March 2016
A Kashmiri Widow’s 20-year long wait for Justice
Munawara’s husband was picked up by the BSF along with few other youths after a crackdown in Batamaloo area of Srinagar on On 7 April 1993. He was shot to death, at point blank range inside a cow shed, along with another youth. His crime? The BSF claimed that the...
Parched district not yet declared drought affected in Chhattisgarh
In Hatkacharama village, 15 km from Narharpur tehsil of Uttar Bastar Kanker district, Chhattisgarh, farmer Vishnuram Sodhi is worried that his crop may fail, adding to his already mounting debts. His tehsil, Narharpur has received negligible rainfall in the monsoon, putting futures of many farmers in a similar jeopardy. However,...
Turbans reinforcing caste system and identities
Who knew tying a turban can be a way to reinforce caste identity in a society! In Delwara village of Rajasthan, different communities tie their turbans differently as a sign to indicate which caste they belong to. This different turban style helps people decide their interactions towards people belonging to...
Gram Panchayat disregards laws for rapid industrialization
Chhattisgarh, the ‘Rice Bowl of central India’ witnessed 309 farmer suicides between January 2013 and January 31, 2016 because of crop failures, rising debts and rapid land acquisitions. While agriculture is the chief source of livelihood for the population, Chhattisgarh is on an industrial roller-coaster with more & more coal-based power...
Dima Jatra Cultural festival in Tea gardens
Every year in October, tribal communities from different areas display their arts and crafts at the Dima Jatra cultural festival which takes place at the Dima tea gardens in West Bengal. In 2015, people celebrated 60 years of the Dima Jatra festival. “Participating teams are welcomed in the field with joy....
Where People Starve to Death: Odisha, India
A 9-year-old child, Dhira Nag, kept her 55-year old grandmother Sua Dei alive by sneaking home food from her school’s mid-day meal. However, Sua Dei ultimately died of starvation in Bolangir district in December 2015, sparking a row in the Odisha Assembly. While most media houses focussed on politicians misbehaving,...
Impact| Bogus Electricity Bills Worth Lakhs Waived by MSEB
The agricultural land that the farmers were in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra, given by the administration was not a well irrigated land. Therefore, administration had constructed well worth Rs. 3 lakh 46 thousand for the farmers to fetch water from this well. However it didn’t have any water level or...
Some relief post illegal demolition
The government of Odisha demolished houses of 60 families without any prior notification and used police force to confine the residents when they protested and pleaded them to at least take out their belongings. This kind of demolition, rendered illegal in India and other parts of the world under Article...