Citizenship: Beyond the Forked Vision
by Samik Roy Chowdhury and Gorky Chakraborty The divisive reception received by the Citizenship Amendment Act (2019) has allowed for polarised debates on several concepts central to our political life.…
Citizenship Amendment Act
Call for nationwide protests on 16th December against unconstitutional CAA-NPR-NRC
16th Dec 2021 will mark two years since the historic Shaheen Bagh movement for equal citizenship and safeguarding the fundamental ethos of our constitution. In response to brutal state violence…
Nativist Drama
The Assam Human Rights Commission closed on 10.3.2021 the case filed by Hirak Jyoti Bora,former General Secretary,Cotton College Students' Union and now a member of the Assamese nationalist party AJP…
Review NPR-NRC
Illegal migrants living inside India is a worrying, long-standing reality dating back to the 1950s. This is so especially in several border states. Over decades, successive governments of different political…
Release Akhil Gogoi Immediately
One of the lesser known aspects of recent Assembly elections which deserves to be known more widely is that the well-known social activist Akhil Gogoi has won the election from…
Jean Swanson honoured for standing up for Indian farmers and opposing CAA
Vancouver City Councillor Jean Swanson was presented with the Radical Desi medal of courage by members of Indians Abroad for Pluralist India (IAPI) on Thursday, April 15. Swanson had recently…
We Have Had Enough of Answering – No Lessons Needed on Composite Culture
Contrary to popular opinion, that theory and practice are two irreconcilable extremes, the fact is the two are sequential steps, where theory must precede practice and not the vice versa.…
What is the idea of India?
On the first anniversary of a movement that seems to be a reaffirmation of democratic processes in a nation torn with angst, Meenakshi Malhotra reviews Shaheen Bagh and the Idea of India…
Social Workers in anti-CAA Movements: Lucknow Chapter
After its passing on the 11 December 2019, the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), providing pathway to Indian citizenship for refugees from the neighbouring countries on the basis of the…
What lessons can we learn from Protests in India?
In the last one decade we are witnessed three major protests in different issues, but the outcome of each protest was the same. The protesters became popular but the issue…
As Jamia turns 100, Meeran Haider is missed as he continues to fight for justice, defend Democracy
Jamia Millia Islamia turns 100 this year, Students, Alumni, Professors, Teaching and Non-Teaching staff together rejoice for the glorious 100 years of this university. The story of its growth…
Condemn The Arrest of Umar Khalid; Release Him Immediately
As citizens deeply committed to Constitutional values, we condemn the arrest of Umar Khalid who has been subjected to a malicious investigation targeting peaceful anti-CAA protestors. He has been booked…
Yechury, Yadav, Apoorvanand, Ghosh et al. named in Delhi riots: Media toes police line
The mainstream media – particularly Hindi newspapers – has reproduced the police version while covering the news related to the naming of opposition leaders, activists, scholars in a supplementary…
HBKL condemns the targeting of peaceful anti-CAA/NRC/NPR protesters by Mumbai Police
Ever since the passage of the draconian & unconstitutional laws, namely, the CAA, NRC & the NPR, peaceful protests spontaneously arose across the country. These protests were organised in the…
Delhi Riots: Is this an investigation into a “conspiracy” or is the investigation itself a conspiracy?
Statement released by Activists of Anti-CAA-NRC-NPR movement, Apoorvanand, Harsh Mander, Yogendra Yadav, Kawalpreet and Umar Khalid questioning the malicious investigation of the Delhi riots by Delhi police This press conference…
The police I served and the police I faced
(I am a 1972 batch IPS officer of U.P.Cadre. After retirement as IG (Police) in 2003, I have been active on issues of Human Rights, Dalit Rights, RTI, Forest Rights…
Release Sharjeel Usmani
It has been more than one month since Sharjeel Usmani, National secretary of Fraternity Movement and Anti-CAA Activist imprisoned in Aligarh Jail. He was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police…
Was Shaheen Bagh Movement Scripted by BJP?
Aam Admi Party, rather Arvind Kejriwal’s party on 17th August accused the BJP of sponsoring the anti-CAA protest at Shaheen Bagh, “The BJP won some seats from the North-East in…
DU Professor Apoorvanand Questioned By Delhi Police, Phone Seized
Delhi University professor Apoorvanand was questioned on Monday by Delhi police in connection with Delhi riots. Apoorvanand said his phone was seized for investigation and he spent five hours with…
San Francisco becomes sixth US city to denounce Indian Citizen Amendment Act
San Francisco Wednesday became the sixth US city to pass a resolution against India’s anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The resolution, reaffirming San…
Gulfisha Fatima: 100+ Days of Wrongful Imprisonment
19 July 2020 marked 100 days of the wrongful incarceration of Gulfisha Fatima, a young student and community educator from Seelampur, in North-East Delhi who has been falsely charged under the draconian…
Chuck Puchmayr honoured for bringing a motion against CAA
Indians Abroad for Pluralist India honoured New Westminster City Councillor Chuck Puchmayr with a medal of courage on Sunday, July 19, for bringing a motion against India’s highly discriminatory Citizenship…
New Westminster passes motion against CAA, becomes first Canadian municipality to denounce India’s Islamophobic law
Brutish Colombian city passed a motion on Monday, July 13 against the highly discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) adopted by the Indian government. Moved on March 9 by City Councillor…
UAPA- Sword against dissent
Co-Written by Saumya and Harsh Kumar Peasant leader and RTI Activist Akhil Gogoi from Assam booked under the amended UAPA act 2019 tested positive for COVID-19 in jail. He has…
The curious case of Sharjeel Usmani and Psychological Cognitive Distortion Disorder of islamophobic crowd
Human right activist Sharjeel Usmani was picked by Uttar Pradesh police from his Azamgarh home on Wednesday evening. His brother says that around 5 p.m, five unknown people dressed in…
Sharjeel Usmani, another Muslim student leader, falls victim to Hindutva State
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) student leader Sharjeel Usmani has been victimized because of his Muslim identity. A bright youth leader, emerging scholar, and asset of the country as well…
Akhil Gogoi: A peasant leader jailed for supporting the poor and oppressed
Co-Written by Atul and Sandeep Pandey Akhil Gogoi-a peasant leader and Right to Information activist from Assam has been in jail since December 2019. His crime is that he exercised…
The NHRC’s Report on Jamia Violence has ignored the Perspective of Victims
Just a few days ago the NHRC (National Human Right Commission) has released its report on ‘Jamia Violence’ which took place on 15th December 2019 night. The Commission in…
UN experts urge India to release protest leaders
GENEVA (26 June 2020) – UN experts* today called on India to immediately release human rights defenders who have been arrested for protesting against changes to the nation’s citizenship laws.…
Arrest of Safoora Zargar : A Case of Executive Vindictiveness
While the Covid 19 situation in India continues to get grim with each passing day, the country is also witnessing the rise of unchecked executive power of the Center that…
Dear Leaders, You Can’t Silence India, Can You?
Harsh Mander, distinguished former civil servant and a human rights activist, and founder of Karawan-e Mohabbat, of which I too am a member, has been mentioned in the charge sheet…
Stand in Solidarity with Harsh Mander: A Tireless Defender of Human Rights
Just a few days back, the chargesheet was filed by the Delhi police against a well-known Human Right activist and committed Gandhian Harsh Mander along with other activists. The Delhi…
`Rights To Have Rights’ In Context Of Citizenship Matrix In India
Much has been said about the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 while protestors all over India demanded to withdraw the law claiming that it is discriminatory. The matter is pending…
CAA: Should United Nations Norms be respected in Domestic Policies?
In the wake of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) UN High Commissioner, Michele Bachelet, has filed an intervention in the Supreme Court petition challenging the constitutionality of the Citizenship Amendment Act,…
Motion against India’s divisive Citizenship Amendment Act moved in New Westminster
Following in the footsteps of Seattle City council, which unanimously passed a motion against the discriminatory citizenship law adopted by India, a councillor in New Westminster made a similar move…
An Open Letter to Harsh Vardhan Shringla (Indian’s Foreign External Affairs Secretary)
Dear Mr. Shringla: I write this open letter to question you most respectfully why you told a seminar in Dhaka on 2nd March that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) passed…
India’s citizenship laws resemble South Africa’s Asiatic Registration Act
At a time when Delhi was burning in the fire of communal riots sparked by the provocative speeches of leaders of his own party as evident from video reports, it…
Not Just Communalist: Unpacking India’s New Citizenship Law and its Impact on the Indigenous Northeast
Globally, indigenous peoples’ land and cultural identity has been subjected to increasingly violent pressure in the last fifteen years, either for resources or due to demographic tensions over land.Indigenous land…
Mumbai Bagh In Times of Islamophobia
The blatantly communal remarks of a taxi driver at Byculla was an acrid reminder of just how far the politics of hate have gone, with the nation’s top leaders making…
Perceived Roles Of Hinduism And Islam Reversed
On January 26, Republic Day, 2020, while protests simmered against Citizenship Amendment Act and National Regiser of citizens throughout India, a dozen North American cities also witnessed historic protests. Indian…
A take on Pro-CAA gang
Those supporting the CAA have the following questions against anti-CAA protestors? · We do not understand why they are protesting? CAA only talks of giving citizenship and not taking away…
Muslim Minorities – Seeking Protection From Wolves…
In December of 2019, India’s ruling party in the state of Assam, the BJP, passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), easing citizenship requirements for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Christians and Sikhs…
Police Brutally Beat Up Jamia Millia Islamia Students Again
Police brutally beat up Jamia Millia Islamia students today. The police resorted to a lathi-charge on the protesters near Holy Family hospital which is within walking distance of Jamia Millia…
Beyond Federalism: the protests against CAA-NRC should be broadened
Before engaging with Professor Partha Chatterjee’s essay published in the Wire, 18th January on the anti-CAA protests going on at nation-wide, let me briefly give his academic background and kind…
How doubtful citizens can be ‘foreigners’
The link between the NRC and the CAA is through amendment to Rules under Foreigners' Order. The Rule 3A (6) added by Amendment to Foreigners Order 1964 in 2019 says:…
From The Roots To Statelessness : Are “We, the People of India”?
In the 70-year Republic, the public of India are burdened to prove their citizenship under NRC rules, prove place and birth of their parents under NPR, or face the CAA…
When Two Elderly Women Met At Shaheen Bagh
Co-Written by AurobindoGhose and Gurjeet Kaur Picture of two Elderly Women at ShaheenBagh, is worth thousand words: Divided by Class and privilege but United by Compassion and Patriotism The moment…
The Mottled Logic of Power: Reactions to Seattle’s Anti-CAA Resolution
A few days ago, the Seattle City Council approved a resolution condemning the CAA and NRC, both creations of the ruling BJP government in India. People involved in the creation…
Cycling Against #CAA_NRC_NPR
Yesterday for nearly four hours I was cycling in various working class localities of Bangalore, covered around 30 kms . I noticed that after nearly 7 weeks since the draconian…
Why BJP’s Subjugation of Gandhi’s Legacy Hit a Roadblock at Shaheen Bagh
‘Death ends all enmity’ (Marnanti Vairani) goes a maxim in Hinduism. The story also goes that when Ravana was on death bed, Ram had even asked Laxman to go to him and…
Under CAA, India rejects its own to welcome a few outsiders
A large number of Indians – most of them Dalits, Adivasis and the poor – will lose their citizenship under CAA only for a few thousand refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh…
CAA-NPR-NRC’s Impact on Urban Poor
Statement by National Coalition for Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation (NCU) The National Coalition for Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation (NCU) unequivocally condemns the unconstitutional and anti-constitutional CAA-NPR-NRC being unilaterally imposed by…
State assembly resolutions against Constitutional (Amendment) Act 2019: Debating legalities for or against?
The outbreak of dissent voices against the newly enacted Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 which grants citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, appeared as several forms of…
Seattle City Council Passes Resolution Against CAA, NRC
The Seattle City Council, one of the most powerful city councils in the U.S., on Monday unanimously passed a resolution condemning India’s recently-enacted Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National…
Understand the Chronology
Opinions are divided over the constitutionality and morality of Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The extent of this dyad is difficult to comprehend, however, the ambit of anti-CAA stir steadily swelled…
Why I Stand with Sharjeel Imam
My friends advised me to avoid the issue of Sharjeel Imam. They said that it was not the 'right time' to show solidarity with him. I know they were concerned…
Unprecedented March against Anti-People CAA, NPR & NRC at Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Bhubaneswar, 30.01.20:The State Capital of Odisha witnessed today an unprecedented March against CAA, NPR and NRC in response to a unitedcall given by progressive political organizations, social groups, academics, media…
The Anti-CAA/NRC/NPR Movement: Hope and Prospects
1. The government's decisions on the Kashmir-problem, the temple-mosque dispute, the Assam-problem (National Register of Citizens) and the Citizenship Amendment Act highlight four things: (1) That the decisions are motivated…
Citizenship, Hindutva Hypocrisy and the CAA-NRC
While celebrating the Republic Day, a public lecture on the topic of ‘Citizenship’ (which now has become a contentious issue after the passing of the CAA, and which has also…
West Bengal becomes Fourth state to pass anti-CAA resolution
West Bengal became the fourth opposition-ruled state to pass a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in its assembly, after Kerala, Punjab and Rajasthan. The resolution, moved by Parliamentary…
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