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In his book ‘The Wages of Impunity’, human rights activist K.G. Kannabiran wrote on the interconnectedness of power, law and brutality, focusing on the post-colonial State’s key role in legitimizing and enforcing brutality against its own people. As Kannabiran points out, such brutality is routinized through collective State action, encompassing the tacit approval of the legislature and the judiciary, whilst being enforced by the executive. State-sponsored carnage is justified on the grounds of public order and national security: ambiguous terms which allow ample discretion.

The ‘Yogi Police’ stopped Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from going to Lakhimpur-Kheri and then allowed him to exit the Lucknow airport to go to Lakhimpur-Kheri. Priyanka Vadra Gandhi was also ‘released’ after being “illegally” detained. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was also told he was free to go. Seemed like the Yogi Administration was waiting. But waiting for what it’s not clear.

New Delhi: It is tit for tat and retaliation was furious and fast. Less than 24 hours after England decided to pull out of the Junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar, Hockey India on Tuesday announced that it will not send its team to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games citing COVID-19 concerns and protesting UK's discriminatory quarantine rules.

New Delhi: Gurugram’s Manu Gandas, Bengaluru’s Chikkarangappa, local favourites Rashid Khan and Ajay Baisoya, carded identical five-under 67 to be tied for the lead on day one of the TATA Steel PGTI MP Cup at Delhi Golf Club here on Tuesday.

German national elections held on October 26 gave a rebuff to the ruling centre-right Christian Democrats and made the Social Democratic Party(SPD) the leading party, imparting a swing against the right. But simultaneously, the results showed that the Left Party De Linke got only 4.9 per cent of the votes nearly half of 9.2 per cent received by the Party in 2017 elections.

The buzz is about the ‘Pandora Papers’, leaked files of the hidden wealth of some of the world’s richest people, their money stashed in offshore accounts in tax havens. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ), a group of global investigative journalists, worked to unearth the files. As many as 380 Indians are believed to figure in the Pandora Papers. From 'God' Sachin Tendulkar to 'poverty-struck' actor Jackie Shroff; businesswoman Kiran Mazumdar-Shah to Anil Ambani, and Neira Radia. There is also an “Adani”, but, significantly, not Gautam Adani!

It was not merely a coincidence that the day the Supreme Court responding to the petition by a noble lady observed that the 10-month-old farmer protests on Delhi’s borders had “strangulated” the city, the Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra had warned agitating farmers that he would discipline them in "two minutes”; “Face me, it will take just two minutes to discipline you fellows. I am not only a minister or a MP and MLA...People who know me even before I became a Parliamentarian know that I never run away from taking a challenge. The day I accept the challenge you all have to leave not only Palia (a place) but Lakhimpur itself".

The letter sent by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M K Stalin to the chief ministers of 12 states is just a beginning of the stiff opposition to Modi government’s usurping the powers of the states through central legislations not only on the matters pertaining to concurrent list of the Constitution of India, but also on the subjects that are in the state list. Not only that, the Centre is doing politics even at the level of Panchayats through various schemes undermining the fundamental concept of Federal Democratic Republic on the basis of which the country should be constitutionally run.

Years ago, a visionary Congress leader predicted that the ordinary party worker would save the party for their survival when they find their leaders ineffective. It looks as if that moment has come now. The party is gasping for breath, and it needs oxygen from solid leadership, but that is what is lacking. So the worker has to substitute with small doses.

New Delhi: Indian Women failed to capitalize on the chances that came their way and went down 0-1 to Tunisia in a friendly football match at the UAE FA Stadium in Dubai last evening.