Remove ban on entering Sachivalaya, activists to Gujarat governor; lodge complaint to NHRC, to agitate on Oct 2

By A Representative
A group of social activists led by Dalit rights leader Kirit Rathod has sought the intervention of Gujarat governor OP Kohli to lift the restrictions imposed on individuals entering Gandhinagar Sachivalaya, the seat of political power in Gujarat.
In a representation to the governor, they have particularly taken strong exception to a black list, claimed to have been prepared by the state government, containing names of individuals who should not be allowed to enter the Sachivalaya.
Insisting that the all those individuals who wish to enter Sachivalaya should be allowed in, the representation says, the black list is "unconstitutional", and the state government has no right to put such a ban. Referring to how he and his colleagues were recently told on the gates of Sachivalaya that they were "blacklisted", Rathod, accompanied by Kantilal Parmar, Subodh Kumud, Chandu Maheria, Romel Sutariya and others, told Kohli that they had not done any unlawful activity, and they believed in non-violent struggle for their rights.
Rathod said, they were barred despite the fact that in a Right to Information (RTI) reply he was told by DySP (Secretariat, Security Branch), Gandhinagar, that no government ban has been imposed on any person to enter Sachivalaya, nor is there any circular or resolution regarding the ban. "So, by whose order and why the entrance into Sachivalaya is not permitted?" he asked.

Rathod alleged, there have been cases when members of Dalit and other marginalized communities are not only not issued pass to enter Sachivalaya, but are taken to the Sector 7 police station, where they are detained. The harassment becomes particularly acute during the visit of a VVIP, he added. "If the ban on entering Sachivalaya is not removed, Rathod said, activists would hold a non-violent agitation on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.

Complaint to NHRC

Meanwhile, Kantilal Parmar, one of the Dalit rights leaders who met the Gujarat governor, has lodged a complaint with National Human Rights Commission chairman HL Dattu against the "discriminatory" attitude of the state government towards them, asking him to intervene in the matter and give necessary directions to the Gujarat government in this regard.

Comments

Whither space for the marginalised in Kerala's privately-driven townships after landslides?

By Ipshita Basu, Sudheesh R.C. In the early hours of July 30 2024, a landslide in the Wayanad district of Kerala state, India, killed 400 people. The Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Vellarimala and Chooralmala villages in the Western Ghats mountain range turned into a dystopian rubble of uprooted trees and debris.

Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar’s views on religion as Tagore’s saw them

By Harasankar Adhikari Religion has become a visible subject in India’s public discourse, particularly where it intersects with political debate. Recent events, including a mass Gita chanting programme in Kolkata and other incidents involving public expressions of faith, have drawn attention to how religion features in everyday life. These developments have raised questions about the relationship between modern technological progress and traditional religious practice.

Election bells ringing in Nepal: Can ousted premier Oli return to power?

By Nava Thakuria* Nepal is preparing for a national election necessitated by the collapse of KP Sharma Oli’s government at the height of a Gen Z rebellion (youth uprising) in September 2025. The polls are scheduled for 5 March. The Himalayan nation last conducted a general election in 2022, with the next polls originally due in 2027. However, following the dissolution of Nepal’s lower house of Parliament last year by President Ram Chandra Poudel, the electoral process began under the patronage of an interim government installed on 12 September under the leadership of retired Supreme Court judge Sushila Karki. The Hindu-majority nation of over 29 million people will witness more than 3,400 electoral candidates, including 390 women, representing 68 political parties as well as independents, vying for 165 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives.

Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

With infant mortality rate of 5, better than US, guarantee to live is 'alive' in Kerala

By Nabil Abdul Majeed, Nitheesh Narayanan In 1945, two years prior to India's independence, the current Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, was born into a working-class family in northern Kerala. He was his mother’s fourteenth child; of the thirteen siblings born before him, only two survived. His mother was an agricultural labourer and his father a toddy tapper. They belonged to a downtrodden caste, deemed untouchable under the Indian caste system.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb: Akbar to Shivaji -- the cross-cultural alliances that built India

By Ram Puniyani What is Indian culture? Is it purely Hindu, or a blend of many influences? Today, Hindu right-wing advocates of Hindutva claim that Indian culture is synonymous with Hindu culture, which supposedly resisted "Muslim invaders" for centuries. This debate resurfaced recently in Kolkata at a seminar titled "The Need to Protect Hinduism from Hindutva."

'Condonation of war crimes against women and children’: IPSN on Trump’s Gaza Board

By A Representative The India-Palestine Solidarity Network (IPSN) has strongly condemned the announcement of a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza and Palestine by former US President Donald J. Trump, calling it an initiative that “condones war crimes against children and women” and “rubs salt in Palestinian wounds.”

Search This Blog