Taking advantage of the voluntary “asset declaration” decision, the government of India can and should now go ahead and make it mandatory for all government functionaries (“state functionaries”, in the words of Sukla jee!).

As for implementation of such a law, unless it is applied compulsorily and universally, it can simply become a tool for harassing relatively honest functionaries. This would require a number of other things: (1) All punishments should bear a degree of proportionality with the amount involved. (2) Size of the investigative departments has to be increased to cope with the increased load. (3) Some special steps will need to be taken for keeping the investigative departments honest. This may require oversight by some prominent individuals held in high esteem for their integrity. One should also think of replacing some of the key “individuals” at key positions by “collectives of equals” like they have three ECs;

I do not know if the government would like to go all the way.

And it must extend to all levels.
And, to all state functionaries.

Bihar Foundation, an initiative by Bihar government to facilitate the participation of Bihari diaspora in the development of Bihar, is opening its Mumbai Chapter on November 7.

“The Chapter will be inaugurated by Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi at YB Chavan Auditorium, Nariman Point. The program will begin at 6 pm,” Satyajit Narayan Singh, PRO of the Foundation informed Jai Bihar.

A team of 22 artists from Bhartiya Nritya Kala Mandir (Patna) will perform on the occasion for promoting art and culture of Bihar. The function will also be attended by State minister Renu Devi, Singh said.

The Foundation team, led by CEO Vivek Kumar Singh, were part of the roadshow campaign to woo investors in Mumbai last month.

“Our aim is to unite and form local chapters of non-resident Biharis (NRB) in areas which have substantial Bihari migrant population and to aid them in developing the state of Bihar through strategic interventions in various fields,” said Vivek Kumar Singh, who holds the additional post of Secretary, Department of Art, Culture and Youth.

The Mumbai Chapter has been formed by uniting many individual Bihari groups working in Maharashtra. An executive committee has already been formed on the recommendation of members associated with the local Chapter. The committee will be led by Ravi Shankar Srivastav, Additonal Commissioner (Income Tax). Srivastav is a native of Patna.

The Chapter includes some prominent names from entertainment world like Manoj Tiwari, Neetu Chandra and Vineet Kumar. Professionals from business and academic world – Ravi Sinha (IIT professor), TV Sinha, Sarvesh Sahi (industrialist), PN Singh (industrialist), Subh Chandra Mishra (social activist) and others will form the think tank of the Chapter.

Kunwar Sanjeev Singh, CEO of Regalis Ventures, who is also associated with the Foundation for brand building, said, “Such steps readily establishes a connection to people and real issues faced by Bihar and Biharis can be addressed in an honest, open, and enthusiastic manner.”

Anjuman-E-Bashindgan-e-Bihar is playing active role by lending its office for the use of the Mumbai Chapter.

Modi will also inaugurate a 15-bed medical care unit at Nagpada in Mumbai Central. The unit (located at 103A, Raja Bahadur Building, Maulana Azad Road (South) Nagpada, Mumbai Central) will cater to Biharis – especially poor patients, who come to Mumbai for medical treatment in various hospitals.

- from jaibihar.com

Rahul Raj remembered

It’s exactly a year past the day Patna boy Rahul Raj Singh, 23, was murdered in a fake encounter by Bombay police, which otherwise fails and look for corners when attacked by real terrorists.

Yesterday, on his first death anniversary, as his family and friends in Patna paid tribute to him, his father reaffirmed his pledge to see the case to the end.

Kundan Prasad Singh echoed past allegations and said, “Rahul was shot at point-blank range. The Bombay police inquiry report contradicts the JJ Hospital postmortem report.”

“The contradiction reveals the falsity of their claims. They murdered my son. I want an autonomous body to investigate the matter,” he said.

Singh also alleged that the police and Maharashtra government had not filed an affidavit in response to a Patna High Court (HC) notice. He will soon move an application in the HC on the issue.

Bombay’s Jt CP (Crime) Rakesh Maria, said, “We’ve sent our inquiry report to the Patna HC. There is nothing more in the inquiry of this case.” He clarified that there was no contradiction in the police and postmortem reports.

Rahul Raj, who came from Bihar, was gunned down in Bombay on October 27, 2008. He was carrying a revolver and said that he had come to kill Raj Thackeray. One of the commuters in the “hijacked bus” said that the 23-year-old brave Rahul, went on screaming subsequently that he had nothing against the passengers and only wanted to ‘take on’ Raj Thackeray.

Unlike Marathi goons who do not dare to say “Jai Maharashtra” out of their state, this youth from Bihar had the courage to shout Jai Bihar, Jai Patna in Bombay in front of the police and in front of others.

The current high-pitched political battle in Maharashtra will reach its end on Thursday, 22 October when votes polled in the state’s assembly election would be counted. However, another currently in the background yet significant battle is being fought in Mumbra – a small town in the fringes of Mumbai.

The people of Mumbra say they are battling the unjustified and unfortunate tag of being a “terrorist hub” that has been “forced on the town by political parties and media alike.”
They are also still fighting for justice for Ishrat Jahan, a 19 year old from this town who (along with three others) was gunned down in an “encounter” by the Detection of Crime Branch of Ahmedabad Police on the outskirts of the city, in June 2004. However, according to a judicial probe into the encounter that submitted its report last month, the encounter “was fake and executed in cold blood”.

“Well, what do we say about elections? We have our own battles to win. One is the fight for justice for Ishrat. The other one is getting rid of the label of being the hub of terrorism,” said a shop-owner in a busy market area of the town. He did not wish to be identified, a desire common to most people in the town.

A group of people gathered at the shop nod vehemently, as more people start pouring in to take part in the discussion.

They all have one common grudge. “Just because this town is predominantly Muslim, vested interests have spread the belief that it is the hub of extremist and terrorist activities. But it is all completely untrue. Go talk to as many people as you can in the town and you will see we are all normal, peace loving individuals. As for anti social elements, which town or city in this country is completely devoid of them?” said another shopkeeper, adding that the “media had amply contributed to the unwarranted impression of the town”.

Almost 90% of the population in Mumbra is Muslim.

People there claim political parties pay no attention to the discrimination the town faces and its lack of basic amenities. There is no government hospital in the town and its residents have to make do with just a dispensary. According to them, some political parties paid lip service to the fight for Ishrat initially but then forgot all about it.

“With elections around the corner, even the most unlikely candidates try to appease us. Ironically, the Shiv Sena candidate here campaigns with his party flag in one hand and a green flag or wrist band in the other,” said someone from the crowd gathered there.

So while political parties in the state battle it out electorally for the top spot, a small town in that very state fights a completely different battle – a battle for a fresh, untainted identity, a fair space in the social polity and justice for those wronged.