Communalism Watch

Dalits In Hindurashtra: Time for another sadbhavna fast Modiji !

2012-05-24T22:27:00.003+02:00

by Subhash Gatade ...27 of the 30 complaints that were addressed to the commission spoke of indifference of police officials towards dalits.These issues were raised immediately after NHRC chairman KG Balakrishnan praised status of scheduled castes (SC) in Gujarat. He said the state's schemes for development of the marginalised are working well and penetration of education among scheduled caste

Business and Politics of Blind Faith

2012-05-23T16:20:00.002+02:00

by Ram Puniyani Sanal Edamaruku, a rationalist is facing the legal trap for abusing others’ faith. (April 2012) At the same time in another event, Nirmal Baba, who is supposed to be having divine powers and who has been flashing his paid programs in over 40 TV channels, advising people on solving their problems with various’ divine’ solutions, is facing case of fraud. Recently a local court

Pakistan Supreme Court all set to reward Lal Masjid fanatics

2012-05-21T14:40:00.001+02:00

The honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan says he is losing patience with the Capital Development Authority (CDA). In a court-initiated (suo motu) action, he wants a quick rebuilding of the Jamia Hafsa madrassa, flattened by bulldozers in 2007, after it became the centre of an insurgency. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the CJ, is now dragging procrastinators over the coals by

Mecca Masjid blast accused in Nepal?

2012-05-18T18:21:00.000+02:00

(Times of India, May 12, 2012) Mecca Masjid blast accused in Nepal? Two key conspirators of the Mecca Masjid bomb blast of 2007 who have remained untraced so far have reportedly fled the country and gone underground in Nepal. Efforts by sleuths of the National Investigation Agency to nab the two - Sandeep Dange alias Paramnand and Ramchandra Kalsangra alias Ramji - have met with failure. "One

Karnataka: Bajrang Dal activists storm cinema in Udupi and stop film screening

2012-05-18T15:56:00.001+02:00

From: The Hindu Udupi, May 13, 2012 Screening of film stopped Staff Correspondent About 60 activists belonging to the Bajrang Dal stormed the Gitanjali cinema and stopped the screening of the Kannada film Katariveera Surasundarangi here on Saturday. They were joined by Sri Lakshmivara Tirtha Swamiji of Shiroor Math. The activists and the swamiji opposed what they termed to

Egypt: Comedy king convicted of "insulting Islam"

2012-05-18T15:34:00.000+02:00

The Egyptian comic convicted of "insulting Islam" Ursula Lindsey May 5, 2012 Many in Egypt were shocked when last month a court convicted Adel Imam, the country's ageing, rubber-faced comedy king, to a three-month jail sentence for "insulting Islam", marking the latest twist in a continuing drama. Censorship through legal

Karachi billboard advertisements featuring bare-shouldered women have been covered

2012-05-18T15:22:00.000+02:00

Pakistan billboard ads featuring bare-shouldered women covered up Dozens of billboard advertisements featuring bare-shouldered women have been covered over in the dead of night in the Pakistani city of Karachi with black posters and the slogan: "Sell clothes, not your honour". The advert featuring

UK: No to a law against hurt feelings

2012-05-18T15:03:00.001+02:00

Peter Tatchell's right, we don't need a law against hurt feelings Offensive comments are the price we pay for free speech so Tatchell is right to back campaign to reform Public Order Act Peter Tatchell is backing a campaign to amend the Public Order Act to stop it being abused for the purposes of frivolous prosecution. Photograph: Linda Nylind for the

An Open Letter To SIT Chief Shri R.K.Raghavan

2012-05-18T00:31:00.001+02:00

(Secular Perspective May 16-31, 2012) Dear Shri R.K. Raghavan, We have been reading these days every day about your 'clean chit' to Shri Narendra Modi, the Gujarat Chief Minister about his responsibility about the Gujarat riots of 2002 in general and about the Ahsan Jafri brutal murder in Gulbarg Society, in particular. The Supreme Court had appointed you as chief of Special Investigation

Understanding Cartoon liberalism?

2012-05-16T02:28:00.000+02:00

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat A Cartoon made by legendary cartoonist Shankar Pillai in the 1940s and reproduced by the NCERT school books for the secondary classes about six years ago has become so popular that he were alive today, he would have been thrashed by the war mongering ‘followers’. NCERT’s current curriculum is a great contribution of former Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh’

Coalition Against Genocide condemns SIT's shoddy report on Gujarat violence

2012-05-12T18:13:00.000+02:00

May 11, 2012 Coalition Against Genocide (CAG - http://coalitionagainstgenocide.org/), a broad coalition of over 40 organizations dedicated to the cause of justice and accountability, condemns the report filed by the Special Investigations Team (SIT) as shoddy investigation and a deliberate distortion of evidence. The Supreme Court appointed SIT's closure report, on the complaint brought

Politics through Food Habits

2012-05-12T16:52:00.002+02:00

Politics through Food Habits Ram Puniyani In the middle of April 2012 Osmania University (OU) witnessed an unusual violence on the issue of eating beef. A section of dalit students’ were demanding that University Hostels should have beef on the menu. They also organized a beef festival in which a large number of students ate beef biryani. The festivity was not to last long as the ABVP,

Manoj Mitta on SIT’s desperation to give a clean chit to Modi

2012-05-10T10:24:00.000+02:00

Legal Airs / The Times of India 10 May 2012 The recently disclosed Special Investigation Team’s closure report in Zakia Jafri’s complaint has made a malicious imputation against me for the interaction I have had with IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt. Relying on emails hacked by the Gujarat government from Bhatt’s Gmail account, the SIT said on page 425 of its 541-page report that on April 13, 2011 he

Karnataka: Member of Hindutva outfit arrested with explosives and detonators

2012-05-10T08:58:00.000+02:00

http://www.coastaldigest.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39773:terror-plot-foiled-explosives-seized-from-car-in-brahmavar&catid=57:news-stories&Itemid=68 Terror plot foiled, explosives seized from car in Brahmavar by CD Network Thursday, 10 May 2012 10:16 explosiveUdupi, May 10: A possible terror attack was foiled on Wednesday with the recovery of huge quantity of explosives

Pilgrims’ progress - Indian Express, Editorial on court ruling against Haj Subsidy

2012-05-09T22:39:00.000+02:00

The Indian Express, Editorial Pilgrims’ progress May 10 2012 The Supreme Court is right to ask for an end to the Haj subsidy, unloved by all The Haj is both a pilgrimage and an annual congress of Islam. Rooted in scripture, its rituals have been enacted for 14 centuries, as believers assemble in a specified place in a specified season. And yet, this journey, meant to forge the faithful

Hindutva's 'Ram dhun' campaign to sabotage Muslim realty deals in Gujarat

2012-05-09T22:34:00.002+02:00

Source: The Times of India BJP joins VHP to stop Muslim realty deals Vijaysinh Parmar, TNN | May 9, 2012, 06.24AM IST BHAVNAGAR:The rift between chief minister Narendra Modi and VHP leader Pravin Togadia may have left the party-sangh ties soured. But, when it comes to ousting Muslims from Hindu-dominated areas, BJP has supported VHP, notwithstanding Modi's new-found Sadbhavana towards Muslims.

VHP, Bajrang Dal men purify Osmania University campus

2012-05-09T22:29:00.001+02:00

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/vhp-bajrang-dal-men-purify-ou-campus/252496-62-131.html IBN Hyderabad | Updated Apr 29, 2012 at 08:50am IST Hyderabad: VHP, Bajrang Dal men purify Osmania University campus Express News Service HYDERABAD: Just when the dust seemed to have settled at the Osmania University following the controversial beef festival, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal

on Hindutva, development and the rise of subnationalism in India

2012-05-09T11:59:00.000+02:00

Third World Quarterly Volume 33, Issue 4, 2012 Special Issue: Governing Difference: Inequality, Inequity and Identity in India and China Making Gujarat Vibrant: Hindutva, development and the rise of subnationalism in India Tommaso Bobbio* pages 657-672 Available online: 30 Apr 2012 Abstract A significant aspect of India's postcolonial history has been the rise of subnationalism—popularly

Tripti Lahiri on India's Battle Over Beef

2012-05-08T20:13:00.000+02:00

Wall Street Journal, 2 May 2012 In recent years, political pundits have been saying that voters are tiring of religious partisanship. Issues like the Babri Masjid verdict, in which both Hindu and Muslim groups laid religious claim to a particular spot, no longer appear to have the political weight they used to, judging by the muted reaction to the court decision to split the disputed land. But

Uttarakhand BJP MLA booked for inciting communal violence

2012-05-08T20:06:00.000+02:00

Times of India, May 1, 2012 BJP MLA booked for inciting communal violence The Uttarakhand police on Monday booked BJP MLA Rajkumar Thukral for fanning communal violence in Udham Singh Nagar on October 2 last year, in which four people were killed and 35 others, including 12 policemen, wounded. In the riots that followed, several shops were set ablaze and curfew was imposed for more than a week.

The dreadful afternoon of March 1, 2002

2012-05-08T19:59:00.000+02:00

Indian Express Express news service Posted online: Sat May 05 2012, 09:17 hrs Ode(Anand) : Three persons of a Muslim (Vohra) family - Ayesha (42), Noori (60) and Kadar (36) — were burnt alive by a mob in the Malav Bhagol locality of Ode town in the afternoon of March 1, 2002. The incident had happened around 1 pm when a mob, which had started to gather since morning, attacked the house of

Full Text of Amicus Curiae Raju Ramachandran's report on the 2002 Gujarat riots

2012-05-07T12:19:00.003+02:00

From: IBNLive.com New Delhi: Amicus Curiae Raju Ramachandran's report on the 2002 Gujarat riots found that the role Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi needs to be investigated. Read the full text of the final report: SUBMITTED BY: Full text: Amicus curiae's report on Gujarat riots RAJU RAMACHANDRAN, SENIOR ADVOCATE (AMICUS CURIAE) I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND: 1. This Hon'ble Court

MP: Christian Names Deleted From The Voter List *Blessed Bovines & Twisted Priorities

2012-05-06T11:06:00.000+02:00

From: http://www.konkanuae.com/home/news.asp?id=9328 Madhya Pradesh, May 05, 2012: Madhya Pradesh has again come into controversy with alleged deletion of Christians from the voter list. Isai Mahasangh, an ecumenical forum has constituted a three member committee to probe into the alleged deletion of names of Christians from the voters’ list. The Christians view it as a case of clear case of

CBI to move SC against BJP top 10 leaders

2012-05-06T07:39:00.000+02:00

Deccan Chronicle, May 6, 2012 By Pramod Kumar DC New Delhi CBI is planning to approach Supreme Court (SC) for clearance to add names of 10 top BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders in the Babri Masjid demolition case under trial before a special court in Lucknow. Sources said currently L.K. Advani, M.M. Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar and others were facing trial for lesser charges in a special court

The World Before Her: A documentary by Nisha Pahuja

2012-05-05T23:13:00.000+02:00