South Asia Citizens Web

The India Pakistan Friendship and Peace March from Ahmedabad to Nada Bet during 19 to 29 June, 2018 concluded successfully even though Ahmedabad Police detained the marchers for about 3 hours at the beginning as soon as it started from Gandhi Ashram and Border Security Force didn’t give permission to the march at the fag end from Nadeshwari Mata Mandir to the border, a distance of 25 km. Hence the total distance of this march on foot was curtailed to about 250 km. The March was taken out to demand from the Governments of India and Pakistan to reach an agreement to stop killing each other’s soldiers on border.

I do not hold any brief for Indira Gandhi as far her decision to impose emergency is concerned. There is no doubt that emergency period will be recorded as a black chapter in the democratic history of the country. But certainly I have every reason to differ with Arun Jaitely when he compares Indira Gandhi with Hitler.

The Concerned Citizens’ Group (CCG) undertook its fifth visit to Jammu and Kashmir from June 19 to 23. During this visit, the group visited the Kashmir Valley. The aim was to assess the change in the ground situation, especially peoples’ sentiments, in the wake of revocation of the unilateral cease-fire (suspension of counter-insurgency operations) by the government during the holy month of Ramzan.

Recently in the capital - New Delhi, something happened that has never happened before since independence. The Memorial of Mahatma Gandhi was locked down for two days without any explanation. A small notice was stuck on its doors: “Rajghat – will remain closed 24/6/18 – 25/6/18 till 11 am. We regret the inconvenience”. Neither the government nor the officers have bothered to explain — why will it remain closed? Who has ordered? What is the reason behind doing so?

[Two part review article on the 1994 Rwandan genocide]