Muslim women of India have held hijab 'as part of their identity for centuries'

By Anis Ahmed*
The National Executive Council meeting of Popular Front of India held at Malappuram has, in a resolution, stated that the organization would stand by the struggles of Karnataka Muslim girl students against the Hijab ban in schools and colleges in the state. The Karnataka BJP Government's decision to introduce restrictions exclusively on Muslim religious markers clearly had divisive political motives behind it.
Unfortunately, the High Court failed to see it and took a stand against a practice Muslim women in the country has held as part of their identity for centuries. The order of the court validating the Hijab ban was against the constitutional values and the universal principle of freedom of religion.
The decision of the High Court will further encourage social exclusion and become another pretext for religious persecution. Popular Front stands with the struggles of the students who have decided to question the high court order in the apex court and carry their fight forward till they get justice.
In another resolution, the NEC of Popular Front has demanded an end to the government-sponsored Islamophobia in the name of the movie 'Kashmir Files'. The movie by Vivek Agnihotri that was recommended by the Prime Minister himself and promoted by BJP ruled states with tax exemptions has turned out to be more than just a movie.
The dramatic incidents after the release of the movie indicate that it was part of another organized anti-Muslim propaganda. By distorting facts of the Kashmir issue in favour of the Hindutva narrative, the movie is stoking the flames of hatred against the Muslim community and BJP's political opponents. The country has never seen a government itself going out of its way to promote a movie.

It is government-sponsored Islamophobia in the name of Vivek Agnihotri's movie Kashmir Files

There were several incidents that, having watched the movie, mobs in the theatres abused Muslims and even called for genocide. The BJP is taking refuge in extreme hate propaganda to suppress the key political questions. Popular Front appeals to the judiciary in the country to take cognizance of the situation and to put an end to the government-sponsored hate-mongering against Muslims.
In another resolution, the NEC of Popular Front condemned the lynching incidents in UP. This week alone there were two lynching incidents in Uttar Pradesh, in which one Muslim was killed and two got injured. The anti-Muslim sentiment was wilfully created in the state prior to the election through poisonous campaigns. Now innocents are paying the price for it. It's high time that the people's conscience in the country faced the reality of mob lynching as a social evil and exert pressure for a law to counter it.
In another resolution, the NEC expressed shock over the horrific violence in Birbhum in West Bengal that has already left several people dead. If reports are to be believed, after the first killing took place, police failed to act in time and deter the mob that went on to kill eight innocents including a woman and a child. This is a law and order failure. Popular Front demand an impartial investigation into the incident and bring all the culprits to book.
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*General Secretary, Popular Front of India, New Delhi

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Dalit woman student’s death sparks allegations of institutional neglect in Himachal college

By A Representative A Dalit rights organisation has alleged severe caste- and gender-based institutional violence leading to the death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman student at Government Degree College, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, and has demanded arrests, resignations, and an independent inquiry into the case.

Domestic vote-bank politics 'behind official solidarity' with Bangladeshi Hindus

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From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

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NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

From protest to proof: Why civil society must rethink environmental resistance

By Shankar Sharma* As concerned environmentalists and informed citizens, many of us share deep unease about the way environmental governance in our country is being managed—or mismanaged. Our complaints range across sectors and regions, and most of them are legitimate. Yet a hard question confronts us: are complaints, by themselves, effective? Experience suggests they are not.

2025 was not just a bad year—it was a moral failure, it normalised crisis

By Atanu Roy* The clock has struck midnight. 2025 has passed, and 2026 has arrived. Firecrackers were already bursting in celebration. If this is merely a ritual, like Deepavali, there is little to comment on. Otherwise, I find 2025 to have been a dismal year, weighed down by relentless odds—perhaps the worst year I have personally witnessed.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

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