Jayant Pankaj
University of Hyderabad, Centre for Integrated Studies, Graduate Student
Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy recently stated in a podcast that India has one of the lowest productivity rates in the world and suggested that the country’s youth should consider working 70 hours a week to bolster the nation’s... more
Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy recently stated in a podcast that India has one of the lowest productivity rates in the world and suggested that the country’s youth should consider working 70 hours a week to bolster the nation’s growth and development. But the data shows that Murthy is wrong on several counts.
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While the contemporary stance of the BJP regarding the utilization of the UAPA appears undeniably autocratic, a retrospective examination of their historical standpoint reveals that their present endorsement of this stringent legislation... more
While the contemporary stance of the BJP regarding the utilization of the UAPA appears undeniably autocratic, a retrospective examination of their historical standpoint reveals that their present endorsement of this stringent legislation has changed as per their suitability of being in power or opposition.
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India follows the principles of liberal parliamentary democracy, yet some laws and enactments in its legal system deviate from these liberal values, aligning more closely with Schmitt’s concept of sovereignty. The UAPA serves as an... more
India follows the principles of liberal parliamentary democracy, yet some laws and enactments in its legal system deviate from these liberal values, aligning more closely with Schmitt’s concept of sovereignty. The UAPA serves as an example of how state institutions diverge from democratic norms through legalistic legislation, exacerbating the infringement of basic rights in India.
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Craigieburn, Australia, 4 March 2023. On stage before a large crowd of mostly Indian-Australian origin, singer Kanhiya Mittal is belting it out. During a pause in the performance, he asks, “Is anybody here a fan of Bulldozer Baba?”, in an... more
Craigieburn, Australia, 4 March 2023. On stage before a large crowd of mostly Indian-Australian origin, singer Kanhiya Mittal is belting it out. During a pause in the performance, he asks, “Is anybody here a fan of Bulldozer Baba?”, in an obvious reference to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
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Now the Accidental Deaths and Suicide in India (ADSI) — a government body under the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) — has published a collective report showing that student suicide has increased drastically over the past few years.... more
Now the Accidental Deaths and Suicide in India (ADSI) — a government body under the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) — has published a collective report showing that student suicide has increased drastically over the past few years. Figure 1, based on data from the ADSI report, shows that student suicide has more than doubled in the past two decades. In 2001, 5,426 student suicides were reported, which eventually mounted in 2021 to 13,089 cases
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The German military theorist Carl Von Clausewitz said “War is nothing but the continuation of policy by other means” in his famous work “On War” published around 1832. As catchy as it may sound, the continuation of policy in the Indian... more
The German military theorist Carl Von Clausewitz said “War is nothing but the continuation of policy by other means” in his famous work “On War” published around 1832. As catchy as it may sound, the continuation of policy in the Indian democracy is dependable upon daily ‘violence’. In the past few years, violence by the government and other versatile non-state actors against civilians has increased, making India a laboratory of violence.
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a real-time crisis mapping group, which specialises in processing disaggregated conflict data collection and analysis, shows that from January 2016 to October 2022, South Asia recorded almost 16,270 cases of anti-civilian violence, of which, 62.4% cases of violence happened only in India.
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a real-time crisis mapping group, which specialises in processing disaggregated conflict data collection and analysis, shows that from January 2016 to October 2022, South Asia recorded almost 16,270 cases of anti-civilian violence, of which, 62.4% cases of violence happened only in India.
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According to data from Access Now, a digital rights group, between 2016 and 2021, around 931 government-enforced internet shutdowns were recorded in 74 countries. Between January 2012 and June 2022, there were 647 government-imposed... more
According to data from Access Now, a digital rights group, between 2016 and 2021, around 931 government-enforced internet shutdowns were recorded in 74 countries. Between January 2012 and June 2022, there were 647 government-imposed internet shutdowns across India, resulting in the highest number of internet blocks in the world so far.
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On August 5, 2019, the Narendra Modi government abrogated ‘Article 370’ in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). It stripped the state of its special status and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories. The truth is, Kashmiris have... more
On August 5, 2019, the Narendra Modi government abrogated ‘Article 370’ in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). It stripped the state of its special status and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories. The truth is, Kashmiris have been betrayed. But is the Modi government the only party to have broken the trust of the Kashmiri people?
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The symptoms of the garrison state were prevalent during the Cold War era, which led both American and Soviet governments to enrich themselves through an arms race against each other. Today, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the global... more
The symptoms of the garrison state were prevalent during the Cold War era, which led both American and Soviet governments to enrich themselves through an arms race against each other. Today, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the global military spending burden has only increased worldwide. India is among Asian countries whose military spending has grown, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a research organisation. Does India fit into the model of a garrison state?
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This ‘muscle and money’ power forms the crux of modern politics in India, and the UP assembly election epitomises this phenomenon. Apart from the basic election-based analysis, it is useful to look at the social composition of the... more
This ‘muscle and money’ power forms the crux of modern politics in India, and the UP assembly election epitomises this phenomenon. Apart from the basic election-based analysis, it is useful to look at the social composition of the candidates. The non-governmental organization Association for Democratic Reforms [ADR], in its detailed analytical report, shows that almost half of the total elected candidates have criminal cases, and a much larger percentage of them are millionaires.
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Despite seventy-four years of India’s Independence, the tribal community still suffers from enormous violence across India. The National Crime Records Bureau [NCRB] reports show that in the past ten years (2011-20), 76,899 crimes have... more
Despite seventy-four years of India’s Independence, the tribal community still suffers from enormous violence across India. The National Crime Records Bureau [NCRB] reports show that in the past ten years (2011-20), 76,899 crimes have been reported to have been committed against STs. As shown in Figure 1, such crimes have been rising at an alarming scale. In 2011, there were 5,756 such crimes reported, and by 2020, the figure reached 8,272. These are, it must be kept in mind, just the registered cases of violence; the unregistered cases are bound to be much more than what data shows. There is a huge gap between the democratic ideals which the Indian State proclaims and the lived encounters of adivasis with the State. Adivasis are situated at the margins of society; any kind of systemic violence they face arises from the everyday socio-economic processes of Indian society.
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Tell everyone we scalped you," Sardar Singh Jatav recalled a group of upper caste men as having told him while they pinned him down, broke his arm and shaved his forehead. He was brutalised-when he had gone to talk to his son's upper... more
Tell everyone we scalped you," Sardar Singh Jatav recalled a group of upper caste men as having told him while they pinned him down, broke his arm and shaved his forehead. He was brutalised-when he had gone to talk to his son's upper caste employers-only because he is a member of the Dalit community, treated as pariahs for centuries.
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In comparison to electoral bonds, the electoral trust is relatively less opaque because it’s legally mandatory for the electoral trusts to register donation details to the Election Commission of India. There are various corporate-backed... more
In comparison to electoral bonds, the electoral trust is relatively less opaque because it’s legally mandatory for the electoral trusts to register donation details to the Election Commission of India. There are various corporate-backed electoral trusts that actively donate to political parties; this was made official in 2013 on the orders of the Central Board of Direct Taxes.
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Though the CCTV surveillance system is rather antiquated, it is important to delve deeper into the camera surveillance technology, for it is being used widely around the globe, and more importantly in India. In May 2021, Comparitech... more
Though the CCTV surveillance system is rather antiquated, it is important to delve deeper into the camera surveillance technology, for it is being used widely around the globe, and more importantly in India. In May 2021, Comparitech published a report on the use of CCTV cameras in 150 major cities across the globe. They found around 770 million cameras globally, and of which, 54% of them were reported to be in China alone.
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December 6th, 1992, marks a black day for Indian secularism. Hindu nationalists demolished the 300-year-old Babri mosque at Faizabad district because they believed that the land was the Janmabhoomi (birthplace) of Lord Rama, known as... more
December 6th, 1992, marks a black day for Indian secularism. Hindu nationalists demolished the 300-year-old Babri mosque at Faizabad district because they believed that the land was the Janmabhoomi (birthplace) of Lord Rama, known as Ayodhya, and a Rama temple was destroyed on the orders of a Muslim ruler. This essay traces the genealogy of the Rama Janmabhoomi issue. It further examines the role played by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Judiciary in India. They concretize the myth of the Rama Janmabhoomi issue into facts through methodical mistakes in interpreting historical shreds of evidence and their implicit bias against the Muslim community.
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In this essay Jayant Pankaj and Shivam Mogha explore the role of big money in Indian politics. Corporate funding in Indian electoral politics has shot up in the last few election cycles, Pankaj and Mogha examine how that affects policy... more
In this essay Jayant Pankaj and Shivam Mogha explore the role of big money in Indian politics. Corporate funding in Indian electoral politics has shot up in the last few election cycles, Pankaj and Mogha examine how that affects policy decisions, election campaigning and whose interests are ultimately being served in this democracy.
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The Indian government websites are important windows furnished with specific details of various ministries, departments, agencies to provide information to its users. Can these websites be used to propagate political party achievements?... more
The Indian government websites are important windows furnished
with specific details of various ministries, departments, agencies to
provide information to its users. Can these websites be used to
propagate political party achievements? Since the Modi government
came to power, these websites have gradually shifted from being a
public source of information to an exercise in self-aggrandizement
for the ruling party.
with specific details of various ministries, departments, agencies to
provide information to its users. Can these websites be used to
propagate political party achievements? Since the Modi government
came to power, these websites have gradually shifted from being a
public source of information to an exercise in self-aggrandizement
for the ruling party.
Research Interests:
When it comes to enacting extraordinary laws, India isn’t different from first-world nations like the US. Though there are variants of extraordinary laws in India, these days, the act which has grappled the headlines and has served to... more
When it comes to enacting extraordinary laws, India isn’t different
from first-world nations like the US. Though there are variants of
extraordinary laws in India, these days, the act which has grappled
the headlines and has served to maintain a gruesome hysteria
among common people is the “Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act
(UAPA).”
from first-world nations like the US. Though there are variants of
extraordinary laws in India, these days, the act which has grappled
the headlines and has served to maintain a gruesome hysteria
among common people is the “Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act
(UAPA).”
Research Interests:
Groups of killers do not formulate spontaneously, and enumeration through inflammatory public speeches have always preceded mass violence.