Monday, April 27, 2009

action requested: Hindu Temple Attacked in Rampurhat, West Bengal

apr 26th, 2009

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Amit Singh <hindu.vigil@vhs-net.com>
Date: Sat, Apr 25, 2009 at 1:52 PM
Subject: [Hindu Vigil] Hindu Temple Attacked in Rampurhat, West Bengal
To: 


You are requested to send e-mails / postal letters to protest the apathy
of West Bengal government to the plight of Hindus who were attacked, their
women folk molested and a Hindu temple was attacked by a Muslim mob,
Rampurhat, West Bengal, India. All relevant documentation is included in
the attached document.

If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at
hindu.vigil@vhs-net.com or leave me a voice mail at 206-426-5363.

Thank you.

Sincerely yours,


(Amit Singh)
Hindu Vigil
E-Mail: hindu.vigil@vhs-net.com
Voice Mail: +1 206-426-5363

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                               HINDU VIGIL

               Hindu Temple Attacked by Islamic Mob in Rampurhat

                           West Bengal, India

RECORDED INCIDENT

On the evening of February 24, 2009, the day after the Hindu festival
Shivaratri, there was a cultural program in the residential temple of
Shyamal Das of Kamarpatti. At that time, 6-7 Muslim youths started
sexually harassing young Hindu girls attending the function.

The festival committee youths attempted to stop the harassment of the
minor girls, and the Muslims left the location. In just 30 minutes, 40-50
Muslims from a nearby locality appeared on the scene. The festival
organizers sensing an attack quickly locked the temple gates. The
attackers broke all the Hindu murthis/icons outside and destroyed the
Hindu worship altar. They could not break the icons in the sanctum
sanctorum of the temple, due to the heavy doors.

The victimized Hindu devotees became upset and started protesting. The
Hindus from the neigboring areas rushed in to the spot.At that time, the
police reached the location, and announced via loudspeaker that Section
144 of the Indian Penal Code had been enacted from that very moment.
Ironically, The Hindus were roughened up and removed from the spot.

The next day, the local Hindus took out a rally under the leadership of
Subhashish Chowdhury, protesting that the local Congress party leader,
syed Shiraz, aka Jimmi is facilitating the Islamist elements.

________________________________________________________________________

CASE ASSESSMENT

Such incidents have been taking place in different parts of India
particularly in the Muslim dominated areas. While incidents against
minorities are mostly cooked up and disproportionately highlighted in the
media, violence against Hindus goes unnoticed and unpunished. It is
shocking to learn that law enforcing agencies avoid taking legal measures
to curb such elements owing to the environment created by the votaries of
vote bank politics.

________________________________________________________________________

SOURCE OF INFORMATION

Posted by Hindu Samhati's International Communications Team
Hindu Samhati Email Address: hindusamhati@gmail.com
Website: www.hindusamhati.org , http://hindusamhati.blogspot.com

________________________________________________________________________

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS

Write a letter to the highest authorities in central and state governments
bringing the issues to their notice and demanding immediate action:

1. Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil
President of India
Rashtrapati Bhavan
New Delhi, INDIA
Email: presidentofindia@rb.nic.in

2. Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India
24 Race Course
New Delhi, INDIA
Pull the URL: http://pmindia.nic.in/
Click on the "feedback" and then register your protest under "Grievance" section as per the
given guidelines

3. Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi
Governor of West Bengal
Raj Bhavan
Kolkata 700 062
Phone: 033-2200 1641
Fax: 033 - 2200 2444 / 2200 1649
Email:governor-wb@nic.in

4. Shri Buddhadev Bhattacharya,
Chief Minister, West Bengal
Writers' Building
Kokata, INDIA
Email: cm@wb.gov.in
Phone: (O) 22215555, 22145588
Fax: 22215480

5. National Human Rights Commission
Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg
New Delhi, INDIA
 PIN 110001
Tel.No. 23384012
Fax No. 23384863
E-Mail: covdnhrc@nic.in, ionhrc@nic.in

6. West Bengal Human Rights Commission,
Bhabani Bhavan, Alipore, kolkata-27
Std: 033 fax: 24799633
Phone no. 24797727/1629
E-mail: wbhrc@cal3.vsnl.net.in
Pull URL: http://wbhrc.nic.in/ and click on "complaint" and follow the guidelines

7. Send a copy of your letter to the UNHRC bringing raising the issue at
international forum:

Postal address:
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

8. You may send register your protest at the following number:
Telephone: +41 22 917 9000
Also E-mail your queries in this regards to: InfoDesk@ohchr.org

________________________________________________________________________

SAMPLE LETTER
(Please do NOT use the sample letter verbatim)

Honourable ________________,

It has come to my knowledge that on the evening of February 24th, the day
after the Hindu festival Shivaratri, a cultural program in the residential
temple of Shyamal Das of Kamarpatti was attacked by a Muslim mob. The
attackers broke all the Hindu murthis/icons outside and destroyed the
Hindu worship altar. The local administration has so far not acted
appropriately in the matter and the culprits are not booked accordingly.

I request you to kindly examine the matter by taking personal interest so
that immediate action is taken in the matter. Kindly inform me of the
actions taken in this regard and the step you propose to take so that such
incidents are not repeated in future. I can be reached via e-mail at
_______________and/or via phone at _____________.

Thanking you.
Sincerely yours,

________________________________________________________________________

Contact Information

Amit Singh
Hindu Vigil
Email: hindu.vigil@vhs-net.com
Voicemail:  1-206-426-5363

________________________________________________________________________

APPENDIX I. ORIGINAL SOURCE

(Sourced on 22nd April 2009)

________________________________________________________________________

Appendix II. Guidelines for Writing Protest Letters

The following are guidelines for writing letters of protest. Please note
that these should not be considered as requirements. This is meant as an
instrument of learning and effective capability building.

The Protest Letter Checklist

___ [REQUIRED] The protest letters should be either neatly hand-written or
type-written or computer-printed (black and white), signed (in blue ink),
and mailed via regular postal service.

___ [OPTIONAL] Send the text of the same letter in e-mail to the recipient

___ [OPTIONAL] Send a copy of the letter to the local media (via postal or
e-mail)

___ [OPTIONAL] If you run a personal blog (e.g. on blogspot.com), post the
letter there.

___ [OPTIONAL] If you have myspace.com / facebook.com / twitter.com /
orkut.com profiles, post the letter there.

___ [RECORD-KEEPING] Send the text of your protest letter to Hindu Vigil
(via e-mail): hindu.vigil@vhs-net.com { hindu DOT vigil AT vhs DASH net
DOT com } ; your letters will be archived.

Framework for Writing Protest Letters

Do protest letters work? Yes they do. Governments, institutions and
politicians pay careful attention to letters, because they are seen as
markers of public opinion. Statisticians and pollsters quite often use a
mathematical formula of 1 protestor to 10 letters of protest (can be
substituted by phone calls) to 10,000 concerned citizens. Meaning 10
letters of protest can substitute for 1 protestor protesting (being
physically present), representing at least 10,000 persons who feel
strongly about the issue at hand. Thus, your single letter of protest is
statistically representing at least 10,000 Hindus.

Is writing a protest letter too trivial? No. It is not. Whether you are
working on minimum wages or a multi-millionaire dollar businessperson, or
an awfully busy doctor or a lawyer, or homemaker trying to manage a
chaotic household -- it does not take that long to write a protest letter.
Hindu Vigil staff has already done your homework for you. All you have to
do is to spend 10 minutes and write this letter, and make yourself heard.

Format and Style

Letters of protest need not be long or compare with professional writers.
They should be crisp and clean. They must be genuine and the message
should come from the heart. Just be yourself and do your best. You need
not be an expert. Just speak your mind as a citizen on clean paper in neat
print. For your letter to make an impact, all you have to do is express
your sincere concern about something that troubles your conscience -- and
end the letter with a strong request for action. Tell the recipient of
your letter you know that many of your friends and neighbors feel
likewise. Be brief. Be clear. Be done.

Write to a person

Letters are more likely to be read and answered if they are addressed to a
name rather than to the government in general. Get the spelling of the
name and the address right.

Use titles

It shouldn't matter, but it does. Most people happen to be vain. Use the
appropriate salutation. Present and former prime ministers are addressed
as "The Right Honorable." Premiers and cabinet ministers are "Honorable."
Heads of States, such as presidents, are "Your Excellency." Kings, Queens
and other monarchs are "Your Majesty." Judges are "Your Honor."

Be polite

Always be respectful. Maintain the high moral ground.

Be brief

A short letter is far more effective than a long one. Limit your message
to 2-3 paeagraphs, or one that fits about 3/4th of a normal page. Get to
the point.

Be personal

Use personal examples that support your case. Make references to your
background, interests, training or occupation.

Cite facts

Briefly give the background facts. Enclose relevant URLs off the Internet
or send scanned newspaper clippings. Be specific about your concern.
Mention victims of persecution or abuse by name if possible. Separate
facts from opinion.

Write neatly

Handwritten letters do make a bigger impact. Printed letters are second best.

Don't generalize, be specific

Write about one message at a time. Spend some brief quality time thinking about just what
the kernel of your message ought to be.

Request action

This is extremely important. Underline what you want the person, the
government or the institution to do. Always, always get the recipient of
your letter to do something. Ask them when you can expect a change. State
clearly you intend to follow up.

Close properly

Close your letter with polite words. Thank the person for the things you
know he or she will do right. Be sure to include your mailing address.

Categories of Protest Letters

There are two categories of letters that are of interest to HV.

a. A letter to an oppressive or unsympathetic government

A government may cloak itself in democratic terms and yet be viciously
destructive to the interests of the citizens. A letter to an oppressive
government or an abusive government official should make it clear that
many people are clearly unhappy.

b. A letter to an institution

Human rights institutions are set up around the world. Some do their work
better than others. Human rights organizations are specifically biased
against Hindus and Hindu Dharma (due to historical factors, and going into
those is out of the scope of this document). Former communists and
socialists have reinvented themselves as champions of human rights during
the post-Soviet phase, and these are least expected to give an ear to
human rights violations against Hindus. For the purposes of Hindu Vigil
you may accept this at face value. HR organisations are concerned about
the image they present. Their funding depends on their image. If its
officials are seen as rubber stamping nefarious forces within oppressive
governments, they cannot be effective and serve the people properly. They
know that. So do you. You should appeal to HR institutions or organization
in the name of principles they profess to uphold.

Some Final Considerations

If you do not receive a reply within a reasonable time, send a polite
query. Although state officials fail to acknowledge most of the appeals
that are written to them, don't be discouraged. Repeated messages get
noticed, processed and filed.  Every letter, whether acknowledged or not,
makes an impact. It tells the offenders that Hindus are watching their
actions and recording them. When you do receive a reply, acknowledge it
immediately as a matter of courtesy.


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1 comment:

blogger said...

Will circulate. Thanks for the post.

Did you guys read this one, "Indian Passport for bribe of $100 / Rs 5000".

Apparently 85000 tatkal issued passports are now in question. A corrupt bureaucrat in collusion with a Muslim tout Fatimah, daughter of former MP headed the racket. F**k national security as kkkangress rules!