On the afternoon of February 25, outside the Allahabad district court, a mob of more than 200 people including men wearing black robes of the lawyer’s uniform attacked a peaceful dharna by the leftist organisations to demand the release of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar. They had rods in their hands and were shouting slogans such as “Vande Mataram”, “Go back to Pakistan&
On March 2, the Delhi high court granted bail to Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a sedition case registered against him in connection with a function organised to protest against the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Though Kanhaiya is free now, his personal liberty and freedom of thought may be hostage to the vague conditions for bai
I assume that you already have an Aadhaar number. After all, 98 crore Indians have it. Why won’t you? And if you haven’t, it is time. The Aadhaar bill cleared by parliament on March 16 provides for any agency, government or private, to use Aadhaar as proof of identity. Don’t be surprised tomorrow if you book a flight, railway or bus ticket, or buy a SIM card or apply for marri
Jean Dreze is equally concerned with theory of development economics as with its practice. A visiting professor at the department of economics in Ranchi University, he has extensively worked on issues related to hunger, famine, gender inequality, child health and education. He has also been at the forefront of several social movements, including the right-to-information and right-to-food ca
The recent spate of violence in Haryana was terrifying. The uncontainable rage led to a virtual collapse of law and order in vast swaths of the state. Large-scale violence was witnessed including loss of human lives and that of public and private property. The sudden spread of mob violence marked by loot and arson recalled the memory of what had happened in Delhi in 1984 and in Ahmedabad in 200
Anup Chetia, one of the founders and the general secretary of the banned United Liberation Front of Assam, is back in India and engaged in peace talks with the government. Also known as Golap Baruah and Bhaijan, he was extradited from Bangladesh in November, and was later released from Guwahati jail on bail. Chetia had been arrested in Dhaka in December 1997 for illegally entering Banglades
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has always been a bastion of the left. Decades ago, people in power saw to it that JNU moved on the left beat. Recently, JNU students (and possibly some unidentified outsiders) chanted few slogans in favor of Afzal Guru who was hanged by the state. A furor ensued. Police arrested Kanhaiya Kumar, head of JNU students’ union and slapped sedition case agains
The recent statement from the liquor baron Vijay Mallya indicating he may not return to India at all has another bad news for banks which are putting efforts to
Veteran actor, writer and filmmaker, Padma Shri Nana Patekar is known for leading a simple life. In September 2015, along with noted Marathi actor, Makarand Anaspure, he started Naam Foundation to aid families of farmers affected by drought in Maharashtra. Talking to Geetanjali Mi
For over two and half years now, I have tried very hard to convince the Indian government to do something about the widespread prevalence of substandard drugs in the country. A recent report puts the number of substandard drugs as 1 in 7; an audit of the Armed Forces Medical Stores Depot by the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) shows that 1 in 4 locally procured drugs are substandard. Thi
We live in an ultraconnected world today, where a multitude of media – including the internet – and a host of channels crisscross, complement and supplement each other. If one of the streams is cut, the flow of communication seeps through parallel channels and reaches the audience it is intended for. Nevertheless, governments seem to think otherwise. As we have
Here is an anecdote of 2007 vintage. A well researched book on the history of Gujarat’s maritime trade with central Asia was being released. The small audience in the hall was largely made up of academics and some business leaders behind the trust that funded the research. Thus, the chief guest could put pressures of politics aside and speak from heart. “We, BJP and Congress, will k
Dear daughter, You asked me about the JNU episode the other day. For a nine-year-old, you seem quite concerned about the controversy, probably because it involves my alma mater. I thought it would be best to respond in a letter, which you can also read later when it wi
Students, faculty and staff drawn from all classes, castes, regions and religions make JNU a microcosm of the country. The institution reflects a rich diversity of cultures, languages and lifestyles prevailing in the country. JNU is a great leveller: Differences never translate into hierarchies. Students from Africa, Palestine, Middle East and other parts of the world add to the multicult
The arrest of JNU students under section 124A of the Indian penal code (IPC) for protesting against the execution of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru has kicked off a debate over the relevance of the colonial provision in a democracy. While it would not be tough to justify the arrests given the broad ambit of the law introduced by the British to deal with freedom fighters, it may not be eas
Is the freedom of expression being systematically suppressed in recent years? I do believe that there is a constant effort to do that, which is depressing. A free-thinking society signals growth, equality and development. But the changing scenario certainly puts a question mark on these. Is political intervention a reason for this shift?
National Trust is part of the department of empowerment of persons with disabilities under the ministry of social justice and empowerment. It works in particular for the welfare of people with four intellectual disabilities. Purnima Sharma spoke to its joint secretary and CEO CK Khaitan on how it is trying to bring change in the lives of persons with disabilities, or PwDs.
Ten years ago, Laxmi was only 15 when a self-styled lover had thrown acid on her face to avenge her for ignoring his romantic overtures. The acid had left Laxmi’s face scarred and also inflicted deeper psychological wounds. However, soon Laxmi met many other women with si
Why do you say that the Badals have used power to consolidate their personal businesses? What would you do about it if you come to power? In Punjab, it is public knowledge that the Badals have looted and robbed the state. They have completely monopolised the busin
Dr Najma Akbarali Heptulla, a former long-serving deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha, heads the minority affairs ministry. She is one of the only two Muslim faces in the Modi government, but she denies feeling alienated in the BJP, which seems to have a pro-majority image. In conversation with Sweta Ranjan, Dr Heptulla states that the image of her party is absolutely clean and it is determin
