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CounterView seeks to reflect news from sources which are broadly "subaltern", a term coined by eminent Italian anti-fascist politician, theoretician and neo-Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci, who was in Mussolini’s jail from 1926 to 1935. 
The term “subaltern” has ever since come to mean “history told from below”, focusing on populations which are socially, politically and geographically outside of the hegemonic power structure. 
Recognizing that news of subaltern sections is a neglected feature of the media today, CounterView
aims to fill in this gap in some way. It differs from the so-called mainstream news, which reflects news from established power structures. 
Not supported by any organization, CounterView is a voluntary initiative. Most of the contributions to this site come from voluntary information sent to the site by grassroots activists from across India. Anyone willing to contribute is welcome to write to us.
Our email id: counterview.net@gmail.com
Edited by RAJIV SHAH
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Human rights violations: Jharkhand election official refuses to meet civil society delegation

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A delegation of Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha, along with representatives of the Adivasi Adhikar Manch and Khunti villages, which went to meet the Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to discuss the severe repression and widespread violations of human rights by local administration and security forces in villages of Khunti that saw Pathalgadi in the last few years, was allegedly refused appointment as the election official.
A civil'society communique said, the CEO's office had given the delegation an appointment for 3 pm but the CEO made the team wait for almost 3 hours. He was not in office for a long time and when he did come back, he made people wait for more time. He saw the delegation waiting outside. And finally the delegation submitted the memorandum in his office and left without meeting him.
The delegation consisted of Bharat Bhushan Choudhary, Stan Swamy, Ashok Verma, Kalyan Nag, among others.
The delegation said in the memorandum that attempts were being made by …
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Narmada water remains contaminated, Gujarat govt "changed norms" to declare it fit to drink

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The Lokshahi Bachao Andolan, a Gujarat-based civil rights organization headed by former BJP chief minister Suresh Mehta, has alleged that the state government has changed the minimum acceptable standard of drinking water from 500 milligrams per liter of TDS to 2,000 milligrams, risking the health of crores of people of Gujarat. Pointing out that the permissible limit for water has been changed in “10 of the 13 norms”, addressing media, its members said, “The total hardness has been increased from 200 to 600.”
Prof Hemantkumar Shah, a senior economist, alleged, quoting Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board (GWSSB) data, that “all the standards for water, color, turbidity, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulfate, fluoride and alkalinity etc. have been revised upwards, in some cases for up to 200 per cent, while in other cases by 400 per cent.”
Suggesting that this has been done against the backdrop of Narmada waters getting contaminated, Mahesh Pandya, a senior environmentalist who hea…
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BJP manifesto follows Savarkar's two-nation theory, ignores minorities: MCC

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Sharply criticising the BJP manifesto, which it has sought to call Sankalp Patra (pledge document), the Gujarat-based civil rights organization, Minority Coordination Committee (MCC), has said that it has totally ignored the minorities, who form about 20% of India's population. Worse, it said, it is a document that seeks to follow the sectarian ideology of Damodar Savarkar's theory of two nation theory.
By seeking to undermine Articles 14 to 30 and 37, 38, 46, 51 (a), 347 and 350 of the Constitution of India, MCC said in a statement signed by its convener Mujahid Nafees, the document aims at making minorities even more deprived and vulnerable. Terming it a communal document to weaken the country's composite culture, MCC added, it has failed to address basic issues of education, employment, and people's participation.
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Book on seven interconnected "political" murders, including Haren Pandya, Justice Loya, released

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A controversial new book in Hindi, ‘Satta ki Suli’, with an account on CBI judge BH Loya’s death case, released in Ahmedabad, has sought to cover not only the alleged murder of the judge but also a series of seven other "political murders".
The book, authored by Mahendra Mishra, Pradeep Singh and Upendra Chowdhary, starts with the murder of ex-Gujarat home minister Haren Pandya and gangster Sohrabuddin and his wife Kasuar Bi, witness Tusliram Prajapti, followed by that of judge Loya and two others, advocate Shrikant Khandalkar and retired judge Prakash Thrombay.
Earlier released in Delhi, speaking during a similar ceremony in Ahmedabad, Mishra, who is editor of the web portal "Jan Chowk", said that it was remarkable, the book was being released at a time when freedom of expression was under threat. Criticising "Caravan", the e-magazine which first broke Loya's death, Mishra said, it failed to continue with required follow-ups as it was brought unde…
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Study documents 34 smart city projects forcibly displacing 17,700 people last year

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A just-released study, "Forced Evictions in India in 2018: An Unabating National Crisis", prepared by the Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN), New Delhi, has said, it has documented forced evictions in 34 of the 100 ‘smart cities’ being developed across the country." The study, which documents evictions across India because of different types of development projects, says says, smart cities alone displaced 17,700 people.
Among the glaring examples it cites include the Tamil Nadu government demolishing about 1,700 homes (of over 4,200 identifed houses) for a ‘smart city’ project related to restoration of water bodies in Coimbatore, and in Thanjavur, where over 130 homes were demolished for a ‘smart city’ project to renovate a moat.
Then, HLRN says, un Nagpur, Maharashtra, 12 homes were destroyed for the Pardi Flyover, as part of the ‘smart city’ development work. In Machhi Bazaar, Indore, 455 families lost housing as a result of a road-widening ‘smart city’ project.…
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GDP growth is not the true indicator people's well being: Gujarat activists release manifesto

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Fifty-odd Gujarat-based academics and social activists, many of them well-known Sarvodayists who had played a major role in the fight against Indira Gandhi-imposed Emergency, have released a people's manifesto at a gathering in Gujarat Vidypeeth, the university founded by Mahatma Gandhi, declaring that even seven decades after India became independence, people haven't tasted freedom in true sense.
Prepared under the directions of top academics Prof Ghanshyam Shah and Prof Rohit Shukla, and veteran social activists Prakash N Shah and Indukumar Jani, the manifesto, running into 72 pages of incisive analysis on issues that directly affect the marginalised sections of society, including education, health, environment, Dalits, tribals, minorities, farmers, working classes, women and children, the manifesto insists, GDP growth is not the true indicator people's well being.
Pointing towards rise in inequalities, the manifesto wants those who will take over reins of power after…
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Saurashtra topcop "threatens" Dalit builder his mustache would be forcibly plucked

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Atul Chavda, an Amreli-based Dalit builder from Saurashtra, has complained to the director-general of police, Gujarat, that a senior police official of Amreli, an ASP, has used "derogatory words" against him on April 8 in front of the Circuit House, saying, "Police have to be very alert with Dalits having mustaches. I know pretty well how to pull out your mustaches."
The ASP is further quoted as objecting the Dalit builder having a golden chain around his neck, a golden bracelet on his hand and golden rings on his fingers, telling him, "Bring the bill of the jewellery you have put on, and take away your bike standing here." He allegedly said this after he was told that he was a Dalit on inquiring whether he belonged to the Rajput darbar community.
The whole episode at the Circuit House took place, the complaint to the DGP said, after the Dalit builder went to the spot to pick up his motorbike, which he had left there for a while, as he had to go to a s…
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Future MPs being told to take a pledge to ensure sufficient budget for rape free India

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As part of the Rape Free India Campaign, the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation (KSCF), in alliance with the Shala Mitra Sangh, a civil society group of Gujarat, released a draft pledge for the would-be elected representatives of the Lok Sabha polls, asking them to swear for ushering in a rape-free India.
The pledge would seek to make future Members of Parliament to take up two major issues in the Lok Sabha: That they would ensure a budgeted action plan to make India rape free; and that 10% of resources in union budget should be allotted towards making the country safe for women and children.
Releasing the pledge, KSCF said in a statement it is a matter of "grave concern" that issues relating to safety of women and children are not being raised during the polls, even though, as per the National Crime Research Bureau data, one child is sexually abused every 15 minutes in our country, 106 rapes take place every day, and between 2015 and 2016, crime against children …
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Call to make education a major issue during 2019 election campaign

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Ambarish Rai of the Right to Education (RTE) Forum has called upon civil society activists to "strengthen the nationwide campaign to make education a major issue in 2019 elections". Speaking at the stocktaking conference in Patna, organized by the RTE Forum, he said, Bihar has been slow in implementing the RTE Act, even as it is refusing to allocate enough funds for education and involve communities on educational issues.
Those who participated in the conference included intellectuals, social workers, teachers, students union members, and members of school management committees from different areas of Bihar. Speakers expressed serious concern over the absence of safety and grievances redressal mechanism for girls, and lack of empowerment of the public education system.
Speakers were unanimous in their view that it is not possible to realize the dream of a developed society based on equality without strengthening public education. They said, the commercialization of educat…
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Amit Shah earns just Rs 56 lakh annually, owns Rs 40 crore assets, faces four serious charges: Affidavit

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BJP's  high-profile candidate from Gandhinagar, Amit Shah, who also happens to be the party's national president, has claimed that his annual income is just about Rs 56 lakh, and his main sources of income are agriculture, rent and share market. Shah has also declared that he owns 40.32 crore of assets -- 23.55 crore movable and Rs 16.77 crore immovable.
In his self-declared affidavit, Shah has also said that he faces four serious cases, related to "mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc." (IPC Section-436); "promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony" (IPC Section-153A); "imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration" (IPC Section-153B); and "criminal intimidation" (IPC Section-506).
Releasing these figures, advocacy groups Gujarat Election Watch and Association of …
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