Opinion Mock fight

“Not only this,after the riots,there were two general elections for Lok Sabha and Nitish and his JD(U) very much contested these elections as a constituent of the NDA. Was not Modi communal at that time?” it asks. It goes on to argue that Nitish has no problem with other BJP leaders and perhaps considers them to be secular. “L.K. Advani,Murli Manohar Joshi,Uma Bharati and scores of BJP leaders are still facing trial for the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992… Does Nitish feel the demolition of a historical place of worship [to be a lesser crime?” it wonders.

SETTING AN EXAMPLE

The CPI(ML)’s weekly ML Update focuses on rape in Delhi and other parts of the country. It alleges that the incidence of crimes against women and children,aided and abetted by police apathy and misogyny,is evidence that the Central and state governments have not attempted to seriously read,let alone implement,the Justice J.S. Verma Committee report.

The article claims that the demand for the sacking of the Delhi Police Commissioner is entirely justified in light of the rape of a five-year-old girl in Delhi and the rape and murder of a Dalit girl in Aligarh. “He claims that the suspension of the accused Delhi cops pending inquiry is ‘due process’ and is adequate action. When police officers break the law and commit a crime,they must not be spared: action as mandated by the law must follow just as it would in the case of a common citizen. And the law mandates that a police officer who is derelict in duty in a sexual violence case must face criminal charges that,if proved,could lead to between six months and two years in jail.

“Similarly,assault of an unarmed citizen by a police officer is a crime — why the delay in lodging an FIR against a crime,just because the perpetrator is a cop,that too when video evidence stands testimony to the crime?” it asks. The article argues that accountability on part of the police is crucial in curbing rapes and other crimes against women. “And accountability can be ensured only by a zero tolerance policy for wrongdoers in uniform,” it says.

RESIGNATION DEMAND

An editorial in CPM journal People’s Democracy demands that Narendra Modi resign as Gujarat chief minister for his role in the post-Godhra riots. It says the “recent exposure of evidence that the Gujarat state government was receiving a continuous stream of intelligence reports after the unfortunate Godhra train tragedy,and that the situation was building up towards a communal conflagration,were not taken into account by the state administration,shows the latter’s connivance in the subsequent communal carnage that took place in 2002”.

The article notes that this material was submitted to the special investigation team (SIT) three-and-a-half months before it submitted its final report. “Now new petitions have been filed before the judiciary claiming that the SIT decided to cover up the crimes and has gone out of its way to misguide the court,giving a clean chit to the accused and closing the case. The judiciary must take cognisance of this fact,” it says. Under these circumstances,the editorial says,“by any standards of morality,the Gujarat chief minister must resign forthwith.”

Compiled by Manoj C.G.