By TwoCircles.net staff writer
New Delhi: A convention planned by Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association (JTSA) to mark the one year anniversary of Batla House encounter has invited representative of major political parties except Congress and BJP.
Talking to TwoCircles.net, Manisha Sethi of JTSA said that omission of the Congress was deliberate. “We don’t want them to come here and express false sympathies and shed crocodile tears when it is their government across the country which are very much part of the political consensus on extra judicial killings and minority witch hunts,” said Sethi.
All India Convention on State, Democracy and ‘Terrorism’: One Year after Batla House ‘Encounter’ is organized by JTSA on Oct 1st at Jamia Millia Islamia. First session will feature reports from Civil Rights activists S.R. Darapuri from Uttar Pradesh; Kavita Srivastava from Rajasthan; Mukul Sinha from Gujarat; Hasina Khan from Maharashtra; Shafi Mohajir from Andhra Pradesh and Meenakshi Ganguly of Human Rights Watch and others.
Second session will feature representation from political parties: Ram Gopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party; Subhashini Ali of CPI(M); Amarjeet Kaur of CPI; Kavita Krishnan of CPI(ML); Dr. Jawed Akhtar of Rashtriya Ulema Council; M.K. Muneer of Indian Muslim League; Ali Anwar of Janta Dal (United) and Jabir Husain of Rashtriya Janata Dal.
The convention will also screen famous documentary “Encountered on Saffron Agenda” by Shubhradeep Chakravorty. Mr. Chakravorty will be there to answer questions after the screen.
Anti-Congress sentiment is high following the Batla House encounter which human rights organizations have termed a fake. Soon after the encounter there were demands to order judicial probe which the Congress government has refused. Demand for the probe got renewed again after Tamang Report which called Ishrat Jahan encounter as cold blood killing by the Police officials.
Congress lost the Okhla assembly seat (wherein falls Batla House) in recently held election, a seat that it held for the last 15 years; observers have called it a fall-out of the Muslim distrust of the Congress following the refusal to order judicial probe.
Details:
Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association
Invites you to
All India Convention on
State, Democracy and ‘Terrorism’:
One Year after Batla House ‘Encounter’
Venue: FTK-Centre for Information Technology (CIT), Ansari Auditorium Complex,
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
Date: 1st October 2009 (Thursday)
Time: 9.30 am onwards
Session I: Reports by Civil Rights Activists
9.30 am – 1.30 pm
Chair: Justice Rajinder Sachar
Speakers: S.R. Darapuri (Uttar Pradesh); Kavita Srivastava (Rajasthan); Mukul Sinha (Gujarat); Hasina Khan (Maharashtra); Shafi Mohajir (Andhra Pradesh); Meenakshi Ganguly (Report on counter-terrorism in India) and others
1.30 pm – 2.00 pm: Lunch Break
Session II: Representatives of Political Parties
2.00 pm – 5.00 pm
Speakers: Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party); Subhashini Ali (CPI [M]); Amarjeet Kaur (CPI); Kavita Krishnan (CPI [ML]); Dr. Jawed Akhtar (Rashtriya Ulema Council); M.K. Muneer (Indian Muslim League); Ali Anwar (Janta Dal [United]), Jabir Husain (Rashtriya Janata Dal)
5:00 pm- 5.30 pm: Adoption of Resolutions
5.30 pm – 6.00 pm: Tea Break
Film Screening
6.00 pm- 7.30 pm
Encountered on Saffron Agenda?: A documentary on four encounter killings in Gujarat, including that of Sohrabuddin and Ishrat Jehan.
Filmmaker Shubhradeep Chakravorty will be present to interact with the audience following the screening.
Contact:
Manisha Sethi (9811625577), Adeel Mehdi (9990923027), Ahmed Sohaib (9899462042), Anwar Alam (9958993485), Sanghamitra Misra (9910236948), Azra Razzak (9818671054), Farah Farooqi (9818461817), Tanweer Fazal (9968822925).