https://www.scmp.com/rss/517611/feed Kaisar Andrabi is a journalist based in India. He writes on politics, tech, human rights, gender and health. His work has been published in Al Jazeera, Foreign Policy, The Daily Beast, and Nikkei Asia among other publications. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com India’s election authority is facing mounting criticism over its handling of the country’s national polls, even as foreign delegates are set to arrive to observe the fourth phase of the two-month election. The election commission of India is facing accusations from political parties and civil groups for showing bias towards the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by refusing to reign in its divisive campaign rhetoric and for not providing voter turnout data quickly enough, resulting in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261924/critics-opposition-slam-indias-election-body-bias-towards-modis-ruling-bjp-extremely-compromised?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3261924/critics-opposition-slam-indias-election-body-bias-towards-modis-ruling-bjp-extremely-compromised?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 May 2024 15:12:22 +0000 Fears over deepfake videos have again surfaced in India amid an election that will last till June, with clips this time showing Bollywood actors declaring their political views and the trend underscoring pervasive use of artificial intelligence technology to manipulate narratives. Popular stars Aamir Khan and Ranbir Kapoor were pictured saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi had failed to keep campaign promises and address critical economic issues during his two terms. The clips end with the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3260506/india-election-ai-deepfakes-bollywood-stars-backing-political-parties-swirl-voters-grapple?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3260506/india-election-ai-deepfakes-bollywood-stars-backing-political-parties-swirl-voters-grapple?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Apr 2024 10:00:14 +0000 Early on Friday morning, Ankush Jha and his wife Radika headed to a polling booth about 1.6 miles (2.6km) from their home in the northwestern state of Rajasthan to vote in India’s general election. The couple wanted to be among the first to cast their ballots. But Jha’s early arrival was motivated as much by his desire to avoid the midday heat as his eagerness to vote. During India’s last elections in 2019, he nearly fainted after waiting in a queue for four hours under the scorching... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3259711/india-votes-amid-45-degree-heat-fears-mount-over-voters-safety?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3259711/india-votes-amid-45-degree-heat-fears-mount-over-voters-safety?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Apr 2024 05:30:12 +0000 Two major political parties from India’s opposition coalition have declared their support for same-sex civil unions in their election manifestos, a move widely praised by the country’s LGBTQ community. The Congress Party, India’s oldest political party, and the Communist Party of India have both indicated that they include in their legislative agenda a law to recognise same-sex civil unions, if they win enough seats in the national elections held from April 19 to June 1. The move is also seen as... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3258702/its-beginning-indias-opposition-parties-come-out-favour-same-sex-civil-unions-ahead-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3258702/its-beginning-indias-opposition-parties-come-out-favour-same-sex-civil-unions-ahead-election?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Apr 2024 11:30:09 +0000 India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s denunciation of the opposition Congress Party for “callously giving away” a small island to Sri Lanka has prompted criticisms that he is turning a 50-year-old agreement between the two countries into a general election issue weeks before voting begins. The row over the island of Katchatheevu, which is under Sri Lanka’s administration, could also potentially harm bilateral relations, Modi’s political opponents and analysts said. Katchatheevu is located... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3257984/india-pm-narendra-modis-claim-over-tiny-sri-lanka-island-election-ploy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3257984/india-pm-narendra-modis-claim-over-tiny-sri-lanka-island-election-ploy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Apr 2024 11:30:11 +0000 Recent remarks by Pakistan’s foreign affairs minister on “seriously” considering resuming trade with India have again drawn attention to the prolonged suspension of dialogue between the two neighbours since 2019, even as Islamabad later confirmed there would be no change to its economic policy. Pakistan’s Mohammad Ishaq Dar made the remarks at a London press conference last week following his participation in the Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels. His statement marked the first indication of a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3257270/pakistan-india-trade-ties-there-still-room-revival-after-years-suspension?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3257270/pakistan-india-trade-ties-there-still-room-revival-after-years-suspension?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Mar 2024 11:00:21 +0000 A U-turn by food app Zomato to roll out a fleet of vehicles decked in green colour to exclusively deliver vegetarian meals has put a spotlight on religious and social divisions over food preferences in India. Zomato was forced to reverse its decision after it faced a flood of online criticisms this week for being ignorant about Indian caste dynamics. On Tuesday, the app’s co-founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal announced plans to introduce the “pure vegetarian fleet”. In a post on X, Goyal said: “Our... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3256274/why-india-food-app-zomatos-green-only-vegetarian-delivery-fleet-has-users-seeing-red?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3256274/why-india-food-app-zomatos-green-only-vegetarian-delivery-fleet-has-users-seeing-red?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Mar 2024 15:13:42 +0000 Mohammad Ishaq was shopping in New Delhi ahead of Ramadan when he read news of India’s implementation of a citizenship law that critics have slammed as discriminatory against the country’s Muslims and further proof of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pro-Hindu agenda. “It was meant to happen but the announcement still hurt,” said the 35-year-old Indian Muslim who took part in protests against the passing of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in 2019. “It brought back ugly memories of how we... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3255702/indias-citizenship-law-slammed-anti-muslim-modis-election-ploy-woo-hindu-voters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3255702/indias-citizenship-law-slammed-anti-muslim-modis-election-ploy-woo-hindu-voters?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Mar 2024 10:25:16 +0000 At dawn on Friday, Baljeet Kaur, a farmer from Punjab, led a group of 200 women to the village of Shambhu in the state with one mission in mind: to join the ongoing farmers’ protest in India on International Women’s Day. The 38-year-old mother of two from Chamuru village said that it was important to raise awareness of the struggles faced by women farmers in India on this day. “If today, people across the globe are celebrating Women’s Day, I joined our ongoing protest to convey a message that... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3254747/indias-protesting-farmers-joined-their-wives-and-mothers-international-womens-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3254747/indias-protesting-farmers-joined-their-wives-and-mothers-international-womens-day?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 14:02:54 +0000 Protesting farmers in India resumed their march towards New Delhi on Wednesday after a brief hiatus and have changed their tactics in a bid to thwart attempts by Indian authorities to stop them. Rather than marching as large groups, participants have been advised by protest leaders to disperse and travel by buses and cars to avoid police blockades that have been set up around the capital’s three main entry points. The tactical change comes after convoys of farmers representing the “Delhi Chalo”... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3254439/indias-protesting-farmers-close-new-delhi-new-strategy-travelling-separately-cars-and-buses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3254439/indias-protesting-farmers-close-new-delhi-new-strategy-travelling-separately-cars-and-buses?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Mar 2024 15:16:02 +0000 An alleged incident involving the heinous gang rape of a Spanish travel influencer in India has reignited public outrage and sparked an intense debate on social media regarding what is seen as an enduring rape culture in the country. According to police, the woman and her husband were staying the night in the Dumka district of India’s eastern state of Jharkhand when they were attacked by seven men. The woman was sexually assaulted while her husband was tied up and beaten. The woman later shared... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3254301/gang-rape-spanish-tourist-india-sparks-debate-prevalence-sexual-violence-all-women-are-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3254301/gang-rape-spanish-tourist-india-sparks-debate-prevalence-sexual-violence-all-women-are-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Mar 2024 16:55:53 +0000 A Bollywood political drama appearing to justify India’s Kashmir policy has stirred controversy, especially with Prime Minister Narendra Modi throwing unprecedented weight behind the film in a perceived bid to ramp up support from Hindu voters ahead of the general election. Even before the release of the thriller Article 370, centred on the government’s removal of Kashmir’s autonomous status in 2019, Modi had endorsed the film and urged the public to catch it in theatres. Critics warn the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3253529/indias-kashmir-residents-outraged-modi-backed-article-370-propaganda-film-over-historical-distortion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3253529/indias-kashmir-residents-outraged-modi-backed-article-370-propaganda-film-over-historical-distortion?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Feb 2024 12:30:13 +0000 For the past 10 days, 20-year-old Kartika Singh, a medical student from Ambala, has been gripped by a mix of frustration and anxiety. She eagerly awaits updates on the restoration of internet services in India’s northern region, which has been subject to a blackout enforced by the Haryana state government amid the ongoing farmers’ protest. Singh’s inability to access her MedCalc application, a vital resource for medical students, has severely disrupted her preparations for the coming... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3252997/rising-internet-shutdowns-india-spark-fears-authoritarianism-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3252997/rising-internet-shutdowns-india-spark-fears-authoritarianism-election?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Feb 2024 10:00:19 +0000 Farmer Karamjeet Singh, 42, shows no signs of fatigue as he organises food arrangements for thousands of fellow farmers gathered at the Shambhu border of Punjab and Haryana. Since Tuesday, they have been on a mission to march to India’s capital city, New Delhi, to press for their demands. The firing of tear gas by police did not dampen their spirits as they rallied to the call of two farming organisations for the “Delhi Chalo” movement, which aims to pressure India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3252057/indian-farmers-vow-continue-fight-crop-prices-even-police-use-immoral-tear-gas-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3252057/indian-farmers-vow-continue-fight-crop-prices-even-police-use-immoral-tear-gas-protesters?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Feb 2024 09:00:20 +0000 For five days, Sameer Tabreez, 23, has driven daily from New Delhi’s Uttam Nagar area to South Delhi’s Mehrauli, hoping to see if Delhi police have removed the barricades around the 600-year-old Akhoondji mosque that was demolished by authorities last month. Tabreez hopes to ensure the preservation of his mother’s grave that is located near the mosque, and to determine whether her final resting place has remained intact or suffered damage amid the demolition. He spends time with his children at... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3251579/after-indias-controversial-ayodhya-temple-opening-hindu-muslim-divide-grows-demolition-new-delhi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3251579/after-indias-controversial-ayodhya-temple-opening-hindu-muslim-divide-grows-demolition-new-delhi?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Feb 2024 02:00:47 +0000