Notwithstanding the rationale provided by the Union Government and the armed forces for the horrific killing of six coal miners and the deaths of nine civilians and a soldier in the aftermath of the incident in Mon district, the residents of Nagaland, and indeed many in North-east India, will only read this incident as an outcome of impunity accorded by the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA. It is no wonder that two Chief Ministers — Conrad Sangma of Meghalaya and Neiphiu Rio of Nagaland — have immediately demanded its repeal; the Act remains in place in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, three districts of Arunachal Pradesh, and areas falling within the jurisdiction of eight police stations of the State bordering Assam, with the authority to use force or open fire to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”. The firing on the vehicle carrying the coal miners in Oting village, home to the Konyak Naga community, was carried out by soldiers of the ‘21 Para Commando Unit’, and
The sentencing of Myanmar leaders to four years in prison on two separate charges on Monday, by a court run by the military junta, appears to be just the first of a number of sentences aimed at putting State Councillor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other government leaders in custody for decades. The verdicts that relate to cases dealing with “incitement against the military” and for “breaching Covid laws” are frighteningly farcical. One relates to speeches made during protests against the military’s decision to dismiss the results of last November’s elections, which Ms. Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), clearly won. The other, even more ridiculous, is for breaching COVID-19 protocols at an election rally when she was photographed wearing both a face mask and a shield throughout her campaign. The sentences, and the ones that will follow, are meant not only to ensure an end to the NLD and Ms. Suu Kyi’s public life but are also part of an effort to
Kamala Balachandran
It was common knowledge that Indra was wealthy because she got dropped to school in a chauffeur-driven car. But I was ignorant of the other perks that a rich home provided. “You don’t have to say thank you to her! She is our cook!” Fifty-plus years later, I can still hear those words in my ear, complete with the amusement with which it was delivered and the self-conscious giggles that emanated from the other girls. I suppose the memory of this one-time visit to my classmate’s home has stayed
