People's Democracy

on file

HEARINGS conducted by the Indian People's Tribunal on environment and human rights were disrupted by suspected Sangh Parivar activists who allegedly threatened to “strip and rape” ladies of the tribunal here today.

Talking to reporters a visibly shocked former chief justice of Kerala High Court Mr K K Usha and former acting chief justice of Gujarat High Court Mr R A Mehta along with other members of the Tribunal including Dr Angana Chatterji said they had invited VHP and Bajrang Dal members to depose today. Things were progressing smoothly, some of those present were talking at length on Hindu culture, respect to women, and re-conversions, when suddenly they got a fax from the VHP and turned aggressive, tribunal members said.

They demanded that cassettes used for recording their deposition be returned to them and then snatched and destroyed the tapes.

Some of them started hurling abuses and threatening those who had gathered there. Nine of them surrounded the Tribunal members, while others outside shouted, “IPT is funded by foreign agencies to tarnish the image of Hindu rashtra and we will rape these women. We will parade them naked, ‘they warned, said Angana Chatterji.

The fax which was received had leveled allegations against the tribunal describing it as a self-appointed body composed wholly of leftists and Hindu baiters. It also charged that the presence of an NRI (Angana Chatterji) well-known for anti-Hindu activities in USA suggests foreign funds from sources bent on destabilising the county,” said Chatterji.

Rattled by the sudden burst of aggression, the Tribunal members virtually packed up and left. The hearing process was derailed, lamented the members while expressing their reluctance to lodge a police complaint.

The tribunal is conducting a investigation on communalism in Orissa. It has been touring and talking to people in Phulbani, Bharak, Jagatsinghpur and Keonjhar districts since June 11. At Phulbani the Raikia church attack incident, the tonsuring of women at Kilipal in Jagatsinghpur district were some of the instances that were being looked into.

Tribunal members said they had invited the VHP and Bajrang Dal leaders today and were to conduct a public hearing later this evening. State government officers had also been invited, they added.

---- The Statesman, June 15