MINORITIES - 2002 - Indian Social Institute

jail's chief superintendent pending com pletion of the inquiry. In a statement, Hindu Munnani president V
Sel-vam said that the jail superin tendent should be suspended to enable the prisoners to speak the truth.
AHome Department noti fication yesterday said Lt Gov ernor KR Malkani had or dered a probe by the district
judge on the recommendation of the Madras High Court into reports that some life convicts of the jail were
transferred to the sub-jail in Karaiakal follow ing their refusal to convert to Christianity. (Indian Express
7.10.020)
The significance behind Gaurav Yatra site (7)
JAIPUR, OCT. 6: here was a message in BJP making the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi to enter
Sirohi district in Rajasthan to commence the fourth round of his "Gaurav Yatra" from Am baji. The place,
once a disputed territory between Rajasthan and Gujarat during the time of the reorganization of States,
carries lot of symbolism to the "mandir nirman" movement at Ayodhya.
It was at Pindwara town in Sirohi district, not far away from the Gujarat border, most of the ready to
assemble stone parts of the Ayodhya temple were made. While huge rose sandstone blocs were lugged
to the area from Rajasthan's own mines at Bansi Paharpur in the distant Bharatpur district, the local
artisans and traditional contractors of temple construction got them carved and chiseled working round the
clock. (Hindu 7.10.02)
8 th October
Come closer, BJP chief tells Muslims (7)
NEW DELHI, OCT. 7. For years, the Bharatiya Janata Party's stance towards the Muslim minority has
swung from the "we do not need their votes to win" attitude to "we are not anti-Muslim, the party should try
and expand its base among minorities". Addressing the national executive conimittee meeting of the
party's minority 'morcha', the BJP president, Venkaiah Naidu, was in a mood for introspection. He
admitted that the largest minority had remained alienated from the BJP, that a greater effort was needed
to expand the party's base in this significant percentage of the population. This was in sharp contrast to
the earlier controversial statements attributed to senior party leaders — even the Prime Minister — that
the BJP did not need the Muslim vote to win elections in Uttar Pradesh or Gujarat or Madhya Pradesh.
Perhaps, the state of the party in U.P. where it has slid down to the number three slot after the Samajwadi
Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party is causing enough concern and there is realisation that at least the
party must not seem to be anti-Muslim and that as a ruling party it must seem to represent all of India.
(Hindu 8.10.02)
US report on religion hits out against India (7)
WASINGTON, OCTOBER 7: The United States, in its annual report on religious freedom around the
world, found improvements in Afghanistan, Egypt, Laos and parts of southeastern Europe but little
change in the countries where reli gious worship is most se verely restricted. It criticised state and lo cal
government officials in India for failing to protect Muslims from Hindu fundamentalists but did not change
India's status as an offender. The report by the US State Department, available on the Internet at
www.state.gov/G/rls/irf/ 2002, names the same six countries as in 2001 —China, Cuba, Laos, Myanmar, N
Korea and Vietnam — as victims of totalitarian or authoritarian attempts to control religious belief or
practice. (Indian Express 8.10.02)
SC notices to Centre, states on SIMI ban (7)
New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Mon day issued notices to the Centre and eight states on a petition by
the banned Students Islam ic Movement of India (SIMI), challenging the government's order in voking the
Unlawful Ac tivities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, without considering the fact that preaching of the
holy Koran could not be said to be unlawful propaga tion. The statutory Unlaw ful Activities (Preven tion)
Tribunal had up held the September 27, 2001, ban on SIMI.
A Bench, comprising Justice V N Khare and Justice S B Sinha, is sued the notices to Kerala Maharashtra,
Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. (Times of India
8.10.02)
Christian council to file court challenge (7)
New Delhi, Oct. 7: Expressing apprehension over Tamil Nadu government's new ordinance that bans the
use of force or inducement in religious conver sions, Christian leaders on Monday threatened to take chief