There is an oppressive climate of intolerance towards dissent and free speech in West Bengal today. In an act of crude censorship, the government recently removed several newspapers from over 2,480 public libraries that it runs, aids or sponsors. Now, the police have arrested two people, including a professor from Jadavpur University, for allegedly defaming Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee through a cartoon they posted on a social networking site. These are blatant acts of authoritarianism that mock at constitutional values and freedoms and deserve to be condemned. The decision to purge the public library system of most mass circulation Bengali dailies and English language newspapers reflects a deep-seated contempt for democratic values. This has been done, ironically, under the guise of developing free thinking among readers. But the Chief Minister has only to read the Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association to understand how far removed her government's views are from civilised practice. “Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation,” the charter states, affirming the right of readers to have access to all shades of opinion. Specifically, nothing should be excluded because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval. What makes the decision of the West Bengal government particularly offensive is its calculated approach to suppressing ideas and information.
If democracy is to flourish, the public library system must be insulated from censorship. The Centre should strengthen the role of libraries and make their collections mandatorily inclusive. India's public libraries must be governed by a specific freedom charter that spells out their rights and those of readers. This can be done by making it mandatory for libraries to consult the community they serve through public hearings, and acquire publications based on local demand. Such principles are universal, and even titles that are not available at a given moment can be specially requested by readers. The repressive orders in West Bengal are aimed at chilling independent thought. School textbooks have been rewritten to remove the philosophy of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels because Ms. Banerjee has so decreed. And now, citizens are being arrested for merely lampooning leaders. State governments invariably pursue the goal of control of the media, and their favourite tool is grant or denial of government advertisements to bring about self-censorship. But in West Bengal, an era of a more direct assault on free speech seems to have begun. It needs a strong response from democratic forces.
Keywords: Mamata cartoon, freedom of expression, press freedom
If democracy is attacked it is the duty of all votaries of democracy, irrespective of political affiliations, to combine together to thwart
the attack .Sequence of such authoritarian outbursts are not few and far between.Efforts are on to make the attacks all pervasive.Prof. Ambikeshkesh Mahapatra's arrest has evoked near universal condemnation but it is not the first instance of such authoritarian action.DCP Damayanti sen's transfer,barring all ministers to express their personal views on matters of administration, ban on entry of renowned newspapers in government aided public libraries are glaring instances of authoritarian trend. Some may breath a sigh of relief that he has been spared but authoritarianism by nature does not stop here. Right of free speech ,freedom of expression,and personal liberty,guaranteed by constitution ,are but the firsts of many would be victims of autoritarianism.
Mamta Benerjee's party is supposed to be trinmool,i.e.a grass root party, whose foundation is people. But ever since she became the Chief Minister of West Bengal, nothing is decided by the people. Every thing is decided by the whimsical arrogant behaviour of the CM. Tulsi has said, there is no one who does not become intoxicated by power, but no one expected it will happen so soon and so deep after she became the CM.
Ved Prakash Vatuk
@ashu, I bet the parts of the computer you typed your comment in from
was sourced from china. Now that doesnt make you or your computer un-
democratic right?
Curtailing the freedom of expression is not a new phenomenan in
democracies. The more they talk of democracy and people's welfare the
more they curtail it. When such things happen due to the whims and
fancies of a person (leader) it shows the sickness of mind. It is an
universally known fact who oppress the voice of others is the one who
have serious doubts in one's own actions and badly lack self
confidence. whatever it be, the effect is the same. You can throttle
the voice with your power for some time? Can you control the mind and
thoughts that ebbs with dissent and condemnations? Tsar of Bengal
The TMC chief is more known for her trait of calling a spade a spade unmindful of the consequences thanks to the projection made in media. If the present happenings in WB is anything to go by, Mamata has seemingly negated all her image put up so far. Sad that she has not risen to the expectations of Bengal voters as her astuteness,trustworthiness and non-partisan attitude have earned huge public ire. The Left who lost in election race, may be highly optimistic of the winning prospects in the second innings. TMC as it was BE(before elections)is not the same in AE (after elections). One cannot but ignore the bias of the media during assembly elections,for fully glorifying TMC as an embodiment of all virtuous political values beyond level, for reasons quite known to them only.
Mayawati, Mamata,jaya, are almost selfmade leaders. Howmuch women folk have benifitted by them? And our supreme example of leader Indira Gandhi.... how much she did for women? At least now chattering class should forget about reservations for women in Parliament... All are equal.... men and women are good as well as bad.
Actions like these bring bad name to regional political parties.
People would ask then, what is wrong in assuming that regional parties and coalition government is not good for the nation ?
Free speech and right of expression if robbed democracy would be a thing of the past.Presently there is no alternative to democracy in West Bengal as well as in India.
Satire is an art . Cartoons are one of the greatest forms of satiric
arts as proved by great cartoonists RK Laksman , Kutty etc . By
censoring cartoons Mamata is suffering from a disease called
MEGALOMANIA. It is a sheer paranoia.
The Mamata Banerjee regime in West Bengal is behaving like a dictatorship and has thrown all democratic norms to the winds.It is time that she is stopped from doing further damage to the system.
Bengal is at a loss in the dearth of leadership, the old guard- the
commies and their stilted ideology and the fresh blood - TMC
displaying all colors of fascism have left the people of Bengal down.
The environment is so toxic that the voice of reason is lost in the
wilderness, and left in the lurch are some of the poorest, destitute
people of India; the lucky ones migrate and find work as domestic
helps and laborers while others are trafficked to brothels across the
nation.
And the so called "intellectuals" sit in their little offices in
universities, while people like Mamata lay waste to every iota of
intellectual life...It is a long road we have covered - from the
cultural,intellectual,liberal capital of the nation to a bad bad joke;
a caricature of all that is cowardly, poor and absurd.
The peoples are arrested only ridiculed the satire comments on the
peoples(those choosen by themselves). Is it real democracy? No.........!
the people voted by us forgot what they are and what are their duties?
I'm damn sure the lompoon (cartoon poster) given by Ambikesh mahapatre
does not have a politicised feeling, he might had to desire to show his
agression anxiety and social problems for the welfare of humanism.
therefore he presented them by cartoon mode, it should not be covered in
defamatory circle.
I come from the end of the Left spectrum - Kerala. The lady has
obviously lost her you know what. I don't know how the people pf West
Benagl will take this. Looks like the people who need to know will
not know about this now because of her earlier strike at the
libraries.
@Ashu: In America no one would get arrested for publishing or distributing a political cartoon or satire. Doonesbury comic strip does it every week when it lampoons largely Republican or religious right wing views and uttering. FYI, Dr. Ambedkar liberally borrowed from American constitution while framing India's. So what is wrong in admitting good in someone or a country even when you may not always agree with? Freedom of speech is perhaps the most entrenched and enduring value in the American society and Library Bill of Rights merely reflects the belief of its patron citizens.
CPM harassed Taslima and made her flee Kolkotta. The worthy successor
hounds a professor. Both are equally adept at infringing on fundamental
rights.
@Ashu Unfortunately there isn't a single major country that guarantees freedom as much as America does in today's world.
India is a free country -only for the politicians.The general public are at the mercy of the politicians who come to politics only to earn and to defend their wealth they use laws to oppress the opponents.
Didi Dadagiri?
I did not observe any derogatory caricatures of Mamta didi by Prof Mahapatra of Jadavpur university. At least,so it seemed. The cartoons are supposed to be hilarious to tickle your bones. If Didi wanted these to be serious then there is something seriously wrong with her.Prof Mahapatra initially arrested for circulating the cartoons on face book was later released on bail.
There was a clear violation of the "Right to freedom of speech and Expression" enshrined in the Constitution of India .The court may exhibit judicial activism by taking suo motu cognizance of un-constitutional action by Mamta didi and set aside the relevant order besides passing serious strictures against her government.
Mamta didi is known for her mercurial, impulsive and autocratic temperament. These are not expected of a leader of her stature. The public expects maturity in handling emotive issues. There is no place for rhetorics. One wonders why did Markandey Katju , Chairperson PCI, not register his dissent against infringements of fundamental rights by the West Bengal government?
Markandey Katju seems occupied in petitioning the Apex court for dismissing orders of Allahabad high court that prohibited the Media from reporting troops movement during peace time. What is the public interest involved in it. The Indian Express, created a panic in the country. The PM expressed his resentment against this irresponsible reporting . But, not Katju. He has a personal agenda to execute after his post –retirement rehabilitation. I need not elaborate further.
Ret. Justice Katju exercised his right to freedom of speech and expression by making a rather outrageous statement that "95% of indians were fools”. The Aam aadmi refused to react.The news item was quickly withdrawn by HT. Not a single Editorial in the print or TV media registered its dissent.
Shekhar Gupta , sought to rationalize IE’s coverage of troops movement to Delhi by citing the advice of his "Guru" Arun Shourie,perhaps, without latters knowledge. This confession was made during a TV interview ( with Swati Chaturvedi,if my memory serves me right).One wonders whether M Katju’s contemplated petition to the Apex court, had any “public interest”. Seeking annulment of Allahabad High court’s orders , I trust, is motivated by national security and external threat perception ,if troops movements are reported by the Media during peace time except in forward areas.
The Supreme court’s judgement would be keenly awaited by all.
The Hindu was right in referring to the American Bill of Rights as the touchstone of civilized practice especially when it comes to freedom and liberty. We can learn a lot from adopting a similar Bill of Rights in India. Especially the part about how EVERY law will be applied strictly equally to EVERY person. Mamata will do well to remember that everyone (and that means every single person in India) has the exact same rights and priveleges that she has. She just happens to be some people's representative - that doesn't give her any more rights or priveleges - just gives her more responsibilities to serve her people. She should be tried under the justice system for violating the rights of the professor.
The repressive orders issued in West Bengal to use newspapers
selectively is clear violation of free expression of independent
thought and the violation and repression of the right of public
libraries to provide all sorts of information so that public is in a
position to judge on their on the action and inaction right or wrong.
It is really a shocking information that the school textbooks have
been rewritten to remove the philosophy of Karl Marx and Friedrich
Engels because Ms. Banerjee has so decreed. The recent action against
some of the defiant and lampooning persons in West Bengal is by no
mean justified. The democratic forces should come forward to take
action so that the things do not go from bad to worse. The Central
Government being a coalition government running on her Party's support
is unable to take required action but the public should not remain
silent. The intelligentsia and the other political and social forces
should come forward to halt irrational and irrelevant order
No amount of criticism is too much for the state-sponsored censuring of
thoughts. Till recently, this bug afflicted non-state players like Ram
Sene or the groups that opposed Tasleema Nasreen. That we are becoming a
reactionary society, incapable of external-scrutiny and divergent views
is becoming more apparent than ever.
I think by now people of Bengal who brought her to power must be feeling
deceived by her behaviour which are actually childish. I am sure she
would be thrown out of power & people would realise how the communist
were much much better.
It is sad to see that the gooda politics that the Communists used to good effect to gain control of and retain power in W. Bengal since 1970 till Mamta won the elections recently continues under her rule.
There is no "poriborton" for the unfortunate people of that state.
It is really pathetic to know that from Bengal,a land in which people
like Rabindranath tagore a nobel prize winner in literature,sarath
chandra,Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and many prominent writers to name
who has won laurels in the field literature is being suppressed on
freedom of press.It is better for the government to just remember it is
the freedom of publishing and freedom of opinion that has won so many
awards for the state and respect to the Democracy.
The incident has more impact than the Trinamool workers anticipated. In a democratic country, expressing their views are not a crime to be arrested. The chief ministers in Bengal and Tamil Nadu as well as UP former Chief minister Mayawati, totally we can say all ladies chief ministers have same defects that is intolerance. Is it natural for them? An analysis of women politicians and their behaviors on significant problems should be compared with their male counterparts. The incident is actually very unfortunate.
Sir,
Caricatures must carry decency. No cartoonist wishes to see his/her mother, sister or wife lampooned and lambasted in a deplorably sarcastic manner. TMC has a big role to play ahead. It has all potential to emerge as a national party. Mamta has traits to be a national leader. She had already proved her worth at regional level. She is supposed to be patient and emotionally strong. Her authoritative gait is a symbolism for the developing india.
Ms Mamata Banerjee is the Chief Minister and she has won a majority of Assembly seats in the last election because the earlier leftist government had made serious errors of omission and commission. However, that election victory does not give a mandate to Ms Banerjee to use repressive policies. If she does not realize that, all those who believe in citizens’ right of expressing views contrary to the views of her own and her party should tell her that in straight forward terms.
Democracy in showcase
I think Ms Banerjee has made her TMC constitution as the constitution of west
Bengal. Her liking and disliking will set the course for ethics in her state. Over
running the provisions to common man for his freedom of expression both verbal
and non verbal, she has invited an endless debate for whimsical and belligerent
attitude. Her government is exploiting the main fundamental right i.e article 19
(right to expression of speech), which is also protected by article 32 (constitutional
remedies). In this case supreme court should come forward to protect the rights of
citizens.
It is the Media,(Print&Electronic) Who played more than herself to bring
Mamta into power in West Bengal and it is the Media of West Bengal responsible for having such an authoritarian and Megalomaniac ruler.No
escape but to bear with at least up to next election.
Now the great champion of common man is becoming as despotic and intolerant as her arch rivals. What about her so called intellectual friends who usually advise her in all her tantrums especially the Bengali Babu from the television.
We wish Chief Minister,Ms.Mamata Banerjee,chanced upon your prescriptive piece of writing.Her actions of late unveils a mindset that smacks of qualities retrograde:obscurantism, fascism,intolerance and obsolescence.Normally,a maturing politician becomes more and more amenable to reason and reality.But Ms.Banrjee appears to be slamming her mind's window vis a vis democratic realities. She had better read the writing on the wall.We had two Prime Ministers holding contrasting views on the freedom of press.Pundit Nehru preferred reading without fail 'Blitz' editorial in which Karanjia used to castigate him.'Sankar's weekly' he was fond of as a magazine in which cartoonist Sankar lampooned him. But Indira Gandhi's regime saw the closure of the weekly.Ms.Mamata may benefit to have a glimpse on the First Amendmend to the US Constitution:"Congress shall make no law respecting an estalishment of religion,or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;or abridging the freedom of speech,or of the press;..."
I guess Ms. mamta banarjee needs to learn how to rule a democratic
state. There is a lot of distinction between being the chief of state
and chief of a party. She is behaving like a child who has all the power
without knowing what to do with it.
Good. Now even communists also want democracy when not in power.
Talibanised West Bengal under the leadership of Ms. Banerjee and if she ever thinks that the voters are fools, she needs to mend her ways. She has become a thorn to the UPA and within a year of her claiming a massive victory, she has lost the confidence of the people of her own state. Her advisers are on wrong footing and have made her a laughing stock in front of everybody in the world.
The problem lies with lack of options in the form of political parties. Citizens want change but the political parties that we want to switch to are no better, they might be worse though. Sense of false achievement sets tends to set in real fast among newly elected first timers. Sometimes I wonder if mandate be sought every 3 years rather than the now prevalent practice of 5 years. This might be easier said than done but who knows it might turn out to be a real boon for our democracy.
I want to know the view points of readers from West Bengal. What they
think about this imprudence and insanity of DIDI?
I saw the cartoon and it had nothing in it that could have made it
obscene, derogatory or infringing. It was just creative and amusing way
of exercising what we say Freedom Of Speech. If for drawing something
like this one is thrashed by TMC goons before being arrested the entire
nation is bound to feel sorry and angry simultaneously. DIDI insulted
the rule of law by breaking through a police station and releasing TMC
workers, she is guilty of act of commission when she chose to observe
silence when her nephew slapped a traffic police and now this blunder.
I suspect are only TMC workers and DIDI's aide free to exercise freedom
of all sorts. Does TMC and DIDI think people have voted them to power
and in turn had rented their all constitutional rights.
You can do everything DIDI but can't snatch our right to vote you out.
TMC- Tyrant Mamta's Congress.
[But the Chief Minister has only to read the Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association to understand how far removed her government's views are from civilised practice.] Wow, you're usually a bit more careful than this. America is the touchstone of civilized practice?
For as long as I can remember people of WB never missed an opportunity to promote their state as a state which outshone all others in tarka (debate), literature, culture, civilisation etc. Not so long ago the world was asked to accept that all Indians were argumentative (meaning loved learning, thinking, discussing - essential signs of any advanced civilised society). Yet, recently there have been several reports of draconian govt measures to curtail freedom of speech, so basic to the
survival of a free and democratic state. The EC is unhappy about vote buying and other malpractices. Ministers, politicians, bureaucrats, even some judges - along with their institutions - stand accused of corruption and the media report alleged new scams frequently. Yet, Establishment Figures exhort citizens to not rock the boat, lest Indian democracy be damaged (as if it isn’t already). Do these direct and indirect govt actions not harm India’s reputation as a democratic country? Does the Govt care?
All Indian Newspapers must publish the cartoon that the Univ. Professor has posted and dare Ms.Bannerjee to take action. This will be the most fitting response to here acts of intolerance.
No text book has been rewritten. That was a statement by the chairman of a government appointed committee. The final call will be taken by the Secondary Education Board and the Higher Education Council in the state: both autonomous bodies. Please check your facts before publishing.
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