Counterview

By Prof Sudhanshu Tripathi*  What next or who next? The ongoing narrative in popular media over the slain Atiq Ahmed began with CM Yogi’s oft-cited speech in the state assembly that “iss mafia ko mitti mein mila denge.” And consequent encounters of four shooters by the UP police involved in the cold blooded murder of Umesh Pal -- the only witness alive in Raju Pal’s broad daylight murder by Atiq and his henchmen -- in February 2023. Further, few more encounters by the UP police since then have boldly underlined the oft-cited zero-tolerance policy of the Yogi government. For many political leaders in opposition, it meant that the CM hatched a conspiracy to execute the murder of Atiq and his accomplices in police custody exactly in the same way Atiq conspired to kill the police-protected Umesh Pal brutally in broad daylight. To many it is a long drawn conclusion and reflects their political vendetta against the BJP led government in UP. It is argued that, had it really been so, the t...

Counterview Desk  Advocacy group Financial Accountability Network, in note on a public hearing on "forced evictions", organised by Concerned Citizens, has termed the recent demolitions and displacement of poor around G20 events "cruel and brutal." It quoted the jury members* as stating that "G20 became an extra constitutional event, not abiding the rule of law."

By Venkatesh Nayak*  According to recent media reports , prison authorities in Pakistan released and sent back 198 jailed fishermen who are Indian nationals as a “goodwill gesture” earlier this month. While their families might be celebrating the reunion with their loved ones, the families of another 454 fishermen who are also Indian nationals and languishing in Pakistan’s jails will have to wait much longer. 

Reporters’ Collective’s 3-part Investigative Exposé highlights with additional evidence the red flags that ASHA and RTFC have raised on large scale ironfortified rice distribution in India’s public food schemes, say civil society platforms *** The Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA ) and the Right to Food Campaign (RTFC ) who have been actively raising concerns on the many red flags related to large scale iron-fortified-rice distribution in India, stand vindicated with additional evidence emerging from Reporters’ Collective’s investigative stories - that too from official confidential and documents - More detailed information has now emerged on state-led cover ups, internal red flags from different government agencies, and corporate profit-government nexus behind the rice fortification program via an exposé by the Reporters Collective in a 3 part series . Government of India, in a unilateral decision on a matter which Constitutionally is vested with state gove...

By Harsh Thakor  On 14th May we commemorated the birth centenary of film maker Mrinal Sen. Mrinal Sen was the last surviving member of the famed trio of Bengali directors, Ray-Sen-Ghatak (Ritwik Ghatak), seen as the founders of India’s ‘New Wave Cinema’. Sen, like Ghatak, may not have achieved the level of fame Ray did, but his work was equally admired the world over. Together they enriched the international reputation for the country which no other filmmakers had been able to. Mrinal Sen was neither versatile like Satyajit Ray nor were his films painted with the pathos of our partition like the cinema of Ritwik Ghatak. Yet the maestro had his own benchmarks in comparison to his illustrious competitors. He devised a style of film making never seen before, making path breaking experiments. A socialist by ideology, Mrinal Sen tapped into Bengal’s political psyche and created celluloid images of a reality in realms many would not dare to project. The manner he dissected scenes, inte...

By Harasankar Adhikari  Local self-government decentralises democratic power at the grass roots through the enactment of the Panchayat Raj institution in India. It is the most important and glorious step of Indian democracy. The purpose is undoubtedly unique, and it has immense importance to strengthen people's participation in the government as their own. But multi-party politics shapes it differently for political purposes. It has become a platform for rampant corruption in almost every sphere of governance. It also teaches grass-roots people how to be corrupted and how to deprive innocent people. The government of India takes initiatives to implement all developmental programmes at the grass-roots level through the involvement of the Panchayat Raj Institution. It is an advantage to the leaders of political parties in the rule to loot public money for development. At present, the state of West Bengal is at the top of the list for corruption at different levels. Besides, recruit...

By Shamsul Islam*   Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate  new complex of Indian Parliament on May 28, 2023 which is also the 140th birth anniversary of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who is described as ‘great son of India’ and ‘Veer’ [gallant/fearless] by the RSS-BJP. Thus the new Parliament built under the direct supervision of PM Modi and his chosen few will be dedicated to Savarkar.