( JAVED IQBAL SHAH )
Political Analyst & Writer
E-Mail : javed0909@yahoo.co.in Mob : 9810002976
9810002976 09419007318 09419007318
27 September 2010
Respected and Hon’ble Prime Minister,
Injustice anywhere is a very potent threat to justice everywhere. There is a higher justice that eventually awaits us all than the one dispensed in this material World and the purpose of my writing to you is that neither I nor those, the heart-rending plight of whom I attempt to bring out, having been witness to it first hand, ever acquire the mantle of being complainant on judgement day in the issue brought before you for justice today. It is said that on the day of reckoning, every man will be judged on how he treated the least of God’s creation in this World.
It is by providence Sir, that you have just stumbled-across a Kashmiri who like a multitude of my genre are by conscious choice, not stone throwers. I am an animal rights activist pursuing an academic career in Delhi. Until about a week back my riposte to the crowds seeking freedom was my strong belief that I was born in a free country where the rule of law, compassion for all forms of life and the inviolability of citizens dignity was paramount and sacrosanct. They were at liberty to seek theirs. Despite my agonizing, appalling experiences and observations of the past one week in Delhi I would still like to think of myself as a drop in the immeasurable sea of humanity declared in the preamble to our Constitution as “we the people – the Supreme Sovereign” of India who have vested their faith and authority in you Sir, as the rightful custodian of the system to uphold the rule of law and Constitutional legality. I still believe as a Kashmiri and an Indian that all departures from legal and moral standards, whether in Kashmir or any other part of India can be and must indeed be combated by invoking that Bible of justice, we all proudly refer to as our Constitution. It is the unmistakable faith in its tenets that prompts and emboldens me, an ordinary citizen to seek redemption of the situation by writing to you, my Prime Minister. Despite the deprivations that I as an ordinary mortal and Kashmiri am otherwise heir to, I draw courage from the all absorbing resilience of this Constitution to stand up for the truth and my convictions, as a proud Indian citizen, whatever it takes. It gives me hope that my demands for justice will not make me an enemy of the State or risk me the possibility of state attrition, regardless of my deprivations.
Mr Prime Minister, in today’s day and age mankind cannot regress the historical expanse of evolution backwards to practice the adage of “survival of the mightiest” yet again. Civilization and the theory of evolution can only travel ahead. India is a country where epic justice, prudence, compassion and divine benevolence have been attributed to the ruler since the historical rule and times of Maryada Purshottam Ramchandra Ji. In a limited material way the Ruler replacing the Divine? You are Prime Minister not only of the 120 crore people of this country but everything that God bestowed as animate in it. You have to protect the rights of all. That includes the weakest of the weak and the most deprived amongst the deprived – that can’t stand and speak up for themselves. That perhaps explains why our Constitution enshrines respect and compassion to all forms of life as a fundamental duty under article 51A. However, under the garb of “cleaning up” the city for the impending Common Wealth Games (CWG) wanton animal atrocity and distressing cruelty is now being perpetrated surreptitiously by MCD & NDMC on stray dogs of Delhi by first catching them, generally in extremely violent ways to forcibly capture, displace and then dump them in arid, inhospitable or even unfamiliar territory. I have seen this myself. This is inhuman besides being counter-productive scientifically for animal birth control and anti-rabies programme that the civic agencies boisterously trumpet about. Sir, animal proliferation may be a problem among many others in this country. But then should we as humans and administrators own up the responsibility of having failed to plan for them or turn justice topsy-turvy on its head to punish this dumb manifestation of God for what is essentailly our own failure? Brute force of the State terrorizing the lesser creation of God, just because it can’t speak for itself! In a country where animal cruelty and their forcible displacement is against the law what kind of example are we setting for our children and the citizens to follow? When a government itself turns law-breaker what moral or legal right is it left with to preach or enforce the rule of law? Or is it our way of regression to the use of medieval brute force and “survival of the mightiest” theory? My anguish is compounded further considering the fact that this atrocity should take place when India is led by an acclaimed visionary Prime Minister like you, in your very own city. Sir, it is said that a person’s bodily attributes can’t be of one order and soul of another. So, I certainly believe that a person of Dr Manmohan Singh’s caliber, intellect and eminence is not just a respected economist and International statesman but a God fearing, just and compassionate person as well. From what little I have seen on TV you yourself are known to be an avid animal lover. Would you, Sir, ever have allowed to be done to your loved pet what the MCD/NDMC ruthlessly does to the hundreds and thousands of canines in Delhi day in and day out, under the alibi and pretext of “cleaning up” for the CWG? Kindly order an immediate halt to this perverse, uncivil, attrition and let those culpable of committing it be brought to book.
The CWG are indeed a prestigious event for our country. Their much maligned, deficient planning and execution was never the job of the common man much less the tormented poor animals. Such colourful exercise of authority by the civic agencies is nothing but an allergy to established laws and Constitutional order. Does it behove a mature democracy like ours to be jingoistic or apologetic about our country by taking recourse to such extreme measures we take pride in calling our own. Must we cut the nose to spite the face, Sir? We as a Nation have no qualms and issues in being hosts or extending traditional Indian hospitality, so long as it does not come at the unbearable, exacting cost of our human compassion, justice and self-respect. And only as long as it doesn’t attain the form of an excess on the fair and legitimate rights and expectations of the people of India .
That brings me back to where I had started from. Will the rule of law, compassion and due process triumph over the asperity of the “brute force” and the futility of the thrown “stone”? I surely trust your sagacity will ensure that justice eventually prevails to redeem and reinforce the faith of my ilk in humanity and the sanctity of the written word of justice. A kind, gracious assurance would allay the fears of those that believe in adherence to law, indeed all animal sympathisers and activists – and avert the need to make this appeal public.
With abiding and warm personal Regards,
Respectfully yours
( JAVED IQBAL )
Dr Shri Manmohan Singh
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India
Government of India
7 Race Course Road
New Delhi.
Copies forwarded to :
1. Smt Shiela Dikshit, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Govt. of Delhi.
2. Sh Rakesh Mehta, IAS Chief Secretary, Govt of Delhi.
3. Sh Parimal Rai, IAS Chairperson, NDMC, Govt of Delhi.
4. Sh K.S Mehra, IAS Commissioner MCD, Govt of Delhi.
5. Select Members of the National Press & Media Corps.
Hiranmay Karlekar