Grey silence (2023)

The deference of India’s cricketing gods to authority Mukul Kesavan There have been several public protests in Delhi against the State during Narendra Modi’s prime ministership. The Shaheen Bagh sit-in and the long farmers’ protest are the obvious examples. Compared to these mobilisations, the dharna at Jantar Mantar led by Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Sangeeta Phogat and… Read More Grey silence (2023)

Life and Fiction

Readers who are parents might be forgiven for thinking that Alice Munro who blamed her abused daughter for her husband’s paedophilia was a sociopath whose condition might have a bearing on her books. (Alice Munro claimed her daughter was lying about being abused by stepfather) Mukul Kesavan A year and a half ago, while moving… Read More Life and Fiction

Afghan girls accuse Taliban of sexual assault after arrests for ‘bad hijab’

Reports surface days before UN summit on Afghanistan that will exclude Afghan women and debate on women’s rights Ahmad Ahmadi*, Zahra Nader and Farshid Aram* Teenage girls and young women arrested by the Taliban for wearing “bad hijab” say they have been subjected to sexual violence and assault in detention. In more than one case the arrests… Read More Afghan girls accuse Taliban of sexual assault after arrests for ‘bad hijab’

The Amini effect: The impact of a single life and the importance of accountability

NB: The crimes of the Iranian theocracy prompt the question: what is it in God’s will that calls for such barbarous cruelty and killing of people for leading an ordinary life? Does the tyranny of the Ayatollahs represent God’s will or is it simply the murderous rage of old men and hooligans using any opportunity… Read More The Amini effect: The impact of a single life and the importance of accountability

‘Enough material’: Court charges BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in sexual abuse case

A Delhi court today framed sexual harassment charges against BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a case lodged by women wrestlers, observing there was “sufficient evidence” against him. ********************************** Apoorva Mandhani: Judge Loya’s Confidants Died Mysterious Deaths Constitutional principles go for a toss in the criminal law… Read More ‘Enough material’: Court charges BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in sexual abuse case

Saudi Arabia activist sentenced to 11 years in prison for ‘support’ of women’s rights

NB: The Saudi regime and its brutal leadership believes advocacy for women’s equality to be equivalent to terrorism. The regime is a crucial ally of the USA and UK; and we do not find any instances of attempts at so-called ‘regime change’ being promoted over there by the (ha ha) ‘Free World’. PS – the… Read More Saudi Arabia activist sentenced to 11 years in prison for ‘support’ of women’s rights

Sinhala Buddhist Nationalism & Women In Sri Lanka

Rohini Hensman Introduction Myth and reality are intertwined in accounts of how Buddhism was brought to Sri Lanka. According to the Mahavamsa, a 6th century CE epic, the Buddha himself visited Lanka on three occasions, but this myth has effectively been demolished by scholars[1]. There is more evidence for the story that in the third century BCE, when Ashoka ruled… Read More Sinhala Buddhist Nationalism & Women In Sri Lanka

Femicides: 2000 Turkish women killed by men since Erdogan left Womens Rights Convention

At least 996 women in Turkey have been killed by men since the country’s 2021 withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty aimed at combating domestic violence, while 748 women have died under suspicious circumstances, Turkish Minute reported, citing a report by the We Will Stop Femicide Platform (KCDP). March 20 marks the third… Read More Femicides: 2000 Turkish women killed by men since Erdogan left Womens Rights Convention

Facing history and ourselves

People’s Archive of Rural India Ulopi Biswas was declared a ‘foreigner’ despite the family’s Indian citizenship and her own papers that prove her nationality. She was declared a D-voter, and went through a trial at Bongaigaon Foreign Tribunal in 2017-2022 to prove her citizenship. Kulsum Nissa and Sufia Khatun, who are out on bail from… Read More Facing history and ourselves