NGOs to fight against 'fascist' state

Several NGO's and leading activists expressed concern over the "increasingly fascist nature of the Indian state," at a Seminar this week.

The seminar on "The fascist state: setting the agenda to counter" expressed anguish over the brutal attacks on Christians in Orissa and Karnataka, and said it exposes the state governments "massive fascist project that was underway".

"The misrepresentation of the constitutionally granted right to practice and propagate one's religion as "forced conversions", in order to threaten the marginalised communities into submission, which finally culminates in draconian anti-conversion laws, seems to be passively accepted by political parties and civil society across the board," the participants said.

In a resolution adopted they said, "We express deep anguish at the increasing fascist mobilisation in society, rising state terror and a circumvention of the rule of law by law enforcing agencies, and the large scale violation of civil and political liberties. We condemn these acts of repression in no uncertain terms."

"The genocide of Muslims in Gujarat, the subversion of the criminal justice system in order to achieve this, the application of Pota on Muslims in Godhra and other cases, the refusal to acknowledge the large numbers of internally displaced Muslims, the persecution of Christian and Muslim adivasis and holding of Shabri Kumbh in Dangs these expose the fascist characteristics of the state in Gujarat," the resolution added.

Some NGOs that participated in the seminar included Action Aid, Aman Samuday, Antarik Visthapit Haq Rakshak Samiti, Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, INSAF, JanVikas, Mahila Swaraj Abhiyan, Movement for Secular Democracy, Prashant, PUCL, Sanchetna, Saurashtra Dalit Sangathan and St Xavier's Social Service Society.