'India's Constitution under attack by orchestrated hatred against minorities'
Journalists tell constitutional bodies to step in and speak truth to power
New Delhi: In the wake of open calls from various quarters for attacks on India's religious minorities, especially Muslims, over 25 journalists from across the country have appealed the India's constitutional institutions to step in and uphold their constitutional mandate.
An open letter signed by over 25 prominent journalists from across India said, in the face of orchestrated hatred, silence is not an option.
The concerted amplification of hatred in the current times ranging from election rallies to controversies over clothing and from political gatherings or “dharam sansad” to screening of particular films, has to do with the advocacy of violence, the letter said.
Pointing out the “cold” and “calculated silence” from country’s top leaders amid calls for violence, the appeal said that “systematic hate” was being propagated against Muslims under the pretext of Covid-19 which included calls by legislators for their socio-economic boycott. It also noted disturbingly that, the term “corona jihad” was fabricated and amplified by sections of media establishment.
“Calls for violence or the socio-economic boycott of a community clearly do not enjoy the constitutional protection of free speech. And yet, the political executive – both at the level of the Union and in several States – appears unwilling to discharge its constitutional obligation to act. The police either take no cognizance of those inciting anti-minority violence or register cases under disproportionately mild sections, which strengthens the perception that such offenders are above the law,” the appeal said.
It further urged all the constitutional institutions including the Chief Justices and other judges of High Courts and Supreme Court, Election Commission, and media bodies such as Press Council of India and News Broadcasters & Digital Association along with working journalists’ unions to respond urgently to the crisis at hand.
Since December 2021, the appeal said, that systematic calls against Muslims have been made, starting from a religious meet in Haridwar to systematic targeting of Muslim women on social media platforms such as Bulli Bai App. Calling the Hijab controversy of Karnataka “ugly”, the appeal said that the incident caused nationwide harassment and humiliation of Muslim women.
It also noted the “star” campaigners endorsing the ruling party’s stances, stigmatizing Muslims and other minorities.
The appeal also said that the recent controversial film The Kashmir Files which “cynically exploits the tragedy of Kashmiri Pandits” halls to incite anti-Muslim sentiments. It also noted how the highest levels of the government fully justified criticism against the film, which further indicates orchestrated attempts of hatred.
“When all these events are taken together, it is clear that a dangerous hysteria is being built up countrywide to push the idea that “Hinduism is in danger” and to portray Muslim Indians as a threat to Hindu Indians and to India itself,” the appeal said, adding that only prompt and effective action by our constitutional, statutory and democratic institutions can challenge, contain and stop this disturbing trend.
Through the appeal, several journalists across the country urged India’s constitutional institutions, including the President, higher judiciary, Election Commission and media platforms to act responsibly and speak truth to power.
The signatories of the appeal included the following senior journalists:
N Ram, former Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu & Director, The Hindu Publishing Group
Mrinal Pande, Senior Journalist and Writer
R Rajagopal, Editor, The Telegraph
Vinod Jose, Executive Editor, Caravan
R Vijayasankar, Editor, Frontline
Q. W. Naqvi, Chairman & MD, Satya Hindi Ashutosh,
Editorial Director, Satya Hindi
Siddharth Vardarajan, Founder Editor, The Wire Siddharth Bhatia, Founder Editor, The Wire
MK Venu, Founder Editor, The Wire
Aziz Tankarvi, Publisher, Gujarat Today
Ravindra Ambekar, Director, MaxMaharashtra
R.K. Radhakrishnan, Senior Journalist
Deepal Trivedi, Founder Editor: Vibes of India, Gujarat Hasan Kamal, Senior Journalist & Columnist,
Inquilab Teesta Setalvad, Co-Editor, Sabrangindia
Javed Anand, Co-Editor, Sabrangindia
Pradip Phanjoubam, Editor, Imphal Review of Arts and Politics
Anuradha Bhasin, Executive Editor, Kashmir Times Kalpana Sharma, Independent Journalist
Saba Naqvi, Independent Journalist
Dhanya Rajendran, Editor in Chief, The News Minute Shabir Ahmed, Senior News Editor, The News Minute Anirban Roy, Editor, Northeast Now,Guwahati
Dhiren A. Sadokpam, Editor-in-Chief, The Frontier, Manipur
Tongam Rina, Journalist, Arunachal Pradesh
Monalisa Changkija, Editor, Nagaland Page
Aunindyo Chakravarty, Independent journalist
Abdussalam Puthige, Editor in Chief, Vartha Bharati Kannada Daily
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Missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels damages a ship in the Red Sea
Jerusalem (AP): A missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels damaged a ship in the Red Sea on Monday, authorities said, the latest assault in their campaign against shipping in the crucial maritime route.
The attack happened off the coast of Mokha, Yemen, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. The ship was damaged in the attack, the UKMTO said, though its crew was safe and heading to its next port of call. The agency urged vessels to exercise caution in the area.
There was “an explosion in close proximity to a merchant vessel,” the UKMTO said. “Vessel and crew are reported safe.”
The US military's Central Command identified the ship damaged as the Cyclades, a Malta-flagged, Greece-owned bulk carrier. The military separately shot down a drone on a flight path toward the USS Philippine Sea and USS Laboon, the military said Tuesday.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack on the Cyclades and targeting the US warships in a statement early Tuesday.
Meanwhile Monday, the Italian Defence Ministry said its frigate Virgino Fasan shot down a Houthi drone that morning near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
“A missile exploded in the water in the vicinity of the escorted vessel, causing only minor superficial damage,” the Italian Defence Ministry said, not identifying the commercial vessel being escorted. “The frigate Fasan and the protected merchant vessel are continuing their southward route as planned to exit the Red Sea.”
Saree did not acknowledge that attack, though he claimed the Houthis also targeted a ship in the Indian Ocean. There was no immediate report or evidence to support that claim.
The Houthis say their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are aimed at pressuring Israel to end its war against Hamas in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration.
Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a US-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.
American officials have speculated the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the US-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily for months. However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the past week. Early Sunday morning, the US military shot down five drones in the air over the Red Sea, its Central Command said.
The drones “presented an imminent threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels in the region,” Central Command said in a statement.
The Houthis on Saturday claimed they shot down another of the US military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft. US Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defence Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that “a US Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen.” He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.
