Jyoti Punwani
Crowdfunding efforts for minorities targetted for faith show public's resistance to politics of hate
Immediately after the news of both incidents became public, people from many faiths contributed to the victims. Many perhaps felt shame and anger in the way these innocents had been targetted because of their religion
Disha Ravi's arrest make students engaged in fight against climate change anxious; fear career harm
Students fear that if they are named for participating in social media activity they risk arrest and chances of getting scholarships, admission to foreign universities and jobs are also hampered
By enforcing notices under SMA, govt telling interfaith couples to convert or wait endlessly, says petitioner Nida Rehman
Notices of marriages under SMA intended to safeguard the interests of the two parties to the marriage, but for some years, they have been used to prevent, often forcibly, inter-faith and inter-caste marriages
Love jihad laws risk security of inter-faith couples as few states comply with SC's safe house directive
Asif Iqbal, co-founder of Dhanak, a Delhi-based group that has helped 1,300 couples since 2012, says that SMA will be more helpful for couples if the provision of 30-days prior notice is removed
BJP and Mamata Banerjee are 'two sides of the same coin', says Indian Secular Front's Peerzada Abbas Siddiqui
'Those who want to exploit the poor will never want any Muslim to become a leader,' says the firebrand head of Bengal's Furfura Sharif dargah
A history of riots in India shows how the Hindu right used religious processions to foment disorder
Governments can ensure that religious processions don't end in violence. For that though, the lives of innocent citizens, especially minorities, should matter to them
The Muslim media interpretation of Asaduddin Owaisi's gains in Bihar that everyone else missed
"Anyone who thinks Owaisi is going to bring in positive change for Muslims, is living in a fool’s paradise," writers the editor of India's oldest Muslim news website
Love jihad and the law: How can marriage be solely for the purpose of conversion?
BJP CMs have declared their intention to enact laws against this practice but the fear of physical harm has failed to deter young women from marrying out of choice
Aghast at the Babri Masjid verdict, I apologise to the thousands whose lives were ruined, and bemoan the debasement of an ancient religion, writes Jyoti Punwani
The apology is to the thousands whose lives were ruined by the movement to demolish Ayodhya’s Babri Masjid and build a Ram Mandir at the very spot where it stood
Triumphalism of Ayodhya coverage masked pain of India's largest minority, but hope persists that secularism will outlast hate
In the run-up to the grand ceremony, there was no acknowledgement of the destruction of lives of fellow citizens, neither by the constitutional Head of State, nor by the ruling party, nor the Opposition, not even by the media
'Take care while making arrests': Delhi Police advisory to riots investigators echoes politics of Hindu privilege
The order has generated much outrage across the country. But for Mumbaikars, the Delhi Police’s 'advice' only evokes a sense of déjà vu.
Jayaraj and Fenix killings: Torture, intimidation, encounters are an old Tamil Nadu police tradition
The recent intimidation by the police of a magistrate investigating the custodial killings of Jayaraj and Fenix, brings back memories of similar menacing conduct by the same force
The home minister's detractors are wrong; Amit Shah was as busy as ever during the lockdown, doing what he does best
Home Minister Amit Shah has been seen on the front page of newspapers after a significant gap of time. He is back to doing what he revels in: campaigning for elections. And he’s doing it in his typical no-holds-barred style. No expenses barred either.
Prompt arrests in Palghar incident show state govts can always act fast to counter communalism if they want to
From 2015, 45 Muslims have been lynched by mobs, yet neither did any government functionary expressed any concern like they did in the Palghar incident nor did any government felt obliged to immediately arrest the culprits or suspend the policemen who allowed them to be lynched
Delhi can learn from Mumbai's violent history: Communal riots follow a classic pattern of provocation, reaction and police inaction
The Delhi riot is following the classic communal riot pattern. First, the Hindutva leaders try to provoke Muslims. Muslims react violently. Then the police descend on the scene, often helping the rioters. At the end of the riot, you have more Muslims killed, more Muslim properties destroyed, and more Muslims arrested than Hindus.
In Bulandshahr, the message to families who paid 'damages' for CAA protests is clear: Cough up and you'll face no harassment
The Bulandshahr villagers probably thought giving the money on their own would be a way of avoiding the inconvenience and worse, the ignominy of appearing in court repeatedly to prove that they hadn’t destroyed the property
'Thank you, Uddhavji': Exuberance of Mumbai's CAA protest showed why city's Muslims are welcoming of the 'new' Sena
If the BJP creates communal trouble in Mumbai, Muslims know they won’t be at the undependable mercies of the Congress-NCP. The Sena knows how to handle the BJP, they say: lohe ko loha hi kaat sakta hai.
Ayodhya verdict: Supreme Court would have done well to revisit Gujarat HC's 'rebuild mosques' order post-2002 violence
The Supreme Court describes the demolition of the Babri Masjid as an "egregious violation of the rule of law". Had it wanted to do justice for those wronged by this crime, it could have done two things: Ensure punishment of those guilty and restore the destroyed place of worship
'Unhappy, but resigned': Ayodhya judgment is not 'justice', say Mumbai Sunni leaders; scholars say can't trust a court which favours 'faith over merit'
Unhappy but resigned. That was the mood of three well-known Sunni leaders and Islamic scholars in Mumbai, after the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute case. The highest court had let them down, they felt.
Bhima Koregaon Dalits united against BJP, divided over choice in polls; elders back Congress, youth prefer Prakash Ambedkar
Dalit activist Milind Bhawar, who helped many victims file affidavits before the commission, agrees. "Prakash Ambedkar's contribution to the Commission has been zero