I am writing this to express my heartfelt appreciation for the insightful investigative piece (“The cost of protesting against mining in Gadchiroli”) authored by Nolina Minj as part of the Common Ground project. It captures the struggles of local Adivasis to protect their sacred lands from being degraded and exploited by biased authorities in the region.
The article talks of a concept called “gotul” practiced by in Koitur culture. As gotuls provide space for community-led action and for people to work for a cause without the need for any external intervention. The article sheds light on the police falsely accusing Adivasis of being Maoists. Without any substantial evidence, they must not be targeted and instead be recognised as peaceful protestors. State-sponsored violence infringes upon the human rights of such Adivasis.
Last month, Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra and also the guardian minister of Gadchiroli, assured the Adivasis that they will be provided with employment and that the mining project is carried out in an “environmentally-friendly” way, but the reality, as revealed by the article, suggests that Adivasis are in a dire situation to either protect or get their lands exploited in turn for temporary employment.
I commend Scroll for its commitment to bringing forth such critical issues that resonate with communities across the country. This piece serves as a testament to the power of investigative journalism in fostering awareness and driving positive change. Thank you for your dedicated efforts towards creating awareness regarding such significant issues. – M Surya Achari
Counterview to Arundhati Roy falls short
Thank you for publishing the counterview by Amrita Shah (“Counterview: What Arundhati Roy and the secular intelligentsia get wrong about Modi’s India”). I have read both articles in depth and the conversation between them is fascinating. Roy wins the argument by a mile.
Letting the other side speak for the sake of doing so is not what one should look for. As a reader and a strong believer in what Roy said, I would still love to hear a better attempt at countering her speech. – Ammar Battiwala
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Amrita Shah should not assume that the “kind of people” she has chosen to write about are blind to the socio-economic and ecological situation that Modified India has been pushed into. If she looks some more at he inherently economic reasons for nations to be hurtling towards fascism, she might realise that the word is not being bandied around as some merely romantic (and, as she repeats) “actionless” yearning for some idyllic world. – Arjun Gourisaria
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I expected to read something like this on mainstream Indian media sites, or on right-wing publications like Swarajya, not on a site like Scroll which, I assumed, values quality of content over the facade of neutrality. Even the author’s attempts at exhibiting non-partisan qualities fall short. There are BJP members in Parliament who do a better job feigning an interest in the welfare of religious minorities. – Ranjan Mukerjee.
Modi will return in 2024
I am regular reader of Scroll. The website is nothing but biased opinions presented as neutral balanced and expert’s view. This anti-India and anti-Hindu approach will do nothing but dig the grave of this Leftist Anti-India agenda. By the way, ayega toh Modi hi. – Jayant Kulkarni
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