The Charges against PFI
The centre has banned PFI and its associates. There are serious charges against them. The Ministry of Home Affairs has said in its notification that “the PFI & its associates operate openly as socio- economic, educational and political organisations but they have been pursuing a secret agenda to radicalise a particular section of society working towards undermining the concept of democracy and show sheer disrespect towards constitutional set up of the country.”
Now the government will have to validate its charges according to laid down procedures to confirm the ban. The PFI has a political arm called the SDPI which contests elections. Bans often take the organisations away from public view, but they do not cease to exist. The politics of the PFI and the SDPI is rooted in the fear of segments of Muslim minority over the rise of majoritarian ideology. Now the question is being asked why the organisations that advocate a majoritarian agenda are not treated the way the PFI and its associates.
Nazeer Ahmed Kazi
Prof Secab, Vijaypur, Karnataka
Let’s Welcome the Demand of the Seer
A prominent Hindu seer has recently demanded an ordinance to stop the burning of Ravana’s effigy during Dusshera. Goverdhan Peethadhishwar Shankaracharya Adhokshjanand Devtirth believes that according to Hindu culture, the last rites of a person is conducted only once and that Ravana’s last rites were conducted in the presence of Vibhishan and Laxman.
The seer has demanded that the evil of burning Ravana’s effigy be stopped as it has no place in Hindu culture. He says that this practice teaches youngsters to disrespect the knowledgeable. The environment also gets polluted after the effigy is burnt, he said. He argues that the way stubble burning and vehicular emissions are stopped, this evil of burning Ravana effigy should also be stopped permanently.
This realistic approach of the see should be welcome in the greater interest of the environment.
Sarthak Singh
Howrah, West Bengal
When a family priest went unpriestly, rather beastly
Crimes against Dalit brethren are going on relentlessly. In a recent case, a 25-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gangraped by a group of men, including a family priest named Sanjay Sharma in Ajmer, Rajasthan. Sharma, who used to perform prayers for her family, has also allegedly recorded the act and confined her for several days. The victim, in her complaint, has alleged that Sharma had first raped her when she was alone at her home, and recorded a video of her.
The victim, a mother of two, has also alleged that she was raped several times in the last one month and was held captive by the accused. Later, he blackmailed her to extort money from her, threatening to make the video viral and then raped her again, a reported quoted Ajmer North DSP Chhavi Sharma as saying. He even allegedly threatened to kill the woman’s husband and children.
The woman’s statement claims that she was forcibly detained by the accused for the past few days and was gangraped multiple times. When she failed to return home, her husband filed a missing person’s report, after which the accused dropped her outside a police station on September 27.
A priest is held in high esteem in society. That he allegedly committed such a heinous crime, which is unbelievable, shows that he lacked the moral force that makes a man a man.
Dilshad Alam
Khajuri Khas, New Delhi