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Vande Mataram and the 2026 Amendment: From voluntary honour to penal coercion
While the slogan Vande Mataram galvanised millions during India’s struggle for liberation from the clutches of colonial rule, this essay demonstrates that the 2026 Amendment –that the BJP has orchestrated--does not represent historical continuity, but rather a contemporary majoritarian redefinition of a complex national symbol.
Inside the SSP’s Office: Allegations of beatings, torture & police impunity against farmer leaders in Meerut, UP
Digvijay Bhati and Mohit Jatav allege they were beaten, tied up and humiliated inside police premises; the allegations come weeks after the Meerut police faced scrutiny over its crackdown on protests demanding justice for a Dalit woman
ECI revises Maharashtra SIR schedule, final voter list to be published on November 4
The revised schedule moves the date of publication for the draft electoral roll to August 31 and gives voters until September 30 to file claims and objections; the final electoral roll will now be published on November 4
Ram Puniyani at 81: A teacher of secularism, an everyday passion
Dr Ram Puniyani, a former professor of biomedical engineering began his career at IIT Mumbai in 1973 and served within the institution in various capacities for 27 years, beginning in 1977; for close to the past two and a half decades now he is a single man army promoting secularism
Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS’ supremo to lead ‘Universal Oneness Celebrations’ in New York!
The author, an academic and activist presents this dossier on the background and perspective of the RSS, an outfit that has been behind the fashioning of a majoritarian India
‘Wherever You Go, We are watching’: Second threat letter to Kashmiri Pandits
After the first letter exposed employees’ phone numbers, a second communication reportedly reveals residential addresses, putting the security of returning Kashmiri Pandits under renewed scrutiny
“SIR is a Nazi-Fascist Project:” M.G. Devasahayam
Alleging that a staggering one crore persons will be finally excluded from the Karnataka state electoral rolls, MG Devasahayam, a former IAS officer, who was recently interviewed by the Kannada daily Vartabharati stated that opposition political parties had failed the voter while citizens groups had posed a robust challenge to the SIR process
The State Wants the Delete Button: India’s new architecture of digital censorship
Nearly 1.95 lakh blocking directions in five months raise urgent questions about transparency, due process and the constitutional limits of government control over online speech
Punjab SIR draft roll published; 20 lakh electors marked ASDD, claims open till September 12
Nearly 1.94 crore (19.4 million) enumeration forms digitised during SIR; over 20 lakh electors categorised as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate (ASDD), Voters whose names are missing from the draft can file claims for inclusion till September 12, even as complaints on social media during the enumeration phase highlighted difficulties faced by electors
Maharashtra SIR: 2.08 crore (20.8 million) voter forms “uncollected” hence may not be listed in August 24 draft electoral roll
More than 1 in 5 voter enumeration forms have remained “uncollected” on the final day of Maharashtra’s SIR exercise, with urban districts accounting for a large share of those bureaucratically “excluded”-- nearly 95 lakh forms were uncollected in Thane, Mumbai and Pune, though voters left out of the draft will get a month to seek inclusion or correction
Sumit Sarkar: Engaged scholarship, ways of historical thinking, an enduring legacy
Scholar of modern India with a path breaking approach to research and his discipline, historian Sumit Sarkar transformed how modern Indian history was understood, bringing ordinary people and their experiences to the centre of historical scholarship
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History
Vande Mataram and the 2026 Amendment: From voluntary honour to penal coercion
While the slogan Vande Mataram galvanised millions during India’s struggle for liberation from the clutches of colonial rule, this essay demonstrates that the 2026 Amendment –that the BJP has orchestrated--does not represent historical continuity, but rather a contemporary majoritarian redefinition of a complex national symbol.
Gender and Sexuality
Muslim women will define their own lives & choices: Bebaak Collective responds to Kerala cleric
Islamic history is rich with examples of women’s participation, says a statement issued by Bebaak Collective that also condemns the Kerala Muslim cleric’s controversial statement
Media
Six Days On, Still No FIR: What happened to Shaheen and Nafisa Khan at Saket Police Station?
Shaheen and Nafisa Khan gave a detailed written complaint naming police personnel, describing the alleged assault and pointing to CCTV footage. Yet six days after the September 3 incident, the women say their case has still not been registered
India
Beaten to Death Outside His Own Home: What Delhi owes Chongtham Vikram Singh
The 55-year-old Manipuri musician died after a group allegedly attacked him in southeast Delhi; seven men and a juvenile have been apprehended
Children
Satya Niketan Collapse: When students and neighbours had to rescue students from a system that had failed them
From locals and NSUI volunteers digging through the rubble to AISA, SFI and others taking to the streets, the tragedy has exposed Delhi’s unsafe student-housing crisis and a State that acted after disaster struck
Rights
Declared ‘Foreigner’, denied a hearing, pushed across the border: Gauhati HC pulls up Assam
Court finds “malice in law” holds State machinery acted “in tandem” to defeat Mumtaz Begum’s right to judicial review, and orders ₹2 lakh compensation
India
‘Gauri Day’ Became ‘Gen Z Day’
When a memorial for the slain journalist Gauri Lankesh became a loud and renewed reiteration for more accountability, equality and justice in India
Rights
Midnight Arrest, Daylight Questions: Why was Santosh Pandit taken into custody?
From exposing civic failures to confronting political VIPs, the Pune activist built a massive following—now he faces criminal charges after a midnight arrest
