Police version of my Maoist "links" a mix of baseless fabrications, publicly available facts: Bharadwaj

By A Representative
In a statement, human rights defender, trade union activist and lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj, denying Pune Police's letter issued to the media alleging her links with Maoists, has said that it is a "mixture of innocuous and publicly available facts and baseless fabrication". In a point-by-point rebuttal, she says, the police has sought to "delegitimise" Indian Association of People's Lawyers, "whose president is Retd. J. Hosbet Suresh and which has been active in speaking up against attacks of lawyers."
"Categorically" stating that she has "never given Rs. 50,000 to hold any programme in Moga, Bharadwaj adds, "Nor do I know any 'Ankit from Maharashtra' or 'Com Ankit who is in touch with Kashmiri separatists'." The statement, issued through prominent Supreme Court advocate Vrinda Grover, she asserts, "I know Gautam Nadvlakha, a senior and respected human rights activist whose name has been mentioned in a manner to criminalize and incite hatred against him."

Also pointing out that she knows "the Jagdalpur Legal Aid Group well", but has "never solicited any fund for them, least of all from any banned organization.", Bharadwaj underlines, "I categorically state that their work has been absolutely legitimate and legal." Also, she says, "I know Advocate Degree Prasad Chouhan, a dalit human right activist who is active in People's Union for Civil Liberties and works with the Human Rights Law Network", adding, "Totally baseless allegation has been made against him."

Tribal rights under siege: Roundtable Seeks strong legal defence of land, jobs and PESA

By A Representative Tribal rights activists, legal experts, tribal leaders, former officials and civil society representatives from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have called for urgent action on tribal land rights, employment and PESA safeguards. They were participating in roundtable on Constitutional Safeguards for Scheduled Tribes in the Telugu States at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad. Former Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao chaired the deliberations.

Kamal Mitra Chenoy, scholar and student activist who never stopped being both

By Harsh Thakor* Professor Kamal Mitra Chenoy, who taught comparative politics and the Indian Constitution at the School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, died on October 11. He was 75. A political scientist and public intellectual, he was known for his work on international relations, peace and conflict resolution, human rights and democratic values, and for his solidarity with students.

The indirect toll: How US debt and dollar dominance shape Bangladesh's economy

By Md. Abu Saim* The United States' federal debt has crossed $40 trillion. The number is almost impossible to comprehend. To put it in perspective, it equates to roughly $117,000 per American—and it would take nearly 110,000 years to repay at $1 million per day.

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