Meeting on the demand to enact law on “Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011

Dear All

Re:   Public meeting cum Press Conference on the demand to enact law on "Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011

Date:  on 18^th November 2011

Venue:  Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh Hall

Time:       at 3.00 p.m.

Sir,

One of the promises of the UPA Government was enactment of a legislation to prevent communal violence. After much prodding from the victims of communal riots and human rights organizations, a draconian bill was proposed by the government. The bill seemed to empower the police and the state machinery with draconian powers as a remedy to "control" riots whereas the experience of the victims and human rights organizations was that the power invested in the police was either not used or was misused against the weaker sections, mainly the minorities and dalits. After the riots very negligible efforts were made to punish the guilty or to rehabilitate the victims of targeted violence.

After much efforts and engagements with the authorities by various human rights organizations, the National Advisory Council has proposed a bill entitled "Prevention Of Communal And Targeted Violence (Access to Justice And Reparations) Bill, 2011".  The proposed Bill is not yet the best law we need and does have some issues, but we feel it is a step in the right direction. The Bill has been forwarded to the Government by the NAC but the Govt. has not taken any further steps.

All India Secular Forum is therefore organizing a public meeting cum press conference to demand that the Government take immediate steps to enact the "Prevention Of Communal And Targeted Violence (Access to Justice And Reparations) Bill, 2011" and place the legislation before the Parliamentary Standing Committee and enact the Bill in Winter Session after thorough and proper discussion in the Parliament.

The meeting cum press conference will be addressed by:

1)      Harsh Mander (Member, National Advisory Council)

2)      Farah Naqvi (Member, National Advosory Council)

3)      Justice H. Suresh (Retd. Bombay High Court Judge who was member of People's Tribunal that heard the victims of Gujarat Riots 2002, as Well as Mumbai riots in 1992-93)

4)      Teesta Setalvad (Citizen for Justice and Peace, Mumbai and Padmashree Awardee)

5)      Dr. Ram Puniyani (All India Secular Forum National Convening Committee Member and a Peace Activist)

Kindly attend the public meeting and express your solidarity with the cause. It is only our persistent mobilization that will ensure enactment of the law.

Yours sincerely,

Irfan Engineer,

All India Secular Forum