WHEN WE DO THIS TO OUR CHILDREN...
TT: Reuters picture shows a child holding a BJP flag being made to take part in a march in Kochi, Kerala, on Thursday morning before the shutdown called by a Sangh parivar outfit unleashed hooliganism in several pockets of the state in the name of a protest to protect the traditions of the Sabarimala temple.
On Friday, a Lankan became the third woman aged between 10 and 50 to pray at the temple since the Supreme Court struck down a ban (See Page 5). On Friday, Swami Agnivesh, the social activist who himself had been targeted by the Sangh parivar, issued a statement congratulating Kerala for seeing through "political banditry".
On the same day, Amnesty uploaded a video in which actor Naseeruddin Shah spoke against a crackdown on those promoting human rights. Shah's comments were not connected to the Kerala issue but his voice and that of Agnivesh stood out in an atmosphere where any form of dissent is frowned upon, if not crushed.
Excerpts below: ...
THESE VOICES MATTER `'An unspeakable outrage has been perpetrated on the peace-loving, self-respecting people of Kerala, known for their exemplary record of communal harmony and social amity. This is not an isolated Kerala issue. What is nationally significant is that the mask has fallen from the Shah- Modi brand of politics. Its dance of fury has been showcased in Kerala. The essence of the Hindutva vision for India is now chillingly clear. `Development' is its bait, but its agenda is brutal domination.
SWAMI AGNIVESH
`'...Those who demand rights are being locked away. Artists, actors, scholars, poets are all being stifled. Journalists are being silenced. In the name of religion, walls of hatred are being erected. Innocents are being killed. The country is awash with a horrific hatred and cruelty. And those who stand against this injustice are having their offices raided, their licences cancelled.... Had we dreamt of a country where there is no space for dissent? ...Where there once was law, there is only darkness
NASEERUDDIN SHAH.
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