author

Jyoti Punwani

Jyoti Punwani writes on human rights issues. You can e-mail the author at jyoti.punwani@gmail.com

Stories by JYOTI PUNWANI

'Don't we have any value as human beings?'

'Don't we have any value as human beings?'

Rediff.com   20 May 2019

'Haven't you heard of the magical EVM machines? They can negate all our votes.' 'There is no hope. Modi is India's Putin.'

In parched Marathwada, farmers want to give Modi another chance

In parched Marathwada, farmers want to give Modi another chance

Rediff.com   1 May 2019

Most farmers want to give Modi a second chance. They hope that the BJP loses at least 50 seats, so that it is dependent on its coalition partners who will then keep a check on Modi.

Hey Mr Owaisi, these are Muslims too!

Hey Mr Owaisi, these are Muslims too!

Rediff.com   27 Apr 2019

One teenager died in police firing last May. Another teenager is paralysed waist down. Both families have been ignored by the political establishment, including the AIMIM.

Right man in the wrong (Owaisi's) party?

Right man in the wrong (Owaisi's) party?

Rediff.com   23 Apr 2019

Has Owaisi's MIM become an albatross for Imtiaz Jaleel, former journalist and the party's candidate in Aurangabad?

'Hindus have always been the most powerful vote bank'

'Hindus have always been the most powerful vote bank'

Rediff.com   21 Apr 2019

'Had Muslims been a vote bank, they wouldn't be in the condition they are now,' Asaduddin Owaisi tells Jyoti Punwani.

A padyatra with Owaisi

A padyatra with Owaisi

Rediff.com   19 Apr 2019

MIM workers tried to shoo the complaining woman and her silent husband away, but Owaisi insisted that she be heard. As he turned to leave, he told her: "Good that you spoke up. Keep doing that.

Tough battle for Ashok Chavan in Nanded

Tough battle for Ashok Chavan in Nanded

Rediff.com   18 Apr 2019

While everyone says that in terms of actual contribution to Nanded or in moral authority, Ashok Chavan cannot compare with his father, in terms of contact with his voters, he beats S B Chavan hollow. 'Sab ko sambhaltey hain.'

'We preferred Rahul's speech to Modi's'

'We preferred Rahul's speech to Modi's'

Rediff.com   16 Apr 2019

'Modi's speech was like one of our sour food preparations; Rahul's was sweet.'

'We laid foundation for alternative to Modi'

'We laid foundation for alternative to Modi'

Rediff.com   2 Apr 2019

'The Congress should have accepted our demands.' 'Gone are the days when it could decide how many crumbs to throw at us.' 'Now, we make the demands.'

Why was Saibaba denied bail?

Why was Saibaba denied bail?

Rediff.com   27 Mar 2019

'Rejection of bail means they want him to die.'

Complaint against police excesses? This could happen to you

Complaint against police excesses? This could happen to you

Rediff.com   22 Feb 2019

Kailash Avhad told Rediff.com that when he appeared before DCP Sandeep Palve, the police officer expressed anger at his RTI applications, caught him by the collar, banged his head against the wall and rained blows behind his ear. He then forced Avhad to touch his feet in apology.

Mumbai's mohalla committees: Giving peace a chance

Mumbai's mohalla committees: Giving peace a chance

Rediff.com   30 Jan 2019

The mohalla committee movement in Mumbai celebrated its 25th anniversary last weekend. The movement, which was born in the wake of the horrific Mumbai riots of 1992-1993, has played an important role in ensuring that Hindu-Muslim riots do not recur in the Maximum City.

Why India needs more mohalla committees

Why India needs more mohalla committees

Rediff.com   30 Jan 2019

Mumbai's 45 mohalla committees and the many voluntary groups working to bring communities together in the city can be counted upon to do their utmost to stop riots.

Bhima Koregaon inquiry progresses at snail's pace

Bhima Koregaon inquiry progresses at snail's pace

Rediff.com   22 Jan 2019

The reasons for the snail's pace at which the commission is proceeding are linked both to the government's indifference to it as well as the indifference of the parties appearing before it.

Bhima Koregaon hearing: Video reveals what happened

Bhima Koregaon hearing: Video reveals what happened

Rediff.com   16 Jan 2019

=The video also confirms what initial investigations by the media into the Bhima Koregaon violence had found -- that it was a fallout of a Dalit-Maratha dispute in Vudu Budruk village.

Why are some lynchings front page news and some not?

Why are some lynchings front page news and some not?

Rediff.com   10 Dec 2018

'Across the country -- in Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Manipur, Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal -- men were lynched on suspicion of being thieves by ordinary people armed with rods and sticks.' 'But none of these lynchings made big news.' 'None of these lynchings were cow/beef-related.' 'The perpetrators were unknown people, not so-called gau rakshaks.' 'So why were these instances of mob violence considered less newsworthy than cow-related lynchings?' asks Jyoti Punwani.

Bhima Koregaon hearing: Gaps in the police affidavit

Bhima Koregaon hearing: Gaps in the police affidavit

Rediff.com   5 Nov 2018

The police were aware of the bandh since the gram panchayats had informed them about it. Yet, they did nothing to prevent it.

Bhima Koregaon hearings take a new turn

Bhima Koregaon hearings take a new turn

Rediff.com   1 Nov 2018

Government rejects activists' request. Commission requests new witness to attend.

'Urdu writers don't want to get into trouble'

'Urdu writers don't want to get into trouble'

Rediff.com   9 Oct 2018

'They will talk about secularism, but communalism -- they just won't say there exists such a beast.' 'It's harmful for society to brush it under the carpet.' 'If we talk about secularism, we must talk about communalism.'

Ex-cop faced caste abuse, injury at Bhima-Koregaon

Ex-cop faced caste abuse, injury at Bhima-Koregaon

Rediff.com   27 Sep 2018

Curiously, on one aspect -- the large turnout of Dalits at Bhima-Koregaon -- both the counsel for the government and police, and the counsel for Milind Ekbote, an accused in the Bhima-Koregaon violence, pursued the same line of questioning. They asked Tukaram Gavare about the planning that must have gone behind this turnout.