'Lingaraj Azad, activist and adviser to Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti, a tribal outfit opposed to mining in Niyamgiri in Odisha was arrested by the police in Kalahandi on Wednesday, March 6. The Hindu reported that Azad’s arrest, who is also the national vice president of the Samajwadi Jan Parishad and national convener of the National Alliance of People’s Movements, was confirmed by Kalahandi Superintendent of Police Battula Gangadhar.
'Six days after two Muslim youths died in police custody allegedly following physical torture, eight policemen accused in this case are still absconding. Police claimed that raids were being conducted to arrest them. What has exposed the non-seriousness of the Bihar police is that no arrest warrant has been issued against the absconding policemen, who were suspended after there was a hue and cry demanding action against them...'
'...Last week, on March 6, 2019, during the hearing of Rafale review petition in the Supreme Court, AG Venugopal made a shocking statement. He claimed that secret documents of Rafale deal were stolen from the Defence Ministry, reason enough for the Supreme Court to not consider them, as it would be a breach of the Official Secrets Act, he asserted. To the utter disbelief of all those present in the court of the Chief Justice, he further declared that the government was contemplating legal action against the newspapers that published these documents...
'Earlier this week, the Narendra Modi government, through attorney general K.K. Venugopal, informed the Supreme Court that a set of documents concerning the controversial Rafale deal were stolen from South Block. The usage and publication of those documents, the attorney general warned, could be punished under the Official Secrets Act. This was a warning to news organisations like The Hindu, which over a series of articles, had done exactly that to shed light on the negotiation and pricing details of the fighter jet deal. In an interview with The Wire’s Arfa Khanum Sherwani, N.
'As the world and India celebrate International Women’s Day, the state of representation of women in the country’s decision-making process continues to be dismal, with only 9% women MLAs and MPs across the country in 2019, according to a report by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch. Not just that, hundreds of men who declared cases of crimes against women against them in their affidavits, were given tickets by key political parties, with BJP giving the highest number of tickets at 54...'
'Thousands of tribals walked down the streets of the capital today, under the banners of Joint Adivasi Youth Forum and Indian Adivasi Forum, demanding that the Supreme Court withdraw the order on the Forest Rights Act that will lead to eviction of 2.26 lakh tribal families from their homes. The order was passed by a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justices Navin Sinha, Arun Mishra, and Indira Banerjee on February 13.
'While crimes against SCs registered an increase of 32 per cent, the crimes against STs increased by 55 per cent in the period between 2013 to 2017... Despite higher number of criminal cases committed against the marginalised sections of the society, the state authorities have failed in bringing the culprits to the book. The data furnished by vigilance and monitoring committee of social justice and empowerment suggest that the state has miserably lagged as far as the conviction rate is concerned. The state registered a 3.78 per cent conviction rate in 2017 and 2018...'
'Aadhaar-based biometric authentication failures continue to deprive the poor ration card holders of their grain entitlements under the public distribution system (PDS). They have to face hassles (often leading to denial of ration) due to the mandatory procedure. Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), every household below the poverty line is entitled to 5 kgs of grain for each member registered on the card every month at nominal prices (35 kgs per household for Antyodaya cardholders). However, ration has not been distributed in some villages for several months.
'Contrary to the claims of highest ever allocation to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the social security scheme that aims to guarantee the right to work is facing severe fund crisis – with state governments left with no funds to pay workers. From October 2018 to February 1, no Fund Transfer Orders (FTOs) were processed due to non-availability of funds for MGNREGA, forcing workers to wait for wages for months, even when the Act promises that wages will be given within 7 to 15 days of work.
'An assistant professor at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar was told to resign from her post after she appeared on an Odia TV channel discussion on the Pulwama attack and said that India should not go to war with Pakistan. Madhumita Ray, who taught in the private university’s School of Rural Management, appeared on a Kanak News discussion last Monday, February 18, along with retired Indian Army Colonel Purna Chandra Patnaik...'
