South Asia Citizens Web

It is difficult to accept that Praful is no more. Two days back he passed away in Amsterdam, The Netherland. Now, who will spontaneously respond to right wing onslaught on the masses in these difficult times, both globally and within India?

Pakistan stopped celebrating the 1965 War with India some time ago, after some of its generals questioned the triumphalism being built around the debacle. India, however, it seems, has taken over from where Pakistan left off. To celebrate India’s military victory over Pakistan, a month-long ’commemorative carnival’ and a ’victory festival’ topped with a victory parade is to be held on Rajpath in Delhi on 20 September. A total of Rs 35 crore will be spent to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1965 War with Pakistan.

[Excerpt from Sagari Chhabra’s book, In Search of Freedom: Journeys Through India and South-East Asia (Harper-Collins Publishers India)]

That the subject-matter of this present Petition is in relation to the deaths of over one thousand (1000) people and injury caused to over 40,000 people affected, inter-alia, by heat waves striking Karachi and various parts of Sindh and the gross negligence and illegalities of the Respondents [hereinafter referred to as the ‘Heat Wave Tragedy’]. It is submitted that the Petitioners, through this Petition, seek justice and enforcement of the fundamental rights and the law, for the victims, the survivors and their families, and also seek further directions from this Honourable Court to inquire into the deaths of/injury to a huge number of people in relation to the Heat Wave Tragedy, fix the responsibility for such deaths and injury, to suggest measures in order to deal with the ongoing Heat Wave Tragedy and also to deal with such Heat Wave Tragedies in the future.

On 29 June 2015, a travel ban was imposed on human rights defender Ms Teesta Setalvad one week before the Supreme Court proceedings on granting her bail.