Tag: communalism

‘We are all human beings first’: Jews and Muslims embrace at vigils for those killed in Bondi beach terror attack

NB: The idea of collective guilt or collective punishment is sheer poison. Everyone, especially the ruling establishments of various countries I need not name, should be aware of the inhumanity of this idea. You cannot defeat darkness with more darkness; violence with more violwence. For all its technological progress, global society seems not to have… Read More ‘We are all human beings first’: Jews and Muslims embrace at vigils for those killed in Bondi beach terror attack

Dilip

Justice still eludes 1984 victims, only 39 convictions in 650 cases / Forty-one years on: 13 murder convictions, 253 acquittals

NB: In the period October 31 till November 2, 1984, mass violence in Delhi following the assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi resulted in the deaths of thousands of Sikhs resident of Delhi. The official figures were just under 3000; but many believe this to be an understatement. In the links beneath this article, there is… Read More Justice still eludes 1984 victims, only 39 convictions in 650 cases / Forty-one years on: 13 murder convictions, 253 acquittals

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How far would I have gone to get away? Mukul Kesavan remembers the 1984 violence against Sikhs

The faintest of all human passions is the love of truth: A. E. Housman (1859-1936) Protestors in Amritsar with photographs of relatives who were killed in the 1984 riots. | Narinder Nanu/AFP NB: Today is the forty-first anniversary of the assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi and the beginning of the massacre of innocent Sikh residents of… Read More How far would I have gone to get away? Mukul Kesavan remembers the 1984 violence against Sikhs

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India Under Modi: Shrinking Democracy, Growing Inequalities

Narendra Modi’s decade in power has seen an erosion of democracy alongside soaring inequality. While religious nationalism diverts public attention, the super-rich add to their wealth. Economic performance remains lacklustre, welfare spending stagnant, and authoritarian tactics silence dissent. Atul Kohli; Kanta Murali —Growing economic inequalities under Congress governments after 1991 fractured the party’s voter base,… Read More India Under Modi: Shrinking Democracy, Growing Inequalities

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RSS’ success also has seeds of destruction

The RSS’ intellectual stagnation and myth-based narratives risk alienating it from India’s knowledge-driven society Bharat Bhushan One hundred years ago, on Vijayadashami Day, September 27, 1925, the men who gathered at the residence of Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in Nagpur could have hardly imagined how powerful the organisation they were founding would become. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a… Read More RSS’ success also has seeds of destruction

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What History Really Tells Us About Hindu-Muslim Relations

Supposedly irrefutable evidence of division is said to lie in the Muslims over the last 1,000 years having victimised the Hindus, treating them as enslaved. Romila Thapar explains why historians question this theory The following is the text of the C.D. Deshmukh Lecture delivered by Romila Thapar on January 14, 2023, at the India International… Read More What History Really Tells Us About Hindu-Muslim Relations

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‘Unforgivable Institutional Amnesia’: Retired HC Judge Slams Judiciary’s Handling of Communal Disputes

Senior advocate and retired Delhi High Court judge S. Muralidhar said that the courts have failed to uphold constitutional values in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition. Senior advocate and retired Delhi high court judge S. Muralidhar has delivered a sharp indictment of the judiciary’s handling of communal disputes, warning that the courts have… Read More ‘Unforgivable Institutional Amnesia’: Retired HC Judge Slams Judiciary’s Handling of Communal Disputes

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The Caravan archive: Malegaon Acquittals, NIA’s Decline, and Sangh Parivar Terror Links

Welcome to The Backdrop, a selection of fine narrative journalism from The Caravan to put the news in context. The Independence Day Sale is now live. Last week, a special National Investigation Agency court in Mumbai acquitted Pragya Singh Thakur, a former member of parliament from the Bhartiya Janata Party, and six others in the… Read More The Caravan archive: Malegaon Acquittals, NIA’s Decline, and Sangh Parivar Terror Links

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