Weekly News Roundup – Aug 21, 2020
Indian American network of civil rights organizations and activists, The Coalition to Stop Genocide in India, has urged the US House of Representatives on Monday to probe the role of Facebook in amplifying hate speech across the world… “Outrage and calls for a public accountability process of Facebook’s role in knowingly enabling the incitement of mass violence in India have grown,” the Coalition said. As an urgent act of remedial, it has demanded that Ankhi Das, Facebook’s Policy Chief in India be fired. “By blocking punitive action against some Facebook accounts belonging to high ranking politicians from the ruling BJP party, Ms Das has allowed the accounts to continue their hateful and violent rhetoric.”…Read more
Hundreds of Police Killings in India, but No Mass Protests
…For decades, India has absorbed case after case of police brutality, torture and extrajudicial killings. Every year, scores of Indians are killed in what activists call “fake encounters,” and many more, activists say, are tortured to death in police custody.… For many Indians, day-to-day crime is the more pressing issue, and they often side with the police, even when there is voluminous evidence that they have abused their power. There is also a fear of speaking against the police. According to a lengthy report by the National Campaign Against Torture, an Indian rights group based in New Delhi, the capital, at least 1,731 people were killed in custody last year. The majority of the victims, the report said, were the usual victims of abuse: Muslims and lower-caste Hindus.…Read more
The authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have halted the investigation in tens of thousands of cases alleging human rights violation against the government and security forces before the region was converted into a Union Territory (UT) last year August.… While over 10,500 cases were lodged with the SHRC till last year August, there were at least 2,500 to 2,600 cases which were being heard on daily basis, said former secretary of JKSHRC, Nazir Ahmad Thokar. He said that a large number of cases were also not actively pursued by the complainants. The forces in Kashmir have been accused of custodial killing, as well as, fake encounters. Human Rights groups have blamed Indian forces for custodial disappearances.…Read more
Communal Harmony
Bengaluru violence: Local Muslim youth saved me, says instigator’s mother
Godhra mosque is now a 50-bed Covid Care Centre
Three Nagpur Islamic Bodies Help in Burial, Cremation of COVID-19 Victims
News
1,500 lawyers to SC: Stop miscarriage of justice in Prashant Bhushan case
Hundreds of Police Killings in India, but No Mass Protests
CAA Movement: Recent reports on Delhi violence indicate ‘criminal role of Delhi Police’
New Diktat For Manipur College Teachers: ‘Seek Approval Before Expressing Views On Govt Policies’
TN BJP leader arrested for Drug trafficking in “Prasad” bottles
Journalists’ Bodies Condemn Attacks on Scribes in Delhi and Bengaluru
‘They killed him as they couldn’t stand a Dalit man saying no’
Opinion
Facebook’s Hate-Speech Rules Collide With Indian Politics – By Newley Purnell and Jeff Horwitz
Increasing Influence of Hindutva in Local American Politics – By Pieter Friedrich
The withering ‘idea of India’ – By George Abraham
Bar and Bench Must Come Together to Preserve the Judiciary’s Independence – By Satvik Varma
