MINORITIES - 2002 - Indian Social Institute

2 nd Feb
Separatist Geelani quotes the Constitution in protest to PM (7)
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 1 : PROTESTING against the Government's refusal to let him and his wife
travel to Mecca for Haj, hardline Hurriyat leader Saved Ali Geelani has sent a letter to Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee. However, more than the protest what has been noticed by Government circles here is
the fact that Geelani, in his first personal communication with Vajpayee, refers to "constitutional
sanctities," to say that his rights have been denied. Geelani, who has long claimed that he doesn't
believe in the Indian Constitution, begins his letter with the salutation "may this find you in the best of
health." (Indian Exp 2.2.02)
2 nd Feb
I started fire, Staines case accused tells Orissa Judge (7)
Bhubaneswar, Feb. 1: One of the co-accused in the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and
his two minor sons confessed in a dramatic in-court turnaround on Friday that he had set fire to the vehicle
in which the missionary and his sons were sleeping on the night of January 22, 1999. Co-accused
Mahendra Hembram, 22, made a "sudden and spontaneous confession" when the defence counsel was
cross-examining a witness in the court of the Khurda district and sessions judge. The other accused in the
case are Dara Singh and 12 others. "Judge, Sir, I have something to say before the court. It was me who
set fire to the jeep in which Graham and his sons were sleeping. Please allow my confession to be
recorded," Hembram shouted from the dock when defence counsel Shyamananda Mahapatra was
cross-examining Joseph Marandi, one of the key witnesses. (Asian Age 2.2.02)
6th Feb
150 Christians return to Hinduism in Orissa (7)
Bhubaneswar: At least 150 Christians have converted to Hinduism in a mass ceremony in a western
Orissa district, according to a Indo-Asian News Service report, February 2. The conversion happened
December 30 at Gurukul Ashram, 8 km from Nuapada here, but came to light over a month later, police
said. "This incident has just come to my notice," said the District police chief, Mr. B.K.Mohanty. "I have not
yet verified whether those who changed their religion have intimated the district administration," he
reportedly said. "These villagers declared their change of religion at a function and a monk, Bratananda,
declared their return to Hinduism," said Dharmananda, who claimed to be a coordinator for the ceremony
that was attended by about 10,000 people. Nuapada district has a population of about 500,000 out of
which 20,000 have converted to Christianity. On the same day, about 120 people of 38 Christian families
returned to Hinduism in Orissa's Bolangir district. (SAR News 6.2.02)
7 th Feb
Report: Illegal madrassas along Bengal border (7)
New Delhi, February 6: WEST BENGAL Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhat-tacharjee is drawing flak,
from Muslim organisations for voicing his apprehension about madrassas being used for terrorist activities
along the porous borders that the state shares with Bangladesh and Nepal. But Bhattacharjee's fears are
not unfounded. A report prepared by the intelligence Bureau which has now been shared with the West
Bengal government following the terrorist attack at the Kolkata American Information Centre, throws
enough light on the mushrooming of mosques and madrassas within a 10-kilometre stretch of both the
Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bangla borders. Although a fresh study on the identification of unregistered
madrassas and mosques is currently on in several border states, the Left Front government has come into
sharp focus since it appears to be sharing the Centre's stand on the threat that seminaries are causing to
the country. (Hindustan Times 7.2.02)
11 th Feb
Print media debates ‘bias’ against minorities (7)
New Delhi: DOES THE mainstream English media ignore the Muslims, or shows them in bad light or is
trying to do its "best ? Nothing sums up the minds of the audience present at the discussion 'Print media
and Minority Images' better. Mr Salman Khurshid specially came all the way from Rampur, to see the
outcome of the discussion. The meet, a part of the ongoing International Conference on Urdu in the 21st
Century in India targeted the issue of a bias in the media. In his presentation Siddarth Varadarajan,