Kejriwal told: Increase death compensation to Rs 25 lakh, rehabilitate internally displaced

By A Representative
Several concerned citizens have urged Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to urgently amend the compensation package announced for the riot victims, regretting that compensation amount of Rs'10 lakh announced by the Delhi government for the next of kin of those who died in the violence is grossly insufficient.
In a letter to Kejriwal, senior activists and academics Farah Naqvi, Anjali Bhardwaj, Annie Raja, Harsh Mander, Apoorvanand, Anirban Bhattacharya, and Amrita Johri have said, "Seven years ago after the Muzaffarnagar violence of 2013, Rs 13 lakhs compensation for death was given by the Uttar Pradesh government for survivors in a rural economy."
Considering the "adjustment for inflation between 2013 and 2020, and costs of living in a metropolis like Delhi", the letter states, "The compensation must be increased to Rs 25 lakh."
Insisting that "all loss of life is terrible, and must always be compensated for uniformly", the letter urges the Delhi government to remove the difference in compensation for death of a minor and major."

Asking for sexual violence to be included in the categories for compensation, the -- claimed to be based on ground assessment, also urges the Delhi government to respond to real needs of survivors, including workers rendered jobless, tenants evicted overnight, those whose insurance policies did not cover cars, bikes, and other goods destroyed by the 'riot'."
Seeking "market value-based compensation of animals and other means of livelihood that were burnt or looted", the letter says, there is a need for the Delhi Government "to recognize, through a fresh order, the right to full rehabilitation in new locations, of internally displaced persons (IDPs), who may never be able to return home."
Appreciating the government order on compensation, the letter says, "recognizing floor-wise units for compensation of destroyed residential property is a welcome step towards developing compensation norms", though adding, the order must "specify the floor area for which these rates have been determined, and allow for flexibility and additional compensation, as warranted, based on actual assessment of destroyed properties.”
---
Click here for the letter

Comments

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.

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.

UAPA action against Telangana activist: Criminalising legitimate democratic activity?

By A Representative The National Investigation Agency's Hyderabad branch has issued notices to more than ten individuals in Telangana in connection with FIR No. RC-04/2025. Those served include activists, former student leaders, civil rights advocates, poets, writers, retired schoolteachers, and local leaders associated with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Indian National Congress.

The ultimate all-time ODI XI: A personal selection of icons across eras

By Harsh Thakor* This is my all-time best XI chosen for ODI (One Day International) cricket: 1. Adam Gilchrist (W) – The absolute master blaster who could create the impact of exploding gunpowder with his electrifying strokeplay. No batsman was more intimidating in his era. Often his knocks decided the fate of games as though the result were premeditated. He escalated batting strike rates to surreal realms.

Aligning too closely with U.S., allies, India’s silence on IRIS Dena raises troubling questions

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The reported sinking of the Iranian ship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka raises troubling questions about international norms and the credibility of the so-called rule-based order. If indeed the vessel was attacked by the American Navy while returning from a joint exercise in Visakhapatnam, it would represent a serious breach of trust and a violation of the principles that govern such cooperative engagements. Warships participating in these exercises are generally not armed for combat; they are meant to symbolize solidarity and friendship. The incident, therefore, is not only shocking but also deeply ironic.

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.

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.

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...

India’s foreign policy at crossroads: Cost of silence in the face of aggression

By Venkatesh Narayanan, Sandeep Pandey The widely anticipated yet unprovoked attack on Iran on March 1 by the United States and Israel has drawn sharp criticism from several quarters around the world. Reports indicate that the strikes have resulted in significant civilian casualties, including 165 elementary school girls, 20 female volleyball players, and many other civilians.

Search This Blog