Wajahat Habibullah, chairperson, National Commission for Minorities, speaks to Kavita Chowdhury on reservation for Muslims, the RTI Act and the controversy over withdrawal of AFSPA in Kashmir. You had recently visited Rajasthan. In Bharatpur district’s Gopalgarh village, some members of the minority community, Mev Muslims, were killed and the state administration was accused of mishandling the matter. What is your view? A communal riot is an unpardonable crime. The state government has taken...
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Chargesheet filed against two suspended officers of Bharatpur
-The Times of India The state government on Friday chargesheeted suspended Bhartpur district collector and superintendent of police in connection with the Gopalgarh violence. The collector, Kunal Krishna an IAS officer of 2003 batch, and IPs officer Hinglaj Dan were suspended for laxity in their duties while controlling the situation in Gopalgarh which claimed 10 lives. On September 14, the small town in Bharatpur district witnessed violent clashes between Meo Muslims and Gujjars...
More »Jairam seeks to modify flagship schemes for Maoist-hit districts by Aman Sethi
Warning that delays in wage payments were crippling the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Chhattisgarh's Maoist-affected districts, Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh outlined his Ministry's latest attempts to jumpstart development in these areas. In the past, Mr. Ramesh has spoken of prioritising development in the country's 60 ‘Left Wing Extremism' [LWE] districts as a crucial prong in his government's battle against the guerilla army of...
More »In Kudankulam, a protest fuelled by local fears, not foreign hand by T Ramakrishnan
Mock drill was trigger, official insensitivity drives resentment against the nuclear power project St. Lourdes Church at Idinthakarai, a fishing village located about 80 km south of the Tirunelveli town, is an important place of worship for the local people. Of late, the Church, which is over 100 years old, is in the news for a different reason: it serves as the focal point for the protests against the Kudankulam Nuclear...
More »What Is The Real Goal Of The Anna Movement? by Rohini Hensman
Many people including members of Team Anna have expressed reservations about the way in which their campaign has been developing, and some have even resigned. This raises questions about the real aim of the leadership around Anna. Is it really what it is proclaimed to be? Is the aim to get the Jan Lokpal Bill passed by parliament? Team Anna has repeatedly stated that they have just a one-point agenda: to get...
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