J&K assembly polls, restoration democratic rights sought before block-level elections

By A Representative
A group of political and social activists led by Magsaysay Award winning scholar-activist Sandeep Pandey has passed a resolution demanding immediately restoration all communication channels in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), even as insisting, block-level elections in J&K declared by the Government of India should be preceded by assembly elections or may be held simultaneously with consultation with political parties and people.
"It is not the job of Central government to hold block-level elections. Panchayat and local governance are state subjects and indicators of democratic maturity", said the resolution, which consisted of concern on several national issues, passed following a well-attended seminar in Hyderabad.
The signatories included Justice (retd) Chandra Kumar, President, Telangana Prajala Party; Syed Inamur Rahman of the Society for Promotion of Tolerance; PJ Suri of the Janata Dal (S); Danny, convenor, Muslim Thinkers' Forum; Prof Anwar Khan, All-India Ideal Teachers' Association, and others.
The resolution said, the Centre was holding negotiations with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), agreeing for a framework agreement which calls for 'shared sovereignty' and 'peaceful coexistence between two entities namely Government of India and Nagaland', allowing Nagaland to follow its own Constitution and fly its own flag. It wonders, why this couldn't happen with political parties and people of J&K.

Sandeep Pandey

The seminar decided to begin a post-card campaign asking the Chief Justice of India and the Prime minister to restore democratic rights to the people J&K and list all restrictions. It also appealed to the Supreme Court to hear petitions on J&K on the abrogation of Article 370, removing the special status of J&K on August 5, on an urgent basis.
Also expressing concern over the brutal killing of two innocent children aged 12 and 10, when they were answering their nature calls in Bhavkhedi village in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh, the resolution sought apology to the Valmiki community from the state government, insisting, the government should provide job with residence to the families of the two children, and land to their fathers.
At the same time, the resolution said, the Government of India and the Government of Madhya Pradesh should conduct audit of toilets under Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, whether if toilets have flush/waste handling facility, water facility and pit handling facility. In this case, while one Valmiki family's toilet was "dumped", while another Valmiki family didn't have toilet. It sought immediate arrest of the killers and prompt trial and judgement, even as paying "due compensation" to victims' families.

Comments

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps

By A Representative A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

India’s green energy push faces talent crunch amidst record growth at 16% CAGR

By Jag Jivan* A new study by a top consulting firm has found that India’s cleantech sector is entering a decisive growth phase, with strong policy backing, record capacity additions and surging investor interest, but facing mounting pressure on talent supply and rising compensation costs .

The kitchen as prison: A feminist elegy for domestic slavery

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.

Beyond sattvik: Purity, caste and the politics of the Indian kitchen

By Rajiv Shah A few week ago, I was forwarded an article that appeared in the British weekly The Economist . Titled “Caste and cuisine: From honeycomb curry to blood fry: India’s ‘untouchable’ cooking”, it took me back to what I had blogged about what was called a “ sattvik food festival”, an annual event organised by former Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad professor Anil Gupta.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

By A Representative A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

Search This Blog