THE reported custodial death of Sai Krishna in Vijayawada has barely faded from public memory, yet another death of a youth has raised fresh questions over the treatment of Dalits and other marginalised communities in Andhra Pradesh. Cheekati Gopi, a Dalit youth from Guntur district, was reportedly taken into police custody in connection with a theft case and later found dead.

IN the first local body by-elections held after the Assembly elections, the CPIM led Left Democratic Front has registered a triumphant comeback. It wrested seven seats from the UDF, including one district panchayat division, two block divisions, and a municipal ward. This includes the sitting seats of two UDF MLAs. The LDF increased its tally from 15 to 18 seats, while the UDF’s count dropped from 22 to 19. Twenty 20 retained its single seat. The BJP failed to win anywhere.

THE recent groping of a young girl accompanying her classmate to visit a scenic spot, in broad daylight in Jamui, filming the most shameful act on mobile and uploading it, has made the blood of every sensitive Bihari boil and ask the govt whether the state is being driven towards Maha-Jungle Raj.

Nitish Kumar had time and again reminded the people of 'Jungle Raj' prevailing during Lalu regime, and he used to boast that during his regime women and girls could go anywhere freely even at night without any fear and sense of insecurity.

BY the time these lines were written, the death toll of children in Balaghat due to malnutrition, malaria, and vomiting-diarrhoea had reached 33. We hope that this figure does not rise further. Yet, in the eyes of Manuvadi governments, are tribals anything more than mere statistics? Had that been the case, the situation would not have been so dire. However, this state of affairs did not arise overnight; the deaths of these innocent children are the direct result of the BJP state government’s anti-poor and anti-tribal policies.

The Left Front campaign for the forthcoming Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District (TTAAD) Village Committee elections is gathering momentum, with meetings, marches, courtyard meetings and door-to-door campaigns drawing an enthusiastic response from people. In several villages, voters are openly speaking about their hardships and expressing growing dissatisfaction with the BJP-led state government and the Tipra Motha-run Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) administration.