A 13-member fact-finding team that visited Chintalnar, Morapally, Timmapuram and Tadmetla villages of Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh has found that the police claim that they had an encounter with Maoists in the jungles of Dantewada during March second week as “a hoax and far from reality.” “We have been inside these areas for two days, only to see that there was no ‘encounter' with Maoists as claimed by the police, which...

The All-India Adivasi Mahasabha, on the first day of its three-day long conference here on Monday at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, stressed the need to unite the diverse tribal communities from across the country to gain a voice in Delhi, as a starting point to controlling their own destinies – and their land, water and forests. In his speech, Meghalaya Governor R.S. Moosahary told delegates: “Let us unite all tribal groups...

Takes suo motu cognisance of the March 23 report published by The Hindu NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), taking suo motu cognisance of the March 23 report published by The Hindu on murders, violence and rape in a Chhattisgarh village, has sought a report within two weeks from the Union Home Secretary, Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police (DGP). Agnivesh attacked Social Activist Swami Agnivesh, who was attacked...

It is a little known fact that in roughly a fifth of our country’s land area, a different legal system operates. In some of these places, if you are caught with certain items, it is up to you to prove that you are innocent of a crime — and whether you go to jail depends on whether a government official kept proper records years earlier. If you are using some...

A state Congress leaders' delegation that called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accused Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi of siphoning off funds meant for beneficiaries of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme. The delegation of Congress MLAs, MPs and others, headed by Leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil and state party president Arjun Modhwadia, also told the prime minister that the state government had failed to implement various schemes announced...