Why the Communal Violence Bill should be Opposed..
Need to oppose the Communal Violence Bill, 2011.
The policy making body for the UPA Govt. – the National Advisory Council (NAC), has set out to protect and defend the rights of the victims of communal violence. They have given a green signal to Communal Violence Bill - officially named as the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill - that seeks to protect minorities from murder, mayhem and communal riots.
I happened to read the copy of the bill a couple of days ago and I was speechless when I actually went through some provisions and clauses of the Bill.
The communal violence bill prepared by the National Advisory Council (NAC) seeks fundamentally to change how the government deals with violence against minorities. The bill focuses on religious and linguistic minorities as well the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but religious minorities are at its heart.
If the Communal violence bill becomes law, it will be accepted constitutionally that only Hindus cause riots.
If this Draft Bill becomes a law, it will become constitutionally accepted that only Hindus cause riots; and that Muslims, Christians and other minorities can never be held responsible for riots because the definition of the term 'group', which is the backbone of this Draft Bill.
It is made in such a manner that the majority, i.e. the Hindus, will always be at the receiving end of the stick. The constitution will accept that only Hindus incite and provoke religious hatred and denigrate other religions; and that Muslims and Christians can never do that.
It will write off a person as a criminal, just because he or she is born in a majority community and will presume that a person would be a victim only because he or she is born in a minority community.
Hence, this bill is very dangerous and if passed, this legislation will encourage communal tension instead of reducing it, as it seeks to divide the country into majority and minority communities.
The bill presumes that the majority community is unjust, and the minority community is the victim. But in our country, various sections of community are in a minority in one state and a majority in another state. The provisions of the Bill will go against the majority community in various states.
If this Bill becomes law, all the accused in the Gujarat riots will be culpable and be sentenced, while those responsible for the death of 54 train passengers at Godhra would be presumed “to have harboured only goodwill for Hindus.”
Moreover, the bill empowers any anonymous complainant to file a police case against a member of the majority community for inciting communal hatred and the police will have to register it as a non-bailable offence. Also, the definition of 'Hate Propaganda' is designed to give the government draconian powers and curb freedom of speech.
Communal harmony cannot be brought about with such discriminatory bills. It can be brought about by providing education and equal opportunities to all for a dignified living. It's time the UPA government thinks about such methods instead of passing such draconian bills.
The Parliament must reject the Communal Violence Bill.
The policy making body for the UPA Govt. – the National Advisory Council (NAC), has set out to protect and defend the rights of the victims of communal violence. They have given a green signal to Communal Violence Bill - officially named as the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill - that seeks to protect minorities from murder, mayhem and communal riots.
I happened to read the copy of the bill a couple of days ago and I was speechless when I actually went through some provisions and clauses of the Bill.
The communal violence bill prepared by the National Advisory Council (NAC) seeks fundamentally to change how the government deals with violence against minorities. The bill focuses on religious and linguistic minorities as well the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but religious minorities are at its heart.
If the Communal violence bill becomes law, it will be accepted constitutionally that only Hindus cause riots.
If this Draft Bill becomes a law, it will become constitutionally accepted that only Hindus cause riots; and that Muslims, Christians and other minorities can never be held responsible for riots because the definition of the term 'group', which is the backbone of this Draft Bill.
It is made in such a manner that the majority, i.e. the Hindus, will always be at the receiving end of the stick. The constitution will accept that only Hindus incite and provoke religious hatred and denigrate other religions; and that Muslims and Christians can never do that.
It will write off a person as a criminal, just because he or she is born in a majority community and will presume that a person would be a victim only because he or she is born in a minority community.
Hence, this bill is very dangerous and if passed, this legislation will encourage communal tension instead of reducing it, as it seeks to divide the country into majority and minority communities.
The bill presumes that the majority community is unjust, and the minority community is the victim. But in our country, various sections of community are in a minority in one state and a majority in another state. The provisions of the Bill will go against the majority community in various states.
If this Bill becomes law, all the accused in the Gujarat riots will be culpable and be sentenced, while those responsible for the death of 54 train passengers at Godhra would be presumed “to have harboured only goodwill for Hindus.”
Moreover, the bill empowers any anonymous complainant to file a police case against a member of the majority community for inciting communal hatred and the police will have to register it as a non-bailable offence. Also, the definition of 'Hate Propaganda' is designed to give the government draconian powers and curb freedom of speech.
Communal harmony cannot be brought about with such discriminatory bills. It can be brought about by providing education and equal opportunities to all for a dignified living. It's time the UPA government thinks about such methods instead of passing such draconian bills.
The Parliament must reject the Communal Violence Bill.
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