By Aviral Anand* “Look At the moonlight Trapped in this rectangle. I raise my head And see my poetry Gleaming like a moonbeam In the sky." (“Captive Imagination – Letters from Prison”, Varavara Rao)

Counterview Desk In a stinging letter to Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, the US-based Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), referring to the report citing his justification for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) – that “while Muslims can choose any one of the 150 Islamic countries in the world (for residence), India is the only country for Hindus" – has said, he should remember, Hindus have made several countries, including USA, their home.

Arif Mohammad Khan, Prof Irfan Habib Counterview Desk In a signed statement, office bearers of the Aligarh Society of History and Archaeology (ASHA), Prof Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi (president), Prof Jabir Raza (vice-president), Prof Manvendra Kumar Pundhir (secretary) and Prof Farhat Hasan (joint secretary), have said that Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan had sought to insult veteran historian Prof Irfan Habib, 88, at the 80th session of the Indian History Congress, even as turning it into his “political arena”.

Counterview Desk A six-member team of the People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR), which conducted a four-day fact-finding from December 16 to 19 into the incidents at the campus of the Jamia Milia Islamia on December 13 and 15, has sharply criticized the Delhi police’s “combative and communal treatment” of the student protesters against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, passed by Parliament on December 11.

By NS Venkataraman* During the last six years, after assuming the position as Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has been striving hard to improve the conditions in India in several spheres. He has launched a number of schemes that can have potentially far-reaching impact on the country. Some of the schemes that have been initiated are the first time efforts in India.

Chanda Yadav Counterview Desk A civil rights organization, Independent Women’s Initiative* has released a 82-page report “Unafraid: The Day Young Women Took the Battle to the Streets”, carrying testimonies of 18 women, mainly students, who participated in protests against the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, where violence broke down on December 13 and 15.

By Rajiv Shah In a controversial assertion, top legal expert Upendra Baxi has sought to question India's Constitution makers for neglecting human rights and social justice. Addressing an elite audience in Ahmedabad, Prof Baxi said, the constitutional idea of India enunciated by the Constituent Assembly tried to resolve four key conflicting concepts: governance, development, rights and justice.

Counterview Desk A fact-finding report on the violence in anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Meerut on December 20, leading to the death of 11 persons, has said that those who became it's victims were poor, underprivileged people, adding, what is worse is, cases have been filed against those who died. "No FIR is being accepted by the police on behalf of the family members of the deceased", the report says.

Text of Prof. Upendra Baxi’s Dr. Ashok Hirway Memorial Lecture titled “The Directive Principles of State Policy, Fundamental Duties of Citizens, and Human Rights: Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread”, organized by the Centre for Development Alternatives in Ahmedabad on 23 December 2019: I am very grateful for this gracious invitation by Professor (Dr.) Indira Hirway. I did not have the privilege of friendship with her husband but the fact that he loved the law and obtained his Ph.D. degree in law at the age of 75 years indicates his ceaseless passion for learning. It again demonstrates the truth of the maxim that the love of learning never ceases; it is lifelong and spans generations as befitting an ancient civilization. This lecture series, so affectionately rededicated to his vibrant memory, valiantly celebrates the achievement of excellence in all walks of life that the Indian Constitution enshrines in constitutional and fundamental duties of all citizens mandated by Article 51

SR Darapuri, former IPS Counterview Desk Magsaysay awardee Sandeep Pandey, in an open letter, has warned Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, "If you'll send social activists, who have faith in the Constitution, to jail because your police in unable to identify the anarchist elements then the space for peaceful means of expressing dissent with the government in a democracy will be eliminated and anarchist elements will be easily able to mislead the common people."

Placard says, "This year Santa won't come to India, he doesn't have documents" By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* Christmas is a seven-point star. The seven-point star which guides, directs and protects! In Christianity, seven has from time immemorial been regarded as a perfect number. The seven-pointed star also represents the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord, and delight in the Lord. Very significantly the seven points of the Christmas Star all begin with the letter ‘S’; they are:

Rohit Prajapati By Our Representative The Vadodara-based environmental NGO Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti (PSS) in a letter to the secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India, with copy to the official's counterparts in Gujarat, has said that the sewage treatment plants (STPs) across Gujarat are a "prime source of pollution" of the state's rivers, and the authorities are not serious about remedying the situation.

Martin Macwan (left) next to "14 Pe Charcha" poster. Right: Dalit rights meet By Rajiv Shah A well-attended Dalit rights meet under the banner “14 Pe Charcha” (discussion on Article 14 of the Indian Constitution), alluding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi well-known campaign phrase of the 2014 Parliamentary elections, “chai pe charcha” (discussion over cup of tea), organized off Ahmedabad, has resolved on Wednesday to hold a 14 kilometres-long rally on April 14 to oppose the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), enacted on December 10-11.

Submission to the Union Minister of Finance, Government of India, by Ambarish Rai, National Convener, RTE Forum for adequate enhancement of public financing for universalization of school education: This year marks the ten years of completion of the enactment of Right to Education Act 2009. Evidence both based on the field reports and macro-data, CAG reports as well as independent studies, points to the multiple areas of non-compliance. According to UDISE 2016-17 only 12.7% schools comply with its provisions. Availability of finances has been a big bottleneck in the implementation of the provisions of the act for education of a reasonable quality for all (Bose, Ghosh and Sardana, 2019). Furthermore, the introduction of the draft National Education Policy 2019 calls for enhanced allocations to meet its expanded mandate of education until 18 years of age. An incremental increase on education over a period of 10 years will not address the immediate crisis in terms of quality and equity in

A poster at Sabarmati Ashram for rally in support of CAA By Our Representative Taking strong objection to the Government of Gujarat permitting an organization called Citizens’ Committee to hold a rally in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), an Ahmedabad-based civil rights activist in a letter to chief minister Vijay Rupani has wondered why rallies to protest against CAA, which allegedly violates Articles 5, 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution of India, are not being allowed.

By Satish Sinha* This is to draw your attention on the news story , “Nirma told to publicly declare it's 'not using' carcinogenic chemical in detergents”, by Rajiv Shah. We would like to assert that the report is factually incorrect and misrepresents facts. The author has incorrectly attributed quotes that were never mentioned and some have been incorrectly contextualized. We completely disagree with the text and find the reporting misleading.

By Our Representative The Right to Education (RTE) Forum, in a submission to the pre-budget consultation for 2020-21 on December 23 to the Union Finance Ministry, has said that though this year marks 10 years of completion of the enactment of RTE Act, 2009, "Evidence both based on the field reports and macro-data, CAG reports as well as independent studies, points to the multiple areas of non-compliance."

Protesters in Ahmedabad being taken away in police van  By Bhavik Raja* It was the morning of December 19, 2019 – a historic day for our country. It is the martyrdom day, a day to remember Kakori martyrs Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan and Roshan Singh. We remember the martyrs with great respect, and it reminds us afresh that our freedom movement was conducted by lakhs of people from all communities, religions, castes, races and regions.

By Our Representative A day-long meeting of 50-odd civil society and political activists from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and other parts of India has demanded that the pre-August 5, 2019 position in J&K should be revived, internet and other mobile based services should be restored, educational institutions should be resumed, and all detainees and people from J&K put in jail for political reasons should be released.

Toxics Link, an Indian environmental not for profit organization, has called upon the authorities to phase out mercury use in dentistry at a roundtable in Ahmedabad, held in December 22. A note by Toxics Link: Mercury, one of the most toxic metals known to mankind, needs to be phased out from dental amalgam fillings, was the unanimous voice in the roundtable meeting organised by Toxics Link in Ahmedabad today. The meeting was organised by the environmental group, in collaboration with Indian Dental Association, Ahmedabad to discuss the concerns of mercury usage in dentistry as well as to public health. Dental amalgam, which contains 50% mercury by weight, is widely used in restorative dentistry and the most common material used for filling till a decade back. Mercury’s impact on nervous, digestive, immune systems and important organs like brain, lungs and kidneys has forced the world to start eliminating mercury. According to WHO, mercury is one of the top ten chemicals of public healt

By Moin Qazi* Book Review: “Islam and God-Centricity: A Theological Basis for Human Liberation” (Book 1 and 2), by Shaykh Arif Abdul Hussain, Al-Mahdi Institute, Birmingham These volumes are a compilation of transcribed and edited talks of Shaykh Arif Abdul Hussain in which the essential message of Islam and Prophet Muhammad’s message of God-centricity is presented in a fresh reevaluation of religion and human purpose. The talks outline the philosophical foundations of the Qur’anic outlook for humanity, in which religion and prophetic teachings are envisioned as a purposive process of continuous spiritual growth .The leitmotif of the book is the role of Qur’anic principle of God-centricity in maintaining a universal equilibrium. By identifying the core tenets of purposive religion, the author embraces a philosophically rigorous concept of human progress that is informed by the teachings of Islamic sages and mystics.It provides an interpretation of religion that regards humans as dynami

2011: Modi refusing to wear skullcap By Ananda Maitreya* "Jo aag laga rahe hain, TV pe unke jo drishya aa rahe hain, yeh aag lagaane vaale kaun hain, woh unke kapdon se hi pata chal jaata hai" (from the visuals on TV, those setting the fire can be identified by their clothes), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at an election rally recently. No one was fooled regarding his reference to the clothes and the clothe-wearers he pointed to.

By NS Venkataraman* The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed in both the houses of Indian Parliament after majority of members voted in favour of the Act. The immigrant issue emerged following the partition of India in 1947. Several prime pinisters in the past, including those of the Congress. wanted to regularize citizenship in India , but they were not courageous enough to catch the bull by the horn.

Martin Macwan By Our Representative A Dalit rights meet has been planned at the Dalit Shakti Kendra (DSK), Sanand, Ahmedabad district, to discuss implications of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), passed by Parliament on December 10-11, for Dalits, Adivasis and other marginalized sections. Announcing the decision, DSK director Martin Macwan said, the meet would take place on December 25, 2019, at 11.00 am, to commemorate the anniversary of burning of copies of Manusmriti by Dr BR Ambedkar.

By Rajiv Shah An influential Delhi NGO has told the powerful Gujarat-based industrial house Nirma that it should come up with a public statement stating it is not using nonylphenol, a “disrupting chemical” commonly used to manufacture detergents, which the NGO claims is “a persistent, toxic, bioaccumulative chemical” that acts as a “hormone disruptor” and can be responsible for a number of "adverse human health effects”, including cancer.

By Our Representative In a hard-hitting editorial titled "Modi makes his bigotry even clearer" in the wake of the new citizenship law, which "helps non-Muslim refugees from Muslim-majority countries but ignores Muslim refugees from other nations", "The New York Times" has said that it is "the first action" that links "religion to citizenship, undermining a fundamental tenet of India’s democracy."

By Our Representative Indian recipients of the prestigious Magsaysay Award, Aruna Roy, Admiral (retired) Laxminarayan Ramdas, Bezwada Wilson, Rajendra Singh, P Sainath, Shantha Sinha, TM Krishna, Deep Joshi and Sandeep Pandey, have expressed their "deep sense of concern and anguish" over the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the Government of India's decision to link it with the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

By Our Representative Teachers of the high-profile South Asian University (SAU), a New Delhi-based international institute sponsored by eight member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – have supported “peacefully protesting students and other citizens” against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019 and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Syed Ahmed Bukhari, Amit Shah By Sanjeev Sirohi* “To protest is the democratic right of the people of India. No one can stop us from doing so. However, it is important that it is controlled. Keeping our emotions in control is the most important part”, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari has said, calling upon people to exercise restraint and keep their emotions under control while demonstrating.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens (#CAA and #NRC) have reflected the mood of the nation. They categorically rejected the attempts to divide the country and create a Brahmanical theocratic state. Even when the rulers seek to pretend by bowing to the Constitution, we know what they have in mind: To polarise the nation and enjoy the fruits of 'division'.

K Satyarayana, Chakresh Jain By Nava Thakuria* As the year 2019 approaches the finish line, India appears set to improve its journo-murder index with two casualties, where as the northeastern region evades any incident of scribes’ murder for the second consecutive year, though the South Asian region has witnessed confirmed murder of 12 journalists while doing their during the year.

By Moin Qazi* Never let formal education get in the way of your learning. — Mark Twain A Rip Van Winkle who may wake up today after having missed the information revolution would be extremely dazed to see the changed world. We now have Wikipedia instead of libraries, and Google to provide round the clock access to information. In the new social and educational explosion we have lost the pursuit of knowledge .Our brains are powerful creative processors, but we have made them receptacles for storage and retention of inert facts. We are slowly devaluing the human mind which has sparked the creation of so many great civilizations. Socrates would have been a sworn enemy of Wikipedia. Plato recorded that Socrates’ detested the written word because it allowed people to parrot facts without understanding and assimilating them. There is a difference between a disaggregated collection of facts pulled in and out of storage as needed and the kind of knowledge that comes by constructing knowledg

By Shamsul Islam* The Kakori conspiracy (or Kakori train robbery or Kakori case) was a train robbery that took place between Kakori and, near Lucknow, on 9 august 1925. This 'robbery' was organised by the Hindustan Republican Association (later was named as Hindustan Socialist Republican Association). It was executed by Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Rrajendra Lahiri, Roshan Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sachindra Bakshi, Keshab Chakravarty, Manmathnath Gupta, Murari Lal Gupta, Mukundi Lal and Banwari Lal.

By Our Representative Strongly pointing out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s citizenship law is "dangerous for all", and insisting that the new Indian legislation "purports to help those fleeing persecution abroad – but deepens communal divides at home", in a strongly-worded editorial, the British centre-left daily "Guardian" has said   that it "signals that Muslim citizens are not 'truly' Indian."

By Our Representative In view of the protests planned on December 19, 2019 against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), 72-years-old Advocate Mohammad Shoaib, who is a civil rights leader and is president of the Socialist Party (India), Uttar Pradesh, has been put under house arrest at his residence in Lucknow.

By Anuradha Sen Mookerjee* The state of Assam in India is currently burning with violent protests against a new citizenship law passed by both houses of the Indian parliament in early December. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will ease the Indian citizenship process for undocumented migrants in India who come from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh – but only for those who are not Muslim, undermining the promise of equality by the Indian Constitution.

In response to Modi saying protesters can be identified by their clothes By Our Representative Responding to the "brutal crackdown" on student protests across the country, protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), executive director of the Amnesty India Avinash Kumar has said that "students have the right to protest" and "violence against peacefully protesting students cannot under any circumstance be justified."

Counterview Desk The People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS), in a statement, has said that the Citizenship Amendment Act violate the fundamental principle of secularism of the Indian Constitution of India, pointing out, after the partition, while Indian laws treated anyone who had come to India equally, irrespective of their religion and belief, and this is what distinguished India from Pakistan.

Counterview Desk The All-India Forum for Right to Education (AIFRTE), in a statement, has called the police entrance into the Jamia Millia Islamia campus as “unprovoked and unauthorized”, adding, the attack on students in the library reading room, in the hostels and the Masjid was brutal, adding, there was “sexual assault on women students in hostel rooms and toilets”.

Counterview Desk Asking the Government of India to "show restraint at demonstrations" referring to what called "possible excessive use of police force against citizenship law protesters", the Human Rights Watch, in a statement from New York, has apprehended that "international standards" should be observed in "policing assemblies".

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* The nation is on fire! The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) which was promulgated on 12 December 12 after the President of India gave his assent to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (CAB), which was earlier passed by both the lower and upper houses of Parliament is blatantly discriminatory, divisive and draconian: besides, it is patently unconstitutional and it goes against the grain and spirit of India’s democratic framework.

Counterview Desk The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has said that attack on the students of the Jamia Millia Islamia, the Aligarh Muslim University and the Delhi University is the result of fast "a vengeful Central government permitting the police forces to use  their brute power to silence, crush and intimidate ordinary citizens from protesting the new citizenship law passed in Parliament.

Abhijit Banerjee By Rajiv Shah Even as suggesting a series of measures to push out the Indian economy from the current “great slowdown”, well-known economist Arvind Subramanian has advised the Government of India (GoI) to urgently set up a committee under the leadership of Nobel Prize winner Professor Abhijit Banerjee in order to trigger the process of “generating and disseminating accurate data.”

Fact-finding report on RTI activist Abhimanyu Panda killing in Kandhamal, Odisha: Yet the dreadful retaliation against the messenger of the truth witnessed again in the early morning of the Human Rights Day, 10th December 2019 with the killing of Right to Information Activist Abhimanyu Panda at his residence of Baliguda under Kandamal District of Odisha by questioning the protection and security of the Whistle Blowers; and challenging law and order situation of Odisha and country’s anti-corruption apparatus. It also asks, where is the State? Isn’t Odisha a safe anchorage for corrupt criminals who enjoys impunity? Since inception and practical implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act -2005, Odisha has already witnessed four killings of RTI Activists, including the present gruesome killing of Abhimanyu Panda, who was being threatened, discouraged and subjected to torture prior to his killing. Is it his sin for coming forward and exposing the wrongdoing in public life? It has