What is India Editorial
United protest in New York to
demand seer's release
Hindu groups demonstrated on a
biting winter day and said the Kanchi seer's detention was part of a larger plan
to destroy Hinduism. PRAKASH M SWAMY reports
What is India News Service
New York, 6 December 2004
Over 250 people representing a rainbow of Hindu organizations staged a peaceful
protest in front of the Consulate General of India on November 30.
They presented a petition to the Consul General condemning the vendetta of the
Jayalalithaa government against the Kanchi Sankaracharya, and his continued
detention.
Terming
it as an outrageous assault on Hinduism, those gathered vented their feelings
against the Tamil Nadu government for trying to foist cases against a venerated
Hindu religious leader.
Braving
cold and inclement weather, a large number of office-goers including women
gathered before
noon
, holding placards to voice their
protest and anguish over the inhuman treatment meted out to the 71-year- guru
languishing in jail with common criminals.
They also raised slogans against a systematic move to destroy Hinduism in
India
by attacking shrines and
imprisoning Acharyas for selfish political gains.
The
protest was orrganized by Narain Kataria, founder of Indo-American Intellectuals
Forum and a prominent Hindu leader, with the support of over 30 organizations
such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Kanchi Kamakoti Seva Foundation, International
Federation of Bangladeshi Hindus and Hindu Temple Society of North America. Members
and devotees of the Math staged a peaceful protest for over two hours and explained
to passers-by the kind of religious suppression going on in the southern part of
India. Almost all priests from the
Ganesh temple in Flushing, led by chief priest Bahirava Moorthy, were present at
the rally.
Those
who attended the rally included Gaurang
Vaishnav, general secretary of VHP- USA, Raksh Pal Sood, advisor to Hindu
Swayamsevak Sangh, Rajesh Shukla and
Arish Sahani of OF-BJP, Devendra Singh Sawhney of
Sikh Sangat of America, Dr Uma Mysorekar, President of Hindu Temple Society of
North America, Dr Narinder Kukar, former Chairman of the
Board of Directors of the Association of Indian in America, Dr A V
Raghunath and K Guruvayurappan of Kanchi Kamkoti Seva Foundation, Br
Krishnamoorthy, Acharya Chinmaya Mission, Prof Ved Chowdhary of Hindu
International Council Against Defamation (HICAD), Ram Such Dev of Overseas
Sindhu Sabha, Nagendra S Rao, Founder President of Sanatana Dharma
Pratishthapana Foundation, N Lalchandani of Satya Narayan Temple, Venkat
Sarma of Malayali Hindu Mandalam, Bidyut Sarkar of International Federation of
Bangladeshi Hindus and Friends, Dr Sudhakar Reddy of American Telugu Association,
and Subhash Arora of Arya Samaj.
“For
the first time, we are witnessing complete unity among Hindus as both the
factions of the Overseas Friends of BJP (Arish Sahani and Rajesh Shukla) and the
Hindu Temple Society of
North
America
(Dr Uma Mysorekar and Venkiah Dhama) were present at the rally. This only shows
that Hindus in the
US
are more united than their brethren back home whose voice was feeble in
India
,”
said Kataria.
Dr
Kukar said the Hindus in
India
were to blame for the pathetic situation. He
lamented, “The seer was abused and kept in solitary confinement. The
government is spreading falsehood deliberately to divert its inability to
produce evidence in the court. The Indian media has usurped the powers of the
judiciary and convicted the Sankaracharya even before the investigation is
complete. All this and more only manifest the deep-rooted anger against Hindus
and those raising their voice against forcible conversions."
“The
Acharya’s life is in danger and the cops are indulging in psychological
torture unheard of in the history of free
India
.
Not even the Nazis and the British inflicted such a cruel treatment on their
adversaries,”
he added.
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Describing
the detention as the work of a police raj, Kukar said he was confident that the
seer would come out unscathed and work more vigorously for Hindu dharma.
Dr
Uma Mysorekar said the government should stop harassing the saint and release
him forthwith. Narrow partisan politics in the state is affecting the execution
of law enforcement and justice resulting in discriminatory and unjust treatment
of His Holiness. He was prevented from following religious practices and cooking
his own food. The federal government should intervene and immediately release
the Acharya.
Gaurang
Vaishnav said when Sheikh Abdullah, who faced sedition charges and was jailed by
the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, could cool his heels in a bungalow on
a hill station, why should a most revered seer of Hindu religion be kept in
solitary confinement? "How
many politicians, convicted in corruption cases, were sent to jail?” he asked.
At
the end of the rally, a delegation led by prominent leaders met with Consul
General Paramathesh Rath and presented petitions addressed to President APJ
Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Governor of Tamil Nadu Surjit Singh
Barnala and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani.
Related stories
What
does it mean to be a Hindu in India? Unease
grows in the hearts of common Indians as they watch a revered saint being
arrested and humiliated, writes SOUMYA SITARAMAN
NOV
11 TURNED OUT LIKE SEPT 11
When they heard news of the Kanchi seer's arrest, many outraged Indians
in the US frantically called home. NRIs have also been organising prayers
meetings to support an acharya they hold in high esteem. A round-up by PRAKASH
M SWAMY
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