Tamil Nadu: Congress vs Congress erupts as Stalin refuses to blink
NEW DELHI: The simmering debate over power sharing in Tamil Nadu has triggered not just friction between the Congress and its ally, the DMK, but also exposed sharp internal rift within the Congress itself, with the state leadership moving swiftly to rein in dissenting voices as CM MK Stalin drew a firm red line on power sharing. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K Selvaperunthagai on Monday publicly rebuked party MP Manickam Tagore for raising the issue of power sharing with the ruling DMK at a district-level meeting in Madurai. Selvaperunthagai asked pointedly whether anyone in the party considered themselves “bigger than the AICC leadership”. The warning came amid renewed strain in the Congress–DMK relationship after Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin dismissed demands for a share in governance as a “conspiracy”, even while insisting that the alliance remained intact. Selvaperunthagai said the AICC had already issued clear instructions that alliance matters should not be discussed publicly, news agency PTI reported. “Our leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal have clearly asked us not to express views on alliances in public. I strictly follow those instructions,” he said, adding that airing such views ahead of the assembly elections only created confusion. He was responding to the February 15 meeting of the Madurai South District Congress Committee, held at Tirupparankundram under Tagore’s leadership, which reportedly passed resolutions seeking power sharing with the DMK. While Selvaperunthagai said he was unaware of the resolutions, he underlined that the party had already constituted a five-member committee under Girish Chodankar to hold talks with the DMK on seat sharing, and that any discussions must remain within that framework. Meanwhile, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also also clarified in an interview to ANI that the party remains committed to the INDIA bloc and its alliance in Tamil Nadu, led by the DMK. “We are in an INDIA alliance. We have to look at it from a national perspective. The DMK is a very important part of the INDIA alliance nationally because they contribute a significant number of MPs to our bloc. And we are part of the INDIA alliance in Tamil Nadu, which the DMK leads. The Chief Minister has categorically confirmed the alliance, and there’s no doubt about that,” he said. Chidambaram acknowledged that while long-standing alliances may have inherent tensions and expectations, it would not be pragmatic to exit a stable formation. “The DMK is a well-oiled political machine. To somehow get minor issues and ditch that, in my opinion, will not be pragmatic. There are voices within the Congress party which are giving other options. As an active political party, we will notice what’s happening around us,” he said. The internal rebuke follows Tagore’s sharp public pushback against Stalin’s remarks. After the CM termed the power-sharing demand a “problem created by some people” and alleged a conspiracy to create a rift in the alliance, Tagore responded with a pointed one-line post on X: “How is it that seeking, in a spirit of friendship, a role (a share) in work to serve the people could be termed as conspiracy?” The post signalled that at least a section of the Congress was unwilling to back down, despite the DMK leadership’s categorical stance. Stalin, however, left little room for ambiguity. While reiterating that the Congress–DMK alliance was “in harmony” and free of confusion, he firmly ruled out sharing power with allies. “It will not work in Tamil Nadu; they know it too. Rahul Gandhi is not worried either,” he said, asserting DMK dominance while avoiding a direct confrontation with the Congress high command. The DMK has since doubled down on that position. Senior party leader and state forests minister RS Rajakannappan said bluntly that the DMK did not run on the strength of alliances. Invoking history, he asked whether former CM Kalaignar Karunanidhi had ever shared power despite winning over 100 seats, adding that a future DMK government under Stalin would follow only the “Dravida model”. Within the Congress, the messaging remains mixed. While Tagore and a few others have argued that the question of whether Tamil Nadu should have a single-party or coalition government should be left to the people, the state leadership has opted for caution. Selvaperunthagai has maintained that there was “no opportunity” for a crack in the alliance and that all views would eventually be discussed by the AICC leadership and the chief minister. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Navjot Kaur Sidhu targets Rahul Gandhi; flags issues in Punjab Congress: ‘You don’t deserve that chair’
COIMBATORE: Former Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu has launched a sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi, accusing the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha of being “disconnected from ground realities” and failing to act against alleged corruption within the Punjab Congress unit. Addressing the media in Coimbatore, Sidhu alleged that Gandhi’s inaction is damaging the party’s prospects in Punjab, according to news agency PTI. She claimed that members of his inner circle are engaged in selling election tickets while he remains unaware of developments on the ground. “Rahul Gandhi talks good. He talks sense. But what he does and what he says is very different. For the past eight months, I have been asking for a time to tell him that your people, your president or your person appointed in Punjab is not doing justice to Punjab. He’s killing Congress in Punjab. I’m just asking you for a seating to tell you that your party is being destroyed in Punjab. They have already sold the tickets,” said Sidhu. She further stated, “If you are not aware of what is happening beneath you, then I am sorry. You do not deserve that chair. You are responsible for what you are doing. We left everything for Punjab, and you promised us a deputy CM post with seven departments and me as an MP, but you gave us nothing. You gave us local bodies and tourism, and you wanted them to be run according to the CM. Why are you talking against corruption when your own people are corrupt? And you are liking those corrupt people around you. The people surrounding you are totally corrupt. You have no time for the honest people who want to come and tell you that this is going wrong, you are not going to win Punjab.” “Probably it is been gifted to him. He has not worked his way through the lower steps to actually be on the lower ground. I think it’s very important to be grounded. What’s happening at ground zero is very important for anyone. You have to be in touch with the ground reality to know. You can’t be living in a dream world,” said Sidhu. “We have been honest throughout our lives. We have just gained the confidence of the people of Punjab, of the people of India, by being honest and struggling financially because of that. You can point a finger at PM Modi. Try to touch him. Does he have a penny? Does he have a file against him? Try touching him personally. There is nothing against him,” Sidhu added. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Midnight drama in wedding as groom found to be transgender
Lucknow: What began as a night of music, rituals and celebration ended in shock, and a ‘baraat’ returning empty-handed in a village in Barabanki. Just hours after completing the ‘seven vows’ of marital bond, a 22-year-old groom was ‘exposed’ as being allegedly associated with the transgender (kinnar) community, moments before the bride’s ceremonial ‘bidai’ on Friday night. The marriage was fixed six months ago between a local girl and Rishu, a resident of Pure Ganai village. On Feb 13, the ‘baraat’ arrived in full festive spirit, with a band, dancing relatives, and a grand welcome from the bride’s family. Rituals were completed and guests retired after dinner. Around 4am, when preparations for the bride’s departure were under way, a group of ‘kinnars’ from Kadopur reached the venue to collect customary ‘neg’ (gift). The atmosphere shifted dramatically when they recognised the groom. Eyewitnesses claimed the groom’s family quickly handed over Rs 23,000, urging them to remain silent. When the bride’s relatives asked the groom to step inside for verification, he refused and created a commotion. The visiting ‘kinnars’ revealed that the groom was earlier a part of their troupe. Furious relatives of the bride detained the groom as police were alerted. However, no FIR was lodged, reportedly due to social sensitivities. After negotiations, the groom’s side allegedly agreed to reimburse wedding expenses. The ‘baraat’ returned without the bride. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
3 transgender people booked for extortion in Nashik
Nashik: The Bhadrakali police registered a case against three transgender people on charges of extortion after a complaint alleged that a 28-year-old transgender woman was assaulted in the Bhadrakali area on Feb 10 to force her to pay Rs 20,000. Based on the complaint, the police registered a case against the three for offences punishable under relevant sections of the BNS for extortion, intentional insult and criminal intimidation. The complainant stated in her complaint that she sought alms from people for her livelihood. She alleged that on Feb 10, when she was near Kathada in the Bhadrakali area around 10am, three other transgender persons met her and told her that she should pay them Rs 20,000 as a cut from her monthly earnings. The complainant said that when she refused to pay up, she was kicked and punched by the three. She also alleged that the suspects threatened to kill her if she did not convert to a particular faith. The Bhadrakali police said the case is being investigated, though no one has been arrested so far. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Kolkata academics win A K Ramanujan Prize for translating Dalit poet Kalyani Thakur Charal’s works into English
The Association for Asian Studies announced the winners of this year’s prizes, which recognise outstanding scholarship and contribution to the field, on February 11. KOLKATA: Two academicians, Sipra Mukherjee, professor of English at the West Bengal State University, and Mrinmoy Pramanick, professor of Comparative Literature, who recently joined Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi from Bengal for the first time, won the prestigious A K Ramanujan Prize for translating Dalit poet Kalyani Thakur Charal’s Bengali poems into English. Charal’s works were published between the 1990s and 2020s and include her collections during this period. Mukherjee and Pramanick took two years to translate Charal’s Bengali poems into English. Charal, 60, hails from Bagula town in Nadia district of Bengal, where her father worked as a security guard in a nearby school and her mother was a housewife but literate. There is not much writing by Dalit women in Bengali available in English translation. With these English translations, Charal’s works on marginal lives will reach a wider audience. “One naturally feels happy to be recognised. The recognition brings more attention to a book that deserves to have a larger readership than what the vernacular Bangla can give,” Mukherjee told TNIE. The Association for Asian Studies announced the winners of this year’s prizes, which recognise outstanding scholarship and contribution to the field, on February 11. Winners will be given the award at a ceremony during the Association’s annual conference on March 13 in Vancouver. This year, South Asian writers Rishad Choudhury, Charu Gupta, and translators Mukherjee and Pramanick are the winners of the Bernard S Cohn Prize, Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy Prize, and AK Ramanujan Prize for Translation, respectively. Subhendu Maiti Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit man attacked in Ranip; 6 booked
Ahmedabad: A 25-year-old Dalit man was allegedly slashed in the neck following a petty dispute in Ranip on Saturday night, according to a complaint filed with Ranip police on Sunday. The complainant, Sahil Vaghela, a resident of Purushottamnagar opposite Pink City in Ranip, works for a private company. In his complaint recorded at Civil Hospital, he stated that around 10.30pm he went to a pan shop near Bakramandi. There, he was confronted by Shravan Thakor, Harshit Thakor and four others. The group allegedly questioned him about an earlier incident in his society and began hurling abuses. Vaghela alleged that the accused used casteist slurs and assaulted him. During the scuffle, Shravan allegedly pulled out a knife and attacked him, striking the left side of his neck. As he began bleeding, Vaghela raised an alarm, prompting the attackers to flee. He called his friends and a relative, after which an ambulance was alerted through 108 and he was rushed to Civil Hospital. After treatment, he was discharged and was stated to be out of danger. Ranip police registered an FIR for rioting, unlawful assembly, voluntarily causing grievous hurt and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, against six accused. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
MP Baijayant Panda eats food prepared by Dalit cook
The villagers had stopped sending their children and women to the anganwadi centre since November after the appointment of Sarmista Sethi as cook cum helper in the facility. KENDRAPARA: Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda visited Nuagaon under Rajnagar block on Sunday and shared a meal prepared by the dalit cook of the local anganwadi centre which was boycotted by villagers reportedly due to caste discrimination. The villagers had stopped sending their children and women to the anganwadi centre since November after the appointment of Sarmista Sethi (23) as cook cum helper in the facility. Panda said he was pleased with the district administration and the state women commission for resolving the threemonth deadlock on Saturday, with villagers agreeing to send their children back to the centre from Monday. Member of the Odisha State Women Commission Kalpana Mallick noted that caste and gender discrimination in access to education, nutrition and healthcare severely affect dalit women and children. She added that constitutional provisions guarantee equality before the law, prohibit caste-based discrimination and abolish untouchability. Sethi, who was appointed as a cook in the anganwadi centre on November 24 last year, said, “Now I am happy that villagers have decided to cooperate and help the centre run smoothly.” Kendrapara sub-collector Arun Kumar Nayak said senior officials are closely monitoring the situation and expressed hope that all children would resume attending the anganwadi centre from Monday. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Water supply, street lights disconnected in Dalit hamlet in Bolangir; residents allege caste discrimination
Allegations of caste-based discrimination have surfaced from Dumerchuan village under Turekela block in Odisha’s Bolangir district, where residents of a Dalit hamlet claim that their water supply and basic amenities have been deliberately disrupted. Allegations of caste-based discrimination have surfaced from Dumerchuan village under Turekela block in Odisha’s Bolangir district, where residents of a Dalit hamlet claim that their water supply and basic amenities have been deliberately disrupted. According to the residents, the piped water supply to the locality was allegedly stopped a few days ago. They further alleged that street lights in the hamlet were switched off, leaving the area in darkness and causing hardship to families living there. Residents Level Serious Allegations Men and women from Dalit families have accused certain villagers of discriminating against them based on caste. They claim that despite repeated complaints to the local administration, no action has been taken so far. One of the residents said, “They have access to electricity and water supply, whereas we do not. When we tried to arrange water through the borewell facilities, we were not allowed to do so. We are suffering along with our children. We do not have access to clean drinking water, and our roads remain dark as there is no electricity. We request that the government solve our problems so that we can live with dignity. If our basic needs are not fulfilled, we will be forced to protest.” Residents alleged that they approached the administration multiple times, but their grievances remain unaddressed. Administrative Response Awaited With Maha Shivratri observed on Sunday and an optional holiday in Bolangir on Monday, government offices remain closed. It is expected that the matter will be taken up once offices reopen. Authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the allegations. Srijata Mishra Courtesy : OdishaTV Note: This news is originally published on https:/odishatv.in/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit Journalist Alleges Custodial Torture and Illegal Demolition in Uttarakhand, Police Deny Charges
A Dalit journalist from Bazpur in Udham Singh Nagar district has accused local police of custodial torture, caste-based abuse, and illegal demolition of his property, claims that police officials have strongly denied.Photo journalism course Vimal Bharti, also known as Goldy Nirbhik, a resident of Keshowala village, said he has worked as an independent journalist for over 13 years, reporting on alleged administrative irregularities. He told reporters that the trouble began after he published a report on November 11 questioning repeated postings of certain police officials at Bazpur police station. “I had written to the President of India, the Union Home Ministry, the Uttarakhand CM, the governor, and the DGP on November 12, fearing a false case might be filed against me,” Bharti said. He alleged that the very next day, a police team accompanied by PWD assistant engineer Neha Sharma and a JCB machine arrived at his house and demolished a structure, citing encroachment. “I asked for time to remove it myself, but was denied. While I recorded the demolition on my phone, police snatched it and took me into custody like a terrorist,” he claimed. Bharti said the police registered a case against him under Sections 132, 221, and 351(2) of the BNS, 2023, based on the complaint by the PWD official. He further alleged that he was detained without notice under Section 41A and later taken to the Bannakhera outpost lock-up. Speaking about his experience in custody, Bharti said, “I was beaten, stripped, abused with casteist slurs, forced to drink water from a shoe, and made to give my mobile and email passwords. They accessed my professional accounts and deleted my work.” He added that he filed complaints with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, the National Human Rights Commission, and senior state authorities on December 15, and later moved the High Court on December 25. He claims notices were issued in January 2026, but no action has been taken so far. Bazpur Circle Officer Vibhav Saini, however, strongly denied the allegations. “These claims appear to be an attempt to pressure the police. The FIR was lodged based on a written complaint by the PWD assistant engineer. Police were present only to maintain law and order during the official demolition drive. At no point did the police exceed their legal authority. All procedures were followed,” he said. Saini added that the investigation has now been transferred to officers from another district to ensure transparency. Courtesy : TOP Note: This news is originally published on https:/theobserverpost.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Five Arrested In Dalit Murder Case: Police Encounter Leaves Two Suspects Shot
Uttar Pradesh cops nab key accused in stabbing death of 30-year-old man amid caste atrocity probe Satya Prakash Ram, 30, from Gurgujpur village, was fatally stabbed near a Sawara liquor shop after an argument on Saturday. Case filed against Sundaram Singh, Raja Singh, and Umakant Pandey under BNS murder section and SC/ST Atrocities Act based on victim’s brother’s complaint. Early Sunday shootout near Navapura-Mahatwar Road led to arrests of all five, with two injured accused hospitalised; police seized pistol, knife, and bikes. Five men, including three accused named in the fatal stabbing of a 30-year-old Dalit man, were arrested following a police encounter in the Rasra area of Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district, according to PTI. The incident, reported PTI, stemmed from the murder of Satya Prakash Ram, a resident of Gurgujpur village in Rasra, who was allegedly stabbed to death by three men near a liquor shop in Sawara village on Saturday afternoon after an argument. Based on a complaint from the victim’s brother, Om Prakash, police registered a case against Sundaram Singh, Raja Singh, and Umakant Pandey—all residents of Sawara village—under section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Ballia Superintendent of Police Omvir Singh on Sunday said Pandey was arrested soon after the incident. He said that around 4 am on Sunday, during a vehicle-checking drive near the Navapura-Mahatwar Road, police signalled four motorcycle-borne suspects to stop. However, they opened fire at the police team in an attempt to escape. Police and the Special Operations Group (SOG) team retaliated in self-defence, arresting two named accused in the murder case—Sundaram Singh alias Satya Singh, 21, and Raj Singh alias Raja Singh, 24, who were injured. Sundaram was shot in the left leg, while Raj sustained a gunshot injury in his right leg, police said. During the encounter, police also arrested Anuj Singh, 19, of Badi Pakwal in the Sarayalkhasni area of Mau district, and Ajay Kharwar, 18, of Chakia in the Ranipur area of Mau district. The two injured accused have been admitted to a hospital. Police recovered a country-made pistol, cartridges, two motorcycles, and the knife allegedly used in the murder from the accused. Curated by: Saher Hiba Khan Courtesy : Outlook India Note: This news is originally published on https:/outlookindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights