Citizens for Justice and Peace
Hate Speech spreads like wildfire in Karnataka A closer look at hate offenders and how digital and print platforms have fulled the hate machine
14-Jan-2021
A report titled Chronicle of Communal Incidents in Coastal Districts of Karnataka, compiled by Karnataka Communal Harmony Forum and People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), member Suresh B. Bhat, presents 47 instances of Hate Speech in 2020 as opposed to 12 in 2019. The report that collates information from the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Districts…
Fear, loathing & dismay across ‘India-Bangladesh border’ in Bengaluru: NRC Sudipto Mondal for The Federal
04-Oct-2019
“That side of the road is Bangladesh, this side is India. We don’t go there and they don’t come here,” says Jamaal Hassan (43), sounding panicky. “The police should go after them, not us. We are Indians, it’s our birthright to live and work here.” Hassan is one of the 5,000 Bengali-speaking Muslim labourers…
A Special Court can speedily dispense justice in the Gauri Lankesh murder case: S Balan EXCLUSIVE interview with Special Public Prosecutor
05-Sep-2019
Today, Thursday, September 5, marks the second anniversary of the fateful night when bike-borne assailants killed journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh outside her home in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar, Bengaluru. Two years on, the investigation has reached a crucial stage with special public prosecutor, S Balan describing the investigation by the SIT as “meticulous.” In an…
H.S. Doreswamy: Karnataka’s Foot Soldier Meet one of Bapu's greatest supporters and most devoted follower
02-Oct-2018
On the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, meet one of his greatest supporters and most devoted followers… HS Doreswamy. A veteran freedom fighter, school teacher and social activist, Doreswamy dedicated his life to the struggle for Indian Independence. In his youth, he was incarcerated by the colonial machinery for destroying imperial administrative documents and letters.…
Fighting for the Constitution, Karnataka style A unique experiment, ready to be copied in elections everywhere
15-Sep-2018
Since the advent of a majority BJP government to the seat of government at the center, the clouds of Fascism have loomed large on India. The BJP juggernaut, ably aided by the RSS, following a well calculated strategy of speaking in a forked tongue and spreading communal hatred has rolled on. Until there was a…
Gauri Lankesh’s murder: Will justice prevail? With the murder investigation unfolding, will Gauri Lankesh get justice?
16-Jun-2018
On Tuesday, September 5, 2017, journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, 55, was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru by a bike-born assailant. On Monday, June 11, the sixth accused in the case, Parashuram Waghmore, 26, was arrested. With the murder investigation still unfolding, it remains to be seen if Gauri Lankesh will get justice.…
GST a Looming Issue What GST has done to the Traditional Weavers in Karnataka
02-Jun-2018
There has been a lot of debate in the media over the anomalies and imperfections of GST. Almost a year down the line, not many have paid attention to what GST has done to the grass root workers and small scale industries in different corners of the country. The weaving industry in the Bhagyanagar village…
Shades of Saffron Politics of Polarisation in Coastal Karnataka
28-May-2018
Mangalore has always stood for modernity, enterprise and a liberal way of life. But in the last three decades, post the Babri Masjid demolition, there has been continuous targeting on minorities by the right wing. Mangalore is one of the best examples of Sangh Parivar’s communal polarisation politics. They have made Dakshina Kannada a violent,…
Death of a Rationalist: Gauri Lankesh Fearless journalist silenced for defying right wing extremists
13-May-2018
Gauri Lankesh was a fearless journalist and a rationalist, who never minced words while calling out the bigotry and misogyny of right wing extremists. She was shot dead by a man with alleged links to a radical Hindutva organisation in September 2017. As the Saffron brigade busies itself in a nationwide do or die battle for…
Kodekkal Basava and the Lingayats Syncretic Traditions of India
14-Apr-2018
Karnataka is a place where religious syncretism is a way of life. The shrine of Kodekkal Basava, in Karnataka’s Yadgir district, is one among hundreds of such worship places. Muslims and Hindus visit this shrine and celebrate festivals together. Kodekkal Basava is believed to be the reincarnation of 12th Century Basava, who fought against Brahmanism…