Politics

Protest Denied, Dissent Policed: India’s crackdown on those challenging the Election Commission

From alleged house arrests and detentions to police checks on train journeys and restrictions in Delhi, activists say authorities are trying to stop citizens from reaching the October 10 protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over SIR

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

‘How Can Rehabilitation Work If We Are Not Safe?’ Sanjay Tickoo on the fresh threat to Kashmiri Pandit employees

Sanjay Tickoo speaks to Sabrang India on repeated threats, targeted killings and security lapses have eroded Kashmiri Pandit employees’ faith in the State.

Looking Forward to 79th Independence Day: Whither Democracy!

Our Independence was the huge achievement of people’s struggle...

Maharashtra SIR extension keeps teachers away from classrooms as unit tests face delays

Teachers deployed as BLOs for over a month will continue election-related work until August 17, with the draft electoral rolls now scheduled to be released on August 24. Schools across Maharashtra have reported reduced teaching time, limited staff and difficulties in conducting unit tests, while educators say prolonged deployment is affecting classroom teaching and the academic schedule

Kashmiri Pandit employees in the Valley asked to stay home after threat letter

Threats naming six government employees prompt tighter security and unofficial work-from-home instructions, even as authorities deny issuing any formal order

August 11, 2026: A decade plus of students challenging a regime that seeks to control thought & ideas

The pushback to the Modi 1.0 regime came within months of it being sworn into office, and it emerged from the student of the Central University, Hyderabad & JNU among others, that had been creations of independent India’s intellectual and organisational fashioning; while Gen Z’s 2026 protests are a breath of fresh air to the battle weary, India’s students in universities have never been silent

ID Based on Anonymous Informant, Sudden Reference to 2009 Home Ministry Notification: Why NSA Case Against Satyam Verma Is Unconvincing

When Noida District Magistrate Medha Roopam chose to invoke the stringent law against the journalist, she appears to have based it on her reading of his assumed ability to influence workers – not the facts available.

JNU Cancels Venue, Not the Conversation: Umar Khalid’s book discussion moves outdoors amid protests

JNU cited “non-disclosure of full facts” to cancel the auditorium at the last minute; organisers disputed the explanation and students took the discussion outdoors, turning a venue cancellation into a larger battle over academic freedom and dissent

SIR Phase 3: 1.58 crore names deleted from draft rolls across 12 States and UTs

Draft electoral rolls covering 13.77 crore electors have been published in 12 of the 16 States and three Union Territories under the third phase of the Special Intensive Revision. Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest number of deletions at 44.89 lakh, while Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu recorded the highest deletion rate at 29.64%

Trending

Related VIDEOS

ALL STORIES

ALL STORIES

Protest Denied, Dissent Policed: India’s crackdown on those challenging the Election Commission

From alleged house arrests and detentions to police checks on train journeys and restrictions in Delhi, activists say authorities are trying to stop citizens from reaching the October 10 protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over SIR

Bihar adds 14 lakh voters after SIR, questions remain over those excluded from 2025 assembly polls

Nearly 14 lakh voters have been added to Bihar’s electoral rolls since SIR, the additions and subsequent enrolment exercise put the focus on eligible voters who have missed the 2025 Assembly election and the consequences of their exclusion

Karnataka Form 7 Row: 91,278 deletion requests and bulk filing complaints—where was the ECI’s check?

Karnataka has received 91,278 Form 7 applications seeking voter deletions, but officials say no names have been deleted so far. Complaints from Mangaluru, Kodagu and other districts allege bulk filings against eligible voters, including Muslims, as police investigate and electoral hearings continue

‘Serious Grievances’: Bombay HC backs students’ concerns, MPSC protests continue in Pune

Bombay High Court directs Maharashtra government to explain recruitment backlog and restore trust; two of three protest sites remain occupied, with Rohit Pawar-led agitation refusing to move

Police detain Adivasi students for second day, force them out of Mumbai

Students who marched from Nashik are denied Azad Maidan protest, prevented from leaving Tilak Bhavan and forcefully transported out of the city

Scrap SIR, Restore Electoral Integrity: A national call to defend the right to vote

Public assembly demands the scrapping of SIR, accountability of the Election Commission and urgent safeguards against wrongful exclusion from electoral rolls

Why Majoritarianism today is the single most acute threat to democracy

Majoritarianism that plagues India and many other democracies is the perversion of Dr. Ambedkar’s idea of democracy. While Dr. Ambedkar’s definition of democracy lays stress on effective and proportionate representation and safeguarding minority rights, majoritarianism is the dominance of a particular religious community, caste group, or racial group over the rest of the population.

From Nashik to Mumbai: Adivasi students’ protest meets police detentions

Weeks of agitation over tribal hostels and schools culminate in alleged detention of protesters ahead of planned Azad Maidan march