHTS OF MUSL;IMS FOR POST NAMAAZ WORSHIP

November 6 2011

URGENT APPEAL AND UPDATE ON VHP S SAMMELAN AT PIRANA DARGAH, OVER 2,000 VHP MEN GATHER ON SUNDAY
CONCERNS ABOUT POST NAMAAZ WORSHIP AT DARGAH

TO,
Shri CHITTARANJAN SINGH
DIRECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE,
GUJARAT

Dear Sir,

This is an update on the developing situation at Pirana Darga, Gujarat. Today, Sunday November 5, 2011, over 2,000 VHP men and women have gathered at the site. While there appears tight police presence, there are serious apprehensions that after 3 p.m. today when a large meetin g of the VP is scheduled, tensions may escalate.

The issue of concern remains the situation on Monday Morning (November 7 2011) the day of Bakri Eid whn after offering Namaaz at the Masjid near the Dargah the Muslims traditionally go the Dargah for worship. There are serious apprehensions that with the presence of VHP cades there at the time, tensions may escalate and violence result. Locals have therefore appealed to the police authorities to allow Muslims access from the doors between the Masjid and the Durgah to avoid a face to face clash. So far the SP has not agreed. We have also, in a further communication with the SP and DGP, written to urge and ensure that this happens and free entry s allowed.

Despite assurances from the SP to the Dargah committee members, VHP VIPS that include Ashok Singhal and its international general secretay Praveen Togadia were allowed inside the Dargah premises late this evening. He said "VIPs could not be disallowed entry." In all about 50 persons were allowed inside.

After the VHP has seemingly deliberately chosen these three days for their gathering, a denial of access to the Dargah to Muslims would be a denial of their cultural and religious rights.

We urge Sir urgent action in this regard.

Yours Sincerely

J.S.Bandukwala, Vadodara

B .A. Desai, Senior Advocate, Mumbai

Mallika Sarabhai, Ahmedabad

Teesta Setalvad, Citizens for Justice and Peace

Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, Chairman, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
R.L. Laureate (Alternative Nobel Prize)

Irfan Engineer, All India Secular Forum

Fr Cedric Prakash, Director, Prashant

Hanif Lakdawala, Sachetana, Ahmedabad

Sophia khan, SAHR, Ahmedabad

Sukla Sen, EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity), Mumbai

Amita Buch, Ahmedabad

Ashoke Chatterjee

Adv Kamayani Bali Mahabal

M K Raina, Sahmat, New Delhi

Professor Prabhat Patnaik, Noted Economist

Irfan Habib, Renowned Historian

Sandhya Gokhale, Forum Against Oppression of Women

Ammu Abraham, Women's Centre Mumbai

Flavia Agnes, Mumbai

Dr. Frazer Mascarenhas S.J., Mumbai

Harsh Mander

Hasina Khan, Mumbai

Ramu Ramdas

Lalita Ramdas

Ram Rahman, New Delhi

Rohit Prajapati, Baroda
Trupti Shah, Baroda

Sheba George, SAHRWARU, Ahmedabad

Dolphy D'souza, Mumbai

All Members of the Committee for Defence of Teesta Setalvad and Justice in Gujarat (700 members)

November 4, 2011

To,

Mr. Chittaranjan Singh

Director General of Police, Gujarat

Gujarat State Police Bhawan, Sector- 18,

Gandhinagar, Gujarat

Dear Sir,

As citizens of India, deeply committed to the values of peace, justice and coexistence as enshrined in our Constitution we are deeply disturbed by media reports that there may be unnecessary and provocative attempts to provoke communal tension within the state of Gujarat.

Reports in the Ahmedabad editions of the newspapers yesterday, i.e. November 3, 2011, report concern expressed by local residents and the religious head of the Pirana Dargah (the 600 year old Dargah (shrine of Imam Shah Baba is located here) that the publicized intentions of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to hold a three day "Dharm Prasar Akhil Bharatiya Kayakarta Sammellam" starting November 5 will be used as an occasion to utter hate speech and generate tension. The fact that the festival of Bakri Eid falls on November 6-7 makes these intentions of the VHP all the worrisome and suspicious.

We urge that you, in who the responsibility for the protection of Life, Liberty and Property lies ensure that the Police/State Government in the first instance ensure that the permission for this is revoked, failing which strict undertakings are taken from the organizers to ensure civilized and peaceful conduct of the proceedings. Observers may be delegated to this end. Special platoons of the RAF etc may need to be deployed.

It is a sensitive time for both Muslims and Hindus of Pirana who have lived together in peace for hundreds of years. In that tense atmosphere 2,500 of VHP members will come emotionally charged with passion induced by their anti Muslim rhetoric. Members of these organisations will be lodged at the Dargah of Sufi Saint Imam Shah Baba right in the center of the Village. There they will mix and mingle with the locals involved with their own religious duties of prayers and qurbani. The record of these organisations in their yatras to Ayodhya and back has been full of belligerence and anger on trains. Their behavior in Pirana is not likely to be different.

It appears as not a coincidence that the timing of the VHP's three day convention after years of silence comes at a time when efforts of the victims of 2002 and legal rights groups to get justice for the state sponsored violence of 2002. Only recently the Supreme Court of India has directed further proceedings in the case filed against the chief minister and 61 others. (As you may be aware, this comes at a critical time when a sensitive and high profile case (Zakia Ahsan Jafri and Citizens for Justice and Peace v/s Chief Minister and 61 others) seeks to pin accountability for complicity in the mob violence that rocked the western state in 2002.)

We urge urgent action in this regard.

Yours Sincerely;