Counterview

By Dr. P.K. Gupta*  Traditional medicine is simultaneously a repository of cultural knowledge, a source of accessible care, a commercial industry and, at times, a shelter for untested claims and unqualified practice. Any serious scientific examination must therefore avoid two extremes: the romantic belief that everything inherited from tradition is inherently beneficial, and the dismissive assumption that nothing traditional possesses therapeutic value. Cultural heritage deserves respect. Human illness demands evidence.

By Jyotiradiya Singh*  Every year, the National Crime Records Bureau publishes a report that most people never read. It is called Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India, and buried inside its tables and percentages is one of the clearest pictures we have of what young India is going through right now. The numbers are not abstract. Each one is a person, a family, a room that went quiet. 

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Rahul Gandhi’s recent press conferences have articulated the issue of ‘Vote Chori’ (vote theft) with striking clarity. Unfortunately, most opposition leaders and his colleagues have yet to fully embrace this narrative. They have not been as forthright and courageous as the public demands. The rot is not merely confined to the Election Commission of India (ECI); it has spread to all institutions responsible for upholding the Constitution. The political executive is shielding these compromised bodies, while modern technology is being weaponized to subvert the people's mandate.

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ*  Taking a swipe at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar , Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke invoked the popular meme "It’s done, bro" and hinted at a possible campaign on electoral reforms. Dipke tweeted: "Election Commission thik karo (Fix the Election Commission)! Important PC tomorrow (Thursday) in Delhi. Gyanesh, it’s done bro!" A day earlier, on 23 September, for the first time in many years, we, the people of India, woke up to news that the promise of "achhe din" may actually materialise—and soon: that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

By A Representative  The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has called for the immediate initiation of removal proceedings against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the restoration of all names deleted from electoral rolls during the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR), following an investigation published by The Indian Express on September 23, 2026.

By Vivek Sakpal*  Is India moving towards a system in which elections continue to exist, citizens continue to vote, and institutions continue to carry democratic names, while the substance of political competition, institutional independence and public confidence gradually weakens? It is an uncomfortable question, and perhaps an exaggerated one. But recent developments make it worth asking: could a democracy retain the appearance of electoral legitimacy while steadily losing the conditions that make elections genuinely meaningful?

By A Representative   A fact-finding team comprising an academic, a journalist, a social activist and a human-rights activist has alleged that a 60-year-old man and his three sons were unlawfully detained and pushed back to Bangladesh from Suti in Murshidabad district without any legally sustainable determination of their nationality, and has demanded their safe return along with an independent, time-bound investigation into the actions of the police officials involved.

By A Representative   A prominent human rights organization has filed a formal complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of India and senior police authorities in West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, alleging the arbitrary detention of twenty-three Bengali-speaking migrant workers under immigration laws. The complaint, submitted on September 18, 2026, by Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) and the Programme Against Custodial Torture and Impunity (PACTI), raises serious concerns about the alleged profiling of marginalized Muslim communities and the use of language, poverty, and geographic origin as proxies for determining foreign nationality.

By Rajiv Shah  A few days ago, while visiting a local library in a relatively small town on the eastern coast of the United States, the person who took me there asked if I wished to borrow a book. I looked around. While I couldn't find much that immediately connected with me, one book seemed of particular interest: Black & Buddhist .