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Journalist pens about the lives of political prisoners in India

Journalist pens about the lives of political prisoners in India

Deccan Herald / by Mrityunjay Bose

During the course of extensive research, Kolhatkar spoke to political prisoners and their family members.
Journalist and political analyst Neeta Kolhatkar has written about the life and struggles of the political prisoners in India. The prisoners include Dr Binayak Sen, paediatrician, public health specialist and social activist, and Prof Anand Teltumbde, eminent scholar, Dalit activist and management teacher.
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The Feared
Conversations with Eleven Political Prisoners
simonandschuster.co.in / by Neeta Kolhatkar
During long discussions, sometimes taking place over multiple meetings, Kolhatkar unearths personal anecdotes from the time her interviewees were incarcerated, bringing into focus the human face of prison inmates, while also detailing the wretched conditions relating to space, hygiene, medical attention, and food that they experienced. Apart from being an urgent call to action for prison reforms, The Feared is thus also an account of hope and strength, narrating unique stories of survival and solidarity, and the unexpected bonds and relationships formed in prison.
Author: Neeta Kolhatkar
Publisher: S&S India (December 20, 2024)
Length: 272 pages
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Also read:
▪ THE BK-16 PRISON DIARIES SERIES (THE POLIS PROJECT / 2024)
▪ Process as Punishment – Recent books that bear witness to the BK-16’s incarceration (The Caravan / Jul 2024)
▪ From Phansi Yard: My Year with the Women of Yerawada (Juggernaut │ Sudha Bharadwaj │ Oct 2023)

The steady immiseration of labour

The steady immiseration of labour

Frontline / by Sudha Bharadwaj

By the end of the 1990s, both capital and a willing state had eviscerated the labour movement. The death blow will be dealt in the 2020s.
The 1990s marked a watershed in the attitude of the Indian state towards labour, with the ushering in of “liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation” (LPG) policies.
The early years of the LPG era saw sensational murders of trade unionists. The theatre activist Safdar Hashmi and members of his troupe, Jan Natya Manch, were brutally attacked with iron rods by the henchmen of a Congress corporator as they performed a street play that campaigned for minimum wages in Jhandapur village in Sahibabad Industrial Area on January 1, 1989.
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Also watch/read:
▪ Video: Human Rights Day Special: Sudha Bharadwaj on activism, human rights in India (Dec 2024): Watch video Part 1 / Watch video Part 2
▪ How 5 Reliance Workers Fighting For A Better Deal Found Themselves In Jail On Terrorism Charges (Article 14 / July 2021)
▪ Bail After 3 Years for the Incarcerated Mumbai Electric Employees Union Workers (groundxero, June 2021)

For my birthday, you are organising in my name, INVITE as Chief Guest…!

For my birthday, you are organising in my name, INVITE as Chief Guest…!


▪ Politics Of Hate

Countercurrents.org / by Cedric Prakash

Dear Leaders of the Christian Community in India,
Greetings of peace, love, joy and hope- to each one of you, as you prepare to celebrate my birth once again!
I have just come across an invitation, that some of you are planning to celebrate my birthday on 23 December 2024, in Delhi. A great idea indeed – congrats!! My birth as the Saviour of the world must be celebrated!
…
For my birthday, you are organising in my name, INVITE as Chief Guest…the Human Rights Defender/ s. Umar Khalid, Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira and others. 
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Also read:
▪ Activists Criticise Modi’s Presence in Christmas Programmes Amidst Rising Persecution of Christians (The Wire / Dec 2024)
▪ Christian persecution on the rise in India: report (UCA News / Dec 2024)
▪ India Country Update (UNITED STATES COMMISSION on INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM / Oct 2024)
▪ Indian court again refuses to hear Stan Swamy case (UCA News / Sep 2024)

Is Devendra Fadnavis planning another crackdown like Bhima-Koregaon?

Is Devendra Fadnavis planning another crackdown like Bhima-Koregaon?

Drawing by Arun Fereirra

Is Devendra Fadnavis planning another crackdown like Bhima-Koregaon?

21/12/2024

National Herald / by AJ Prabal

Why would the Maharashtra chief minister require a new law to deal with alleged ‘urban Naxals’?
One of the first acts of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has been to introduce a special legislation to deal with ‘urban Naxals’ in the state.
… Recalling the Bhima-Koregaon case lodged in 2018 when Fadnavis was once again chief minister, Yadav suspected that Maharashtra Police could be planning a similar crackdown on political rivals and activists.
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Fadnavis won’t be called for deposing before Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry

19/12/2024

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

Prakash Ambedkar had submitted a letter in June 2023 to the commission demanding deposition of Fadnavis, Mallick and Suvez Haque, the then superintendent of police, Pune Rural, as witness in connection with the ongoing inquiry into the Koregaon Bhima violence.
The Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry, which is probing into the causes of violence reported in Koregaon Bhima area in Pune district on January 1, 2018, has decided not to call Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for deposing as a witness.
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Also read:
▪ Maharashtra re-introduces Bill to curb ‘urban Naxals’ (Rediff.com / Dec 2024)
▪ A New Bill Shows Maharashtra Wants to Become a Police State Before Combatting Left-Wing Extremism (The Wire / Jul 2024)
▪ Maharashtra: Activists, Lawyers Added to ‘Union War Book’, Listed as ‘Enemies of the State’ (The Wire / Jul 2021)
▪ Transfer of Bhima-Koregaon case to NIA appropriate: Devendra Fadnavis (Deccan Herald / Jan 2020)

US Court Finds Israel’s NSO Group, Which Sells Pegasus Spyware, Liable for WhatsApp Attacks

US Court Finds Israel’s NSO Group, Which Sells Pegasus Spyware, Liable for WhatsApp Attacks

Illustration credits: The Wire

US Court Finds NSO Liable For Hacking Of WhatsApp Using Pegasus Malware

21/12/2024

Live Law / by Gursimran Kaur Bakshi

In a summary judgment, Judge Phyllis Hamilton of the US District Court in Oakland, Northern District of California has found Israeli-mercenary’s surveillance firm NSO Group Technologies (also known as Q Cyber Technologies) liable for the hacking of Meta’s Whatsapp through its state-of-the-art military-grade malware Pegasus.
… Journalists, human rights activists, Dalit rights and anti-caste activists accused in the infamous Bhima-Koregaon Elgar Parishad under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, of 1967 were said to be the primary targets of the spyware.
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Poster by #bakeryprasad

US court finds Pegasus spyware maker liable for unauthorised surveillance of 1,400 WhatsApp users

21/12/2024

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

The NSO Group violated federal legislation against unauthorised access to computers, networks and other digital information, said the court.
A district court in the United States on Friday held Israeli cyber intelligence company NSO Group liable for unauthorised surveillance of 1,400 users of the messaging application WhatsApp using its spyware Pegasus in 2019, reported Reuters.
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US Court Finds Israel’s NSO Group, Which Sells Pegasus Spyware, Liable for WhatsApp Attacks

21/12/2024

The Wire / by The Wire Staff

The judge noted that the NSO Group repeatedly failed to produce “relevant discovery and failed to obey court orders regarding such discovery.”
New Delhi: A US district court has found Israel’s NSO Group – which sells the Pegasus spyware – liable in a 2019 lawsuit brought by the messaging app WhatsApp, citing breaches in 1,400 devices.
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Pegasus: 300 of 1,400 users from India, why ruling may re-open tapping debate

22/12/2024

The Indian Express / by Soumyarendra Barik

The decision came in a case filed by Meta-owned WhatsApp against the NSO Group, with the judge in the case, Phyllis Hamilton, holding that the Israeli spyware maker was liable for targeting the devices of 1,400 WhatsApp users
For the first time, a court in the US has held Israel’s NSO Group liable for its intrusive spyware Pegasus, which could set up a measure of accountability for the company that it has, for long, allegedly downplayed.
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Also read:
▪ India: Damning new forensic investigation reveals repeated use of Pegasus spyware to target high-profile journalists (Amnesty.org / Dec 2023)
▪ Police Linked to Hacking Campaign to Frame Indian Activists (Wired.com / June 2022)
▪ Leaked Data Shows Surveillance Net in Elgar Parishad Case May Have Crossed a Line (The Wire / July 2021)

Supreme Court adjourns bail plea of Surendra Gadling in 2016 Surjagarh mine arson case

Supreme Court adjourns bail plea of Surendra Gadling in 2016 Surjagarh mine arson case

Deccan Herald / by pti

A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Aravind Kumar deferred the matter after the counsel appearing for Gadling sought time to go through the reply filed by Maharashtra in the matter.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned till the second week of January the bail plea of advocate Surendra Gadling in connection with the 2016 Surjagarh iron ore mine arson case.
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Also read:
▪ SC gives Maha govt two weeks time to respond to lawyer Surendra Gadling’s bail plea (Daijiworld / Dec 2024)
▪ Judicial Deliberations: Surendra Gadling’s Awaited Bail in Surjagarh Arson Case (Devdisourse / Nov 2024)
▪ How Long Is Too Long for an Undertrial Prisoner To Be Detained? (The Wire | by Hany Babu & Surendra Gadling | Oct 2024)
▪ Gadchiroli arson case: Supreme Court issues notice in bail plea of Surendra Gadling (The Leaflet / Oct 2023)
▪ Surendra Gadling’s Computer Was Attacked, Incriminating Documents Planted: Arsenal Consulting (The Wire / July 2021)
▪ Now Gadchiroli Police takes custody of Surendra Gadling, P Varavara Rao, prompting senior lawyers to say this is ‘ever-greening of charges’ (The Leaflet / Jan 2019)

Rona Wilson’s bail plea to attend kin’s wedding rejected

Rona Wilson’s bail plea to attend kin’s wedding rejected

Elgar accused’s bail plea to attend kin’s wedding rejected

17/12/2024

Times of India / by Rebecca Samervel

A special NIA court had rejected the interim bail plea of activist and Elgar Parishad accused Rona Wilson, who sought his temporary release next month to attend the wedding of his cousin’s daughter. Observing that the relationship between him and the to-be bride is quite distant, the judge said, “His attendance at the marriage is not at all necessary. Application… hereby stands rejected.”
The order was pronounced on Friday but its detailed copy was made available on Tuesday. Wilson is among the eight accused still in custody in the case.
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NIA court refuses bail to activist Rona Wilson

18/12/2024

Hindustan Times / by Revu Suresh

A special NIA court last week rejected the temporary bail plea filed by activist Rona Wilson, who is lodged at the Taloja central jail in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case. Wilson had sought interim bail to attend the wedding ceremony of his niece, from January 6 to January 20, 2025. However, special judge Chakor S Baviskar rejected the plea on December 13, observing that Wilson’s attendance was not at all necessary as the relation was quite distant.
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Also Read:
▪ Meet 10 ‘political prisoners’ of the Narendra Modi regime in jail without trial (Telegraph / Jul 2024)
▪ Bombay HC rejects default bail of five accused in Bhima Koregaon case (Scroll.in / Jul 2024)
▪ Incriminating evidence planted in computers: The Trojan solved the Bhima Koregaon case! (Anchored Narratives / Jan 2023)
▪ Cyber Attackers Who Targeted Rona Wilson Could Have Been Engaged by Same Entity: Report (The Wire / Feb 2022)

Solidarity: Himanshu Kumar’s cycle march and advocacy against opression

Solidarity: Himanshu Kumar’s cycle march and advocacy against opression

Pic credit: The Polis Project

The Polis Project / by Prashant Rahi

… On November 22 this year, the deportee from the Maoist heartland, Himanshu Kumar, now 60, completed a nearly 2,000-kilometre cycle march through western India…
The destination for the cycle march was a choice that emerged from a strong conviction. One of Kumar’s intentions was to prick the nation’s conscience over the languishing predicament, since early 2018, of “the 16 best minds of the country.” Of them, seven men and one woman still remain behind bars – the former in Taloja Central Jail and the latter in Byculla Women’s Jail.
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Video: Himanshu Kumar’s cycle march and advocacy against opression


hindi (english subtitles) | 40:06 | 2024
In this interview, senior reporter Prashant Rahi talks to Himanshu about his cycle march and history and future plans of advocacy against oppression.
Watch video

Also read:
▪ THE BK-16 PRISON DIARIES SERIES (THE POLIS PROJECT / JUNE 2024)

NIA Court Grants Interim Bail To Sagar Gorkhe For LLB Exams, Allows Mahesh Raut For Entrance Test

NIA Court Grants Interim Bail To Sagar Gorkhe For LLB Exams, Allows Mahesh Raut For Entrance Test

NIA Court Grants Interim Bail To Sagar Gorkhe For LLB Exams, Allows Mahesh Raut For Entrance Test

13/12/2024

Free Press Journal / by Charul Shah Joshi

The special NIA court on Friday granted interim bail to Sagar Gorkhe, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case, allowing him to appear for the first semester examination of LLB degree. He has been given relief from December 14 to January 4, during which the exams have been scheduled. Meanwhile, the court has also granted permission to another accused, Mahesh Raut, to appear for the viva voice for LLB entrance test.
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Interim Bail for Elgar Parishad Accused: Sagar Gorkhe Allowed to Sit Law Exam

13/12/2024

Devdiscourse / by Devdisourse News Desk

Sagar Gorkhe, accused in the Elgar Parishad case, has been granted interim bail by a Mumbai court to appear for his law degree exam. Arrested in September 2020 for alleged Maoist links, Gorkhe is currently in Taloja Jail. Bail includes conditions like an active phone connection.
agar Gorkhe, a key accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case, has been granted interim bail by a special NIA court to sit for his law degree exam.
The court’s decision came more than four years after Gorkhe’s arrest in September 2020.
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Also read:
▪ Maharashtra: Raising the bar from behind bars (Midday.com / May 2024)

Koregaon Bhima battle anniversary planning: HC allows Maharashtra govt to enter ‘Jay Stambh’ plot

Koregaon Bhima battle anniversary planning: HC allows Maharashtra govt to enter ‘Jay Stambh’ plot

Booklet: Salaakhon Mein Qaid Avaazein

Koregaon Bhima battle anniversary planning: HC allows Maharashtra govt to enter ‘Jay Stambh’ plot

14/12/2024

Deccan Chronicle / by pti

The Bombay High Court has permitted the Maharashtra government to enter the ‘Jay Stambh’ land in Pune for a fortnight to make arrangements for the January 1, 2025 programme marking the 207th anniversary of the historic Koregaon Bhima battle. The land, situated at Perne village in Pune, is embroiled in an ownership dispute and a court order has directed for the status quo to be maintained.
Pursuant to this, the state government each year has to seek permission from the court.
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Massive Turnout Expected for Bhima Koregaon Ceremony at Perne Phata on January 1, 2025

14/12/2024

The Free Press Journal / by FPJ Web Desk

In preparation for the Vijaystambh Ansamhura ceremony at Perne Phata on January 1, 2025, District Collector Dr. Suhas Diwase has directed relevant departments to plan thoroughly and provide necessary facilities for the expected influx of followers.
This year, a massive turnout is expected, with political parties and activists fueling the attendance ahead of the upcoming elections.
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Why Maharashtra govt needs court nod to enter ‘Jaystambh’ land for Koregaon Bhima battle anniversary preparations

13/12/2024

The Indian Express / by Chandan Haygunde

The Bombay HC has allowed the Maharashtra government to enter the Jaystambh land from Dec 22, 2024 to Jan 5, 2025 to make arrangements for the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima.
The Bombay High Court has permitted the Maharashtra government to enter the “disputed land” around the Jaystambh located at Perne village in Pune to make arrangements for the January 1 programme marking the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima.
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Also read:
▪ Book Excerpt | How Bhima Koregaon Became a Trope for Dalit Pride and Assertion (The Wire / June 2024)
▪ One year of Bhima-Koregaon case: Part I | History of a 200-year-old battle and why it still matters (The Leaflet / Jan 2019)
▪ Let’s Remember the Lesson of Bhima Koregaon: Down with the New Peshwai (Sanhati │ by Sudhir Dhawale │ March 2018)
▪ The Myth of Bhima Koregaon Reinforces the Identities It Seeks to Transcend (The Wire | Anand Teltumbde | Jan 2018)
▪ Why peoples’ coalitions are uniting against Hindutva — the ‘new Peshwai’ (Dailyo.in │ by Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves │ Jan 2018)