IAMC Weekly News Digest, 27th August 2021
Photo: American Kahani
A virtual conference – ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ – scheduled for next month, is facing resistance from Hindu American groups, for its partisan and Hinduphobic motives. The three-day conference, co-sponsored and supported by departments and centers at over 40 universities in North America, will explore “the threat and power of Hindutva, its historical development, the fascist dimensions of the ideology, its alignment with other supremacist movements and define all that is at stake across a range of political, socio-cultural, and economic issues,” per its website. On its Twitter page, organizers of the conference said: “We are invested in examining the beliefs and actions that constitute Hindutva, an ideology that propagates hate, promotes Islamophobia, and seeks to reduce the myriad practices of Hinduism to a singular notion of a Hindu motherland.”… Organizers have emphasized to American Kahani “how totally inaccurate the narrative of this conference being Hinduphobic peddled by Hindutva-affiliated groups is.” They “consider Hindutva to be the most significant threat to Hinduism’s pluralist ethos, as well as to efforts to fight ills in Indian society like casteism….
Yahoo shuts down its news websites in India, citing changes in FDI rules
Photo: Screengrab of Yahoo India
Yahoo has shut down its news websites in India today, a result of the new foreign direct rules in India, which limit the foreign ownership of media companies that operate and publish digital content in India. This includes Yahoo News, Yahoo Cricket, Finance, Entertainment, and Makers India. A notice on Yahoo India’s homepage alerted readers that as of August 26, Yahoo will no longer be publishing content. Yahoo Mail, Search, and Account will not be affected by this, the notice said…. US tech major Verizon had acquired Yahoo in 2017. In November 2020, the Modi government capped FDI in digital media in India at 26 percent, and instructed those exceeding the mark to “bring down” foreign investment by October 2021. HuffPost India, also owned by Verizon, was the first casualty of the FDI regulations in November….
Dalit youth killed for seeking wage dues of 10kg rice in Nalanda
Photo: PTI
A Dalit youth died after being beaten, tied to bricks and thrown into a stream at a Bihar village on Sunday, allegedly for demanding the 10kg rice promised to him for a day’s labour in a well-to-do farmer’s field. Prime accused Dinesh Mahto of Bahadurpur village in Nalanda – the home district of chief minister Nitish Kumar – is in hiding, police said. Upendra Ravidas, 25, of Kundali village in Patna district had been missing since Sunday evening. The police fished his body out of a rivulet outside Bahadurpur, about 25km away, on Monday morning….
Communal Harmony
Amid disastrous floods in Maharashtra, a Madrassa opens door to flood-affected people
News
Yahoo shuts down its news websites in India, citing changes in FDI rules
Dalit youth killed for seeking wage dues of 10kg rice in Nalanda
“Go To Pakistan”: Man Assaulted On Camera In Ajmer, 5 Arrested, Say Cops
387 ‘Moplah martyrs’ to be removed from the Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle
Dalit authors, Mahasweta Devi removed from English syllabus, DU comes under fire
Disturbing That Police Often Sides With Ruling Party: Supreme Court
UP withdrew 77 Muzaffarnagar riots cases without giving reason, SC told
Delhi Police relied on trimmed video clip tweeted by BJP leader for FIR, says Umar Khalid in court
‘Abuse of Law’: J&K HC Calls 2018 FIR Against Journalist ‘Unique Method of Silencing’ Press
Opinion
Narendra Modi exploits nationalism to distract Indians from a failing economy – By Ravinder Kaur
The Normalization of Communal Politics in India – By Kavita Chowdhury
The World Must Pay Attention to the Violence Against Muslims in India – By Apoorvanand
On India’s population, let the data speak – By Mohd Shahid and Manoj Kumar Jha
India Needs a Law Akin To SC/ST Act To Truly Protect Muslims – By Dr NC Asthana
Book Review
Why those who care about justice in India must pay heed to this book by a retired judge
