Insaf Morcha Convener's Statement, 3 April, 2000

"Muslim Indians have massively protested against the UP Public Religious Buildings and Places Bill, 2000, now pending before the President of the Republic, for his assent and have requested him to withhold his assent and return the Bill.

The Muslim Indians rightly apprehend that although the laws are universally applicable, in the existing social environment and with the growing communalisation of administration, the brunt will be borne by them and not by any one else.

Such a law constitutes a direct interference with the freedom of religion guaranteed in the Constitution and particularly the religious right of a Muslim to endow his property as Wakf for a Masjid or Madarsa or Qabristan.

However, it is notable that the major opposition parties, including the Congress and the CPI(M), have remained largely silent on the question. The only exception is the Samajwadi Party which has decided only exception is the Samajwadi Party which has decided to launch an agitation for its withdrawal.

The silence is largely due to the fact that the two Congress-ruled States, namely, Rajasthan and MP and one Left ruled State, namely, West Bengal have similar laws on their statute books. These laws may not be as draconian as the Uttar Pradesh Bill but essentially they all make construction and even repair of religious places subject to prior approval by the administration.

It is also true that the laws have largely remained on paper and have not been used even. to dislodge the religious places and shrines which had occupied the public land unlawfully.

The existence of such laws in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal provides an alibi and a smoke-screen to the BJP-led Government in UP for its motivated and deliberate assault on the religious freedom of the Muslim community and their harassment in rural areas.

The Insaf Morcha, therefore, appeals to the Congress(I) and CPI(M) to instruct their Governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal a) to repeal their Acts and b) to utilise their existing laws to remove all unauthorized shrines and religious places which encroach on public land.