Golden age of Guptas? Hindutva ‘plan’ to impose ancient Brahminism on vast majority

August 22, 2019

Extreme violence has a way of preventing us from seeing the interests it serves’. — Naomi Klein in ‘The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism’

Many analysts have presented critique of the abrogation of Article 370 and its impact on the political and social conditions but not much has been expressed about the causes of such hasty policy decisions. While the ‘ timing’ has been somewhat unexpected, there were many indicators that led to such a move. Hence, the decision is not very much surprising.

Hindutva organizations have been very critical of special status for Kashmir almost from the time of Independence. The political party representing these groups has openly expressed its intentions by incorporating the removal of special status in the manifesto.

From 2014, after assuming power, leaders have, at various forums, expressed the agenda quite openly. Now, with a brute majority, the implementation has become easy without hindrances.

In the earlier situations when the party came to power, it did not have requisite conditions to take this step. Under Atal Behari Vajpayee, BJP could not muster strength because of its partners who had some influence on the coalition.

Again, after gaining power, though it had simple majority, BJP still had some hurdles that prevented it from taking this crucial step. Now, various factors presented opportunity and made abrogation possible in such a short span of time.

One of the most important factors is rising unemployment which has been highest since four and a half decades. Intellectuals as well as common people started discussing reason for such a grim situation and pointing out lapses in government policies. To divert the attention, Kashmir issue might have been thought of as a potential ‘weapon’.

Economic slowdown and its ‘worrisome’ impact on the nation has been articulated by many economists including Raghuram Rajan and prominent industrialists. One of the worst-hit automobile sector caused many ordinary workers loose jobs creating crises in their lives. To divert dissenting voices, Kashmir might have been used as a ploy.

Also, some leaders belonging to ruling party have been involved in cases relating to rape and abuse of women, lynching, supporting acts of caste and religious bigotry openly and many of them have been left scot-free attracting widespread criticism. To counter this uncomfortable situation, such drastic acts might have been felt necessary.

When UPA II was riddled with corruption, the elections presented an opportunity for change. BJP and its allies used the conditions skillfully. People had no viable alternative but to vote for a change. The Left had no foresight of the events that would lead to consolidate power by the Right.

Fragmented opposition gave a golden opportunity which they grabbed with both hands. After coming to power, they started to ‘saffronise’ all the major institutions. BJP-RSS supporters and Hindutva admirers were given top positions in many crucial institutions.

They began to bring media and other forms of social forms of communications under their control so as to gain huge advantage in the next elections. The 2019 elections were crucial for their aim of implementing their goals and succeeded in their plans.

Now that the BJP can dictate terms on its own, it has every opportunity to impose all or , atleast most, of its agenda.

When UPA II was riddled with corruption, the elections presented an opportunity for change. BJP and its allies used the conditions skillfully

It can get the numbers easily and if required, it can divide opposition by any means including threats to level charges of corruption, violation of rules relating to foreign exchange, etc.

Many of the opposition too have cases on them and to escape harassment constantly, they may toe the line of ruling party. Parliament session just concluded reflects how crucial bills have been passed without discussion in a hurry.

To ‘cover up’ issues like poverty, unemployment, health care, etc one way is to foment communal trouble and perpetrate violence so that discussion is diverted. Another way is to apply ‘ shock doctrine’ and create chaos. Kashmir is one such tool to prevent people from questioning policies.

For the next few years , issues like relating to construction of Ram Temple, debate on the continuance of reservations, in addition to already present cow protection, beef ban, etc. may prop up regularly and take centre-stage relegating issues of livelihood to the margin and completely shutting out peoples’ minds from issues connected to their daily lives till the rightist Hindutva forces gain complete control of political power to impose ancient Brahminism on vast majority. This would be a preparatory ground for next elections (if and when they are held).

Therefore, more violence, unexpected and surprising decisions and more draconian laws along with strict surveillance may be a common feature in the coming days or years giving ‘ shock’ to the people.

In these dark times, committed activists and social workers should explain layman about present situation and counter fake news with effective convincing arguments. Left, which spearheaded many struggles, should come out forcibly and vociferously raise the voices against laws that infringe constitution and fundamental rights of citizens.

(The ‘golden’ age of Guptas might have arrived…)
–—
*The writer from anywhere and everywhere, is interested in human rights issues

Courtesy: Counter View

Why New Bill Meant To Benefit Transgender People Is Termed Regressive

August 22, 2019

Mumbai: On August 5, 2019, when the lower house of parliament abrogated Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional provision, it also passed–with almost no debate–the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019.

The bill, as passed–after some revisions since it was first placed before parliament in 2016–is meant to prohibit discrimination and make transgender life more secure, but transgender representatives and activists call it “regressive”. They have termed the day it was approved by the Lok Sabha as “Gender Justice Murder Day”.

“The transgender bill is regressive and half-hearted,” Harish Iyer, gender-rights activist, told IndiaSpend.

Here are activists’ main contentions:

Instead of the freedom to determine their sexuality, India’s transgender people must now submit to a certification process involving a government official and doctor.
If transgender people are sexually attacked, their attackers face a maximum jail term of two years–against a minimum of seven years for women who are attacked.
If young trans persons want to leave home because of pressure to conform to the sex they were born with, they can no longer join the trans community. They must go instead to a court, which will send them to a “rehabilitation centre”.

A trans person may require a certificate of identity to access a variety of social-welfare programmes that exist or might be offered, including those relating to food, healthcare, educational opportunities, insurance.

The 17th Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, whose monsoon session ended on August 6, 2019, passed a record 35 bills, working 281 hours over 37 days. On average, a bill was passed every eight hours, but none was referred to a committee, with critics saying many approved bills had infirmities and required further debate. This story is the first in a series that will examine some of the most significant of these 35 bills.

The religious foundation for transgender rights

The Hindu concept of ‘ardhanarishwara’–an androgynous deity that comprises the merged forms of Shiva the destroyer and his female consort–forms the religious foundation for the acceptance of transgender people in India. But this pious underpinning of the lives of transgenders has subsumed their demands to be regarded as full citizens of a modern democracy, transgender representatives allege.

“When we appeared before a parliamentary committee, the level of ignorance was too much,” Grace Banu, a transgender-rights activist from Chennai, told IndiaSpend.

“One asked me if I had a penis,” said Banu, who was born male but now identifies and dresses as a woman. “As for the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] MPs [members of parliament], they only kept talking about us as ardhanarishwara.”

The first bill on transgender rights introduced by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Tiruchi Siva in the Rajya Sabha in 2014, was “an ideal bill” in conformity with the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) judgement of the Supreme Court that year, said Ashok Row Kavi, founder and chairperson, Humsafar Trust, an advocacy. The bill was a private member’s bill, accepted and passed in the upper house in April 2015.

When the transgender bill was next introduced by the government in the Lok Sabha on August 2, 2016, as the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, it was opposed on many counts, including the proposal for “screening committees” to decide who was a transgender and who was not, and the criminalisation of begging, a mainstay for a majority of transgender Indians.

“To the credit of the government, they took a lot of our inputs and redefined the initial draft of the bill which was extremely regressive,” Iyer said. “Earlier they defined trans people as ‘not wholly male nor wholly female’. Now they removed that and inserted the right definition of transgender.”
Although the screening committee has been removed, trans persons still need a certificate from a government doctor and the district magistrate.

“The pivotal point is you have to go to a committee or a doctor to get registered as a trans person,” said Iyer. “A trans person could be put through so many hardships, the kind of questions that would be asked–related to genital organs–which would not be asked of you and me.”
The bill must be cleared by the Rajya Sabha, parliament’s upper house, and the president of India, to become law.

Transgender representatives said they proposed about 100 amendments, but the bill that was first passed on December 17, 2018, had 27 amendments. It lapsed with the dissolution of the house before general elections in 2019. Those 27 amendments stayed in the latest version, which transgender organisations say annuls the progress enshrined in a five-year-old Supreme Court order.

The landmark Supreme Court judgement

The Supreme Court in 2014 recognised transgender persons as a ‘third gender’, affirming their fundamental rights under the Constitution.
The judgment in a case between the government of India and the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA)–known popularly as the NALSA case–gave transgender people the right to “self-identification” as male, female or third-gender and granted reservations in educational institutions as well as public employment.

The new transgender bill prohibits discrimination by “denial” of “services”, such as education, employment and healthcare, but omits mention of affirmative action in jobs.

The bill defines a transgender as “a person whose gender does not match with the gender assigned to that person at birth and includes trans-man or trans-woman (whether or not such person has undergone Sex Reassignment Surgery or hormone therapy or laser therapy or such other therapy), person with intersex variations, genderqueer and person having such socio-cultural identities as kinner, hijra, aravani and jogta [terms used in Indian languages for transgender people]”.

The marginalised status of transgender people was recognised by Justice K S Radhakrishnan, who said in the NALSA case: “Our society often ridicules and abuses the transgender community and in public places like railway stations, bus stands, schools, workplaces, malls, theatres, hospitals, they are sidelined and treated as untouchables, forgetting the fact that the moral failure lies in the society’s unwillingness to contain or embrace different gender identities and expressions, a mindset which we have to change.”

Recognition rescinded

The 2019 bill mentions self-identification by transgender people, as made possible by the NALSA judgement, but a district magistrate and a government doctor must determine if they medically qualify.

For a community that is discriminated against, these can be insurmountable hurdles, transgender representatives say.

“There is something wrong with the whole systemic approach towards the transgender community, which this bill is supposed to correct,” Kavi said. “The whole process needs to be drawn into the public health and the beneficiary system, which is missing.”

The first and second drafts were “totally regressive,” Kavi said. “It is not a perfect bill and needs far too many amendments and modifications,” he said.

The identification process

The bill says transgender persons must file an “application for certificate of identity” with the district magistrate (DM), who will then issue a “certificate of indentity.”

This certificate “shall confer rights and be a proof of recognition” of a transgender person’s “identity”.

After the certificate is issued, “if a transgender undergoes surgery to change (the) gender either as a male or female,” that person will have to make an application to the district magistrate for a “revised certificate”, the bill states.

The DM will, on the basis of “the application along with the certificate issued by the medical superintendent or chief medical officer, and on being satisfied with the correctness of such certificate, issue a certificate indicating (the) change in gender,” according to the bill.

“So the screening committee still exists but [the new bill] does not mention the word,” said Banu, the transgender representative.

Another lacuna is the “total absence and invisibilisation of trans men” [female to male transgender]”, said Kavi. “All the problems dealt with are those involving [those who go from] male to female.”

Trans men are born as women who want to become men, and sex-reassignment surgery is more difficult, said Kavi. It requires removal of the breast, Adam’s apple and a series of other operations. “But there is no mention at all about the facilities or help they should get,” he said.

Reservations and children

The new bill does not, according to activists, go into issues of livelihood, beginning from school.

While the new bill requires the government to “formulate welfare schemes and programmes to support livelihood” including “vocational training and self-employment” for transgenders, it ignores a key demand–public-sector job reservations, such as those for differently-abled people.

“The Supreme Court judgement said trans people are considered socially and economically backward,” said Banu. “In India, trans people are considered OBC [other backward castes], and, especially in Tamil Nadu, the MBC [most backward class] category. I am a Dalit, an Adivasi, a Muslim trans, how do I accept this OBC or MBC category reservation? It’s complete injustice.”

The issues with the bill begin from its failure to recognise the early stage of transgender life.

“The bullying of transgender or LGBT students in school is an issue which the govt is not addressing,” said Kavi. Bullying of trans persons, he said, is a systemic social problem in India, especially among children. Trans children are “significant in number though they are a minority”, and many are in school and not itinerant, as policymakers mistakenly think, he said.

Another contentious issue is the departure of transgender people from families that do not accept their non-binary or fluid sexuality.

“No child shall be separated from parents or immediate family on the ground of being a transgender, except on an order of a competent court,” says the bill. “If any parent or family member is “unable to take care of a transgender, the competent court shall by an order direct such person to be placed in rehabilitation centre.”

This also means that young people would no longer be able to decide if they want to join the trans community; a court would decide if they have to go back to their families or a rehabilitation centre. “In India, a lot of trans people have committed suicide, most are within 25 years of age,” said Banu.

The trans bill has also been criticised for a lack of attention to discrimination. Iyer cited the example of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, 2012, which, for instance, explains how a police station should welcome children. “This bill lacks all of that, it does not show any plan of action and is half-hearted,” said Iyer.

(Mallapur is a senior analyst with IndiaSpend.)

Courtesy: India Spend

Doctors Turn Home into Hospital as Restrictions Continue in Kashmir

August 22, 2019

Due to the severe restrictions in the valley, many patients and doctors aren’t able to reach the clinics and hospitals. As a result, several doctors have started attending to the patients at their home

Even though restrictions imposed in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 have been relaxed, the streets of continue to be occupied by the government forces who have established barricades and checkpoints after every 300 to 500 metres. These checkpoints are not only affecting normal people but are pushing patients to the wall.

Being confined to their homes for the past 14 days in the valley, many patients and doctors aren’t able to reach the clinics and hospitals. As a result, several doctors have started attending to the patients at their home.

One such case is of Dr Sajad (name changed). He is the only doctor within a radius 4 kms, and has been receiving patients at his home. Initially, the flow of patients was low, but as the news has spread, people have been turning up in large numbers.

Sajad believes that people should not be restricted from reaching the hospitals in case of a medical emergency. Right now, because of the curfew, people have no means of reaching the hospitals even in case of an emergency.

On the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha on August 12, which most people of Kashmir celebrated under an extreme lockdown, Dr. Sajad received many cases of food poisoning at his home. There were many whose condition were so bad that he had to install a drip and have them stay at his own home to monitor them.

“I came across many people who didn’t have money, so I decided to do their treatment without any charges. They are my own people. I have kept the doors open for the people so that they know that they can knock at my door in the middle of the night,” he said.

The day when people across the world were celebrating Eid, Sajad received a few pellet victims, some of them had pellets in their eyelids and on their back, fired at by the government forces. “There were kids as young as 9 years old. I tried my best to help them out. I would treat that sort of emergency,” Sajad said.

Most pellet victims who receive minor injuries try to avoid going to the hospital and instead get them treated or removed locally which he believes is not a very good idea. “People go to local sources because the government is on the lookout for these people in the hospitals and if found, they could be detained. Due to this fear of detention, they avoid going to the hospitals,” he says.

Previously in 2016, there have been cases where pellets victims were stopped by the government forces on their way to the hospitals and were beaten up and detained.

Dr. Sajad says that it is dangerous to remove pellets at local medical shops that aren’t well equipped to do the job, it can lead to serious infections.

“There are many people who lost their eye sight by refusing to go to the hospitals due to the fear of detention. Their eye sight could have been saved if they would have received treatment on time,” he said. But there are no other options left for these people.

Apart from pellet victims, other patients have started showing up at Sajad’s home too. Due to the intensified restrictions on August 15, more and more people approached him as all the main entrances were blocked by the government forces.

One of the patients had Herpes Zoster. Herpes zoster is a viral infection that occurs with reactivation of varicella-zoster virus. It is usually a painful but self-limited dermatomal rash, which requires treatment by antiviral medications within 72 hours of symptom onset.

“It is a very painful condition. The atient’s companions were crying as they were helpless and were unable to get any medical assistance,” recalls Sajad.

Despite having a staff of six people at a government Primary Health Centre, where Sajad is posted, only he and one of his male colleagues have able to reach there since August 5.

After working at the health centre for almost 8 hours, Sajad remains on duty even after coming home. On an average, he attends to about 75 patients at his home everyday and provides free treatment to them.

While talking about the situation of the hospital, he said, “Right now our hospitals aren’t fully prepared to face any sort of emergencies, there is no proper backup of medicines and other important supplies.”

“We try our best to help people including acute cases or people with different sorts of injuries. But when things are more complicated, we refer them to the main hospital. But now, even in the referral case , they face a lot of problems because ambulances are also being stopped,” he said.

First published in Newsclick.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Indian Writers’ Forum.

Remembering Ustad Bismillah Khan on his death anniversary

August 22, 2019

Today is the 13^th death anniversary of Ustad Bismillah Khan the Shehnai maestro who won several accolades from the Government of India and others.

Born on 21^st March 1916 as Qamruddin Khan, in Dumraon, Bihar, at the age of 6 moved to Varnasi to learn to play Shehnai under his maternal uncle, Ali Baksh ‘Vilayatu’ Khan, who played Shehani at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

Bismillah Khan brought the Shehnai to the center stage of concerts. He played the Shehnai on the eve of India’s first Independence in 1947 at the Red Fort, Delhi.

Ustad Bismillah Khan also stood for communal harmony and he attributed his skill as blessings of Lord Vishwanath. He also played background score for some movies. Sannadi Appanna – a Kannada movie where he played the Shehnai for the character Apanna played by Rajkumar was a blockbuster hit in 1977.

Bismillah Khan is the recipient of the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna along with Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Tansen award and others.

He was also honoured with doctorates from Banaras Hindu University and Visva Bharti University.A postage stamp in his name was also released by the former Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Khan died on August 21, 2006 due to cardiac arrest. His last wish to play the shenai at the India Gate for the Martyrs of India remained unfulfilled.

TwoCircles.net has published some interesting stories on the Ustad:

The government of Bihar promised to set up a varsity in the name of Bismillah Khan, a few politicians had promised to develop Bismillah Khan’s birthplace in Buxur Lok Sabha constituency, some 130 km from Patna, but beyond tokenism, there has been nothing concrete on the ground. Read the account here: Bismillah’s crumbling birthplace: Testimony to broken promises in Bihar.

However the school text books carried something about Bismillah Khan’s life and achievement in the schools books which has been covered here: Art and life of Bismillah Khan in school texts.

In 2016, his foster daughter Shoma Ghosh set upon an uphill task to preserve the rich heritage of not just Bismillah Khan but also that of other musical legends by starting ‘Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan Academy’, in Varanasi. Read about her efforts here: In centenary year, an academy to honour Bismillah Khan.

But the promises made the by the political leaders were not kept and his large family many of whom still play the Shehnai have slipped in the oblivion with hardly anyone paying a visit or inviting them for concerts to play the Shehnai. Even his awards and certificates are decaying on the walls telling a sad tale.

Awards ruined by termites, house in disarray and a museum yet to take shape: The sad legacy of Ustad Bismillah Khan. This story delves in the house of the legend where the family is living in a neglected state.

Courtesy: Two Circle

Savarkar’s Bust Erected in DU and Ravidas Temple Demolished in Tughlaqabad

August 22, 2019

A while ago Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s statue were destroyed in many parts of Uttar Pradesh. Now a Ravidas temple has been demolished by DDA in Delhi.

From economic crisis to the tensed situation in Kashmir the country is going through a sensitive times. A while ago Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s statue were destroyed in many parts of Uttar Pradesh. Now a Ravidas temple has been demolished by DDA in Delhi. In Delhi University a bust of Savarkar, who had apologised many times to the British government, was erected. In these various incidents one can see the pattern of divisive politics and conspiracy to spread animosity in the society. Senior journalist Urmilesh discussing the various aspects of this pattern in this video.

Courtesy: News Click

Six students arrested for showing a film on campus

August 21, 2019

In a chilling incident, students and activists of AISA and SFI in University of Hyderabad were arrested for screening Anand Patwardhan’s award winning 1992 documentary ‘Ram ke Naam’. The HCU administration had initially withdrawn permission for the film to be screened at the Seminar hall and when the screening was later shifted to the Sociology department, police intervened, entered the classroom, stopped the screening and arrested Bawajan, Sonal, Nikhil, Vikash and Arif. Protests erupted in the campus against the arrests. The arrested students were later let off.

Image Courtesy: @Farhan_Ahmad586 (twitter)

Despite having a ‘U’ certificate and being screened on prime time Doordarshan, why is ‘Raam ke naam’ such a problematic film to be screened within a campus?

The film is a documentary based on real incidents and accounts for narratives of people on communal propaganda and violence in the name of God while exploring the VHP’s campaign to demolish the Babri Masjid.

So why are the University Authorities so afraid to witness students watching the truth?

It’s becoming clearer that the Modi Government is afraid of documentaries that show how their hate machinery works.

But most importantly, it is afraid to let reasoned and well informed voices of youth to surface over their politics of hate.

And for the same reason, our higher education spaces have been completely entrapped by the visions of bigoted people in power.

This incident bears chilling similarities to how ABVP had stalled the screening of Muzaffarnagar Baki Hai on the HCU campus in 2016. This had set off a chain of events which culminated in the suicide of Rohith Vemula.

Watch Patwardhan’s entire film here

Hindu Mahasabha Leader makes ‘Anti -National’ statements, gets away with it.

August 21, 2019

Leading credence to the oft-repeated fact that Hindutva organisations do not follow the constitution, Hindu Mahasabha National Secretary Chandra Prakash Kaushik refused to celebrate Independence or Republic day on video swearing allegiance instead to the ingenous RSS concept of ‘Akhand Bharat’

Image Courtesy: youthkiawaaz.com

In prevalent terminology, this statement could have been labelled ‘anti-national’ and newsrooms and twitter, if not actual streets would have been set aflame by ‘patriots’. But in Modi’s India, all ‘anti-nationals’ are equal but some ‘anti-nationals’ are more equal than others. In another time and era of course, a statement like this could have been dismissed as looney and summarily laughed off, but this is 2019 and RSS, the mother ship to which both Hindu Mahasabha and the BJP belong, is in power. ‘Intellectuals’, of the ‘urban naxal’ variety may also defend Shri Kaushik’s freedom of speech, enshrined ironically in the19th article of the Indian constitution, thanklessly of course, because such gracious favours may never be reciprocated.

Shri Chandra Prakash Kaushik has also in the past grappled with the vexing issue of how much PDA (Public Display of Affection) is too much PDA. He has in the past issued threats to marry off any couple who is found on the street on Valentine’s Day after his fellow travellers thrash them for indulging in ‘immoral’ and ‘Un-Indian’ behaviour. Perhaps as a wedding gift.

Hindu Mahasabha leaders are also known for killing cardboard cut-outs of Mahatma Gandhi with air-guns and what could only be tomato ketchup (instead of hitting the gym).

Technically though, the Hindu Mahasabha is only celebrating the memory of an act perpetrated by their ideological forefathers.

They have also in the past fought amongst themselves over erecting Godse statues publicly or privately. Naturally, should Godse be celebrated in the open or behind closed doors seems like a valid point of confusion for Hindutvawadis, much like the act of engaging in PDA.

However, there is yet another theory about comic antics of the loony right. The hydra headed RSS is known to have mastered the art of double speak. Its many front organisations, speaking in many tongues, offer a multitude of hate filled venom couched in nationalism. This is a well crafted strategy that not only addresses a large audience but also slowly legitimises hate by putting it out in many shades, largely unchallenged.

The comedians on the loony right may neither be loony not comic in reality. Either ways, nobody’s laughing anymore.

Coporate Loot And People’s Resistance In Niyamgiri

August 21, 2019

By CDRO AND GASS

On August 18, a report titled “Corporate Loot and People’s Resistance in Niyamgiri” was released at the CDRO Convention on UAPA and other Draconian Law held in Jalandhar, Punjab. The report is an outcome of a joint fact-finding visit by a 16-member team from April 26-28, 2019 from All India Coordination of Democratic Rights Organization (CDRO) and Ganatantrik Adhikar Suraksha Sangathan, Odisha (GASS) to villages of the Niyamgiri area in both Raygada and Kalahandi districts of Odisha. The team investigated into the death of the contract employee Dani Batra by the OISF on March 18 at the gate of Vedanta Aluminum Limited and also visited villages of the Dongria Kondhs to understand the major concerns of the people opposing mining of bauxite in their area and violation of their rights.

The major highlights of the report are as follows:

Chapter One covers the death of contract worker Dani Batra who was killed during a lathi charge at the gate of the refinery plant of Vedanta in Lanjigarh. Witness accounts state that on the morning of 18 March around 40 to 70 people largely from villages of Rangapalli, Bandhaguda and Basantpur, had gathered at the gate of the plant with their long pending demands regarding fee-remission of their wards in the school run by Vedanta. A tiff between security guards of Odisha Industrial Security Force (OISF) and workers led to the brutal lathi charge resulting in the death of Dani Batra, who was chased into a pond and left to drown. This chapter also questions the circumstances into the death of security personnel Sujit Minz inside the gate of the plant leading to the arrests of workers and villagers. The roles of the police and the administration have also been highlighted. This chapters ends with a brief overview of Vedanta’s operations in India and abroad
Chapter Two covers Vedanta’s Lanjigarh project and its long list of illegalities in the process of land acquisition and also documents procedural lapses in getting environmental clearance, violation of forest rights and how in spite of the Gram Sabha verdict, the Odisha Government persists in helping Vedanta.
Chapter Three gives a vivid description of the Niyamgiri mountain, its forest and flora and fauna, the people living here and their life and living style and conditions, their agriculture produce and their strong resolve to protect the hills which they worship as their God, Niyam Raja, from corporate mining. The chapter raises serious question on the threats to Dongria Kondhs and the entire eco system of the area with the mining plans pursued by the Odisha Government. The chapter also gives a brief on the resistance of people under the banner of Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti.
Chapter Four covers the incidences of state repression and violation of human rights of the local people. The chapter documents various incidences where the adivasis right to dissent has been met with police harassment, arbitrary arrests and even death in false encounter and branding them as Maoists. Constant surveillance by the setting up CRPF camps has made life hell affecting both social and economic activities of the people.
The report concludes with reflections of the team members such as the demands of the people from villages near the Lanjigarh refinery, their concerns regarding pollution due to red mud pond, the damage caused by refinery plant to surrounding villages and forests, rivers and trees. It also sums up the main concerns of the anti-mining movement of the Dongria Kondhs to protect the mountain, livelihood, and the entire ecosystem of the area and how they face the constant violation of democratic rights enshrined in the Constitution. The report questions how the state itself becomes enemy of its own people just for the financial and monetary benefit of corporations.

To down the full report click the link given below:

Corporate Loot And People’s Resistance In Niyamgri

Signed by:
GASS , (DEBARANJAN)
CDRO (ASISH GUPTA)

Courtesy: Counter Current

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Golden age of Guptas? Hindutva ‘plan’ to impose ancient Brahminism on vast majority

Extreme violence has a way of preventing us from seeing the interests it serves’. — Naomi Klein in ‘The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism’

Why New Bill Meant To Benefit Transgender People Is Termed Regressive

Mumbai: On August 5, 2019, when the lower house of parliament abrogated Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional provision, it also passed–with almost no debate–the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019.

Doctors Turn Home into Hospital as Restrictions Continue in Kashmir

Due to the severe restrictions in the valley, many patients and doctors aren’t able to reach the clinics and hospitals. As a result, several doctors have started attending to the patients at their home

Remembering Ustad Bismillah Khan on his death anniversary

Today is the 13^th death anniversary of Ustad Bismillah Khan the Shehnai maestro who won several accolades from the Government of India and others.

Savarkar’s Bust Erected in DU and Ravidas Temple Demolished in Tughlaqabad

A while ago Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s statue were destroyed in many parts of Uttar Pradesh. Now a Ravidas temple has been demolished by DDA in Delhi.

Six students arrested for showing a film on campus

Hindu Mahasabha Leader makes ‘Anti -National’ statements, gets away with it.

Leading credence to the oft-repeated fact that Hindutva organisations do not follow the constitution, Hindu Mahasabha National Secretary Chandra Prakash Kaushik refused to celebrate Independence or Republic day on video swearing allegiance instead to the ingenous RSS concept of ‘Akhand Bharat’

Coporate Loot And People’s Resistance In Niyamgiri

By CDRO AND GASS

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Extreme violence has a way of preventing us from seeing the interests it serves’. — Naomi Klein in ‘The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism’

Mumbai: On August 5, 2019, when the lower house of parliament abrogated Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional provision, it also passed–with almost no debate–the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019.

Due to the severe restrictions in the valley, many patients and doctors aren’t able to reach the clinics and hospitals. As a result, several doctors have started attending to the patients at their home

Today is the 13th death anniversary of Ustad Bismillah Khan the Shehnai maestro who won several accolades from the Government of India and others.

A while ago Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s statue were destroyed in many parts of Uttar Pradesh. Now a Ravidas temple has been demolished by DDA in Delhi.

Leading credence to the oft-repeated fact that Hindutva organisations do not follow the constitution, Hindu Mahasabha National Secretary Chandra Prakash Kaushik refused to celebrate Independence or Republic day on video swearing allegiance instead to the ingenous RSS concept of ‘Akhand Bharat’

By CDRO AND GASS

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Today is the 13^th death anniversary of Ustad Bismillah Khan the Shehnai maestro who won several accolades from the Government of India and others.