-The Hindu   A 14-year-old Adivasi boy died in firing allegedly by CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) commandos of the Central Reserve Police Force at Dolamara in Assam's Karbi Anglong district on Thursday morning. Irate villagers attacked the Dolamara police station, demanding stern action against those responsible for the death of Boga Garh. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has ordered a magisterial probe and announced an ex gratia of Rs. 3 lakh to...

The Union minister for communications and information technology, Kapil Sibal, is a knowledgeable lawyer, and someone who is reportedly committed to the freedom of speech. He would not lightly propose regulations that contravene Article 19(1)(a) (freedom of speech and expression) of our Constitution. So how is one to explain his recent proposals on controlling online speech? Or even the immoderate IT Rules that have been in force since April? This controversy...

In possibly the first instance of its kind in the country, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to compensate 70 victims of police violence following the May 2007 Mecca Masjid blast. The men had been falsely implicated in the case and tortured in custody. The 20 men who were the worst affected would get Rs 3 lakh each, the rest Rs 20,000 each. The announcement of the Rs 70 lakh compensation was...

A report of the National People's Tribunal on the 2008 riots in Kandhamal, Orissa, is out. The report that runs into 197 pages points out that the brutality of the violence falls within the definition of 'torture' under international law, particularly the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.   According to the tribunal, headed by Justice A P Shah, communal forces used religious conversions as an issue for political mobilisation...

-The Pioneer In a bid to further marginalise the Maoists, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has charted out elaborate plans for the tribal people of Jangalmahal. The State Government has plans to provide more “productive opportunities” to the Advasis in order to bring them into the socio-economic mainstream. These include job creation, developing the Alchiki script, setting up educational institutions and healthcare units and inducting local talent into sports and cultural activities. “We...