Karnataka police book 11 activists over pro-Palestine protest

Eleven people have been booked by police in Karnataka state for organizing a pro-Palestine demonstration in Bengaluru city, which was attended by over 150 people. Recently, a 20-year-old Muslim man from Karnataka was arrested for posting a WhatsApp status that expressed support for Palestine. In far-right BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, four Muslim students from Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh were booked for protesting Israel’s ongoing human rights violations against Palestine, and a Muslim police officer was suspended for sharing a post on Palestine.

Kashmiri journalist’s media award canceled amid right-wing political pressure

Kashmiri journalist Safina Nabi, who was chosen to receive a media award from the Maharashtra Institute of Technology-World Peace University (MIT-WPU), found her award abruptly canceled just on the eve of the award ceremony. The decision was influenced by right-wing political pressure. 

Safina’s winning report, titled ‘The Half Widows of Kashmir,’ was recognized in the category of ‘journalism that promoted empathy, understanding, and inclusivity in society.

Modi government approves foreign funds to temple being built over Babri mosque demolition

The far-right Hindu supremacist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved receiving contributions from foreign sources for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, which is being built over the land where the Babri mosque was demolished. 

The trust responsible for the construction has been approved by the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act). The same law, FCRA, allowed the government to block organizations and charities that support minorities from receiving overseas funding. It led to the shutdown of several minority-run charities and human rights groups, including Amnesty International’s India offices.