South Asia Citizens Web

If caste and religious proscriptions prevent the free option to love, then terrorism as a private and public threat finds new sources to feed into pre-existing fears. ‘Love jihad’ as a construction and a campaign brings to the fore the circularity of hate; youth who dare to choose partners across caste, religion and ethnicity are targeted by families and organizations, and Hindu fundamentalist organizations seek to become protectors of these innocent and or wayward children and in disciplining them gain the support of parents.

The ‘love jihad’ as rumour and disinformation has led to an intensification of public and private animosity and mistrust: families deploy new curfew on their youth and stipulate choice of sociality and dress codes. Members and supporters of the Hindutva brigade take it on themselves to provide surveillance and punishment.

Nepal’s bloody civil war came to an end four years ago with a peace agreement between the king and Maoist rebels. And the country was supposed to be on its way to becoming a democracy by now. But it doesn’t look or sound like one.

Anup Kaphle works for the Washington Post. He reported from Nepal under a grant from the Pulitzer Center. He was in Washington.

The ‘Anti Commonwealth Games Front’ organized a public meeting and protest against the Commonwealth Games at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, today (30 September 2010).

The Front has been formed by a number of organizations and civil society groups which are against the Commonwealth Games (CWG) being hosted in Delhi. Although the member organizations and groups work in diverse areas and have been opposing the games for different reasons, they are unanimous in their criticism of the violation of human rights that the city of Delhi has seen in the run up to the Games, the rampant corruption and financial mismanagement, and also in their perception of the Games as a complete waste of the country’s precious resources, an extravaganza which a poor country like India cannot afford and should not host.

Mr Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan, was not the only Chief Minister from BJP who organised a weapon worship programme at his house. Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat also worshipped guns and NSG assault rifles (Mail Today, 29 September 2009) at his official residence in Gandhinagar, raising questions whether someone in his position should be taking part in such a ritual. He started doing this since the year 2002.
On display at the prayers, while members of the elite National Security Guard (NSG) and the state police looked on, were sub- machine guns, AKseries assault rifles, and prohibited bore pistols. These are regular issue for the NSG, paramilitary forces and the Army. Also placed in the row of weapons for the prayers were swords, tridents, clubs and axes.
The prayers continued for two hours and during which none of the NSG commandos were armed as their weapons had been presented for the ritual.

Interestingly the newly anointed Supremo of RSS, Mr Mohan Bhagwat also performed Shastra Poojan on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, (2 nd October, 2009) in Dwarka, one of the fasted growing suburbs in the capital’s South-West

Treating any politician as a near-deity, and giving him or her absolute power, is a dangerous course. The trade unionists, human rights activists, lawyers and many others in Sri Lanka who are resisting the slide towards dictatorship despite the accusations and threats they face deserve to be listened to, before it is too late.