Month: May 2021

Israel Gaza

Is there an end in sight to the deadly fighting in Gaza and Israel?

By Lt Gen Ike Singha

In continuing unrest and exchange of rockets from Gaza and airdropped bombs from Israel, over 148 Palestinians, including several children, have been killed. On the Israeli side, more than 1500 rockets fired from Gaza onto Tel Aviv, Lod, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Sderot and other urban centres have resulted in killing of 10 persons, including a soldier, injuring a large number of Israelis and carrying out massive destruction. In all previous engagements, the spiralling of violence has been graduated but this time it has gone through the roof and only providence and intervention by US and regional players may be able to carry out the de- escalation. For lots of families on both sides of the line, this Eid would not be having any reasons for celebrations.

During the month of Ramadan and as a run up to the Independence Day of Israel on 15 May, called Al Naqba or Dooms Day by their Arab neighbours; tempers normally run high and clashes between exuberant Arab youth after breaking the fast in the evening (Iftar) and the enhanced Israeli Security forces are not uncommon. As luck would have it, this year both the events have coincided with Eid Ul Fitr being two days prior to Israeli Independence Day.

There were two flashpoints for the present unrest, the first being the eviction orders by court to six Palestinians families in Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. The Arab families had been settled there after the 1948 war by United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in the evacuee property which was claimed by a Jewish family in recent years. A crowd gathered on the appointed day of eviction  — May 6, 2021 — to restrain the authorities from forcefully evacuating the Arab families. The police had to use riot control measures to disperse the crowd.

The second flashpoint was the clashes between Arab youths and Israeli security forces in the vicinity of the Al Aqsa Mosque or the Temple Mount as Jews call it. During the month of Ramzan the Muslims carry out an additional prayer called Taraweeh prayer (night prayer) for an hour-and-a-half after breaking their fast around 7 pm. In this auspicious month the crowds swell in Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third most revered place of worship for Muslims after Mecca and Medina.

Therefore, the Israeli security forces have laid down a limit of ten thousand worshippers at any one time in the premises. The place is also believed to be the exact location of Temple Mount revered by the Jews and they are allowed to worship on the Western Wall of the monument. Heavy presence of Israeli security forces is ensured during the Ramazan month to avoid any untoward incidents. After the Friday prayers on the evening of May 7 as the crowds were dispersing around 9.30 pm, clashes took place between the police and worshippers.

After the clashes, the crowd chanted “Gaza! Gaza ! Come to our rescue”. Based on these requests, the leader of Hamas in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh launched 200 rocket attacks on population centres of Israel including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. PM Netanyahu and Defence Minister Benny Gantz reacted swiftly and launched air attacks on Hamas Headquarters, Police Headquarters and the TV tower in Gaza, killing some prominent Hamas leaders, including Bassem Issa. In the collateral damage, a large number of innocent civilians, including children, were also killed and wounded. Up to two Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) brigades with tanks and other heavy weapons have been deployed around Gaza indicating possibility of a ground attack and all-out war. The clashes continue at the time of writing of this article and the end is not in sight.

For the first time in the recent history of Israel, communal clashes have erupted in all major urban areas and both Jews and Arabs are at each other’s throat. Netanyahu has stated that they are fighting on two fronts but will take all actions to quell the communal clashes and prevent them from becoming riots. These clashes do not augur well for peace in the region and Israel is seeking mediation by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and other Muslim countries.

The previous prominent exchanges of fire between Gaza and Israel lasted several weeks with the longest one in 2014 which went on for 52 days. This time the intensity of firing of rockets has been much higher. The Iron Dome anti-air defence of Israel could only stop around 90 per cent of the rockets with 10  per cent of the rockets carrying out heavy destruction at the target sites.

The clashes have taken place when there is a political uncertainty in Israel as Bibi Netanyahu, the leader of Likud party, has failed to show majority and form a government despite having largest number of legislators, and having been invited by the President to do so. As was suggested in the previous article, President Raven has now invited the opposition leader Yair Lapid to form the government in one month. Netanyahu and his supporters will now try and consolidate their position by taking a tough stance against the rocket attacks from Gaza and galvanise popular support of Israeli masses to their advantages to continue to stay in power. In fact, he has already thanked the Hamas leader for uniting all Israelis but the clashes in the streets tell a different story.

The two-nation theory forwarded by the Untied Nations in 1948 is almost derailed by the outright support given by Trump Administration to the Israeli government in the last four years wherein USA recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a fact yet to be ratified by the international community that feels Jerusalem should be an international city as per the UN plan. It may be recalled that the Trump administration also facilitated peace treaties and exchange of diplomatic relations between UAE and Israel and Bahrain and Israel. Saudi Arabia was also warming up to Israel as US had given them a common enemy in the form of Iran. The Biden administration will have an uphill task to bring back semblance of balance of power in Middle East.

The timing has also been crucial from the view of political activity on the Palestinian side as well. The Assembly Elections of the Palestinian Authority were to be held on 21 May followed by the Presidential elections after a month or so. Considering the advanced age of the Palestinian maverick leader Mahmoud Abbas, certain younger Palestinians leaders were jumping into the fray, including one undergoing life imprisonment. Political activity has been hit badly by the postponement of Assembly elections indefinitely; the younger leaders will have to wait for a little longer.

It may be recalled that Gaza is a land locked strip of 40 by 12 km having Israel on two sides, Egypt on the third and the Mediterranean Sea on the fourth. Israel vacated Gaza Strip in 2005 when the strong man Ariel Sharon was the PM. This unilateral action by Israeli leadership was the extension of “exchange of land for peace” programme of Israel that had worked well with Egypt and Jordan. The Jewish settlers were relocated outside the Gaza Strip. Israel controls the limited number of routes of ingress and egress into the Gaza Strip and the Hamas runs the Administration in Gaza since coming to power in 2006 and finds itself resource strafed, job crunched and with sheer lack of advanced medical facilities. The two million population of Gaza Strip makes it the third most densely populated urban area in the world. The people of Gaza are at the mercy of Israel which has carried out naval and air blockade of the Strip since 2006.

The UN Envoy in Middle East has mentioned that the clashes may result in an all-out war. War between Israel and Palestinians is, however, least likely as there is no parity between the two sides. The Palestinians do not have a conventional army or ai rforce. Very soon the stockpile of rockets in Gaza will run dry and the Palestinians from Gaza and West Bank are likely to launch the third Intifida, a sub-conventional form of warfare. The second Intifida lasted five years at the turn of the century. The region may remain in turmoil for some time, and it may be a long haul to normal times. The Middle East crisis is the first foreign policy acid test for the Biden Administration to bring peace to the region.

Vaccine controversies in India

By Mehnga Singh

As the Covid crisis continued in India with cases crossing 400,000 daily, an Indian government panel recommended last week that the gap between the two doses of the Covishield vaccine, the Indian version of Astra-Zeneca, and one of the two vaccines most popularly administered in India, could be increased to 12-16 weeks. After an earlier recommendation, the dosage gap could be increased from 28 days to six to eight weeks. 

When that first recommendation for extending the interval between doses was suggested, it was also stipulated that the interval should not extend beyond six to eight weeks. Now, however, the government panel’s newest recommendation does just that. Expectedly, this has led to further criticism of the government’s role in handling India’s worrisome second phase of the virus’ spread. Some opponents of the government suspect that the move to extend the interval could be a consequence of India’s vaccine shortage. Millions of Indians have registered for vaccine shots but are still waiting for their doses. 

One leader of the opposition Congress party, Jairam Ramesh, has been quoted as saying: “First, it was four weeks for the second dose, then six-eight weeks and now we are told 12-16 weeks. Is this because there are not enough stocks of vaccines… or because professional scientific advice says so?” 

The situation in India continues to be dire. On May 12, 362,727 cases were registered; and the cumulative death toll due to Covid-related causes stood at nearly 260,000. India’s government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come under flak for not managing the spread of the virus more efficiently. Critics say the Indian government eased up restrictions too early after initial signs of a slowdown in infections early this year. 

South-East Asia spurts

Covid’s spread is rising in other parts of South-East Asia as well. In Laos, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Thailand, as well as other countries in the region.

In the Philippines, the foreign minister, Teodoro Locsin, sparked off a controversy when he posted an expletive-laced tweet that asked China to “get the f**k out” of the Philippines after Chinese fishing and other vessels encroached Philippines’ waters. After a diplomatic row ensued, Locsin withdrew his comments.

Meanwhile, the entire Indian diplomatic team that travelled to London for the G7 summit went into self-isolation after a few members of the delegation were tested positive. Back in India, the Indian Premier League, one of the biggest cricket tournaments in the world, had to be called off after several players were found to have been infected by the virus. Many wonders why the tournament was given permission to be organised.

Lockdowns and the working class

Compared to last year when the Covid virus first surged in India (now named the “first wave”) and a complete nationwide lockdown was imposed, during the second wave that has engulfed India now, the lockdowns are more local in nature and are imposed by state governments individually, depending on the severity of the pandemic’s spread. Many believe that this sort of partially locked-down state may not adversely affect the economy of India’s growth rates. The United Nations has raised India’s growth forecast to 7.5% in the calendar year 2021, a 0.2% increase from what it had projected in January.

However, Jean Dreze, a prominent development economist, fears that although the economic impact of partial lockdowns may not be as adverse as that of a total lockdown, the impact on the working class could be worse this time around. Dreze, known for his work on poverty, hunger, famine, and gender inequality, has been quoted in the Indian media as saying: “Despite mass vaccination, there is a serious possibility that intermittent crises will continue for a long time, perhaps years. Compared with last year, many people have depleted savings and larger debts. Those who borrowed their way through last year’s crisis may not be able to do it again this time.”

Dreze also said that the Indian government appeared to be in denial. For a long time, he said, the government refused to acknowledge community transmission of Covid even as cases crossed into millions. One lesson that the Indian government ought to learn from the wildfire-like spread of the viral scourge is how much the Indian government must spend on healthcare facilities. India’s spending on healthcare has been only around 1% of GDP for decades. Last year, during the first wave of the virus, the government allocation for health in the Rs 20-lakh-crore ($260 billion) stimulus package announced on May 12, 2020, amounted to a piffling 0.008% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). 

Healthcare in India: A call to arms

The second wave of Covid may be a wake-up call for India and its government to tackle healthcare facilities on a war footing. India’s public healthcare system is hugely inadequate for its population, which is nearly 1.4 billion. India has the most private healthcare globally, and private facilities are either expensive and beyond the reach of the majority of its citizens, or they are inefficient. 

Out-of-pocket private payments make up 75% of the total expenditure on healthcare. Only one-fifth of healthcare is financed publicly. 

As the Covid crisis has shown, India’s availability of oxygen or hospital beds is woefully inadequate. A Brookings Institute study shows that there are 7,13,986 total government hospital beds available in India. This amounts to 0.55 beds per 1000 population. In contrast, China, whose population is comparable to India’s, has an estimated nearly 5 beds per 1000. The doctor-population ratio in India is 1:1456 against the WHO recommendation of 1:1000. Healthcare, clearly, has to be the topmost important priority for India’s government.

Looks like Olive Ridley Turtles can’t catch Covid-19

By LokMarg

On may 4th 2021 around 1.48 crore baby Olive Ridley turtles hatched at Gahirmatha beach in Odisha, officials told news agency PTI on May 8. The uninhabited island was witness to a rare natural occurrence — the birth of baby turtles without their mothers.

Several pictures and videos of the baby turtles breaking out of their eggshells and making their way into the sea are now widely shared on social media. “A total of 1.48 crore of baby turtles have broken out of eggshells to mingle in the Gahirmatha seawaters till Thursday, marking the grand culmination of the annual sojourn of Olive Ridley sea turtles to this unmanned Gahirmatha Island,” Bikash Ranjan Dash, the Divisional Forest Officer of Bhitarkanika Mangrove (Wildlife) told the news agency.

Around 2.98 lakh nests were dug by female turtles to lay eggs at the Nasi-ii Island, close to defense installation at the Wheelers’ Island, Dash said the round-the-clock vigil is being maintained to ensure the safety of the newborns.

May 2020 India’s coasts witness bumper hatching of rare turtles

Millions of endangered Olive Ridley turtles were seen hatching near India’s beaches, amid nationwide lockdowns.

Global lockdown enforced by COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic has come to a blessing in disguise for wild animals.

After India’s eastern beaches in Odisha province reported bumper hatching of rare Olive Ridley turtles, thousands of their hatchlings have been also seen coming out from nests near western beaches in Goa province.

“Amazing wonders of nature! Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings emerging out from the last nest at Morjim. Along with Morjim, Mandrem, Agonda, and Galgibagh are important beaches in Goa, which attracts turtle for nesting,” tweeted Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant posting a video.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) had declared this turtle species as endangered and vulnerable. Even a slight disturbance to the environment wreaks devastation on their population, according to the WWF.

Only one in 1,000 eggs hatch and the numbers of the turtles have been dwindling over the year.

“Nearly 20 million-plus Olive Ridley hatchlings have emerged & made their way to the sea from half of about 4 lakh [0.4 million] nesting at Nasi-2 islands, Gahirmatha rookery Odisha. The spectacle continues. Early morning video,” Susanta Nanda, an Indian Forest Officer from Odisha posted on social media.

The mass nesting had started early on March 21, two days before the nationwide lockdown, and continued till March 27. The eggs incubate in the heat from the beach sand and hatch anywhere between 45-60 days.

Considering proposal on live telecast of Supreme Court proceedings: CJI Ramana

By LokMarg

Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana on Thursday said that he is actively considering the proposal to telecast live the proceedings of the Supreme Court.

“I am also actively considering the proposal to live telecast the proceedings of the Supreme Court. However, before initiating concrete steps in this regard, I plan to seek general consensus among my colleagues in the Court,” the Chief Justice said. In 2018, the apex court ordered live-streaming of Supreme Court proceedings saying it will increase the transparency of judicial proceedings, however, the necessary amendments to the Supreme Court rules have not yet been made to frame the modalities of the process.

Chief Justice Ramana was speaking at the launch of the mobile application which will enable journalists to report virtual proceedings without having to visit court premises during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that the judiciary, judges and court staff have been impacted both physically and psychologically by the Covid-19 situation.

“This pandemic has affected everyone,” the CJI said and added that to date, approximately 800 Registry staff have tested positive and the Top Court has lost three of its officials to COVID19 infection.
“So far as the Indian judiciary is concerned, as per the data available, 2768 judicial officers and 106 Judges of the High Court have tested positive. We are yet to receive the data from two major High Courts. 34 Judicial Officers and three Judges of the High Court have lost their life, battling this pandemic,” the Chief Justice said.

“My heart goes out to the families and the loved ones of those whose life has been cut short by this pandemic. Everyone has been deeply affected by this pandemic, including my brother and sister Judges in the Supreme Court. The Secretary General, the Registrars, most of the staff of the Supreme Court and their families have suffered. Apart from the physical impact of this pandemic, the psychological and mental strain has been terrible. Despite this demoralizing and fear inducing environment, everyone is rendering service to their best capacity, to ensure that justice continues to be rendered,” he added.

Reminiscing his days as a journalist, CJI Ramana said the media faces great challenges in reporting and that he came to know that journalists covering Top Court were depending on advocates to get links to cover court proceedings.
“I was a journalist for a brief time. At that time we did not have cars or bikes. We used to travel in a bus as we were directed not to avail conveyance of organisers of the event,” he said.

He also spoke about the importance of transparency and public access in judicial proceedings. “Transparency is a time-honoured principle when it comes to the judicial process in our country. Hearing of cases have always taken place in public courtrooms, with access being allowed not only to the lawyers and the litigants in a particular case but also to the general public. The only restrictions that were ever imposed earlier were because of space and security considerations,” the CJI said.

“This access to the public is important, as the rulings of the Courts of law, and more particularly the Supreme Court, have a bearing on the lives of people throughout this country. The role of the media assumes importance in the process of disseminating information,” he added.

Launching the special facility for granting access to media on the Supreme Court application, CJI Ramana said he expects the media to use these resources responsibly to disseminate information to the general public for the welfare of society.

While concluding, he wished media persons good health and asked them to stay safe and continue to follow all the Covid protocols. There was a request to create a mechanism so that journalists could attend the hearings without going to court during this time. (ANI)

Russian vaccine Sputnik may be available in India from next week

By LokMarg

Amid reports of the shortage of COVID-19 vaccine in various states, Sputnik vaccine has arrived in India, and “hopefully” it will be available in the market from next week, said Dr VK Paul, member (health) of the NITI Aayog, on Thursday.

“Sputnik vaccine has arrived in India. I’m happy to say that we’re hopeful that it’ll be available in the market next week. We’re hopeful that the sale of the limited supply that has come from there (Russia) will begin next week, said Dr Paul while addressing media. He said the production of Sputnik is scheduled to begin in India by July. “Further supply will also follow. Its production will begin in July and it is estimated that 15.6 crore doses will be manufactured in that period,” Dr Paul said.

Notably, Sputnik V is the third vaccine India has given go-ahead to after Covishield, developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and Covaxin, the indigenous vaccine manufactured by Bharat Biotech. Covishield is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

Talking about the Central government’s move to increase the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, the NITI Aayog member said that overall, 216 crore doses of vaccines will be manufactured in India between August and December – “for India and for Indians”.

“There should be no doubt that vaccine will be available for all as we move forward…Any vaccine that is approved by FDA, WHO can come to India. Import license will be granted within 1-2 days. No import license is pending,” he added.
He further informed that the Department of Biotechnology, along with other concerned departments and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been in touch with Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson from the initial days of vaccine production.

“They were officially asked if they would like to send doses to or manufacture in India. We will find partners and assist. They had said that they are working in their own way and they would talk of vaccine availability in the third quarter in 2021. We are connected to them. I’m hopeful that they will step forward to increase availability in India. We invite them to manufacture here along with our companies. Johnson and Johnson did a good job. They accepted this offer under Quad,” Dr Paul said. He added that nearly 18 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in India.

“In the US, the number stands around 26 crores. So, India stands in the third position. We are happy to report that one-third of 45 and above are protected. 45 and above age group contributes to 88 per cent of deaths. So you can imagine, how many dents it would have made to reduce the risk of death of this population,” the NITI Aayog member added.
Dr Paul also informed that Bharat Biotech has welcomed the offer of other companies manufacturing Covaxin to increase its production in the country.

“People say that Covaxin should be given to other companies for manufacturing. I am happy to say that Covaxin manufacturing company (Bharat Biotech) has welcomed this when we discussed it with them. Under this vaccine, a live virus is inactivated and this is done only in BSL3 labs. Not every company has this. We give an open invitation to companies who want to do this. Companies that want to manufacture Covaxin, should do it together. The government will assist so that capacity is increased,” he said. (ANI)

‘It is the collective strength of farmers that has kept the protest going’

By LokMarg

Twenty-nine-year-old dentist from Mansa in Punjab Navkiran Natt has been with her parents at the Tikri Border farmers’ protest site since the stir began in November 2020. She explains the reasons for her continued participation in the protest, underlining the determination of participants.

I have two reasons to be at the protest site. First, being a student youth activist I understand how these policies will impact / harm not only farmers but also every citizen of this country in the long run. I am also here to understand those policies better. Second, I belong to a farmer’s family. Both my parents’ families depend on farming and I know I will be directly affected by these farm laws.

People have not come here to protest for the media glare. Our priority is to get the farm laws repealed and that has not happened till now. So we are still at the Delhi border, with or without media coverage.

We all were well aware that this fight is going to last long; only how long is what we didn’t anticipate. The protesters say they will continue however long it takes. It is not, as many have assumed, that the protest is dying down or that farmers have left the protest site out of disappointment and gone back home. We haven’t seen anything like that till now.

Extreme weather has always been a problem. When the protest started it was winter which had its share of problems. Now with the summer there is a grave risk of malaria and other diseases as flies and mosquitoes are always buzzing around us. There is a big problem of hygiene. It is not easy to sit on the road in Delhi summers. Not to forget the electricity cuts and water scarcity.

We have also started seeing the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 at the protest site. People are getting infected. Eealising the ferocity of the second wave, protestors are however making sure that they take necessary precautions and keep themselves safe. Those who show any Covid-19 symptoms are being tested and made to isolate. Some go back home for the isolation period. I too am suffering from Covid-19 and at present isolated in my hometown. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) also has been encouraging people to get vaccinated. Everyone is collectively making all efforts to reduce / prevent the spread.

Most of our time goes into handling the various initiatives that we started at the protest site. I am the editorial team member of the protest’s very own newspaper Trolley Times and engaged in its distribution as well. Besides that we run a Shaheed Bhagat Singh Library at Tikri and keep meeting people through the day and hold discussions on relevant issues. Not to forget the daily personal routine work like cooking, managing the stage or library.

No effort here is individual; everything is a collective effort. We have zero help from the government: in fact the government has left no stone unturned to stop or crush this protest. From an Internet shutdown to road blockage to the cut in water and electricity supply, it has used all means to stop the protest. I would say it is just the collective strength of the farmers that the protest continues. Many people have come forward to help us with the logistics which is also one of the main reasons that this protest has survived so far.

Women have been a part of this protest in large numbers, probably for the first time in Independent India. It is not possible for them to leave all back home and sit for four months at a stretch like the men, but a call from the leaders or SKM is answered by thousands of women.
Like most other women who are a part of the protest, I would like to emphasize that we are not secondary protestors. It is not just that our fathers, brothers and husbands are here; we are also here because this is our cause too. We consider ourselves as primary protestors here. This protest has motivated women to fight for themselves.

I completed my Master’s degree during the pandemic and was working on independent projects. Of course I lost those; there has been an economic loss. But again our priorities are set, and we all understand that the protest is far more important. I have come across many young students who have dropped a year of their studies just to be a part of the protest. At this point in time, they say, the fight for their rights is more important than studies.

In the larger political context we need broader solidarity against this fascist government and that is what we are working on.

As told to Mamta Sharma

‘World ignored warnings, devastating pandemic could have been prevented’

By LokMarg

The world had ignored warnings which resulted in the outbreak of COVID-19, and the international system could have prevented it from escalating into the devastating pandemic, an independent global panel concluded on Wednesday.
The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPPR) in its report said, “It is clear to the Panel that the world was not prepared and had ignored warnings which resulted in a massive failure: an outbreak of SARS-COV-2 became a devastating pandemic.” After analyzing the early response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the probe panel concluded that “the international system could have been different, and prevented it from escalating into the devastating pandemic it became.”

The panel concluded that the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) did not lead to an urgent, coordinated, worldwide response.

“It was not until the number of COVID-19 cases increased dramatically and COVID-19 had spread internationally that governments took serious action to prevent transmission,” the panel said.

It further said that countries that devalued science failed to build trust in their response and pursued inconsistent strategies that left them lagging behind the epidemic and with high infection and death rates.

In a bid to avoid future pandemics, the panel called for the setting up of a high-level Global Health Threats Council led by Heads of State and Government.

“Strengthen the independence, authority and financing of WHO. Strengthen the authority and independence of the Director-General, including by having a single term of office of seven years with no option for re-election,” the panel further recommended.

Furthermore, the panel called for granting explicit authority to the world health bodies to publish information about outbreaks with pandemic potential immediately without requiring the prior approval of the national government.
According to the Johns Hopkins University, 160,058,714 cases and 3,326,305 deaths have been reported globally. (ANI)

Scheduled Castes panel begins Bengal visit to probe poll violence

By LokMarg

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) began its two-day visit to West Bengal on Thursday to meet families affected by the alleged political violence that broke out after the recently-held West Bengal Assembly elections. The NCSC team chief Vijay Sampla and Vice-chairman Arun Haldar had reached Kolkata on Wednesday evening and are scheduled to go to Nabahmgram of the East Bardhanaman district at 11 am today, where they will visit the residence of Kaklji Khetarpal who was allegedly murdered in the violence.

Here, the team will inquire about the violence which has allegedly led to some Bharatiya Janata Party supporters being killed.
Homes and shops of the underprivileged community were also allegedly vandalised in the post-poll violence.
On May 13, the team will be visiting the South 24 Parganas district where, in two places, people of the community were allegedly threatened, sources said.

During the two-day visit, the SC team will inquire into the cases of atrocities against Dalits.
Speaking to ANI, NCSC Vice-Chairman Arun Haldar said, “The commission has received many letters and complaints of atrocities against Dalits in the state, ever since the results of the Assembly elections were announced on May 2. Taking those letters into account, Chairman Vijay Sampla and I are visiting Bengal for two days.”

“We will visit spots from where complaints of murder and atrocities were reported. I belong from West Bengal and it’s painful that the state government is unable to stop such violence that started after the election results. A Chief Minister should work above party politics,” he added.

After the election results were declared, giving Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress a huge victory, the BJP had alleged that nine of its party workers were killed in the post-poll violence. The TMC, however, has been refuting the allegations.
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar is also scheduled to visit Ranpagli and Srirampur camps in Assam on May 14 where victims of the violence have taken refuge.

On May 7, a four-member team deputed by the Ministry of Home Affairs had visited the Diamond Harbour area of West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district to assess the ground situation.

A five-member Constitution Bench of the Calcutta High Court had also ordered West Bengal Home Secretary to file a report mentioning the places where violence was witnessed. (ANI)

More Covid horror as bodies found buried in sand along Ganges in Unnao

By LokMarg

Days after bodies of suspected COVID-19 patients washed up on the shores of the river Ganga in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, more have been found buried in the sand in Unnao.

A team of the local police is in the process of carrying out an inquiry and searches are being conducted for more bodies. According to District Magistrate Ravinder Kumar, the bodies were found buried in an area far from the river.
“Our team has found buried bodies in an area far from the river. Search being conducted for more bodies in other areas. I have asked a team to carry out an inquiry. Action will be taken accordingly,” the DM said.

Over the last two days, horrific scenes of dead bodies floating in the Ganga river in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur and Bihar’s Buxar caused panic among locals who feared that the bodies were of deceased COVID patients.

According to Bihar Minister Sanjay Kumar Jha, 71 bodies were taken out from the river in Buxar district and their last rites performed and a net has been placed in the Ganga in Ranighat, bordering UP and Bihar, to stop any similar incident from happening again.

Local residents have complained of stench coming from the bloated, decomposed corpses and accused the authorities of ineptitude. These incidents have sparked fears about the scale of the Covid crisis in the country. Authorities believe the relatives of those who succumbed to the virus, may not have been able to find space for the last rites. (ANI)

West Bengal Violence is a Symptom; Electoral Reform is Overdue Medicine

By Sanjoy Narayan

Back in 2011, in an United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) study entitled Understanding Electoral Violence in Asia, which covered seven countries, including India, it was observed that “the mere suspicion or allegation of fraud is often enough, in democracies where there is a lack of confidence in authorities, for people to react violently.” Ten years later, as violence rocked West Bengal during, and, more intensively, after the recent state Assembly elections, that statement could not be more relevant. In particular, it is the clause “in democracies where there is lack of confidence in authorities” that remains worrisomely relevant in several parts of India, including West Bengal.

Politics and elections in several Indian states so routinely have an additional third complement–violence–that the ordinary citizen takes it for granted, quite often cynically so. When there are elections, there will be the possibility of violence. No matter what the stripe or ideology of the political parties are. The UNDP report observed that in many cases, the political parties and their workers or supporters (or cadres, as they are called in India) were the ones who instigated the violence.

The recent outbreak of violence after the West Bengal elections is a key example. After the All-India Trinamool Congress (AITC) was re-elected to power for the third time, violence claimed 15-20 lives, depending on the estimates you believe, in a matter of days. Much of the violence was in the form of vendetta after an election that was marked by acutely aggressive campaigns between the two biggest contenders–AITC and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which rules at the national level in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. To be sure, there were also reports of violent incidents before the elections when campaigning by different political parties was underway.

At the time of writing, a week had passed after the election results in West Bengal had been announced, and the state’s third-time chief minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, had already formed her new council of ministers, but the violence in her state was yet to abate. In fact, even though she visited the worst-affected parts of the state and appealed to her party workers and others to put a stop to violence, such incidents were still continuing.

The UNDP study had observed that election disorder is often also caused by the state itself. When security forces are partisan or corrupt, it is often the case that they fail to prevent election-related violence. In fact, in some cases, they can even turn out to be “purveyors of violence rather than protectors of peace”, the study observed. To anyone who has been aware of the way election-related violence spreads in India that statement will ring true.

Ten years after the UNDP report, which also talked about how sections of the media that are controlled by special interest groups can lead to violent incidents, today there is the new threat of social media that can fuel violence and aggression. A significant proportion of “fake news” was found to be partly responsible for some of the violence in the aftermath of the West Bengal election, adding to the inflammatory statements by politicians and community leaders.

In West Bengal, the BJP has claimed that the violence was directed at its party workers and supporters who were targeted after the party lost in the elections (although it managed to garner more votes than it has ever had in the state in previous elections). The fact is that the violence that broke out in West Bengal is not especially unique. In states such as Uttar Pradesh or Bihar, where BJP governments are in power, incidents of violence–both pre and post-poll–are not rare. Communal clashes preceded elections in states such as those in the past as parties sought to gain support from different communities. The involvement of anti-social elements such as criminal gangs is not uncommon during elections as many political parties use or deploy them in activities that include coercion of voters or suppression of dissent.

The UNDP study suggested several key measures to prevent electoral violence. One of these was the strengthening of election credibility. In countries such as India, where election fraud, corruption, and violence have become an integral part of the democratic system, the onus is on political parties to clean up the system.

Bodies such as those that oversee the election process need further strengthening; election commissions such as those at the central and state levels in India, need to be more powerful; political spending needs to be monitored more diligently; and perpetrators of violence need to be brought to justice swiftly.

Elections are an integral part of democracy, providing people the process and system for choosing those that they think are best suited to make laws and govern them. In India, which is one of the most complex countries to govern because of its vastness in terms of area and population; and diversity, holding elections are not easy. In India, the size of the electorate (the number of people eligible to vote) is 900 million, which is nearly 12% of the world’s population. But daunting as the task may seem, it is also the very reason that India’s elections need to be peaceful, fair, and clean. What happened in West Bengal should not be a precedent but, instead, be a reason for electoral reforms.