Sunday, July 6th, 2008

Indian Muslim Council-USA (IMC-USA – http://www.imc-usa.org), an advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding India ‘s pluralist and tolerant ethos is organizing an US lecture tour of noted civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad and retired police official R. B. Sreekumar, starting today in Philadelphia.

Teesta Setalvad is a Mumbai based civil rights activist, journalist and educationist. She reported for the Mumbai editions of The Daily (India) and The Indian Express newspapers. Appalled by the communal violence during the Bombay Riots, she, along with activist husband Javed Anand, quit full-time journalism in 1993 to start the monthly magazine Communalism Combat. Teesta Setalvad won the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award 2003 and in 2007 she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for her role in “Public Affairs in Maharashatra”. Teesta Setalvad, has been at the forefront of fighting for the Gujarat pogrom cases and getting the Supreme Court to move the cases out of Gujarat. Her tireless efforts finally brought justice to the victims in the famous “Best Bakery Case” despite intimidations and hostile witnesses.

R.B.Sreekumar is a Retired Senior Police Officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS). Sreekumar was the Additional Director General of Police and Chief Intelligence Officer in Gujarat during the brutal state sponsored massacres of Muslims and the rape of Muslim women by Hindu mobs, orchestrated by Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He courageously thwarted attempts by his political bosses in Gujarat to cover-up and subvert justice in the aftermath of Gujarat carnage in 2002. He served the Gujarat State for 35 years in various positions before retiring in 2007 as Additional Director General of Police. He was awarded the Medal for Meritorious Service in 1990 and a Medal for Distinguished Service in 1998 by the Government of India. He was awarded The Gangadharan Memorial Award for Best Police Man, in April 2008, for his “courageous and competent performance of duties” during 2002 Gujarat pogroms.

Indian Muslim Council-USA is the largest advocacy organization of Indian Muslims in the United States with 10 chapters across the nation.

EVENT SCHEDULE:
Sunday, July 6th, 2008 – Philadelphia, PA – 610-453-3751
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 – Amnesty International Office, Washington D.C. – 202-544-0200 ext. 224
Thursday, July 10th, 2008 – Baltimore, MD – 410-903-1157
Friday, July 11th, 2008 – Miami, FL – 954-801-3912
Saturday, July 12th, 2008 – Minneapolis, MN – 952-994-7885
Sunday, July 13th, 2008 – Chicago, IL – 630-248-1678

CONTACT:
Syed Ali Rahman
phone/fax: 1-800-839-7270
email: info@imc-usa.org