Civil Rights Groups, keeping in mind the challenges today and the upcoming general elections, organised a convention on, “Steps Towards Hope,” at Constitutional Club of India in the national capital on March 18.
Civil Rights groups, academicians, political leaders and lawyers in this day-long convention expressed their views on hate ideology, fake encounters, hate crimes, mob lynchings, atrocities against minorities, Dalits, Tribals and marginalised sections, as well as on socio-political challenges before and after 2019polls.
The convention was organised by United Against Hate in association with PVCHR, PUCL (Delhi), United Christian Forum, Quill Foundation, Rihai Manch and APCR.
Senior Advocate Sanjay Hedge said the voice will not fall silent and we have to fight our battle on the streets, in Courts and in Parliament because it a fight between united powerful of the state and united powerless citizens.
A.C. Michael, former member of Delhi Minorities Commission, who was representing the United Christian Forum, said this election is not about a minority or majority but it is to ensure the basic rights of every Indian irrespective of religion. He also underlined the need for ensuring secular democratic rights, working beyond caste, creed and religion.
Fawaz Shaheen of Quill Foundation, while elaborating on the data collection and how it can help in the coming days, informed that an estimate of 759 hate crimes took place during the present regime which is no less than a national crisis. He also emphasised the need to recognise religious hatred as being a prominent constituent of such violence.
Hannan Mollah, Ex-MP and general secretary All India Kisan Sabha, who had played an instrumental role and led many notable Kisan marches in different parts of the country, asked all people to come together to defeat the fascist forces. According to him, mass struggle on the street is the only way-out to meet the present challenges.
However, Soni Sori, an Adivasi rights activist from Chhattisgarh, who has been fighting for the cause of Adivasis and their land, said we will not give our land till our last breath and continue to fight and struggle for the rights of Adivasis.
Professor Ratan Lal of Delhi University said the kind of protest marches and continuous resistance we have seen from the people against all odds make us believe that social movements have overshadowed political movements.
Professor Yogendra Yadav, founder of Swaraj Abhiyan, while speaking during the third session on Freedom from Hate: Responses from Members of Political Opposition, said we have served the issue of culture, nationalism by keeping it on a platter to the BJP. Today the entire elections are being hijacked and we all have failed to put forward our own narrative to counter the narrative they want to put before the people.
Aam Aadmi Party representative Dileep Pandey said that BJP generally claims to be a party of Hindus but is doing nothing for the welfare of the Hindus and working only on the agenda to serve its own interest. Sachin Rao of the Indian National Congress emphasised that every socio-political change should be based on constitutional morality.
Ali Khan, spokesperson of Samajwadi Party stressed on the need to preserve and protest the composite culture of the country and people should rise above their caste, class and religion to raise their voice against suppressed and marginalised sections of the society.
United Against Hate, in its manifesto against hate, has demanded to 1. Ensure proper investigation of existing cases of mob-lynching; 2. Constitute an Independent High-Powered Judicial Tribunal on Hate Crimes, Lynchings and targeted attacks on minorities; 3. Constitute Judicial Tribunal on alleged police encounters; 4. The communal violence bill should be passed as a matter of priority; 5. Abolish all draconian laws; 6. National Human Rights Commission and the National Minorities Commission must be made constitutional bodies; 7. Scrap Citizenship (Amendment) Bill; and 8. Religious Minorities (Prevention of Atrocities Act must be framed and all intelligence agencies should be made accountable to the Parliament of India.