-The Hindu/ PTI Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was asked why there is no word on this from the Prime Minister, senior Ministers and why there is a “defensive reaction” when somebody asks questions about such things The Lakhimpur Kheri violence, in which four farmers were killed, is “absolutely condemnable,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said, emphasising that there are issues of such nature happening in other parts of India equally which should...

-The Tribune ‘Rail roko’ on Oct 18, mahapanchayat Oct 26 Terming the Lakhimpur Kheri incident a “pre-planned conspiracy” against farmers, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) today demanded the dismissal and arrest of Minister of State (Home) Ajay Mishra Teni. “The BJP wants to force farmers to resort to violence, but we will continue to use non-violent methods,” Kisan Morcha leaders said. Morcha leader Yogendra Yadav said unless Ajay Mishra was dismissed from the Cabinet...

-The Telegraph The observation came following a request from attorney-general K.K. Venugopal, who was representing the Centre along with solicitor-general Tushar Mehta The Supreme Court on Monday decided to examine the constitutionality of the farmers’ right to protest on a sub-judice issue, particularly when the controversial farm laws had been stayed and were “not in force”. The court said the “central issue” was “whether the right to protest is an absolute right”. It also...

-The Telegraph Rights group demands that the cases be tried in fast-track courts New Delhi: A leading Dalit rights group on Wednesday described the fatal gang rape and torture of a teenaged Dalit girl in Hathras as the tip of an iceberg of atrocities against deprived segments of the population in Uttar Pradesh. The National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) blamed the indifference of the police for the increasing assaults on Dalit...

The S.C. and S.T. (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has failed to make Dalits any safer. THE ascent of the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to power in Uttar Pradesh on May 13, 2007, was seen as a defining moment in the politics of Dalit empowerment in the country. The Scheduled Caste (S.C.) leader of an avowedly “Dalit assertive” party had been Chief Minister earlier too, but the difference this time...