The recent incident in Dantewada wherein the Maoists killed 76 CRPF jawans has triggered a heated debate about the establishment on one side and the Naxalites on the other. One section calls for strong action against the Naxalites, even calling them terrorists and urging the use of armed forces against them, while others defend the action of the Naxalites to the extent of justifying it. Hours and hours have been spent...

Interim Observations of the Jury of Independent People’s Tribunal on Land Acquisition, Resource Grab and Operation Green Hunt The Independent People’s Tribunal on Land Acquisition, Resource Grab and Operation Green Hunt (organised by a collective of civil society groups, social movements, activists, academics and concerned citizens) was held in New Delhi from April 9 to 11, 2010. Its jury comprised retired Supreme Court judge Justice P.B. Sawant, retired Bombay High Court...

So, Shashi Tharoor has gone. Lalit Modi may follow. Or not.   Cricket’s great jamboree may be cleaned up. Or not.   Does it matter so much?   The Indian Premier League (IPL) brouhaha could not have come at a worse time. India was, finally, if reluctantly, starting to focus on long-festering-but-urgent issues that prevent this country from being a just, equitable democracy. As Tharoor and Modi self-destructed, the circus around them diverted all...

A number of eminent persons and well-known activists have rallied to the support of writer Arundhati Roy, whose article on Operation Green Hunt has come under the scanner of the Chhattisgarh Police. They have issued a public statement condemning the threatened action by the State's Director-General of Police, who “is reported to be seriously examining whether Ms. Roy should be prosecuted under the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act (CSPSA)/Unlawful Activities Prevention...

P. Chidambaram today took on civil society organisations for showing sympathy towards Maoists by training guns at social activist and writer Arundhati Roy. “If the CPI (Maoist) overthrows the established authority and seizes power, will they allow any human rights organisation to function in this country? Will all those, who write 33-page articles, be allowed to write 33-page articles? Will there be a magazine to publish a 33-page article?” the Union...