Fr. Cedric Prakash heads ‘Prashant’, a Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace in Gujarat. Known worldwide for his consistent struggle to secure justice for the victims of Gujarat riots. He has been championing the cause of the minorities. His very visible stand in defence of the victims of the Gujarat Carnage of 2002, brought world-wide attention to their plight. He also testified before the US Commission on International Religious Freedom in Washington together with Kamal Mitra Chenoy of the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of International Studies and Teesta Setalvad from Mumbai.
On July 14, 2006, the Government of France decorated Fr. Prakash with its highest civilian honour, the “Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur” for his lifetime commitment to human rights. In 2003, The Indian Muslim Council, USA presented him with the “Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award” for Humanitarian Work and in 1995, the President of India conferred on him the “Kabir Puraskar” for his work for the promotion of communal harmony and peace.
A close friend of former Gujarat MP Ehsan Jaferi who was killed in the most brutal manner by a mob, Fr. Prakash took upon himself the task of bringing justice to the victims. On a visit to Bangalore, he spoke to Maqbool Ahmed Siraj for Islamic Voice.
On Current situation in Gujarat
Gujarat is a model of a fascist state. Nobody can sell a house or rent a flat to Muslims in Western Ahmedabad. Thousands of housing societies have built apartments in the city and their byelaws prohibit the owners from selling or renting the property to Muslims. Muslims have been evicted from village core and have to live on the periphery. Gujarat state textbooks project Hitler as a hero, cases of sedition have been foisted against The Times of India for an article by anthropologist Ashish Nandi and bogey of mass conversion has been raised against Christians who constitute only about half a per cent of the state’s population. Muslims have been pushed to Juhapura, a gehtto of four lakh people crammed into narrow space with no access to education and job opportunities. A VHP activist Babu Bajrangi pursues and kidnaps Hindu girls who marry a Muslim boy. The Muslims have been virtually reduced to the second class citizens. A bill for religious freedom has become an Act, although no single case of forcible conversion has been found so far.
Mr. Modi reached out to Muslims recently and wanted them to be partner with him in the development of the State.
Quest for justice should continue. The Government has embarked upon co-opting sycophants with business interests from among the minorities into its coterie who advise the victims to forget the past and give up the quest for peace. All faiths stand for forgiveness, peace and harmony. But it was essential that justice was pursued in order to ensure State’s impartiality in future. I have had the occasion to associate myself with Sikhs’ quest for justice against 1984 pogrom in Delhi. But the nature of two pogroms (Delhi and Gujarat) is different. The Sikhs are demanding punishments of individuals like Sajjan Kumar and Jagadish Tytler. But in Gujarat, it was the State presided by Mr. Narendra Modi which lent implicit and complicit support to the rioters. Mr. Modi is now trying to get legitimacy from some Western nation by seeking visa. At least 36 Western nations have barred his entry into their countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and the entire European Union.
Any ray of hope amid dark cloud of despair for victims.
Some ray of hope has emerged now that the Supreme Court has ordered trial of the accused by fast-track courts to be set up by the Gujarat High Court. It came after Special Investigation Team (SIT) indicted the Gujarat Police for shoddy probe into the carnage. It is only after this that Minister in Modi cabinet Ms. Maya Kodnani and VHP leader Jaydeep Patel were arrested. They are now out on bail.
How to prevent fascism?
In Gujarat when Sangh parivar activists bashed up girls wearing jeans and short tops in the School of Planning in the 80s, I sensed it was the beginning of fascism. I denounced groups taking up the role of moral brigade and asking people what to wear and eat. It advanced further and demeaned Muslims as terrorists and dubbed Christians as proselytizers. Liberal education is the best guarantee against such tendencies. The minorities would do well by creating social space for themselves by allying with other groups that cherish liberal values, by having think tanks to deepen democracy and strengthen secularism. You can take up issues of deletion of names of voters from the electoral rolls. More secular minded people should get into the media. I have firm belief that Hindutva does not represent mainstream Hinduism which preaches tolerance and respect for all. One should reach out to others without giving up his own identity. Do not have complacency. Peace time is the time to work.
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June 2009 |
