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

When students demonstrated what democracy stands for

The recent upsurge among the nation’s youth that erupted not just at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi but across cities and states in India, rekindled hope, hope that democracy is an aspiration across generations, regions and gender

The script of democracy: Power, language, and consciousness in Dhoomil’s ‘Patakatha’

Sudama Pandey 'Dhoomil's "Patakatha" ("The Script") stands as one...

Policing Autonomy & Faith: Maharashtra’s Anti-Conversion law gets President’s assent

The law’s provisions on prior declaration, third-party complaints and reversal of burden of proof mirror challenges already before the Supreme Court

Kajri: When the Village Sang Together in “Sawan”

Harē Rāma rim-jhim barsē pāniyā, Jhūlē Rādhā rāniyā hē Hari. Hari...

SIR Maharashtra: CEO details schedules for publication & verification of draft and final electoral rolls

Maharashtra, with 9,78,54,049 has electors which is the base figure for the re-examination of electoral rolls under the ongoing SIR; now the CEO Maharashtra has outlined a schedule detailing deadlines for enumeration, draft publication, claims and objections, verification, final electoral roll publication and post-publication correction procedures

Rajya Sabha passes Vande Mataram bill as NCRB data reveals high pendency, low convictions

While Parliament broadens the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, crime records show only 60 convictions from over 1,100 arrests between 2014 and 2024

The Republic Speaks Back: How Student Power Reminded Authority of Its Limits

The author argues that varied protests and movements of the past dozen years --from the anti-CAA/NRC protests, to the farmers’ mass mobilisations to the recent Gen ‘Z’ upsurge --these movements may differ in their immediate demands, but they share a common democratic foundation: Citizens do not take to the streets because they have abandoned faith in the Republic. They do so because they believe the Republic can still be made to listen.

The Revolution has begun….!

The Revolution has begun… On the afternoon of July...

Governments begin rolling back cases against protesters, but questions over violence, arrests and accountability remain

Official notifications in Bihar and Assam mark the first implementation of commitments made to protest leaders, even as fresh arrests in West Bengal, allegations of police excesses and questions over protest violence keep the movement alive

‘Forum for Electoral Integrity’ petitions NHRC over mass voter disenfranchisement under SIR

The Forum for Electoral Integrity has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission to urgently intervene in the Election Commission’s SIR process, citing UN concerns, the coalition alleges the arbitrary, mass deletion of 52 million voters, disproportionately targeting Muslim and Bengali citizens through organised campaigns and opaque AI systems

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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