SHEHLA MASOOD’S eventful life was brutally cut short on 16 August, when her body was found in the front seat of her car. A fierce wildlife conservationist and RTI activist, 38-year-old Shehla was also a flamboyant socialite of Bhopal. The murder in broad daylight outside her bungalow in the posh Koh-e-Fiza area sent ripples across the otherwise peaceful city. With the state media jumping from one conclusion to another and...

In the unseen and unheard margins of Team Anna’s Ramlila Surge, there’s a growing sense of disquiet —especially among minority and marginalised groups. Despite carefully choreographed images of Muslim children publicly breaking their Ramzaan fast with Anna Hazare, prominent Dalit, Muslim and Christian leaders are deeply suspicious of the faces on display and the voices emanating from the crowds. They argue that Anna’s ends — fighting corruption — is undoubtedly justified, they...

-The Hindu   On a day of fast-paced developments, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday reached out to the fasting anti-corruption crusader, Anna Hazare, with a new formula to break the log-JAM on the contours of the proposed Lokpal institution: a debate in Parliament over his proposals with a promise to refer the sense of the House to the Standing Committee for its consideration. This was followed by an extraordinary gesture from...

-India Today   Their heart is with Anna Hazare but their mind refuses to accept the anti-corruption crusader's mode of protest. Muslim and Dalit organisations supported Anna's fight against corruption, but feared that the Sangh Parivar could hijack the campaign. They also warned him about it. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has decided to stay away from Anna's a campaign "because of its political overtones". "Our organisation believes this issue doesn't...

-First Post   Rent-seekers playing the politics of tokenism are targeting the movement against corruption led by Anna Hazare. An array of political forces – from leaders of the Muslim community to Dalit leaders to jholawallas – is stepping out to criticise the atmospherics of Anna’s movement as well the Jan Lokpal Bill that Team Anna is campaigning for. On Monday, the Imam of Delhi’s JAMa Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, criticised Team Anna’s campaign,...