Violence

A surge in hate crimes and divisive rhetoric under the new government reveals a growing threat to Maharashtra’s secular and pluralistic identity, with minorities and marginalised communities bearing the brunt of the assault

While bitter hostilities between Meiteis and Kukis have formed the larger narrative, with Kukis seen as a target, Arambai Tenggol’s acts of violence on the Pangals, a small Muslim minority, with the latest being the brute torture of a young man have remained in the dark underbelly of the violence in Manipur

In all, 81 persons, including women and children were killed and 214 persons were injured in the Meitei-Kuki conflict in Manipur in the year 2024, as reported in the 5 newspapers monitored by the CSSS – The Times of India, The Indian Express, The Hindu, Inquilab and Sahafat. Among the 81 killed, 19 were from Meitei community, while 15 were from Kuki community, 12 were security personnel, and 4 were Hindu migrant workers

Monitoring newspaper clippings, the CSSS report for 2024 suggests a sharp increase by 84 per cent of incidents of communal violence all over the country, with Maharashtra leading

The custodial death of Dalit law student Somnath Suryawanshi, systemic police violence against Ambedkarite communities, and government inaction have ignited protests across Maharashtra, exposing deep-rooted caste injustices and institutional impunity

As families of the 5 dead Muslims mourns its dead, the state government faces criticism over aggressive tactics and arbitrary arrests, communal targeting, victim threatening and political scapegoating

Sitting MLAs from the ruling party have given calls for Chief Minister Biren Singh's removal and resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah, even whilto ongoing tribal protests and a divided state, Manipur's unrest continues as ethnic clashes deepen, with political leaders and civil society groups demanding urgent action for peace and justice.

As the first rays of dawn hit the broad, grey-bricked footpaths of Powai’s Hiranandani locality, Darshana begins her day. Inside the blue hues of her current “home”— the tarpaulin-covered dwelling within which she, her family, and hundreds of others rendered homeless by the BMC-led demolition of their houses, have been living for the past five months—she starts her day with work. She washes dishes, cleans the cement side-walk on which rest the mattresses her family and she sleep on, and prepares meals on wood-fired chulas using the limited utensils she was able to salvage before the kitchen in her home was destroyed by bulldozers. By the time the sun shines bright, she has readied her two children, fed them, and sent them to school.

Amid increasing violence in Jiribam, protests grow over the alleged rape of a tribal woman and the government’s response to ethnic violence in the region, death of 11 Hmar men, alleged to be suspected militants, follow at the hands of security forces

As the vibrant celebrations of Durga Puja turn to chaos, Bahraich grapples with loss, fear, and the urgent quest for justice amidst rising communal tensions; internet ban imposed, police deployed, 30 detained, 10 booked for murder