Wednesday, February 25, 2015

हम सब पानसरे

– सुभाष गाताडे



अभी पिछले साल की बात है जब जनवरी के मध्य में महाराष्ट्र के कोल्हापुर में ‘डा दाभोलकर की हत्या और तर्कशीलता/विवेकवाद’ विषय पर बोलते हुए कामरेड गोविन्द पानसरे, ने एक अहम बात कही थी कि अंधश्रद्धा के खिलाफ संघर्षरत रहे डा दाभोलकर की हत्या इसी वजह से हुई क्योंकि वह विवेकवादी थे। उनका कहना था कि
‘ऐसे सभी लोग जिन्होंने तर्कशीलता का रास्ता अपनाया, उसका प्रचार किया, उन तमाम लोगों को कुर्बानी देनी पड़ी है। तर्कशीलता की बलिवेदी पर अपने आप को न्यौछावर करनेवाले डा दाभोलकर न पहले शख्स हैं और न आखरी। तर्कशीलता और तर्कशीलता विरोध का यह संघर्ष आदिम काल से चल रहा है और उसमें बदल करना है या नहीं इसके बारे में आप को फैसला लेना होगा।’
निश्चित ही उस वक्त़ किसे यह गुमान हो सकता था कि महज एक साल के अन्दर शहीदों की इस गौरवशाली परम्परा में उनका नाम भी जुड़ जाएगा।

20 फरवरी 2015 को मुंबई के ब्रीच कैण्डी अस्पताल में कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी के इस वरिष्ठ नेता ने अपनी अन्तिम सांस ली। 16 फरवरी को सुबह जब वह अपनी पत्नी उमा के साथ सुबह टहलते हुए लौट रहे थे, तब मोटरसाइकिल सवार युवकों ने उन पर गोलियां चलायी थी। अपनी लम्बी जिन्दगी लेखन से लेकर आन्दोलन, संगठन निर्माण से लेकर रचनात्मक काम आदि तमाम मोर्चों पर एक साथ सन्नद्ध रहा यह सेनानी, चार दिन जिन्दगी और मौत से संघर्ष कर, यह जंग हार गया। इसे विचित्र संयोग कहा जा सकता है कि डा दाभोलकर की मौत और उनकी मौत के तरीके में भी एक समानता थी, मोटरसाइकिल पर सवार युवकों ने दोनों पर तभी गोलियां चलायी गयीं जब वह सुबह टहल कर लौट रहे थे।

अगले दिन कोल्हापुर शहर में हजारों लोगों के जनसमूह ने अपने इस प्रिय नेता को अपना आखरी लाल सलाम पेश किया। ‘जो हिटलर की चाल चलेगा, वह हिटलर की मौत मरेगा’ ‘कामरेड पानसरे अमर रहे’ जैसे नारों के बीच बिना किसी धार्मिक विधि के सम्पन्न उनके अन्तिम संस्कार में उनकी बेटी स्मिता, बहू मेघा और पोतों ने उनकी चिता में अग्नि प्रज्वलित की। इस हत्या के विरोध में और अपराधियों की गिरफतारी की मांग को लेकर कोल्हापुर और महाराष्ट के तमाम हिस्सों में स्वयंस्फूर्त बन्द का आयोजन किया गया।

जिला नगर के ग्राम कोल्हार में जनमे /26 नवम्बर 1933/ कामरेड पानसरे की महाविद्यालयीय शिक्षा प्रिन्स शिवाजी मराठा बोर्डिंग में हुई, बाद में उन्होंने राजाराम कॉलेज से स्नातक की पदवी ली और फिर नौकरी करते हुए कानून की परीक्षा भी पास की। और 1952 से ही कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी का काम शुरू किया। और गोवा मुक्ति संग्राम से लेकर संयुक्त महाराष्ट आन्दोलन, महंगाई के खिलाफ आन्दोलन या बांधपीड़ितों की लड़ाई या अंधश्रद्धा के खिलाफ संघर्ष जैसे तमाम कामों में वह लगातार सक्रिय रहे। बहुत कठिन परिस्थिति में पले बढ़े पानसरे ने जीविका चलाने के लिए कभी अख़बार बिक्रेता और नगरपालिका में चपरासी जैसी नौकरी भी की। बाद में वह कोल्हापुर बार एसोसिएशन के अध्यक्ष भी बने, शिवाजी विद्यापीठ के पत्रकारिता विभाग में वह कुछ समय तक सहयोगी व्याख्याता के तौर पर भी सक्रिय रहे।

[PADS Statement] Expression of Concern Over Disruption of Discussion on a Book by the Author Noor Zaheer

People’s Alliance for Secularism and Democracy (PADS)

Press Release

Date: 23 February 2015

Expression of Concern Over Disruption of Discussion on a Book by the Author Noor Zaheer

People’s Alliance for Secularism and Democracy (PADS) is alarmed to learn that the short story writer and novelist Noor Zaheer, who is the author of a new book titled ‘Denied by Allah’ faced a disruption of a discussion on her book at the World Book Fair in Delhi on 22 February 2015; We condemn any attempts to threaten and to silence an exponent for women’s rights in India. We fully defend her rights to publically signal how religious laws, injunctions and practices impede on women’s rights.

We would like to alert all in the media, and secular minded groups that they should provide space to highlight the views expressed by Noor Zaheer. We are concerned about the well-being of the author and her publisher. The freedom to express opinions is one of the key hallmarks of any democratic society, and threats to these should be taken seriously without fear of hurting anyone’s sentiments.

Released in New Delhi
by Dipak Dholakia, Dilip Simeon, and Sanjay Kumar
On behalf of PADS

Monday, February 9, 2015

Delhi University Contract Workers Forum Registers Protest over Prof. Thapan's Appointment as Provost

09/02/2015
DELHI UNIVERSITY THEKA MAJDOOR MANCH
Contact: ducontractlabourforum@gmail.com| +919013074978

Open Letter to University of Delhi administration

To,
The Dean of Colleges,
University of Delhi,
Delhi.

We strongly condemn the University’s decision to appoint Prof. Meenakshi Thapan of the Department of Sociology as the Provost of the International Students’ House for Women (ISHW). As is publicly known, Prof Thapan was the Provost of the neighbouring Ambedkar-Ganguly Students’ House for Women (AGSHW) till July 2014, after which she resigned from the position in face of criticism and opposition from the hostel’s Managing Committee. These stemmed from numerous complaints about misbehaviour and/or infringements of the rights of contract workers in that hostel under Prof. Thapan’s management. The gravity of these complaints and irregularities can be gauged from the following:

  • In the past few years, whenever complaints about misbehaviour of hostel administration or infringements of the rights of contract workers were taken to the authorities of the AGSHW, the contract workers in question – sanitation workers and security guards for the most – were instantly dismissed, despite good service record of many years’ standing. 
  • Sanitation and housekeeping workers have been made to work at the Provost and Resident Tutor’s houses during the hours when they were supposed to do their duties in the hostel. This labour was extracted through the constant humiliation and threats of job loss and was a norm under Prof. Thapan’s tenure. 
  • Given the above, members of the University’s SC/ST Employees’ Welfare Association had also intervened to communicate their knowledge of such behaviour. 
  • Over the previous three academic sessions, residents of the hostel who were part of the Students’ Welfare Committee have repeatedly issued formal complaints against her management to office-bearers in the administration. Similarly, Prof. Thapan’s mismanagement of the hostel’s financial affairs in 2010, negligence of duties in times of crisis and constant harassment of workers have also been made public from time to time by the Students’ Welfare Association of the AGSHW. 
It was only after the persistent intervention of members of the New Socialist Initiative (NSI), hostel residents and faculty members on the hostel's Managing Committee concerned over violation of the law that the wages in the hostel were raised to the legally stipulated minimum wage. However, the non-payment of arrears to all those workers who worked below minimum wages for several years before is as yet an unresolved issue. 

These and other matters relating to mismanagement under Prof. Thapan’s tenure as Provost to the AGSHW are in the public domain as public record. Two separate Managing Committees of the AGSHW over the last two academic sessions would be able to confirm these violations and attest to the changes effected in the running of the hostel to avoid the possibility of further disturbance caused by the Provost’s mismanagement. It should be noted that while neighbouring hostels attempted to resolve these issues through negotiations and dialogue, no such interaction was possible under Prof. Thapan’s management. Significantly, it should further be noted that:
  • on 8th April 2014, a safai karmachari of AGSHW was humiliated and abused by the Provost and her husband, while he was working at her residence. Following his refusal to work in the Provost’s residence and request to be given duties within the hostel premises only, which is in keeping with his job description and rules of the hostel, he was further victimised. Workers' solidarity and concern among the student residents on this issue drew the ire of the Provost, who then removed 5 out of 6 sanitation workers and 6 security guards from their jobs at the hostel. 
  • on 1st July 2014, AGSHW brought to our notice that on the occasion of his overnight dismissal from his job, a security guard was told by the Resident Tutor to take off his uniform given to him by the hostel and return home shirtless. Such bodily humiliation of people, some of who belong to the Dalit community is clearly punishable under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) act 1989. 
Hence, despite being aware of her violations of the Minimum Wages Act and her committing acts of humiliation that are tantamount to a violation of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989, the University administration’s decision to reappoint Prof. Thapan to a similar position where she can exercise power over contract labourers is shocking and deeply disturbing. Apart from Prof. Thapan’s resignation on the same issue, we are witness to no action by the University. Instead, Prof. Thapan’s reinstatement as the Provost of the neighbouring hostel within the same hostel complex seems like a sanction her illegal and inept management from the University itself and cannot but be seen as an act of disrespect for human dignity.

In light of these widely known public concerns, we demand that the University authorities revoke the appointment of Prof. Thapan as the new Provost of the International Students' House for Women. The University should provide a fair and rational work environment, instead of making the staff insecure and fearful of daily bullying and humiliation as soon as they step into their work site. We also endorse the following demands made by the NSI in its letter dated 7th July 2014 to the Chairperson of the Managing Committee of the AGSHW and hope that these will be met before this academic session is over:
  1. An immediate end to the continuous harassment and victimization of workers, and their reinstatement. 
  2. The removal of the Provost and the Resident Tutor and legal action against the former. 
  3. A grievance redressal mechanism to prevent and deal with future incidents of humiliation. 

In addition, the NSI asked that:

  1. Given the past record of private contractors and the lack of compliance with the law, the University must not privatize regular work of the hostel. 
  2. All past arrears of workers must be settled with immediate effect. 
  3. The minimum wages should be increased to a living wage of Rs. 12,000 per month.
  4. The number of sanitation and housekeeping workers must be increased as they have diminished over the last two years. 
  5. All official communication with workers must be in a language they understand. 
We hope that you will take cognisance of the grave violations of not just the law of the land but also basic tenets of human dignity at stake in this matter and act in a just, non-discriminatory manner.

Sincerely,
Delhi University Theka Mazdoor Manch

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