Civil Liberties

“What’s the connection between eating meat and celebrating Independence Day? 99% of Telangana’s people eat meat. These meat bans violate people’s right to liberty, privacy, livelihood, culture, nutrition, and religion.”

https://thewire.in/rights/whats-the-connection-asks-owaisi-as-civic-bodies-order-meat-shops-shut-on-independence-day 

Meat bans during Hindu festivals have become usual under the Narendra Modi dispensation. They are hotly contested by most who argue that most in the country predominantly eat non-vegetarian food and that such a move affects local economies. Although August 16 is Janmashtami, a noteworthy day in the Hindu calendar, this meat ban has extended to a secular holiday.

Ajit Pawar, who is deputy chief minister, said, “One would have understood the ban if it were on Ashadhi Ekadashi or Mahavir Jayanti. But when there is no such occasion, why should meat shops be forced to remain closed?”

13/08/2025

 

‘Prisoner No. 626710 is Present’: Documentary on Umar Khalid screened to mark his birthday Lalit Va

https://thefederal.com/category/entertainment/prisoner-no-626710-is-present-documentary-on-umar-khalid-screened-on-his-birthday-138654?infinitescroll=1  

 Prisoner No. 626710, a reminder of the ongoing battle to protect eroding democratic values, ends with a powerful speech by Umar Khalid, encapsulating the philosophy of nonviolent resistance.

 

Citizenship Tangle https://scroll.in/article/1071151/assam-is-putting-in-place-a-citizenship-regime-that-excludes-muslims-but-do-bengali-hindus-benefit A new government order asked border police to refer undocumented immigrants who came to India before 2015 to foreigners’ tribunals – only if they are Muslim. The contentious Citizenship Amendment Act, passed in 2019 by the Narendra Modi government, provides a fast-track to citizenship to refugees from six minority communities belonging to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Only Muslims are denied this relief. The stipulation is that they should have entered the country, even if illegally, before December 31, 2014. The act, which has been criticised as exclusionary and discriminatory against Muslims, triggered widespread protests across the country in 2019. Some of the fiercest protests were held in Assam and five were killed in the winter of 2019. Assamese nationalists feared that the law would open the door to lakhs of migrants from India’s neighbourhood, swamping the northeastern state. The protests pushed back the implementation of the law by four years – the rules were notified only in March this year. by Rokibuz Zaman 26/07/2024

Sheikh, who is popularly known as Engineer Rashid, has been in jail since 2019 in an alleged case of terror funding.

https://scroll.in/article/1070204/why-baramulla-mp-engineer-rashid-has-been-in-jail-since-august-2019 

The maverick politician pulled off an upset in Baramulla, defeating National Conference leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah, even though he had contested the election from jail. Earlier this week, he was granted custody parole by a Delhi court to allow him to be sworn in.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, who was previously Rashid’s lawyer, told Scroll that Rashid’s speeches that the agency is using as evidence are all of a political nature – “speeches that any politician would give” – and contain nothing that could be linked with violence or terrorist activities.

by Vineet Bhalla & Safwat Zargar

05/07/2024