Latest news with #YehDaagDaagUjala
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15-06-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Video: The destruction of the Indian university
Play For more than a decade, Indian public universities have been under intense attack and academic freedom has narrowed, Recent policy changes and structural shifts are making it increasingly difficult for students from marginalised communities to access higher education. Decades of privatisation had already weakened the public university system, but now the Hindutvaisation of education has created an even more urgent crisis. That is what academics Nandita Narain and Nivedita Menon discuss with author and peace worker Harsh Mander in this episode of Yeh Daag Daag Ujala. They describe how appointments and promotions of faculty are now often contingent on ideological conformity, with open preference being given to those aligned with Hindutva. At the same time, students and teachers critical of the ruling dispensation face intimidation, disciplinary action and vilification. Fear is being institutionalised through policies, surveillance, and the steady erosion of institutional autonomy, they note. They also reflect on how the university as a space of critical thought and democratic debate is under attack and what that means for India's future. Nandita Narain is a mathematics professor who taught at St Stephen's College, Delhi University for over four decades. She was a two-time president of the Delhi University Teachers' Association and is now the chairman of Joint Forum for Movement on Education. Nivedita Menon is a professor at the Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory at Jawaharlal Nehru University, a leading feminist theorist and author of several acclaimed books.
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01-06-2025
- Politics
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Video: The crisis of constitutional governance in Assam
Play Is the Assam government functioning according to constitutional values and principles? As Muslims of Bengali-origin in the state are being targetted and thousands have been declared foreigners, the many lapses and violations of constitutional governance are the focus of this discussion in the latest episode of Yeh Daag Daag Ujala series. In discussion with writer and peace activist are Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, National Affairs Editor of The Wire; Aman Wadud, an advocate in the Guwahati High Court; and Paresh Malakar, general secretary of Asom Nagarik Samaj and editor in chief of the North East Now news portal.
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21-05-2025
- Politics
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Video: Is Ali Khan Mahmudabad's peace appeal seditious?
Play On Sunday, Ashoka University associate professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad was arrested by Haryana Police for his social media posts commenting on the press briefings on Operation Sindoor, Operation Sindoor. He was given interim bail on Wednesday. Mahmudabad had commended the military for the manner in which it conducted the operation and called for peace. He also pointed to the apparent irony of Hindutva commentators praising Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who had represented the Army during the media briefings, suggesting that they 'could also equally loudly demand that the victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing and others who are victims of the Bharatiya Janata Party's hate mongering be protected as Indian citizens'. But two cases were soon filed against him on a variety of charges, including having committed acts prejudicial to maintaining communal harmony, making assertions likely to cause disharmony, acts endangering national sovereignty and words or gestures intended to insult a woman's modesty. These charges, conclude the panel on this episode of Yeh Daag Daag Ujala, are absurd. The discussion explores the broader implications of Mahmudabad's arrest after his posts calling for peace and harmony for academic freedom, civil liberties, and the treatment of Muslim public intellectuals and common citizens in India. They also explore how Mahmudabad's identity as a Muslim academic may have influenced the state's response, situating the incident within a larger pattern of actions targeting Muslim voices in India. The discussion situates the case within a broader pattern of the systematic targeting and disenfranchisement of Muslims in India. The discussion features writer and activist Harsh Mander is in conversation with Rajendran Narayanan and Nizamuddin Ahmed Siddiqui. Rajendran Narayanan is an associate professor at Azim Premji University where he teaches a course on data, democracy and development. Nizamuddin Ahmed Siddqui until recently taught law at Jindal Global Law School and is a co-founder of Project Mishkat.
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18-05-2025
- Politics
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Video: After Pahalgam, young voices from Kashmir
Play We were too upset to eat dinner after hearing about the Pahalgam terror attack, said Yasmin Khan, a journalist with Awaz the Voice. All the political parties and religious organisations in Kashmir condemned the attacks but unfortunately, India's television channels did not bring this news to the attention of the public, said Nasir Khuehami is the National Convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association. In this episode of Karwan e Mohabbat's Yeh Daag Daag Ujala series on the state of the republic., writer and peace activist Harsh Mander speaks with Khuehami and Khan about the impact of the attack on their lives and those of their community. As news of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam spread, reports emerged from several parts of the country of Kashmiri students, traders, and workers facing threats, harassment, and, in some cases, physical assaults. Khuehami and Khan describe an atmosphere of fear, suspicion and isolation that has deepened in the wake of the violence. They also reflect on the role of mainstream media in amplifying hostility and hate, which they argue contributes to their marginalisation and recent attacks. They share personal accounts of how Kashmiris mourned the terror attack and extended support to those affected, even as they came under intense scrutiny. They describe the emotional toll of being targeted, despite their clear expressions of solidarity.
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13-05-2025
- Politics
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Video: Why is a caste census critical for meaningful social justice?
Play The government's decision to enumerate caste in the next census will have profound implications both for social justice and the political landscape. What are the arguments for and against it? What effect could this data have on policy and law? Those are among the questions up for discussion in the latest episode of Karwan e Mohabbat's Yeh Daag Daag Ujala series on the state of the republic. It features writer and peace worker Harsh Mander in conversation with Sumeet Mhaskar and Harish S Wankhede. Sumeet Mhaskar is a professor of sociology at the Jindal School of Government and Public Policy and Harish Wankhede is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
