South Asia Citizens Web

Harmful traditional practices that violate the human rights of women and girls are pervasive in Afghanistan, occurring in varying degrees in all communities throughout the country, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report released today. Speedy implementation of laws that protect girls and women, in particular the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women is needed to help end these harmful practices.

The 81-page report, "‘Trigger Happy’: Excessive Use of Force by Indian Troops at the Bangladesh Border," documents the situation on the border region, where both Bangladesh and India have deployed border guards to prevent infiltration, trafficking, and smuggling. Human Rights Watch found numerous cases of indiscriminate use of force, arbitrary detention, torture, and killings by the security force, without adequate investigation or punishment. The report is based on over 100 interviews with victims, witnesses, human rights defenders, journalists, law- enforcement officials, and Border Security Force and Bangladesh Rifles’ (BDR) members.

"The border force seems to be out of control, with orders to shoot any suspect," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The border operations ignore the most basic rule of law, the presumption of innocence."

Swami Anand Mitranand. Does the name sound familiar ? Or for that matter Swami Amranand. Anybody recognises him ? While the name sounds like someone associated with the spiritual world, or one of those who wears a saffron robe and is ready to give sermons to the gullible, normally nobody would suspect that the names would be part of the network of saffron robed sadhus who have no qualms in storing explosives which could be used at ‘opportune’ time.

With the arrest of Swami Anand Mitranand, and the police searching for his other colleague, both working with a Gurukul run by Maharshi Dayanand Ashram, at village Bhadas, district Mewat, Haryana, it seems an important dimension of the way Hindutva fanatics operate has come to the fore.

Programme for Tenth Anniversary National Convention of CNDP At Constitution Club Lawns, V P House, Rafi Marg New Delhi-110001
December 10, 2010, Friday 08:00 onwards Registration 09:00 - 09:15 Welcome Address by Admiral Ramdas 09:15 - 10:00 Explanation of Programme and the functions of various Committees dealing with process of the Convention by Achin Vanaik Concise report on CNDP by Anil Chaudhary 10:00 - 13:00 Morning Plenary Session: Global and Regional Nuclear Disarmament Chair : (…)

Bhaduri unravels these complex themes with an equal measure of acuity and elegance in The Face You Were Afraid to See. . . .
Civil society groups have certainly done magnificently in rousing social conscience on many vital problems afflicting the nation. But economic phenomena are the offshoots of political phenomena. If the constellation of any such phenomena has to be changed, should not the combat take place on the political plane and be aimed at preventing the arbitrary exercise of State power? Heterogeneous civil society groups will, alas, hardly fill the bill.