Intelligence officials seek details of Dalit padyatra, as organizers object to being termed "red revolutionaries"

Dalit rally in Botad town

By A Representative
Intelligence officials, attached with the Gujarat government's home department as also the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, have begun a frantic attempt to find out the “antecedents” of those leading the Ahmedabad-Una padyatra (foot march), seeking oath from Dalit community leaders to take a pledge not to ever lift dead cattle, a caste-based occupation.
The protest padyatra is in response to cow vigilantes violently bashing up four Dalit boys on July 11 in Una, a small town in Saurashtra region of Gujarat. The boys were “punished” skinning dead cattle. Begun on August 5, the padyatra will have covered 350 kilometres on reaching Una on August 15.
These officials, it is learned, are seeking find out “sources” of support to the leaders of the padyatra, especially if they are “red revolutionaries”. A few of the officials have frequentes some NGO offices, too, to make queries. Sources say, it is highly unlikely that these inquiries are being made without instructions from the top.
Amidst intelligence queries, one of the top organizers of the padyatra has accused what he terms a “group of keyboard warriors” for running “a campaign against the Una movement” in a desperate attempts to paint it as “one that has been 'corrupted' by the presence of certain people who have been branded as 'red revolutionaries' and the claim is that these 'red revolutionaries' are here to grab credit for the movement.”
Without naming “keyboard warriors”, Pratik Sinha, a young human rights campaigner from Ahmedabad, has said a social media post has said, “This bunch of keyboard warriors specifically have an issue about me clicking pictures”, wondering, why don't they take the next flight, get their camera, and document the struggle instead of “whining away” at the keyboards.
Referring the to the padyatris “2000-3000 strong meeting in Botad”, a town about 150 kilometres from Ahmedabad, Sinha says those who spoke there included a local leader who is part of the Botad Dalit Samaj, but just because references to Mayawati, he “seemed to be associated” her Bahujan Samaj Party.
The second speaker was Martin Macwan, founder of Dalit rights NGO Navsarjan Trust with “a long history as a Dalit leader.”
Then there was Jignesh Mevani, “the face of the movement”, a “young Dalit leader and lawyer, fighting land cases for Dalits”. Sinha adds, “He is the main convener of Una Dalit Atyachar Ladat Samiti. Every single main stream media organization has recognized him as the face and profiled him.”
Others who spoke included Subodh Parmar, co-convener of Una Dalit Atyachar Ladat Samiti; Bhavna Chawda, a women's dalit leader whose influence is from Barwala to Botad region, the area that the padyatris had already traveled; and Manisha Mashaal, women's Dalit leader from Haryana.
Among prominent participants was Rahul Sharma, former IPS officer, “who saved 400 kids in a madrasa in Bhavnagar in 2002 riots, and was the one who collected the phone numbers in a CD, an evidence which was largely responsible for the conviction of Maya Kodnani.”
Also present was Nirjhari Sinha, Pratik Sinha's mother with him. According to Sinha, both are “members of Jan Sangharsh Manch, are accompanying the entire 10 day rally”, adding, “My mother has a lot of organizational experience having been part of various struggles since 1979. She lends her experience to this movement since a lot of the leaders are rather young and are part of such a movement for the first time in their life.”

Comments

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Why experts say replacing MGNREGA could undo two decades of rural empowerment

By A Representative A group of scientists, academics, civil society organisations and field practitioners from India and abroad has issued an open letter urging the Union government to reconsider the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and to withdraw the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The letter, dated December 27, 2025, comes days after the VB–G RAM G Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16 and subsequently approved by both Houses of Parliament, formally replacing the two-decade-old employment guarantee law.

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

Interfaith cooperation in Punjab village as Sikhs and Hindus support mosque construction

By Bharat Dogra A recent heart-warming report on Sikh and Hindu families helping to build a mosque in a village of Punjab deserves wide attention. It is such examples that truly strengthen national unity. There are many instances of mutual respect and cooperation among people of different religions and faiths that need to be better known today.

'Caste oppression ignored': NCERT textbooks reflect ideological bias, says historian

By A Representative The Indian History Forum organized a webinar titled “Rewriting the Past: Distortions and Ideological Interventions in NCERT History Textbooks” on 22 December 2025. The session featured historian Dr Ruchika Sharma, who critically examined recent changes in NCERT history textbooks and their implications for historical understanding and social cohesion among millions of students across the country.

Investment in rule of law a corporate imperative, not charity: Business, civil society leaders

By A Representative In a compelling town hall discussion hosted at L.J School of Law , prominent voices from industry and civil society underscored that corporate investment in strengthening the rule of law is not an act of charity but a critical business strategy for building a safer, stronger, and developed India by 2047. The dialogue, part of the Unmute podcast series, examined the intrinsic link between ethical business conduct , robust legal frameworks, and sustainable national development, against the sobering backdrop of India ranking 79th out of 142 countries on the global Rule of Law Index .

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Search This Blog