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UP’s syncretic warrior cults facing Hindutva challenge

Be it the attack on the Gogamedi shrine in the Hanumangarh district of northern Rajasthan or the Neja Mela in the Sambhal district of western Uttar Pradesh, Hindutva’s systemic attack on India’s syncretic traditions, past and present, reveals its rigid and Brahmanical ideological orientation: imposition of a strictly hierarchical, exclusionary and structured notion of faith and practice

Unity not Hate: Commemorating the 168th anniversary of 1857 War of Independence

On the eve of the 168th anniversary of this heroic battle, let not the far right, Hindutva regime undermine the unique heritage of collective sacrifice

Censorship: The Wire, India’s credible news and analysis portal blocked, widespread condemnation

The Wire, founded by Siddharth Varadarajan, MK Venu and Siddharth Bhatia a decade ago, was served blocking orders by the government of India on the morning of May 9; the censorship action has been widely condemned

How Indian commercial media channels are using the provocative thumbnail to boost viewers and worse, provoke vicarious viewer response

Visual perception is an inherently selective process and Indian commercial television channels, faced with adverse orders from the NBDSA are now leveraging on misleading click-baits, problematic visuals and texts on the thumbnail of the video displayed: the CJP HW team asks is this a new technique to incite vicarious reactions but escape the monitoring rap and scrutiny?

Faith Knows No Religion: Banke Bihari Temple again rejects boycott call against Muslim artisans and businesses

Banke Bihari Priests reject boycott calls against Muslim artisans and businesses, hail Muslim artisans as vital to temple traditions, embrace unity over division, and uphold faith as the highest virtue in Brijmandal—where even Raskhan sang for Krishna, and craftsmen of all faiths continue to serve the divine with devotion, senior priest said "Bhakti is supreme in Brijmandal. If someone has faith and comes for darshan, why should we oppose it?"

India’s Free Speech Crisis Deepens: 329 violations recorded in just four months of 2025

From murdered journalists to banned films, the first quarter of 2025 marks a disturbing escalation in censorship, intimidation, and law fare—highlighted by the Free Speech Collective's latest findings

‘Phule’: A Revolution on Screen

No other couple in human history has shown such a spirit filled with revolutionary ambition for change. That too in a stagnant society like that of India.

Lalita Ramdas hails Himanshi Narwal’s stoic courage in open letter

Lalita Ramdas, wife of admiral Ramdas, wrote this a few hours after watching an amazing short clip of Himanshi Narwal's comments to the press.

Left maintains JNUSU foothold, absence of alliance gives ABVP a chance

Left has maintained a foothold in the JNU Students Union (JNUSU) elections; ABVP sneaks in as multiple candidatures muddy the fight

2025 NCERT Textbooks: Mughals, Delhi Sultanate out; ‘sacred geography’, Maha Kumbh in

 ‘NCERT has dropped all portions on Mughals from Class 7 Books. Students will now get to read about how Rajputs fought against nobody and lost!’ So, sarcastically wrote an ‘X’ user, Joy even as one more cut and slash action of the Modi 3.0 government with Indian social science/ history texts came to light; for the NDA II government this is only the latest in a long series of ad hoc deletions

Higher Education: How Centre is Undermining State Autonomy & Politicising UGC

The relentless centralisation of power, from the politically orchestrated VC appointments to sidelining state governments, threatens to suffocate intellectual diversity.

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UP’s syncretic warrior cults facing Hindutva challenge

Be it the attack on the Gogamedi shrine in the Hanumangarh district of northern Rajasthan or the Neja Mela in the Sambhal district of western Uttar Pradesh, Hindutva’s systemic attack on India’s syncretic traditions, past and present, reveals its rigid and Brahmanical ideological orientation: imposition of a strictly hierarchical, exclusionary and structured notion of faith and practice

No Hearing, No Notice, Just Deletion: How Bengal’s SIR Erased a Decorated IAF Officer

The removal of Wing Commander Md Shamim Akhtar, who served the nation for 17 years, during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) highlights a systemic lack of due process that threatens the voting rights of even the most distinguished citizens

An Adivasi woman once in bonded labour now serves her village as a Sarpanch

As India marks 50 years of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, cases of bonded labour still surface in states like Telangana where many workers in sectors such as agriculture, brick kilns, fishing and construction remain trapped in debt and coercion; here the author reflects on a transformative journey of an Adivasi woman who serves as a Sarpanch.

Abdul Sheikh Citizenship Case: Deportation stayed as Gauhati High Court Hears challenge to ex parte foreigner declaration, state to raise maintainability issue

Court allows preliminary objection while continuing stay on deportation; petitioner explains delay to challenge FT order through prolonged detention, lack of access to the detenue, financial constraints, and absence of legal aid

Bhagat Singh sent to gallows once again!

Repeated attempts by present day academics to whittle down the tradition followed and forged by young revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh are bound to fail; as history endures with the traditions laid by these very men

A Law of Identity, Passed Without Listening: Inside the Transgender Amendment Bill, 2026 and the crisis it has triggered

Framed as a measure of protection, the amendment shifts identity from self-determination to State approval, raising fears of exclusion, bureaucratic control, and the erosion of dignity recognised in constitutional jurisprudence

Intrusive and Unconstitutional: CJP’s dissent note on Maharashtra’s Anti-Conversion Law

Through this detailed critique and legal analysis of the hastily enacted Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill, 2026 (Maharashtra Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam 2026), CJP shows how it is both a serious intrusion on personal liberty, autonomous choice and religious freedoms but also gives a weapon to state agencies like the police to, along with other actors, become vigilantes into personal lives and behaviour