Tarun Vijay

Jansatta column- Uska Bachpan- How insensitive are India schools for the specially abled children

2013-05-14T02:22:00.001-07:00

Drawing the line on Google -Tarun Vijay

2013-05-08T10:23:00.002-07:00

The Hindu

Opinion » Op-Ed

Published: May 8, 2013 01:57 IST | Updated: May 8, 2013 02:10 IST

The aura around the iconic search engine should not stop us from asking why it should be exempt from the law of this country

While the spirit of The Hindu’s editorial on Google (“Wrong route,” April 29, 2013) is appreciable, it is based on a flawed perception.

Google’s power and usefulness are well-recognised. An entire generation reveres Google as the god of all information. This aura makes it harder to understand the company’s conduct. It has not only contemptuously ignored the queries raised by India’s Surveyor General, but also put out a version in the media portraying those objecting to its violations as Neanderthals.

The basic issues are these: is Google India expected to follow Indian law or not? If there is a violation that is glaring and which could compromise India’s military and nuclear secrets, should we raise an objection or not? Can Google India be above all other mapping agencies working in India just because of the cosmetic aura it has woven around itself or should it be subjected to the same rules and norms applicable to others?

Google’s sin against the Constitution and the law is this: it showed vital military installations, with annotations depicting the core of the Apsara nuclear reactor, blast pens inside the Hindon airbase, ammunition depots, markings of hangers meant for specific fighter jets as well as those jets visible outside in the high resolution images, warships in naval dockyards, and much more.

To make matters worse, defence systems and infrastructure were marked over a period of time. This sensitive data showing changes on a timeline can lead to a comprehensive and accurate/predictive analysis of our defence preparedness and planned responses to a situation.

As facilitator

One of the arguments by Google enthusiasts is that all this information can also be accessed on Google Earth. So what’s the big deal if Google provides it on its maps? The very basis of this argument is flawed. Satellite imagery available on Google Earth or through any other remote sensing satellites can only give a viewer a vague idea of structures and objects. But it needs a highly sophisticated mechanism to decipher these images and have them accurately marked for actionable intelligence. For example, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre complex is huge, with several residential and office buildings, and reactors. It is the specific marking of the Apsara reactor that makes it vulnerable to a swift and precise attack.

Recceing an area is the key to preparing for military or terrorist action. That’s exactly what David Headley did in Mumbai before 26/11. Google is facilitating, unintentionally, a digital recce by enemies.

The other serious aspect of Google’s conduct is its brazen refusal to adhere to Indian law.

Besides the government’s Survey of India there are more than a dozen national and international mapping agencies active in India including Nokia, TomTom, MapmyIndia, etc. All of them follow the prescribed law. Why should Google be an exception? The New Mapping Policy 2005 requires that all mapping data above 1:50 K collected by private agencies should be vetted by the Ministry of Defence. While every other agency does it, the query that Surveyor General of India Swarna Subba Rao raised was whether Google had submitted the data collected through its Mapathon or its continuous map-making process through crowd sourcing for vetting, as required by the law.

Surprisingly, Google has said everything except answer this specific query. If Blackberry could be forced to provide access to its BBM data, why shouldn’t Google be asked to do so? Let this incident trigger a debate on India’s mapping policy and the changes it needs but till a consensus is reached, the nation’s constitutional position and security concerns cannot be compromised.

(Tarun Vijay is Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, and hon. director, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, a centre for civilisational values and policy research.)

Keywords: Survey of India, Mapathon 2013, Google, National Map Policy, Google mapathon contest

Printable version | May 8, 2013 10:48:47 PM | http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/drawing-the-line-on-google/article4693193.ece

Saraswati statue found underwater in Balinese sea

2013-05-05T11:00:00.003-07:00

NDA MPs meet Prez, express concern on Chinese incursion and the way govt handled Sarabjit case

2013-05-04T00:30:00.002-07:00

Tags: Chinese incursion, BJP MPs, Pranab Mukherjee

Shri Advani ji addressing he mediapersons after meeting the President. With his are seen Shri Rajnath Singh ji,Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy ji, Shri Gopinath Munde ji, Shri Sharad Yadav ji,Smt Sushma Swaraj ji, Shri Arun Jaitley ji, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad ji, Shri Tarun Vijay ji

New Delhi: MPs of BJP-led NDA on Friday met President Pranab Mukherjee to express concern over Chinese incursions into Ladakh and the manner in which the case of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh was handled by the government.

The delegation, led by NDA working chairperson LK Advani, met Mukherjee in the Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention on the two issues.

They demanded that Mukherjee discuss these issues with the UPA government and ask them to take appropriate action.

Advani told reporters that Sarabjit had initially been given a death sentence which was commuted to life imprisonment.

"Sarabjit had reportedly completed his sentence and had received a condonation of his death sentence, as its execution had been delayed for too long. We are given to understand that he was due to be released but held back in Pakistan as a retaliatory gesture," Advani said.

The NDA alleged that Sarabjit's murder could not have taken place without "official connivance" in the Lahore jail and at least, some authorities were involved.

"What distresses us very greatly is the inaction of the Government of India, the Ministry of External Affairs and the officials concerned of not having constantly monitored this case... We are persuaded to emphasise this because we hold that our government's inaction in this case cannot be condoned. They owe the country an explanation and an apology," Advani said.

On the "unilateral and forceful Chinese occupation" in Ladakh, the NDA expressed concern that this may escalate into a 1962-like situation when there were similar incursions before it turned into a full-blown war.

"Government and the Prime Minister have repeatedly announced that this is a 'localised' incident. May we submit this would tantamount to a disingenuous evasion of government's responsibility?" Advani said.

"We would like to remind the government that silent acquiescence in the face of fait-accompli, whether of Pakistan or China is unforgivable pusillanimity. This is simply not acceptable," the NDA memorandum said.

Opposition parties submitted to the President that just because the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is undefined does not mean China can give it a unilateral physical definition through unilateral and forceful occupation.

Terming this as unacceptable, the NDA said, "This manner of unilateral 'localised' actions, resulting in seizure of land, amounts to giving a forcible and physical definition to the LAC."

The NDA leaders maintained that the "arbitrary and unilateral breach" by China cannot be viewed as normal conduct.

"It is violative of agreed principles governing the conduct of forces of China in respect of the LAC," the memorandum said.

NDA also emphasised on the need for recalling a resolution adopted by both Houses of Parliament in November, 1962.

"The government must govern, or it must go," the NDA said.

Advani insisted that the government should clarify both the Sarabjit case and the Chinese intrusions in Parliament next week.

"Is it true that Sarabjit should have been released as he had completed his life sentence?" Advani said, adding the NDA hopes government will give a response in Parliament on this issue.

BJP president Rajnath Singh pointed out to Mukherjee that before 2010 army was deployed in the Ladakh region where these incursions are taking place.

He requested that India should revert to the 2010 position and again post the army in the region. He also told Mukherjee that External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid should cancel his proposed visit to China on May 9.

PTI

Border crisis: Why China won't back off

2013-04-29T09:13:00.002-07:00

Rediff.com

http://www.rediff.com/news/column/border-crisis-why-china-wont-back-off/20130429.htm

Last updated on: April 29, 2013 08:44 IST

Whether Salman Khurshid goes to Beijing [ Images ] or cancels the trip, the Chinese won’t return from their present, newly occupied position, says Tarun Vijay.

I agree that the Chinese incursion issue must not be hyped and efforts should be made to find a diplomatic resolution.

I also agree that, in a moment of national crisis, no politics should be played. The government’s efforts to safeguard the nation’s boundaries should get unanimous support.

It helps to boost the morale of the armed forces who are facing a hostile situation in a very uncharitable terrain. They are our sons, brothers and daughters. They belong to us. They are us.

In a moment of filmi frenzy, we shouldn’t forget that they listen to and read what we say and write.

India [ Images ] must behave as one unit instead of creating scenes of street fights during such crises. And I am proud to say, we have always shown the ability to do so; whether it was 1962 or Kargil [ Images ].  Secondly, 2013 is not 1962.

We are much stronger, people are much more aware and the soldier is prepared to win a war against the Chinese if the situation reaches that point.

But a war is not won by comparing the list of nuclear bombs and other arsenal with the enemy. Wars are won in the minds of those who have an unflinching commitment to their motherland and a decisive fire in their heart to punish the wrongdoer foe.  The most significant fuel of this victory is the ruling political power’s support and leadership, which must not dither midway.  That is exactly the problem today.  One remembers Indira Gandhi [ Images ] and Atal Bihari Vajpayee [ Images ], who had resolutely stood behind their armed forces with a steel spine and given the go-ahead that brought the honour of victory to the nation.  The Ladakh issue will be resolved, but the political mishandling of the incident has cost us very dear.

There are strong suspicions that certain external factors have worked hard to make the matter look graver -- almost as if an aggression has taken place -- to incite an exchange of fire between the two forces at Ladakh.

Whose interest would have been served if the Chinese prime minister’s first visit to India had been cancelled?

Who were shamelessly putting the Indian soldier at a much inferior level while comparing him to China’s People’s Liberation Army?

Was that kind of defeatist ranting on television screens helping the jawan camping before the Chinese at altitudes as high as 17,000 feet?  The culprit is the nation’s political leadership that has not concerned itself with ensuring adequate military preparedness.

It is the same lethargic, Nehruvian delusion that had led ordnance factories in the '50s to make coffee machines and had led to the utterance of those infamous words at the loss of Aksai China that not a blade of grass grows there.

It’s a government that fails to protect the life of an innocent Indian, Sarabjit Singh, while sharing biryani with a savage country’s prime minister.

It’s a powerless, visionless and aimless government that dithers when it comes to protecting the honour of its honest and patriotic surveyor general against the lies of an American mapping agency.  Such a leadership is an embarrassment to the nation and to the dictionary, which provides a different meaning to the word ‘leadership’.  Whether Salman Khurshid goes Beijing or cancels the trip, the Chinese are not returning from their present, newly occupied position. Their statements are a clear indication of their attitude.

They feel they are in their territory; that Indians are making a foolish hue and cry over nothing. In fact, the official Chinese position holders have said that Indians are fishing in China’s troubled waters.  It’s important to read what the official position of the Chinese is on this issue. The Global Times, the official English language news daily from Beijing has published a detailed report on the Ladakh incursion quoting three officials.  The foreign ministry first said it couldn’t verify the matter, because it doesn’t have the relevant information.

The spokesperson for the foreign ministry simply dismissed the Indian complaint and sought to portray the issue as a small matter, saying that in the absence of the final demarcation of the border, such incidents are inevitable.  But the director of the Center for Arms Control and Disarmament at the School of International Studies under Peking University, Han Hua, took an offensive stand and blamed India for ‘fishing in troubled waters’.

This line has been picked up by the local twitterati in China. Once again, an anti-Japan like passion against India is seen to be dominating Chinese social media.  The three comments must be read to properly assess the tone and tenor of the belligerent Chinese response on an issue that has aroused so much anger in India.

For the Chinese, the whole issue is an Indian creation; it is a false accusation; no Chinese has ever crossed the Line of Actual control. India has unnecessarily hyped this issue, they feel, that too just before the Chinese prime minister’s Delhi [ Images ] visit which, if it materialises, will be his first foreign trip after assuming office.  Reaction no 1: When contacted by the Global Times on Thursday, China's foreign ministry said it couldn't verify the news, as it doesn't have the relevant information at present.

The Indian embassy in Beijing referred the inquiry to China's foreign ministry without confirming the report. If verified, it would be Li's first overseas visit as premier.  Reaction no 2: After dismissing reports about alleged trespassing by Chinese troops for three days in a row, on Thursday, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry, once again refuted accusations that China had provoked border tensions.

"China and India are neighbours. Given that their lines of demarcation haven't been finalised, it's inevitable that problems may arise in the border region.  Reaction no 3: Han Hua, director of the Center for Arms Control and Disarmament at the School of International Studies under Peking University, told the Global Times that choosing India as the first stop of the premier's visit shows China's will to improve ties, but that the current standoff may cast a shadow on the visit.

‘Reports about Chinese troops' cross-border patrols are not rare in Indian media. However, the latest hyping came at an inappropriate time before the premier's visit, and it was also inappropriate to summon the ambassador,’ Han said, adding there had been speculation that New Delhi may hope to ‘fish in troubled waters’ as Beijing is caught in an island dispute with Tokyo.  India loses nothing by showing a little patience and even as she reinforces her fortification.

But this government is mired in too many domestic issues and is showing a tendency of ‘giving up’. It needs to hold on till the next government is chosen more wisely by the electorate but seems to be incapable of even doing that.

It is indeed a sad moment in our history.

Cheen Sirf Shakti Ki Bhasha Samajhta Hai --Jansatta column

2013-04-27T10:43:00.002-07:00

Sakura Ki Gandh- an incredible story- Indian experience in Japan- my column in Jansatta, 14th April 2013

2013-04-22T10:10:00.002-07:00

Horrible tales of the Pakistani Hindus and the King of the lions- Nahar Singh

2013-04-21T12:11:00.003-07:00

Shri Nahar Singh, the King of the Lions

On 20th April 2013, Shri Tarun Vijay addressed a large gathering of JNU students at Tapti hostel, which was attended by the Pakistani Hindu men and women who spoke about the horrendous treatment meted out to them by Pakistani taliban cowards. They cant sport Bindi, Hindu pandits have to wear half skull Muslim caps, Hindu girls are abducted and converted against their will and their forced marriages done under the protection of the courts. Shri Tarun Vijay said that the Pakistanis torturing and violating the Human rights of their fellow Hindu citizens are the cowards of the third rate who cant win against India in a open war like a man and a soldier, and hence show a false bravado like thieves and pick pockets by killing, raping and converting the members of minuscule Hindu minority. In 1947 Hindu population in Pakistan was about 30% and in 1951 it was reduced to 21%, which has become less than 1 % now. where have all

Shri Tarun Vijay speaking to JNU students. to his right are Shri Vinod Bansal and Shri Nahar Singh and Shri Ravindra Gupta. On right Pakistani Hindu youth are wearing the T shorts with a message-' Left the land but not the Dharma. '

Seema from Karachi speaking about the torture they had to suffer in Pakistan, we may die but never return to Pakistan.

A group pic out side the Tapti hostel, JNU.

Another Group pic

the Hindus gone? Why not a single Muslim leader in Pakistan , boasting to create a Naya Pakistan has the pains and the woes of Pakistani Hindus on their agenda? To keep silence on the pains and grave human rights violations of Pakistani Hindus is shameful and shows a dehumanized and de- nationalized character of the Indian left and the Islamists. He narrated stories from his Pakistan journeys in the last ten years and said that in Lahore and Karachi, he couldn't find a single book on Pakistani Hindus or their pilgrim centers. Last year when he had visited Islamabad, Lahore and Taxila with the Loksabha speaker Mrs Miera Kumar, he had specifically requested the Pakistani and Indian diplomats responsible for the hospitality and travel arrangements, that he wants to visit at least one Hindu temple. But they couldnt take him to any, as there was not a single Hindu temple in Lahore or Islamabad. A Pakistani Hindu youth said that in the wake of India's Ram movement, 317 temples were demolished in Pakistan but not a single case has been registered.

Shri Nahar Singh, from Haryana said that when he heard of Pakistani Hindus being harassed by Indian police he offered his house, having 28 rooms in Haryana free of cost.. In fact all the rooms were rented out to various families but he got them vacated in two days, suffering a loss of about 50 thousand rupees per month, and gave 150 Pakistani Hindus shelter in his house. He was cheered by the students. Shri Nahar Singh said that Muslims got 25% of land with 100 % reservation in the form of Pakistan, now why do they remain silent when the Hindus are tortured in Pakistan? Why should they demand more reservation in India?

One Pakistani Hindu mother said that his 21 year old son was taken away by Taliban and he never came back, Only the picture of his son's dead body was shown to her. She couldn't even know whether he was buried ? The Hindus are denied permission to the last rites of their dead because the local Muslims object . There is no cremation ground in Lahore. Another mother told about Bharati, who fled Pakistan leaving behind her three day old son with her parents.

The students, all belonging to ABVP, said that the left wing students organisations, often too vocal on human rights issues have kept a studied silence over the plight of Pakistani Hindus. For them, unless you are a Muslim you have no right to complain about the human rights violations.
Students leaders Vikas Yadav, Mamta Tiwari, Ravindra Gupta, , several Pakistani Hindus and media incharge of VHP Shri Vinod Bansal also spoke.

Why Google lied?

2013-04-20T21:09:00.001-07:00

Google case referred to MHA for investigations by CBI-cyber crime cell

Will ensure Google India abides by Indian law- Tarun Vijay , MP

20th April 2013- New Delhi- Mr Tarun Vijay, Member of Parliament and Member, Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of External Affairs told today that he has been informed by Delhi Police Commissioner Mr Neeraj Kumar that the case against Google India for violating Indian mapping laws has been recommended to be investigated by the cyber crime cell of the CBI and sent to Home Ministry for taking further action as the case is a national issue,far bigger than the Delhi territory.Mr Tarun Vijay said that he will ensure that Google India abides by the Indian laws and is not allowed to spread half truths making a mockery of the Survey of India's legitimate complaint. He said that he has already given a call attention notice in Parliament in this regard and hopes govt will come out with a statement on this issue which has made the Indian defence establishment and intelligence agencies see red in the Google's arrogance that has publicly shown Air Force stations, ammunition depots, identifying the positions of the fighter planes making it possible to compare their location changes on the time line.

Mr Tarun Vijay said that the Google has sent a sort of reply to the Surveyor General of India and released the content to the media which depicted the time honoured institution of Survey of India in a poor light falsifying the message as if the onus lies on the Survey of India . He applauded the befitting reply given by the Surveyor General of India to Google which exposed the lies of the Google India . He also quoted from this letter ( dated 17th April 2013) which said,"In your response to Sh. MI Mallik, Director, Survey (Air) & Dehli GDC, Survey of India, R.K Puram, New Delhi you have stated that you had a discussion with him, which is false. In fact, neither you nor any of your representatives have met Sh. MI Mallik, Director, Survey (Air) & Delhi GDC nor visited his office."

Mr Tarun Vijay said that he fully supports the Govt action in this regard and has also spoken to the Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technolgy Mr Ramasamy urging him to be firm in protecting the national interest. He said that the govt., through the Surveyor General of India's latest letter has clearly told Google that their action is "jeopardizing the national security. In matters of national security any responsible citizen or agency takes necessary corrective action as suggested by the Government of India agency immediately. Your continued activities with implications leading to compromise of National Security are objectionable and could amount to serious offence."

Can we take the objection of India's premier state agency in mapping lightly and allow Google to play with the India laws and defence sensitivities? Vijay asked.

2013-03-02T02:05:00.001-08:00

Indian Express- Defence Min Antony and BJP MP Tarun Vijay in Parliament

2013-02-28T09:53:00.001-08:00

Mr Katju is a very busy man

2013-02-20T06:46:00.001-08:00

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/mr-katju-is-a-very-busy-man

Tarun Vijay

19 February 2013, 01:10 PM IS

Having termed 90% of Indians as 'idiots', Mr Markandey Katju, the headline-grabber chairman of the Press Council of India has been supported by the Congress for his recent utterances. Nothing surprising.  Mr Katju is a very busy man. Except the Press Council, everything gets his attention.  

His job was to serve the cause of a free and fearless media and turn the Press Council into an effective instrument to safeguard the rights and privileges of journalists and address the grievances of the people in this regard.  He has failed in that assigned duty. It will be interesting to know how many days he actually attended the office and addressed issues that affect the credibility of his institution and the media at large.  Instead, he loved to become a political spokesperson enjoying perks and privileges at public expense.  

Some of his gems are like this:  

"I say ninety percent of Indians are idiots. You people don't have brains in your heads. It is so easy to take you for a ride."  "First of all, let me tell you one thing -- Pakistan is no country. It is a fake country."  And the media reported from Kolkata: "Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju has described west Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee as 'intolerant and whimsical' and warned her that she would lose power if she did not change."   And the reply that came soon was this: "Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit back at her critics with the remark 'raja chale bazaar, kutta bhouke hazaar' (the king walks unperturbed as dogs bark)." The comment is believed to have been aimed at a letter by Press Council of India chief Markandey Katju.'   

In a country which has the world's largest newspaper industry having more than 82,237 registered newspapers out of which 4,853 new newspapers were registered during 2010-11 and according to the annual report of World Association of Newspapers (WAN) 2011 an estimated 330 million newspapers are circulated daily in the country, the premier official body concerning media affairs received only 90 complaints in the last four years, and even 'out of the 90 complaints, more than 40 were filed four years ago'.

On an independent media watch site, The Hoot, Indira Akoijam writes, "delay in adjudications on the part of the Press Council made the complainants to either stop pursuing the case or such complaints to be disposed of depending on the Inquiry Committee. Three pending cases from the year 2007 were taken up for adjudication in 2011 and 2012. The Press Council does not cite anywhere in its published index of adjudications as to why the cases remained pending from 2007 until taken up in 2011- 2012."  

An example of a serious complaint which was taken up for hearing after 12 months, illustrates the 'active' nature of the PCI: "In one case, a suo motu inquiry was directed on the reported attack on the offices of Kannada Prabha and Jaya Kirna, which appeared in The Hindustan Times, The Hindu and The Times of India. The complaint was filed on 22nd March 2010 …The complaint was finally heard on 27th February 2012 where the complainants informed that they had no grievances and hence, the Inquiry Committee dropped the suo motu inquiry."   Another example of how the issues of press and morality was dealt with is an eye opener. "Two complaints were filed under this category ( Press and Morality), one dealing with an inappropriate portrayal of women in an advertisement by a local newspaper in Assam, and use of an indecent picture of a woman in one of the articles in India Today, New Delhi. One complaint was dismissed as no one appeared for the hearing and in the other case (Assam news daily, Asomiya Pratidin) PCI advised the newspaper not to accept advertisements that may corrupt young minds." (http://thehoot.org/web/HoweffectiveisthePressCouncil/6292-1-1-9-true.html) .

The Press Council under Mr Katju has become so ineffective that newspapers and magazines against which the complaints are filed often ignore its call to appear for hearing or remain dismissive of its 'cautionary advises'. Mr Katju remains soft on anti-national writings. In one case, filed by the Army against the highly objectionable and seditious article published in a Srinagar daily, the Press Council simply cautioned the editor to be more careful in the future and in another case , the editor or the owner ignored its show cause notice. What did Mr Katju do? Press Council 'expressed displeasure when the respondent did not appear for the hearing on the show cause notice. The case was subsequently dropped".  

Indira Akoijam in her brilliant analysis opines about the Press Council's conduct, "even in cases dealing with morality, plagiarism, paid news and harassment, the strictest decisions only amount to being censured ... More than the fate of the cases filed before the Council, which often come to a tame end, the point to note is that several recent controversies involving members of the print media do not even come up before it. These include cases of election-time paid news, the controversies regarding the Radia tapes where print journalists were involved, the publishing of mms pictures by a leading Hindi daily, cases of regional newspapers reporting hate speech, and so on."  

But ostensibly a busy Mr Katju has no time to devote on such issues for which he was appointed. Instead, he has given an impression of being an applicant in a hurry to the media cell of a political party. It's quite natural that like a mother comes to defend her errand son, a national leader of the Congress has dutifully come to rescue him.

ASEAN India relations- Delhi Dialogue V- my article on it in Amar Ujala

2013-02-20T06:44:00.000-08:00

Festival of Sanskrit Literature, Ujjain

2013-02-12T08:17:00.002-08:00

Afzal Guru's hanging: My Rediff.Com column and Supreme Court's observation on the involvement of Afzal Guru- bare facts

2013-02-09T07:06:00.002-08:00

February 09, 2013 17:40 IST

http://www.rediff.com/news/column/afzal-guru-hanging-move-on-make-india-terror-free/20130209.htm

Unless we learn to forget our differences and stand together as Indians first, earnestly believing that the cause of the Motherland is bigger than the interests of our groups and parties, the terrorist network cannot be rooted out, says Tarun Vijay.

Afzal Guru was a dreaded terrorist who was part of a meticulously planned attack on India's parliamentarians by the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Tayiba [ Images ].

The five jihadis attacked the greatest symbol of India's democratic life. It was termed as a 'war on the Indian State' by the Government of India.

The braveheart security personnel foiled the attack by the cowards and it is time we pay tribute to them with a solemn pledge to defend the nation with characteristic Indian solidarity and might.

It is unfortunate that while the entire nation, rising above religious and party lines, has welcomed the long-awaited execution, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar [ Images ] expressed 'sadness'.

The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat -- an umbrella body of several Muslim organisations -- condemned Afzal Guru's hanging. The organisation's President Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan told Rediff.com that Guru's execution was 'unjustified and he did not get a fair trial'.

Anything surprising here?

The attack on December 13, 2001, shook the nation. It was a black day. The Supreme Court judgment (of August 4, 2005) gives a graphic description of the ferocity and destructive intentions of the terrorists: There is practically no dispute in regard to the details of actual incident, the identification of the deceased terrorists and the recoveries and other investigations made at the spot. Five heavily-armed persons entered the Parliament House complex in a white Ambassador car. The said five persons were heavily armed with automatic assault rifles, pistols, hand and rifle grenades, electronic detonators, spare ammunition, explosives in the form of improvised explosive devices, tiffin bombs and a sophisticated bomb in a container in the boot of the car made with an enormous quantity of ammonium nitrate. The high court observed: 'The fire power was awesome enough to engage a battalion and had the attack succeeded, the entire building with all inside would have perished.' It was a fortuitous circumstance that the Vice-President's carcade, which was awaiting departure from Gate 11 was blocking the circular road outside the Parliament building, with the result the deceased terrorists were unable to get free and easy access to the Parliament House building. The attack was foiled due to the immediate reaction of the security personnel present at the spot and complex. There was a fierce gun-battle lasting for nearly 30 minutes.

Security agencies investigated and found Afzal Guru, Shaukat Hussain and S A R Geelani and Navjot Sandhu aka Afsan as the main plotters and accused them in the chargesheets filed in the designated special court presided by Justice S N Dhingra. The trial concluded in about six months and Afzal Guru, Shaukat Hussain and Geelani were convicted for offences under Sections 121, 121A, 122, Section 120B read with Sections 302 & 307 read with Section 120B IPC, sub-Sections (2), (3) & (5) of Section 3 and Section 4(b) of Prevention of Terrorism [ Images ] Act and Sections 3 & 4 of the Explosive Substances Act.

Navjot Sandhu aka Afsan was acquitted of all the charges except the one under Section 123 of the Indian Penal Code for which she was convicted and sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for five years and to pay a fine. Death sentences were imposed on the other three accused for offences under Section 302 read with Section 120B IPC and Section 3(2) of POTA.

A trial court sentenced Shaukat Hussain, a cousin of Afzal Guru, along with Afzal and Geelani, a Kashmiri lecturer working in Delhi [ Images ], to death on December 16, 2002.

While India was said to be almost on the verge of war with Pakistan over this issue, there were movements by the so-called secular elite to pressurise the government to free Afzal Guru and Geelani. The death sentences to these accused were opposed by the 'seculars' on various grounds.

The media was reporting on the involvement of the key conspirators in this manner: 'The attack on Parliament on December 13 was a joint operation of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT) terrorist groups in which a Delhi University lecturer, Syed A R Geelani, was one of the key facilitators in Delhi, Police Commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma said on Sunday.' (The Times of India [ Images ], December 17, 2001) and 'Varsity don guided fidayeen': 'During interrogation Geelani disclosed that he was in the know of the conspiracy since the day the 'fidayeen' attack was planned.'

According to The Hindu , a group called the Delhi University Teachers in Defence of S A R Geelani issued a statement bearing the signatures of 84 teachers from DU, JNU, Jamia Milia etc.

The statement said: 'Institute a high-level judicial inquiry into the illegal practices of the Special Branch of the Delhi police, including allegations of corruption, violations of fair trial standards and allegations of false encounters. Institute a judicial [inquiry] into the allegations made by Mohammad Afzal and his wife about the torture and extortion by the STF officers. Punish the guilty policemen who framed Mr Geelani and Afsan Guru.'

Author Arundhati Roy [ Images ] wrote a long essay in a popular news magazine defending Afzal Guru and said: 'In Kashmir [Images ], public opinion is equally overwhelming. Huge angry protests make it increasingly obvious that if Afzal is hanged, the consequences will be political. Some protest what they see as a miscarriage of justice, but even as they protest, they do not expect justice from Indian courts. They have lived through too much brutality to believe in courts, affidavits and justice any more.' 'Others would like to see Mohammed Afzal march to the gallows like Maqbool Butt, a proud martyr to the cause of Kashmir's freedom struggle,' Roy wrote. 'On the whole, most Kashmiris see Mohammed Afzal as a sort of prisoner-of-war being tried in the courts of an occupying power (which it undoubtedly is).'

Meanwhile Afzal Guru's family submitted a mercy petition to President A P J Abdul Kalam [ Images ] and in reaction, the family of Kamlesh Kumari, a Central Reserve Police Force jawan who attained martyrdom in the attack, warned that they would return the Ashok Chakra if the President accepted the petition.

On December 13, 2006, the families of the deceased returned the medals to the government to protest the delay in hanging Afzal Guru and the accusations of the secular elitist circles about the security forces for 'falsely implicating' the accused.

Later, the Delhi high court upheld the death sentence of Shaukat and Afzal, and acquitted Geelani in October 2003, stating that the proof based on phone-tapping was insufficient for his conviction.

In 2005, the Supreme Court overturned the death sentence of Shaukat and dismissed 12 of the charges slapped on him, reducing his jail term to 10 years. The apex court also upheld the death sentence on Afzal Guru and Geelani's acquittal.

On December 30, 2010, Shaukat Hussain Guru, sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, was released nine months prior to his official date of release due to his 'good conduct.'

The Supreme Court judgment, confirming the death sentence on Afzal Guru and acquitting Geelani, is really important and I am quoting some parts of it for the benefit of readers. Delivered on August 4, 2005, by a bench consisting of Justice P Venkatarama Reddi and Justice P P Naolekar, the document is too significant.

The phone calls

Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma of special cell/027PW66 undertook the investigations pertaining to the mobile phones. Phone call details were obtained and analysed from the respective cellular mobile service providers.

Analysis of the call records indicated that the number 9811489429 which was found on the ID cards, (subsequently discovered to be that of the accused Afzal) appeared to be integrally connected with the deceased terrorists and this number had been in frequent contact with the cell phone No 9810693456 (recovered from the deceased terrorist Mohammad at Gate No 1) continuously from 28.11.2001 till the date of the attack.

It was further revealed that this number of Afzal, namely, 9811489429, was in contact with the above cell phone of Mohammad, just before the incident, at 10.40 am, 11.04 am and 11.22 am. It was also ascertained that the said number of Afzal was activated only on 6.11.2001 close to the attack.

Further analysis of the cell phone call records showed that another cell phone number 9811573506 (subsequently discovered to be that of Shaukat and recovered from the 4th accused Afsan Guru) appeared to be in close contact with Afzal's number namely 9811489429 and these numbers were in contact with each other a few minutes before the attack on Parliament commenced. It was also found that the said number of Shaukat was activated only on 7.12.2001 just a week prior to the attack.

An analysis of the call records relating to Shaukat's mobile phone further revealed that soon after the attack, at 12.12 hours, there was a call from Shaukat's number to the cell phone number 9810081228 (subsequently discovered to be that of S A R Gilani) and there was a call from Gilani's number to Shaukat's number 10 minutes later. Moreover, it was ascertained that Gilani's number was in constant touch with the other two accused, namely Shaukat and Afzal. It transpired that Afzal's cell phone bearing number 9811489429 was reactivated on 7.12.2001 and the first call was from Gilani's number.

With the recoveries of the cell phones and SIM cards and on an analysis of the details of phone numbers noted on the slips of papers in the light of the call records, the investigation narrowed down to three numbers, namely, 9811489429, 9811573506 and 9810081228 which belonged to Afzal, Shaukat and Gilani respectively. It was also found that the first two numbers were cash cards and hence the details regarding their ownership were not available.

However, as regards 9810081228, the information was received from the service provider (Airtel) that S A R Gilani with the residential address 535, Dr Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi was the regular subscriber.'

On Geelani

At any rate, there is room for doubt. No doubt, as per the deposition of DW 6, the brother of Gilani and the version of Gilani in his statement under Section 313, the relevant query and answer was in the context of quarrel between him and his wife with regard to the Kashmir trip during Eid appears to be false in view of the tenor of the conversation. At the same time, in view of the discrepant versions, on an overall consideration, we are not inclined to disturb the finding of the high court.

However, we would like to advert to one disturbing feature. Gilani rejoiced and laughed heartily when the Delhi event was raised in the conversation. It raises a serious suspicion that he was approving of the happenings in Delhi. Moreover, he came forward with a false version that the remark was made in the context of domestic quarrel. We can only say that his conduct, which is not only evident from this fact, but also the untruthful pleas raised by him about his contacts with Shaukat and Afzal, give rise to serious suspicion at least about his knowledge of the incident and his tacit approval of it. At the same time, suspicion -- however strong -- cannot take the place of legal proof. Though his conduct was not above board, the Court cannot condemn him in the absence of sufficient evidence pointing unmistakably to his guilt. In view of the foregoing discussion we affirm the verdict of the high court and we uphold the acquittal of S A R Gilani of all charges.

On Afsan Guru

The trial court convicted her of the offence under Section 123 IPC imputing her the knowledge of conspiracy and concealing the evidence of design to wage war by reason of her illegal omission to inform the police. The high court acquitted her of the charge. We are of the view that the high court is fully justified in doing so. The prosecution case against this accused, who is the wife of Shaukat Hussain, is weak.

Every step taken towards eradication of terrorism and punishing the masterminds should be welcomed, but at the same time a solidarity among all Indians, irrespective of caste, religion and parochial affinities, should be forged to eliminate this menace which is eating away the vitals of the nation and seriously affecting the social fabric.

This is exactly the time when we must move in this direction and there is a role for all non-partisan leaders to come forward and be gamechangers for the nation.

Supreme Court Judgment

CASE NO.:

Appeal (crl.) 373-375 of 2004

PETITIONER:

STATE (N.C.T. OF DELHI)

RESPONDENT:

NAVJOT SANDHU@ AFSAN GURU

DATE OF JUDGMENT: 04/08/2005

BENCH:

P. VENKATARAMA REDDI & P.P. NAOLEKAR

JUDGMENT:

JUDGMENT

WITH

CRIMINAL APPEAL Nos. 376-378 OF 2004

STATE (N.C.T. OF DELHI) \005 APPELLANT

VERSUS

SYED ABDUL REHMAN GILANI \005 RESPONDENT

CRIMINAL APPEAL Nos. 379-380 OF 2004

SHAUKAT HUSSAIN GURU \005 APPELLANT

VERSUS

STATE (N.C.T. OF DELHI) \005 RESPONDENT

CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 381 OF 2004

MOHD. AFZAL \005 APPELLANT

VERSUS

STATE (N.C.T. OF DELHI)

P. VENKATARAMA REDDI, J.

Circumstances against Afzal

We shall now consider the circumstantial evidence against Afzal

independent of and irrespective of the confession.

The first circumstance is that Afzal knew who the deceased terrorists

were. He identified the dead bodies of the deceased terrorists. PW76

(Inspector HS Gill) deposed that Afzal was taken to the mortuary of Lady

Harding Medical College and he identified the five terrorists and gave their

names. Accordingly, PW76 prepared an identification memo\027Ext.PW76/1 which was signed by Afzal. In the postmortem reports pertaining to each of the deceased terrorists, Afzal signed against the column ’identified by’. On this aspect, the evidence of PW76 remained un-shattered. In the course of his examination under Section 313, Afzal merely stated that he was forced to identify by the police. There was not even a suggestion put to PW76 touching on the genuineness of the documents relating to identification memo. It may be recalled that all the accused, through their counsel, agreed for admission of the postmortem reports without formal proof. Identification by a person in custody of another does not amount to making a statement falling within the embargo of Section 162 of Cr.P.C. It would be admissible under Section 8 of Evidence Act as a piece of evidence relating to conduct of the accused person in identifying the dead bodies of the terrorists. As pointed out by Chinnappa Reddy, J. in Prakash Chand Vs. State (Delhi Admn.) [AIR 1979 SC 400]; "There is a clear distinction between the conduct of a person against whom an offence is alleged, which is admissible under Section 8 of the Evidence Act, if such conduct is influenced by any fact in issue or relevant fact and the statement made to a Police Officer in the course of an investigation which is hit by Section 162 Criminal Procedure Code. What is excluded by Section 162 Criminal(http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 65 of 107) Procedure Code is the statement made to a Police Officer in the

course of investigation and not the evidence relating to the conduct

of an accused person (not amounting to a statement) when

confronted or questioned by a Police Officer during the course of an

investigation. For example, the evidence of the circumstance,

simpliciter, that an accused person led a police officer and pointed

out the place where stolen articles or weapons which might have

been used in the commission of the offence were found hidden,

would be admissible as conduct, under Section 8 of the Evidence

Act, irrespective of whether any statement by the accused

contemporaneously with or antecedent to such conduct falls within

the purview of Section 27 of the EvidenceAct (vide Himachal

Pradesh Administration Vs. Om Prakash [AIR 1972 SC

975]). The second circumstance is the frequent telephonic contacts which Afjal had established with Mohammed. Even minutes before the attack, as many as three calls were made by Mohammed to Afzal from his phone No. 9810693456 which was operated with the instrument having IMEI No. 35066834011740(2) that was recovered from Mohammed’s body, as seen from Ext. PW 35/2. The SIM Card relating thereto was also found in Mohammed’s purse. Not only that, there is clear evidence to the effect that the mobile instruments were being freely exchanged between Afzal and Mohammed and other terrorists. This is the third circumstance.

Before going into the details on these aspects, it may be noted that the

handset found in the truck in which Afzal was travelling and which he pointed out to the police was having IMEI No. 350102209452430. It was a mobile phone instrument of Nokia make and it was being used for the operation of phone No. 9811489429. It is Ext.P-84. The evidence as to recovery was furnished by PW61 and PW62. Its IMEI number and the cell phone number with which it was being operated is established by the evidence of investigating officer coupled with the call records filed by the witnesses. It is also clear from the call record that it was the last instrument on which the said number \00589429 had been operated as late as 13.12.2001.

The fact that the instrument bearing number \005\005\00552430 was being

carried by Afzal in the truck would give rise to a reasonable inference that the cell-phone number with which the instrument was being operated was that of Afzal and the said phone number was under his use. The appellant, Afzal, apart from denying the recovery at Srinagar\027which denial cannot be said to be true, did not account for the custody of the phone. The said phone number cannot be related to Shaukat who was also travelling with Afzal because Shaukat was having his own phones which were seized from his residence on 15th December. In the circumstances, even a presumption under Section 114 can be drawn that the number 9811489429 was at all material times being used by the accused, Afzal.

The facts that the SIM card was not found in the mobile phone and that

the IMEI number of the instrument was not noted by PW 61 cannot be the

grounds to disconnect Afzal from the custody of the said phone. The IMEI

number found on the phone was sent to trace the number of the cell phone.

One more point has to be clarified. In the seizure memo (Ext. 61/4), the

IMEI number of Nokia phone found in the truck was noted as \005\00552432. That means the last digit ’2’ varies from the call records wherein it was noted as \005\00552430. Thus, there is a seeming discrepancy as far as the last digit is

concerned. This discrepancy stands explained by the evidence of PW 78 \026 a computer Engineer working as Manager, Siemens. He stated, while giving various details of the 15 digits, that the last one digit is a spare digit and the last digit, according to GSM specification should be transmitted by the mobile phone as ’0’. The witness was not cross-examined.

This mobile number ..89429 was also used in the instrument No. IMEI

449269219639010 recovered from the deceased terrorist Raja and was then

used in the handset having number 350102209452430(2) i.e. the instrument

recovered from the truck at Srinagar, as pointed out by the High Court at

paragraph 325 of the judgment. The instrument recovered from Raja was the

one used by Afzal i.e. on phone No.\00589429 between 6.11.2001 and

23.11.2001. The mobile instrument recovered from Rana (IMEI

(http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 66 of 107)

449269405808650) (Cell phone No.9810302438) was used by Mohammed who in turn was using the phone of Afzal also. This was the phone that was

purchased by Afzal from PW49\027Kamal Kishore.

Now, we shall proceed to give further details of the phone calls and the

instruments used, more or less in a chronological order insofar as they throw

light on the close association of Afzal with the deceased terrorists. The SIM

Cards related to the mobile phones bearing Nos. 9810693456 and 9810565284 were recovered from the purse of the deceased terrorist Mohammed. The first call from the first number was from Mohammed to a Delhi landline number on 21.11.2001. The first call to the second number was from Bombay on 24.11.2001. It shows that these two phones were activated by Mohammed in the third week of November, 2001 when he was in Delhi. It is established from the call records that the second call from the Bombay number to Mohammed was received when the said mobile number (9810565284) was being used in the handset having IMEI No. 449269219639010(2). This is the same handset which was used by Afzal with his phone number 9811489429 (vide Ext.P36/3).

Thus, it is clear that on 24.11.2001, Mohammed was in control of the handset which was being used by Afzal which reveals the nexus between both.

Evidence of the computer experts PWs 72 & 73 together with their

reports (Ext.PW73/1 & 73/2) would reveal that a file named Radhika.bmp was created on the laptop (Ext.P83) on 21.11.2001 wherein an identity card in the name of Sanjay Sharma is found and it contains the address No.10, Christian Colony, where Mohammed was staying and the phone No. 9811489429 (belonging to Afzal). The other I.Cards recovered from the body of the deceased terrorist which were fake ones, were also prepared from the same laptop as established by the testimony of PW72 and PW59. Thus, together with the activation of phones, simultaneous activity on the laptop to create bogus I.Cards was going on at the same time i.e. 21.11.2001 onwards.

On 28.11.2001, Afzal, having phone No. 9811489429 called Mohammed

to his No. 9810693456. Then there was a lull from 30.11.2001 till 6.12.2001.

This gap is explained by the prosecution by referring to the confessional

statement of Afzal wherein he said that towards the end of November, he

(Afzal) went to Kashmir and came back to Delhi along with two other terrorists in the first week of December. But as the confessional statement is not taken into account, we cannot take note of that explanation. On 5th December, 2001, Mohammed called two Dubai numbers from his mobile phone No. 9810565284 and the call record\027Ext.PW35/4 would show that Mohammed made those calls to Dubai by using the same handset which was being used by Afzal for his number 9811489429. PW49, who identified Afzal in the Court, testified to the

fact that Afzal had purchased Motorola mobile phone of model 180 from his

shop on 4.12.2001 which tallies with the description of the phone bearing the IMEI number referred to above.

The next point to be noted is that the said phone instrument bearing

IMEI No. \005\00539010 was finally recovered from the deceased terrorist Raja as per the seizure memo (Ext.PW2/2). A perusal of the call record discloses that the said instrument was being used by the accused Afzal (with his number ...89429) till the noon of 12.12.2001. It shows that such interchange of phones would not have been possible, but for the meeting of the Afzal with the slain terrorists on 12th December. There were calls to the mobile number 9810693456 the SIM Card of which was recovered from the body of Mohammed vide Ext.PW4/8 and which was being operated from the instrument IMEI No. 449269405808650 (Ext.PW35/5). On 7th & 8th December, Afzal called Mohammed seven times from his phone No. 9811489429 to Mohammed’s No. 9810693456 and the said mobile of Mohammed was being used in IMEI No. \005808650 (Ext.PW35/5). Thus Mohammed used the same Motorola phone (Ext.P28) which was finally recovered from the deceased Raja vide seizure memo (Ext.PW2/2) on the SIM card (described as ’Magic Card’) for the No.

9810693456 and the said card was recovered from Mohammed vide

Ext.PW4/8. As per the testimony of PW49, the said Ext.P28 was purchased by Afzal. It is pertinent to note that the said instrument was never used by Afzal though it was purchased by him but it was being used by Mohammed and it ultimately reached Raja.

The deposition of PW44 discloses that Afzal, who was identified by him in

the Court, came to his shop on 7th or 8th December and purchased a mobile

phone of J70 model of Sony make which he identified as Ext.P-37 seized under

(http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 67 of 107)

Ext.PW4/14 from the body of Mohammed. Its IMEI number was

35066834011747/2 and its cell-phone number was found to be 9810511085.

This fact would only lead to the inference that contemporaneous to the crucial incident of 13th December, Afzal met Mohammed and supplied the handset of the mobile phone. That apart, we find the exchange of calls between them.

From the call records in Parts VI & IX, it is evident that Afzal was in touch with Mohammed over phone on seven occasions on 7th and 8th December and they

were using the two phones with the Cell numbers referred to supra, though,

two or three calls of them were of very short duration. It may also be noticed

that a satellite phone contacted Afzal for a short-while on his number

9811489429 and the same satellite phone contacted Mohammed on his phone No. 9810693456 on 10th December for five minutes. On 12th December, Mohammed contacted Raja for 83 seconds and thereafter a satellite phonecontacted Mohammed for 11 minutes and the same satellite phone contacted Raja twice for about 3= minutes. This is borne out by call records at volume VI. The phone number of Raja was 9810510816 as discovered from the phone

instrument recovered from his body.

Then we come to the crucial day i.e. 13.12.2001. Mohammed called

Afzal thrice at 10.43, 11.08 and 11.25 a.m., i.e. just before the attack on the

Parliament. This is borne out by the call records of 9810693456 and

9811489429 (phones traceable to Mohammed and Afzal, respectively). At

about the same time, there was exchange of calls between Afzal and Shaukat

on their phone numbers .\005.89429 and \005\005.73506. The call records at Part IX, Page 20 pertaining to 9811489429\027the user of which can be traced to Afzal and the instruments recovered would reveal that the SIM Card pertaining to the said mobile number (\00589429) was activated on 6th November and was used on the handset bearing IMEI No. 449269219639010 recovered from the deceased terrorist Raja as per Ex. PW2/2. The call record would further show

that its user was discontinued on 29th November till 7th December, when,

again, it was put to use on 12th December. The last call was at 12 noon.

Thereafter, the SIM Card pertaining to this number (i.e. \005.89429) was used in the handset No. 350102209452430, which is the instrument (Ext.P84) recovered from the truck at Srinagar, on being pointed out by Afzal. The picture that emerges is this: The fact that an instrument used by Afzal (with the phone number 9811489429) till 12.12.2001 was recovered from one of the deceased terrorists on the date of incident, reveals that Afzal would have necessarily met the deceased terrorist between the afternoon of 12th December and the morning of 13th December.

One point urged by Shri Sushil Kumar is that although the sanction order

authorized the interception of Phone No. \005..06722, there is no evidence

regarding the details of investigation of the calls made or received from that

number. No question was put to the witnesses on this point. It is quite

probable that the investigator would have entertained some suspicion in this

regard and would have, by way of caution sought permission to intercept. That does not cast a cloud on the prosecution case built up on the basis of the call records pertaining to the phones used by the accused. We can draw no adverse inference from the fact that the details of aforementioned number was not given.

(vi) Hideouts and recoveries

The other circumstances which prominently shed light on the

involvement of the accused Afzal relate to the discovery of the abodes or

hideouts of the deceased terrorists and the recovery of various incriminating

articles therefrom as well as the identification of certain shops from where the appellant and one or the other deceased terrorist purchased various items used for preparation of explosives etc. These are spoken to by PW76\027Inspector Gill, the landlords of the concerned premises and the shopkeepers. The informations furnished to the Investigating Officers leading to the discovery of facts and the conduct of the accused in pointing out the places where the terrorists stayed are admissible either under Section 27 or Section 8 of the Evidence Act and they supplement the evidence furnished by the I.Os., the landlords and the shopkeepers.

My column in Jansatta today. On using AFSPA removal demand to denigrate the army and Vishwaroopam/Nandy controversy.

2013-02-02T22:27:00.000-08:00

Swami Vivekananda 150th birth anniversary at DBS College, Dehradun. Media clippings

2013-02-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

Banning `Vishwaroopam` against idea of India: Tarun Vijay

2013-02-01T03:08:00.001-08:00

http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/bollywood/banning-vishwaroopam-against-idea-of-india-tarun-vijay_127216.htm

Last Updated: Friday, February 01, 2013, 14:06

Tags: Vishwaroopam, Tarun Vijay, Kamal Haasan, Ashis Nandy

New Delhi: The ban on Kamal Haasan`s film ‘Vishwaroopam’ and the controversy over social analyst Ashis Nandy`s comments on caste and corruption in Jaipur reflected the intolerance of Indian policy makers and went against the "very grain of India", BJP MP Tarun Vijay has said.

"A silly ban on `Vishwaroopam` and the misinformed controversy on Ashish Nandy`s opinion show how intolerant Indian policy makers have become while the common people are tolerant, large-hearted, plural and democratic," Tarun Vijay said in a statement.

"One may disagree with Ashish Nandy on any number of issues, but his intellectual brilliance and integrity can`t be questioned. Similarly, to ban `Vishwaroopam` on flimsy, almost non-existent reasons shows an un-Indian attitude," the Rajya Sabha MP of the Bharatiya Janata Party said.

Nandy`s comment on corruption and caste at the Jaipur Literature Festival led to several FIRs being filed against him. On Friday, the Supreme Court stepped in to stop the Rajasthan Police from arresting him.

"Vishwaroopam" was banned by the Tamil Nadu government for scenes that some Muslim groups found objectionable.

Posing a question, "Is this the India we are proud of", Tarun Vijay compared the ban on Kamal Haasan`s mega budget spy thriller with the shooting of Mahatma Gandhi. Such bans, he said, show a "Talibanistic attitude".

Sixty-five years on, "the person" who assassinated Gandhi "still exists in the psyche of those who are intolerant to a different voice, just because it`s different. However healthy, academic or artistic it might be in its content".

In Tarun Vijay`s view, "to disagree and yet to be able to live with respect can happen only in the land of those who gave the world a unique concept of not just tolerating the different viewpoint but having a honourable place for the dissenters.

"If there is any thing derogatory, insulting and uncivil in a movie, please have the censor board cut it. But an innocent expression of ideas and opinion can`t be a reason for persecution," he said.

IANS

Jo Yuddh Se Darte Hain- Jansatta column

2013-01-21T10:06:00.001-08:00

Warriors and that savage country

2013-01-15T09:42:00.003-08:00

The Times of India.com

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/warriors-and-that-savage-country

Tarun Vijay

15 January 2013, 03:39 PM IST

The Army Day being celebrated today gives an extraordinary message in the prevailing circumstances. Surrounded by unfriendly countries, app 7 thousand kms of undecided border, two hostile nuclear powers and a savage army on our western front that keeps India bleeding in a cowardly, jackal like fashion.   Bravo to Gen Bikram Singh, who took up the cudgels and at last spoke the language India wanted to hear.   While the ministers remained mired in a myth of fake peace making, letting the soldier and the patriotic people down, Gen. Bikram Singh made it clear that the warriors are in no mood to take the barbarism of Pakistan lying down.

It was shocking for a nation to see that immediately Minister of External Affairs contradicted the army chief, in fact admonished him publicly. A report says -‘Despite Indian Army chief General Bikram Singh 's tough talk on Pakistan over ceasefire violations on the Line of Control (LoC) the government looks in no mood to indulge in confrontation with Islamabad. Downplaying Army chief's warning to Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said on Monday that the government did not want the peace process to get derailed.’   

The peace process of the pusillanimous rulers has become another threat to the national security apart from what Pakistan poses to us. What peace process? With whom? And at what cost?   Isn’t the soldier’s dignity and Izaat foremost for us?   Who were the two soldiers, beheaded by the savage Pakistani army and whom did they belong to? Does this government feel any affinity with those who die for the nation? This political state apparatus shows feelings for or fears only the media reports and their impact on its public image. Those leaders who run to pay homage to even an octogenarian politician, who might have been thoroughly corrupt and died due to illness, never found time to pay homage to the martyred soldiers at the time of their last rites. It was only when the media reported their absence with scathingly harsh comments and the family members of Lance Naik Hemraj sat on hunger strike, the chief minister of the state rushed to the spot and met the bereaved family. And well, the union govt. announced bravery awards to be given on the Republic Day. 

 So phony it all looked, so insincere.   

Another worthy minister from UP ‘Ram Karan Arya said that the demand of the family for the severed head of martyr Lance Naik Hemraj Singh was petty.   Such politicians would have received harshest possible reprimand from the people in any country, but alas, we have been tolerating such small people at top positions far too long. When we see how President Obama salutes and pays homage to the dead soldiers, often reproducing finest words from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and saying the martyrdom of the soldiers would give "A New Birth of Freedom", the Indian leaders talk to the media in a lackadaisical, ‘matter of fact’ manner that lacks commitment.   

We have leaders who lead us in just pettiness and failures often demoralizing the warriors. They don’t find just the right words to boost the morale of the soldiers because they never speak from their hearts when they are speaking to the warriors. For them they are just another class of employees, who serve for a salary.   Then why do we observe Army Day every year with such fanfare, gaiety and somberness?   Isn’t this is the day to remind the warriors that the entire nation stands with them, they are our most honoured defenders of Motherland and their honour and dignity is the foremost in the eyes of the people and the State? This day in 1948 Lieutenant General K. M. Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief. Hence the observance of 15th January every year to salute the valiant soldiers.  

 Is this the way we should be doing it?  

The soldiers who have shown extraordinary courage and perseverance in the oddest of all situations, who stand guard at -80 degree Celsius at Siachin, who have fought to the last bullet and the last man, in 1962, 1965, 1971 and the Kargil wars, who have a family tradition preserved for the last many generations, in some cases 10 to 15 generations, to join the forces and fight for the Matribhumi, the holy Motherland, deserve much better.   They live as a soldier and die as a soldier. Still they, the warriors of the nation, the protectors of our lives and land, do not find a voice from the government who would swear to the nation to take revenge on the unrepentant wicked and the savage.

Surely a government that oscillates to build a war Memorial to the martyrs even after six decades of a great legacy of the warriors, is capable of showing such a defeatist attitude. And to rub salt on the wound, when the army chief says something that he should be saying, the minister contradicts him publicly and issues a self-defeating statement on the day when soldiers celebrate Army Day.   Nobody in India wants a war or provokes the neighbor to get wild. It is the sham secular Anglicized brown sahibs who use insultingly the word’ jingoistic’ for the voices of patriotism.

Since we got our truncated freedom, we have been relentlessly trying to be more than reasonable and make peace with the neighbors. But immediately after we saw the day of ,‘tryst with destiny’, Pakistan attacked in September 1947. Then the Kutch skirmish, followed by 1965, 1971, Kargil, supporting and encouraging Khalistani terrorism under their ‘thousand cut’ policy, Kashmir separatism and terrorism infiltration into our territory, continuing with terrorist training camps, ISI’s operations in South and the NE, fake currency attacks, inviting Chinese PLA to POK, a territory claimed by us… what is left anymore that needs us to say- come what may we shall continue with our peace initiative?   

Pakistan government has proved hundreds of times that it is dishonest, liar, and a unreliable dialogue partner. India gave them Most Favored Nation status way back, 16 years before. They are still mulling to return the favor. We took bus to Lahore, welcomed the butcher of Kargil at Agra, give invitations enveloped in fat packets of dollars to them to come and participate in our conclaves in Delhi, still they refuse to help in our probe against terror, remain blind to our substantial evidences, keep the terror kingpins safe in their lap and behead our soldiers.   

Carry on Mr Minister. May be next time you may think to hold a Qawwali programme in Islamabad to please them and change their heart!!   Ram is celebrated and revered not because he left Sita with Ravana saying freeing her would mean war and I am a peacenik, hence returning Ayodhya, sacrificing my consort for the sake of a higher goal, the peace.   We do not celebrate Dusshera for the last thousands of years because Ram didn’t punish an unrepentant wicked Ravana. Each of our gods has punished the bad, the ugly and the savage. Each of our heroes, whether Vikramaditya, Guru Govind Singh, or Shivaji or the Chola kings have shown that they can fight and annihilate the agents of barbarism.   If our peace initiative receives beheaded bodies of our sons, it’s a sin not to swear and say, we shall avenge it.

My Gairsain Declaration released at the sacred place of Uttarakhand struggle, Gairsain on 13th January 2013

2013-01-14T22:31:00.003-08:00

Our beheaded soldiers: What would Swami Vivekananda have done?

2013-01-14T10:57:00.002-08:00

http://www.rediff.com/news/column/our-beheaded-troops-what-would-vivekananda-have-done/20130114.htm

Our beheaded soldiers: What would Swami Vivekananda have done?

Tarun Vijay

January 14, 2013 17:46 IST

To me, admiring Vivekananda also means being aggressive against those who have wronged us, especially those who are unrepentant like Pakistan, says Tarun Vijay.

While celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of the rebel monk Swami Vivekananda on January 12, 2013, shouldn't those who claim to be his followers and those who say they admire him, think what that 'cyclonic Hindoo monk' would have done to Pakistan if he were alive today?

He was the ochre-robed Sanyasi, a monk, who never delineated nation from Dharma. For him the nation was the embodiment of the living deity, Durga.

Like Sri Aurobindo, who conceptualised Mother India as Bhawani Bharati, Vivekananda stood for the rejuvenation of India and hence he represented the greatest heroes of our nation in Guru Gobind Singh and Shivaji.

With a razor-sharp intellect, he hit hard at those who derided India and her community. He challenged them, admonished them, used hard language against them, but kept the honour and dignity of India And Indians high.

He never yielded, never compromised on such issues. For him, it was a sin for a sanyasi seeking his own moksha, salvation, and remaining aloof from his environment. And so was for other civilians who took shelter under a discriminating ritualistic Dharma that was ruthless and inhuman to other humans on the basis of caste, creed or province.

He must be looked at now after what is happening today.

A martyr's body, a soldier of the Indian army [ Images ], who was barbarically beheaded, is brought to his hometown and none from the political echelons attends his last rites. The mother of the martyred soldiers wails in vain.

None from the higher circles is there to console her, wipe her tears and say, 'O mother, your son sacrificed his life for the motherland, the entire nation shares your grief, please be proud of your brave son.'

Why do we live?

We live to find people who can be a part of our joys and sorrows. A mother who has lost her son needs consolation.

None was available.

Maybe because she was not a celebrity, or the political rulers felt that it wouldn't bring them votes or media projection.

Fie on them! They are better dead than to be controlling our destinies.

Even when a politician, however corrupt or wrong he might have been in his active life, dies because of a prolonged illness in his cozy bed at home, everyone rushes to pay tribute to him; lying through their teeth as they attribute the best virtues to his departed soul.

But we don't show even an iota of respect for our dead soldiers.

If Vivekananda were alive, would he have remained a silent spectator to this scenario saying he is a monk, and that his occupation is to do penance in the Himalayas?

The Kargil [ Images ] war saw such savagery. In an analysis, it is stated that 'Fidayeen attacks began after the Kargil war, which had its share of barbarity. Pakistani soldiers in the Kaksar sector captured a six-man patrol led by Captain Saurabh Kalia. Kalia and his men were tortured for 22 days, executed, and their mutilated bodies handed back to the Indian Army.'

Captain Kalia's father is fighting a lone battle for his dead son's honour in the international human rights body.

A report, published in the wake of the 'head-hunter' savages of the Islamic republic of Pakistan, says, 'In July 2011, the Indian Army hushed up the brutal killing of Havildar Jaipal Singh Adhikari and Lance Naik Devender Singh of the Rajput regiment [ Images ] in Kupwara district. Their bodies were sent to their families in Uttarakhand [ Images ] in sealed caskets as they were 'badly mutilated' and cremated as such. Their deaths were attributed to a firefight with militants along the border.'

What happened after that?

Absolutely nothing.

The news, the real story behind it, the wailings of the parents of these soldiers was all forgotten and the media too found new topics and moved ahead.

It's true that Pakistan has inherited the legacy of the barbarian savages, who talk sweetly at the table, but show their fangs once they are back in their homestead.

Backstabbing and lying, getting sold to the highest bidder in the dollar market, obeying serf-like to the powerful and becoming ruthless to the seemingly weak are their peculiar characteristics.

The Americans killed Osama bin Laden [ Images ], threw more dollars and kept them satisfied. During Pervez Musharraf's [ Images ] time, the Washington Post published a caricature showing him as a dog licking the shoes of his master Uncle Sam. Musharraf showed some anger, but again boot polished his masters at Capitol Hill once he was given more dollars.

One can deal with such mafiosi governance, where, like Somalian pirates, none knows who the real decision maker is.

But here is a government which has even shamed the word 'pusillanimous'.

On a television channel when I asked if there was one person in India who would not demand revenge against Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Tayiba [ Images ] founder Mohammad Saeed's head, the honourable minister, representing the Government of India said, 'This is not the way a nation is run.'

I said, 'Please tell us Sir, how is it run? If you feel this demand is a bad one, why did India want Saeed to be extradited? To give him a rousing welcome or to send him to the gallows? And if I am too harsh, would you go for a mushaira in Islamabad [ Images ] to further effect a change of heart?'

India is still not considering the withdrawal of the Most Favourable Nation status to Pakistan; neither is the government thinking about an economic blockade against Pakistan; and South Block is still not considering unleashing an international campaign to expose Pakistan's inhuman savage legacy since 1947.

Living in the land of Guru Gobind Singh and Shivaji and behaving like cowards will not help.

To me, admiring Vivekananda also means to be aggressive on the wrong doer, especially against those who are unrepentant like Pakistan.

A nation that cannot express its anger and swear revenge when their sons return mutilated; even the gods will refuse to save such a spineless Republic.

Tarun Vijay is a member of the Rajya Sabha; member, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, national spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party, and honorary director, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, New Delhi

The world's greatest Hindu saint, Pujya Pramukh Swami blesses my Hindi book-Man Ka Tulsi Chaura

2013-01-09T19:13:00.002-08:00

Pujya Pramukh Swami at Shahi Baugh, Amdavad, Swaminarayan Temple, with my book Man Ka Tulsi Chaura

Seeking blessings from Pujya Doctor Swami

Speaking to the devotees

Pujya Mahant Swami blessing the book

Pujya Mahant Swami holding my book and showing to the devotees as a mark of release and blessings

Pujya Pramukh Swami of the Swaminarayan sect is revered the world over as the highest representative of the Hindu faith. at 92, he still moves around and blesses his folowers. Swaminarayan sect is today undoubtedly the greatest reformist and futuristic flow of Hinduism. On 6th january 2013, the youth wing of Swaminarayan BAPS celebrated its 60th anniversar. I had the honour of being invited for this great event and the global head of the Swaminarayan, Pujya Pramukh Swami, inspite of indisposition, came out , holding my book in his pious hands and blessing it. earlier Pujya Doctor swami and Mahant swami had blessed the book and i had that rarest of rare opportunity to speak to thousands of devotees who had gathered on that occasion. here are some pictures of that day.

Meeting President of Nepal H.E. Ram Baran Yadav

2012-12-30T22:56:00.003-08:00

Shri Tarun Vijay meeting the President of Nepal Shri Ram Baran Yadav at Nepal Embassy reception. They discussed briefly India Nepal relations

China's fastest train- have a visual tour and think when can we better them!!

2012-12-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

Beijing departure station for the fastest trains