From mob violence to Manipur: The past decade has weakened the Indian state

NB: A noteworthy observation. A government whose ideological inclination is set like an automaton towards stoking up communal passions; and which uses its institutional power over the justice system for blatant partisan gain, is asking for trouble. Unless wiser counsels prevail, the fate of the North East is a mirror for the future. DS Shoaib… Read More From mob violence to Manipur: The past decade has weakened the Indian state

On the turmoil in Manipur: what we need to know and what we need to do. North East Forum for International Solidarity

At present, there is an unprecedented social conflict raging in Manipur. The violence has affected all communities in the state. Over 100 people have been killed, 50,000 people are currently in more than 300 refugee camps and lacs have been displaced. Religious places, granaries, and homes belonging to the common people, especially those from the minority… Read More On the turmoil in Manipur: what we need to know and what we need to do. North East Forum for International Solidarity

Narendra Modi urged to ‘speak up and take accountability’ for Manipur violence

Party accused of ‘exacerbating’ age-old ethnic tensions between communities for political gain Over 550 citizens’ groups, academics and lawyers on Friday attributed the violence in Manipur to “divisive politics” by the BJP, a party they accused of “exacerbating” age-old ethnic tensions between communities for political gain. The groups and individual signatories issued a joint statement… Read More Narendra Modi urged to ‘speak up and take accountability’ for Manipur violence

Ramachandra Guha’s book wins Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography 2023

Modern-day Brits have honoured historian Ramachandra Guha for a rather unusual book that is mainly about white Brits who were severely punished for going against the British establishment of their day to give their all for Indian independence. On Monday, Guha was in London to collect a £5,000 cheque for winning the highly regarded Elizabeth… Read More Ramachandra Guha’s book wins Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography 2023

Daniel Nemenyi: Submarine state – On secrets and leaks

First posted May 27, 2016 RP 193 (Sept/Oct 2015) / Commentary Schneier, who was privy to Snowden’s troves before publication, lists four modes by which the peoples’ victory was secretly undermined by the NSA and GCHQ. First, their weakening of cryptographic algorithms. Second, their piggybacking of domestic surveillance applications through enforced secret back doors – for example,… Read More Daniel Nemenyi: Submarine state – On secrets and leaks

A Hard Rain Falling: on the death of T. P. Chandrasekharan (EPW, June 2012)

First posted June 27, 2012 A Hard Rain Falling by Dilip Simeon He went to bed, turned on the BBC World News and switched it off again. Half-truths. Quarter-truths. What the world really knows about itself, it doesn’t dare say:  John le Carre, in Our Kind of Traitor A baleful feature of contemporary Indian politics is the subjugation… Read More A Hard Rain Falling: on the death of T. P. Chandrasekharan (EPW, June 2012)

An Open Letter to the world on the Bangladesh crisis of 1971

First posted Tuesday, April 09, 2013 Letter from Members of the CPI (ML) See the facsimile of the original here: http://www.sacw.net/article4164.html Explanatory Note 1./ This is an open letter I wrote in December 1971, as a Naxalite cadre (among many) who experienced the political crisis accompanying the disintegration of Pakistan in 1970-71. It was anonymous, and I was the… Read More An Open Letter to the world on the Bangladesh crisis of 1971

The Violent Urge for Supremacy in the World’s Two Largest Democracies

Priti Gulati and Stan Cox TomDispatch May 23, 2023 Let me offer a small prediction: between this moment when I’m writing the introduction to Priti Gulati and Stan Cox’s new piece and the moment, a few days from now, when it’s actually posted at TomDispatch, the question isn’t whether there will be another mass shooting in… Read More The Violent Urge for Supremacy in the World’s Two Largest Democracies