AUGUST MIP - 2025

Maharashtra: WORKPLACE HARASSMENT

Physical harassment of women in work places is an issue that needs serious attention of authorities, both police and political leadership. More often than not it’s the political patronage that plays its villain role in the entire sordid happening all over India. We have had this “Me too Movement” in 2018-19 that did expose some powerful politically connected people. But somehow the movement tapered off over a period. However what is a matter of concern is the physical exploitation of women in sports arena, especially in the sports complexes where exercise, training etc take place. It must have been happening ever since these sports complexes came into existence decades ago. But somehow the matter did not become a staple of public consumption, either because women affected tolerated to live another day or just left the sports complex. But ever since prominent female wrestlers decided to assert themselves and with support of male wrestlers of repute joined hands in complaining to police and to knock the doors of courts against WFI president Brij Bhushan Singh, the awareness among women sports persons has increased and started to assert their unalienable rights on their body. And comes this report datelined Mumbai “Sex harassment plaint: Sports body president booked, HC told.” According to the report, Mixed Martial Arts India (MMAI) was training athletes for the Asian Youth Championship held in Bahrain recently. Their recognition was pending with Indian Olympic Association (IOA). One of the athlete being trained in the MMAI had bitter experience of physical harassment by the president of MMAI, whose identity is not available. She reportedly approached Bombay High Court (BHC) with details of instagram and WhatsApp messages from the president of MMAI. Report informs that she had knocked the doors of various authorities with proof of harassment but according to court “her every attempt was thwarted and she was left to run from pillar to post to the redressal of her grievances”. On the direction of BHC an FIR was filed in Kherwadi police station in Bandra East, a suburb on the Western Railway in Mumbai. Judges Revathi Mohite and Neela Gokhale were reportedly ‘shocked’ and remarked that “It is extremely unfortunate that neither MMAI, Mixed Martial Arts Sports Federation of India, or IOA stood by the victim nor have they taken any steps to provide succor to her”. Report further informs that the advocate of MMAI has stated in the court that the president of MMAI shall step down from his position’ and the court has reportedly “accepted the statement” of the advocate for MMAI “as an undertaking given to this court”. Hope, the matter travels to its logical just conclusion of addressing the concerns of the lady athlete in question and appropriate action against the accused.

KARNATAKA: Dr. MANMOHAN SINGH UNIVERSITY

To honour the memory of former Prime Minister late Dr Manmohan Singh, the government in Bengalooru has reportedly approved the naming of Bengalooru City University as Dr Manmohan Singh University, as a tribute to the late Prime Minister. The government of Karnataka should be commended for their thoughts to honor Dr Singh, which most Congress ruled states have not remembered to do. However what is pertinent is he should be more remembered as the Finance Minister under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, for enabling the then Union government to open up the Indian economy. It was indeed his greatest contribution in the evolving Indian economy that he led to the unshackling of license raj and India has galloped slowly and steadily to reach the present 4th largest economy. With the active initiatives and police that were followed during NDA I under Atal Bihari Vajpayee and now under NDA II under PM Narendra Modi. Bengalooru University Students ought to know that he was a brilliant economist and as an economist he can be eloquently remembered and can be inspiring to all students of economics. However he will be, for record, also be known as one of the former prime ministers of India, during 2004-2014, a ten years period. Here it is pertinent to reproduce what THE HINDU – BUISNESS LINE had written way back in May 2013, on completion of his 9th year as the Indian Prime Minister. For the information of posterity, it is important how an important print media member like THE HINDU had viewed the late economist Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. Under the title – “OVERHEARD IN DELHI”, we quote, “Jawaharlal Nehru proved that a rich can become the country’s Prime Minister (17 years); Lal Bahadur Shastri proved that a poor can become the Prime Minister (1 yr 7 months); Indira Gandhi proved that a women can become the Prime Minister (16 years); Moraji Desai proved that an old man can become the Prime Minister (2 years. 4 months); Rajiv Gandhi proved that a young man can become the Prime Minister (5 years); J.K Gujral proved that a gentleman can become the Prime Minister (11 months); Deve Gowda proved that just about anybody can become the Prime Minister (11 months); Manmohan Singh has proved that India does not need a Prime Minister (9 years+)” unquote. Strangely however, THE HINDU ignored many other Prime Ministers before Dr Manmohan Singh. There was Atal Behari Vajpayee, he was PM for over 6 years. He was a poet, so was P.V. Narasimha Rao (5 years), he was intellectual, then there were Chandrashekar (7 months) V.P. Singh (11 months) Charan Singh (6 months), who were left out for whatever reasons best known to THE HINDU. Thus, when THE HINDU, stated that the period of Dr. Manmohan Singh’s Prime Ministership was as if someone else was calling the shot and he left no footprint as Prime Minister. Hope students in Bengalooru University would understand this.

Kerala: NO MORE BACKBENCHERS

Cinema as a medium of change is not a new concept. After all, movies are reflections of the thoughts of its producers who want to convey a message. Here is a Malayali film ‘Sthanarthi Sreekuttan’ directed by Vinesh Vishwanath, his debut directorial venture, is one such movie that had a message and it triggered change. As students we heard of LLB as Lords of Last Bench. So last bench always represented ‘late comers’ and ‘late learners’. The distinction that front benchers represented serious, studious and intelligent students and those at the back rows including middle and the last were those who were bracketed as “also rans”. Of course, like track events in athletics it could happen that the one in the last may spring a surprise of a sprinting dash at the finishing tape. But then, its not always so. Be that as it may, when director Vinesh Vishwanath introduced the concept of semi-circle layout in primary school class rooms in the film ‘Sthanarthi Sreekuttan’- meaning ‘Candidate Sreekuttan’, with its own story line, he never expected instant positive reception. That is however, what has happened! In fact the concept of semi-circle layout was replicated by a school managed by KB Ganesh Kumar, a Malayalam cinema actor, who is also a minister in the Kerala government, even before the film was released. He was privy to the concept before the film reached theatres and reportedly he liked it very much. But once the film became a staple of public consumption, it caught the imagination of many teachers and head masters across the state and they implemented the idea with great enthusiasm. The concept where a teacher can communicate with all students at the same time has caught on. Hopefully, there may not be back benchers anymore. Although, in the existing school premises, it may not be possible in classes with large number of students but, over a period, structural changes can be introduced to bring this concept to all classes. Its an innovation waiting to happen, as a minor student empowerment module. Two cheers for the creators of ‘Sthanarthi Sreekuttan’. May their tribe grow.

WORLD: WHITE POLICEMAN'S CRUELTY

Power that a white policeman has in his country against a coloured person who could be an immigrant settled there, is enormous. By his acts of violence, in the name of law and order, can even lead to death of the victim, literally killing the victim. A report datelined Melbourne "Aussie cop kneels on PIO man's neck during arrest for alleged domestic violence" tells about the extent to which a white policeman can go to subdue a coloured person after mistakenly having arrested him for alleged domestic violence. And mind you, this is despite the man's wife's loud protest about the man's innocence. What can be more macabre than this?! According to the report in the print media, a month ago, a 42 year old Indian was on life support with suspected brain damage in Adelaide, Australia after a policeman allegedly knelt on the neck on the Indian, Gaurav Kundi, during an arrest for alleged violence against his wife. He was admitted in Royal Adelaide Hospital but succumbed to death after days of being on intensive medical support. The report informs that a police patrol vehicle passing by alleged to have witnessed an altercation between Gaurav and his wife. Probably the police had no catch for the day and pounced on the man and attempted to arrest him by force. The video footage of the incident showed Gautam Kundi being forced onto the road while both Kundi and his wife Amritpal loudly protested about husband Gautam's innocence. Reportedly wife Amritpal Kundi cries out that police are acting unfairly, when policeman allegedly pressed his knee into Gautam's neck and he lost consciousness after Gautam's head was slammed against the police car and the road, tells Amritpal. Report tells about police alleging that Gautam violently resisted the arrest and was intoxicated. According to Gautam's wife Amritpal, he was drunk and loud and not violent. A patrol vehicle normally have two or more policemen. To subdue a drunk civilian, one policeman is enough, since he has been trained to handle unruly person. In this case there were atleast two policeman and they would have had no problem overpowering a drunk and vocal person, however violent allegedly he was. But here they hold him and slam his head on the road and he collapses and then one of the policemen puts his knee on the neck of the fallen collapsed man. What chance he would survive the double impact of both slamming the head on hard road and then knee pressed on his neck?! This is not policing, this is barbarism. And the South Australian Police Commissioner believes police acted as per their training and South Australian PM reportedly voiced support. This is the white man ruled Australia for you! The incident clearly brought back the memory of George Floyd, an African American being treated similarly by white policeman in the U.S and how it sparked widespread protests against the police brutality and racial injustice. The White man gives lecture about human rights violations in third world, especially in India. But incidents like the one's in the US and now in Adelaide, Australia tells about the hypocrisy and the apparent cruelty of White man per se against coloured people.

KARNATAKA: UN-NATURAL DEATHS IN BELTHANGADY

Deaths of young ladies in and around Belthangady in Dakshina Kannada in coastal Karnataka since many years, which were not conclusively investigated by law enforcing authorities has come back to haunt those who were involved in some way or the other in those unnatural deaths. We all know, nature has its own dynamics through which it throws up truth buried under the cruel and unjust dimension of human society. Thus came this faceless sanitation worker who mustered enough courage to stand-up to the system that goes for cruelty and heartlessness. News savvy readers of coastal Karnataka are aware of those countless cases of disappearance of young women in Belthangady area, but could do precious little in the face of motionless law enforcers. Issues of such inhuman acts died in silence with only close relatives of victims shedding tears having resigned to helplessness. Its heartening that at long last at least one of those who was part of the concealment has come out at his own physical safety and that of his family, to make a clean breast of himself and his involvement. Having hit the bulls eye by publicly reporting to the police through his advocates, the issue of multiple unnatural deaths, he left no choice for the authorities, but to act. No wonder Karnataka State Women’s Commission (KSWC) has demanded and has reportedly urged the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to constitute an SIT (Special Investigation Team) to probe the allegations of unnatural deaths, disappearances and sexual assault of women in Dharmasthala. According to KSWC chairperson Nagalaxmi Choudhary’s letter released to the press, she had written, “There are allegations that police failed to act appropriately when families attempted to register complaints about missing women or unnatural deaths. The sensational court statement by a former sanitation worker who claimed to have buried hundreds of bodies between 1995 and 2014 is deeply alarming, which require immediate impartial investigation”. Expectedly, print media published a report datelined, Mangalooru, “22 years after daughter disappeared in Dharmasthala, mom files plaint”. Sujatha Bhat, having learnt about the confession of a sanitation worker about the secret disposal of multiple victims of sexual abuse and murder, has reportedly filed a complaint on 15th July about her daughter Ananya Bhat’s mysterious disappearance, with the Dharmasthala police. According to Sujatha Bhat, Ananya, a KMC Manipal student of MBBS in 2003, had gone to Dharmasthala with her friends but never returned. Belthangady police, whom she approached allegedly turned her away. She went to Dharmasthala looking for clues of her missing daughter, but she was assaulted by unknown persons and she gained consciousness only in a hospital, she alleged. Ananya is only a tip of the ice berg, apparently. Hope the authorities take the latest development seriously and long denied justice to the hundreds of dead souls and their grieving families, even so-belatedly, is done.

NEW DELHI: OLD CAR BAN

Starting 1st July 2025, refueling of old vehicles was banned in Delhi, for petrol vehicles it was 15 years and for diesel vehicles it was 10 years, by the government in Delhi. This was sequel to the mandate from the Commission for Air Quality Management and it started. However the public outery at this blanket ban forced the government to halt the ban. Thus the question cropped up, IS SUCH A BAN ONLY SOLUTION? Prima facie, the decision to ban older vehicles off the road is based on reasonably strong logic, but lagged scientific support. Reportedly there are some 62 lakh average vehicles in NCR and the fate of these vehicles in uncertain, even with the lifting of the refueling ban. This lifting, for obvious reasons, is temporary. Since the air quality in NCR is pretty bad there has to be some solution. What and when, may have to be – wait and see. This attempt by Delhi govt was newer way of enforcing what Supreme Court order in 2018 which prohibited use of such vehicles completely. In the meanwhile there has to be deliberation on the issue of banning the old vehicles off the road. Prima facie, CAQM is wrong in forcing these - 15 years old petrol vehicles and 10 year old diesel vehicles off the road without talking to the stake holders. Private vehicle owners vast majority of whom are middle class people, buy a vehicle as a life time purchase like a residential property and generally well maintained and therefore its emission level is either nil or very low. So how do you expect them to scrap a valued possession because its 15 years old! Of course there are those among the above class, who have opted for diesel cars for cost consideration. Such vehicle too could be well maintained, but must have a pollution clearance for it to be allowed to continue its usage. Of course pollution clearance should be there even for petrol vsehicles of 15 years age. Such clearance can be made compulsory for once every 12 months for petrol cars and every 6 months for diesel vehicles. Such restrictions will compel the owners of these vehicles to keep the vehicle well maintained in their own interest. Coming to commercial light vehicles and heavy vehicles running on diesel will have to be subjected to more vigorous pollution screening tests before they are cleared for plying on roads. We all know, in recent years, there have been improved emission norms, like Bharat Stage IV and Bharat Stage III, for petrol and diesel vehicles respectively, applicable to all newer vehicles unlike those which are 10 years and older. These emission norms are based on the discharge of particulate matter (PM). However the present PUC (Pollution Under Control) Certificate is based on idle engine emission and therefore fails to measure pollutants under different real world situations of acceleration and speed of driving besides the stop and go traffic. Here it is pertinent to mention that pollution level or vehicle emission in NCR is not just four wheeled cars and trucks, they also come from two wheelers and three wheelers. In the present these 2 wheelers and 3 wheelers are not being banned, since it is a political hot potato. So there has to be a sensible vehicle retirement policy for all vehicles from 22 wheelers to 10 wheeler trailers based on fitness, which is a global practice where periodic fitness checks are enforced. Besides any scrapping of old vehicles must have different stage through which the process has to start and go through. India does not have the necessary infrastructure, whether robust in inspection and certification system, no reliable pollution testing, no systematic registration and deregistration of vehicles, an effective – End of Life – vehicles collection and recycling centers etc. A Vehicle Life Management System is what is needed as articulated by Chandra Bhushan, an environmentalist. And no room for ad-how measures like stopping fuel or banning old vehicles off the road. Hope authorities wake up to the ground situation and get and cracking, if they are serious about pollution control and air quality either in NCR or anywhere else in India, period.