Spat on and abused: Coronavirus fuels racism against India’s north-easterners
ANNIE BANERJI, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports…
Indigenous people left landless as traditional farming wanes in north-east India
Shillong, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation Tribal people in north-eastern India are increasingly becoming landless and poor as their traditional farming practices are abandoned in favour of commercial plantations, Indigenous experts warned last week. “Jhum” is the practice by tribal groups in the north-eastern states of rotating land use for temporary farming, resulting in parts of forest […]
India disaster exposes lack of enforcement against deadly illegal mines
Thomson Reuters Foundation Ongoing efforts to reach victims of a mining disaster in northeastern India have exposed what campaigners say is poor enforcement against such illegal mines, where undocumented workers risk injury or death. At least 15 people were trapped when an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya state flooded on 13th December. Rescue efforts continue, […]
Christian missionaries a ‘threat’ to India’s unity – MP
World Watch Monitor Christian missionaries are a threat to India’s unity, a Hindu-nationalist parliamentarian told reporters on Saturday. “Christian missionaries control the Congress,” said Bharat Singh, an MP for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “Sonia Gandhi, the mother of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, works on the directions of these missionaries. These missionaries are a threat for […]
Good Friday holiday reinstated in Christian-majority Indian state after protests
World Watch Monitor Widespread protests have forced the government in Christian-majority Meghalaya State in north-east India to restore the Good Friday holiday. The coalition government, to which the Hindu nationalist BJP is a partner, had declared in a circular that Good Friday would be a normal “working day”, but the move was withdrawn on Tuesday, 27th […]