गार्जेन फोरमले उठायो आवाज खै प्रधानअध्यापकहरूको नियुक्ति?... Spurt in activity to humour ranks... Cash excuse for lease - Nsd rent to tide over crisis ....Aspiring teachers raid consultancy - Firm accused of taking Rs 65000 for non-existent course

गार्जेन फोरमले उठायो आवाज

खै प्रधानअध्यापकहरूको नियुक्ति?

मनोज वोगटी, कालिम्न्युज। कालेबुङ,3 मई। देशले नागरिकहरूलाई समान साक्षर गराउन विभिन्न योजनाहरू तयार पारे पनि पहाडको निम्ति आकाशको फल आँखा तरि मर समान बनेको छ। प्रावधान, योजना पनि छ, आवश्यकता पनि छ तर कार्यान्वयन छैन। पहाड़को शैक्षिक क्षेत्रमा देखापरेको सरकारी उदासीनता अनि स्वार्थी राजनैतिक चरित्रको कारण प्रावधान रहेपनि यसको उपभोग गर्न पहाड़वासी पाइरहेका छैनन्‌। शैक्षिक क्षेत्रमा रहेका यस्ता आधारभुत समस्याहरूलाई केन्द्र गर्दै गार्जेन फोरम फर एजुकेशनले आवाज उठाउन शुरू गरेको छ।

आज फोरममा अध्यक्ष कर्णल डीके प्रधान अनि सल्लाहकार तारा सुन्दासले उच्चतर विद्यालय निरीक्षक डा अञ्जना थापालाई एउटा ज्ञापनपत्र पेश गर्दै समस्या निदानलाई लिएर भइरहेको सरकारी उदासीनताको जायजा लिएका छन्‌। तारा सुन्दासले भने, दागोपापका 17 वटा उच्चविद्यालयमा प्रधानाध्यापक नै छैनन्‌। विद्यालय प्रभारीले चलाइरहेका छन्‌। यसबारे निरीक्षकसित प्रश्न उठाइयो। तिनले स्कूल सर्विस ्‌ कमिशन पहाड़मा लागू नभएकोले कार्य हुन नसकेको जनाएका छन्‌। सुन्दासले कमिशन लागू नभएकोले धेरै ठाउँमा समस्या उपार्जन गरेको जो यहॉंको शैक्षिक उन्नतिकोमार्गमा अवरोधकोरूपमा देखापरेको जनाए।

2002 देखि नै पहाड़मा स्कूल सर्विस्‌ कमिशन निष्क्रिय रहेको छ। सुन्दासले 2009 मा बसेको अन्तर्वार्ता अनुसार प्रधानाध्यापकहरूको नियुक्ति हुनपर्ने जनाएका छन्‌। कमिशन नरहेकोले नै ननटिचिङ स्टाफको नियुक्ति पनि भइरहेको छैन। पश्चिम बङ्गाल सरकारको शिक्षा निदेशकले जारी गरेको अधिसूचना अनुसार नियुक्ति हुनुपर्ने कुरालाई फोरमले जोड़ दिइरहेको पनि सुन्दासले जनाएका छन्‌। विद्यालय  बढोत्तरी अनुसार शिक्षकहरूको नियुक्ति हुनुपर्ने भएपनि यसो नभएको अनि धेरैवटा विद्यालयहरूलाई बढ़ोत्तरी नै नगरिएको बताउँदै कर्णल डी.के प्रधानले भने, 15 वटा विद्यालयलाई बढ़ोत्तरी गरियो, जहॉं तीनजना गरेर शिक्षक नियुक्त हुनुपर्ने हो। स्कूल सर्विस्‌ कमिशन अनुसार नियुक्त नभएर बढ़ोत्तरी नै खारेज हुनसक्छ। यस मामिलामा पनि निकायमा प्रशन उठाइएको छ। तिनले 41 वटामा केवल 15 वटा विद्यालयहरूलाई मात्र बढ़ोत्तरी गरिएको अनि रहल विद्यालयहरूको बढ़ोत्तरीलिएर कुनै पहल नै नभइरहेको पनि जनाए।

यता तारा सुन्दासले जनाए अनुसार 31 वटा ग्रामीण विद्यालयहरू छन्‌, जसलाई सरकारी मान्यता दिइनुपर्छ। जसलाई ग्रामीणस्तरमा शिक्षित बेरोजगारहरूले सञ्चालन गरिरहेका छन्‌। यस्ता विद्यालयहरूलाई शीघ्र नै सरकारी मान्यता दिनुपर्ने सम्बन्धमा सङ्गठनले निकायमा चाप दिइरहेको जनाउँदै सुन्दासले भने, शीघ्र नै यस्ता विद्यालयहरूको निरीक्षण हुनुपर्छ अनि सम्बन्धित विभागमा यसको रिपोर्ट बुझाइनुपर्छ। यस सम्बन्धमा सङ्गठनले शीघ्र नै एजुकेशन डाइरेक्टरसित भेटघाट गर्नेछ।

कालेबुङमा अझ पनि मेरी स्कट ब्लाइण्ड, बरबोट निम्बोङ, चिसाङ(तोदे) गोरूबथानको पब्लिक अनि लिङ्‌से जुनियर विद्यालयलाई सरकारी मान्यता नै नदिइएको पनि सुन्दासले जनाए। तिनले भने, सरकारी मान्यता नदिएको कारण स्पष्ट पारिनुपर्छ। तिनले आरोप लगाउँदै तराईको तुलनामा पहाड़का विद्यालयहरूमा कम्प्युटर लिटरेसी कार्यक्रम कार्यान्वयनको प्रणाली उचित नरहेको जनाए। तिनले भने, तराईको प्रत्येक विद्यालयमा यो कार्यक्रम अनुसार सामाग्रीहरू दिइएको छ, तर पहाड़मा यस्तो किन गरिएको छैन? यसमा कसको कुन स्वार्थ छ? यसमा कतै घोटला त भइरहेको छैन? यस सम्बन्धमा पनि फोरमले निकायमा उजुरी गर्नेछ।
Spurt in activity to humour ranks
VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Darjeeling, May 3: The dissent among a section of DGHC workers, who have accused the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha of doing nothing for them, has triggered a flurry of activity among the frontal organisations of the party that is determined to prevent its flock from straying.
The formation of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council Karmachari Sangathan recently not only prompted party president Bimal Gurung to announce that the Morcha’s top priority was to pursue the regularisation of the jobs of the 6,000-DGHC workers, but also stirred other party organisations into action.

Today, members of the Gorkha Primary Teachers’ Organisation started a three-day dharna in front of the office of the council’s education secretary, demanding that its 11-point charter of demands be fulfilled. The list of demands includes the appointment of 4,000 teachers, the posts for which have been lying vacant.

The Janmukti Secondary Teachers’ Organisation (JSTO), too, met DGHC administrator Anil Verma to demand that ad-hoc secondary teachers be made permanent. A nine-member delegation of the JSTO has demanded that the process of regularisation of the 478 ad-hoc teachers and 78 non-teaching staff should be immediately started.

“The administrator has assured us that he will take up the issue once the election results are announced. We have also raised the issue of the 145 ad-hoc teachers in non-recognised schools,” said Binay Dewan, the president of the JSTO (Darjeeling sub-divisional committee).

Last week, a section of casual workers broke away from the Morcha-affiliated Janmukti Asthahi Karmachari Sangatan (JAKS), alleging that the hill party had only used them as political “tools” and had done nothing for them in the past few years.

Following the allegation, a rattled Morcha leadership arranged for a series of meetings. One of them was between the JAKS and the party’s three candidates for the Assembly elections. A strategy to address the demands of the casual workers if the Morcha representative were elected to the Assembly was worked out.

This was followed by a meeting with administrator Verma on Saturday and two media conferences within three days to highlight the achievement of the JAKS.

The primary teachers said they would call a strike in schools if the government fails to fulfil their demands after their three-day dharna.

They may even shut down the hills, the teachers’ association has said.

The sudden spurt in activities has raised a few eyebrows. “One cannot help but think that the Morcha seems to have been rattled by the formation of a breakaway faction. The various frontal organisations have been raising demands in the past but not in the same degree as is being seen now,” said an observer.

JSTO president Dewan, however, refused to endorse the observer’s view: “We have always been working for our members. We could not do much because of the elections, but now we are carrying on with our work.”
(KalimNews : The number of Primary schools in DGHC is 7074 and in 1995, 59 schools and in 2009-10, 15 were recognised)

Cash excuse for lease- Nsd rent to tide over crisis

The NSP Sikkim headquarters; Roka (second from right) and other members of the executive council at a media meet in Gangtok on Tuesday. Pictures by Prabin Khaling

TT, Gangtok, May 3: The Nepali Sahitya Parishad (NSP) Sikkim today sought to defend its decision to lease two floors of its headquarters here to the National School of Drama for three years, saying the deal would help the literary body stave off financial problems.

The NSP Sikkim had attracted a lot of criticism from cultural figures after the only “inexpensive” avenue for literary activities in Gangtok was handed over to the NSD, a unit of the ministry of culture, for a monthly rent of Rs 21,000 from April this year.

“The only branch of the NSD in the entire Northeast has opened in Sikkim thanks to the special efforts of the state government. Considering that drama is also a part of literature, we have given the two top floors of the NSP headquarters to the NSD for setting up its office and training centre,” NSP Sikkim president B.K. Roka told a media conference here today.

Roka said the NSP Sikkim did not get regular grants from the state government and when the new executive committee had taken over the charge one and a half years ago, the organisation had been in financial doldrums.

“Funds were at a minimum to run the daily activities of the organisation. We needed a regular source of income to pay interest on a Rs 12 lakh bank overdraft of taken by the previous executive committee to construct a new building adjacent to the NSP headquarters,” he said.

“The interest has risen to Rs 17 lakh and if the amount is not paid, the bank could take over our building in the next few years. This was foremost in our mind when we eased the two floors to the NSD,” said Roka.

The NSP headquarters has five floors and the new building is coming up next to it. A hall to host cultural activities is located on one of the two floors handed over to the NSD.

Besides, the state government is constructing a community hall for the NSP.

Aspiring writers, poets and artistes in Gangtok had slammed the NSP for handing over the two floors to the NSD.

“The NSP hall was the most convenient place to gather and hold literary activities in Gangtok. After having rented out the two floors, the NSP Sikkim is defeating its mandate of conserving and promoting literature. There are no other places in Gangtok to host literary activities,” Santosh Bardewa, writer and the founding president of the Yuva Pustakalaya Sikkim, had said earlier.

The NSP Sikkim usually charges Rs 1,500 per day for using its hall and sometimes, charges are waived for special literary programmes.

Aspiring teachers raid consultancy - Firm accused of taking Rs 65000 for non-existent course

Binoy Mitra (second from right) in front of the consultancy office on Tuesday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

TT, Siliguri, May 3: Around 30 aspiring teachers today raided the office of a consultancy firm that has allegedly taken Rs 65,000 from each of them for a BEd course that apparently does not exist.

The protesters, in the age group of 25-35 years, alleged they had been duped by MMC Private Limited which had admitted them to a BEd course under a college of Bihar’s Magadh University. But enquiries at the college have revealed that the admission receipts and identity cards, which were supposed to prove that the applicants were students of the Bihar institution, were fake.

The owner of the consultancy, however, has denied the charge and said the issue would be taken care of soon.

Sources said more than 200 youths from across north Bengal had taken admission to a BEd course through the Siliguri-based Mitra Management Consultancy (MMC) Pvt Ltd run by Binoy Mitra at the Ambedkar Market on Hill Cart Road, a stone’s throw from Pradhannagar police station.

“We took admission to the course through MMC at Sattar Memorial College of Education at Phulwarisharif in Patna. We were told the degree would be given by Magadh University in Bodhgaya. The admission started in June-July last year and continued till November,” said Shyamlal Mahato, who hails from Tungidighi in North Dinajpur.

“The consultancy had told us that the course fee was Rs 65,000. They took Rs 20,000 from me. It was agreed that the remaining amount would be paid in due course when we were given registration numbers, roll numbers and identity cards,” said Mahato.

However, as time passed and the students pestered Mitra and his associates for study material, classes and other information, the consultancy members tried to avoid them. “This evoked suspicion. Five of us wrote to the principal of Sattar College, mentioning our roll and registration numbers. We told him we were BEd students of his institution,” said Lalit Burman from Cooch Behar.

The principal’s office replied that the roll and registration numbers were incorrect and that no such admission had taken place.

“The principal’s office also told us that the course fee of a one-year BEd course in the college was 1.35 lakh, not Rs 65,000 that had been collected by MMC from us,” said Burman.

Some of the “victims” had also gone to Magadh and Patna for a first-hand verification of the claims made by the consultancy. They too had found out that the MMC-supplied documents were fake.

Today, 35 youths arrived at the consultancy office in the morning, demanding answers to their queries. The altercation drew the attention of the people working in nearby establishments and shopkeepers, who informed police.

Mitra, who is the managing director of MMC, described today’s incident as a “petty problem” before he was taken away to the police station.

“We would take it up with the college and university authorities to resolve the issue. If necessary, we will accompany the students to Patna,” he said. Mitra has not been arrested yet. More than 20 students filed a complaint in the evening with Pradhannagar police station, alleging that Mitra had duped them by taking money for a fake admission.

The police confirmed that they have received the complaint. “We have started an investigation,” an officer said.

Rain makes summer cool

A house damaged by a storm; (above) tin roofs blown away in the storm at Jagadishpur near Raiganj on Sunday. North Dinajpur district magistrate Sunil Dandapat said more than 180 families had been rendered homeless in the area because of the storm. Picture by Nantu Dey

TT, Siliguri, May 3: North Bengal has been experiencing more cool days for the past two months than last year as frequent Norwesters have brought down the temperature.

The Regional Meteorological Office in Jalpaiguri said the region had received 198.6mm rain from March 1 to May 3, more than double the 72.3mm rain recorded in the same period last year.

“There were more rainy days in the past two months this year than the previous year, which was comparatively dry. This year, the total rainfall recorded from March 1 to May was 3198.6mm, which is much higher than 72.3mm rain recorded last year,” said Indranil Sengupta, the assistant meteorologist at the Jalpaiguri Met Office.

“The credit for this goes to the frequent spells of Norwester that the region received and will continue to receive this month.”

The official attributed the consistent spells of Norwester to the formation of troughs and cyclonic circulation over the region.

“A system of troughs and cyclonic circulation is necessary to induce Norwesterly rains and thundershowers. The region is experiencing more such systems this year and that is why we are getting good rainfall. The previous year was dry as such weather systems were not formed frequently,” he said.

The weather station said such a system still prevailed over the region and forecast that Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts were likely to receive thundershowers in the next 24 hours.

Light rainfall was also expected in Malda and North and South Dinajpurs.

The rain has brought down the temperature much to the ease of the residents.

The maximum temperature reached four degrees Celsius above the normal on just two days in March this year. But it was recorded around five degrees Celsius above the normal on seven days in March 2010.

In April, the maximum temperature rose three degrees Celsius above the normal on just one day this year whereas it was five degrees above the normal on seven days last year.

The normal maximum temperature for March ranges from 27 to 28 degrees in the first fortnight and 29 to 30 degree Celsius in the latter part of the month.

For April, the normal maximum temperature is 31 degrees Celsius till mid of the month and 32 degrees Celsius for the rest of the month.

“More rains have brought the temperature down considerably and we have had many cooler days this year than the previous year. For most part of March and April, the temperature recorded was just one or two degrees above normal and it rose to around four degrees above normal on just two days in March and three degrees above normal just once in April. Such weather condition is likely to prevail in May also as we are expecting more troughs and cyclonic circulations in the region,” said Sengupta.
Robbers held with arms
TT, Malda, May 3: Five persons were arrested with arms from Rathbari More here last night while they were planning robberies on buses.
While two of the arrested are residents of Basirhat in North 24-Parganas, the others are from Malda district. The five were picked up by Englishbazar police and a pipe gun, two rounds of live cartridges, a spear and two daggers were found on them. The police said the gang members had been rounded up while they had been planning to rob people travelling on long distance buses at night.
Blockade
TT, Jalpaiguri: Residents of Berubari blocked the Jalpaiguri-Haldibari road for five hours on Tuesday, demanding the immediate arrest of those who had murdered Santosh Burman, an insurance agent, on Friday. The protest was lifted after Kotwali police reached the spot and assured the people of speedy action to catch the murderers. The residents warned that they would lay siege to the police station if there was no progress in the case in the next two days.
Body found
TT, Jaigaon: The decomposed body of Gita Barman, a resident of Collegepara in Birpara, was found near Sukhanadi on Tuesday. Birpara police said the 45-year-old woman had been missing since April 30 and a complaint was lodged by her husband.
Gherao
TT, Jaigaon: Around 650 workers of Batabari Tea Estate gheraoed garden manager Sandeep Panda for three hours on Tuesday, demanding the immediate reappointment of B.C. Ghosh, the garden’s physician. The agitation was lifted after an assurance from Panda that a new doctor would be appointed in the garden in three days.
Road death
TT,Islampur: Pada Banu, a resident of Ratua in Malda, was run over by an unidentified vehicle on NH31 at Panjipara on Tuesday morning. Police said the 31-year-old had come to a relative’s place in Panjipara to attend a marriage. 
(KaimNews:Bibek Lama, 11 of Jay Birpara TE was killed when a tractor trumpled over Lama ). 
Dorje China rage cools Delhi
NISHIT DHOLABHAI, TT,New Delhi, May 3:The Tibetan monk who till recently had been suspected to be Beijing’s man in India has slammed China’s “totalitarian regime”, in a statement that may have finally set at rest the misgivings of his host.

“Tibet is under communist China’s totalitarian regime. Unlike democratic India, there is no religious freedom there,” Ugyen Trinley Dorje, the most popular claimant to the title of the 17th Karmapa, told a news conference in Delhi yesterday.

The bespectacled 26-year-old described India as his “home”, prompting many to sense a “significant shift”. The head of the Karma Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism also recognised the Dalai Lama as his spiritual and temporal leader.

The comments came months after alleged financial irregularities embroiled the monk when investigators seized Chinese and other foreign currency worth crores of Indian rupees in his Dharamshala home. Delhi had then suspected China was funding its “strategic asset” and the money was meant for furthering Beijing’s interest in the Indian Himalayas.

Yesterday, however, Dorje appeared to have allayed India’s concerns as he launched into a tirade against China’s “misguided policies” and rights violations in Tibet and calling India his home.

“India is my home now and I would never do anything against the interest of the country or her people,” he said.

Observers said the comments should, to some extent at least, silence critics who have been saying the young monk had never uttered a word against China since he came from Tibet in 2000.

“It is a shift,” said an official in the security establishment.

Some chose to describe the comments as a return gift from Dorje, whom India does not officially recognise as Karmapa. At a recent media conference, however, home secretary G.K. Pillai had referred to Dorje as Karmapa.

At yesterday’s meet, Dorje wanted to make several points. The first was that he was not a “Chinese spy, agent or plant in India” and that such allegations saddened him. He also said he was grateful to India for giving him refuge.

But what should be of interest to the China Study Group and other observers is what he said about the Dalai Lama. “I want to reiterate, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the sole head of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition,” Dorje said in Tibetan.

“This is what is significant,” said a retired chief of India’s spy agency RAW.

Sources said it indeed was, considering the differences between the 900-year-old Kagyu sect, which has over 700 branches across the world, and the Dalai Lama’s Gelukpa sect.

The Dalai Lama, too, has recognised Dorje as Karmapa.

Dorje slammed China for rights violations in Tibet, especially on the ongoing siege of the Kirti Monastery in Ngaba and the reported arrest of over 300 monks, and appealed to the “Central Chinese government to peacefully resolve the current crisis”.

Dorjee hunt focus shifts to Bhutan

TT, Itanagar/New Delhi, May 3: Indian space agency Isro pointed to a fresh location in Bhutan as the focus of the search for missing Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu shifted to the mountainous neighbour amid calls to take “Chinese help”.

Senior officials in Delhi, however, ruled out taking Beijing’s assistance.

“We don’t understand why there are calls from some elements like this. We want to tell you we haven’t left any stone unturned,” said a government official in the capital.

In Arunachal capital Itanagar, Union minister V. Narayanasami underlined the “priority” the Centre had given to the search for the Pawan Hans helicopter that has been missing since Saturday after it took off with Dorjee and four others on board.

“The Centre has accorded utmost priority to the search operations, with the state government, the defence, home and external ministries and the PMO involved in the rescue operations along with local residents. Around 2,500 troops and 1,000 local residents are also involved in the operations,” Narayanasami said.

His central colleagues Mukul Wasnik and B.K. Handique were among others present at the evening media briefing where the leaders faced uncomfortable questions on whether enough troops had been pressed into the search operation.

Narayanasami said two of the seven locations identified by Isro and Sukhoi aircraft were searched but “no clue” had been found. “The search at Nagar GG and Bongajan in West Kameng district did not yield anything. A search team will be reaching Pakhtu GG in Bhutan by this evening, one of the seven shortlisted sites. This site will be our new focus area along with the other four remaining sites. Bhutan is extending all help,” he said.

Sources said troops from the Indian Military Training Team and the Royal Bhutan Army had also joined the search. The focus shifted to Bhutan as Isro pointed to a fresh location with “dispersed metal”.

In Delhi, sources said they had come to know that someone close to the family of the chief minister had demanded that the government seek China’s help.

The sources said that the person, based in Delhi till Monday, might have called up Congress workers in Itanagar, urging them to raise the demand for seeking Beijing’s help.

Home ministry officials said there was no need for Chinese help as every force was involved in the search operation. “The media is keeping an eye on all the developments,” said a ministry official.

Hundreds of troops from the police, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra Seema Bal, the army, the Border Roads Organisation, the IAF and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are scouring the rugged, mountainous terrain for the missing chopper, but inclement weather and altitudes of 13,000-14,000ft have hobbled the search.

Control rooms set up by the army at Tezpur, Tenga and Tawang are organising the search mission in coordination with the police control room at Itanagar.

A 20-member team from the NDRF’s Guwahati-based 1st battalion launched the search on foot around 6 this morning. “The team marched to Nagar GG where local residents told them they had heard a bang last Saturday,” said battalion deputy commandant Harbhajan Singh.

“However, they couldn’t find any wreckage till this evening when the search was called off because of bad light and unfavourable weather conditions. The search will resume early tomorrow,” he said.

During a limited window of clear weather this morning, two air force helicopters from Tawang conducted a search in West Kameng but without much luck. Two Sukhoi sorties were also undertaken today.

The Arunachal government this evening announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for any information about the chief minister.
FEAR OF PROTEST
WARISHA FARASAT, TT, May 4: As Anna Hazare took sips of water, flanked by supporters, many in the political circle were relieved. An immediate political crisis had been averted. It seemed like a story with a perfect ending. But even as I watched the anti-corruption campaign unfold, I thought of Irom Sharmila.

I wish that her exemplary courage and grit would be honoured. For over 10 years, Sharmila, a Manipuri woman, has been on fast demanding the repeal of the repressive Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. But no one seems to be moved. In fact, she has been arrested several times by the police, and force-fed. In 2006, Sharmila had also protested at Jantar Mantar. Needless to say, this received almost no media coverage.

The indifference towards Sharmila and her struggle is symptomatic of the brutal crackdown by the authorities on any form of dissent in the Northeast, in Chhattisgarh, Kashmir and elsewhere. The AFSPA impedes accountability for serious human rights violations, and provides immunity to the security forces. The army has often been found to misuse the extraordinary powers vested in it.

The Asian Centre for Human Rights estimates that as many as 1,184 persons have died in India as a result of custodial torture between April 2001 and March 2009. The actual numbers could be higher. In addition, many survivors of torture and inhuman treatment have described the coercive interrogation methods used against them in custody: handcuffing, sleep deprivation, sexual abuse, incessant beating and electrocution. The office of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture had sought the permission of the Indian government as far back as in 1993 for conducting a fact-finding mission to investigate allegations of torture in India. Eighteen years and several reminders later, the request of the Rapporteur is still pending. Why is there so little public outcry on these issues?

Urgent measures

The overwhelming public support to Anna Hazare’s protest against corruption — which some claim was grossly exaggerated — and the silence over Sharmila’s crusade remind us that not all struggles for justice attract the moral outrage they deserve. But the uncanny similarity between the non-violent, Gandhian means of protest employed by both Hazare and Sharmila means that parallels would inevitably be drawn with regard to the responses to each of these.

Why are we indifferent to the important issues that Sharmila is raising? Is it because they involve uncomfortable questions? Is it because Hazare’s cause is linked to the middle class’s dislike of corruption in politics, while Sharmila’s cause seems important only to those who have to suffer the consequences of the draconian laws? While there is substantial tolerance towards a people’s movement against corruption, even if it criticizes the entire political and bureaucratic class of the country, the minute the issue of impunity of the security forces is raised, allegations of sedition and of war against the State overshadow the principal debate on democratic rights.

But as Sharmila’s protest underscores, urgent measures are required to challenge the existing culture of impunity. These include the repeal of the repressive AFSPA, facilitating the visit of the Special Rapporteur on Torture, redrafting the prevention of torture bill, and holding perpetrators accountable. Moreover, India needs to promote accountability for human rights violations not only at home but also in its neighbourhood.

Only when we respect Sharmila’s struggle can we claim the moral high ground as a regional power. Otherwise, serious human rights violations and the use of coercive interrogation methods would continue. So would our collective culpability in looking away from Irom Sharmila and what she represents.

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead - Again!

Americans are at their most vulnerable

They are vulnerable because they are gullible

They are gullible because they are ignorant

They are ignorant because they are deliberately misinformed.

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich, Countercurrents.org, 03 May, 2011: When Obama announced Osama Bin Laden dead, it was established as a fact - the truth. Where truth is concerned, it clearly matters where you were born - or else the truth does not matter.

In a 2007 interview, a former Pakistani born president (twice) and a leading opposition candidate favored to win the 2008 general Pakistani elections, Benazir Bhutto, claimed that Omar Sheikh had murdered OBL in an extraordinary interview (see linkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnychOXj9Tg), she did not get [re] elected -- she was assassinated. Her allegations were buried by the mainstream media along with her. Without a doubt, the American-born US President's announcement of OBL's death will extend Barak Obama's occupancy of the White House for another four years. Neither Bhutto nor Obama produced a corpse to back their claim, yet it appears that nationality has its privileges -- that of establishing the truth.

A pertinent question arises: Why would the U.S. put an expiration stamp on the Osama card when it had served the empire so well?

Inarguably, OBL had proven his value. Even in his 'death', he continues to serve the American Empire. We have been duly warned that "U.S. intelligence officials believe Osama bin Laden made a propaganda recording shortly before his death and expect that tape to surface soon." The possibility of a future tape, puts the Obama administration in the comfortable fall-back position and enable false flag operations when necessary. What dedication. Is it any wonder that OBL was granted his dearest wish -- to die in battle (and not murdered by a fellow Moslem, or sickness, or ..)?

Although OBL was with our consciousness well before 2001, the events of September 11 gave him a new prominence - and for years thereon, he knew when to be silent and when to speak out (apparently the trend will continue after his death). Admittedly, this inordinate ability to speak or be silent took some training - or persuasion.

For three years after 9/11, OBL denied being behind the attacks stating: "Following the latest explosions in the United States, some Americans are pointing the finger at me, but I deny that because I have not done it. The United States has always accused me of these incidents which have been caused by its enemies. Reiterating once again, I say that I have not done it, and the perpetrators have carried this out because of their own interest," (CIA FBIS: Usama bin Laden Statements 1994-2004 , Wikileaks, September 14, 2008). Perhaps the pounding of Afghanistan and Iraq deafened him into submission - or substitution.

In October 2004, a videotape of OBL is broadcast in which he assumes responsibility for 9/11. (The still photo from the 2004 video is worthy of scrutiny. It closely resembles the still image presented alongside Obama on today's C-Span. Although the hair coloring varies, there are two consistencies: the same wide and uncharacteristic nose and the same exact outfit ). After three years of only audio messages, in 2007 (after his first publicly announced death), a new videotape of OBL emerged -with a dyed and trimmed beard to please his global audience . This picture is an exact duplicate of the two above mentioned pictures. It was this incredible image of OBL that prompted me to write my first article about the man. I could not fathom a man devoted to a vigorous practice of fundamental Islam defying the Islamic ideology pertaining to vanity - especially while living in his snug cave. His black trimmed beard was unorthodox. Although he sported a shorter beard, he had set his sight far -- he was analyzing and criticizing the US Democratic Party's moves.

On January 6, 2008, I wrote a second and brief article questioning OBL's absence in the face of Israel's massacre in Gaza. I should have been more patient. Eight days after my article was posted on various sites, a recording accompanied by a still photo of Bin Laden superimposed over the al-Aqsa mosque was delivered. It was heartwarming to know that Gaza had not been forgotten. OBL's audiotapes continued to surface. The man truly kept abreast of current events. In 2010, OBL even asked for the boycott of American goods for not addressing climate change. Way to go OBL!

Contrary to the latest revelations about OBL's living conditions in luxury and probably with the knowledge of Pakistanis, it had always been thought that OBL sent audio messages because he was in a cave or on the run. Now at least, with his demise, we are shown pictures of his corpse. Regrettably, it has been brought to light by The Guardian that the picture of the corpse presented as proof of his demise seems to be old, recycled pictures. Notwithstanding this shortsightedness, we have been deprived of further photo opportunities in an attempt to respect Islamic rituals. US intelligence tell us that OBL's body was dumped into sea in accordance with Islamic burial demands of a 24 hour burial time frame. It is always refreshing to hear that Islam is respected after the many wars against Islamic countries.

So back to the main question: Why did the United States decide to expire Osama bin Laden at this juncture?

It would be naive to think that the logic behind the expiration stamp is restricted to promoting the incumbent president and uniting a dissatisfied nation (two thirds dissatisfied or angry with the government ) and rally the people around the flag. It is equally naive to think that the world needed to be distracted from the reality that an attempted assassination of a foreign leader which led to the murder of his family members was a factor. Nor can one attribute this event to the justification of the illegal and immoral CIA-drone killings in Pakistan. There must be more than meets the eye!

Perhaps for the time being, America is so confident in its latest lethal weapon - the pro-democracy cyber dissidents, that it decided to trade the 'war on terror'' with humanitarian imperialism brought about with the help of its cyber dissidents. Such grand gestures of 'humanitarian intervention' to promote democracy require the public consensus. Write OBL's death certificate and the 'good' against evil fight is back on - confident that 'good' will prevail.

Cyber warriors and the call for 'humanitarian intervention imperialism':

The World Movement for Democracy was initiated by George W. Bush in which he told CIA front National Endowment for Democracy (NED) that his administration’s democratization initiative [America must approve the outcome of elections] would focus first on the Middle East - starting with Iraq. This movement has been zealously followed by Obama. Lest we should be inclined to hold Bush to account for all the changes, we ought to be reminded that in 1999, the 'dovish' Jimmy Carter and neocon Paul Wolfowitz penned an article ("Don't Take Democracy for Granted", WSJ, July 21, 1999) praising Ronal Reagan's establishment of NED to spearhead America's ''nongovernmental" (covert psyops) efforts to 'assist' democratic movements around the word.

More importantly, we must revisit the historical aspects of "democracy" and what it means to America.

President Theodore Roosevelt claimed: "Democracy has justified itself by keeping for the white race the best portion's of the earth's surface." The need to justify 'democracy' further, led to capture of more of earth's surface, which no doubt explains the remarks by General Arthur MacArthur, (father of Douglas) when he said: "America's wonderful thrust into Asia was the destiny of the magnificent Aryan people." After the brutal takeover of the Philippines, Senator Beveridge claimed: ...." [J]ust beyond the Philippines are China's illimitable markets. God has not been preparing the English-speaking and Teutonic peoples for a thousand years for nothing but vain and idle self-admiration. No, he has made us the master organizers of the world...that we may administer government among savages and senile peoples...the Philippines are ours forever...and just beyond the Philippines lie China's illimitable markets...We will not renounce our part in the mission of our race, trustee under God, of the civilization of the world...China is our natural customer. The Philippines give us a base at the door of the East.. it has been charged that our conduct of the war has been cruel. Senators, it has been the reverse. Senators, remember that we are not dealing with Americans or Europeans. We are dealing with Orientals." (source:http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/155/25996.html).

No doubt the renewed thrust of the empire into the Middle East to justify democracy, assassinate, and plunder is not new; but the method is novel - democracy's cyber warriors.

Part II of this article will elaborate on the method and the targeted countries.

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich has a Master's degree in Public Diplomacy from USC Annenberg for Communication and USC School of International Relations. She is an independent researcher and writer with a focus on U.S. foreign policy and the role of lobby groups in influencing US foreign policy. She is a peace activist, essayist and public speaker.