PM's Message On Republic Day

Iranian Human Rights Violations

                                             While Saudi Arabia Human Rights violations were discussed and condemned world wide specially after its coronation as head of Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) , the Iranian were at the forefront of attacking and mocking Saudi Arabia credentials to head the prestigious panel. The recent bitterness among two neighbors over executions of religious and political figures have soared diplomatic relationship tremendously. Lots has been said and written about archaic laws and brutality of Saudi law enforcement in this article i am shedding some light on Iranian past Human Rights violation records that are no less then genocide on hapless political party workers(Tudeh Party, a secular Marxist party) after 1979 revolution.

                                         In late July 1988, the Islamic Republic of Iran began summarily interrogating, torturing and executing thousands of political prisoners throughout the country(30,000). The massacre continued into the fall. Well planned and deliberately accomplished in secret, the massacre effectively eliminated any remaining political opposition to then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini’s regime. Although the exact number of victims is not known, thousands of prisoners were tortured and executed over the course of only a few months (30,000).

                                        The victims included prisoners who had served their sentences but had refused to recant their political beliefs, prisoners who were serving sentences of imprisonment, people who had been detained for lengthy periods but had not been convicted, and former prisoners who were rearrested. Many had been arrested when they were teenagers for commission of low-level offenses such as distribution of pamphlets. The political views of the victims stretched from support for the Mojahedin-e Khalq (Mojahedin), a Marxist- Islamic Party that had engaged in violence in an effort to overthrow Khomeini, to support for the Tudeh Party, a secular Marxist party that until 1983, supported the regime.

                                       This was not the first time the Islamic Republic had executed thousands of its political opponents or even the first time the regime had executed its opponents en masse. However, the 1988 massacre stands out for the systematic way in which it was planned and carried out, the short time period in which it took place throughout the country.The executions began pursuant to a fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini immediately following Iran’s announcement that it had agreed to a cease-fire in the devastating eight-year Iran-Iraq war.The questioning was brief, not public, there were no appeals, and prisoners were executed the same day or soon thereafter. Many who were not executed immediately were tortured.

                                     The Iranian government has never identified those who were secretly executed and tortured, and has never issued an official explanation for why political prisoners of different beliefs, many of whom had been imprisoned for years, were suddenly executed in the summer of 1988. Tudeh and other leftist parties had basically ceased to exist in Iran. Many of those executed had been convicted of relatively minor offenses—the more serious offenders had been executed in prior purges.The interrogations, killings, torture, and forced disappearances of prisoners violated and continue to violate Iran’s obligations under international human rights law.

Tyrant Regimes Of Middle East

                                        As the reports emerged that Saudi Arabia executed more than 47 people on a single day for alleged terrorist crimes causing outrage across the Middle East, there's some murmurs doing the rounds in western capitals about blatant human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. There has already been a glaring spike in capital punishment in Saudi Arabia last year, with at least 151 executions in 2015,compared with 90 for all of 2014.

                                      After donning the cloak of protector of prestigious human rights body namely Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Saudi Arabia recently preached to the international community about the need to confront “intolerance, extremism and human rights violations.” The funny thing is Saudi Arabia wants Western cartoonists, comedians, and others—people who represent only their individual selves—to stop mocking the religious beliefs and symbols of Islam, even as the Arabian kingdom’s own institutionalized policy is to vilify and discriminate against the religious beliefs and symbols of all other faiths(non muslims). 

                                       In Saudi Arabia almost ten percent of its population is deprived of equal rights because of their race. Any other religious texts or symbols apart from Islam are confiscated and congregation of other religious disciples(non muslims) is forbidden yet Saudi Arabia has the audacity to ask the world to cease “discrimination based on religion.” Truth is Saudi Arabia is notorious for worst kind of human rights violations,repressive theocracy by discussing the open discrimination against women, public execution for petty crimes and harsh sentencing for government critics, yet its candidacy and selection to UNHRC high table is baffling.

                                      The scourge of Islamic terrorism plaguing world today has its roots in toxic radical ideology of Wahhabbism. This ideology was glorified and bankrolled by petro dollars of Saudi Arabia to spread its sphere of influence in Muslim world and to legitimize Saudi role as head of Arab world . This perverted ideology breeds terrorism as it propagates subjugation of women ,non Muslims , extreme hatred towards transgender ,gays, coercion ,intolerance towards freedom of speech or free thinking. There are cases in Saudi Arabia of young bloggers incarcerated for asking educational reforms or veracity of religious diktats when confronted through the prism of science. This toxic ideology has widened and refreshed the sectarian historical fault lines earlier diminished with passage of time. 

                                      The onus of sectarian war engulfing newer countries with each passing day in Middle Eastern region lies on Iran and Saudi Arabia. While Iran is spearheading Shiite onslaught on Sunni monarchies, Saudi Arabia is at the forefront on decimating Shia regimes. The end result being the unending waves of refugees storming shores of west seeking asylum from middle east war zone countries. Take for example the airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has not only butchered innocent civilians (3000 so far) but more then million other people in Yemen have been displaced and the country is now at serious risk of famine. The credentials of Saudi Arabia as the warden of human rights thus lies in tatters and so does the duplicity of Western powers is exposed who support and sell arms to tyrant regimes world wide while preaching tolerance to victims.

                                     The sectarian struggle between Saudi Arab and Iran of one-upmanship has now taken a turn for worse where fundamental human rights of citizens have gone for toss. The recent execution of 47 convicts in Saudi Arabia on flimsy grounds and among them was one prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr has once again startled human rights organizations .The execution of political prisoner is not only condemned by world community but also infuriated Iran and Shia block. Though track record of Iran is equally appalling and condemnatory with reports indicating that Iranian authorities put to death more than 753 people in the first half of 2015 – an average of four executions a day, many among them are Sunni preachers and intellectuals. The deplorable policy of government initiated intolerance towards any opposition needs immediate restitution.

                                       It is high time the world at large should take cognizance of mind numbing mass murders carried out by Middle eastern regimes and through all effective diplomatic tools at hand try to persuade them to honor basic human rights of individuals and minorities by seizing the practice of premeditated, judicially-sanctioned killings on a mass scale.

"Secular" Riots Of India

“We're in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyone is arguing over where they're going to sit”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ― David Suzuki 
                                      Things are getting murkier and scary for a section of society in the states of WB, Assam & Kerala . In this article i m going to elaborate on the explosive prevalent conditions and the deteriorating law and order in some border states of India with sizeable muslim population . Already parallels are being drawn between orchestrated violence in Malda and few other Muslim dominated districts of West Bengal and ethnic cleansing of Hindus from Kashmir during 90's. The deafening silence of media which otherwise becomes hyperactive to question intent of central govt on stray criminal incidents whenever Muslim is a victim is questionable. Any individual or organization raising finger to the ongoing tragedy is promptly labeled as "Communal" or “Islamophobic" without debate. 

                                  The difference between secularism & pseudo secularism in India has long being deliberately forgotten by politicians,left leaning intellectuals and media. It's ironic, a section of society is allowed to perpetrate crimes and secular jamaat condone barbarism in the name of safeguarding "Secularism" or propagating conspiracy theories .  In India, perception speaks louder than reality and silence is sometimes taken as an acceptance of guilt. A section of society is mischievous and yet vote bank politics allows it to play victim while squarely blaming other community for any unrest. Gutter politics and paid media are equally responsible for shielding and abating such ignominious acts of violence by one particular community to the chagrin of rest of society 

                                   India isn't immune to riots but a new worrying trend has emerged lately, in some districts where Hindus & other religious groups becomes minority while Muslims are in majority social and violent riots on trivial issues are frequent. Religious diktats (Fatwas) which doesn't have any legal authority are the order of the day and religious customs are increasingly forcibly enforced mocking and ridiculing civil administration and police authorities. Disrespecting National Flag,National Song or National Anthem isn't taboo anymore in the name of freedom to practice religion in parts of Assam,West Bengal and Kerala .

                                   In recent case of violent riots perpetrated in Kaliachak area of Malda district, a Muslim mob of around 100,000 people went on rampage against the alleged hate speech of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari. In a fit of rage,the agitators torched houses and businesses of Hindus, buses and police vehicles, ransacked government properties and set the Kaliachak police station on fire.  Kaliachak riot is not a riot as some would like you to believe rather its a single sided attack on Hindus, police and public property, a complete mayhem breakdown of administrative machinery . Kaliachak violence is a result of shameless appeasement politics of "Secular" political parties where religious bigots had a field day terrorizing people and civil administration was in shambles.

                                  Hindus and other religious groups of Malda have lost their livelihoods, forced to leave their homes became refugees in there own nation yet State government is tolerant about large scale violence.  Malda riots reminds me of Azad Maidan riots ( pretext there was Rohingya Muslim of Burma) where everyone knew what was happening but politicians and media remained tight lipped while miscreants vandalized public property even modesty of policewomen wasn't spared .Pakistani style protests are now getting frequent as "Secular" politicians and media are complicity supporting thugs to appease and cater to respective vote banks.

                                   During Dadri lynching incident, the same media and politicians went in overdrive to blame and disrepute a whole community but the same torchbearers of pluralism seems dumbstruck on Malda or Purnia violence with no word condemning such radical forces. The word "Intolerance" was coined when Ghulam Ali Concert was canceled in Mumbai yet no one seems to have noticed CM of Bengal was enthralled by him while Bengal was burning. Its also ironic that Ghulam Ali gets CM as audience while Taslima Nasreen found little support for herself from female CM.

                                 Destructive and polluted ideology are root causes of disharmony in society and should be sternly dealt with. Fiddling with appeasement based politics is only going to bolster radical forces inimical to idea of India and its inherent policy of pluralism, tolerance,freedom of expression and speech.