Aparna Sen on letter to PM Modi: Not pointing fingers at any one govt

Filmmaker Aparna Sen, who is among 49 eminent citizens who have written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protest against lynchings in the name of religion, said that they are not pointing fingers at a particular government or regime. The letter does not point towards the Modi government alone, it is against the general atmosphere of religious intolerance in the country, Sen said.

"I am also annoyed with the state government [West Bengal]. We have visited affect areas in Bhatpara and Kakinara and have written to the chief minister about what happened there and have demanded action," Aparna Sen said.

Speaking to India Today TV, Aparna Sen slammed criticism against the letter. "Why is [it that] when one issue is picked up against someone, everyone starts asking what about this, what about that. The letter is about this topic," she said.

Aparna Sen said that even though there had been incidents of hate crime in the past, it was the steady rise of such incidents and dropping rate of convictions that the authors of the letter them worried.

"You would hope that such incidents would decline steadily, but they are increasing and there is also a decline in the convictions," Aparna Sen said.

The filmmaker said that she had no issues with the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan. "If you chant Jai Shri Ram and embrace someone I would appreciate it, but if you say it and kill someone, I would have a problem," Aparna Sen said.

"We see reports of hate crimes every day in our newspapers. People who lynch themselves take videos and post it on social media. It seems like the secular fabric of the country is slowly eroding and there comes a time where you feel you have to speak up," she said.

Aparna Sen and 48 other eminent citizens, including filmmaker Shyam Benegal, vocalist Shubha Mudgal, historian Ramchandra Guha and sociologist Ashis Nandy, have written to PM Modi saying that 'Jai Shri Ram' has become a "provocative war cry" with many lynchings taking place in its name.

The July 23 letter, which also stressed that there is "no democracy without dissent".

"We, as peace-loving and proud Indians, are deeply concerned about a number of tragic events that have been happening in recent times in our beloved country," the letter said.

"The lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities must be stopped immediately. We were shocked to learn from the NCRB that there have been no less than 840 instances of atrocities against Dalits in the year 2016, and a definite decline in the percentage of convictions," it continued.

It is shocking, they said, that so much violence should be perpetrated in the name of religion.

"These are not the Middle Ages! The name of Ram is sacred to many in the majority community of India. As the highest executive of this country you must put a stop to the name of Ram being defiled in this manner," the open letter to the prime minister said,

Criticising the lynchings in Parliament is not enough, the civil society leaders said. "What action has actually been taken against the perpetrators? We strongly feel that such offences should be declared non-bailable, and that exemplary punishment should be meted out swiftly and surely."

It also underscored the significance of dissent in a democracy.

"There is no democracy without dissent. People should not be branded anti-national or urban Naxal and incarcerated because of dissent against the government."

If someone criticises the ruling party, it does not imply they are against the nation, the letter said.

"No ruling party is synonymous with the country where it is in power. It is only one of the political parties of that country. Hence anti-government stands cannot be equated with anti-national sentiments. An open environment where dissent is not crushed, only makes for a stronger nation," the letter read.

"We hope our suggestions will be taken in the spirit that they are meant - as Indians genuinely concerned with, and anxious about the fate of our nation," it concluded.

The signatories to the letter also include Bengali cinema thespian Soumitro Chatterjee, southern filmmaker-actor Revathy, director Mani Ratnam and social activist Binayak Sen.