July 20 CJP Protest Defies Government Narrative of Who Dissenters Are
Tens of thousands of young people converged around Delhi’s Connaught Place area on July 20, responding to a call by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) for its “Chalo Sansad” march towards Parliament. Most of them belonged to no party, community or movement the government could name, and their active participation appeared to shatter its claim that dissent or grievances in India are confined to a few groups that can be conveniently bracketed into Muslims, Christians, communists, left-leaning civil society, farmers and independent journalists.
CJP’s Ideological Emptiness Is Its Most Effective (and Riskiest) Asset
The Cockroach Janata Party’s protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi has held together for 19 days because “cockroach” means something different to everyone under the tarpaulins, I found when I visited the site on July 16. My biggest concern now is that what could end this diverse coalition is the deteriorating condition of the fasting man on the mattress on the stage. Let me explain how.
Nepal-Led Coalition Seeks UN Endorsement for Dignified Menstruation Day
An international advocacy network is pressing the United Nations to formally endorse December 8 as International Dignified Menstruation Day, an observance it has held for seven years without official recognition from the world body.
Explained: Why Farmers Are Opposing the India-US Trade Agreement
Farmers in Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against a proposed bilateral trade agreement between India and the United States. They are concerned that opening India’s agricultural market further to American products could place millions of Indian farmers at a serious disadvantage because the two agricultural systems are very different in size, costs and government support.
Historic Kerala Club Fights Eviction Notice For Its Delhi Premises
The Kerala Club, an 87-year-old socio-cultural institution founded by V.P. Menon, the civil servant who helped unite India’s princely states, is fighting eviction proceedings brought by its landlord in a dispute the club says rests on a false claim that it stopped paying rent.
Obesity Rising Alongside Malnutrition in India’s Poor Urban Communities
Obesity could be emerging alongside persistent undernutrition among children in India’s poor urban communities, suggests a long-running study of one such neighbourhood, which found that a rising number of children were overweight or obese by age nine while a larger number were dangerously underweight.
‘Satluj’ Ban Erases the Line BJP Drew Against Congress in Punjab
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has spent years accusing the Congress party of grave human rights failures in Punjab during the militancy period. Every reference to the killings, disappearances, and unmarked cremations of the late 1980s and early 1990s has come from BJP platforms as an indictment of Congress rule. The party has positioned itself as the one willing to name events that Congress preferred to leave unspoken. The recent removal of the film “Satluj” from ZEE5 has undone that position.
Why Have We Stopped Caring About Dowry Killings? A New Study Explains
A new academic study argues that India has built an “infrastructure of inattention” around dowry killings, referring to legal and cultural processes that once made such deaths the focus of mass public protest but now allow such murders to pass with little public attention.
Citizens Have 5 Economic Reasons to Oppose the Government’s E25 Petrol Plan
The central government is reportedly considering delaying its plan to increase the amount of ethanol mixed with petrol from the current 20% to 25%. The government’s rationale is that the move would reduce India’s dependence on imported crude oil, lower some vehicle emissions and create a bigger market for Indian farmers. However, these stated public policy objectives overshadow several economic principles that lie behind citizens’ opposition to the proposal.
AI is Changing How Indian Newsrooms Reach Audiences
Artificial intelligence is changing how Indian newsrooms reach their audiences, and the way outlets handle that change will affect what news people see, how well they can trust it and whether independent journalism can survive on platforms it no longer controls. This came out at a panel discussion at the India launch of the Digital News Report 2026, an annual study of global news consumption by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford.
India’s Growing Creator Economy Is Changing Society for Better and Worse
Millions of Indians now create videos, podcasts, photographs and social media content for online audiences. A new study suggests that content creation is spreading to smaller cities, growing more professional and occupying an increasingly important place in young people's lives. This growth brings significant social benefits. It could also bring problems of mental health, misinformation and a culture increasingly driven by the pursuit of attention.
West Bengal’s Fight Against ‘Goondas’ Comes With a Democratic Risk
The West Bengal Assembly has passed two laws that allow authorities to place people identified as “goondas” (violent criminals, gang members or habitual offenders) in preventive detention for up to 12 months and confiscate their property to compensate victims of damage caused during public disorder. The move is causing concern that these laws could be used against political opponents, activists and protesters because of the broad powers they grant the government.
The Psychology of Defending Lynching Convicts in Madhya Pradesh
A judge in Madhya Pradesh who sentenced seven men to life imprisonment for their role in a lynching case is facing a campaign of protests, threats and abuse. It is disturbing that sections of the public have reacted not with concern about the man who was beaten to death by a mob, but with anger that those found guilty of the killing were punished. The reaction points to a particular way of thinking about mob violence, justice and the rule of law, and deserves a psychological explanation.