Celebrities in their open letter to PM Modi have requested the Prime Minister that lynching of Muslims, Dalits, other minorities must be stopped immediately.
Forty-nine celebrities including filmmakers, actors, authors, activists, artists, professionals have written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising concern over lynching incidents and rising violence over the chanting of slogan 'Jai Shri Ram' in the country, requesting the Prime Minister that this must be stopped immediately.
In their open letter which has been signed by 49 eminent personalities including Anurag Kashyap, Mani Ratnam, Konkona Sen Sharma, Anuradha Kapoor, Adoor Gopalkrishnan, others have requested PM Modi that lynching of Muslims, Dalits, other minorities must be stopped and strong action should be taken against the culprits.
Further, celebrities have also asked the Prime Minister that anyone who raises voice against the ruling party or government should not be branded as anti-national or urban-naxal.
"People should not be branded as anti-national or urban-naxals and incarcerated because of dissent against the government. Article 19 of the Constitution of India protect freedom of speech and expression," they wrote in the letter.
"We were shocked to learn from the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) reports that there have been not less than 840 instances of atrocities against Dalits in the year 2016 and a definite decline in the percentage of convictions," celebrities mentioned in the letter.
"254 religious identity-based hate crimes were reported between January 1, 2009 amd October 29, 2018 where at least 91 persons were killed and 579 were injured (FactChecker indatabase (October 30, 2018)," celebrities said.
The 49 eminent personalities who together sent an open letter to PM Modi are: Aditi Basu (social worker), Adoor Gopalakrishnan (filmmaker), Amit Chaudhury (Author), Anupam Roy (Singer-Songwriter, Music Director), Anjan Dutt (Filmmaker, Actor), Anuradha Kapoor (Social Activist), Anurag Kashyap (Filmaker), Aparna Sen (Filmmaker, Actor), Asha Achy Joseph (Academic,Film Maker), Ashis Nandy (Scholar, Sociologist).
Baisakhi Ghosh (Floral Designer, Artist), Binayak Sen (Physician, Social Activist), Bolan Gangopadhyay (Social activist, Journalist), Bonani Kakkar (Environmentalist), Founder-PUBLIC).
Chitra Sirkar (Designer), Darshan Shah (Founder, Weavers Studio), Debal Sen (Cardialogist), Goutam Ghose (Filmmaker), Iftekhar Ahsan (Founder CEO,Calcutta Walks/Calcutta Bungalow), Jayasri Burman (Artist), Joya Mitra (Environmentalist, Author), Kani Kusruti (Actor), Kaushik Sen (Film and Theatre Personality), Ketan Mehta (Filmmaker), Konkana Sen Sharma (Filmmaker, Actor).
Mani Ratnam (Filmmaker), Mudar Patherya (Citizen), Narayan Sinha (Sculptor), Naveen Kishore (Publisher, Seagull Publication), Parambrata Chattopadhyay (Filmmaker, Actor), Partha Chatterjee (Historian, Social Scientist), Piya Chakraborty (Researcher), Pradeep Kakkar (Founder, PUBLIC).
Ramchandra Guha (Historian), Ratnaboli Ray (Mental Health Activist), Revathy Asha (Filmmaker, Actor), Riddhi Sen (Actor), Rupam Islam (Singer-Songwriter, Musician), Rupsha Dasgupta (Director, Kolkata Sukriti Foundation).
Sakti Roy Choudhury (Professor of Sanskrit, Theatre personality), Samik Banerjee (Scholar, Film & Theatre Critic), Shivaji Basu (Surgeon, Urologist), Shubha Mudgal (Singer, Musician), Shyam Benegal (Filmmaker), Soumitra Chatterjee (Actor), Suman Ghosh (Filmmaker), Sumit Sarkar (Historian), Tanika Sarkar (Historian) and Tapas Roychaudhury (Cardiac Surgeon).
1. '90% of attacks reported after May 2014': Celebrities to PM Modi
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The citizen's religious hate-crime watch recorded that Muslims (14% of India's population) were the victims in 62% of cases and Christians (2% of cases of population), in 14% cases.
"About 90% of these attacks were reported after May 2014 when your (PM Modi) government assumed power nationally," Celebrities mentioned in their open letter to PM Modi.
2. Criticising lynching incidents in Parliament not enough: Eminent personalities to PM Modi
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The celebrities in their letter have asked PM Modi, "You have criticised such lynching (incidents) in the Parliament Prime MInister but that is not enough! What action has actually been taken against the perpetrators?"
"We strongly feel that such offenses should be declared non-bailable and that exemplary punishment should be meted out swiftly and surely. If imprisonment without parole can be the sentence in cases of murder, why not for lynchings, which are even more heinous?"
"No citizen should have to live in fear in his/her own country!" they said in their letter to PM Modi.
3. 'Jai Shri Ram' has become a provocative 'war cry': Activists to PM Modi
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Celebrities in their letter to PM Modi further said, "Regrettably 'Jai Shri Ram' has become a provocative 'war cry' today that leads to law and order problems and many lynchings take place in its name."
"It is shocking that so much violence should be perpetrated in the name of religion!"
"These are not middle ages! The name of Ram is sacred to many in the majority community of India. As the highest executive of this country, you must put a stop to the name of Ram being defiled in this manner," Celebrities said.
4. Anti-govt stand cannot be equated with anti-national sentiment: Celebs in letter to PM Modi
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The celebrities further lashed out at the Modi government and said, "There is no democracy without dissent. People should not be branded anti-national or urban-naxals and incarcerated because of dissent against the government. Article 19 of the constitution of India protect freedom of speech and expression."
"Criticising the ruling party does not imply criticising the nation. No ruling party synonymous with the country where it is in power. It is only one of the political parties of that country," they said.
"Hence anti-government stands cannot be equated with anti-national sentiments. An open environment where dissent is not crushed only makes for a stronger nation," activists wrote in their letter.
"We hope our suggestions will be taken in the spirit that they are meant - as Indians genuinely concerned with and anxious about, the fate our nation," they concluded.
