Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on August 12 said the government and civil society groups must keep an eye on and protest against those who resort to violence in the name of religion to spread disharmony. “I believe that both the government and civil society groups must continuously watch and raise our voice against groups and individuals who use violence in the name of religion,” the prime minister said at a function to present the Kabir Puraskar and National Communal Harmony Awards for the years 2007 and 2008. The awards were given away by President Pratibha Patil.
Manmohan Singh said, “No religion sanctions violence. No religion preaches hatred. No religion endorses animosity towards another human being. Those who use religious symbols and forums to talk of violence, sectarianism and discord cannot be said to be true spokespersons of their respective religion.”
Ram Puniyani and Dominic Emmanuel were given the National Communal Harmony Awards in the individual category while Setu Charitable Trust and Anjuman Sari-e-Gul Faroshan got it under the organisations category. The Kabir Puraskar awardees were Khalifa Gufran, Abdul Gani Abdullabhai Qureshi and Ghulam Ahmad Bhat.