Red tape: 360 Dalit families live in dark for 40 years in Tamil Nadu
Several poor Dalit families settled down on barren land strips on the city’s outskirts over the years in batches, and were promised patta for nine acres and 13 cents of land by successuve governments. MADURAI: For the nearly 360 Dalit families residing at Theerthakadu village near Vandiyur within Madurai city limits, the tug-of-war between the city corporation and the state revenue department over issuance of land pattas has meant a life without electricity, drinking water, roads, drainage, and sanitation facility for more than 40 years. Though the locality falls under ward 38 of the Madurai City Corporation and is part of the Madurai East Assembly constituency represented by Commercial Taxes Minister P Moorthy, for the authorities, the life of 1,200 residents is a matter unspoken, unheard, and unseen. According to a few residents, several poor Dalit families settled down on barren land strips located on the city’s outskirts over the years in batches, and they were promised patta for nine acres and 13 cents of land by successive governments. Only 68 families, however, received e-pattas from Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin in December last year. This delay in issuing pattas hampered the transfer of common land area for development of amenities by the state revenue department to the city corporation, leading to the delay in creating basic facilities in the locality. Unwilling to put up with this official apathy any longer, the Theerthakadu SC Residents Protection Welfare Association has decided to boycott the upcoming elections. Raising slogans such as “enough is enough”, the residents have pasted posters in and around the village announcing their decision to not vote in any election until they are provided with basic facilities. Speaking to TNIE, Muthamil Pandian, president of the association, said, “We have decided to boycott the Assembly polls in protest against this neglect for over 40 years. We are also planning a rally to the Tamil Nadu Assembly in Chennai in the next few days.” During TNIE’s visit to the village, resident N Mullaikodi (35) said more than 350 SC families have been living in the locality since 1983. ‘No power to charge free laptops given to students’ “Although we have constructed houses, the corporation has refused to provide basic amenities. Due to lack of water pipelines, we are forced to shell out Rs 80 for a 100-litre barrel of borewell water (for non-drinking use) and Rs 15 per pot of drinking water,” she said. She further alleged that the lack of electricity connection has made the village unsafe, with miscreants frequently using the area for illegal activities. “We are daily-wage labourers and cannot afford to live in rented houses elsewhere. We can’t go out to work before sunrise or return home after sunset as the locality is pitch dark. It is also dangerous at night due to poisonous insects and snakes,” she said, adding that women and girls are subjected to harassment when they go out to relieve themselves. “With no proper lighting, students are forced to study under candlelight. We are unable to use any electronic equipment, including free laptops, given to students. They remain unused or are sold. Not a single child from our village has graduated in the last 40 years. We are compelled to spend money even for basic necessities. We travel to nearby areas that have electricity and pay Rs 5 per device to charge phones,” said Renuka (30), another villager. A senior revenue official, under condition of anonymity, told TNIE, “We are looking into the issue and taking steps to fulfil the villagers’ demands, including electricity and water connection.” When contacted, Collector KJ Praveen Kumar told TNIE he would check with the Corporation Commissioner regarding the matter. Jeyalakshmi Ramanujam 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
Transgender lost life to save Rs 10 from snatchers
Bhubaneswar: Shocking details have emerged in the recent murder of a transgender person near Pipili in Puri district, with police revealing that the crime stemmed from an attempted snatching of a mere Rs 10 note. During interrogation, prime accused Krushna Kandi (25), who was arrested after being shot and injured in police firing on Wednesday evening, confessed that the motive was robbery. The victim, also 25, was stabbed to death after resisting three assailants, including Krushna. Police arrested Kandi’s associate Sanil Kandi (21) on Thursday, while efforts are underway to trace the third accused. Investigations revealed that the trio, hailing from Konark area, were returning from Uttara towards Pipili when they spotted the victim alone along the Bhubaneswar-Puri NH-316 in the evening on Feb 1. “On the pretext of interaction, the accused lured the victim to an isolated spot and attempted to snatch her purse. When she resisted bravely and tried to overpower them, one of them stabbed her,” said SP (Puri) Prateek Singh. Krushna reportedly admitted that the purse contained only a Rs 10 note, which they ultimately did not steal, police sources said. The case posed a major challenge for investigators as there were no eyewitnesses or CCTV footage nearby. “It was a blind case. IIC, Pipili police station, Soumyendu Tripathy and his team examined distant cameras, interrogated jailed criminals, analyzed intelligence inputs, and questioned the victim’s acquaintances before narrowing down on Krushna through our sources,” Singh said. On Wednesday evening, Krushna attempted to flee on a motorcycle. He allegedly opened fire at police during the chase, prompting controlled retaliatory firing in which he was injured. Police authorities confirmed his serious criminal background, with at least 13 cases of snatching, theft, and robbery registered against him across multiple police stations in Puri district, including Kumbharapada, Konark, Nimapara, Kakatpur, and Chandrabhaga, as well as Bhubaneswar’s Dhauli, Kharavel Nagar, Lingaraj, and Badagada areas. 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
Transgenders eligible for Ayush card: Minister
Lucknow: Any transgender, who has a transgender card, is eligible for Ayush card, a cashless medical insurance worth Rs 5 lakh, social welfare minister Asim Arun said during the Question Hour on Thursday. The ex-IPS was replying to a supplementary raised by Jakhai MLA from Samajwadi Party Engineer Sachin Yadav, who earned the praise of Speaker Satish Mahana and the minister himself for raising such a sensitive issue. Arun claimed that this was probably the first in the past so many years that someone asked a question regarding the transgenders. Yadav said there are around 1.37 lakh transgender but they are not getting medical insurance and demanded that they should be covered with an Ayushman card. The minister said the transgenders are eligible for Ayushman card and added that until now only 1000 transgenders have got their transgender card made as per the Transgender Protection Act of the Union Government. More transgenders need to be sensitized and made aware about the transgender card, which the department is doing through a call centre which has two transgenders to address the problems of the community. The Speaker also praised the minister for giving a detailed and to the point reply to the supplementary. 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
‘Trump has PM Modi by the throat’: Rahul Gandhi reacts to motion against him by BJP’s Nishikant Dubey
NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday doubled down on his attack at the central government over the India-US trade deal, saying the pact with America “betrays our food security and farmers” and that PM Modi has opened the Indian agriculture market as US President Donald Trump “has him by the throat.” Reacting to the ruling BJP’s privilege motion against him in the Lower House, the Rae Bareli MP said he spoke truth in Parliament and that he would be unfazed by the repercussions of it and reiterated his “PM Modi has sold the nation” remark. “Narendra Modi ji has sold the country, sold the farmers. File a case against me, abuse, do whatever you want to do, privilege motion if you want to file, file it, it doesn’t matter, I have spoken the truth in Parliament, if you don’t like the truth, that’s another matter, the country understands the truth, do whatever you want to do, I stand with farmers; Congress president Kharge ji and the entire Congress party, all our workers stand with farmers, we will not let this injustice happen,” Rahul Gandhi said in a video he posted on X. — RahulGandhi (@RahulGandhi) Earlier in the day, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said he had moved a substantive motion in the Lok Sabha against Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of misleading the country with the helpof “anti-India forces.” The Congress scion said the Modi government’s decision to import American “corn, soybeans, and fruits” is just a beginning and that the Centre would “open the doors of the entire agriculture market for his friends, for people like Adani and Ambani, and for foreign powers.” “For years, foreign people have been trying to capture Hindustan’s agriculture market. Narendra Modi ji has opened the door for them; this is the truth. He also knows, I also know why he opened it…because Donald Trump has him by the throat. Corn, soybean and fruits — this is the beginning…Narendra Modi will open the doors of the entire agriculture market for his friends, for people like Adani and Ambani, and for foreign powers,” the ex-Congress president claimed. Labelling PM Modi “anti-farmer” and mentioning the repealed three farm laws, Rahul Gandhi compared the status of Indian farmers with those in America to highlight the dire contrast. “Earlier also he brought black laws, now he has opened the door for foreign powers. American farmers have large farms, thousands of acres of farms, fully mechanized and the government gives them subsidy. You know that our farmers have small farms, don’t get proper MSP and mechanization is just in name,” he said. His statement comes a day after his Lok Sabha speech in which he accused the Centre of “compromising national interests”. In his address, the Congress leader said the government had acknowledged a global shift marked by the end of a single superpower era, rising geopolitical conflicts, and the weaponisation of energy and finance. Despite this, he alleged, the government had allowed the United States to weaponise energy and financial systems in ways that affect India. He further alleged the deal has compromised security in all three critical things needed to run a modern country — data, food supply, and energy. 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
Patwari demands dismissal of three ministers before budget session
Bhopal: State Congress president Jitu Patwari on Thursday shot a letter to chief minister Mohan Yadav, demanding the dismissal of three ministers from the cabinet before the governor’s address in the state assembly scheduled for Monday. Patwari demanded the removal of minister for tribal welfare Vijay Shah for his offensive statements against lady army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, deputy chief minister Rajendra Shukla for the cough syrup tragedy which allegedly claimed the lives of 23 children, and Kailash Vijayvargiya for the water contamination deaths in Indore. “Madhya Pradesh is a democratically governed state, where every unit of governance is expected to adhere to democratic values, ethics, and constitutional norms. It is unfortunate that the actions of your govt appear to be contrary to public sentiment, fostering anarchy, arrogance, and authoritarian tendencies,” Patwari’s letter to the CM said. It further added that the state’s budget session begins on Feb 16, with the governor’s address scheduled for that day. “It is well known that this address will present more statistics than reality, while the state is grappling with a severe economic crisis and a mounting debt burden, to which your govt appears to be turning a blind eye,” the letter argued. “In this context, a serious and public-spirited issue needs to be brought to your attention. Ministers whose presence in the cabinet is now demanding answers regarding their usefulness,” Patwari’s letter claimed. “Serious allegations of insulting the nation’s daughters and the Indian Army: Vijay Shah; dozens of innocent children died due to poisonous syrup in Chhindwara: health minister Rajendra Shukla; and a minister who failed to provide clean drinking water to the people of his constituency: urban administration minister Kailash Vijayvargiya,” the letter said. Patwari contended that it is extremely unfortunate and shameful that, despite the insult to the army, the deaths of innocent people, and administrative failures, such ministers remain in office. This raises serious questions about the govt’s morality, sensitivity, and accountability, the letter said. Patwari then demanded, “This time is also a test of your moral commitment, responsibility, and leadership abilities. You are expected to respect public sentiment by dismissing these ministers from the cabinet before the governor’s address in the budget session. Otherwise, it will send a clear message that your govt tacitly supports lies, immorality, and the insult to the nation’s daughters and the Indian Army.” While Patwari sent his letter, LOP Umang Singhar called a meeting with the CLP (Congress Legislative Party) on Monday evening to strategise on how to attack the BJP govt on the same three issues. It is expected that the budget session might be noisy, with the Congress preparing to tear into the Mohan Yadav govt on the issues of Bhagirathpura water contamination, Chhindwara cough syrup deaths of children, and Vijay Shah’s prosecution sanction still on hold. 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
Was a Dalit wedding procession stopped in Etah, or did the wedding party misbehave with another community’s function? A scuffle ensued.
Etah Dalit Wedding: A wedding ceremony in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district turned into a wrestling match when two groups clashed over dancing to the DJ music. The incident took place in Peepal Tola, Sakiat, where an altercation between the wedding procession and the Tilak ceremony escalated into a violent altercation. Etah News: A wedding ceremony in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district turned into a wrestling match when the dancing steps of the wedding procession interfered with each other. The incident occurred in the Peepal Tola neighborhood, where the wedding procession was proceeding on one side and the Tilak ceremony was underway on the other. What ensued? A verbal battle broke out over dance steps, leading to the use of sticks and rods. The situation became so severe that the groom had to seek police protection before the wedding rituals. A ruckus over dancing to a DJ The incident began in the Sakiat police station area, where a Tilak ceremony was taking place at a Shakya community home, and people were enjoying the DJ. Meanwhile, a Dalit wedding procession was passing by. Some young men in the procession began dancing to the DJ. However, the hosts were not happy with the uninvited guests’ dancing. An argument ensued, followed by a scuffle, and the situation quickly escalated into free-style wrestling. Dispute between two communities and the Dalit angle As the night progressed, the dispute escalated. The bride’s sister-in-law directly alleged that the miscreants not only stopped the wedding procession but also assaulted them on caste lines. The other side argued that the dispute was about the DJ and indecency. However, it is being exaggerated by creating an angle of Dalit oppression. Meanwhile, a video of the altercation is going viral on social media, showing the wedding guests and the hosts assaulting each other. Police arrived at the scene as soon as the incident was reported. Given the situation, the police took charge and completed the wedding rituals in their presence. Finally, the groom was able to bid farewell to his bride, albeit under police protection. Etah police are proceeding cautiously in this matter. After an initial investigation, the police stated that “the allegations of stopping the wedding procession or targeting the Dalit community do not appear to be true at first glance. The matter stems from a dispute over dancing on a DJ. However, the viral video and complaints from both parties are being seriously investigated.” Courtesy: Hindi News
Uproar over temple entry: Priest snatches offerings from woman’s hand and throws them on the road; you’ll be shocked to know the reason.
At the Hanuman Temple located at Amroha Gate in Moradabad, a priest prevented a Dalit woman from praying. Priest Sachin Sharma insulted the woman with casteist slurs… Read more Jagran correspondent, Moradabad. A Dalit woman who had come to worship at the Hanuman Temple located at Amroha Gate in the Kotwali area was not allowed to enter by the priest. When the woman attempted to worship, he insulted her with casteist slurs. The priest also threw away the offerings she had brought. Police have filed an FIR against the priest based on a complaint. The incident is three months old. Sushma, a resident of Buddhi Vihar in Majhola, stated in her complaint to the Kotwali police that she frequently visits the Hanuman Temple located near Amroha Gate. On December 9, 2025, at around 7 pm, she went to the temple to pray. The temple priest, Sachin Sharma, a resident of Dewan Bazaar, Nawabpura Road, Nagphani, refused to perform the puja after seeing the woman. The woman nevertheless attempted to enter the temple. The priest became enraged and snatched the prasad from her hand and threw it away. He began using casteist slurs in public. Hearing the commotion, people gathered nearby. They also tried to reason with the priest, but he refused to listen. The priest publicly insulted her using casteist slurs and threatened to kill her if she returned to the temple. Passersby present at the scene also protested. Inspector-in-Charge Rajesh stated that an FIR has been registered against priest Sachin Sharma based on the complaint. The incident is old. CCTV footage will not be available, but the entire matter is being investigated. Further action will be taken after the investigation. BY SACHIN CHOUDHARYEDITED BY: ANSHUL BHARTARIYA Courtesy: Hindi News
Villagers skip meeting to resolve anganwadi boycott over dalit cook
Nuagaon residents refuse to attend meet; only 2 villagers, sarpanch, ward member turn up. KENDRAPARA: The Kendrapara administration’s efforts to convince villagers of Nuagaon under Rajnagar block to end the boycott of the local anganwadi over appointment of a dalit cook failed to yield any result on Wednesday. Acting on the directions of collector Raghuram R Iyer, sub-collector Arun Nayak, Rajnagar tehsildar Jisukrishna Das, district welfare officer (DWO) Arabinda Ray and other officials visited Nuagaon under Ghadiamala panchayat to resolve the issue. However, villagers reportedly refused to attend the meeting. “Only the ward member, sarpanch and two villagers were present, making the chances of a breakthrough slim,” said child development project officer of Rajnagar Dipali Mishra. “Villagers did not attend the meeting as they do not consume food cooked by dalits. No one wants to break this age-old custom. If the administration forces our children and women to eat such food, it may lead to unrest. The administration should appoint a cook from the upper caste to resolve the issue,” said a villager on condition of anonymity. Sources said most villagers preferred to remain silent on the issue. Several educated residents and members of the dalit community are also reluctant to speak. Villagers maintained that nothing unusual has occurred, despite children and women staying away from the anganwadi centre for nearly three months. The riverside village of Nuagaon has around 45 families, including seven dalit households. Ghadimala sarpanch Sailendra Mishra said, “We urged the village leaders to send children to the anganwadi centre, but they ignored our appeals.” He added that pregnant women have also stopped visiting the centre, depriving themselves of services such as supplementary nutrition, health check-ups, iron-folic acid supplements, immunisation and health education. Contacted, collector Iyer said, “The sub-collector has been directed to submit a report after visiting the village. Necessary action will be taken once the report is received.” President of the district unit of Dalit Samaj Nagen Jena alleged that the actions of the villagers violate fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 19 and 21. “Dalits often face discrimination in temples, but here children and women are being kept away from welfare services. We expect the police and administration to take firm steps,” he said. The anganwadi centre at Nuagaon has reportedly not been functioning since 23-year-old Sarmista Sethi was appointed as a helper-cum-cook at the facility on November 24 last year. Soon after her appointment, the village committee allegedly decided to boycott the centre in protest and stopped sending their kids to the facility as Sethi belongs to the dalit community. Even pregnant and lactating women have refused to visit the centre since then. Ashis Senapati 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
Transgender Equality: Court Decision on Transgender Rights in India
This report was published by the Centre for Law & Policy Research, Bengaluru, in December 2024. It presents an overview of the legal landscape of transgender rights in India by presenting case summaries of important judgments and their impact. In 2014, the Supreme Court of India in National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India (NALSA) ruled that transgender people have the right to self-determine their gender identity. This was protected under the constitutional guarantee of life, liberty and equality, and the freedom of expression given under Articles 21, 14, and 19 of the Indian Constitution. Following NALSA and the implementation of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, multiple cases have been presented to courts on issues of everyday challenges and rights violations. The purpose of this report is to provide access to such important judgements to multiple stakeholders advocating for and promoting transgender rights in India. This includes community members, activists, civil society groups, students and researchers, public officials and government, and other lawyers and judges. This 59-page document is divided into 3 sections: Introduction to the Legal Framework (Section 1); Key Definitions (Section 2); and Case Briefs on Transgender Rights (Section 3). Judgement summaries are further structured into 7 sub-sections: The Right to Self-Determination of Gender Identity; Right to Equal Opportunity in Public Employment; Legal Recognition of Change in Name & Gender; Right to Marriage; Family & Relationships; Criminal Law and Transgender Persons; Access to Education for Transgender Persons; and the Right to Social Security. The jurisprudence of transgender rights is largely based on NALSA in 2014, and other court judgments have extended the reach of fundamental rights as laid down in this case. This was followed by the enactment of Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020. In NALSA, the Supreme Court expanded “sex” in Article 15(1) to include both gender and gender identity and prohibited discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and sexual orientation. The Court affirmed that every individual has a constitutional right to determine their gender identity as per Articles 14 and 15(1), and broadened the interpretation of Articles 19(1)(a) and 21 to include a person’s right to express their gender. Under Section 7 of the Transgender Persons Act, 2019, gender recognition is a two-step process: a trans person needs to apply for recognition as ‘transgender’, followed by medical documents that request a change of gender identity. As it mandates a two-step process, failing to acknowledge the Supreme Court’s NALSA ruling, this provision faced strong criticism from the transgender community and activists. The right to privacy was deemed to be constitutionally protected as per the Supreme Court in Retd. Justice K S Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017). This was further extended in Navtej Johar v. Union of India (2016), where same-sex relations were decriminalised and Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was held unconstitutional. In Mulla Faizal v. State of Gujarat (1999), the High Court of Gujarat distinguished between intersex and transgender persons and imposed a duty on authorities to facilitate the correction of name and gender in birth certificates. The case of Arunkumar & Others v. The Inspector General of Registration (2019) recognised that transgender individuals have the right to marry based on their self-identified gender, linking this right to Article 21 of the Constitution. However, the Supreme Court later, in Supriyo v. Union of India (2023), ruled that the right to marry is not a fundamental right for transgender persons, though it clarified that transgender people in heterosexual marriages must be acknowledged under current laws. Due to the binary understanding of gender within Indian penal laws, transgender individuals frequently face denial of legal protection. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, identifies specific offences and criminalises various forms of abuse – including physical, emotional, and sexual violence. Courts have ruled that laws addressing sexual violence and harassment must be applied inclusively and should not exclude transgender persons from their protection. In Ms. X v. State of Uttarakhand (2019), the court recognised the right to self-identify gender based on an individual’s inner identity or ‘psyche,’ even within criminal law. The judgment also affirmed that offences such as rape apply to transwomen. To address existing legal gaps, the Madras High Court in M. Srinivasan v. State upheld the right to self-identification and confirmed that sexual harassment laws extend to all individuals who identify as women. Section 3 of the Transgender Persons Act, 2019, prohibits discrimination against transgender individuals in educational settings, while Section 13 mandates that state-funded or recognised institutions provide inclusive education. However, despite the Supreme Court’s directive in NALSA to classify transgender persons as socially and educationally backward and grant them reservations, such provisions remain largely unimplemented. The Supreme Court in NALSA also instructed the central and state governments to develop social welfare programs aimed at improving the lives of transgender people. Under Section 8 of the Transgender Persons Act, 2019, the government is required to implement these welfare initiatives and ensure transgender persons can access them. Although some states have set up Transgender Welfare Boards, access to welfare schemes has been limited. Many states lack such programs entirely, and the inclusion of transgender individuals in pension schemes for vulnerable groups has often only been achieved through judicial intervention. Focus and Factoids by Prathima Appaji. PARI Library’s health archive project is part of an initiative supported by the Azim Premji University to develop a free-access repository of health-related reports relevant to rural India. Courtesy : PARI (People’s Archive of Rural India) Note: This news is originally published on https:/peoplesarchiveofruralindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Who was Jesse Strang? 18-year-old named in Canada school shooting that left 10 dead, dozens injured
Canadian authorities are investigating a deadly shooting that killed 10 at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School after reports named 18-year-old Jesse Strang as the suspected gunman.Two Canadian news outlets, Western Standard and Juno News, reported that Strang was also transgender. The outlets said they received the name from a close family member. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has not officially confirmed the suspect’s identity. The shooting happened on Tuesday at about 1:20 pm local time in Tumbler Ridge, a small town in northeastern British Columbia, about 1,100 kilometers north of Vancouver. Police responded to reports of an active shooter at the school. A public safety alert was sent out telling residents to stay indoors. According to the RCMP, ten people were killed, including the gunman. More than two dozen others were injured. Police said they believe the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the school. Investigators also found additional victims at a nearby home that they believe is connected to the case. RCMP Superintendent Ken Floyd told reporters that investigators believe they know who the shooter was. However, police are not releasing the name at this time. Floyd said the decision was made out of respect for the victims’ families and to protect the investigation. Police have also said they do not yet know the motive. They are still working to determine how the victims were connected to the suspect. The shelter-in-place order was lifted later that evening after police said there was no longer a threat to the public. Students and staff who remained inside the school were safely evacuated. Tumbler Ridge has a population of about 2,400 people. Authorities said both the elementary and secondary schools will stay closed for the rest of the week. Counseling and support services are being offered to students, staff, and families. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Columbia Premier David Eby released statements expressing sorrow and offering condolences to the families of those killed. 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