Bhatt's arrest: US groups write to Prez, PM; warn to launch global campaign

New Delhi - 05 Oct 2011: The Coalition Against Genocide, an advocacy coalition of around three dozen civil society groups in the United States, has sought intervention of President of India, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India in the case of the arrest of whistle-blower Gujarat IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt.

The Coalition Against Geneocide on 5th October wrote a letter to President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devsingh Patil, Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and Chief Justice of India, Justice S. H. Kapadia, urging them to act without delay in this matter.

Bhatt was arrested on 30th September for allegedly confining his junior and taking his forced signatures on illegal documents to substantiate his charges against Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Bhatt earlier this year had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court of India directly holding Modi for the riots. Bhatta had said that the CM Modi had asked police officers in the emergency meeting on 28th Feb 2002 to go soft on Hindus if they come out to vent their anger for the Godhra train carnage.

The US group warned to launch an international campaign on Bhatt's behalf if the Central Government did not take corrective action to ensure his safety, and to bring an end to this vengeful retaliation against him.

Text of the Letter

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Recipients:

The Honorable President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devsingh Patil
The Honorable Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh
The Honorable Chief Justice of India, Justice S. H. Kapadia

Dear Honorable Sir/Madam

The Coalition Against Genocide (CAG) seeks your urgent intervention in the case of the arrest of Mr. Sanjiv Bhatt, a distinguished IPS Officer from Gujarat, whose main crime has been to speak truth about the 2002 violence in Gujarat. As incumbents of the three highest offices of the Indian State, we cannot but turn to you at this moment of crisis. The Coalition Against Genocide is an advocacy coalition that was created in the wake of the Gujarat carnage of 2002 with the single purpose of working to bring the perpetrators of the genocide and other communal crimes to justice. We stand steadfast behind Mr. Bhatt and are committed to launching an international campaign on his behalf in the absence of corrective action by the Central Government to ensure his safety, and to bring an end to this vengeful retaliation against him. Without reiterating the well known facts to the case, we do want to bring to your notice:

*The increasing misuse of the law to harass those on the side of truth has reached crisis proportions in India. Over the last decade the number of whistleblowers who have been put under extreme duress through the misuse of the law against them is a matter of much concern. Mr. Bhatt's arrest is simply the most recent case, and given the truth at stake, the most egregious one. Such treatment of whistleblowers (several of whom have been killed) positions India as a gross violator of human rights from an international human rights standpoint.

*In the case of Mr. Bhatt we also wish to state that he had already moved the Supreme Court on the same FIR and therefore Modi government's intervention amounts to an interference with judicial process and makes all the more visible its desperation and vindictive attitude.

We respectfully urge you to act without delay. CAG has also decided to move forward, beginning Monday, Oct 10th, with an international human rights campaign unless the matter is seized on by the highest offices of the state. While we are bound by our ethics to stand on the side of truth and justice we sincerely hope that we will not need to launch such a campaign.

Sincerely

AligarhMuslimUniversity Alumni Association of Northern California (AMUAA-CA)
Alliance for Secular and Democratic South Asia (ASDSA)
Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA)
American Minority Physicians of Indian Origin (AMPI)
Association of Indian Muslims of America (AIM)
Association of South Asian Progressives (ASAP)
Campaign to Stop Funding Hate (CSFH)
Chippa Foundation of America
Coalition for Secular and Democratic India (CSDI)
Dharma Megha
Forum of Inquilabi Leftists (FOIL)
Friends of South Asia (FOSA)
Global Movements/Urban Struggles
India Foundation
Indian American Association (IAA)
Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC)
Indian Minorities Advocacy Network (IMAN)
Indian Muslim Education Foundation of North America (IMEFNA)
Indian Muslim Relief & Charities (IMRC)
International Service Society
International South Asia Forum (INSAF)
Muslim Peace Coalition-USA
Muslim Youth Awareness Alliance (MYAA)
NRIs for Secular and Harmonious India ( NRI -SAHI)
San Jose Peace and JusticeCenter
Sikh American Heritage Organization (SAHO)
South Asia Solidarity Initiative (SASI)
South Asian Magazine for Action and Reflection ( SAMAR )
South Asian Progressive Action Collective (SAPAC)
Supporters of Human Rights in India (SHRI)
The Center for Conflict Studies (CCS)
VaishnavaCenter for Enlightenment
Vedanta Society of East Lansing
Washington Watch
Youth Solidarity Summer (YSS)

source: TwoCircles.net