15 Aug 11 | Index Index, minipost
The release of Amitabh Bachchan’s controversial new film, Aarakshan, which focuses on students benefiting from India’s quota system for Dalits (untouchables), has been met with protests and criticism from groups representing low-caste Hindus. Lawmakers in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Andhra Pradesh made an initial decision to block the release of the film, following the public’s reaction. Officials in Punjab and Andhra Pradesh decided instead to release a censored version of the feature, removing any scenes that would illicit anger from citizens. In Uttar Pradesh, the ban is still in place.
10 Aug 11 | Digital Freedom, Index Index, minipost
India’s Department of Telecommunications has been asked to monitor Twitter and Facebook, because of fears that the sites are being used to plan terrorist attacks. In April, the Indian Information Technology (IT) Act of 2008 was amended, giving officials the ability to monitor web activity. It also provides officials with access to private information, including passwords, without a court order. However, Facebook and Twitter do not release the information of their users without a court order. This coincides with India’s threat to outlaw the usage of Blackberry devices, because of Research in Motion’s refusal to comply with demands to lower the level of encryption of messages.
09 Aug 11 | Uncategorized
BlackBerry Messenger has been cited as the main organisational tool for the London riots, with Tottenham MP David Lammy even suggesting it be shut down until order is restored. Research in Motion has had previous run-ins with the law in India, as Prashant Iyengar explained in this article for Index on Censorship magazine in June
Iyengar
27 Jun 11 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
Shalabh Mani Tripathi, Bureau Chief of Hindi news channel IBN, has claimed that he was beaten by police for his reporting on a medical officer found dead in a jail hospital. Tripathi alleges that he was dragged into a car, interrogated about his “wrong and sensational” reports and beaten. Journalists in Lucknow protested outside the Chief Minister’s residence until it was announced that the officers involved had been suspended pending further investigations.
