'Indian democracy is dishonoured from time to time by brutal massacres of the country’s historically oppressed communities — mostly Dalits and Muslims. But its even greater disgrace is that mass killers who periodically target people only because of their religion or caste are rarely punished. This legal impunity of mass murderers indulging in hate crimes derives from deep institutional prejudice, which scars India’s otherwise independent judicial system.
"The President of India has visited the storied Sreepadmanabha temple and paid obeisance to the presiding deity that the capital city draws its name from. Pranab Mukherjee made the visit yesterday, the second and last day of his tour of the State. He would later observe that it gave him a unique experience and an opportunity to probe his own spirituality in an atmosphere imbued with tradition and culture. Accompanied by Kerala Governor Sheila Dikhit, the President arrived at the temple around 10.30 am on Saturday.
"The newly-appointed chairman of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) Yellapragada Sudershan Rao appears to be a votary of the caste system. In a blog written in 2007, Rao had said that the "positive aspects of Indian culture are so deep that the merits of ancient systems would be rejuvenated." In the blog-article titled, 'Indian Caste System: A Reappraisal', he wrote: "The (caste) system was working well in ancient times and we do not find any complaint from any quarters against it.
Dear friends, Perhaps you are aware that more than on August 25, 2008, a major communal violence on the people of Kandhamal took place as a continuation of communal hatred and violence which well established as an organised scheme. The communal violence spread to different parts of Odisha and outside Odisha. Over 300 churches and worship places which belonged to the Adivasi Christians and Dalit Christians were destroyed, around 6,500 houses were destroyed, several people were killed, raped and educational, social service and health institutions were destroyed and looted.
"Unrest has gripped Dalit villagers surrounding a fast-expanding town off southern Saurashtra coast in Gujarat, not far away from famous Somnath temple. Thousands of villagers, mainy of them Dalit representatives of Saurashtra, gathered outside the district headquarters of the newly-created Gir-Somnath district at Veraval early this week to protest against the state forest department’s move to forcibly occupy hundreds of acres of land being cultivated by Dalits for more than four decades.
"...But contrary to reports, the controversy did not start with the removal of the loudspeaker. Going by what the local SSP Dharmveer, it all originated when the local BJP MP forcibly installed the loudspeaker in the temple which never had a loudspeaker as a permanent feature. “The loudspeaker was never a permanent feature of the temple. The tradition in the village has been that only on two occasions of Mahshivratri, and Janmashtmi, a loudspeaker gets used for bhajan and kirtan. The next morning the devotees themselves used to remove it, Mr. Dharmveer told The Hindu.
"The 16th Lok Sabha elections have culminated in something that anyone who looks closely at the history and functioning of this Brahminical Hindu nation could have easily expected. These elections announced the victory, however incomplete, of the right wing Hindutva party- BJP. The sheer number of seats (282 on its own) and the thumping majority has surely shocked many, including perhaps the BJP. This so-called "clean sweep", however, doesn't represent the real aspirations or choices of the Indian population.
'For years now, Narendra Modi supporters have been telling his critics to just get over Godhra. Yes, it was a tragedy. Yes, he mishandled the riots (but hey, what about Rajiv Gandhi, 1984 etc.). Yes, it is time to move on. How unfair to keep beating him on the head about one event that is now more than 12 years old. It's all going to be A-okay once he is prime minister...
Such words are heart-warming, indeed, except for the riots and the long shadow they cast on the credibility of such lofty declarations of good intent. No, not Gujarat but Muzzafarnagar.
A joint team comprising Association for Democratic Rights (AFDR) from Punjab , People's Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) and Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS) from Delhi visited Bhagana village of Hisar district on May 13, 2014 . The main purpose of this visit was to meet the villagers after the gruesome gang rape incident of the four Dalit girls earlier on March 23 by five men of the Jat community and to understand its links with the ongoing struggle that the Dalit community has been waging since May 2012 for access to common land.
"Suman More, a waste picker from Pune, is one of the thousands of women who have benefitted from the partnership with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Like many in her position, she started rag picking when she was a teenager to help her parents, also rag pickers, who were new migrants to the city. 90% of Pune's waste pickers are women – many of whom are the sole breadwinners – and nearly all are from India's 'untouchable' caste.
