India

The presentation of the Hindu religious trident raises questions about the boundaries between religious mobilisation, intimidation, and press freedom. The broadcaster Pradesh 24 Gujarati described it as a gesture of support following alleged threats. In a separate incident a few weeks earlier, copies of The Diary of Anne Frank and I am Malala were torn up.

The archbishop of Shillong and president of the NEIRBC spoke to AsiaNews about the recent escalation in the northeastern state. The prelate laments the loss of numerous lives, families broken, homes abandoned, and places of worship reduced to ashes. At least 41 homes and several churches were destroyed in Makui.

Two of the three election commission members raised concerns at least 14 times over ten months regarding voter registration, deletions, and the digital management of electoral rolls. An investigation sparked a swift reaction from the opposition and young people.

Six years after Umar Khalid’s arrest, screenings of the documentary have been cancelled in Hyderabad and Bangalore. The Indian film certification board never approved the film, thereby claiming that public screenings are illegal. Khalid remains in prison without trial in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots.

The resolution was adopted by an assembly of around a thousand elders in the Hisar district. Although it has no legal force, it threatens couples and their families with social ostracism. Legal experts and human rights organisations have criticised the move. The gender imbalance caused by selective abortion is the real crux of the matter.

Two evangelical house churches have been attacked by “vigilantes” from the Hindu nationalist right. The Bangiya Christiya Parisheba has documented 26 cases of persecution over the last three months, but reports to the police have not been followed up.

Director Kedare resigns from IIT Bombay following students' demands for an independent inquiry into the death of a 19-year-old classmate amid allegations regarding the institute’s complicity in caste-based discrimination. A similar incident was reported in August at IIT Delhi.

Despite the measures introduced in 2012 following the Nirbhaya case, the killing of a teenage girl found this week in a rubbish tip raises questions about the effectiveness of legislation alone. Sr Lovenia Almeida to AsiaNews: “We need a society that refuses to normalise violence against women and children”.

In a landmark ruling, Uttar Pradesh’s High Court ruled against revoking the privileges guaranteed to members of tribal groups in the event of religious conversion or interfaith marriage. The case arose from a land dispute. For Archbishop Thakur, this is “an objective and true observation”.

The University of Oxford has approved the repatriation to Nagaland of ancestral remains held at the Pitt Rivers Museum, which were brought to England between 1910 and 1940. The repatriation follows six years of dialogue with representatives of the Naga communities, who plan to mark the return with traditional rituals and a burial in Kohima.

Six Indian states have signed an agreement for the Kishau Multipurpose Project, a dam project on hold since 2017, designed to irrigate 97,000 hectares and generate hydroelectric power. However, experts and environmentalists are calling for new studies on the risks involved, given the area's high seismic vulnerability.

The state’s Sentence Review Board has rejected Dara Singh’s application for remission of his sentence after more than 26 years in prison. The decision follows directives from the Supreme Court and takes into account the potential risks to public order associated with the release of the man convicted of killing the Australian missionary and his two children in 1999.