| US Coalition demands action over the arrest of whistle-blower cop Sanjiv Bhatt |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2011
Recipients:
The Honorable President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devsingh Patil
The Honorable Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh
The Honorable Chief Justice of India, Justice S. H. Kapadia
Dear Honorable Sir/Madam
The Coalition Against Genocide (CAG) seeks your urgent intervention in the case
of the arrest of Mr. Sanjiv Bhatt, a distinguished IPS Officer from Gujarat, whose
main crime has been to speak truth about the 2002 violence in Gujarat. As
incumbents of the three highest offices of the Indian State, we cannot but turn to
you at this moment of crisis. The Coalition Against Genocide is an advocacy
coalition that was created in the wake of the Gujarat carnage of 2002 with the
single purpose of working to bring the perpetrators of the genocide and other
communal crimes to justice. We stand steadfast behind Mr. Bhatt and are
committed to launching an international campaign on his behalf in the absence of
corrective action by the Central Government to ensure his safety, and to bring an
end to this vengeful retaliation against him. Without reiterating the well known
facts to the case, we do want to bring to your notice:
- The increasing misuse of the law to harass those on the side of truth has
reached crisis proportions in India. Over the last decade the number of
whistleblowers who have been put under extreme duress through the
misuse of the law against them is a matter of much concern. Mr. BhattŐs
arrest is simply the most recent case, and given the truth at stake, the most
egregious one. Such treatment of whistleblowers (several of whom have
been killed) positions India as a gross violator of human rights from an
international human rights standpoint.
- In the case of Mr. Bhatt we also wish to state that he had already moved the
Supreme Court on the same FIR and therefore Modi governmentŐs
intervention amounts to an interference with judicial process and makes all
the more visible its desperation and vindictive attitude.
We respectfully urge you to act without delay. CAG has also decided to move
forward, beginning Monday, Oct 10th, with an international human rights
campaign unless the matter is seized on by the highest offices of the state. While
we are bound by our ethics to stand on the side of truth and justice we sincerely
hope that we will not need to launch such a campaign.
Sincerely
1. Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association of Northern California
(AMUAA-CA)
2. Alliance for Secular and Democratic South Asia (ASDSA)
3. Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA)
4. American Minority Physicians of Indian Origin (AMPI)
5. Association of Indian Muslims of America (AIM)
6. Association of South Asian Progressives (ASAP)
7. Campaign to Stop Funding Hate (CSFH)
8. Chippa Foundation of America
9. Coalition for Secular and Democratic India (CSDI)
10. Dharma Megha
11. Forum of Inquilabi Leftists (FOIL)
12. Friends of South Asia (FOSA)
13. Global Movements/Urban Struggles
14. India Foundation
15. Indian American Association (IAA)
16. Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC)
17. Indian Minorities Advocacy Network (IMAN)
18. Indian Muslim Education Foundation of North America (IMEFNA)
19. Indian Muslim Relief & Charities (IMRC)
20. International Service Society
21. International South Asia Forum (INSAF)
22. Muslim Peace Coalition-USA
23. Muslim Youth Awareness Alliance (MYAA)
24. NRIs for Secular and Harmonious India ( NRI -SAHI)
25. San Jose Peace and Justice Center
26. Sikh American Heritage Organization (SAHO)
27. South Asia Solidarity Initiative (SASI)
28. South Asian Magazine for Action and Reflection ( SAMAR )
29. South Asian Progressive Action Collective (SAPAC)
30. Supporters of Human Rights in India (SHRI)
31. The Center for Conflict Studies (CCS)
32. Vaishnava Center for Enlightenment
33. Vedanta Society of East Lansing
34. Washington Watch
35. Youth Solidarity Summer (YSS)
CONTACT:
Biju Mathew
Tel: (917) 232-8437
Email: biju2u@gmail.com
(East Coast, USA)
Dr. Hyder Khan
Tel: (612) 889-7334
Email: hydermkhan@yahoo.com
(Mid West, USA)
Girish Agrawal
Tel: (408) 398-4885
Email: lawgir@gmail.com
(West Coast, USA)
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