Nothing spawns the creation and perpetration of conspiracy theories more effectively than an official obsession with secrecy.
Over 1,700 inmates have taken shelter in relief camps in trouble-torn Kokrajhar and Chirang districts of Assam since on Thursday following tension in the wake of a Bodo member of Legislative Assembly's arrest.
Defying all odds, Gauri, a Class 10 student of Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Yamuna Vihar, scored 97.67 per cent and topped her school, while her elder sister Anshika, a student of Hansraj Smarak Senior Secondary School, secured 85 per cent in her Class 12 CBSE Board exams.
An indefinite curfew was on Sunday clamped in some parts of the walled city in Hyderabad, following communal clashes over alleged desecration of a religious place.
Unidentified gunmen shot dead four persons of a family and injured one at Ziaguri village in Assam's violence-hit Kokrajhar district on Friday night around 11 pm.
As an undercurrent of tension continues to grip the violence-hit Assam, Chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday called a meeting of all the political parties in the state to work out a joint and all-participating strategy to deal with the situation effectively in the interest of restoring peace and communal harmony in the state.
Amnesty highlighted poll-related violence in the lead up to the May 2014 General Elections, communal clashes and failure of consultation on corporate projects as key concerns.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), however, maintained that classes 10 and 12 examinations will be conducted as per schedule from March 2.
'India should pledge that it will only target those provinces of Pakistan where nuclear weapons are located,' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Opposition parties ask the government to listen to the concern of the intellectuals returning awards.
The Hundred-Foot Journey treats its Indian characters with respect, discovers Aseem Chhabra/Rediff.com
'Will this communal pendulum, which is swinging towards the extreme of division and violence, ever swing back to its position of the '60s and '70s within my lifetime?' 'Or will my children, and their children, have to continue to suffer the consequences of the country, that we all love, torn apart along communal lines,' asks Najid Hussain in anguish.
'Three security challenges could emerge shortly. The possibility (almost bordering on certainty) is as certain as the fact that night follows day: A terrorist attack by a Pakistan-based group. Chinese intrusion on the border.Communal tension/riots.' Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) explains what the Modi Sarkar needs to be prepared for.
'Consider this image of today's youth in Bihar -- armed with a bike, a smartphone and possibly some illegal arms too, imbibing incessant stream of images from the Internet and television.' 'Some of them would turn into gau bhakts, some would listen with interest the exploits of Salafism, dig deep into the Internet to come out with images which cry vociferously that their respective religions are in danger.'
Brookings Institution tries 'Re-imagining India.' Aziz Haniffa listens in
'What his minions do, we are not sure, but he has got to keep them under control. Pogroms against Muslims in India -- I don't think that is going to be his policy.'
There is disquiet and discomfort in the citizenry that can be touched and felt. No one is talking, but then, the Indian voter has not talked much -- with the conviction that all that goes up has to come down, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Election Commission on Saturday issued a showcause notice to Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal for 'prima facie' violating the Model Code of Conduct with his remarks alleging that BJP is trying to incite communal violence in the capital.
"The kind of incident which happened yesterday (Wednesday) can definitely be attributed to lapses on part of the police due to which some people dared to do this (violence). We will take strong action," Devraj Nagar, state Director General of Police told media persons.
Jaitley said the Congress party which ruled the country for decades is out of sync with the ground realities and aspirations of India as it exists now.
'The BJP will never do anything substantial to empower Dalits.'
'In UP, the CM actually announced that his administration would 'take revenge' against rioters.' 'That must have been music to his police force's ears for it substantiated what the police always do: Take revenge on an entire community for the violence of a few,' points out Jyoti Punwani.
'The central BJP has worked out an arrangement -- Yogi manages the state while Modi manages the Centre.'
He said the "countdown has begun for Narendra Modi," citing the results of Rajasthan by-polls in which the ruling BJP faced an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Congress which won two Lok Sabha seats and one assembly segment.
Jaitley insisted the new central notification will not interfere with state laws on slaughtering animals.
JL50 is an ambitious thriller that progresses smoothly until it starts answering all the questions it has raised, notes Sukanya Verma.
Sukanya Verma salutes the legend and celebrates some of the finest soundtracks of his career.
Several homes, businesses and mosques in the hilly Kandy district have been damaged in anti-Muslim riots.
India's rapid economic progress over the past two decades masks its abysmal performance on social indicators.
The political resolution passed at the party's national executive claimed that the Modi government has created a new "history" in the direction of the poor's welfare with its bold initiatives.
Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje breaks her silence.
Though it's been just five years at the helm, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress is fighting severe internal dissidence and would crumble like a pack of cards if it loses, says Devanik Saha.
The special investigation team probing the Muzaffarnagar riots has given a clean chit to six accused in connection with a murder case during the communal violence in the district.
The Congress on Saturday complained to the Election Commission against Narendra Modi's close aide Amit Shah over his "provocative hate speech", demanding that he be arrested and banned from campaigning for "creating animosity between communities" in riot-hit western UP.
Nearly 7,000 paramilitary forces have been deployed in the affected areas of the northeast district since Monday.
India is free, certainly, and has been so for 70 years. But are Indians free-spirited? asks Shreekant Sambrani.
At least 118 people have been arrested in connection with the violence.
A series of communal clashes rocked a few villages of Western Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, killing nine persons including one IBN-7 news channel journalist and a local photographer hired by the Muzaffarnagar police.
'When I started reading Tamas I instantly knew it had to be made into a film. I could relate to the tragedy in the lives of the characters.' Govind Nihalani remembers Bhisham Sahni on his centenary.
Oppn members went into the area of treasury benches carrying a black banner, which demanded Shah's resignation, as Speaker Om Birla continued with proceedings of the House.
