South Asia Citizens Web

The powerful loudspeakers of my neighbourhood mosque have just announced a death. The introductory words never change: “Hazraat, aik zaroori ailaan sunyeh” (respectable sirs, hear now an important announcement). The ‘sirs’ doesn’t surprise because I’ve heard such announcements all my life. It’s always men — and only men — who need to be informed of any significant happening. Lest ‘haya’ (modesty or propriety) be violated, women cannot be addressed directly.

KARACHI, Pakistan — Last week, outside a shopping mall in the city, two somber men stood holding a banner that read: “Men are guardians of women.” In other parts of Pakistan, other self-appointed guardians have been busy tearing down posters that women activists put up to announce Aurat March, a series of rallies across the country to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8.

[5 March 2020] Thousands of people, from across Jharkhand, gathered at Raj Bhawan (Ranchi) today to demand that the Hemant Soren government rejects NPR and stops all NPR-related activities. Many people’s organisations (partial list attached) participated in this dharna, convened by Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha. Jharkhand’s main communities – hindus, muslims, christians, dalits, adivasis and others – were all well represented.

We are economists and social scientists who are deeply concerned about the major implications for the Indian statistical system, of the attempt to combine data collection for the 2021 Census of India with that for the proposed National Population Register.

Lecture by Abhinav Chandrachud a leading advocate from Mumbai talking about whether the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is un-constitutional, a recording from [Mumbai Collective 2020]