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
Barabanki: In the presence of a revenue officer and a land record officer, goons ran a tractor over a Dalit farmer; the victim is battling for his life at the district hospital.
Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh: A serious case of hooliganism and caste-based oppression has come to light in Rampur Khargi village under Ramnagar tehsil of the district. It is alleged that in the presence of a revenue officer, goons plowed over the standing crop of a Scheduled Caste woman farmer with a tractor. When she protested, the goons allegedly tried to kill her husband by running him over with the tractor, leaving him seriously injured and fighting for his life at the district hospital. The victim, Kusum, wife of Mannu Lal, a resident of Rampur Khargi village (Ramnagar police station and tehsil), belongs to the Scheduled Caste. According to the victim, several families have been cultivating land and making a living on approximately 40 bighas of land in the village for many years. On a part of this land, Chandrapal Yadav of the same village has dug a pond, while the remaining land has been under ancestral cultivation by the victim and other villagers. The victim stated that she had wheat and mustard crops standing on about 5 bighas of land. On December 25, 2025, at around 2 PM, Chandrapal Yadav, his son Narendra Yadav, Suresh Verma, Master Jagat Narayan Verma, and Sandeep Verma arrived at the spot with two tractors. It is alleged that the local revenue officer Rajendra Yadav and a land record officer were also present with them. The victim says that after the measurement, the revenue officer and the land record officer told the goons to immediately plow and destroy the standing crop. The victim’s husband, Mannu Lal, and other villagers requested that the measurement be done after the harvest, but the revenue officer allegedly said that Chandrapal Yadav was a close relative of his and that they would only leave after plowing the crop. It is alleged that when they protested, the goons used casteist slurs, hurled abusive language, and threatened to kill them. During this time, the tractor driver ran the tractor over Mannu Lal, seriously injuring him. In an injured condition, his family members first took him to the Ramnagar Community Health Center, from where, seeing his critical condition, the doctor referred him to the district hospital. The victims allege that the incident was reported to Dial 112, but the police who arrived at the scene took no action. Shortly after, the perpetrators returned with a tractor and completely ploughed and destroyed the crops of the victim and other villagers, causing a loss of approximately 3 lakh rupees. The victims say that a video of the entire incident exists, yet no case has been registered so far. The victims have demanded that the district administration immediately conduct a medical examination of the injured farmer, register a case against the culprits under strict sections of the law, and provide security to the family. On the other hand, this incident has raised serious questions about administrative inaction and the oppression of Dalits. KAMRAN ALVI Courtesy: Hindi News
What Has Mayawati’s Sarvjan Politics Done to the Ambedkarite Political, Social, and Buddhist Movements of Dalits?
Mayawati is one of the most powerful and symbolically significant Dalit leaders in post-Ambedkar India. Rising from Kanshi Ram’s Bahujan movement, she became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh multiple times and led the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to unprecedented electoral success. For many Dalits, her ascent represented dignity, visibility, and the possibility of rule by the historically oppressed. in Annihilate Caste Yet, alongside these achievements, Mayawati’s version of Bahujan politics has had deeply contradictory consequences for Ambedkarite political, social, and Buddhist movements. While it consolidated electoral power and symbolic representation, it simultaneously weakened ideological depth, dismantled autonomous social movements, and marginalized Ambedkar’s religious–ethical project. This essay examines these consequences across three domains: political, social, and Buddhist movements. Impact on Ambedkarite Political Movement 1.1 From Ideological Politics to Power-Centric Governance Ambedkar viewed politics as a means for social and moral reconstruction, not an end in itself. Mayawati, inheriting Kanshi Ram’s framework, further shifted Dalit politics toward power-centric pragmatism. Electoral success, administrative control, and survival of the party apparatus became overriding priorities. As a result: Ideological debates within Dalit politics declined, Ambedkarite principles such as constitutional morality, fraternity, and social justice were rarely articulated as governing philosophies and politics became managerial rather than transformative. Dalit political power became visible but ideologically shallow. 1.2 Centralization and Decline of Democratic Culture Under Mayawati, the BSP evolved into an extremely centralized organization: decision-making rested almost entirely with the leader, internal dissent was punished and Cadre-based leadership and second-line Ambedkarite thinkers were systematically eliminated. This destroyed the institutional culture necessary for a long-term political movement. Unlike Ambedkar’s organizations—which encouraged debate, education, and intellectual autonomy—the BSP under Mayawati functioned as a command structure, producing obedience rather than consciousness. 1.3 Electoral Dependency and Post-BSP Vacuum Because Ambedkarite politics became tightly bound to BSP’s electoral fortunes, its decline after 2012 produced: organizational collapse, leadership vacuum and fragmentation of Dalit political energies. The absence of parallel ideological institutions meant that once electoral power weakened, Ambedkarite political mobilization lacked sustainability. Impact on Ambedkarite Social Movement 2.1 Symbolic Assertion Replacing Social Reform Mayawati’s most visible contribution was symbolic politics—statues, memorials, parks, and iconography of Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram, and Dalit icons. These symbols restored dignity and countered centuries of erasure. However, symbolism was not matched by: mass educational movements, land redistribution initiatives, sustained campaigns against caste violence and Grassroots legal empowerment. Thus, Dalit assertion became representational rather than structural. 2.2 Depoliticization of Everyday Caste Oppression Ambedkarite social movements historically addressed everyday caste practices—segregation, humiliation, violence, religious exclusion. Under Mayawati: social activism was subordinated to electoral discipline. Independent Dalit movements were discouraged or absorbed and criticism was treated as political betrayal. This led to a weakening of grassroots resistance to caste oppression, particularly in rural areas where social domination remained intact despite Dalit political representation. 2.3 Emergence of Social Passivity The message implicitly conveyed was: “The state will take care of Dalit interests.” This discouraged autonomous social mobilization. Dalits increasingly became spectators of politics rather than participants in social transformation, eroding the culture of protest, self-organization, and community reform central to Ambedkar’s vision. Impact on Ambedkarite Buddhist Movement 3.1 Marginalization of Navayana Buddhism Ambedkar considered conversion to Buddhism the culmination of Dalit liberation, providing a new moral universe based on equality, rationality, and compassion. Mayawati, however, treated Buddhism as politically inconvenient: It risked alienating Hindu OBC allies. It did not translate directly into electoral arithmetic. Consequently: no state-supported Buddhist education or cultural institutions were developed. Mass conversion movements were absent. Buddhist intellectual traditions stagnated. The Ambedkarite Buddhist movement remained peripheral and under-resourced. 3.2 Reduction of Ambedkar to a Political Symbol Under Mayawati, Ambedkar was increasingly presented as: A constitutional icon, a Dalit leader and a symbol of pride, but not as a radical critic of Hinduism and caste religion. His Buddhist philosophy—ethical, rational, anti-Brahmanical—was softened or ignored. This de-radicalization made Ambedkar more acceptable to dominant caste sensibilities but weakened the spiritual foundation of Dalit emancipation. 3.3 Loss of Ethical–Moral Framework Buddhism provided Ambedkarite politics with: ethical discipline, rational morality and Universalist humanism. Its neglect created a moral vacuum in Dalit politics, which was increasingly filled by: electoral pragmatism, welfare populism and personality worship. Politics without ethics became vulnerable to corruption, opportunism, and stagnation. Broader Consequences for Dalit Emancipation 4.1 Fragmentation of Ambedkarite Tradition Ambedkarite thought—once a synthesis of politics, social reform, and religion—became fragmented: politics without ideology, social assertion without reform and Buddhism without institutional support. This fragmentation weakened the coherence of Dalit emancipation as a civilizational project. 4.2 Rise of Post-BSP Ambedkarite Movements The limitations of Mayawati’s Bahujan politics partly explain the emergence of: Dalit student movements, Bhim Army / Azad Samaj Party and Independent Ambedkarite intellectual circles. These groups emphasize education, ideology, street mobilization, and constitutional rights—often explicitly distancing themselves from BSP-style politics. Mayawati’s Bahujan politics produced historic political representation and symbolic empowerment for Dalits, achievements that cannot be dismissed. However, this success came at a significant cost to the Ambedkarite political, social, and Buddhist movements. By prioritizing electoral power over ideological depth, symbolism over social reform, and pragmatism over ethical–religious transformation, her leadership: weakened autonomous Dalit social movements, marginalized Ambedkarite Buddhism and reduced Ambedkarism to electoral symbolism. In Ambedkar’s vision, political power was only one pillar of emancipation, alongside social revolution and moral–religious reconstruction. Mayawati’s politics strengthened the first while neglecting—and sometimes undermining—the other two. The challenge for contemporary Dalit movements is not merely to regain political power, but to reintegrate Ambedkar’s triadic vision of politics, society, and ethics, without which Dalit emancipation remains incomplete and reversible. By SR Darapuri SR Darapuri, National President, All India Peoples Front Courtesy : Counter Currents Note: This news is originally published on https:/countercurrents.org/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘Hate for Dalit’: BJP attacks Gandhi-Vadra family over Kharge’s treatment in presser; shares Jairam clip
NEW DELHI: The BJP on Saturday targeted the Gandhi–Vadra family, alleging that “their hate for Dalit is so open.” The charge from the saffron party came shortly after the Congress held a press conference in which party president Mallikarjun Kharge initially said he would not read the full note aloud and would instead circulate it to the media, before being interrupted moments later by the party’s general secretary, who urged him to read it out. Sharing a clip of the exchange, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused the Congress leadership of disrespecting Kharge. He wrote on X, “Be it Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi or Jairam Ramesh, their hate for a ‘DALIT’ is so open! Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge clearly stated that he would not read the full note and would circulate it to the press instead. Within seconds, Jairam Ramesh cut in and directed him to read it out. And Kharge ji complied. This is how Gandhi – Vadra family treats their own President!” At the press conference, the Congress announced a nationwide protest against the Centre’s decision to replace the rural employment scheme MGNREGA with what it called the VB G Ram G Act. Following the Congress Working Committee meeting, Kharge said replacing a scheme named after Mahatma Gandhi amounted to an insult to the Father of the Nation. Meanwhile, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the decision to scrap MGNREGA without consulting relevant ministers or even the Union Cabinet. The LoP also pledged to oppose the move, saying, “As Kharge ji has said, we are going to resist it. We are going to fight it. And I’m confident that the entire opposition is going to be aligned against this action.” 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
BSP’s New Strategy: Shifting from Dalit to OBC Leader, Will the Elephant Run in Purvanchal in 2027?
The Bahujan Samaj Party has surprised everyone by handing over the reins of Ghazipur district to an OBC leader. This could have an impact in Purvanchal in the 2027 UP Assembly elections. This time, the BSP is working with full force. Amitesh Kumar Singh, Ghazipur: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has appointed a new district president in Ghazipur keeping in mind the 2027 UP Assembly elections. Ramesh Singh Kushwaha reached the party office for the first time on Saturday after being appointed as the BSP president of Ghazipur. He was given a grand welcome there. After about 20 years, the BSP has played a new political gambit by appointing a full-time OBC district president. The BSP seems to be working on a strategy to make significant inroads into the OBC vote bank along with its traditional Dalit voters. Harinaath Rajbhar was made District President in 2007 BSP Varanasi Divisional In-charge Pramod Kumar Prabhakar told NBT Online that earlier in 2007, the party had appointed Harinaath Rajbhar as the district president. At that time, the BSP was in power in UP and party supremo Mayawati was the Chief Minister. After that, in 2023, Bujharat Rajbhar was made the district president, but his tenure was limited to just 2 months. Thus, it can be seen that after about 20 years, the party has once again made a fundamental change in its political strategies by betting on an OBC face. Prabhakar said that the BSP is a political party. Like all parties, the BSP also has every right to take decisions keeping political equations in mind. The UP Assembly elections are to be held in 2027. Keeping that in mind, the party high command has decided to appoint the district president. Ramesh Singh Kushwaha has been associated with the party for a long time. He is an articulate speaker. His appointment as district president by the BSP will directly connect the backward votes with the BSP. The party will perform brilliantly under Ramesh’s leadership – Umesh Former Lok Sabha candidate and BSP leader Dr. Umesh Kumar Singh said that the Bahujan Samaj Party works keeping all sections of society in mind. Ramesh Singh Kushwaha is an old and strong cadre of the BSP. Under his leadership, the party will perform brilliantly in the upcoming elections. Edited by: Vivek Mishra About the Author Vivek Kumar Mishra is a Senior Digital Content Producer at Navbharat Times. His focus is on news from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. He also writes opinion pieces and political analyses. He was born in Barabanki and has worked in several cities across three states. He started his career in print media in 2013. Courtesy: Hindi News
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
Jamia students back Dalit Professor suspended over exam question on atrocities against Muslims
Students of the Department of Social Work at Jamia Millia Islamia have issued a strong statement expressing solidarity with Prof. Virendra Balaji Shahare, who was suspended by the university administration over an end-of-semester examination question asking students to “discuss the atrocities against Muslim minorities in India,” calling the action an “erosion of academic freedom and intellectual autonomy, and an impermissible narrowing of scholarly discourse.” In their statement, the students asserted that the professor had committed “no wrongdoing” and maintained that the question cited as the basis for complaints was fully aligned with the prescribed syllabus. They said the syllabus explicitly mandates critical engagement with issues such as marginalisation, discrimination, violence, and structural injustice, and added that a copy of the syllabus was attached to their statement to substantiate the claim. “Penalising an academic for facilitating critical engagement undermines the very foundation of social science education,” the students said. The students argued that Jamia formally offers courses in Dalit and Minority Studies, Social Inclusion, Human Rights, and Social Justice, disciplines that are premised on critical inquiry and structural analysis. In this context, they said, the action against Prof. Shahare represents an erosion of academic freedom and intellectual autonomy, and an impermissible narrowing of scholarly discourse. The statement strongly criticised the university’s invocation of Statute 37(1) to suspend the professor, calling it “arbitrary, excessive, and legally untenable.” According to the students, the statute allows suspension only in exceptional circumstances involving prima facie evidence of grave misconduct, and solely as a temporary measure pending inquiry. They maintained that setting an examination question approved through institutional mechanisms does not amount to misconduct, negligence, or “unbecoming conduct” under the statute. Highlighting that examination papers undergo multiple levels of moderation and approval, the students questioned why only Prof. Shahare had been singled out. “No questions have been raised against moderation committees, departmental vetting processes, or the Controller of Examinations, who bears statutory responsibility for the conduct of examinations,” the statement said. The students also raised concerns about caste-based discrimination, noting that Prof. Shahare is a Dalit academic, stating, “The suspension reflects a disturbing pattern where individuals from marginalised communities bear the brunt of punitive action, while systemic accountability is evaded,” they alleged. The students described the reported mention of filing a police FIR against the professor as a “dangerous and unjust escalation,” warning that it could set a precedent for criminalising pedagogy. “Academic disagreements or public discomfort cannot and must not be converted into criminal liability,” the statement said. The students demanded immediate and permanent revocation of Prof. Shahare’s suspension, withdrawal of any legal action, a public apology from the university, assurances against scapegoating faculty from marginalised communities, and a reaffirmation of Jamia’s commitment to academic freedom and constitutional values. “We stand with our professor. We reject this injustice. And we will continue to speak until it is corrected,” they asserted. Similarly, students of the Department of Political Science at Jamia Millia Islamia condemned the suspension and demanded its immediate revocation, stating that “institutions of higher learning must address internal disagreements through transparent, proportionate, and procedurally fair mechanisms.” The students warned that such action affects not only the faculty member concerned but also the academic environment and students’ right to a free and critical learning space, adding that dialogue, not punitive measures, must remain the guiding principle of university governance. Virendra Balaji Shahare, was the paper setter for the BA (Hons) Social Work Semester-I examination titled Social Problems in India for the academic session 2025–26. The suspension comes after Prof. Shahare included a question asking students to “discuss the atrocities against Muslim minorities in India” in the examination paper he set, sparking outrage among students, fellow teachers, and rights groups/ The university stated that it had received several complaints from various sources regarding the content of the question paper. In its order dated December 23, 2025, the university stated that the competent authority had taken a “serious view” of what it described as the professor’s negligence and carelessness. Acting on the instructions of the competent authority, Jamia said Prof. Shahare had been placed under suspension pending further orders. The Jamia Millia Islamia unit of the Fraternity Movement has demanded the revocation of the teacher’s suspension, calling it a move to defend academic freedom. The order further stated that a police FIR would be filed “as per rules” in connection with the matter. Invoking Statute 37(1) of the Statutes of the University, the Vice-Chancellor ordered disciplinary action, stating that the alleged negligence amounted to an act “unbecoming” of a faculty member. Earlier, several student organisations, including AIDSO, AIMSU, AIRSO, AISA, DISSC, MSF, the Fraternity Movement, SFI, and SIO, in a joint statement condemned the suspension, stating that the examination question asking students to “discuss the atrocities against Muslim minorities in India” was clearly syllabus-based and academically legitimate. They called the university’s decision to suspend him and file a police FIR an unprecedented, disproportionate, and dangerous attack on academic autonomy, democratic functioning, and Jamia’s historical legacy of critical inquiry. They also demanded the immediate revocation of the suspension and withdrawal of all punitive proceedings. Courtesy : Maktoob Media Note: This news is originally published on https:/maktoobmedia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Protest over the killing of a Dalit youth in Bangladesh: Bajrang Dal, VHP burn effigy of Bangladesh, demand action
Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists staged a protest at Sarju Pandey Park in Ghazipur on Thursday. The protest was against the alleged killing of a Dalit Hindu youth, Deepu Das, in Bangladesh. The activists also burned a symbolic effigy of Bangladesh during the protest. Activists of the organizations alleged that Deepu Das was murdered by radical organizations active in Bangladesh. They also questioned the role of the interim government there. The protesters said that the incident has created an atmosphere of fear among the Hindu community living in Bangladesh. The protest was organized to express the concerns of the Hindu community and to demonstrate social solidarity. The organizers said that the program was completely peaceful and its purpose was to express their feelings in a democratic manner. A large number of activists and common people from the city, block, and district levels participated in the protest. Several prominent activists were present at the protest, including Bajrang Dal District President Vipin Srivastava, District Convenor Ravi Raj, and Convenor Ratan Ji. Among them were Bechu, Dharmendra Kashyap, Omkar Rai, Amit Rai, Kripa Shankar Rai, Sudhakar Rai, Anand Tiwari, Omprakash Pandey, Pradeep Verma, Chandan Pandey, Deendayal Ji, City President Anurag Chauhan, Vinod Bajrangi, Brijesh, Harsh Singh, Hemant Tiwari, and Akhilesh Singh. Hundreds of other activists were also present. The organizers appealed to the Hindu community to maintain unity and continue to raise their voices for the victims. Shashi Kant Tiwari Courtesy: Hindi News