Times of India blogs / by Amulya Gopalakrishnan
A year after the 9/11 attacks, American writer and editor Michael Kinsley made an honest admission. He had stopped himself from writing or publishing some things, regardless of their merit, he said. Ordinary scepticism, any opinion slightly out-of-step, had been silenced in the “patriotic gush and mush” of the times.
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Feminism In India / by Namrata Mishra
On the night of 6th August, while updating myself with what’s happening around in the country, debates around the passing of the contentious UAPA Bill seemed to be ubiquitous. As soon as I read the word UAPA, comes to my mind the arrest of five human rights activists: Arun Ferreira, Gautam Navlakha, Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj and Varun Gonsalves, who were arrested last year under this Act without any stark evidence by the police who could not explain the reason for arresting these activists. These human rights defenders were termed as “maoists” and “deshdrohis (anti-national)” by the BJP government.
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Groundxero.in / by P. Varalakshmi
The dictum of ‘natural justice’ that not a single innocent should be punished – is vanishing into thin air in gathering gales of fascism. Professor GN Saibaba is fighting death languishing in a dark and dingy cell, unable to procure legitimate medical requirements. Thousands of Adivasis are rotting behind the high walls of prison. While those actually involved in bomb explosions, murders and genocides, are coming out from within prison walls to be honoured with felicitations. Some are being given chance to be Parliamentarians too. Is India’s political power dictating what and how justice should be? Asks P. Varalakshmi.
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The Leaflet / by A J Philip
It is easy for the police to conclude that if I have read dozens of detective novels, which are mostly about murders, I have a murderous inclination. The truth is that I can’t even slaughter a chicken, though I may relish it when it is roasted and served on the table.
Dear Justice Sarang Kotwal,
First of all, I owe an apology to you. I was misled by a news-report that you questioned why Vernon Gonsalves, an academic accused of being an urban Naxal, kept the voluminous Russian Classic, Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”, in his personal collection of books.
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By Campaign Against Repression on People’s Movements
The Quint / by The Quint
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday, 28 August asked Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case accused Vernon Gonsalves to explain why he kept “objectionable material” like a copy of Leo Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ and some CDs at his home, PTI reported.
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By Campaign Against Repression on People’s Movements
By Campaign Against State Repression on Peoples´ Movements
Freedom from Fear & Falsehoods
Freedom from Loot & Plunder
Freedom from War & Violence
Fight Fascism, Defend Democracy!
28th of August 2019: 12 Noon to 5pm
Gass Memorial Centre, Raipur (Chhattisgarh)
Join us to mark one year of the illegal and unconstitutional arrest of Sudha Bharadwaj and other Human Rights Defenders und false and fabricated charges in the Bhima Koregaon case. [read programme report]
The Print / by Shashi Tharoor
Human rights defenders keep the flame of our Constitution alive. Right now, it is flickering, writes Shashi Tharoor.
The Lok Sabha has debated and passed the Protection of Human Rights Amendment Bill 2019 last week, which the Narendra Modi government claims will strengthen the human rights in our country. Sadly, as I pointed out in the Lok Sabha, it falls considerably short of this objective – and this may be by design.
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Sabrang / by Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha
Representatives of several people’s organisations from across Jharkhand gathered today at Raj Bhawan to protest against the severe violations of Constitutional rights of Adivasis of Khunti district and the use of the sedition law as an instrument of repression. The dharna was organised by Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha, a network of activists and people’s organisations.
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