No immediate CM change in Karnataka as Congress may stay focused on Kerala
The Siddaramaiah camp had been trying to pitch Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara as the future CM under the Dalit quota. BENGALURU: The Congress high command is likely to remain cautious with regard to a change in leadership in Karnataka, keeping in mind the 2028 assembly polls, winning which will mean first overcoming anti-incumbency. The party leadership is unlikely to accede to pressure from either of the camps headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and DCM DK Shivakumar, and is likely to work out a formula based on caste combination and winnability, according to sources. The top brass, including Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi and LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, will weigh the options, including that of maintaining status quo by keeping Siddaramaiah as the AHINDA face of the party and DK Shivakumar as KPCC president, besides sending AICC President Mallikarjuna Kharge as consensus CM candidate, sources added. The outcome of the May 4 results of five state assemblies will also have a bearing on the decision. The party high command is likely to get busy if it wins Keralam, where it appears to have an edge, and forms the UDF government. “They have to resolve the issue of the Keralam chief minister if UDF gets a majority, so dealing with Karnataka’s leadership issue will not be a priority,” a Congress leader remarked. The Siddaramaiah camp had been trying to pitch Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara as the future CM under the Dalit quota. A couple of days ago, the latter had welcomed the idea of Kharge becoming the CM, saying party leaders would accept him, given his seniority. Kharge had also clarified that the high command has not taken any decision on the Karnataka issue. “He (Kharge) has said that for now, there is a chief minister, and the question of changing him does not arise at the moment. In our party, the AICC president is the supreme authority, along with Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and others. When word comes from the high command, we not only give respect but also accept the order,” Parameshwara told reporters on Friday, adding, “When he (Kharge) says there is no change, it is a full stop (for change in leadership).” He said that since the statement came from Kharge, it is assumed that the top brass must have held deliberations over the issue. “The decision of Kharge, Sonia and Rahul is like ‘prasada’ (sacred offering) to us which we accept,” said DCM DK Shivakumar, reiterating his unwavering loyalty to the Congress leadership. “As a Congressman, I have been very loyal to the party. Our party leaders’ words are very important. We will go by the party’s directions,” he told reporters. Devaraj B Hirehalli 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
Sultanpur court denies forensic voice test request against Rahul Gandhi
A Sultanpur court rejected a plea seeking a voice sample of Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed by a BJP leader, posting the matter for May 11, with the complainant planning to challenge the order Sultanpur (UP): A local MP/MLA court on Saturday rejected a plea seeking a voice sample of Rae Bareli MP Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed by a BJP functionary against the Congress leader, and posted the matter for the next hearing on May 11. The plea, filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra through his counsel Santosh Kumar Pandey, had sought Gandhi’s voice sample for a forensic test to compare it with an audio clip. After the petition was dismissed, Pandey said they would file a revision plea before the sessions court against the order. The court rejected the plea after hearing the arguments of both sides, including Gandhi’s counsel Kashi Prasad Shukla. The matter dates back to 2018 when Mishra, a local BJP leader, filed a defamation suit over Gandhi’s alleged objectionable remarks targeting Amit Shah while campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly elections. After five years of legal proceedings, the court issued a warrant against Gandhi in December 2023. The Rae Bareli MP surrendered before the court in February 2024, and was granted bail on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each by a special magistrate. On July 26 last year, the Congress leader recorded his statement before the court, claiming innocence and calling the case a political conspiracy. Earlier this year, multiple hearings were postponed due to a strike by lawyers and the ill-health of Gandhi’s counsel. Courtesy : Telangana Today Note: This news is originally published on https:/telanganatoday.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Savarkar Filed 5 Mercy Pleas, Saw Cow As Useful Animal & Not God: Grandnephew In Court
During cross-examination in his defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, Satyaki also admitted that Savarkar had appealed for Indian recruitment into the British Army for World War II Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, has testified before a special MP/MLA court in Pune that the Hindutva ideologue had filed five mercy petitions with the British government while imprisoned. During a cross-examination, Satyaki also clarified that Savarkar viewed the cow as a “useful animal” rather than a deity. These admissions, as per LiveLaw occurred during the proceedings of a criminal defamation case lodged by Satyaki against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, whom he accuses of defaming his granduncle during a 2023 speech in London. Satyaki Savarkar confirmed to the court that his granduncle submitted clemency petitions five times during his incarceration in the Cellular Jail. However, he contextualised this by noting that such petitions were a common practice among many political prisoners of that era. Furthermore, Satyaki admitted that Savarkar had appealed for Indian recruitment into the British Army during World War II. He defended this action not as a sign of loyalty to the British, but as a strategic move to ensure young Indians received formal military and firearms training, which would be essential for the nation once it achieved independence. Rationalist views on the cow In a notable departure from traditional religious narratives often associated with Hindutva, Satyaki stated it was factual to say Savarkar did not consider the cow to be a god. He reiterated that Savarkar’s perspective was rationalist, treating the animal primarily for its utility to society. Satyaki argued that contemporary objections to Savarkar’s views on cows or his military advocacy often stem from a lack of deep engagement with his complete works. Courtesy : News18 Note: This news is originally published on https:/news18.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Rahul Gandhi Criticizes BJP’s ‘Anti-Women’ Stance
Rahul Gandhi has accused the BJP of exposing its ‘anti-women’ mindset after an alleged derogatory remark by a Gujarat BJP chief against a woman Congress MP. Gandhi criticizes the party’s commitment to women’s empowerment, highlighting a broader ideological conflict. Rahul Gandhi criticized the BJP for its alleged ‘anti-women and Manuwadi’ mindset during a recent speech. His comments were triggered by an indecent remark made by Gujarat BJP President about Congress MP Geniben Thakor. Gandhi questioned the BJP’s commitment to women’s rights, claiming their actions reveal a regressive ideology. He warned that women across India would respond strongly to any insults directed at them. In a recent verbal onslaught, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lambasted the BJP, accusing it of harboring an ‘anti-women and Manuwadi’ mindset. Gandhi’s remarks were in response to an alleged indecent comment made by Gujarat BJP President on woman Congress MP Geniben Thakor. Gandhi questioned whether the BJP genuinely championed women’s rights, suggesting their actions betrayed a regressive ideology. He emphasized that the BJP’s mask of ‘Nari Vandans’—a claim to honor women—is slipping, revealing what he calls true intentions beneath. Further castigating the party, Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of evading Parliament, allegedly ‘frightened’ by Congress women MPs’ questions. The Congress leader warned that women across India will respond to any insult with equal measure. Courtesy : Devdiscourse Note: This news is originally published on https:/devdiscourse.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Sirsa becomes the first district in Haryana to have the transgender community as “special invitees” to ward committee meetings.
The transgender community living in the ward areas will now be invited as special invitees to all ward committee meetings. This information was provided by District Municipal Commissioner Virendra Sehrawat. Sirsa: Taking a significant step towards inclusive and participatory governance in Haryana, Sirsa district has become the first district in the state to have the transgender community as “special invitees” to ward committee meetings. This initiative aims to empower the voice of every segment of society by involving them in local administrative processes. The transgender community is happy with this decision and expresses their commitment to being able to express their views to the administration and the government. District Municipal Commissioner Virendra Sehrawat provided this information. Providing information on this, District Municipal Commissioner Virendra Sehrawat stated that the objective of this initiative is to ensure the participation of all segments in the work of ward committees and to ensure adequate representation of local issues in the administrative system. This decision has been taken with this in mind. The transgender community living in the ward areas will now be invited as special invitees to all ward committee meetings. This move will provide the transgender community with an opportunity to directly raise their issues and ensure participation in the decision-making process. Transgender community extremely happy with the decision District Municipal Commissioner Virendra Sehrawat stated that this initiative will not only empower the transgender community but will also make the decision-making process at the local level more inclusive, transparent, and effective. This initiative is being considered a commendable step towards social harmony and equal rights, and can serve as an inspiration for other districts. Expressing happiness over this, members of the transgender community have called it a good initiative and said that now they will also be able to raise their concerns and make their voices heard by the government and the administration. They said they will raise their voice for the eradication of drug abuse and will contribute to eliminating it from Sirsa district. Report – Vikram Bhatia, Sirsa, Edited By: Mangal Yadav @MangalyYadav Courtesy: Hindi News
A team arrived in Prayagraj to clear railway land: Dalits living in the slum protested, police dispersed them; heavy force deployed
The team that arrived to vacate railway land in Gaughat, Prayagraj, was met with protests by Dalits living in the slum. A large crowd gathered. The team, accompanied by a large force and the Railway Protection Force (RPF), began having laborers demolish the Dalits’ mud houses. Residents of the slum protested, creating a ruckus. The slum dwellers shouted slogans. When the demolition was stopped, a scuffle broke out. Police and RPF personnel first tried to reason with them, then began to disperse them, leading to a stampede. They forced everyone out of the slum and then began demolition. People living in the slum for hundreds of years Women living in the slum say, “Our families have been living here for hundreds of years. The Railway Department has always harassed us. Where will we, the nearly destitute, take our families and small children?” Our mud houses are being demolished. Many families have been left on the streets. They have no place to live, no support. During the rains, hundreds of families will have to live on the open road. Railway property had been occupied for a long time. According to railway officials, Dalits had occupied both sides of this railway land in Gaughat by building a settlement. A densely populated area had been encroached under the old Yamuna Bridge in Gaughat. Notices and notices were issued several times to vacate the settlement, but the number of people living there continued to grow. The roads were also encroached upon by filling them with garbage. Railway PRO said, “Several attempts were made to vacate the occupation.” North Central Railway Public Relations Officer (PRO) Amit Singh said that people had been living in the settlement by occupying railway property for a long time. Several attempts were made to evict them. As per railway orders, a team and force are working to clear the settlement. Mithilesh Tripathi | Karchana Courtesy: Hindi News
Rajasthan: Dalit Wedding Procession Attacked in Udaipur, Bride Pulled Off Horse, Several Injured
A case of caste-based violence has emerged from Udaipur district, where a Dalit family’s wedding procession was allegedly attacked by a group of people in Hariyav village on the night of April 29. According to the complaint, the procession of Pooja Meghwal, daughter of Bhairulal Meghwal, was passing through a main road near Dhira Talai around 10 pm when the accused blocked their path and began abusing the group using casteist slurs. Bride Forced Off Horse, Guests Assaulted Family members alleged that the attackers, identified as Laxman Singh, Madhu Singh, Kishan Singh, Uday Singh, Arjun Singh, Takhat Singh, Fateh Singh, Vikram Singh and others, stopped the procession and threatened violence. “They shouted at us and said, ‘Do not take the procession ahead of our house, otherwise there will be bloodshed,’” the complaint stated. Eyewitnesses said the situation quickly turned violent. The DJ music was stopped, and the bride was forcibly pulled down from the horse. Soon after, the group allegedly attacked the baraatis using stones, sticks, rods and even swords. Several people, including women and children, were injured in the assault. Victims named in the complaint include Vardi Chand Meghwal, Ganesh Meghwal, Jitu Meghwal, Manju Meghwal, Lakshmibai, Hitesh Meghwal and Suresh Meghwal. One of the accused, Takhat Singh, is alleged to have used a sword during the attack. The complainants also said that valuables were looted in the chaos, including mangalsutras and a wristwatch. FIR Filed Under SC/ST Act, Investigation Underway An FIR was registered on April 30 at Dabok police station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Police have invoked sections related to assault, criminal intimidation and caste-based atrocities. The investigation has been handed over to IPS probationer Aashima Vaswani. Community Protests, Demand Strict Action The incident triggered anger among members of the Dalit community. On Friday, a large number of supporters of the Bhim Army gathered outside Dabok police station demanding immediate arrests and strict action. Roshan Meghwal, Vice President of Bhim Army in Udaipur, claimed that around 15 people, including several women, were involved in the attack. “This is not the first time such an incident has happened in the village. The same group had earlier tried to disrupt another Dalit wedding,” he alleged. He added that police initially detained four accused under preventive provisions soon after the incident, and statements of victims were recorded after the FIR was filed. Warning of Protest if Action Delayed Community members have warned of a larger protest if strict action is not taken under the SC/ST Act against all the accused. “We want justice and immediate arrests. If action is delayed, we will stage a major protest,” one of the protesters said. 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
Family seeks fresh autopsy in death of Pudukkottai Dalit youth who was in inter-caste relationship
The family also requested a probe into his missing mobile phone and inclusion of more of the woman’s relatives in the FIR, alleging their involvement in his death. PUDUKKOTTAI: The family of Hariharan, a 20-year-old Dalit youth who was in an inter-caste relationship and was later found dead in a quarry in Pudukkottai, on Friday submitted a written petition to the district Superintendent of Police seeking a re-postmortem, a probe into his missing mobile phone, and inclusion of more of the woman’s relatives in the first information report (FIR), alleging their involvement in his death. In the petition, his father P Rajkumar, requested that the re-postmortem be conducted by a medical team from outside the district, to find his son’s missing mobile phone and add few relatives of the woman to the FIR. He said his son had gone missing on April 21, allegedly after receiving a phone call from the woman, and was found dead in a quarry on April 23. A case of suspicious death had been initially registered on April 24 and later altered it to include abetment of suicide and provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against four persons, including the woman and her family members. Police said further investigation was under way. It may be noted that Hariharan had been in a relationship with a 20-year-old woman from a caste Hindu community. The couple had reportedly eloped five months ago intending to marry but were later separated after both families were counselled at the Keeranur police station due to caste differences, said the police. 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
‘Why Hindu, Dalit, OBC Not Covered’: Tejasvi Surya On Karnataka’s Rs 600 Crore Minority Scheme
Tejasvi Surya questions Karnataka governments Rs 600 crore plan for minority colonies, alleging religious discrimination, ghettoisation, and violation of Articles 14 and 15 Questioning the Karnataka government’s decision to approve Rs 600 crore for development of minorities’ colonies, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said, “Under which constitutional provision can public money be earmarked exclusively for “minority colonies” based on religion rather than for all poor and deprived localities based on objective socio-economic criteria?” He further went on to say, “Individuals may have a religion – but since when did roads, drains, streets, and neighbourhoods acquire a religion? On what constitutional basis is the government assigning religious identity to geographies as ‘minority colonies’ and then distributing public money accordingly? Is this not active promotion of ghettoisation on religious lines by the state?” he added. Conducted by the Election Commission of India, SIR is essentially a ground-up verification exercise to ensure that every eligible citizen is on the voter list and every ineligible or duplicate entry is removed. (Image: PTI) “How does a Rs 600 crore religion-linked package comply with Article 14 and Article 15 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before law and prohibit discrimination by the State on grounds of religion?” Surya questioned, adding, “If the real objective is development of backward areas, why are equally poor Hindu, Dalit, SC/ST, OBC and other underdeveloped colonies not covered under the same framework instead of creating a religion-specific scheme?” Published By : Amrit Burman Courtesy : News18 Note: This news is originally published on https:/news18.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit youth assaulted and robbed of 36,000 rupees in Unnao: Thugs hurled casteist slurs at him; police accused of inaction
A Dalit youth was assaulted and robbed in the Bangarmau police station area of Unnao. 36,000 rupees were allegedly snatched from him and he was subjected to casteist slurs. The victim has filed a police complaint. A young man, son of Mishrilal, was carrying 36,000 rupees from his village to deliver to a man named Lattu in another village. On the way, two village boys stopped him. They began abusing and beating him. One of the accused held Ajay down, while the other was beating him. The men hurled casteist slurs at Ajay and said, “We will beat you wherever we find you.” During the assault, the accused also snatched 36,000 rupees from Ajay. Ajay comes from a poor family and was using this money to redeem his mortgaged land. After the incident, Ajay informed the family members of the bullies, but they threatened him. Ajay then filed a petition at the Moradabad police station. However, two days later, no action has been taken in the matter. Ajay is also being pressured to reach a settlement. The victim, Ajay, has stated that 36,000 rupees have been snatched from him. “How can I make restitution?” Ajay demands that his 36,000 rupees be returned and that he be given a written assurance that such an incident will not happen to him in the future. The Bangarmau police station in-charge stated that the matter is under his notice and that he will investigate and take appropriate action. Keshan Kumar | Ganjmuradabad, Unnao Courtesy: Hindi News