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Dalit teen beaten to death in Uttarakhand over befriending girl from upper caste community

Members of the girl's family allegedly locked the teen inside a room and beat him up. He later succumbed to the injuries.

Any cat to catch the mice

THREE parallel events now underway or recently held carry the potential in varying measure to reset India’s destiny, in all likelihood for the better. From a bird’s eye view, the field looks set for a change. The fact that Germany lost the election for the first time in 40 years for a non-permanent member’s seat at the UN Security Council offers stark lessons for the Modi government to ponder. Germany turned Palestine averse and cosied up to Israel, much like Narendra Modi’s India, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the saddle. The UN defeat is being linked to Merz’s embrace of Benjamin Netanyahu. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s future is also under a cloud, his ties with the Zionist lobby being a key factor. Ergo: Israel’s chums are being globally isolated. India’s proximity to Israel was nudged by right-wing ideologues to counter Russian prime minister Yevgeny Primakov’s 1998 doctrine to form the Russia-India-China group as a stabilising force in a post-USSR Global South. The Western countermeasures included America’s ‘pivot to the east’, dragging India into the Quad. But when the RIC went on to become BRICS, a ‘West Asian Quad’ was conceived including India, Israel, the UAE and the US. The faint outlines of the outcome of the Iran war are threatening to end India’s entanglement with both Quads. And the German debacle at the UN is the writing on the wall. Potentially, also crucial for the country’s future is the internet-spawned Cockroach Janta Party, which launched its first street protests in New Delhi over the weekend. The party minted into an untested force after a senior judge insulted unemployed youth as cockroaches. The ‘cockroaches’ have given a tart reply to the judiciary, but they’re also demanding the resignation of Modi’s education minister, hitherto an unthinkable prospect. The third albeit widely underplayed event is the fractious INDIA opposition group seeking to get its act together. Twenty-three parties, including Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress were holding a make-or-break meeting on Monday (June 8) under the Congress party’s stewardship. All three events have the heft to cause tremors in the Modi establishment. Some say the jolt could be more rattling to him than he experienced in 12 years of unbridled power. Questions have surfaced over the Cockroach lot with insinuations that the cluster of motivated urban youth is supported by the Hindutva order to vent the steam gathering from months of a crippling economic crisis, not all of which is linked to the Iran war. There is also the issue of an overtly corrupt administration keeling over with criminal incompetence amid lacerating acts of omission and commission. Hundreds of thousands of school-leaving students and admission-seeking medical college aspirants have been grievously harmed by leaked papers and erring tabulation mechanisms. The Cockroach party has sought probity in judiciary, education and the nexus between business and the media, but its critics have sought to portray the group as left oriented with some of them belonging to this or that communist party. Another suggestion is that they are an extension of the Aam Aadmi Party, a ploy to shift the focus from the improving chances of opposition unity. It’s a fact that AAP came out of the India Against Corruption campaign of 2011 in which the RSS played a backroom role to successfully undermine the Manmohan Singh government. There’s no need to spread fear of those such as the Cockroach party before they do something wrong. While the AAP’s birth pangs indeed created the grounds for the coronation of Narendra Modi as prime minister in May 2014, it is equally a fact that AAP was applauded the following year as the sheet anchor that stalled the BJP juggernaut in Delhi. Before this, the Modi wave had easily evicted Congress governments in Maharashtra and Haryana polls. And there was no AAP in Maharashtra to blame the defeat on, although in Haryana it did cut some votes. The AAP subsequently propagated a soft temple-hopping Hindutva, in which Arvind Kejriwal scrupulously avoided standing with Muslims when they were under attack from the BJP and the police in 2020. But if he or the Cockroach group can yet consciously or unwittingly help stall the rightward, obscurantist drift the Modi government has set India on, it would make Deng Xiaoping’s spirit burst into a smile. “It doesn’t matter whether a cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice.” Deng’s dictum applies to anybody who would rescue India from its current trauma. And there’s no need to spread fear of those such as the Cockroach party before they do something wrong. But let’s not get too swayed also by the shouts of youth power or the roar of something called Gen Z. As far as one could see, it was the youth that demolished the Babri Masjid with their raw sinews. It’s the youth that goes about lynching and harassing innocent citizens in the name of religion. Of course, on the other side, it’s the youth that’s languishing in Modi’s prisons, if they are not out on strictly monitored bail terms, for fighting for a just and equal society in a democratic system that doesn’t discriminate between citizens. Think Umar Khalid. There’s a youth component in almost every political party. The mighty US is split between youthful Zionists and their youthful adversaries. When I looked up Gen Z on a search engine, an option pointed to Gen Ziaul Haq! I think the idea of Gen Z or Gen Alpha etc is conjured to obscure the reality of universal class struggle, and in India’s of its defining caste identity. A few donning cockroach masks at the Delhi rally were seen carrying portraits of Bhimrao Ambedkar thereby putting Dalit politics at the centre. But again, hasn’t everyone used Ambedkar’s portraits to lure support? Finally, while Deng’s point is priceless, a useful caution in T.S. Elliott’s line says: “Youth is cruel and has no remorse. It smiles at situations which it cannot see.” A fair point to ponder. The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Delhi. jawednaqvi@gmail.com Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2026

Dalit teen beaten to death in Tehri Garhwal over inter-caste friendship

According to a complaint lodged by Ketan's father, Dhanpal Lal, the incident occurred on June 8 night in Kholgarh village

BJP's Punjab Reset: New Leadership, Resignations And The Road To 2027

The latest trigger is the resignation of Punjab BJP general secretary Jagmohan Singh Raju, a former IAS officer and one of the party's prominent Dalit Sikh faces.

Dalit teen beaten to death in Uttarakhand's Tehri Garhwal over inter-caste friendship

The deceased, Ketan Lal, was a resident of Deval village. His injured friend, Diwakar Dimri, was admitted to the district hospital in Baurari.

Qual uva ou país devo escolher quando vou comprar um vinho?

Como escolher um rótulo apenas olhando para as garrafas alinhadas na prateleira de um supermercado? Essa é a dor corriqueira do consumidor que possui um conhecimento limitado dessa bebida milenar. Na maioria das vezes, o único critério é o preço. Não dá para culpá-lo: de fato, é fácil se perder entre uvas, regiões de produção, vinícolas e safras. Sem contar que o vinho ganhou ao longo dos anos uma aura mítica, como se abrir uma garrafa significasse entrar para um clube onde poucos são aceitos. Porém, escolher um bom vinho pode ser mais fácil do que parece, principalmente quando se tem ajuda. A seguir, você confere dicas de rótulos, regiões e produtores com base em critérios como preço e gosto pessoal. Vinhos até R$ 50 Reserva Familiar Tannat é um vinho tinto uruguaio de excelente custo-benefício. Divulgação. Mesmo com um orçamento limitado, é possível comprar bons rótulos. Dificilmente você encontrará um vinho complexo, mas com certeza vai achar bebidas bem-feitas e que agradam facilmente. São vinhos honestos, perfeitos para o dia a dia e para compartilhar com amigos. Nessa faixa de preço, as melhores opções são vinhos de Argentina, Uruguai, Chile e Portugal. Primeiro porque esses países exportam para o Brasil com benefícios fiscais e segundo porque a produção nesses locais é mais barata do que na França e na Itália, por exemplo. O resultado são rótulos mais em conta. Argentina é a pátria do vinho tinto Malbec, mas produz também ótimos brancos de Chardonnay. Procure os rótulos da Norton, uma das maiores vinícolas do país e que possui mais de 130 anos de atividade, cuja qualidade é reconhecida internacionalmente. Desta bodega vale a pena provar a linha Sexy Fish composta por vinhos frutados e redondos, bem agradáveis e disponíveis em quatro versões: Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Blanc de Blancs e Rosé. Dentre os brancos argentinos, escolha os da linha Porteño, da mesma vinícola Norton. São vinhos que vão muito bem sozinhos num dia de calor ou para acompanhar refeições leves. A linha conta com o Chardonnay e o Torrontés, ambos aromáticos e fáceis de beber. Se a gente der um pulo para o outro lado da Cordilheira dos Andes, o Chile é referência em vinhos tintos de Cabernet Sauvignon e brancos de Sauvignon Blanc. Procure uma vinícola tradicional como a Santa Carolina que possui mais de 150 anos de história. O Santa Carolina Reservado Cabernet Sauvignon é um tinto de aromas de frutas vermelhas maduras, como morango, com toques sutis de baunilha. Harmoniza com carnes e lasanha. Já a uva Sauvignon Blanc se adaptou muito bem ao clima andino onde produz brancos refrescantes e perfumados, como o Estelar Sauvignon Blanc que possui aromas de frutas cítricas, abacaxi e pêssego. Ideal para acompanhar petiscos, frituras e comida japonesa. Uruguai é o país da Tannat, uva tinta com bastante taninos, ideal para quem gosta de rótulos intensos e que acompanhem um bom churrasco. A vinícola Montes Toscanini é a mais premiada do país e seu Tannat Reserva Familiar é um vinho de excelente custo-benefício com sabores de frutas escuras e notas de chocolate e tostado, final longo e equilibrado. Por fim, outra excelente opção é representada pelos vinhos portugueses, que chegam ao mercado brasileiro com um ótimo custo-benefício. Em particular, fique de olho nos vinhos do Alentejo, no extremo sul do país, e nos da região de Vinhos Verdes, no extremo norte. Os tintos alentejanos são intensos, saborosos e frutados, perfeitos com carnes assadas e grelhadas, além de massas e pizzas. Uma dica de rótulo é o Pouca Roupa Tinto da famosa vinícola João Portugal Ramos. Já os Vinhos Verdes são levemente frisantes, refrescantes e com baixo teor alcoólico. São rótulos pensados para serem tomados sozinhos em dias de calor ou para acompanhar comidas leves. Você vai se surpreender com o Pardalito DOC Vinho Verde. Vinhos até R$ 100 Marquês de Borba Colheita, um tinto português, que entrega muita qualidade nessa faixa de preço. Divulgação. Gastando entre R$ 50 e R$ 100 você começa a encontrar rótulos de nível superior de Argentina, Chile, Uruguai e Portugal. Nessa faixa de preços, as bebidas costumam ter mais complexidade por inúmeras razões, como uvas selecionadas, e amadurecimento em barrica, entre outras técnicas enológicas – entenda por que vinhos caros são melhores que os baratos. Da Argentina, vale mencionar a linha Norton Reserva, cujos vinhos amadurecem 12 meses em carvalho e são produzidos com uvas de dois famosos terroirs de Mendoza: Vale de Uco e Luján de Cuyo. Esse blend traz o melhor dos dois territórios: concentração e fruta de Luján de Cuyo; e elegância e frescor de Vale de Uco, onde os vinhedos têm maior altitude. Entre os vinhos chilenos experimente os da vinícola Caliterra, cuja filosofia de trabalho é baseada em sustentabilidade e respeito a natureza. Com amadurecimento parcial em barricas de carvalho, o Caliterra Reserva Carménère entrega qualidade e sabor, valorizando uma uva icônica do país. Nessa faixa de preço, existem excelentes rótulos portugueses de regiões menos conhecidas, mas que valem muito a pena, como a Bairrada. Ali são produzidos alguns dos melhores espumantes de Portugal, como o Messias Bairrada Brut, que é elaborado pelo método tradicional, o mesmo do Champagne. O Alentejo é um porto seguro para tintos de excelente custo-benefício. O Marquês de Borba Colheita é macio e suculento, com belos aromas de frutas vermelhas maduras, ideal com massas, pizzas, queijos e carnes. Na categoria até R$ 100, é possível também começar a desbravar vinhos de Itália e Espanha. Vai encontrar rótulos interessantes como o espanhol Petit Vega 8 Meses, da famosa região de Ribera del Duero, um tinto intenso e encorpado que vai bem carnes; se estiver procurando um espumante, o Cava Don Román é uma marca consolidada no mercado por ser garantia de sabor e qualidade. Na Itália, é melhor apostar nas regiões ao sul, como Puglia e Sicília, onde o clima é mais quente e os vinhos bem aromáticos e saborosos. Por não terem o mesmo hype dos vinhos do Norte da Itália, costumam ser mais em conta. Na Puglia nascem o Luccarelli Rosso IGP, um tinto macio e redondo com belos aromas de frutas vermelhas maduras, e o Corbelli Primitivo, um tinto encorpado e saboroso produzido com a uva icônica dessa região. A Sicília é a região da uva tinta Nero d’Avola e da branca Grillo. Experimente o Stemmari Nero d’Avola Sicilia DOC, bem frutado, com taninos macios e 6 meses de amadurecimento em barrica; e o espumante Belvino Grillo Brut, refrescante e com aromas de frutas cítricas e notas florais. Vinhos até R$ 200 Pinot Noir argentino de altíssima gama assinado pela vinícola familiar Alfredo Roca. Divulgação. A partir de R$ 100 e até R$ 200, os vinhos começam a ficar realmente especiais. Nessa faixa de preço, você consegue comprar excelentes argentinos, chilenos, uruguaios, portugueses, brasileiros e até italianos e franceses de alta gama. O Brasil está despontando no cenário mundial com vinhos de cada vez mais qualidade, especialmente na Serra Gaúcha, região vitivinícola tradicional. Dentre as mais de mil vinícolas, uma menção especial merece a Bodega Iribarrem, uma empresa jovem que está fazendo um trabalho primoroso. Sua linha Basco Loco, que homenageia a família do fundador Ramiro Iribarrem, de origem do norte da Espanha, conta com brancos de uvas internacionais, como Alvarinho e Chardonnay, e tintos como Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc e Merlot. São vinhos deliciosos, joviais e muito gastronômicos. Entre os argentinos vale destacar os da vinícola familiar Alfredo Roca, localizada no prestigiado terroir de San Rafael. Para ir além do clássico Malbec, experimente o Alfredo Roca Reserva de Família Pinot Noir, um tinto elegante com 9 meses de amadurecimento em barrica que acompanha lindamente carnes e risotos. Entre os vinhos chilenos, a linha Pedregoso Gran Reserva, da premiada vinícola Tabali, entrega muito nessa faixa de preço. São rótulos de elevada qualidade produzidos no Vale de Maipo que amadurecem por 9 meses em barrica de carvalho. Elegantes, sofisticados e muito gastronômicos. Em Portugal, conheça os rótulos da região do Dão onde o solo mineral produz grandes vinhos tintos e brancos como os da Quinta do Penedo: experimente o Quinta do Penedo Colheita DOC Tinto, com 12 meses de envelhecimento em barrica, e o Quinta do Penedo Encruzado DOC Branco, um excelente exemplar de vinho feito com a uva Encruzado, icônica desse terroir. Na Itália, você consegue comprar muita coisa bacana. Desde Chianti Classico DOCG da vinícola Terra Natuzzi a vinhos do Piemonte, como o Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC Truffle Hunter Leda, um tinto elegante e complexo que amadureceu 24 meses em barrica. A França é um mundo a ser descoberto. Nessa faixa de preço, você tem acesso a maravilhosos vinhos de Bordeaux como Le Rosé de Floridene e o Château Troupian Haut-Médoc, um rótulo de altíssima gama, muito gastronômico que estagiou 12 meses em barrica. Não quero arriscar Marqués de Tomares DOC Rioja, um grande vinho espanhol, para quem gosta de tintos intensos e equilibrados. Divulgação. “Geralmente compro Malbec da Argentina e Cabernet Sauvignon do Chile, mas quero tomar algo novo e não sei por onde começar”. Se essa é sua realidade, você precisa começar a desbravar o mundo dos vinhos a partir de regiões vinícolas que produzem vinhos mais parecidos com os rótulos do Novo Mundo. As melhores opções são sul da Itália, Espanha e sul de Portugal. Nessas regiões, o clima é muito quente, o que favorece o amadurecimento das uvas, dando vida a rótulos frutados e saborosos. Na Itália, um vinho com esse perfil e de ótimo custo-benefício é o Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, um tinto com alta concentração de fruta, taninos marcantes, mas redondos, e de grande frescor. Experimente o Caldora Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC, que é estruturado e bem equilibrado. Na Espanha, prove os maravilhosos vinhos da Rioja, uma das regiões mais famosas da Espanha, onde nascem tintos intensos, saborosos e encorpados, como o Marqués de Tomares Crianza, que amadureceu 12 meses em barrica de carvalho e 12 meses na garrafa. De sul de Portugal, experimente a linha Monsaraz da vinícola Carmim, uma das maiores do país. Monsaraz é um vilarejo alentejano famoso pela qualidade de seus vinhos. O Monsaraz Reserva Tinto DOC Alentejo é um grande vinho por uma ótima relação custo-benefício. A versão branca é untuosa e encorpada, ideal om peixes assados. Gosto de experimentar A França é famosa pelo Pinot Noir, mas a Nova Zelândia não fica atrás: prove o rótulo da Castlebrae! Divulgação. Os vinhos do norte da Itália tendem a ser mais austeros e mais difíceis de entender para quem é iniciante, mas são também elegantes e sofisticados. O Barbaresco é um ícone da região Piemonte e um dos tintos mais apreciados do mundo: o da vinícola Truffle Hunter Leda entrega muito pelo preço e não pode faltar na sua adega. Se você busca algo mais exótico, os vinhos sul-africanos podem ser uma prazerosa surpresa. A uva tinta símbolo do país é a Pinotage, que elabora vinhos redondos e macios, com taninos delicados e um sabor intenso como o da vinícola Nederburg, uma das maiores da África do Sul. A Nova Zelândia também é conhecida pela alta qualidade de seus vinhos, em particular os Pinot Noir e Sauvignon Blanc do terroir de Marlborough, onde os vinhedos sofrem a influência do mar. O Castlebrae Pinot Noir é um tinto delicioso e muito gastronômico, com belas notas tostadas do estágio em barrica. E-commerce da Grande Adega Vinhos de excelente custo-benefício das principais regiões produtoras do mundo podem ser encontrados no e-commerce da Grande Adega, onde há ainda textos detalhados sobre uvas, produtores e terroirs, além de dicas de harmonização. Acesse e conheça o portfólio completo! BEBA MENOS, BEBA MELHOR.

Dalit Teen Beaten To Death Over Inter-Caste Friendship In Uttarakhand: Cops

The police had detained for questioning one of the accused. (Representational)

Guerre en Ukraine : Bruxelles discute des modalités du soutien financier à Kiev après la levée d'un veto hongrois

Le premier ministre hongrois Péter Magyar, vainqueur des élections en avril, a levé le veto imposé par son prédécesseur Viktor Orbán sur une somme censée servir à aider militairement l’Ukraine.

Earthquake of magnitude 7.8 strikes off southern Philippines, 15 feared killed

At least 15 people were feared dead in the southern Philippines on Monday after a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the island of Mindanao, triggering tsunami warnings across several countries. The quake came early in the morning as schools were reopening in the Philippines after a long break, with the tremors felt strongly in a dozen provinces and 420 km (261 miles) away in the city of Manado on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Tsunami alerts were issued in the southern Philippines, northern Indonesia and the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island after the quake with an epicentre located about 20 km off Mindanao’s Sarangani province. Philippine authorities were assessing the damage from the quake, with the office of civil defence seeking to verify initial reports that 15 people had been killed and 129 injured in the region, mostly from falling debris. ’We will not leave mindanao behind,’ president says President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ordered an immediate disaster response in Mindanao, an island the size of South Korea, with agencies directed to prepare relief supplies and evacuation centres and be ready for possible rescue operations. “The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” he said in a statement. This comes eight months after the Philippines suffered its deadliest tremor in 12 years, when a shallow 6.9 magnitude quake hit off the island of Cebu, killing 79 people. Two powerful quakes struck Mindanao two weeks after that, the strongest at a magnitude of 7.4. The Philippines and Indonesia experience hundreds of quakes each year and sit on tectonically complex parts of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active belt stretching from South America to the Russian Far East. The Philippine seismology agency said at least nine strong aftershocks were felt across Mindanao on Monday morning, the strongest of which was a magnitude 6.7. The full extent of the damage was not yet clear and authorities said assessments were underway. Video shared by the local government in General Santos, a city of about 700,000 people, showed the collapse of a building housing a fast-food restaurant, with panicked onlookers fleeing as a cloud of dust spread quickly through the air. A hospital in General Santos was evacuated due to concerns about cracks on higher floors, while one of the buildings at the city’s Notre Dame of Dadiangas University collapsed, though no one was inside. “I had to duck and shelter myself under the table. And it was very long and strong,” the university president, Manuel de Leon, told broadcaster DZMM. Images from authorities in Sarangani province showed damaged shopfronts with collapsed signs, smashed windows, and piles of rocks from crumbled concrete. Military deployed, Malaysia offers assistance The Philippine military said its disaster response units had been deployed to affected areas. A video shared by a local school the moment the quake struck showed a large group of children sitting on the floor swaying rapidly from side to side, some hugging teachers, before fleeing en masse as a makeshift shelter collapsed behind them. Children react as the roof of a structure at Deped Mahayahay Elementary School collapses during an earthquake in Digos, Mindanao Island, Philippines, June 8, 2026. —Reuters Benjie Ancheta, police chief of Sarangani’s Alabel town, said the quake occurred during a police flag-raising ceremony, causing some people to faint. “This is the strongest earthquake we’ve experienced,” Ancheta said by phone. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his government was ready to assist the Philippines. “I pray for the safety and wellbeing of all those affected, wishing them strength and courage in the difficult days ahead,” Anwar posted on X. Indonesia Islanders move to higher ground The US Tsunami Warning System said multiple countries could be affected and Australia initially warned of potential tsunami waves on its northern coasts. Japan’s meteorological agency issued an advisory and said a tsunami of 0.2 m or lower had been observed, with some disruption to ferries and precautionary beach closures. Witnesses in Indonesia’s Manado said they felt the quake strongly. Only minor damage was reported, according to Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency. A tsunami with a wave height up to 0.75 m was detected in some regions in North Sulawesi, where people started moving to safer areas, including residents of the remote Sangihe Islands, among the closest to the Philippines. “They are now evacuating to the higher ground… away from the coast, to avoid the potential tsunami,” resident Jufry Dalita said, according to state news agency Antara.

2 Dalit Men Stripped, Tied And Paraded In Punjab Over Theft Allegations

Authorities have also indicated that action may be taken against those involved in the alleged assault.

Watch: Karnataka cabinet shock: Why Ramalinga Reddy’s resignation has pushed DKS into a corner

Hours after portfolio allocations, the new Karnataka government has hit a massive wall. Veteran Bangalore strongman Ramalinga Reddy has resigned, senior Dalit face K.H. Muniappa is in open revolt, and D.K. Shivakumar’s biggest nightmare is coming alive. In this deep-dive analysis, we break down the brewing storm in Vidhana Soudha.

Malayidamthuruth row: govt. urges claimant to give away portion of disputed land to Dalit residents

Haryana: 32-year-old Dalit worker hung in well, thrashed over motor theft suspicion

A group of people allegedly charged him with stealing a motor pump, then beat him with sticks, and also resorted to kicks and punches in a village in Hansi district; police said an investigation was under way to apprehend the accused

Eviction of Malayidamthuruth Dalit families: Kerala HC grants govt two more weeks to resolve impasse

HC restrains Perumbavur munsiff court from passing orders till June 16 on the families’ eviction from 2.5 acres of land, the ownership of which has been claimed by a private individual

Yathindra Siddaramaiah misses Deputy CM post, to get cabinet berth in Shivakumar government

The deputy CM post will go to senior Dalit leader G Parameshwara, who is also scheduled to take the oath of office following Shivakumar's swearing-in.

G Parameshwara set to be Dy CM of Karnataka

Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader G Parameshwara will be the new Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, official sources said here on Wednesday.Parameshwara will take the oath of office and secrecy after CM-designate D K Shivakumar takes oath, they said.Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot will administer the oath at 4.05 pm to Shivakumar and other MLAs at Lok Bhavan Glass House.Parameshwara, who had served as Home Minister in the Siddaramaiah-led government, held the position of deputy chief minister in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government under Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy from May 2018 to July 2019.A prominent Dalit leader, Parameshwara served a record eight years consecutively as President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) between 2010 and 2018.Meanwhile, Shivakumar and Parameshwara met Siddaramaiah at his residence and expressed their gratitude, the outgoing CM's office said in a statement.Both the leaders invited Siddaramaiah for the swearing-in ceremony and he congratulated them and extended his best wishes.

BJP shares AI video mocking DK Shivakumar ahead of Karnataka swearing-in

Ahead of DK Shivakumar's Karnataka CM oath, BJP launched a sharp attack, criticizing the Congress government's handling of waterlogging and alleging neglect of farmers and Dalits. The party shared an AI-generated video and posts on X, accusing the new administration of governance failures and broken promises to key communities. Shivakumar is set to be sworn in today.

G Parameshwara, Influential Dalit Leader, To Be DK Shivakumar's Deputy: Sources

Congress leader G Parameshwara who would be Karnataka deputy chief minister

2700-year-old ‘Munivahana Seva’ replicated in Tirupati to promote caste equity

Government teachers carry a Dalit colleague into a Tirupati temple, re-enacting a 2,700-year-old episode linked to the Sri Vaishnavite saint Tiruppan Alwar

A democracy of cockroaches?

“HOW does Muslim hate help me?” So spoke the youthful and prima facie well-meaning founder of the online Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP. Abhijeet Dipke was once an activist in the Aam Aadmi Party. He was trying to affirm that hate could not be the plank of his internet-based club, which is rapidly gaining members and has left the BJP behind in online popularity. There’s a humorous edge to the saga. To qualify as members, applicants need to be “unemployed, lazy, chronically online and be able to rant professionally”. To the extent that some of the features seem to be in line with other sarcastic and essentially crazy outfits flourishing in different corners of the world, the Cockroach party should have nothing to worry about regarding its future. The Monster Raving Loony Party has been a satirical UK political party founded in 1983 by the musician and entertainer David “Screaming Lord” Sutch. It exists to mock mainstream politics, using absurdity and humour to highlight the perceived silliness of traditional parliamentary battles. In Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, there was a horse-riding candidate in the 1970s who called himself Dharti Pakad (grab the earth) and put his name on the ballot paper in several constituencies. However, since the CJP has waded into a palpably troubling vacuum because the main opposition parties have been struggling to confront the erring government without a workable plan to oust it, the occasion calls for unsparing scrutiny. Dipke says the online party was a response to the comments by the chief justice of India who reportedly described the young people feverishly filing petitions as cockroaches. The comments came in the midst of a national crisis wherein hundreds of thousands of boys and girls who passed school were taking a federally monitored admission test to medical colleges. The paper was leaked and the test cancelled. Eleven applicants reportedly committed suicide. Similar bungling was reported at the central school certificate exam body. A key criticism of employment growth under the Modi government has been the severity of youth unemployment. The CJP’s response came with alacrity, something the opposition behemoths lack. It put up four demands as pillars of its manifesto and they ticked important boxes. It advocated a lifetime ban on retiring chief justices from being appointed to the Rajya Sabha. The chief justice who passed the Ayodhya judgement in favour of Hindus was inducted into the Upper House of parliament, ostensibly as a reward. The Cockroach party then says that deletion of votes should be treated as terrorism. If a legitimate voter roll is tampered with in any state, the chief election commissioner should face arrest under strict anti-terror statutes. It proposes that 50 per cent parliamentary and cabinet seats be allocated to women, without expanding the total House capacity. This requires incumbent male politicians to vacate these seats. Broadcasting licences of major corporate news conglomerates (such as the Adani- and Ambani-owned outlets) should be revoked to address media bias. And finally, it proposes a 20-year election ban for members of parliament and members of the legislative assembly who switch political parties. These are serious issues for the opposition parties to ponder or act on. Since the Cockroach Janta Party has waded into a palpably troubling vacuum, the occasion calls for an unsparing scrutiny. But suppose Muslim hate did become helpful as it did for so many, unwittingly. What then, dear Abhijeet? It’s a given that there are direct and indirect benefits of communal hatred in India. It helps polarise votes for and against the hater. In other words, non-haters would be jobless together with the haters if Muslim hate, or Christian or Dalit hate somehow stopped. Of course, hate enables the hater to also dodge press conferences where the occasional tough question is primed to be flung at anyone in authority. Currently raging topics such as the petrol price rise, fertiliser and LPG shortages — tightly wrapped in corruption — compromised state institutions such as the judiciary, election commission, bureaucracy and police, and a foreign policy spurred by the interests of friendly business tycoons could all be embarrassing on a public platform. Hate is a good decoy too. The Aam Aadmi Party, of which Dipke was a part, can’t be accused of communal hatred. But then, it kept studiously aloof when the anti-citizenship laws campaign was launched by Muslim women of Delhi. The party disappeared like the Cheshire cat when police joined Hindu extremists in attacking Muslim protesters in Delhi in February 2020. Hindus and Muslims had lived in relative harmony in Muzaffarnagar, a key industrial and agricultural hub in western Uttar Pradesh, often known as the ‘sugar bowl’ of India for its massive sugarcane production. In the run- up to the 2014 general elections, Narendra Modi exploited a manufactured Hindu-Muslim incident in Muzaffarnagar to polarise the state and through it much of northern India. Muzaffarnagar has been healing, though, and there’s a bright Muslim woman from the vicinity who rose to become an opposition MP of notable calibre from the Hindu-majority constituency. While Uttar Pradesh triggered Modi’s ascent to power, it also helped the opposition in the 2024 elections to confront Modi’s communal vitriol, leaving him short of over two dozen seats. So far so good. Modi’s current innings has three years to go before the 2029 elections. It must be given to him that he is a quick learner. A foreign reporter asked him if there was something he would’ve handled differently as chief minister. He said, not without being ominous, that he should’ve handled the media better. In other words, he wasn’t happy being called the destroyer-in-chief of Gujarat’s already enfeebled democratic credentials. Dipke’s Kafkaesque nightmare was probably addressed perfectly by the peerless Ghalib, a key witness to the brutally quelled revolt of 1857. “Chalta hoon thodi door har ik tez rau ke saath/ Pehchanta nahi hoon abhi raahbar ko main!” Rekhta.org translates it thus: “Short distances I walk with everyone who moves apace/ I know not yet the guide nor recognise his face.” The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Delhi. jawednaqvi@gmail.com Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2026