"Jhoota hain ye"
Farmers at Tikri Kalan protest site on the furthest reaches of a west Delhi metro line celebrate, but tell @iyerkavi they
won’t return to their villages. Nobody trusts #Modi govt & want more clarity on parliamentary process before they leave
“We’ve been called Khalistani, Talibani, terrorist, sometimes it’s been said this is a Jat protest, Sikh protest…The PM of this nation today had to ask forgiveness from farmers, we have learned how to take out country forward, together.” : Meet Mann
Mann, 41, gen secy of Zamindara Students Organisation, that runs the biggest langar at the Tikri protest site, has been here since nov 26, 2020, returning home to a village 50 km away in Jhajjar, Haryana only 5 or 6 times for a single night.
Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrations begin cautiously on stage at the Tikri Kalan protest site, where tractors and trolleys stretch out for about 15 km from the border point towards Bahadurgarh and Rohtak
The langars are running full steam & despite #Modi's speech to the nation announcing a repeal of the farm laws, no one is leaving the protest here in Tikri Kalan today until the details are clear. More than 700 farmers have died during the protests #Farmlawsrepealed
Delhi lawyer Amarveer Bhullar, son of a farmer, on the status of the Jan 26 tractor rally cases. He is representing many arrested. “About 25 FIRs filed, about 172 arrested (accusations range from attempt to murder to armed robbery)…many tractors are still seized (by police)…”
...if we ask the police to release the tractors, they immediately send notices asking (tractor owners) to join the investigation. So we need to keep moving anticipatory bail. This is the situation today. There has been no chargesheet except in the Red Fort case."
The speeches continue on the stage at Tikri Kalan. Sanyukt Kisan morcha leaders have put out a statement saying they welcome the decision, but the fight is not over. “Remember that our demands on MSP, among others, continue to remain unaddressed,” says a statement in Hindi.
Jagmati Sangwan, activist, on the pending demand of Minimum Support Price. The general consensus is that without #MSP this is not a real victory.
“We thank all who helped us but not the PM…it was his responsibility, his duty, There will be no thank you to Modi or his govt.” Ruldu Singh Mansa, member of core team Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, state pres of Punjab Kisan Union and nat pres of All India Kisan Mahasabha.
"Merely because a person is alleged to have committed some offence, it can never be a ground for demolition..."
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told #SupremeCourt only homes violating municipal laws were demolished
This is not true, our reporting over 3 yrs reveals
THREAD
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“Jis ghar se patthar aaye hain, us ghar ko pattharon ka hi ghar banayenge (Whichever homes stones came from, we will turn into piles of stones)”
#MadhyaPradesh home minister Narottam Mishra said in 2022
@legallyuddin on illegal nature of demolitions
In an interview to NDTV, Mishra made the targets of the demolition explicit & acknowledged the law was being bypassed. “If Muslims carry out such attacks, then they should not expect justice,” he had said.
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The J&K High Court today quashed detention of 27-yr-old #Kashmiri journalist Sajad Gul, 22 months after he was imprisoned under Public Safety Act, which allows 2 yrs in jail without trial, day after the Court granted bail to editor Fahad Shah, previously detained under PSA
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Filing 3 FIRs under 8 sections of the law, police had accused Gul of “creating obstacles” in an encroachment drive; allegedly uploading a video showing locals raising “anti-national slogans”; spreading “fake & false narrative” about an anti-terrorist operation
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In Dec 2021, @soul_restlesss reported how Gul faced police harassment for reporting both sides of a story, as journalists were being exhausted with calls from different police & security units, summons for interrogation & court hearings
Homes with ‘completion certificates’ & funds from #Modi’s flagship housing scheme among ‘illegal encroachments’ demolished in Daman.
Residents, some OBCs & some “immigrants”, paid water/power bills, taxes for years
@___mpg____ reports
THREAD 1/8 article-14.com/post/-another-…
“They didn’t even let us take our fan”
Pushpa Devi, 30, mother of 3, wife of paani-puri vendor whose house was demolished in Master Sheri area of #Daman, run by unelected #Modi aide & administrator Praful Khoda Patel, who also governs Lakshadweep, where, too, he’s evoked ire 2/8
“I kept crying. I tried taking some things out of my house but ended up losing a lot”
Hansa Ganesh Tandel, whose home of >50 yrs was demolished, latest in spate of demolitions in #BJP-run or controlled areas: #NewDelhi, #UP, #Gujarat, #Uttarakhand, #MP, #Haryana 3/8
“Cut down the forest, dry up the rivers, finish them off”
Pramot Singh of extremist Meitei Leepun in #Manipur on 28 April. @KimiColney on how state govt ignored/aided tensions between tribal Kukis & majority Meitei, spiralling into anarchy
Terrified 11-yr-old to his mother Mangalleima, a Meitei from Australia, trapped in their home village in Churachandpur, #Manipur, as it was attacked by Kukis on 3 May.
>80 are dead, 35,000 homeless
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“This is not just our story,” said Mangalleima, who said warning signs were evident for months. “As much as the Meitei are affected, the Kuki are also affected. What are we gaining from this fight? It is a failure of law enforcement.”
Why mechanics, garages worry about #ElectricVehicle revolution: Only 2% of India’s vehicles are EVs, but sales rose 155% in 2022-23. @kavithawrites on need to re-skill large workforce to ensure #JustTransition
“Every third vehicle that I see is an #ElectricVehicle. It will have an impact on small informal workers like mechanics, spare parts dealers: Y Vamshi Krishna, owner of service centre in #Hyderabad. Millions wary of #electricMobility revolution’s impact on #labour. 2/4
“I am scared…We may lose our jobs as we don’t have the necessary skills.” T Sai Kumar, a technician at a car dealership in #Hyderabad. Major auto companies are currently looking at what training workers need amid transition to #ElectricVehicles. 3/4
India has dropped 11 places in the World Press Freedom Index, from 150 in 2022 to 161 in 2023 rsf.org/en/country/ind…
"The violence against journalists, the politically partisan media and the concentration of media ownership all demonstrate that press freedom is in crisis in 'the world’s largest democracy.'"
"Indian law is protective in theory but charges of defamation, sedition, contempt of court and endangering national security are increasingly used against journalists critical of the government, who are branded as 'anti-national.'”