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Amending POTA Killer cops |
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Promotion for sportsmen
India looks eastward
Hot pursuit
Adoor
Gopalakrishnan: A living legend FROM
PAKISTAN
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Amending POTA THE Union Cabinet’s approval of an Ordinance to amend the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) with a view to preventing its misuse by state governments has not come a day too soon. Ever since its enactment, POTA has been flagrantly abused like its precursor, the infamous TADA. The Centre seemed helpless against its misuse by chief ministers like Ms J. Jayalalithaa for settling scores with their political opponents. Vaiko, the president of the MDMK, a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, has been languishing in a Tamil Nadu jail for over 15 months. His only crime was that he had delivered a speech expressing his “moral support” to the LTTE in its bid to safeguard the interests of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Tamil nationalist Nedumaran too has been put behind bars. Very recently, Ms Jayalalithaa had even threatened to arrest Union Minister of State M. Kannappan (of the MDMK) even if Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee did not sack him for some “compelling reason”. The political intent in the brazen misuse of POTA was glaring when Raja Bhaiyya was arrested in Uttar Pradesh by Ms Mayawati and then released by Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav soon after he took over as Chief Minister. The Jharkhand government has rounded up over 700 people under POTA, some of whom are schoolgirls, whose parents are too poor to bail them out. In Gujarat, Mr Narendra Modi has invoked POTA against 123 Muslims for the Godhra carnage. Amazingly, POTA, once regarded as a panacea for the scourge of terrorism, has become a remedy worse than the disease. Against this background, the Vajpayee government needs to be complimented for having appreciated the national concern over the abuse of POTA in the right spirit and taken steps to amend it. The overriding statutory powers given to the Central Review Committee headed by Justice Arun Saharya (whose decision will be binding on the Centre, the state governments and the investigating officials) in case of conflicting findings, should work as an effective check on the arbitrary and whimsical action of the likes of Ms Jayalalithaa and Ms Mayawati. This should not be viewed as an attempt by the Centre to impinge on the legitimate rights of the state governments. Nor can it be regarded as a law and order subject in the State List. In fact, under the law, the states can set up review committees to deal with complaints lodged by those charged under POTA. All political parties should ensure the smooth passage of the Bill in Parliament. The need for effective safeguards against the misuse of POTA has become greater today. It would have been better if the Ordinance provided for a specific time limit for the disposal of complaints by the review committees. |
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Killer cops ANOTHER ugly chapter was added to the sordid saga of custodial deaths on Monday night when Sushil Kumar, a 32-year-old breadwinner of a poor family, was picked up by the police in Delhi on the charge of gambling. His wife says the policemen started thrashing him right then and threatened to kill her too if she protested. When he was dropped back home two hours later, he had been reduced to pulp, and complained of giddiness and pain in the stomach. He died even before he could be rushed to hospital. The police has the audacity to say that the death occurred because of heart failure. What it won't say is that the heart is bound to fail if someone is given the notorious third degree treatment in a police station. Preliminary autopsy confirms he died of internal injuries. Five policemen have been suspended, that too mainly because the residents of the Punjabi Bagh area raised a hue and cry over the incident. Otherwise, many such incidents are hushed up. As the high-ups generally side with their own men, the horrendous trend continues. Since suspension is not a punishment, no policeman is deterred by the "strict action". The National Human Rights Commission and other organisations have produced evidence of more than 1,000 custodial deaths in the previous year. That is why the Supreme Court last month castigated the "devilish devices adopted by those at the helm of affairs who proclaim from rooftops to be defenders of democracy and protectors of peoples' rights and yet do not hesitate to condescend behind the screen to let loose their men in uniform to settle personal scores, feigning ignorance of what happens and pretending to be peace-loving puritans and saviours of citizens' rights". It appears that the apex court's observation has not shamed the powers that be in any way. Miscarriage of justice also occurs at times because the courts insist on exaggerated adherence to establishment of proof beyond every reasonable doubt. Since custodial violence, torture and lockup deaths are the handiwork of policemen themselves, such proof is hard to come by. It is necessary to bring about changes in the law to curb custodial crime and also to ensure that such crime does not go unpunished. Otherwise, as the Supreme Court has warned, the common man may tend to gradually lose faith in the efficacy of the system. The large-scale rioting that took place in the Punjabi Bagh area of Delhi after the custodial death was a tell-tale sign of the public frustration. |
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Promotion for sportsmen THE decision of the Punjab Council of Ministers to amend the relevant police rules to retain the services of 337 sportspersons is a step in the right direction. The sportspersons, mostly national and international players, including seven Olympians, had faced demotion following a ruling of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on out-of-turn promotions in the Punjab Police. The usual practice that had been followed for years was to appoint a sportsperson as a constable and then give him or her quick promotions up to a post matching the player’s performance. Now the government plans to take a certain quota of posts from Head Constable to Deputy Superintendent of Police from the purview of the Punjab Public Service Commission and the Punjab Subordinate Service Selection Board and reserve it for outstanding sportspersons. In the past some years most avenues of employment for sportspersons in Punjab had disappeared. Government institutions like Markfed, the Punjab State Electricity Board and the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation had stopped recruiting sportspersons. The Punjab Police alone accommodated them. The players have restored to the Punjab Police its lost glory in sports. Nobody minded the generosity shown to the sports people, but the problem arose as there were no rules governing the out-of-turn promotions. Some took advantage of such discretionary powers to elevate non-deserving candidates, which resulted in heart-burning and disputes were taken to courts by those left out. As is widely known, during the days of militancy many policemen were granted quick promotions and all were not on merit. When the court intervened, the sportspersons also suffered. Now the Punjab Police rules have been amended to avoid a similar situation in future. The facilities available for sportspersons in Punjab are far from adequate. Jalandhar alone has some tolerable infrastructure to nurture sports talent of the state, but that is far from adequate. A few non-resident Indians have also taken individual initiatives to boost sports in their villages and check youngsters from turning to drugs. If the government has the usual fund-constraint excuse to offer for not developing sports infrastructure, it can at least encourage the flow of NRI funds by giving matching concessions to promote sports. |
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Thought for the day One single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer. — G.E. Lessing |
India looks eastward OUR
media and official spin-masters wrongly describe virtually every summit meeting with Pakistan, China or the US as “historic”. But Prime Minister Vajpayee’s recent journey to Bali and Bangkok can truly be described as historic and perhaps his most significant foreign policy achievement. For too long Mr Vajpayee and his government have remained obsessed and sometimes starry-eyed about Pakistan. They have avoidably raised public expectations about imminent “breakthroughs” in relations with a neighbour that is led by a General who believes that bluff, bluster and bravado are hallmarks of good diplomacy and is governed by a rogue army whose existence is premised on continuing and compulsive hostility towards India. This obsession with Pakistan has distorted the conduct of our foreign policy. It has diverted attention from our emerging as a constructive partner with our neighbours in ASEAN and SAARC and other regional powers like China, Japan and South Korea. It has also led to far too many countries, including the United States, looking at relations with India largely through Pakistan-tainted prisms. The importance of economic integration with the economies of East and South-East Asia cannot be overemphasised. India had a larger share of international trade and comparable levels of prosperity with the members of ASEAN when we attained-Independence. But during the last few decades the ASEAN countries have rapidly overtaken us in levels of prosperity, human development indicators and in their share of world trade. One has only to see the highways, ports and international airports in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to realise how poorly we have performed in economic terms compared to the “East Asian Tigers” who chose to make their countries globally competitive, instead of seeking to protect inefficient industries behind high tariff walls. In his “Discovery of India” Jawaharlal Nehru perceptively noted that India lost its influence in South-East Asia around the twelfth century primarily because we became insular and lost the creativity that flows from learning from and enriching others. This is precisely what we did for over 40 years when we went into an era of non-competitive “import substitution” and became marginal in global markets that were opening up in the last decades of the twentieth century. Mr Vajpayee signed a historic Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation with ASEAN in Bali. This envisages the elimination of tariffs with the advanced members of ASEAN by 2011 and with the less developed countries like Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos by 2016. Indian industrialists can no longer hawk second rate products to our consumers. They will have to get their act together speedily, to face up to competition from the “Asian Tigers”. Both sides are looking at the establishment of an ASEAN-India Regional Trade and Investment Area. Our negotiators outdid China in the sheer speed with which these agreements were finalised within 10 months. What was equally heartening was the unilateral “open skies offer” to allow daily flights by airlines in the ASEAN countries to the four metropolitan cities in India and an unlimited number of flights to other tourist destinations. India is also now moving ahead in establishing road and rail links with ASEAN through Myanmar, which will become our gateway to ASEAN. India also formally acceded to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and concluded a comprehensive agreement to combat terrorism. These agreements have come at a time when the two largest economies in Asia — China and Japan — have made moves to raise their economic profile and stakes in the ASEAN countries. Moves in the past to open up our economy and skies were invariably stalled by vested interests in our apex trade and industry associations and by the inefficient Air-India. It is obvious that these moves have now succeeded only because of the exercise of the Prime Ministerial authority by Mr Vajpayee. Mr Vajpayee is scheduled to travel to Islamabad for the SAARC summit in January. Pakistan has thus far stalled moves to establish a Free Trade Area within SAARC, because of its obsession with Kashmir and its ostensible belief that it can use trade and economic relations as a bargaining chip to wrest concessions from us on Kashmir. The real reason for this posture is, however, that Pakistan fears that its propaganda that India has made no economic progress since Independence will stand exposed when Indian goods ranging from cars, trucks, three-wheelers and scooters to consumer electronics start entering its markets. The argument that opening up trade, investment and business ties with India hurt Pakistan’s industries is untenable. Pakistan has open trade with China. Pakistan thus has the option of either joining India and the rest of South Asia in a journey towards progress and prosperity, or being excluded from it and remaining mired in its obsession with jihad and its utopian quest for “parity” with India. India should go with a positive and imaginative economic agenda to the Islamabad SAARC summit. We should unilaterally offer “open skies” to the airlines of our South Asian neighbours, with the provision that this would be extended to Pakistan once that country gives the MFN status, establishes normal business and investment ties with India and agrees to unconditionally reopen air links. New Delhi should also expand trade concessions to Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh and further liberalise the terms for Indian industry to invest in these countries. South Asia should become a common investment area. And a clear message should be sent to South Asian capitals that India will not countenance any attempt to bring in bilateral or contentious issues at Islamabad. With growing international pressure to normalise trade and economic relations with India, Pakistan will, in all likelihood, sign a framework agreement on SAFTA and then stall its implementation. It is here that Mr. Vajpayee’s visit to Thailand and the Free Trade Agreement concluded there assume significance. The first summit of the BIMSTEC grouping that will include not only the littoral states of the Bay of Bengal — Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand — but also landlocked Nepal and Bhutan is scheduled to be held in Bangkok early next year. India should endeavour to make this grouping a free trade and common investment area by 2011— the year in which the India-ASEAN Free Trade Pact will become fully effective. Pakistan will then be faced with the choice either shifting its attention from jihad to economic integration, or facing isolation from regional endeavours for prosperity. It can then no longer use SAARC as a forum to moan about its “grievances” against India. And if it joins SAFTA constructively, it will understand that while relations with an economically dynamic India can and should be based on “sovereign equality,” its quest for “parity” with India is both stupid and futile. Referring to developments in Bali, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda proclaimed : “Just imagine 500 million people in ASEAN plus 1.2 billion in China and 1.3 billion in India so that in total three billion people in the East Asian region are tied up in a common security umbrella”. Spelling out his vision of the future, Mr Vajpayee asserted, “ An Asian Economic Community of 14 countries, including the countries of ASEAN, plus three (China, Japan and South Korea), plus one (India), would most efficiently exploit our synergies”. Our vision is clear. We, however, need the will and the determination to effect meaningful economic reforms to fulfil
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Hot pursuit THE heroine of our story is young, lightly built, cheerful and gutsy. Mother of two small boys; the younger of the two does not keep well and, therefore, she devotes most of her time caring for him. Masters in Business Management, she works in a software company with long working hours and perforce has to leave the boys in the care of a maid-servant. A few days ago, she finished her day’s work rather early and feeling a bit under the weather, decided to proceed to her home earlier than her usual time. The boys were still away at school. On reaching home she went up the stairs and called out to her maid-servant, who she thought was perhaps working in the kitchen, preparing the mid-day meal for the boys. To her utter shock and surprise, a man darted out from one of the rooms. He was perhaps collecting some valuables and this sudden intrusion on his activity equally shocked and surprised him. She shouted at the man, asking the purpose of his visit and simultaneously lunged forward, catching him by the collar, as he tried to run past her. The man, while shaking her off with one hand, gestured to be reaching for his pocket, as if he was taking out some weapon or a knife, perhaps to frighten her. There was no fear or fright in her, but firm resolve to catch the intruder. She had been a rider of considerable repute and coming as she does from a military family, there was no way she was going to let go this fellow who had the guts to trespass into her house in this manner. The push from the man unbalanced her, loosening the grip on his collar and in that split second, he freed himself and raced down the steps. Regaining her balance, she followed him with equal speed and urgency; gaining on him as they both scuttled down the steps. Soon he was out of the main gate and on to the road with she in hot pursuit and shouting for him to be intercepted by those standing around. No one stepped forward to catch him, yet she was not the one to give up that easily. He sprinted down the road, round the bend, with our heroine at his heels and at full speed, gaining steadily but surely on him. All this in full view of those standing by and merrily watching the scene. A Gorkha boy stepped forward to block him, but the intruder dodged him. There was no way the intruder could get away from that brave and spirited girl. If he was armed with a knife or something, he could turn on her, but she was prepared to tackle that situation too. Finally, she caught up with him near the bazaar and held him by the scuff of his neck. Now he played a trick on her by putting up a gentle behaviour and sought release from her grip on his neck. As she let go of him, he once more gave her the slip. The chase recommenced with a policeman, who by then happened to be around , joining in. They finally and firmly caught hold of him and the police took charge. That, Mr Advani, is what could be called hot pursuit! Tina Whig, the girl in this episode, does not give in that easily. She likes to fight to the finish. If her husband could hunt down the intruders coming from across the border into J and K and finally lay down his life doing so, then how could Tina, as she says, “let him down” by not hunting down and intruder into her house; no matter the enormity of the risk involved! A brave girl; worthy of a gallant
husband.
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Adoor Gopalakrishnan: A living legend Easily one of the most beautiful films produced in Indian languages, Chemmeen’s story was based on the superstitious belief among fishermen that their safety on the high seas depended on the chastity of their wives. Needless to say, its theme failed to make an impact. Then came Swayamvaram (One’s Own Choice), which bowled me over by the refreshingly new narrative style employed by the Director. Swayamvaram signalled the arrival of Adoor Gopalakrishnan. The film revolves around a moon-struck couple, who defy the norms of the village and escape to the city in the fond hope that they would be able to live together like a Mills and Boon duo “ever happily thereafter”. But their happiness is short-lived as they encounter many wolves in sheep’s clothing. They eventually lose out in the battle for economic survival. They are also overtaken by a strong sense of guilt, which makes life miserable for them. The film ends in an open-ended manner allowing the viewer to imagine what eventually happened to the young lovers. It was Adoor who first showed how consummate an artiste Telugu-speaking Sarada was. Her depiction of the star-crossed lover made a lasting impression on the film lovers. The young Director, who was a product of the Film Institute of India, Poona, made his mark. Since then, there has been no stopping for the Director, easily recognised by his mane. Around the same time, another “alternative” Director from the same Institute set film lovers thinking. He was John Abraham, a genius, who understood the immense possibilities of the medium but fell a victim to excessive drinking and died in tragic circumstances. His film Agraharathile Kazhutha (Donkey on the Brahmin Street) had the greatness, comparable to Ritwik Ghatak’s Meghe Dekhe Tara. John Abraham’s untimely death left Adoor peerless until years later when magazine illustrator-turned-director G. Aravindan arrived on the scene with a string of films, noted for their lyrical quality. Together they became the pride of Malayalam cinema. For all his mastery over the medium, Adoor is not a compulsive filmmaker. After every film, he spends a few years either contemplating the next one or making documentaries. Adoor disproved sceptics who began to describe him as a one-film wonder when five years after Swayamvaram, his second, Kodiyettam (Ascent), was released in 1975. Suddenly, the scene shifted from the city to the village and the focus from the external to the internal. In Elippathayam (Rat Trap), he explored the shadow world of the past threatened by change. The protagonists of the film — Unni and Rajamma — who are bound by tradition, refuse to face the complex reality that lies outside the separate prisons of their lives. They are unable to break free and eventually destroy themselves. Having left Kerala, it was difficult for an outsider like me to keep track of his creative outpourings except when a retrospective of his films was held in the national Capital. His fourth, Mukhamu-kham (Face to Face), had a resonance for the Malayalees, who are one of the most politically conscious. The film examined the confrontation between truth and illusion in the atmosphere of a decaying political ideology. It tells the story of a charismatic Communist who suddenly returns from oblivion. In the 10 years between his disappearance and his return, he had undergone a metamorphosis. People are unable to relate to him, the new ever-sleeping drunkard. The reality that he must die so that the people can remember him again as a hero strikes the viewer like a bolt from the blue. Ten years later his Kathapurushan (The Man of the Story) dealt with a similar political theme. He goes back to the politically turbulent years between 1937 and 1980 charting the protagonist’s journey through life against the background of the Independence struggle, and later the rise and fall of the left movement in Kerala. For a lay critic like me, it is difficult to single out any of his films for special mention. Yet, his Mathilukal (The Walls) remains a favourite. The story is based on a novelette by Malayalam’s master storyteller, Vaikom Mohammed Basheer, who spent some time in the jail during the last few years of the Raj. Surrounded by the prison walls, the writer tries to transcend them with his creativity. In the process, he creates a woman for company and gets inextricably involved with his own creation. Soon his temporary insanity leads to schizophrenia so much so that he is unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy. So when he is finally released, he does not want to leave the imaginary woman he loved and kept company with in the jail. Adoor returns to the same interplay of fact and fiction in his latest offering, Nizhalkkuthu (Shadow Kill), which is about the pulls and pressures a hangman undergoes as he readies himself for one last execution. There are few awards Adoor has not received and there are few film festivals where his films have not received critical acclaim. His retrospectives have always attracted huge, discerning crowds wherever they were held. A loner in the crowd, Adoor is niggardly in his praise of fellow filmmakers. Among the 10 films he recently listed as having made a mark on Indian cinema during the last 50 years, not one is by a Malayalam filmmaker. He rates Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali as the most significant work that gave rise to the New Indian Cinema. With nine feature films and several documentaries to his credit, Adoor Gopalakrishnan is on the threshold of becoming the most significant director after Satyajit Ray. The French honour Commandeur Des Arts Et Lettres (The Order of Arts and Letters) that he has been bestowed with is one more feather in his celluloid cap. |
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FROM
PAKISTAN ISLAMABAD: The differences within the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) further deepened Monday as the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (Sami) boycotted the MMA’s joint parliamentary party meeting, sources told The Nation here. In the meeting held with MMA chief Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani in the chair, the MNAs belonging to both its major components – the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) and the Jamaat-e-Islami, asked the top leadership not to linger on LFO talks process with the government. — The Nation Anti-LFO stir
after Ramazan ISLAMABAD: The Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal on Tuesday announced to launch a countryside movement against the government after the holy month of Ramazan over the issue of the Legal Framework Order and Musharraf’s uniform while the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy has decided to join the move. The religious parties leadership also said they would stage protest rallies in FATA against the military operation, warning that the continuity of the operation will force the locals to stand eyeball to eyeball with the country’s army. — The Nation Osama aide
arrested FAISALABAD: One of the two Yemenis arrested here on Monday night is said to be a key Al-Qaeda member, official sources told Dawn on Tuesday. The sources said that a police team overpowered three suspects - Jawed Ahmed of Bhaiwala, and two Arab nationals - on Monday night when they were roaming around the railway station. The source revealed that the police team recovered a pistol and a hand-grenade from their possession and shifted them to Sargodha road police station. The police also called the personnel of the federal secret agencies for interrogation. — The Dawn Wireless TV
licence bids ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on Tuesday awarded two licences for the most advanced and latest technology of Direct-To-Home (DTH), satellite-based television channels to Cross Currents (Pvt) Limited, being the highest bidder followed by ARY Communications through an open bidding process. The latest technology of DTH would provide a chance to every individual living even in remote areas to enjoy TV transmission in accordance with national and Islamic ethics and norms. — The News International Cotton growers
to get relief ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Tuesday that the government would give relaxation in clearing bank loans to cotton growers of the districts where virus has badly damaged the crop. Minister of State for Food and Agriculture Sikandar Hayat Bosan while winding up the debate on an adjournment motion said the government would certainly compensate the affected cotton growers. Makhdoom Ahmed Alam Anwar moved the motion regarding the destruction of the cotton crop due to the non-availability of essential pesticides. — The News International |
He alone is a true Kshatriya who is valorous in his deeds and who dedicates his body to loving kindness. — Guru Nanak He towers above all And is limitless. — Guru Arjan Dev O Son of Light! Forget all save Me and commune with My spirit. This is of the essence of My command, therefore turn unto it. — Baha’u’llah Moral results can only be produced by moral restraints. — Mahatma Gandhi All is beautiful, harmonious and calm, all is full of Thee. — The Mother |
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THE first classic film I saw was Sergei Eisenstein’s all-time great Battleship Potemkin when it was screened in our college. Though one of the earliest movies, it revealed how powerful a medium cinema was. Until then I was used to homegrown Kunjacko’s and Subramaniam’s films, woven around good old stories. Then came Ramu Kariat’s Chemmeen (Prawn) based on Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai’s famous novel, which won the national award for the best film.