‘Jyotirgamaya’ brightens up lives of transgender persons
Visakhapatnam: Movedby the disturbing sight of transgender persons demanding tips from motorists and shop-keepers, Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi, who has been promoted as Director General of Police (super time scale), preferred compassion over indifference. What began as a moment of concern soon transformed into an effective social movement under the banner ‘Jyotirgamaya’, a mission aimed at restoring dignity to those who have been looked down upon or rather ignored by society. Launched with the vision of making Visakhapatnam a beggar-free city, ‘Jyotirgamaya’ sought purpose over punishment. “Every individual has a right to live with dignity,” Shankhabrata Bagchi opined, stressing that beggars and transgender persons deserve opportunities and not negligence. As part of the mission, 25 transgender persons received appointment letters as sanitation workers and other jobs. More than 250 individuals who once survived on seeking alms have been rescued from streets across the city and provided safe shelter. For many, it marked the first step towards leading a dignified life. As part of its mission, ‘Jyotirgamaya’ focused on empowering transgender community. In coordination with dedicated volunteers, Vizag city police conducted an extensive survey, identifying over 150 transgender persons living in vulnerable conditions. Through the endeavour, the aim was clear— empower them with meaningful employment and improved social acceptance.Handing over appointment letters to a transgender in the presence of CP, Mayor Peela Srinivasa Rao said the vision found strong backing from the State government under the leadership of N Chandrababu Naidu and the employment opportunities were extended through outsourcing system. Inducting transgender persons into Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), the Commissioner of Police underlined that efforts are taken to make sure the transgender community live with dignity and self-respect. The CP urged transgender persons to put an end to demanding tips and look forward to leading a respectful life with improved acceptance in society. By Vasu Potnuru Courtesy : THI Note: This news is originally published on https:/thehansindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
DMK high command directs party functionaries not to respond to Praveen Chakravarty
Chennai: A day after Congress functionary Praveen Chakravarty triggered a row, stating Tamil Nadu’s debt situation was alarming, DMK high command issued a directive to the party through state industries minister T R B Raaja “to stop reacting and focus on constructive work”. Raaja on X asked DMK functionaries not to get distracted by such tweets. “Urge our ecosystem to please avoid engaging with anyone with private agendas. We have a larger war to fight with those trying to curtail the growth of TN. Beware of unwanted distractions,” Raaja said. On Sunday, Praveen Chakravarty took social media by storm when he tweeted that the debt of TN doubled under the DMK govt and was much higher than UP. Chakaravarthy’s assessment of TN’s debt situation had evoked angry responses from senior DMK functionaries. Insisting that functionaries focus on development schemes of DMK govt, Raaja said, “Concentrate on our leader’s pathbreaking schemes and development-oriented thoughts. Use your time to share the achievements of the Dravidian Model govt of our leader CM M K Stalin. Don’t fall for diversionary hooks.” TNCC functionaries too issued rebuttals to Chakravarty’s tweet. Raaja said Praveen Chakravarty acted out of desperation. “He (Praveen) knows very well that he will not get a seat in the 2026 election if DMK is with Congress, and in desperation he is speaking against DMK. But Congress leader Rahul Gandhi knows well that DMK is the key ally of Congress for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and will not go against us,” Raaja told TOI. The minister said Praveen Chakravarty projected himself as a person close to Rahul Gandhi, but Rahul does not engage him in taking decisions, especially in matters related to Tamil Nadu. 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
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
‘Congress all united’: Digvijaya Singh after RSS remark; condemns BJP’s ‘attempts to sow discord’
NEW DELHI: Veteran politician Digvijaya Singh reacted to the RSS praise controversy on Sunday, categorically assuring that Congress was “united”. He targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party for attempting to “sow discord” within the “Nehru-Gandhi family”. “There is no difference in ideology. We (Congress) are all united, and this Nehru-Gandhi family is a family in which two people have been martyred. I strongly condemn the BJP’s attempts to sow discord within this family,” Singh said. The reaction came on the day Congress marked its 140th foundation anniversary. “Rahul Gandhi has started this initiative (strengthening the organisation) from the district level and below. The process for that is underway. It will be completed soon,” he added. — ANI (@ANI) Singh triggered a controversy by posting a black-and-white image showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi seated on the floor beside senior BJP leader LK Advani in Gujarat. In his post, Singh remarked on how grassroots workers can rise through the party hierarchy to become chief minister and even prime minister, crediting the “strength of organization” for such upward mobility. He also tagged several senior Congress leaders, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, Prime Minister Modi, and the official Congress accounts. — digvijaya_28 (@digvijaya_28) BJP claimed that Digvijay Singh’s remarks lauding the organisational strength of the BJP and the RSS amounted to “open defiance” of Rahul Gandhi’s leadership within the Congress. BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that Gandhi was turning the party “on its head” after being pushed to the margins of its leadership structure. “It’s because our Narendra Modi is ‘guddri ke lal’ (diamond in the rough) and their leader is ‘Jawahar ke lal’ (great-grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru). Since our Narendra Modi has risen to top from bottom, he is taking the party (BJP) also to the top from bottom,” Sudhanshu Trivedi said. Singh later clarified that although he acknowledges the importance of a robust organisational framework, he continues to strongly oppose the RSS and PM Modi. “I support the organisation. I am against the RSS and Modi ji. You have misunderstood. I have praised ‘sangathan’. I was, am, and will remain a staunch opponent of the RSS and Modi. Is it a bad thing to strengthen and praise the organisation?” he said. 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