HIV/AIDS: What do you know?

A disease that is not only fatal to the human body, but also to ones’ social status. The probability that you are going to be shunned from society if you are known to have this condition is close to one or one itself. Children and adults are treated the same way, stared upon with contempt and fear. So the question that really needs to be addressed here: How much do we really know about this disease?

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that infects cells of the immune system, destroying or impairing their function. As the infection progresses, the immune system becomes weaker, and the person becomes more susceptible to infections. The most advanced stage of HIV infection is Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It can take 10-15 years for an HIV-infected person to develop AIDS.

HIV is most commonly spread through unprotected sexual intercourse (anal or vaginal) or oral sex with an infected person, sharing of infected needles or other sharp objects, transfusion of contaminated blood. It may also be transmitted between a mother and her infant during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.

Not all cases of HIV/AIDS infections are due to immoral activities. Transfusion of contaminated blood is major contributing factor. In 1999, the transmission of HIV, in India, through blood transfusion was 6.07%, in 2006 1.96%, and in 2007 1.1% [NACO].

You CANNOT get AIDS by sitting next to an infecting person or talking to him/her. HIV is unable to reproduce outside a living host, except under strictly controlled laboratory conditions. Mere sneezing, coughing or sharing of glasses or cutlery won’t spread the infection.

To become infected with HIV you must get a sufficient quantity of the virus into your body. Saliva does contain HIV, but the virus is only present in very small quantities and as such cannot cause HIV infection. Unless both partners have large open sores in their mouths, or severely bleeding gums, there is no transmission risk, except from mouth-to-mouth kissing. HIV can neither be spread through insect bites.

Prevention and Cure

Currently there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. But with good and continued adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART), the progression of HIV in the body can be slowed to a near halt.

Antiretroviral drugs are used in the treatment and prevention of HIV infection. They fight HIV by stopping or interfering with the reproduction of the virus in the body.

HIV transmission can be prevented during pregnancy, labour and delivery with the help of modern drugs. The transmission risk can be brought down to 2%.

Recent studies suggest that male circumcision can reduce the risk of acquiring HIV through sex. However, it is not 100% effective, and circumcised men can get infected if the wounds have not properly healed after surgery. Additionally, HIV-positive circumcised men can infect their sexual partners.

According to estimates by WHO and UNAIDS, 33.4 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2008. That same year, some 2.7 million people became newly infected, and 2.0 million died of AIDS, including 280 000 children. Two thirds of HIV infections are in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2007, in India, the no. of people living with HIV is between 1.8-2.9 million, with an estimated adult HIV prevalence of 0.34% (0.25 %-0.43 %), i.e. 0.34 per one lakh.

HIV in India

It is thought that HIV has spread among the general population in India because the epidemic has followed what is known as the 'type 4' pattern. This is where new infections occur first among the most vulnerable populations (such as injecting drug users, homosexuals and female sex workers), then spread to 'bridge' populations (clients of sex workers and sexual partners of drug users and homosexuals) and then finally enter the general population.

The 2009 annual report of NACO indicates a mixed response in HIV infection in the country, with increase in some areas and decrease in others.

As the HIV Prevalence among the high risk groups (HRG) is very high compared to that among the general population, India continues to be in the category of concentrated epidemic. The sexual mode continues to be the major mode of transmission, though transmission through injecting drug use and Men having Sex with Men are on the rise in many new pockets. The annual HIV sentinel surveillance covered 1,215 sites in 2008-09.

We the people

“We put him in power, we can also bring him down,” said a 30 year old laundry worker protesting the price hike.

On Friday Bolivia’s president Evo Morales “decided to rescind Decree number 748 and other measures that accompanied it." This is the result of widespread unrest that erupted following the passing of the decree.

Decree 768 removed price controls on fuel and raised the price of petrol by 83% and diesel by 73% in Bolivia. This move by the government was followed by an open-ended strike by the Bolivian bus drivers and demands for hike in bus fares by 100%. This is the highest fuel hike since 1991 in Bolivia.

Last year there have been many a decisions that have gone against the will of the people. France reformed its pension system even after facing stiff opposition from its people. UK introduced cuts in its education system thereby tripling costs. The austerity measures and cuts in Greece that followed after its debt crisis has led to mass protests in the region, but little has done to change the governments mind. The US passed the Bush Era tax cuts for the wealthy that was to expire at the end of 2010. And India deregulated its petroleum and oil industry, thereby allowing the industry to set prices according to international prices.

United we stand

The passing of the decree was met with thick resistance throughout the nation. All quarters joined in. Bus drivers, teachers, workers, farmers and other unions demanded the same. Morales’s strongest bases, coca growers, voiced their disdain at the price hike. Demonstrations muttered the word “treason” to describe Morales’s action.

The president’s attempt to stem down the discontent among the public, by announcing 20 percent minimum salary increase, was outright rejected by unions and civil groups. This move promised further marches, strikes and disruptions.

The united stand eventually led the president to bow down to public interest and repeal the law.

Divided we fall

India deregulated oil and gas prices in June 2010. Unlike Bolivia, this was met by mild resistance. There were protests and strikes only in states led by the left- West Bengal and Kerala. With little opposition, both within the parliament and amongst the masses, there was no need for any reversal in its policy. This move by the govt. has led to rise in food prices and other essential commodities.

The fundamental difference between Bolivia and India is the fact in the case of the former unions and civil groups came together when push comes to shove. They were loyal to their principles and did to stoop down to political alliances. They represented the will of the people they stood for and at the same time led them towards achieving their objective.

In our country people are often moved by politician's rhetoric which inturn leads to the wrong candidate getting elected. “All it takes is disgruntled voters who don’t know what’s at stake- and we have plenty of those. Banana republic here we come,” was what Paul Krugman had to say about Nassau County when they fell for the Tea Party campaigns. With millionaires in the Parliament and policies that are counter to public opinion we already might be a banana republic.

Silencing Dissent

Moments to the new year and the ambience seems to be getting grimmer. Not referring to the extreme cold and snow in the UK and US that is affecting consumers (and the greedy capitalists) in the shopping season, but to the gross human right violations that have shook the foundations of civil society.  Julian Assange, Dr. Binayak Sen and Jonathan Pollak – all noted activists, are under arrest for voicing their dissent against authoritarian regimes.

On December 24, Dr. Binayak Sen, a celebrated human rights activist and Paediatrician, along with two others were sentenced to life by Justice Verma for criminal conspiracy to commit sedition, under Section 124(a) read with 20 (b) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and sentenced them to life imprisonment. His real crime – he exposed the atrocities of the Chattisgarh government and became a voice for the voiceless.

Dr. Sen, the national vice-president of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and recipient of numerous international awards for his human rights work, was arrested in May 2007 on charges of alleged links with Maoists. He served in prison for two years without any charge and was finally given bail in May 2009, after being denied bail by the Supreme Court in 2007.

The Supreme Court has held that the charge of sedition can be upheld only if the prosecution proves that the accused attempted to incite violence or public disorder. It is clear that this case doesn't meet that standard.

On December 28, noted activist Jonathan Pollak was sentenced to three months in prison by an Israeli court for riding his bike in a protest against the Gaza siege. Tel Aviv Magistrate court Yitzhak Yitzhak convicted Israeli leftist Jonathan Pollak of illegally assembly in his participation in a January 2008 Critical Mass Ride against the siege on Gaza.

On December 7, Julian Assange, journalist and internet activist, was arrested in London for allegedly raping two women in Sweden (The crime seems to be that he wasn’t wearing a condom or it broke; Swedish rape laws are quite different). He was released on bail on 16 December. By pressing these charges, Swedish authorities have been trying to get Assange extradited to Sweden, and they in turn are expected to extradite him to the US.  Sweden has strong extradition treaties with the US.

Among the files released by WikiLeaks includes a video footage showing innocent Iraqis and two of Reuter’s journalists gunned down by a US chopper, Afghan and Iraq war logs, and the ongoing leaks of US diplomatic cables.

There is a growing trend of ‘state terrorism’- an authoritarian state employing any and all means to silence dissent. Any stance that is against or questions its policies and actions is considered a threat.

These incidents, just a drop in the ocean, pose a grave threat to the fabric of democracy (if it exists at all). This is the very thread that separates us from the very likes of China, Iran, Israel (it is very much a military state), North Korea and so on.

Whats the point in having freedom without rights? 

Final Statement of Binayak Sen before being arrested

I am a trained medical doctor with a specialization in child health. I completed my MBBS from the Christian Medical College, Vellore in 1972, and completed studies leading to the award of the degree of MD (Paediatrics) of the Madras University, from the same institution in 1976. After this, I joined the faculty of the Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi and worked there for two years, before leaving to join a field based health programme at the Friends Rural Centre, Rasulia in Hoshangabad, MP. During the two years I worked there, I worked intensively in the diagnosis and treatment of Tuberculosis and understood many of the social and economic causes of disease. I was also strongly influenced by the work of Marjorie Sykes, the biographer of Mahatma Gandhi, who lived at the Rasulia centre at that time.


I came to Chhattisgarh in 1981 and worked upto 1987 at Dalli Rajhara (district Durg), where, along with the late Shri Shankar Guha Niyogi and the workers of the Chhattisgarh Mines Shramik Sangh, I helped to establish the Shaheed Hospital, that continues to practice low cost and rational medicine for the adivasis and working people of the surrounding areas upto the present. After leaving Dalli Rajhara, I worked to develop a health programme among the Adivasi population in and around village Bagrumnala, which today is in Dhamtari district. This work depended on a large group of village based health workers who were trained and guided by me. When the new state of Chhattisgarh was formed, I was appointed a member of the advisory group on Health Care Sector reforms, and helped to develop the Mitanin programme, which in turn, became the role model for the ASHA of the National Rural Health Mission. A copy of the Order of the Department of Health and Family Welfare of the Govt. of Chhattisgarh regarding my nomination to the advisory group mentioned above is attached. (Annexure 1.)

My work in the area of community health, as well as my work on Human Rights which is detailed below, has been nationally and internationally recognized. I have been awarded the Paul Harrison Award by the CMC Vellore in 2004; the RR Keithan Gold medal by the Indian Academy of Social Sciences in 2007; and have received the Jonathan Mann award for Health and Human rights from the Global Health Council in 2008. I am attaching notarized copies of the citations of these awards with this statement, and am carrying the originals for the perusal of the court. (Annexures 2, 3, 4 and 5)

I have been a member of the Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) since 1981. The PUCL is an organization devoted to the preservation of constitutional civil liberties and human rights that was founded by the late Shri Jayprakash Narayan during the years of the Emergency. In Chhattisgarh, as well as in many other parts of the country, the PUCL led the campaign for the preservation of the freedom of speech, prevention of custodial violence, and for the public accountability of the police. I became General Secretary of the Chhattisgarh unit of the PUCL in 2004, and am currently the President of the State unit, and Vice President of its National body.

In Chhattisgarh, the PUCL has been in the forefront of exposing the atrocities of the police. Atrocities by men in uniform against vulnerable sections continue to be a serious problem in the state, as the front page news item in the “Sunday Times” dated 12th September 2010, annexed hereto as Annexure 6 shows. In this situation PUCL’s efforts were always directed towards the establishment of good governance and constitutional values. PUCL findings and investigations were always made available in the public domain through press releases and its own publications. One such Press Release reporting investigation into police atrocities in Village Jiramtarai, Thana Koylibeda is annexed hereto as Annexure 7. The report of one such investigation pertaining to police atrocities in Katgaon (Kanker district) was published in the “Navbharat” and “Deshbandhu” newspapers which are annexed hereto as Annexure 8 and 9 respectively. A PUCL publication on the State of Human Rights in Chhattisgarh is appended to this statement. (Annexure 10). In this connection PUCL regularly corresponded with the National and State Human Rights Commissions. Copies of some of the letters sent to the PUCL by the National Human Rights Commission (collectively) and the State Human Rights Commission are attached to this statement. (Annexure 11 and 12)

Apart from investigating and documenting many cases of Human Rights abuse involving the police, the PUCL has acted as a whistleblower in the matter of exposing the true nature of the Salwa Judum. The Salwa Judum, which began in the Dantewada district in 2005, has been represented by the state government as a spontaneous peoples’ movement against the Maoists active in the area. However, an investigation led by the PUCL and involving several other Human Rights organizations revealed that it was in reality a state sponsored and state funded as well as completely unaccountable vigilante force, to which arms were provided by the government. The activities of the Salwa Judum have led to the emptying of more than 600 villages, and the forced displacement of over 60,000 people. Concerns regarding the activities of the Salwa Judum have been expressed by several independent organizations including the National Human Rights Commission.
International organizations like the UNICEF have also voiced serious concern and have invited me to dialogue with them about the restoration of normalcy in the region affected by Salwa Judum. The Hon’ble Supreme Court has also, on several occasions, expressed its grave concern over the activities of the Salwa Judum and the deployment of armed vigilantes for the promotion of state policy. This has been widely reported in the press. A Table with an indicative list of agencies that have made critical observations on the Salwa Judum is attached (Annexure 13). A copy of the report on the Salwa Judum by the Chhattisgarh PUCL and other organizations (Annexure 14), and copies of the investigation reports on the Salwa Judum brought out by the Independent Citizens Initiative and Asian Centre for Human Rights are being filed along with this statement (Annexure 15 and 16 respectively). An invitation from the UNICEF, Chhattisgarh Regional Office to participate in a dialogue to seek a resolution to the crisis in Dantewada as a fallout of the Salwa Judum is similarly attached to my statement (Annexure 17).Press reports in the Hitavada, dated 23.10.2010 pertaining to the Hon. Supreme Court’s critical observations are attached (Annexure no 29), as are Certified copies of Supreme Court orders that make critical observations on the Salwa Judum are also being attached (Annexure 18)

The PUCL has also, during 2006, organized two major conventions, opposing the proposal to enact the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, because it has been, and continues to be, our view that this Act contravenes the civil liberties assured to us in the constitution. I have expressed these views in the Press as well, and am attaching with this submission a copy of newspaper carrying a press report of such a convention (Annexure 19), as well as a copy of the newspaper “Chhattisgarh” dated 30th March 2006 in which my interview appears in this regard. (Annexure 20) A Civil Writ Petition (Writ Petition No 2163/2009) challenging the vires of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act has been filed by the PUCL in the Chhattisgarh High Court. Certified copies of the Court orders admitting this petition and issuing notice are being filed along with this statement (Annexure 21).

For all the reasons mentioned above, the Chhattisgarh police and the state government have harboured a grudge against me, and the then DGP of Chhattisgarh, Mr OP Rathore, has gone on record threatening to take action against the PUCL and its office bearers. Copies of a newspaper of 3rd January 2006 carrying a report to this effect are attached to my statement. (Annexure 22) I have been concerned with the rights of prisoners in my capacity as a Human Rights worker and was approached by the family of Mr Narayan Sanyal to look after his health and well being after he was brought to Raipur jail in 2006. My first visit to him in jail was in the company of his family and lawyer. Subsequently, I obtained permission from the police authorities for visiting him in jail, and visited him several times, each time applying to do so in my capacity as a PUCL office bearer. After my visits, I informed his family members about his condition over the telephone. During the course of these visits, it was brought to my notice that the surgery on his hands that was necessary for medical purposes, was being delayed due to communication problems between the jail and the doctors in the Raipur Medical College. I played a role in facilitating his surgery and kept his family informed about the process. During this period there was considerable correspondence between the prisoner’s family, jail administration and medical authorities, of which copies were marked to me. I attach along with this statement copies of the letter written by Mr Radha Madhav Sanyal (brother of Narayan Sanyal) to the Jail Superintendent with a copy to me (Annexure 23); copies of my applications to visit Mr Narayan Sanyal in jail which were obtained through an application under the RTI (Annexure 24); copy of the written permission given to me by Shri BS Maravi, Senior Superintendent of Police, Raipur (Annexure 25) and copies of the correspondence from the Jail authorities to the medical doctors mentioned above with copies marked to me (Annexure 26).

It was with similar concern for the situation of prisoners that I acted upon the letter received in the post from one Madanlal Barkhade about prison conditions in the Raipur Central Jail. I released his letter to the press in Raipur and attach the newspaper in which the aforesaid letter was published. (Annexure 27) The documents seized from my house during the house search on 19.5.2007 were those of concern to me in the ordinary and transparent conduct of my work. Human rights organizations from all over the country used to send me books, pamphlets and documents, and there were thousands of these lying in my residence, which I also used as my office. None of the seized documents had been secretly or clandestinely obtained. Document No. A 19 was sent to me by post by Shri Govindan Kutty, Editor, Peoples’ March. Document no A 20, purported to be written by Madanlal Barkhade was similarly received by me in the regular post. The document A 21 was sent to me by Dr Kalpana Kannabiran, one of the authors of the article, then Professor at the National Law School Hyderabad, by e-mail. Article A 22, photocopy of a hand written document, and Articles A 23 and A 36 were available for distribution at a seminar on the Salwa Judum organized by the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi in January, 2007, to which I was invited , and were picked up by me there. Article A 24 was received by me in the post. Newspaper clippings A 25 to A 35 are newspaper clippings that I had maintained in furtherance of my interest in the emerging situation in Chhattisgarh.

Several policemen in the search party were involved in the process of the search at my house. Having found a document, the person finding it would hand it over to Mr Rajput. Mr Rajput would first read it, and then hand it over to me for my signature. He would also sign it himself. After we had both put our signatures on the document, he would dictate to TI Jagrit what was to be written in the seizure memo. Mr Jagrit would then make the entry, following which Mr Rajput would then hand over the document to Mr Jagrit. In this manner, each document was seized, signed, and entered in the seizure memo. None of the documents were signed by the public witnesses in my presence. Nor were the documents sealed in my presence. At the end of the search process the documents were carried away in a paper bag in an unsealed condition. Document A37 was never received by me to sign. It was not in my office, and was not seized during the search. It was fabricated after the search by the police to implicate me falsely. When the challan in my case was filed, my advocate, Mr Amit Banerjee was present in court and received the chargesheet on my behalf. A copy of the chargesheet is annexed hereto as Annexure 28. Upon going through the charegesheet, we noticed that in the copies of articles A 19 to A 24, the signatures of the panch witnesses were not present in the documents. Copies of articles A 25 to A 37 were not supplied to us at the time.

Despite a court order, the contents of the computer were copied onto DVDs without the presence of my advocate, and only DVDs of selected material from the computer were supplied later during the course of the trial. Out of the DVDs supplied, three relate to investigation of police atrocities / fake encounters in Golapally, Jiramtarai and Katgaon. My images on these tapes are in conversation with the villagers who are affected by these atrocities. I have never seen Deepak Chaubey (PW7) until the time he testified in the court. I did not introduce Narayan Sanyal to him and his story that Narayan Sanyal was arrested from his house is patently untrue as, in fact, Sanyal was arrested in Bhadrachalam.

I submit that my prosecution is malafide; in fact it is a persecution. I am being made an example of by the state government of Chhattisgarh as a warning to others not to expose the patent trampling of human rights taking place in the state. Documents have been fabricated by the police and false witnesses introduced in order to falsely implicate me.

Binayak Sen

How Free is Free speech?

 

Since 1927, TIME Magazine has chosen a person, or idea that for better or worse, has most influenced events in the preceding year. It has had names such as Mahathma Gandhi, Adolf Hitler, Bill & Melinda Gates, Ayatollah Khomeini, George Bush, YouTube and so on. This year the award went to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook, the online social networking website.

The final decision on who makes it to the cover ultimately rests on TIME's editorial board. But recently they have become bolder in pushing forward their political and/or capitalists interests and propagandas. Remember they had referred Rubin, Greenspan & Summers as the Committee to save the world, their very actions in due course led to the current economic crisis. Not to mention, George Bush was chosen as the Person of the Year in 2004.

According to the TIME's user poll Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder, received 382,026 votes, compared to Zuckerberg's mere 18,353 votes. A clear winner? Not according to TIME. Again TIME reserves the right. Moreover, Facebook has come into severe criticism this year for its new user and privacy policies – user data from third party apps can be shared with advertisers that could be used to identify individual users. The site booted a 400,000 strong anti-torture Egyptian group, why? The admin of the group went by a pseudonym- who in their wildest of dreams would reveal their identity when they can be targeted for the very cause they stand against.

On the other hand WikiLeaks has created waves by enabling whistleblowers to anonymously send in secretive data that brings to light the works of authoritarian governments. Afghan and Iraq war logs, the pentagon video that showed how a bunch of civilians were gunned down by a US chopper, US embassy cables etc. reveals many facts that were unknown. This has changed the face of journalism and the way information is shared.

Rather than divulging into the editorial policy of TIME magazine, serious questions have to be raised about free speech and whether it is free any more, visible with the recent release of diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks. TIME's selection of Zuckerberg is a slice in the chain of events that tests freedom of speech.

Amazon booted WikiLeaks from its servers when Joe Lieberman, an independent senator from Connecticut, questioned their relation with WikiLeaks. Credit card companies and Paypal soon followed suite preventing any funding from reaching the organisation. Rape charges that were dropped in August by the then chief prosecutor were re-instated. More recently Apple removed a WikiLeaks app from its stores on grounds that it violated its developer guidelines. A spokesperson said, "Apps must comply with all local laws and may not put an individual or target group in harm's way." Incidentally, there have been reports of suicides and exploitations of workers at the factory where Apple iPads are manufactured, in China.

Sarah Palin, a Republican and a presidential frontrunner, has said that Assange should be hunted down as the way the Taliban are. She also said that "Assange is not a 'journalist', any more than the 'editor' of al-Qaeda's new English-language magazine Inspire is a 'journalist'." The US is planning to bring in new legislation that can be used to prosecute him, although detractors say that such a move would be unconstitutional.

Julian Assange can be considered as the Robin Hood of our time. When more and more governments are becoming authoritarian the flow of information has been restricted from entering the public domain. Many a time dissent and information has been suppressed under the pretext of national security. National wealth is being squandered away to the whims of politicians and bureaucrats, while the needy are  daily edging towards poverty and insanity.

To ensure that their misdeeds are never known to the commons, to give a false sense of calmness, information is suppressed in the process reducing accountability. It is in this context that the files that WikiLeaks released give the public an understanding of what's really happening behind that cloak and dagger of secrecy.

The Middle East has been known for their intolerance towards Freedom of speech. Egypt is infamous for torturing and jailing citizens who air their dissent, mostly bloggers as mainstream media is heavily regulated by the government.

The scene is not much different in the Indian subcontinent. The media has often stood by the government's point of view, has sided with politicians and corporates in influencing public opinion, even when they had a choice to be free and fair. Self-regulation and self-censorship seems to have embedded only in such matters.

The US govt has come down heavily on media outlets and organisations linked to WikiLeaks in some or the other way in the post-US embassy cable leaks, the same it imposed sanction on firms that do business with Iran.

This is a repeat of the medieval ages when the king was all-in-all, people could be imprisoned and executed without a trial, wealth was concentrated with the upper class, speaking against the throne was considered to be treachery, science was considered heretic. In such an environment is there anything such as free speech or a free press? If so, what's the price one has to pay? if it's not free.

This year's TIME person of the year should have gone to the US government for showing the world that IT is free to charge free speech.

India shining...or rotting?

As a child, I have always been proud of my country. Since being a non-resident and my family financially well off, I came to India once a year. I would get ecstatic whenever I flew down to my country and returned with a heavy heart, always. That was years ago, many many years ago.

Back then I was naive about the progress my country and what 'India Shining' or 'Incredible India' was hiding from the rest of world and the nation.

Even during my college years I had little idea of the rot that was beneath all this glam and shine that our leaders, elite, politicians, intellectuals and so on professed. India used to be called, and still, the land of democracy. The land of vibrant democracy. People talked about the magic of democracy that can be experienced here.

I am not the same kid anymore, and neither can I be forced into believing the same. Far from democracy, India has been revealed to be a totalitarian state with gross human rights abuses and endemic corruption. Ever increasing dissent and the widening gap between the rich and the poor are telling indicators.

Kerala is called as Gods own country. If you're to only consider the scenic beauty, created by God and unaltered by man, this place is truly heavenly.

The truth is that Kerala, as with the rest of the country, is Gods own country: currently leased out to the devil. There is no end to the corruption, the bureaucrats are lax, the people are divided along party lines (and parties play to appease voters and this often is played along communal or caste lines) and are ready to do anything for their party (this mainly has to with ignorance of the mass and the ability of the leaders to exploit this weakness), villages divided along party lines, villages divided over communal lines, exploitation of Dalits..... it would be exhausting as well as impossible to pen down every deed of the devil.

The presence of an opposition in the state helps in bringing out social issues to the public, but is limited. These issues are given centre stage when parties feel that their association with it will boost their electoral presence. The ignorant masses duly follow and fail to understand that they're being taken for a ride.

The victims affected by the spraying of Endosulfan in the district of Kasarkode haven't received any respite from successive governments- a paltry sum of Rs 50,000 has been given out to the kins of the dead. The living are yet to receive any compensation or dignity. Plans on their rehabilitation have been muddled up in political and bureaucratic waters.

After numerous commissions and studies conducted (15 to be precise) on the effect of Endosulfan to environment and humans, the central govt. has decided that it will conduct a new study to ascertain its effects on humans. Even though it has been proved around the world that the pesticide is harmful to humans, evident from its effects in Kerala, India is strongly opposed to adding Endosulfan to the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.

Endosulfan is not an isolated case. Take the Bhopal gas disaster for instance. 25 years have passed and the victims of the disaster are left without justice. Warren Anderson was allowed to go scot free, and ironically the same govt. now wants him back (Really, who are they kidding?).

An estimated 15,000, both immediate and over time, have died following exposure to methyl isocyanide (MIC). More than 200,000 have suffered permanent injuries. Because the onus of proving "beyond reasonable doubt" that death or injury in each case was attributable to exposure, many were denied compensation.

Since the claims paid were of paltry sums, Rs 10 billion was leftover after settling all claims. Has anyone questioned what happened to the rest of the money? Interestingly the GOI claimed $ 3.3bn initially and later settled for a paltry $470mn with Union Carbide Industries Ltd.

The Common Wealth Games 2010 has become infamous for the corruption revolving around it. Even in this instance the whole coverage is around how money was squandered away in crores by politicians and bureaucrats. The whole media attention is focussed on the spenders. The plight of the workers who put in their effort day and night have been forgotten- poor living conditions, no health care, low wages and in some cases no wages.

The 2G scam has been conveniently used by the opposition to divert attention from highlighting the presence of RSS and VHP in terrorist attacks, or, any other issue in the parliament as a matter of fact. As much as the congress, the BJP wouldn't want a Joint Parliamentary Commission (JPC) as it would be no doubt that they too have greased their hands in it. Or else how could a govt continue its current stance even after such bitter and relentless opposition in the parliament.

Maoism is the new haute couture
for the uptown boys in India. Tribals are getting evicted from their land in the name of industrialization. If they oppose it they are branded as Maoists. The atrocities and cruelties that the state commits against these poor and indefensible people know no bounds. Barbaric would be an understatement. In such a scenario what would you prefer – stand up for your rights or bend over for the MNCs? Where is the democracy?

For all our crorepati MPs India is truly shining. So is it for the rich and elite. But for the rest who are being used to polish and keep the lifestyles and appetites of the greedy shining, India truly is rotting.

Diplomatic Pat Down

No right to your rights
 
An Indian diplomat gets frisked, patted down to be more precise, and India gets upset over the whole incident. The fact that Ms. Meera Shankar, Indian ambassador to the US, was chosen for the pat-down because she was donning a saree was not the concern for Indian government is a bit worrisome in terms of human rights and human dignity.

For all those unfamiliar with TSA (Transport Security Authority) pat-downs, or grope-fest as others call it,
this procedure involves security personnel conducting a hands-on search on you and "this inspection may include sensitive areas of the body," according to TSA guidelines.

Ms. Shankar was chosen for the random pat-down at Jackson airport because they did not have full-body scanner, commonly known as porno-scanner (I din't make that up). These scanners can reveal all, as well as intimate, parts of the human body – in high resolution. Even more worrisome is the ability to store the images from the scan- possibly for later use?

The US government has conveyed regret to the incident involving the Indian ambassador but what about the rest of the Indian women who are clad in sarees and want to travel by air? Aren't they too entitled to their dignity and modesty?

Some might say to opt-out or choose other alternative modes of travel if one is not comfortable with these procedures, but there are situations where air travel is unavoidable- like long distance journeys or health issues.

And along came the spider

All of you might remember the Christmas day bomber Abdul Muthalib and his failed attempt at bringing down a Detroit bound plane. Fortunately (mysteriously or curiously) the bomb did not detonate and no harm done, atleast to the passengers aboard the flight. What came along was series of reforms that deprives humans of their rights and dignity – Full body scanners and pat-downs.

It would be worth mentioning here the timing and method at which Full-body scanners were implemented into the system.

Mutallab's father, a rich, well known, and reputable Nigerian banker had gone to the US Embassy in his country and formally warned a State Department official as well as a CIA representative that his son was in Yemen and in all probability consorting with terrorists. Under these circumstances the person would be placed on a no-fly list, as UK placed them on theirs.

The hearings held on January 27 before the US House Homeland Security Committee reveal that Muthalib was allowed to keep his visa as the result of a national security override issued by the US intelligence or law-enforcement agency.

Reports also point out that all screening and security procedures had been scrapped or aborted so that Muthalib could board the plane, as a result the bomb too boarded the plane. Incidently, the explosion never took place, but a political one did.

Soon after the incident, full-body scanners were introduced. Simple as that.

Adding up the turn of events, its just too hard to believe that the whole incident has not been concocted up to meet some ulterior motive.

None of might have read or heard that Micheal Chertoff the former US National security adviser is also a representative for a company called Rapiscan, and their contract with TSA is worth $173 million. Rapiscan's lobbyists include Susan Carr, a former senior legislative aide to Rep. David Price, D-N.C., chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee.

US has become a nation in which the media and the government thrives on the fears of it people, and its people willing to forgo their freedoms and liberties in its name. Its no longer the land of the free. Free speech is no longer free as evident from the recent WikiLeaks. And neither are your rights as guaranteed by the constitution.

As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." You have no right to you rights anymore.