Counterview

By A Representative   The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought an Action Taken Report (ATR) from the Surat Police Commissioner regarding an incident of alleged police brutality reported in Surat last year. The hearing of the case has been scheduled after four weeks.

By Harsh Thakor*  Ten Maoists, including Manoj alias Modem Balakrishna (photo) , a central committee member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Gariyaband district on September 11, 2025. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Manoj carried a bounty of ₹1 crore.

By Trinadha Rao    The intellectual tradition of socialism, particularly in its Marxist form, has long emphasized the role of economic structures and productive forces in shaping human history. Yet, as critical voices have pointed out, this approach often reduces complex human realities to economic determinism, neglecting the moral, cultural, and psychological dimensions of human existence.

By A Representative   The Bastar Adhikar Mukti Morcha has strongly condemned the Chhattisgarh State Women’s Commission for failing to deliver justice to three tribal women who had approached it after their ordeal in the controversial “Durg Nun case.” On July 25, 2025, Nuns Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis, along with Sukaman Mandavi, were arrested at Durg railway station following a complaint by a Bajrang Dal functionary alleging forced conversions and trafficking. The tribal women from Narayanpur district—Sukhmati Mandavi, Kamleshwari Pradhan and Lalita Usendi—later sought intervention from the Women’s Commission, accusing Bajrang Dal members of harassment.

By Vikas Meshram  The uprising of Nepal’s youth is a serious warning for democracy, unfolding at a time when South Asia is experiencing an unusual wave of turbulence. Three of India’s key neighbors—Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal—have recently slipped into grave crises, each witnessing political instability and widespread anger. Within just a few years, these countries have faced events that have shaken their stability and peace.

By A Representative   The recent extension of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement between Kuki National Organisation and United Peoples Front, both Kuki-Zo organisations, and the Government of India has drawn mixed responses in Manipur. Signed on September 4, 2025, the agreement continues an arrangement first reached in 2008, requiring Kuki militants to remain in designated camps with their arms locked, while receiving government stipends.

By Ram Puniyani   Communal violence has long been a tragic aspect of Indian politics. It forms the foundation of communal politics, whose aim is to divide society along religious lines. The British sowed the seeds of this hatred through their “divide and rule” policy, beginning with presenting history from a communal perspective. The growth of communal politics was encouraged by two parallel yet opposite streams: on one side, the Muslim League, and on the other, the Hindu Mahasabha and the RSS. This laid the foundation for communal violence, which kept intensifying. To deepen hatred toward the other community, distorted history was combined with emotional issues, leading to an escalation of violence that ultimately culminated in Partition.

By Rajkumar Sinha*  Madhya Pradesh has once again made headlines for corruption in the Public Distribution System (PDS). In Jabalpur, government officials and shopkeepers colluded in a ₹25-crore scam, misusing the Food Commissioner’s ID to siphon off rations meant for the poor. In Shivpuri, police seized a truck carrying 412 quintals of PDS rice worth ₹11.2 lakh on its way to Gujarat. These are not isolated incidents but part of a larger pattern of black-marketing.

By Rosamma Thomas*  Andreas Konig only came to live in Delhi in 2024; by 2025, he won the Delhiite Lifestyle Award. This pianist, originally from Germany, has been teaching students at the Delhi Music Society. He has a following on YouTube, and it is clear he is an inspiration to students. Harsh Sharma, one of his students, explains that he was keen to just get his examination over with, and had planned to practice rigorously and take it. Andreas, however, was keener for the young musician to enjoy his music, perform well and take the examination at a more relaxed pace – after all, “getting the exam out of the way” was not really required. And when Harsh Sharma thought about that advice, he felt it made sound sense – and he is now glad that he did not race to just finish his examination.

By A Representative   The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Rajasthan, has strongly condemned the passage of the anti-conversion bill in the State Assembly on September 9, 2025, calling it a draconian law that violates fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution. The rights group said the bill, pushed through without debate as the opposition staged a walkout over the Speaker’s handling of the session, represents a dangerous erosion of democratic norms. The PUCL announced that it would lobby the Governor and, if required, the President to withhold assent to the legislation, as it had successfully done in 2005 and 2008.