The I.N.D.I.A. alliance will fight from the streets to the courts, raising voices against the SIR and the EC.
Opposition parties have strategized to intensify their protests against the SIR and voter list changes. A meeting at Rahul Gandhi’s residence suggested a joint demonstration at Jantar Mantar, a rally at Ramlila Maidan in the first week of November, and a mock parliament. The opposition also discussed continuing the legal battle and preparing to mobilize within 24 hours if necessary. New Delhi: The opposition is preparing to continue its fight against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from the streets to the courts. To transform the ongoing protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a process for voter list changes, into a joint campaign, the I.N.D.I.A. is strategizing a demonstration at Jantar Mantar and a proposed rally at Ramlila Maidan. A mock parliament has also been proposed before the rally. Leaders of opposition parties, along with representatives of student organizations and civil society, participated in a meeting held at Rahul Gandhi’s residence on Tuesday. The meeting discussed the next phase of the movement, forming a joint front at Jantar Mantar, and continuing the legal battle. Rahul’s message: Be prepared to mobilize within 24 hours. At the meeting, Rahul Gandhi urged leaders and organizations to be prepared to mobilize within 24 hours if needed. He emphasized the need to transform individual protests into a joint campaign. The opposition wants to keep questions related to the accountability of the SIR and the Election Commission in the political debate. After Jantar Mantar was removed from the list of designated protest sites, the opposition is linking the issue to the right to protest. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and CPI General Secretary D. Raja expressed concern at the meeting. The opposition is attempting to bring political parties, student organizations, and civil society groups together through a joint program. Rahul Gandhi stated that they will reclaim Jantar Mantar. Next steps will be decided after court action. On October 12, opposition leaders marched to the Supreme Court. Now, the opposition wants to continue the mass movement alongside the legal process. A joint campaign at Jantar Mantar and a proposed rally at Ramlila Maidan may be part of the next phase of the movement. However, final decisions on the detailed program and mock parliament are still pending. Suggestion of a Mock Parliament Before the Rally A suggestion was made to hold a mock parliament before the proposed rally at Ramlila Maidan in the first week of November. This also includes the idea of symbolic action such as impeachment against the Chief Election Commissioner. However, this is still a proposal, not a final decision. The meeting also discussed inviting people who claim to have their names removed from the voter list during the SIR to the rally. CPI (ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya stated that the struggle will continue until Gyanesh Kumar resigns. Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghosh and Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut also supported the continuation of the campaign. Leaders of opposition parties appeared completely united against the changes to the voter list. Authored by: Hemant Rajoura •Edited by: Tina About the Author Hemant Rajoura is a special correspondent for Navbharat Times. He covers the politics of major opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, and RJD, in-depth. He also keeps a close eye on important news related to health, science, and policy. Courtesy: Hindi News
Jharkhand: 5 accused of assaulting and using casteist slurs against a Dalit woman for drawing water from a well
In Jagannathpur, Ranchi, a case of assault and casteist slurs against a Dalit woman for preventing her from drawing water from a well has come to light. Police have registered an FIR against five accused under the SC/ST Act and have begun an investigation. Jharkhand: A serious incident has come to light in Ranchi, the capital, where a Dalit woman was prevented from drawing water from a well and assaulted. According to police information released on Tuesday, October 13th, a case has been filed against five people, including four members of the same family, in connection with the incident. The miscreants are also accused of harassing and abusing the victim with casteist slurs. The entire incident occurred on October 10th in Sector 2 of HEC Smart City, which falls under the Jagannathpur police station jurisdiction. A senior police officer confirmed that the victim, identified as Manju Chaudhary, had filed a police complaint on the same day of the incident. The case took a new turn on Monday when the accused family filed a cross-complaint with the police. In their complaint, they accused the victim, a Dalit woman, of assaulting them. Jagannathpur police station in-charge Nitin Kumar Singh, providing details of the case, stated that the police have taken concrete action based on the written complaint filed by Manju Chaudhary. Police have registered an FIR against Amrendra Kumar, his wife Remi Devi, their two sons, and another person under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and the BNS Act. According to the station in-charge, the victim alleged in her complaint that these five people, who lived near her house, had been preventing her from drawing water from their well since July 23rd. Subsequently, on October 10th, they suddenly assaulted her brutally and used derogatory casteist slurs against her. Given the sensitivity of the matter, the police have launched an investigation. The investigating officer stated that preliminary police investigations have revealed that the well at the center of the dispute is located within the premises of the main accused, Amarendra’s house. The police are currently thoroughly investigating all the serious allegations of harassment and assault leveled by the woman. The officer clarified that once this investigation is complete, strict and appropriate legal action will be taken against the accused based on all the facts that have emerged. Rajan Chaudhary Courtesy: Hindi News
Tension in UP Congress: Dalit leader Mamta Chaudhary at the center of the “Speak within your limits” controversy; learn the full story
A dispute over “status” between Dalit leader Mamta Chaudhary and Ajay Rai at the UP Congress headquarters has intensified factionalism within the party ahead of the 2027 elections. An alleged altercation at the Uttar Pradesh Congress headquarters on October 11th has heated up the state’s political landscape. A heated exchange occurred between Mahila Congress leader Mamta Chaudhary and former state president Ajay Rai at the party office in Lucknow. Following this incident, Mamta Chaudhary alleged that Ajay Rai’s supporters misbehaved with her and other women workers. According to party leaders, the commotion occurred when new state president Aradhana Mishra and newly appointed acting president Imran Masood were about to arrive at the office to formally assume office. It is alleged that the women workers were targeted as soon as Ajay Rai arrived with his supporters. On Monday, videos related to the incident surfaced, further fueling the controversy. In these videos, Mamta Chaudhary, the Central Zone President of the State Mahila Congress, is allegedly heard saying that she does not want to see Ajay Rai’s face. Immediately afterward, Ajay Rai can be heard telling her to “speak within your limits.” Speaking to the media on Monday, 47-year-old Mamta Chaudhary clarified her position on the matter. She claimed that she was only strongly protesting the harassment of women workers and that she had not directly spoken to Ajay Rai. She expressed surprise and said that she did not understand how things escalated to the point of throwing shoes and slippers at her. Mamta further said that if she had said something wrong, Ajay Rai, as a senior leader, could have simply reprimanded her. Calling the entire incident an attack on Dalits and women, she expressed hope that the party’s top leadership would take strict action against the culprits. She also added that she has full faith in the Congress, as the entire party cannot be defamed because of a few wrongdoers. This controversy has emerged at a time when the Congress party is preparing for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. This incident has suddenly brought Dalit leader Mamta Chaudhary, who has been active in the party organization for nearly two decades, into the spotlight. Mamta Chaudhary’s political journey began in 2006 when she contested the Lucknow Municipal Corporation elections from Malviya Nagar. Since then, she has been elected as a councilor four times in a row. She also served as the Congress leader in the Municipal Corporation House in 2017 and 2023. During the 2022 Assembly elections, Mamta was among the prominent candidates selected under Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s “I am a girl, I can fight” campaign. She contested from the reserved seat of Mohanlalganj, where she received 2,990 votes. Just a year after the Assembly elections, she was appointed the President of the Central Region of the Mahila Congress in Uttar Pradesh. Mamta Chaudhary originally hails from a long-standing Congress family in Unnao, and Lucknow is her in-laws’ home. She received her early education at the Indian School in Bahrain and earned a degree in English from DAV PG College. Congress leaders who have worked with her say she has always been known for her outspoken opinions. Her current tenure in the Mahila Congress is being marked by organizational uncertainty. The committee was dissolved last year, and no new president has been appointed. Party insiders believe this organizational vacuum has contributed to factionalism and tensions between Mamta Chaudhary and Ajay Rai. Given the seriousness of Sunday’s incident, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has formed a fact-finding committee. This investigation committee is headed by Brijlal Khabri, former Uttar Pradesh Congress president and prominent Dalit leader. Khabri, a former BSP leader, has stated that the committee is conducting a thorough investigation into the matter and will submit its detailed report to the top leadership within a week. Rajan Chaudhary Courtesy: Hindi News
Congress MLA’s uncle among 3 booked for caste discrimination at Wanaparthy temple
BRS general secretary RS Praveen Kumar questioned how entering a temple on gram panchayat land without permission could be considered a crime. Synopsis: In Mangampally, a village in Peddamandadi Mandal of Wanaparthy district, a Dalit man and his family were asked to leave the temple premises during a renovation ritual. The video of the exchange has since gone viral on social media and triggered a political storm, as one of the accused is related to a ruling Congress MLA. Police in Telangana’s Wanaparthy district have registered a case against three men for allegedly abusing a Dalit man and asking him to leave the premises of a temple at Mangampally village of Peddamandadi mandal. The police registered the FIR after a video of the incident went viral on social media, drew sharp political criticism, and after a complaint by Masani Sudheer, a 33-year-old milk trader belonging to the Scheduled Caste Madiga community. The incident gained public attention after it was revealed that one of the accused, Kuppireddy Venkatram Reddy, is the maternal uncle of Congress MLA Tudi Megha Reddy. The complaint Sudheer said he visited the Lord Hanuman temple in his village with his family around 9:30 am on Monday, 12 October. Rituals related to the temple’s renovation were underway at the time. He alleged that upper-caste men from the village, including Venkatram Reddy (60), Yeddula Srinivas Reddy (48), Yeddula Rajavardhan Reddy (45), and others, confronted him. In his complaint, he claimed all three men were related to MLA Megha Reddy, who also belongs to the same village. According to the FIR, they told him no Scheduled Caste person had entered the temple in 50 years. They allegedly said he was not welcome because of his caste, and asked why he had gone in on the last day of the rituals and “desecrated” the shrine. Sudheer further alleged that the accused threatened to demolish the temple because he had entered it. He also said that his parents suffered cruelty at their hands, and asked the police to hold the accused responsible if he or his family are subject to any harm. The FIR invoked Section 352 read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and Sections 3(1) (r), 3(1) (s) & 3(1) za(C) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) deal with intentionally insulting or intimidating a Scheduled Caste member and abusing them by caste name in public view. In contrast, 3(1) (za) (C) deals with social and economic obstruction. Viral video and criticism The exchange between the accused and the complainant has been widely shared on social media platforms. In the clip, the men tell Sudheer he must leave the premises because they built the shrine with their own money. They say that the temple does not come under the Endowments Department, so they are free to deny him entry. BRS general secretary and former IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar condemned the incident and questioned how entering a temple on gram panchayat land, not private land, without permission could be considered a crime. “Dear MLA sir, if you are someone who respects the values of justice, you should approach the police, file a case against your uncle and get him arrested,” he wrote in an X post. The FIR was registered on the evening of 13 October after Sudheer submitted a complaint to the Superintendent of Police. DSP Giribabu has been assigned as the investigating officer. So far, no arrests have been made. Sreshta Ladegaam (Edited by Majnu Babu). 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
‘Rahul Gandhi told us to be ready at 24 hours notice for protest: Anish Gawande slams CJP leaders’ arrests
NEW DELHI: NCP(SP) spokesperson Anish Gawande sharply criticised the arrest of CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, calling the preventive arrest ‘bizarre’. Gawande also said Rahul Gandhi had asked the INDIA bloc to be ready at 24 hours’ notice for further protests, as the bloc seeks Supreme Court intervention over the arrests and other concerns related to the Election Commission. He questioned the trespassing FIR against them and asked Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar whether he supported the action against young protesters at Jantar Mantar. “This preventive arrest is bizarre. What is the actual complaint? Trespassing, filed by the JD(U)?” Gawande said, calling it a “sad day for the JD(U) and an even sadder day for Indian democracy”. Das and Ranka were detained early Tuesday after allegedly breaching barricades and entering Jantar Mantar, recently denotified as a designated protest site, while raising slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The police case includes charges of trespassing, violating prohibitory orders, breaching a peace bond and obstructing a public servant. Gawande invoked Nitish Kumar’s background in student politics and the JP movement, asking whether the Bihar chief minister supported the FIR against young people who, he said, were trying to wave the national flag at Jantar Mantar. He also said the INDIA bloc had been asked by leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi to remain ready at 24 hours’ notice for further protests. The bloc expects the Supreme Court to address what Gawande described as an illegal FIR, alleged police brutality and concerns over the functioning of the Election Commission, including Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The arrest follows protests by CJP and other organisations over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. On October 11, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar designated Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as venues for demonstrations, removing Jantar Mantar from the list of approved protest sites. CJP has argued that shifting protests away from the capital’s political centre reduces the visibility of dissent. 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
Rahul Gandhi stands with injured NSUI protesters, says ‘nafrat ka jawab pyar se diya jaega’
NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader and Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met NSUI protesters who alleged that they were assaulted by Delhi Police during demonstrations. At a press conference, Rahul introduced a woman protester as “our sherni” and said she had remained unafraid despite being beaten. Another protester played ‘Vaishnava Jana To’ on a flute, saying, “nafrat ka jawab pyar se diya jaega…” “I want to introduce our ‘sherni’. She was beaten, but she was not afraid. There was no hatred in her heart,” Rahul said. The woman protester said that a woman police constable, identified as Chanchal Yadav, assaulted her after NSUI workers were detained in buses during a peaceful protest. She said there were around 30-40 protesters in each of the three buses, with two women and 20-30 other NSUI members in her bus. “Yesterday, all NSUI workers were protesting peacefully when we were detained in three buses. There were many of our colleagues, around 30-40 in each bus. In our bus, there were two girls and 20-30 other NSUI colleagues. There was a woman constable in the bus named Chanchal Yadav. After being detained, we tried to get off the bus again through the gate and continue leading the protest. We tried to stop the bus and sat down beneath it so that our protest could somehow continue. But Chanchal Yadav grabbed me tightly by the neck and pushed me, causing me to fall backwards onto the seat. She then scratched my face with her nails, leaving scratches across my face and near my ear. When I resisted her, she slapped me so hard and said, ‘Here, take another slap across your face.’” Rahul also spoke about Athira, a student from Kerala studying at Delhi University, who alleged that she sustained injuries to her ear and eye during the police action. “Athira from Kerala has lost her hearing in one ear. She is deaf in one ear because she was struck on that ear. She can no longer hear. Last time I showed you a boy who was blinded. Now, she is deaf in one ear,” Rahul said. Athira alleged that there were no women police personnel on the bus when the protesters were detained. She said she asked for a woman officer to be present during the detention, after which the bus stopped outside the Connaught Place police station. “I am from Kerala, studying at Delhi University. Yesterday, when they detained us, there were no female police officers in the bus. So, I simply asked, ‘Where is the lady police officer or lady constable?’ If they want to detain us, having at least one female constable present is mandatory. Then, the bus moved and stopped in front of the Connaught Place police station, where they continuously hit my entire cheek. Because of this, I have an injury to my eye and damage to my ear.” Rahul also condemned the five-day judicial custody of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, saying that waving the national flag during a peaceful protest was not a crime. Das and Ranka were sent to five-day judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail on Wednesday for allegedly violating their peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar, which was recently de-notified as a designated protest site, police sources said. Bail bond formalities for their associate Ajinkya Shinde were being finalised, they added. The three CJP leaders were produced before an Executive Magistrate on Wednesday morning. They had been detained on Tuesday after allegedly breaching barricades and entering the protest site without authorisation while raising slogans demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Police registered a case against the activists on charges including trespassing, violating prohibitory orders, breaching a peace bond and obstructing a public servant from discharging official duties, sources said. Das and Ranka had signed bonds to maintain peace for a year after being detained during a protest on Saturday, they 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
‘Unity is our strength’: Dhruv Rathee welcomes Rahul Gandhi’s support for CJP
NEW DELHI: YouTuber Dhruv Rathee on Wednesday called for unity to protect India’s democracy after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi extended support to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) for the first time, following the arrest and judicial custody of its leaders.Rathee reposted Rahul Gandhi’s post on X and wrote, “Unity is our strength. All Indians should unite in saving India and its democracy.” — dhruv_rathee (@dhruv_rathee) Rahul’s support came after CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail. The two were detained a day earlier while attempting to enter the Jantar Mantar premises. In his post on X, Rahul said, “Waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar in a peaceful protest is not a crime. Jailing youth for it is an act of cowardice.” — RahulGandhi (@RahulGandhi) “Students. Youth. Journalists. The INDIA bloc. Different banners, one cause. All protests are one: citizens demanding their constitutional rights,” he added. The former Congress chief also echoed a demand raised by CJP leaders before their detention, saying, “Jantar Mantar belongs to the people of India. We will reclaim it.” The Centre recently de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site and identified three alternative locations for demonstrations in the national capital. The arrests have drawn criticism from several opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Aam Aadmi Party supremo and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, former Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin and former Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, who have criticised the Modi-led Centre over the action against the CJP leaders. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also thanked opposition leaders for extending support to the party and its activists. 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
Keep one post vacant for transgender applicant: HC to police dept
Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court has directed Gujarat Police Recruitment Board to keep one unarmed police constable post vacant for a transgender candidate who has sought a separate category for the third gender in the recruitment process. The 35-year-old petitioner from Bhavnagar has obtained a Certificate of Identity issued by the district collector under Rule 5 of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. Her Aadhaar card identifies her as female. However, as the recruitment board had provided only two categories — male and female — she was advised to apply under the female category. She cleared the physical standard test and physical efficiency test but scored 94 marks in the written examination, against the cut-off of 98.5 marks for the SEBC female category. Subsequently, she represented to the authorities, seeking consideration under a separate third gender category. With no response forthcoming, she approached the HC seeking directions to consider her candidature accordingly. Her advocate, Hannan Qureshi, cited a Supreme Court judgment in a case filed by the National Legal Services Authority, which directed governments to recognise and create a third gender category. The state govt opposed the petition, arguing that the petitioner had voluntarily opted for the female category during recruitment and raised the grievance only after failing to secure the requisite cut-off marks. After the preliminary hearing, Justice Aniruddha Mayee said, “As per the direction passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, they are to be treated as ‘third gender’ for the purpose of safeguarding their rights under Part III of our Constitution and the laws made by the Parliament and the state legislature. The state govt have been directed to take steps to treat them as socially and educationally backward classes of citizens and extend all kinds of reservation in cases of admission in educational institutions and for public appointments.” HC further said, “Prima facie, it appears that in the present recruitment process, transgender have not been categorised as third gender and no special category or criteria for recruitment has been laid down for them. Considering the same, pending the present petition, the respondent no.2 (recruitment board) shall keep one post vacant in the recruitment process.” Further hearing has been scheduled for Jan 5, 2027. 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
Why Chirag Paswan is Blowing Hot and Cold on the Modi Government Since the Gen Z Protests
Understanding the politics of Chirag Paswan, Abhijeet Dipke and Chandrashekhar Azad in the context of the deep sense of disenchantment with the ruling regime among Dalit communities. Union minister of food processing industries Chirag Paswan’s vocal opposition to how the Narendra Modi government handled the October 10 protests against the revision of voter lists and election chief Gyanesh Kumar reflects the unease within his own social base regarding the current government. The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader, with five Members of Parliament and 19 legislators in Bihar and one in Jharkhand, knows that the leading light of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), Abhijeet Dipke, belongs to a Scheduled Caste and is from Maharashtra – the home turf of Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar. This can explain why Paswan has been blowing hot and cold ever since the CJP-led agitation began, and why his comments on the Modi government, though occasional, merit a closer look. After all the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) hardly ever speak up. There is a growing restlessness among the Dalits in large parts of India, especially Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Punjab, where the socially and economically weakest sections have waged long and arduous struggles for their uplift. There is growing concern over rising unemployment among these sections, who are also struggling to keep pace with the rapid changes to workplaces brought by new technologies. The Generation-Z amongst the Dalits are finding it difficult to adjust to the frequent occupational shifts they are being forced to make. On the political front, Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), with its primary base in Uttar Pradesh, appears to have lost all hope of returning to power, at least in the near future. In Punjab, the Dalits, though constituting about one-third of population, find themselves leaderless ever since the demise of Kanshi Ram, who revived the Scheduled Castes movement in the 1980s after the death of Dr Ambedkar. In Maharashtra, too, Dalit groups have splintered, disintegrated or have migrated away to support the BJP. After 2014, in Bihar too, Chirag Paswan’s father, the late Ram Vilas Paswan, and his uncle, Pashupati Kumar Paras, deemed it fit to toe the line of the saffron party for their own political survival. In Uttar Pradesh, Chandrashekar Azad is trying to fill the vacuum created by the weakening of the BSP. He floated the Azad Samaj Party and won the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Nagina. CJP’s arrival, Dipke’s rise But the sudden emergence of Abhijeet Dipke on the forefront of the nationwide youth agitation, which started on the issue of exam paper leaks, has taken Dalit leaders by complete surprise. Though Dipke never projected himself as the leader of the Dalit community, the way he has shot into the limelight had alarmed those who claim to champion the cause of the Scheduled Castes. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, also a Dalit, does not fall in this category as the Grand Old Party is essentially an umbrella group, not one that espouses the cause of any one social group. Chirag leads a faction of the LJP, founded on November 28, 2000, by his father after breaking away from the Janata Dal (United). The father-son duo never trusted Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) leader, who later became the longest-serving chief minister of Bihar. Nitish Kumar’s antipathy for the Paswans can be recalled, in particular, from how the Mahadalit Commission, formed by his government, excluded just the Dusadhs – one of the 22 Scheduled Castes in Bihar – from those who could access special schemes and packages announced for the entire state’s Dalits. Dusadh is the caste community to which the Paswans belong, and it is numerically the strongest amongst Bihar’s Schedule Castes, with the population share of 5.31%. They follow only the Yadavs, who account for 14.26% of the population, in terms of numerical strength. According to the 2023 Caste Survey conducted by the Bihar government, the Scheduled Castes in Bihar account for around 19.65% of its population. Chaotic times for Dalit politics There is a growing sense of unease and fear, among Chirag Paswan and other Scheduled Caste leaders that Dipke can marginalise them. Paswan, in particular, knows that the NDA in Bihar is in a state of chaos – almost all its major constituents, even the BJP itself, and the JD(U) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha headed by Upendra Kushwaha, are embroiled in infighting. The defeat of the BJP candidate from all important Bankipur seat in Patna in the recently held by-poll is a pointer to the true state of affairs in Bihar, beyond just the Dalit voters. The ruling combination in Bihar has become leaderless and rudderless. Knowing that age is on his side, the Paswan often flexes his muscles. Indeed it is a fact that the BJP’s dependency on him would increase as the JD(U) progressively weakens. Remember that Paswan was hurriedly inducted into the NDA in March 2024, just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections that year. Pashupati Kumar Paras was virtually kicked out from the Modi Cabinet on March 19, 2024. What is more, the BJP, in July 2021, not only triggered the splintering of the LJP but also made uncle Paras Union fertiliser minister. While four other party MPs were asked to side with Paras, Chirag Paswan was left alone. Ram Vilas Paswan’s son was being punished for stabbing the NDA during the 2020 Assembly elections, in which he had put up 137 candidates. The bungalow to allotted to his father was evicted and his bust installed on the premises was also removed. But ahead of the 2024 election, the BJP was hurriedly reminded of young Chirag’s hold over 5.31% voters – the Dusadh community. He was prevented from crossing over to Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Aware of his importance within the NDA, especially with the saffron party increasingly cornered by youth and Opposition protests over the SIR, Chirag is often takes what may be construed as an independent line. He strongly criticised
Three Dalit minors were abducted from their homes, held hostage, beaten, and half their heads were shaved. They stopped attending school out of fear.
A case of alleged brutality against three Dalit minor children has come to light in Singrauli. The family alleges that the children were forcibly abducted from their homes, beaten, subjected to casteist slurs, and half their heads were shaved. The children are so terrified after the incident that they have stopped attending school. After receiving the complaint, the Superintendent of Police has ordered an investigation… Brutality against Dalit minors in Singrauli: Allegations of heads being shaved on suspicion of theft. Singaroli: A case of alleged assault and inhumane treatment of three Dalit minor children has come to light in Baghadih village, under the Bargawan police station area of Singarauli district, Madhya Pradesh. The victim’s family has alleged that the children were forcibly abducted from their homes, beaten, abused, and half their heads were shaved. The family has demanded strict action and an investigation to ensure the safety of the children. According to family members Urmila Saket, Jagdish Saket, Harishchandra Saket, and Nandlal Saket, the incident occurred on October 1. They allege that Govind Singh, Balram Singh, Indrabhan Singh, and Harinarayan Bais forcibly took their children, Lavkush, Karan, and Ramlal, from their home. They were then allegedly beaten and half of their heads were shaved. These allegations were confirmed only after a police investigation. Children Scared After the Incident, Stopped Going to School The family says the three children are terrified after the alleged incident. They say the incident has had a profound impact on them and they are not attending school out of fear. The family also alleges that they have been receiving death threats since the incident. The court has also accused Govind Singh of being involved in the alleged illegal sand mining. However, this claim has not been independently confirmed. The family says they want an impartial investigation into the entire matter so that the children can get justice and are free from any danger. Alleging chase from the police station, family reaches SP’s office The victim’s family alleged that they had gone to the Bargawan police station with a complaint, but instead of being heard, they were rebuked and chased away. Subsequently, the family reached the Singrauli SP’s office and the Ajak police station, demanding action in the matter. The family requested an investigation into the alleged assault, caste-related abuses, head shaving, and threats, and ensuring the children’s safety. What did the SP say? According to Singrauli SP Shiyaz KM, preliminary information revealed that the children were accused of theft and the victim reported them to the police. The SP stated that a compromise was reached since the children were minors at the time. According to the SP, after receiving the family’s complaint, the Bargawan police station in-charge has been instructed to investigate the matter. He clarified that no one has the right to take the law into their own hands. After investigating the allegations, including assault and head shaving, legal action will be taken based on the facts. Edited by: Chaitanya Soni•Reported by: H Singh About the Author Chaitanya Das Soni is a Consultant Writer at Navbharat Times Online. He works on the Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh desk. He has 23 years of experience working in news agencies, newspapers, electronic media, and magazines. He has worked in the field and on the desk as a contract reporter, senior reporter, and sub-editor. Courtesy: Hindi News