Sarat Chandra Mohapatra, a former high court judge who was probing, the 2008 Kandhamal riots died Saturday, leaving the Fate of the inquiry uncertain. Mohapatra was 81. In September 2008, he was tasked with probing the reasons that led to the killing of VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati and the subsequent Kandhamal riots. His death has cast uncertainity over the inquiry into the Kandhamal riots as the government is unsure what to do...

-The Times of India The Ambedkar-Nehru cartoon controversy has drawn contrasting views from political analysts and social scientists. Dalit intellectuals feel the cartoon is demeaning to Dr Ambedkar. Others believe the controversy is needless, with one commentator saying it smacks of "psephocracy", a system where electoral politics and priorities drive decision-making. Says social scientist Ashis Nandy, "The controversy indicates that though the process of democratization has taken place, democratic values have not...

A “derogatory” cartoon on B.R. Ambedkar in a Class XI textbook today created a furore in both Houses of Parliament and forced an apology out of minister Kapil Sibal outside the House. The ruckus, however, aborted an expected Opposition attack on home minister P. Chidambaram over his alleged role in helping his son gain from an Aircel-Maxis deal. Fittingly enough, the issue that spared Chidambaram for the day was raised by the...

Travelling to India this summer? Better be prepared against malaria. The World Health Organization (WHO) has alerted international travelers against the active threat of malaria in India. In its latest 'International Travel and Health Bulletin 2012', the WHO has said that malaria risk exists throughout the year in the whole country at altitudes below 2,000m. The bulletin cautions travelers against malaria infections, especially while travelling to the northeast, the Andaman & Nicobar...

-The Hindustan Times Family members of Ravinder Balwani, the RTI activist who had died in a hit-and-run accident on April 24, have alleged foul play and requested the Delhi Police to investigate the case as one of murder. Balwani, who retired in 2010 as manager of Transco, was fighting against leaders of political parties and corruption in the power department. “On the day of the accident, he was coming back from a...