The pogrom was not only publicly visible for the local population – as had always been the case with earlier instances of anti-minority violence – but for everybody who could find a screen to watch it on throughout India.

In India, the concept of civil society is only a nascent one, but the authorities already view it with suspicion. Behind the 'biggest democracy in the world' façade, the lives of activists, journalists and academics who dare to challenge official policies are made increasingly difficult. The future of India's emerging civil society is uncertain.

As India celebrates its 66th year of independence, the country's leaders are still largely ignoring what needs to be addressed, and the government has come to be referred to as a 'consortium of the corrupt', with two parallel power centres

The dual threat of losing a homeland and losing all track of the original inhabitants removes all objective considerations from the debate in one fell swoop

The name 5^th Pillar represents the organization’s central idea; that people have the power to change the fundamental conditions that corruption depends on for its existence

Amongst memories of the cataclysmic violence that spread across Sri Lanka and which still marks this time of year as Black July, instances of incredible individual bravery and compassion stand out. But can the government match the honour of its people?

JADS, an organisation active in defending its members‘ interests in rural districts of Madhya Pradesh, is facing a series of trumped-up police charges. The UK minister for international development has little to say while DFID’s political and economic agenda is so in tune with the Government of India’s embrace of corporate investment.