Freedom's Just Another Word

The right to freely opine on the web is becoming more difficult by the day. Whereas in America people may stir up controversy over some remaks they make, there is no specific law that can silence their sentiments. As long as the writer remains courteous and follows the basic rules of Net Etiquette, he/she may continue opining widely and freely.

Not so in the world's largest Democracy, which now seeks to rule on the issue of what and how much Indian Bloggers may say. There is now a growing fear that a 19-year-old Kerala blogger is in danger of not just losing in the criminal case filed against him, but also losing his life.

[q url="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4178823.cms?TOI_mostcommented"]Petitioner Ajith D had started a community on Orkut against Shiv Sena. In this community, there were several posts and discussions by anonymous persons who alleged that Shiv Sena was trying to divide the country on region and caste basis. Reacting to these posts, the Shiv Sena youth wing's state secretary registered a criminal complaint at Thane police station in August 2008 based on which FIR was registered against Ajith under Sections 506 and 295A pertaining to hurting public sentiment. [/q]

The Shiv Sena at its very basic is a controversial Hindu Nationalist Group that claims to be in favor of the common man's rights to a better society....with them at the helm. Although they seem to have the support of the Mumbai slumdwellers and the Dalits (who have nowhere to turn to for the most part) the general consensus is that the Shiv Sena need to be disbanded for their antiquated, overly-moralistic views. Like this:

Look at our country. Our laws. Our rules. A whole long list of don'ts meant only for Hindus. And who are the ones who are empowered? The Mussalmans. How long are we to tolerate this? How long are we to stand by and watch these antics in the name of religion? How long will those in power fool us? How long can we pretend not to see what goes on in the name of concession to the so-called minorities?... Let us have a little laugh over our peculiar brand of secularism. The microphones blare at us spreading the word of Allah a good five times a day. But no Hindu can dare to play cymbals or beat the prayer drums while he passes the house of Allah.
~ from http://www.geocities.com/indianfascism/fascism/shivsena.htm


Check out the Solution to the Christian and Muslim Problem

I do not claim to know any more about the Shiv Sena than I did 10 years ago and I do not wish to know any more about them after this case is settled. Just a day after I mentioned Francois Matthys who was robbed of his Freedom and his health and his sanity in a Mumbai jail on trumped-up charges, along comes the explosive Times of India article called 'Bloggers Can Be Nailed For Views'

Read the outraged Indian Bloggers' comments !