Noted social activist Anna Hazare has decided to launch a 'jail bharo' agitation against the 'illegal decision of the state government to condone irregularities' in the Lavasa lake city project coming up near Pune. "The state government's decision to regularise irregularities in Lavasa project is akin to daylight robbery of Tribals whose lands have been illegally acquired for the project," Hazare said. "As per law, land of Tribals cannot be transferred. But...

The Adivasi Budhajivi Manch  has decided to oppose panchayat elections in Schedule Area of Jharkhand. The manch, a forum of intellectual Tribals of the state, claimed that panchayat elections in Schedule Area is against the provision of the Constitution. The decision to oppose state government decision to organize panchayat elections was taken after a meeting of Tribals from different parts of the state. The manch decided to initiate legal battle against...

After the Niyamgiri ban, a controversy is brewing in Chhattisgarh over bauxite mining by Vedanta Resources, the UK-based mining conglomerate, in the Maikal hill ranges in Kawardha district with the opposition Congress demanding a probe into alleged large-scale infringement of green and tribal areas and violation of panchayat laws. "The devastation in Kawardha caused by mining activities of Vedanta Group is greater and worse than Orissa. Vedanta Group has managed to...

The untiring champion of the downtrodden and civil rights and former IAS official (1956 batch) of the Andhra Pradesh cadre S R Sankaran passed away on Thursday in Hyderabad. A bachelor, Sanakaran was 76. Though retired in 1992, he never called off his mission to defend the rights of the marginalised sections. Be it government, Maoists, civil rights organisations, Supreme Court or Planning Commission of India, his services were most sought...

Eminent writer and social activist Arundhati Roy on Saturday alleged India is witnessing a war within itself since independence and is actually a poor super power. "Since the country gained independence there have been wars against Tribals, dalits and others in several parts of the country leading to violation of human rights," she said. "Now people are struggling for human rights more than justice," Roy told a conference "Attack on Life,...