A Shankar Prakash Profile picture
Social & Behavioural Science Researcher | #ENVCrime & Wildlife Crime | Conservation | QUAN+QUAL | PhD from UNoM | @UN Volunteer | Writer | Change Advocate ✊🏽
Dec 26 26 tweets 3 min read
If you don't have the patience to read 20 tweets, please don't engage here.

1/20 As a student of criminology, I must address the concerning public discourse surrounding the recent campus assault case in Chennai. The focus has deviated from the core issue: a violent crime.🧵Image 2/20 First, the troubling obsession with the accused's political affiliation. This reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of criminal behaviour. Crime exists across all social, political, and economic strata. No group has a monopoly on criminal conduct.
#AnnaUniversity
Dec 24 11 tweets 3 min read
A striking paradox emerges in the #CivilServices Exam (CSE). Of those becoming IAS officers, 77% are engineers, yet their Mains optional subjects are dominated by humanities and social sciences. This isn't just strategy—it's a telling commentary on our academic and competitive system. 🧵1/10Image
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Vajiram & Ravi's data on popular optional subjects includes:

Public Administration
Geography
Sociology
History
Philosophy
Anthropology
Political Science & IR

Notice anything? Except Geography (partly physical and social science) and Agriculture, the rest belong squarely to humanities. No engineering subjects! 2/10Image
Dec 18 11 tweets 2 min read
The death of S A Basha, founder of the banned outfit Al-Umma and a key figure in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts, has sparked sharp reactions online. While some leaders have shared condolences, many have criticised them for mourning a man they label as a 'terrorist.' 1/10 From a criminological perspective, it's important to remember that the law mandates punishment for crimes, not perpetual condemnation of the person. Basha was convicted and spent close to 25 years in prison. At 85, he died while on parole, having served the sentence prescribed by law. 2/10
Dec 1 12 tweets 5 min read
Long read, but please do read!
1/ The efforts by the #TamilNadu Forest Dept. to involve a manpower agency for anti-poaching watchers (APWs) led me to write this thread. Having spent months with APWs in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) for my PhD, I feel obligated to stand with them. Everyone should. #SolidarityImage
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2/ APWs are crucial for protecting and conserving our forests and wildlife. The TN Govt. calls APWs the “eyes and ears of the forest.” And the heroes of most field-level operations. Most APWs are from tribal communities, possessing vast knowledge of forest terrain and wildlife behaviour.
#ForestProtection #TribalKnowledgeImage
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Nov 3 8 tweets 2 min read
🚫 #Thread: Why Parandur Airport Project Needs a HARD NO! 🧵

1/8 Let's talk about the elephant in the room - the massive 4000+ acre land acquisition for #ParandurAirport. This isn't just numbers, it's about 3000+ families' ancestral lands & livelihoods! We lack the #Anthropological and #Sociological perspective!
👨🏾‍👩🏾‍👧🏾‍👦🏾 2/8 "Market value compensation and rehabilitation" is a myth! ₹₹₹

Existing #research on development-induced #displacement shows only about 42% of displaced families achieve full rehabilitation. The existing governance system has a demonstrable inability to #rehabilitate people!https://www.dlsu.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/pdf/research/journals/apssr/2022-June-vol22-2/5-negi.pdf
Aug 2 11 tweets 2 min read
1/11📢Today, as part of my work, I visited the Deputy Commissioner's office in Adyar to get permission for a program at Besant Nagar Beach. During my visit, I witnessed a heartening example of professional policing. This incident challenges negative stereotypes about law enforcement. #PoliceProfessionalism @ponkarthik_rImage 2/11🕵️‍♂️ As a student of criminology, I believe it's my duty to highlight not just the challenges but also the positive stories within our police force. Here’s a story that deserves recognition. #PositivePolicing @chennaipolice_ @tnpoliceoffl
Jul 11 13 tweets 5 min read
1/12 The quantitative data analysis of #NEET2024 scores may pass the initial test, but what are its possible limitations?

Here's a thread based solely on the executive summary of the detailed report submitted by IIT Madras. #NEET 2/12 The Bell Curve Conundrum: Huge reliance on a bell-shaped distribution curve may not suffice to rule out malpractice. This approach assumes cheating would disrupt the normal distribution. However, sophisticated cheating methods could potentially maintain this distribution whilst altering individual results. If cheating were widespread but subtle, it might shift the entire curve without changing its shape.Bell curve icons created by Freepik - Flaticon
May 19 11 tweets 3 min read
In the quiet hours of early this morning, my bus journey took an unexpected turn. I was on bus TN 47 AM 8809, en route to #Batlagundu to attend my friend’s wedding. Suddenly, the tranquility was shattered by a loud crash. #LifeEvent 🚌💥 (1/n)
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The bus had collided with a lorry loaded with cement sacks near #Ulundurpet at around 02:50 AM. INCLUDING ME, ALL OTHER PASSENGERS WERE COMPLETELY SAFE. #Accident #Safe🙏 (2/n)
Apr 11 10 tweets 4 min read
In my #applied #research on #environmental protection, I've analysed the @Tnpcbofficial's functions under specific parameters between 2017 and 2022. Check out the study report for @CAGChennai here:

Key insights from the report, a #thread🧵👇🏽(1/n) bit.ly/TNPCBstatus
Image ⏳Board stability is key! Frequent member changes in crucial departments like Town Planning, Finance, and Environment over 6 years may have potentially disrupted decision continuity. A lower frequency of change corresponds to a longer tenure on the Board. #BoardStability (2/n) Image
Apr 7 10 tweets 2 min read
Doping is often PERCEIVED as a norm in sports. By capitalising on this PERCEPTION, here an attempt by @enhanced_games to normalise it under the pretence of creating a ‘level playing field’ and advocating for athletes to be paid. However, could this be a malicious attempt. 1/n Claim: "combination of science, athletic achievement, and capitalism, will return sports to their true roots." But since when did CAPITALISM become the foundation of sports? In countries like India, sports often offer hope for social mobility in disadvantaged communities. 2/n