Fighting Hate Speech, Balancing Freedoms: A Regulatory Challenge

This research essay on ways to combat/ regulate hate speech and maintain the right to Free speech appeared in Volume 9 of the Journal of Indian Law and Society, that was released on May 20, 2020 by the National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. Abstract: The right to free expression is the heart of a…

Elections 2019: Democracy in the face of majoritarianism

If the strength of a liberal democracy is judged by the space it offers for critique and dissent; or by the protection it offers to all its citizens, irrespective of caste, creed or gender, then Indian democracy is on a perilous path. Whether it was in the case of a young Kerala girl’s right to…

UNHCR, OCHCR Urge India not to Deport Rohingya

New Delhi. October 3, 2018 Officials from UN High Commissioner for Refugees based in India have said that seven Rohingya men being deported from the Silchar central jail in Assam to their home village in  Central Rakhine in Myanmar should be given a chance to make an “informed decision”  about their return in the current…

To Delete or Not to #DeleteFacebook, That is the Question

For the last few days, I’ve been grappling with an unexpected existential crisis over whether or not to delete my Facebook. While the harvesting of data of 50 million Facebook users in America for political gain, without consent, is unconscionable, the issues the Cambridge Analytica scandal has raised — of privacy, consent and data security…

More Counter Speech needed to combat Hate on Facebook in India

Efforts at Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) online have become an important focus for social networks. CVE targets extremist ideologies, tackling them through alternate narratives that focus on peace-building. It is an invaluable tool to supplement counterterrorism strategies worldwide. To identify effective counter-speech on Facebook, ORF conducted a study analysing posts and comments on prominent public…

Breaking the Silence: 5 Years after Nirbhaya

Watch here: Five years ago a country wept when a young Delhi girl battled for and lost her life after being brutally gang raped in the heart of the city. The Nirbhaya Act strengthening punishment for sexual predators and expanding the definition of abuse was the outcome of that anger and grief. Today, women -…

Triple Talaq and Marital Rape: Politics and Patriarchy Trump Gender Justice

A week is a long time in politics. If there were ever any doubt about this, the government’s contradictory positions on gender justice over the span of seven days between August 22 and August 29 have laid them to rest. On August 22, women all over India celebrated the Supreme Court’s verdict declaring triple talaq illegal…

My Name is Honour

Watch my documentary: My Name is Honour Not far off the highway, less than 100 kilometers from the nation’s capital, the districts of Western Uttar Pradesh seem to have become synonymous with violence based on caste, religion or gender. The constitutional guarantee of a fundamental right to life is challenged every day by notions of honor. But what is this notion…

The Anatomy of a Protest

Freedom, enshrined in the constitution of India and safety for India's women from sexual assault at home or outside. The brutal gang-rape and eventual death of a 23-year-old girl on her way from a movie in the evening on Sunday evening in December triggered an awakening that took many by surprise. Perhaps the simplest explanation…

New Hospitals and equipment, but no doctors.

In Chhattisgarh’s Sukma town, a brand new 100-bed hospital stands as a proof of the healthcare crisis in conflict-ridden Bastar region. The new building was made operational two months ago, but marred by acute shortage of doctors, even the most basic facilities are unavailable. The hospital has one X-ray machine but no radiologist. There’s no CT Scan,…