Freedom

From Assam’s Soil to Detention and Back: The tragic death of Amzad Ali

Locked up in Matia detention camp despite generations-long roots in Assam, 49-year-old Amzad Ali dies of cancer as authorities ignore medical appeals; family finally lays him to rest in his native village

Noted rights defender and environmental rights activist, Prafulla Samantara abducted from hotel room in Rayagada, later found in Berhampur: Orissa

Sabrangindia spoke to well recognised environmentalist and Adivasi rights activist Prafulla Samantara, who said men masquerading as “police” forced their entry into the Hotel room (where he was due to attend a press conference) and whisked him away from Rayagada on a roundabout route to Behrampur, a distance of 255 kilometres, without FIR or warrant; Samantara an awardee of the international Green Nobel Prize, the Goldman International prize has now filed an FIR

The ‘Fascist BJP, Down’ slogan not an offence: Madras HC quashes FIR against academic

Five years ago, in 2018, research scholar Lois Sofia had raised the slogan at the Thoothukudi airport and in a flight which had Tamilisai Soundararajan, who is now governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, and was then TN BJP chief.

Is Ashoka univ “falling short of its Declared Vision? 300 + academics stand up for Sabyasachi Das

"It is clear from this sequence of events that what was at stake was not the academic merit of his paper, but the threat it posed to the ruling party. There has been no detailed academic counter to this paper, only ad hominem attacks in the public."

We20 activists stand firm against blockade by Delhi Police trained for Modi’s G-20

Despite the police at the gates, the collective gathered within Surjeet Singh Bhavan  –where delegates demanded that the rich and aspirational countries should put people above profits – was one of a community of intellectuals and a cultural gathering.

FIR against student Lois Sophia who shouted anti-BJP slogan on flight quashed: Madras High Court

Sofia, a research scholar from Canada, was booked in September 2018 after she shouted "fascist BJP government down, down" on board a flight to Thoothukudi.

Attempts to control academic freedom gives rise to protest by faculty, Ashoka University and IISc an example

In Ashoka University, faculty threaten an “exodus” in solidarity with resignation by assistant professor for research paper; faculty of IISc intervene when Teesta Setalvad not allowed to give speech on harmony

Mumbai: Unprecedented Draconian Crackdown on activists, on “9th August Quit India Day!”

Freedom Fighter Dr. G G Parikh prevented from reaching the August Kranti Maidan, Tushar Gandhi, taken to Santacruz police station, Teesta Setalvad was stopped from leaving her residence!

Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023 draconian & dangerous: Editor’s Guild (EGI)

The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023, recently introduced in the Rajya Sabha provides for draconian powers and intrusive powers of seize and search, seriously threatening press and freedom of expression says EGI

97-year old left in legal limbo as lawyer abandons case, CJP comes to the rescue

With hope nearly drained, Basu Bewa felt paralysed by despair and fear as her lawyer remained unresponsive. However, relief came when the CJP intervened to assist her.

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Supreme Court: UP Gangsters Act ‘stillborn’ for prescribing punishment without creating an offence

In a strongly worded judgment, the Court holds that the 1986 law prescribes punishment without creating a distinct offence and criticises the gang-chart mechanism, but stops short of deciding whether the legislation itself passes constitutional muster  

“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

When Suspicion Becomes Deportation: The case of Sahida Fakir and the dangerous criminalisation of Bengali identity

A woman who left home to buy dinner was detained, taken across state lines and allegedly pushed into Bangladesh despite her family producing a birth certificate, voter ID, school records and land documents

The women India continues to ignore

It is 76 years into the adoption of the Indian Constitution. However, the fundamental promises of equality and dignity remain elusive for many communities - none more so than Dalit women. What is even starker is the sheer indifference of institutions towards their plight. This piece aims to highlight how the understanding of “women” does not mechanically encompass Dalit women and accentuate the underlying forces that precludes the empowerment of women from the most downtrodden sections of Indian society.

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

When Faith Becomes a Licence for Control: The 2026 Kanwar yatra, violence, vigilantism and the politics of meat

From attacks on vehicles and commuters to the targeting of Muslim-owned businesses and meat shops, the 2026 pilgrimage raises urgent questions about vigilantism, selective policing and the State's accommodation of majoritarian demands

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