NATIONAL CONVENTION AGAINST STATE COMPLICITY IN HATE CRIMES

1. NATIONALCONVENTIONAGAINSTSTATECOMPLICITYINHATECRIMES
July21,2019–Mumbai.
DRAFTRESOLUTIONProposedbytheorganisers,DYFICentralExecutiveCommittee
(Thisisthedraftoftheresolutionpresentedintheconvention.Thedraftwillbefinalisedafterincludingsome
suggestionswhichcameupintheconvention.Thefullyamendedversionwillbepublishedintwodays.)
1.Hatecrimesofunspeakablebrutalityagainstinnocentpersonsbelongingtoreligious
minorities,Dalitcastes,tribalcommunitiesandmigrantsarebecomingterrifyingly
frequent.Mainstream mediareportsfew sensationalinstancesofhatecrimesbut
presentsthemasworkofso-called‘fringeelements’.Whatisunfolding,however,isnot
digressionsofsome‘fringeelements’butthelong-term agendaofconvertingour
countryintoa‘HinduRashtra’.
2.TheBharatiyaJantaParty(BJP),thepresentrulingParty,isapoliticaloutfitof
RashtriyaSwayam SevakSangh(RSS)whichhasthedeclaredobjectiveofconverting
Indiaintoa‘HinduRashtra’.Accordingtothe‘HinduRashtravision,“OnlyHindusform
thenationandthenationalstructuremustbebuiltonthat‘safeandsolid’foundation,
thenationitselfmustbebuiltupofHindus,onHindutraditions,culture,ideasand
aspirations….”.ItisacoreideaoftheHinduRashtrabrigadethattheminoritiesare
alienswhocanlivehereonlyatthemercyofthemajoritycommunity.Inatelling
instance,rebukingtheorganisersofa‘non-Brahminconference’inNagpurforinviting
speakersfrom Muslim andChristiancommunities,M SGolwalkar,the‘Guruji’ofRSS
assertedthat“Hindus,whatevertheirdenominationsofcasteorsect,formedasingle
societyandtheMuslimsandChristiansbelongedtoanalienandoftenhostilecamp!”
3.AllofusshareBabasahebAmbedkar’sunderstandingthat‘annihilationofcaste’is
essentialtodevelopingIndiaasamodernnation.ButRSSdoesnotagreetothis.Three
daysaftertheConstituentAssemblypassedtheConstitution,aneditorialpublishedin
theRSS’sEnglishOrganassailedtheConstitutionandextolled‘Manusmriti’which
prescribessubhumanstatustoShudrasandperpetualsubordinationofwomen.The
editorialreadasfollows:“ButinourConstitution,thereisnomentionoftheunique
constitutionaldevelopmentinancientBharat.Manu’slawswerewrittenlongbefore
LycurgusofSpartaorSolonofPersia.Tothisday,hislaws,asenunciatedinthe
Manusmriti,excitetheadmirationoftheworldandelicitspontaneousobedienceand
conformity.Buttoourconstitutionalpundits,thatmeansnothing”.
4.Thegrowthofmajoritycommunalismstrengthenstheforcesofminoritycommunalism
too.Wemustwageanuncompromisingstrugglefortheconsistentimplementationof
theprinciplesofsecularism,whichrequirescompleteseparationofreligionandpolitics.
Secularism doesnotmeanfreedom forallreligiousfaithstoequallyinterfereinthe
affairsofstateandpoliticallife.Wemustfirmlycombattheassaultonsecularism,

2. whetherittakestheform ofmajoritycommunalism orminoritycommunalism.Butwe
cannotbeblindtothefactthattheriseofHinduRashtraideologyposesthegreatest
threattodaybecausetodayHindutvaforceshavegotthecontrolofstateapparatuses
andalsoobtainedthebackingofIndia’sbigcorporateswhichgivesthem immense
financialclout.
5.RiseofsuchalunaticideologyinIndianpoliticsandsocietyliesattheheartofheart-
wrenchinghatecrimes,spreadinglikeanepidemic.Inthisresolution,wearenot
venturingtonarratethecrimesengenderedbyhatredtowardsvulnerablecommunities.
Someofthoseindividualswhohavesufferedunbearablelossesinthiscampaignof
hatredhavecometothisnationalconvention.Theyhavegatheredthecouragetospeak
upintheseintimidatingtimes.Todayweembracethem asourownfamilies,weare
sadandangryastheyare.Wemustrealisethattheseinstancesarenotisolated
tragedies.Therearewidespreadeffortsinvariouspartsofthecountrytomalign,
intimidateandattackpeoplebelongingtoreligiousminoritiesandoppressedcastes.
Hindutvastorm-troopersareimpartingto‘JaiShriRam’,‘VandeMataram’,‘BharatMata’
slogansanaggressivenessthatisshockingthenation.Whatwearewitnessingtoday
areglimpsesofa‘HinduRashtra’existinginthedreamsofBrahminicalforcesnostalgic
abouta‘goldenpast’ofrulingcastes’obscenesupremacy.
6.Themostdisturbingaspectofthesedevelopmentsisthecomplicityofstatemachinery.
Officials in civiladministration and police forces are coerced to side with the
perpetrators.Uprightofficerswhorefusetosurrenderaresilencedinsomanyways.
Someofthem aretrappedinfalsecaseslikeGujaratcadreIPSofficerSanjeevBhatt
andsomeareevenphysicallyeliminatedlikePoliceInspectorSubodhKumarSinghof
Bulandshahrwhowasmurderedinchoreographedmobviolence.From thePrime
Ministerwhoexoneratesanallegedterroristonthegroundthatshebelongstothe
majoritycommunitytoallthoseministersandleadersoftherulingPartieswhohave
beenairingchoicestabusesagainstminorities,thesignaltogovernmentofficersis
clear:forgetyourconstitutionalduties,behave like you are karyavahaks ofthe
‘Hindurashtra’.
7.Aspeace-lovingcitizenswhoarecommittedtotheRepublicletusresolvetodaytojoin
thefightagainstthisdegeneration.Thiswillinvolveadecisiontocommunicatewith
moreandmoreofourfellow-citizenscontinuouslyanddirectlytoovercomethealliance
ofcorporatemediaandcommunalforcestotellthetruthstoordinarypeopleandgive
them hopeandconfidence.Thiswillmeanorganisingever-wideningsecularcollectives
inasmanytownsand villagesaspossiblecutting acrossallotherdividesand
differencesexceptthecommitmenttotheideaofequalitybetweenIndiansofall
communities.Thiswillmeantirelesslegalbattlesbutalsomassmobilisationto
demandruleoflaw andadherencetotheConstitutionbystatemachinery.Tobegin
withweshoulddemandaspeciallawtotreatmob-lynchingasacrimethatwillattract

3. severepunishment.
8.ThisconventionproclaimsoursupremeconfidencethatthepeopleofIndiawillawaken
tothedangersthathavegrippedourbelovednationandendtheruleofviolenceand
lies.Inthis21
st
dayofJuly2019,inthiscitywheremanygloriousbattlesforfreedom
werefought,weresolveto rallytheordinarymassesinamightymovementto
safeguardtherepublicfoundedonthestrugglesandsacrificeofthepeopleanddefend
ourconstitutionthatpromisesanIndiatowhichIndiansofallcastesandcommunities
willbelongequally.
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