Quoting a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) report , “Amnesty Move To Strip Navalny Of 'Prisoner Of Conscience' Status Sparks Outcry”, a Moscow-based journalist, Fred Weir, whom I peripherally during my Moscow days (1986-93), has brought into the light problems in which such top human rights organisations like Amnesty International, find themselves in while defending what they called “prisoners of conscience.

Are journalists being misunderstood even by well-meaning people? I was to kickstart by quoting an article published in theprint.in titled “ED (Enforcement Directorate) says NewsClick used Rs 30 cr ‘mystery remittances’ to ‘pay Navlakha, CPM IT cell member’.” This article has invited a wild comment from a person who is known to be editing a well-known left-leaning blog. An old time friend since my college days in Delhi University, referring to this article, said on his Facebook timeline: “An absolutely unethical hatchet job by The Print against NewsClick that descends to unprecedented lows in ass-licking. But am I surprised? Yes, at those who still thought Shekhar Gupta is a journalist with integrity. This is him in his true colours. #StandbyNewsClick.”

There appears to be no end to South Asians settling abroad taking with them their casteist, anti-Dalit mindset – a fact brought to light by Deepak Joshi , a Facebook friend who lives in Melbourne, Australia. Joshi has shared on his Facebook timeline an article published in the ABC Radio National site titled “They've left South Asia, but they can't escape the discrimination and division of its caste system” authored by Karishma Luthria. It is actually a first person blog.

Pointing out that it is hard to fathom why state governments in India go back on their word and tearing up contracts awarded by them, “Mint”, in an opinion piece , has given the example of how Gujarat has “reneged” one of its own deals. “In one fell swoop”, the daily says, “Gujarat’s power procurement agency cancelled tenders for 700 MW of solar power generation given to a clutch of energy producers, citing lower tariff bids in a subsequent auction.”

The “nationalist” Koo fever appears to have caught up with some Union ministers, BJP politicians, some right-wing actors, media and professionals. I too decided to try it out by downloading what is tom-tommed as a Twitter alternative on my mobile phone, thinking, perhaps it would give a little insight into right-wing news stories, which interest me.

Releasing a fresh video on the plight of two individuals belonging to highly neglected communities of Indo-Gangetic plains, Vidya Bhushan Rawat , a human rights defender, describes the plight of the family of Banarasi Mushahar, who was found dead on a road side about 200 meters from his house in the morning of May 24, 2020, and of his injured friend Rampreet Nat, lying unconscious across the road.

Abanindranath Tagore's Bharat Mata Well-known historian DN Jha , who has been an eyesore for Hindutva protagonists, passed away recently. In a revelation which he made in 2016 years ago, he claimed the concept Bharat Mata did not exist even in 1857, which has gone down in the history as the country’s first struggle for Independence. 

Distributed by the Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre (PMARC), a Dalit media group, an article published in “Asia Samachar”, titled “Indian fascism and current farmers’ movement” says that though the discussion about Indian fascism is not new, the current farmers movement centred on the borders of the national capital Delhi, and the government's heavy handed response, has “raised the sense of concern and urgency amongst many observers.”

I was talking with a long-time friend of mine, Neeraj Nanda, editor, “South Asia Times”, which is brought out from Melbourne. He informed me, on February 7 he had gone to cover a pro-farmers’ rally in the town, where there was “massive” gathering (from current Australian standards, as coronovirus has just been “overcome”). The police was there to protect the protesters, he told me!Peaceful, the rally saw someone shouting “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.” The cops called him, queried him, and then he was asked to go, and he went away. “I asked the cops what did they ask him. And they replied that the person was from the opposite side, and that such disruption is not allowed. We we called him, and asked he to move out, which is what he did”, Nanda told me. While Nanda said the Indian diaspora is “vertically divided” on the farmers’ protest in India, and that a candle light march was also planned on the same day evening, where he did not go, this is what he reported in “South Asia Times”: “A massiv