Killing of Anjel in Dehradun horrific ‘hate crime’: Rahul
NEW DELHI: Expressing horror at the “hate crime” murder of Anjel Chakma in Dehradun, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday blamed the “hate spewing” leadership of BJP for normalising prejudice, which, he said, is being fed for years through toxic content and irresponsible narratives. Assam Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said Chakma was killed after being called a “Chinese” while the oldest tribe of Karbi are facing “Chinese go back” slogans in their own land of Karbi Anglong in Assam, as he accused the governing BJP of failing to celebrate the diversity of the country. Gogoi said there was a 12-day delay in filing the case in Chakma’s murder and the main accused has gone absconding. He demanded an inquiry into lax action and immediate arrest of the accused. The Assam Congress chief said the people of the North-East are facing prejudice on a daily basis across states while “our PM and the entire machinery supporting him is only focused on changing the mindset of India from one that celebrates its diversity to one that focuses only on one identity”. He said BJP govt is not able to understand the anger among the people of the North-East against the Centre. “Neither could they understand it in Manipur, nor in Karbi Anglong. They are also unable to understand the doubts in the minds of the people of the region in the Anjel Chakma case. The PM only uses people as a prop, who are collected during his trips and then sent back after a photo-op,” he said. Gogoi said he too was once asked at Agra where he hailed from and was asked to show his passport. “Only the people of the North-East understand this pain. And, it takes a lot of courage to proudly carry our country’s flag despite such experiences. This is evidence of our tolerance and our patriotism,” he said. Rahul said, “India is built on respect and unity, not fear and abuse. We are a country of love and diversity. We must not become a dead society that looks away while fellow Indians are targeted. We must reflect and confront what we are allowing our country to become.” 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
A man with his face covered raped an elderly Dalit woman, and then the victim’s son did this.
A very shameful incident has come to light from Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh. A heinous crime was committed against an elderly Dalit woman, after which the woman fainted. Now, more details have emerged regarding this case. UP News: In our country, elders have always been respected. However, incidents of violence against the elderly are continuously increasing. Sometimes, some incidents are so shocking that they leave everyone ashamed. A similar case has come to light from Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh. Here, an elderly woman went to the forest to defecate on Saturday night. But what happened to her there has shamed everyone. As soon as the elderly woman went to the forest to defecate, a man with his face covered came there and committed a heinous act against the elderly woman. It should also be noted that the elderly woman belongs to the Dalit community. As soon as the police were informed about this incident, there was a commotion. According to the information received, the man who committed this heinous crime against the elderly victim had his face covered with a cloth. After the incident, the victim fainted. When she regained consciousness, she went home and informed her neighbor about the incident. Nitesh Srivastava Courtesy: Hindi News
Tamil Nadu SIR: 1,857 Dalit voters removed from electoral rolls in Manjolai
In Manjolai, a hill hamlet under the Ambasamudram Assembly constituency in Tirunelveli district, the Election Commission of India has removed 1,857 voters In Manjolai, a hill hamlet under the Ambasamudram Assembly constituency in Tirunelveli district, the Election Commission of India has removed 1,857 voters from the electoral rolls during the recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR). According to official records, Manjolai earlier had 1,906 registered voters. After the revision, only 49 names remain, with election officials categorising the rest as residents who have permanently migrated out of the area. A ground-level investigation by South First, however, contradicts this claim. Residents assert that Manjolai continues to be their permanent place of residence, even though many have temporarily relocated to the plains for work after the shutdown of the tea estate, which was the community’s primary source of livelihood. Villagers told South First that they have not changed their permanent address and that their Aadhaar cards, ration cards, and earlier voter IDs all continue to reflect Manjolai as their place of residence. Temporary migration for survival, they argue, cannot legally or morally be treated as permanent relocation. Residents have questioned the basis on which their voting rights were withdrawn, pointing out that no individual applications were submitted seeking deletion or transfer of votes. They warn that the mass removal of voters has effectively disenfranchised an entire Dalit community that has lived and voted in Manjolai for generations. The deletions, they say, raise serious concerns about electoral fairness, procedural transparency, and the right to vote, especially for marginalised communities dependent on seasonal or migratory labour. Subash Chandra Bose Courtesy : TSF Note: This news is originally published on https:/thesouthfirst.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
G. Parameshwara’s supporters revive demand for Dalit Chief Minister
MYSURU, Supporters of Home Minister and former Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G. Parameshwara revived the demand for a Dalit Chief Minister in Karnataka by propping up Mr. Parameshwara’s candidature for the post. This comes amid the ongoing leadership tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on December 28, Dalit leader Bilikere Raju said Dalit organisations, along with the support of organisations of various other communities, are planning to hold a convention in Mysuru to mobilise support for Mr. Parameshwara, who is a “deserving” candidate for the post. Mr. Raju said Dalits had not been given their due recognition in AHINDA, though the grouping comprises minorities, backward classes, and Dalits. The Dalit leader, who also represents the G. Parameshwara Admirers’ Association, placed a condition to attend the proposed AHINDA convention in Mysuru. “We will attend the convention only if it supports Mr. Parameshwara’s candidature for the Chief Minister’s post,” he said. Regretting that Dalits had so far been used in the AHINDA movement only to secure power for “somebody else”, Mr. Raju said a Dalit Chief Minister for Karnataka has been due for over 25 years. He pointed out that Dalits were numerically strong enough to influence the outcome of polls in 150 out of the 223 constituencies in the State. About 80 to 90% of Dalits had voted for the Congress in the last Assembly elections, he said. Even though there are deserving candidates in the Dalit community for the post of Chief Minister, nobody has occupied the post so far, he lamented. Without directly blaming anyone for Mr. Parameshwara’s loss in the Assembly elections in 2013, Mr. Raju said “everyone” knows the reasons for his defeat. A large number of people in Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Mandya and even Kanakapura are in favour of Mr. Parameshwara becoming the Chief Minister, he said, while adding that the organisations had started working on the convention as their dream of seeing Mr. Parameshwara as the Chief Minister will not materialise if they do not get into action and conduct such mobilisation exercises. The Hindu Bureau Courtesy : The Hindu Note: This news is originally published on https:/thehindu.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Let police stations continue handling SC and ST cases: Dalit activists
Mangaluru: Dalit community members demanded that all cases of atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Tribes should be investigated by the respective police stations instead of the Civil Rights Enforcement Directorate (DCRE) stations. At an SC/ST grievances meeting chaired by DCP (law and order) Mithun HN on Sunday, Dalit activists said the DCRE in Mangaluru is not working efficiently, and chargesheets in many cases are not submitted to courts within the prescribed time. Dalit activist Anand SP said that the DCRE unit has no DSP, and many other posts are vacant. Referring to a few cases, he pointed out that this was causing delays in the investigations, and chargesheets are not being submitted to the courts on time. “Delay in submission of chargesheets may lead to destruction of evidence in cases,” he said. Meanwhile, other Dalit activists who participated in the meeting also echoed the same opinion and said that there is no need for DCRE stations to investigate cases of SC/ST atrocities. Activists also expressed their displeasure over the absence of the DCRE SP for the meeting. DCP Mithun said a letter in this regard will be sent to the DIGP. He said that no decisions can be taken with regard to the demand at the local level. Any decision will have to be taken by the govt. Further, the local police cannot interfere in the investigation once the case is handed over to the DCRE, the DCP said. Another activist, Ramesh Kotian, demanded that the city police should grant permission for a community member to reopen the recreation club, which was closed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Mukhesh from Kulshekhar alleged negligence at Wenlock District Hospital, stating that a patient was denied the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat health scheme. He also accused the hospital staff of not maintaining the patients’ admission numbers properly. The DCP suggested that the issue may be brought to the notice of the health department officials. 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
BMC Elections 2026: Congress Expands Base With VBA Tie-Up, Aims To Consolidate Dalit & Minority Votes
Congress and the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) have formed a surprising alliance for the Mumbai BMC elections, ending 25 years of rivalry. Congress will contest 150 seats, VBA 62, and Rashtriya Samaj Paksha 9-12. The alliance aims to consolidate Dalit, minority, and north Indian votes, posing a challenge to Sena-MNS and BJP ahead of 2029 polls. Mumbai: Burying political animosity of the past 25 years, Congress on Sunday sprung a surprise by joining hands with the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) for BMC elections. Under the arrangement, Congress will contest 150 seats, while VBA will field candidates in 62 wards, leaving 9-12 seats for Rashtriya Samaj Paksha led by Mahadeo Jankar. The alliance was announced by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Harshwardhan Sapkal, along with VBA state vice-president Dhairyavardhan Pundkar. Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad was absent, reportedly due to her engagement in a screening committee meeting to finalise candidates. The coming together of the Congress and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) has once again proved that anything and everything is possible when it comes to politics. If we look back into recent electoral history, we will remember that not once but twice the VBA gnawed into the Congress vote base. During the 2014 Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections, the VBA in alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), contributed to the defeat of Congress’ several candidates. In the 2019 elections again, it significantly dented the Congress-NCP alliance’s chances of returning to power on its own. According to Congress leaders, the VBA ensured the defeat of at least 25 candidates from the Congress and the NCP. The party attracted a substantial share of Dalit votes, which traditionally belonged to the grand old party. The VBA is said to have polled 41 lakh votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and 24 lakh votes in the Assembly elections held the same year. Its candidates finished second in 10 constituencies and third in several others. In the 2024 Assembly elections, the VBA impacted nearly 20 seats where the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) lost to the Mahayuti by margins of less than 10,000 votes. Similarly, in the Lok Sabha elections held last year, the MVA lost a few seats due to the presence of VBA candidates in constituencies such as Akola, Buldhana, Hatkanangle and Mumbai North West. The emerging understanding between the Congress and the VBA is being seen as a precursor to a possible alliance ahead of the 2029 elections, according to a party leader. “The Congress cannot remain dependent on the Shiv Sena (UBT), especially as it may continue its alliance with the Raj Thackeray-led MNS, which is against our ideology,” the leader said. The Congress is also keen on expanding its base in Vidarbha, a region that has traditionally been a party bastion. Even in the recent municipal council elections, the party secured its maximum number of seats from Vidarbha. With upcoming elections to municipal corporations and Zilla Parishads, the alliance with the VBA could prove advantageous, the leader added. On the other hand, a Congress-VBA alliance is likely to pose challenges for the Sena (UBT)-MNS combine as it could attract a large share of Dalit votes along with support from north Indian voters and minorities. “North Indians and minorities do not vote for the MNS and this could significantly affect the Thackeray brothers,” the leader said. For the BJP and the Shinde Sena, the alliance may create problems in a few constituencies. However, by denting the Thackeray vote bank, it could also indirectly benefit the Mahayuti. The BJP primarily relies on Gujarati and north Indian voters and requires substantial support from Marathi voters across communities. For the Shinde Sena, the Congress-VBA candidates could come to its aid – provided they draw votes away from the Thackeray faction. Ravikiran Deshmukh Courtesy : TFPJ Note: This news is originally published on https:/thefreepressjournal.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
20 transgenders hired as sanitation workers in Vizag
Visakhapatnam: Vizag city police, with support from local bodies and various organisations, are helping transgender individuals find employment. Under “Mission Jyotirgamaya,” Vizag city police chief Dr Shanka Brata Bagchi has been working to provide livelihood and dignity to the transgender community in the city. As a first step, 20 transgender persons have been appointed as sanitation workers with GVMC, and five others have availed loans from SBI to start small businesses. The city police said they aim to create employment opportunities for all transgender individuals in Vizag in the coming days. 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
Barabanki: In the presence of a revenue officer and a land record officer, goons ran a tractor over a Dalit farmer; the victim is battling for his life at the district hospital.
Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh: A serious case of hooliganism and caste-based oppression has come to light in Rampur Khargi village under Ramnagar tehsil of the district. It is alleged that in the presence of a revenue officer, goons plowed over the standing crop of a Scheduled Caste woman farmer with a tractor. When she protested, the goons allegedly tried to kill her husband by running him over with the tractor, leaving him seriously injured and fighting for his life at the district hospital. The victim, Kusum, wife of Mannu Lal, a resident of Rampur Khargi village (Ramnagar police station and tehsil), belongs to the Scheduled Caste. According to the victim, several families have been cultivating land and making a living on approximately 40 bighas of land in the village for many years. On a part of this land, Chandrapal Yadav of the same village has dug a pond, while the remaining land has been under ancestral cultivation by the victim and other villagers. The victim stated that she had wheat and mustard crops standing on about 5 bighas of land. On December 25, 2025, at around 2 PM, Chandrapal Yadav, his son Narendra Yadav, Suresh Verma, Master Jagat Narayan Verma, and Sandeep Verma arrived at the spot with two tractors. It is alleged that the local revenue officer Rajendra Yadav and a land record officer were also present with them. The victim says that after the measurement, the revenue officer and the land record officer told the goons to immediately plow and destroy the standing crop. The victim’s husband, Mannu Lal, and other villagers requested that the measurement be done after the harvest, but the revenue officer allegedly said that Chandrapal Yadav was a close relative of his and that they would only leave after plowing the crop. It is alleged that when they protested, the goons used casteist slurs, hurled abusive language, and threatened to kill them. During this time, the tractor driver ran the tractor over Mannu Lal, seriously injuring him. In an injured condition, his family members first took him to the Ramnagar Community Health Center, from where, seeing his critical condition, the doctor referred him to the district hospital. The victims allege that the incident was reported to Dial 112, but the police who arrived at the scene took no action. Shortly after, the perpetrators returned with a tractor and completely ploughed and destroyed the crops of the victim and other villagers, causing a loss of approximately 3 lakh rupees. The victims say that a video of the entire incident exists, yet no case has been registered so far. The victims have demanded that the district administration immediately conduct a medical examination of the injured farmer, register a case against the culprits under strict sections of the law, and provide security to the family. On the other hand, this incident has raised serious questions about administrative inaction and the oppression of Dalits. KAMRAN ALVI Courtesy: Hindi News
What Has Mayawati’s Sarvjan Politics Done to the Ambedkarite Political, Social, and Buddhist Movements of Dalits?
Mayawati is one of the most powerful and symbolically significant Dalit leaders in post-Ambedkar India. Rising from Kanshi Ram’s Bahujan movement, she became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh multiple times and led the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to unprecedented electoral success. For many Dalits, her ascent represented dignity, visibility, and the possibility of rule by the historically oppressed. in Annihilate Caste Yet, alongside these achievements, Mayawati’s version of Bahujan politics has had deeply contradictory consequences for Ambedkarite political, social, and Buddhist movements. While it consolidated electoral power and symbolic representation, it simultaneously weakened ideological depth, dismantled autonomous social movements, and marginalized Ambedkar’s religious–ethical project. This essay examines these consequences across three domains: political, social, and Buddhist movements. Impact on Ambedkarite Political Movement 1.1 From Ideological Politics to Power-Centric Governance Ambedkar viewed politics as a means for social and moral reconstruction, not an end in itself. Mayawati, inheriting Kanshi Ram’s framework, further shifted Dalit politics toward power-centric pragmatism. Electoral success, administrative control, and survival of the party apparatus became overriding priorities. As a result: Ideological debates within Dalit politics declined, Ambedkarite principles such as constitutional morality, fraternity, and social justice were rarely articulated as governing philosophies and politics became managerial rather than transformative. Dalit political power became visible but ideologically shallow. 1.2 Centralization and Decline of Democratic Culture Under Mayawati, the BSP evolved into an extremely centralized organization: decision-making rested almost entirely with the leader, internal dissent was punished and Cadre-based leadership and second-line Ambedkarite thinkers were systematically eliminated. This destroyed the institutional culture necessary for a long-term political movement. Unlike Ambedkar’s organizations—which encouraged debate, education, and intellectual autonomy—the BSP under Mayawati functioned as a command structure, producing obedience rather than consciousness. 1.3 Electoral Dependency and Post-BSP Vacuum Because Ambedkarite politics became tightly bound to BSP’s electoral fortunes, its decline after 2012 produced: organizational collapse, leadership vacuum and fragmentation of Dalit political energies. The absence of parallel ideological institutions meant that once electoral power weakened, Ambedkarite political mobilization lacked sustainability. Impact on Ambedkarite Social Movement 2.1 Symbolic Assertion Replacing Social Reform Mayawati’s most visible contribution was symbolic politics—statues, memorials, parks, and iconography of Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram, and Dalit icons. These symbols restored dignity and countered centuries of erasure. However, symbolism was not matched by: mass educational movements, land redistribution initiatives, sustained campaigns against caste violence and Grassroots legal empowerment. Thus, Dalit assertion became representational rather than structural. 2.2 Depoliticization of Everyday Caste Oppression Ambedkarite social movements historically addressed everyday caste practices—segregation, humiliation, violence, religious exclusion. Under Mayawati: social activism was subordinated to electoral discipline. Independent Dalit movements were discouraged or absorbed and criticism was treated as political betrayal. This led to a weakening of grassroots resistance to caste oppression, particularly in rural areas where social domination remained intact despite Dalit political representation. 2.3 Emergence of Social Passivity The message implicitly conveyed was: “The state will take care of Dalit interests.” This discouraged autonomous social mobilization. Dalits increasingly became spectators of politics rather than participants in social transformation, eroding the culture of protest, self-organization, and community reform central to Ambedkar’s vision. Impact on Ambedkarite Buddhist Movement 3.1 Marginalization of Navayana Buddhism Ambedkar considered conversion to Buddhism the culmination of Dalit liberation, providing a new moral universe based on equality, rationality, and compassion. Mayawati, however, treated Buddhism as politically inconvenient: It risked alienating Hindu OBC allies. It did not translate directly into electoral arithmetic. Consequently: no state-supported Buddhist education or cultural institutions were developed. Mass conversion movements were absent. Buddhist intellectual traditions stagnated. The Ambedkarite Buddhist movement remained peripheral and under-resourced. 3.2 Reduction of Ambedkar to a Political Symbol Under Mayawati, Ambedkar was increasingly presented as: A constitutional icon, a Dalit leader and a symbol of pride, but not as a radical critic of Hinduism and caste religion. His Buddhist philosophy—ethical, rational, anti-Brahmanical—was softened or ignored. This de-radicalization made Ambedkar more acceptable to dominant caste sensibilities but weakened the spiritual foundation of Dalit emancipation. 3.3 Loss of Ethical–Moral Framework Buddhism provided Ambedkarite politics with: ethical discipline, rational morality and Universalist humanism. Its neglect created a moral vacuum in Dalit politics, which was increasingly filled by: electoral pragmatism, welfare populism and personality worship. Politics without ethics became vulnerable to corruption, opportunism, and stagnation. Broader Consequences for Dalit Emancipation 4.1 Fragmentation of Ambedkarite Tradition Ambedkarite thought—once a synthesis of politics, social reform, and religion—became fragmented: politics without ideology, social assertion without reform and Buddhism without institutional support. This fragmentation weakened the coherence of Dalit emancipation as a civilizational project. 4.2 Rise of Post-BSP Ambedkarite Movements The limitations of Mayawati’s Bahujan politics partly explain the emergence of: Dalit student movements, Bhim Army / Azad Samaj Party and Independent Ambedkarite intellectual circles. These groups emphasize education, ideology, street mobilization, and constitutional rights—often explicitly distancing themselves from BSP-style politics. Mayawati’s Bahujan politics produced historic political representation and symbolic empowerment for Dalits, achievements that cannot be dismissed. However, this success came at a significant cost to the Ambedkarite political, social, and Buddhist movements. By prioritizing electoral power over ideological depth, symbolism over social reform, and pragmatism over ethical–religious transformation, her leadership: weakened autonomous Dalit social movements, marginalized Ambedkarite Buddhism and reduced Ambedkarism to electoral symbolism. In Ambedkar’s vision, political power was only one pillar of emancipation, alongside social revolution and moral–religious reconstruction. Mayawati’s politics strengthened the first while neglecting—and sometimes undermining—the other two. The challenge for contemporary Dalit movements is not merely to regain political power, but to reintegrate Ambedkar’s triadic vision of politics, society, and ethics, without which Dalit emancipation remains incomplete and reversible. By SR Darapuri SR Darapuri, National President, All India Peoples Front Courtesy : Counter Currents Note: This news is originally published on https:/countercurrents.org/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
BSP’s New Strategy: Shifting from Dalit to OBC Leader, Will the Elephant Run in Purvanchal in 2027?
The Bahujan Samaj Party has surprised everyone by handing over the reins of Ghazipur district to an OBC leader. This could have an impact in Purvanchal in the 2027 UP Assembly elections. This time, the BSP is working with full force. Amitesh Kumar Singh, Ghazipur: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has appointed a new district president in Ghazipur keeping in mind the 2027 UP Assembly elections. Ramesh Singh Kushwaha reached the party office for the first time on Saturday after being appointed as the BSP president of Ghazipur. He was given a grand welcome there. After about 20 years, the BSP has played a new political gambit by appointing a full-time OBC district president. The BSP seems to be working on a strategy to make significant inroads into the OBC vote bank along with its traditional Dalit voters. Harinaath Rajbhar was made District President in 2007 BSP Varanasi Divisional In-charge Pramod Kumar Prabhakar told NBT Online that earlier in 2007, the party had appointed Harinaath Rajbhar as the district president. At that time, the BSP was in power in UP and party supremo Mayawati was the Chief Minister. After that, in 2023, Bujharat Rajbhar was made the district president, but his tenure was limited to just 2 months. Thus, it can be seen that after about 20 years, the party has once again made a fundamental change in its political strategies by betting on an OBC face. Prabhakar said that the BSP is a political party. Like all parties, the BSP also has every right to take decisions keeping political equations in mind. The UP Assembly elections are to be held in 2027. Keeping that in mind, the party high command has decided to appoint the district president. Ramesh Singh Kushwaha has been associated with the party for a long time. He is an articulate speaker. His appointment as district president by the BSP will directly connect the backward votes with the BSP. The party will perform brilliantly under Ramesh’s leadership – Umesh Former Lok Sabha candidate and BSP leader Dr. Umesh Kumar Singh said that the Bahujan Samaj Party works keeping all sections of society in mind. Ramesh Singh Kushwaha is an old and strong cadre of the BSP. Under his leadership, the party will perform brilliantly in the upcoming elections. Edited by: Vivek Mishra About the Author Vivek Kumar Mishra is a Senior Digital Content Producer at Navbharat Times. His focus is on news from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. He also writes opinion pieces and political analyses. He was born in Barabanki and has worked in several cities across three states. He started his career in print media in 2013. Courtesy: Hindi News