IAMC Weekly News Digest, 23rd October 2020 - IAMC

IAMC Weekly News Digest, 23rd October 2020


Hate is poisoning Indian society – and many refuse to see it – By Rana Ayyub 

Photo: The Juggernaut Blog

Hate is suffocating every aspect of life in India. No space seems safe. Early morning on Oct. 18, a neighbor alerted me to a WhatsApp message distributed by our building’s security guard celebrating the killer of Mahatma Gandhi and urging people to take up the gun to protect the idea of Hindu sovereignty. These types of messages are popular with Hindu nationalists and right-wing supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.… And when the iconic jewelry brand Tanishq recently ran an ad showcasing an interfaith marriage, the resulting Hindu right-wing backlash on social media forced the company to pull the commercial.… This is where division and hate have driven us.…Read more


The Caravan staffer assaulted by Delhi Police ACP inside Model Town station 

Photo: The Caravan

On the afternoon of 16 October, the Delhi Police detained and assaulted Ahan Penkar, a 24-year-old staffer of The Caravan, while he was reporting in north Delhi. Ajay Kumar, the assistant commissioner of police of Model Town, kicked and slapped Penkar inside the Model Town police station premises. Penkar had repeatedly told the police that he was a journalist and prominently displayed his press card. The police forcibly took Penkar’s phone from him and deleted all the photos and videos he had recorded while reporting. Penkar was detained for nearly four hours. In the assault, he sustained injuries on his nose, shoulder, back and ankle.… Kumar ordered the personnel to take Penkar inside as well. “Isko bhi dekh lenge,” Kumar said – we will show him also.…Read more


BJP MLA, His Son Barge into UP Police Station, Walk Away With Man Arrested for Eve-teasing 

Photo: News18.com

In an incident that has left the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh red faced, especially at a time when it is emphasising on women’s safety and security in the state in the wake of Hathras rape case, a party MLA and his son allegedly took away a man accused of eve-teasing from police custody on Saturday. A video of the ruckus created by the BJP MLA and his son and supporters is now being widely circulated on social media platforms. BJP MLA Lokendra Pratap Singh and his son reportedly reached Mohammadi Police Station in Lakhimpur post midnight along with scores of supporters and created a ruckus over the arrest of a worker in an eve-teasing case.…Read more


Announcement

Indian American Groups Protest Government Coverup of Dalit Rape and Murder in India’s Hathras

Communal Harmony

Sir Syed: A symbol of communal harmony 

News

India criticized by UN human rights chief for stifling freedoms 

Muslim Cop Suspended for Sporting Beard in Baghpat District of Uttar Pradesh 

The Caravan staffer assaulted by Delhi Police ACP inside Model Town station 

Don’t Cross Line, You’re Not a Prosecuting Agency: HC to Zee News

‘Persecution Has Become Norm’: Kashmir Times Editor Anuradha Bhasin On Office Sealing 

BJP Candidate from Jaunpur’s Malhani ‘Caught’ Distributing Money in Viral Photo Ahead of UP Bypolls

BJP activist arrested for duping people by promising Assam govt jobs 

Court orders FIR against Kangana Ranaut, her sister for allegedly trying to create communal tensions 

Dalit lawyer killed over ‘anti-Brahmin’ posts in Gujarat: SIT 

BJP MLA, His Son Barge into UP Police Station, Walk Away With Man Arrested for Eve-teasing 

Opinion

Hate is poisoning Indian society – and many refuse to see it – By Rana Ayyub 

The Fatal Gang Rape of a Young Woman Is Forcing a Reckoning in India Over the Caste System – By Billy Perrigo 

Bollywood has finally spoken, because Modi selfies aren’t really helping – By Rachel John 

India’s arrest of an 83-year-old priest on terrorism charges is an insult to justice – By Mari Marcel Thekaekara 

The Judiciary Faces A Crisis Of Character – By Ranjit Singh

RSS’ next target, Mathura – By A.G. Noorani 

Book Review

The Life and Death of Indian Democracy