IAMC Weekly News Digest, 4 September 2020
On BJP’s Request, Facebook Pulled Down 14 of 44 Flagged Pages, Reinstated 17 Deleted Pages
The BJP had flagged a list of 44 pages opposed to the party to Facebook India ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, claiming they were “in violation of expected standards” and carried posts “not in line with facts”. Of the 44 pages, 14 are no longer on Facebook’s platform, according to a report in the Indian Express. The pages that have been taken down by Facebook include pages in support of journalists Ravish Kumar and Vinod Dua while those that had been flagged but continue to be on the platform include the official account of the Bhim Army, satire site “We Hate BJP”, unofficial Congress-supporting pages and a page called “The Truth of Gujarat”.…Read more
Group of Mothers Protests Teaching of Modi Biography in US Schools
Mothers of young American students have been greatly disturbed to find out that their children are being taught Stalinist propaganda glorifying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Asma Azeem, the Florida state coordinator of Mothers Against Teaching Hate in Schools (Project-MATHS) wrote to the members of ASPAIRE (Alliance to Save and Protect America from Infiltration by Religious Extremists), “My fourth-grader casually mentioned to me today that the Epic reading app, which the public schools all over the US have in their curriculum, features the book on Narendra Modi by the same title!… the book repeats the false claim by Modi that he went to a university to obtain a bachelor’s and then a master’s degree.…Read more
…Elevated to the Supreme Court in July 2014, just over a month after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, Arun Mishra’s term was marked by consistent controversy. Allegations swirled that he was the “go-to judge” for sensitive political cases, even though at that time he was not one of the senior judges in the court. As Mishra leaves the Supreme Court, his tenure is being examined thread-bare. But fundamental to all the controversies surrounding his tenure is a systemic problem in the way the Supreme Court functions: the accumulation of power in the office of the Chief Justice, especially in the role as master of the roster. It is this problem that deserves greater public attention.…Read more
Communal Harmony
Delhi Riots 2020: How A Muslim Youth Helped Disabled Hindu Couple Get Life Back On Track
Giridih villages where Hindus observe Muharram
News
140 Organisations Unite to Expose Indian-American Group APPWW for its Racist, Islamophobic Campaigns
On BJP’s Request, Facebook Pulled Down 14 of 44 Flagged Pages, Reinstated 17 Deleted Pages
Group of Mothers Protests Teaching of Modi Biography in US Schools
Delhi 2020 religious riots: Amnesty International accuses police of rights abuses
‘Muted’ at Justice Mishra’s farewell, SC Bar head Dushyant Dave complains to CJI
62 criminal cases against Karnataka BJP leaders revoked, law minister claims it ‘routine’: Report
Assam: Future of 19 lakh people excluded from NRC uncertain
NCRB data: Higher share of Dalits, tribals, Muslims in prison than numbers outside
In a Changed Kashmir, Moderates Feel Betrayed by India
After Mann Ki Baat address, Modi fails youth test
Opinion
Kafeel Khan: National threat or symbol of repression? – By Soutik Biswas
What Ad Spending Data Reveals About BJP And Its Ties To Facebook – By Meryl Sebastian
Narendra Modi has left India’s economy a shattered mess – By Ritesh Kumar Singh