Human rights violations: Jharkhand election official refuses to meet civil society delegation

By A Representative
A delegation of Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha, along with representatives of the Adivasi Adhikar Manch and Khunti villages, which went to meet the Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to discuss the severe repression and widespread violations of human rights by local administration and security forces in villages of Khunti that saw Pathalgadi in the last few years, was allegedly refused appointment as the election official.
A civil'society communique said, the CEO's office had given the delegation an appointment for 3 pm but the CEO made the team wait for almost 3 hours. He was not in office for a long time and when he did come back, he made people wait for more time. He saw the delegation waiting outside. And finally the delegation submitted the memorandum in his office and left without meeting him.
The delegation consisted of Bharat Bhushan Choudhary, Stan Swamy, Ashok Verma, Kalyan Nag, among others.
The delegation said in the memorandum that attempts were being made by the local administration and police, across the state, to dissuade people to discuss their issues under the pretext of Model Code of Conduct. The growing practice of routinely applying section 144 as soon as Model Code of Conduct comes into force and using to stop non-political discussions on people’s issues is worrying, it added.
The delegation demanded deployment of special independent observers for monitoring elections in the Khunti Lok Sabha constituency to ensure free and fair voting; sought assurance that no further arrests be made on the frivolous FIRs filed in Khunti during the elections.
It asked an end to repression by the security forces and administration to ensure that villagers who have been terrorised away from their homes are able to come back to freely exercise their franchise in the forthcoming election; and wanted removal of police camps from schools to allay fear amongst people and making the atmosphere conducive to a fair election.
It also that the district administration should be instructed not to misinform people regarding Model Code of Conduct and not to use section 144 at all. Districts and blocks that have applied section 144 as a continuum of the Model Code of Conduct should be instructed to withdraw it immediately, it added.

The “Dr” debate masks a larger crisis in allied-health education

By Dr P K Gupta* India’s allied-health professions have long operated in a fragmented landscape of universities, hospitals, State authorities and private institutions, each with its own nomenclature, curriculum and standards. The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021 was meant to correct this by creating a unified national framework for education, professional regulation and institutional recognition. Few dispute the need for such oversight. The real question is whether standardisation is quietly becoming synonymous with longer courses, additional internships and new professional titles—changes that risk masking deeper gaps in clinical training, institutional capacity and affordability.

Pilgrimage or pollution? The waste crisis of Indian faith

By Raj Kumar Sinha* In today's times, there are certain issues that are constantly talked about and discussed, yet no visible impact seems to be made. Beyond water, soil, and pollution, one crisis that continues to be overlooked is waste. Like other life-threatening problems, waste too is gradually moving toward burying and obliterating us. After the Kanwar Yatra in Haridwar, approximately 8,000 tonnes of waste were left behind on the riverbanks, including bottles filled with urine.

Can cow dung become a source of income? Durga Maida shows the path to self‑reliance

By Vikas Meshram* In the Sailana block of Ratlam district lies the small village of Govardhanpura. This is where Durga Maida lives with her husband and four daughters. Their livelihood depended on just one bigha of land—far too little to feed a family of six. Growing enough grain for the year was impossible, and even meeting daily expenses was a constant struggle. Alongside farming, Durga kept livestock and took up wage labour whenever she could. Hard work was never lacking, but income always was. Month after month, the accounts failed to balance, forcing her to borrow. Looking back, Durga says those days felt heavy and hopeless; farming offered no promise, and there was no sign of change. Her story mirrored the reality of almost every small farmer in the area.

Counterview

Search This Blog