Social media takes up a young man’s fight against his brother’s custodial death, puts pressure on government
Facing the state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram is a bronze statue of Sir Madhava Rao, the celebrated diwan of the erstwhile Travancore state. During Rao’s stint as diwan, Travancore was named the ‘model state of India’ by the British government. Today, the road from his statue to the secretariat is the main venue of protests in the state capital. Many of these protests, however, are intended only to grab media attention. Hunger strikes hardly last beyond a couple of days. But, P. Sreejith, a native of Neyyattinkara, about 20km south of Thiruvananthapuram, is proving to be an exception.
The 30-year-old has been on a hunger strike outside the secretariat for the last 767 days, seeking justice for his younger brother Sreejeev, who was allegedly tortured and killed in police custody. According to the police, Sreejeev committed suicide by consuming poison. “My brother died in front of me. I cannot forget,” said Sreejith. “How can I rest when the police officers who killed my brother are roaming around free, earning government salary? I will not move from here until a CBI inquiry is ordered.”
Sreejith did not budge even when his mother requested him to stop. “His health is deteriorating by the day. I keep reminding him that I have no one else to perform my last rites,” said Remani, his widowed mother. “But, he tells me that he prefers to die here if he fails to get justice for his brother.”
Sreejith eats only once a week. “I eat only when I feel that I am about to suffer a blackout,’’ he said. He looks emaciated and suffers from memory lapses. His appearance has changed so much in the last two years.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 28, 2018-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 28, 2018-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Angry, Young America
Campus protests against the Gaza war continue to linger as students demand a realignment of US ties with Israel
We need to engage more with communities
Designer Aratrik Dev Varman of the label Tilla has long been a lover of history. One could comfortably call him part-aesthete, part-archeologist, for his clothes dip into vintage styles of the Kutch, Sindh, Balochistan and Afghanistan, bringing alive antique styles and crafts. Tilla, the store and atelier, are situated on a tree-lined avenue in Ahmedabad.
The great luxury slowdown
A year or so ago, if anyone had told me that Tommy Hilfiger would have stolen the show at New York’s Met Gala, I would have laughed. But it seems the end of giant luxury labels is upon us even before we expected it. The American ready-to-wear designer Tommy Hilfiger seems to have created the maximum media buzz at the 2024 Met Gala, according to several data analytics firms.
RAP BRINGS RAPTURE
How indie artistes, especially hip-hoppers, are driving the phenomenal rise of Malayalam music
Employability issues are a narrative created by the corporate world
Prof Yogesh Singh is the 23rd vice chancellor of the century-old University of Delhi (DU). An engineer with a PhD in computer engineering, Singh has an impressive track record of teaching, innovation and research in the area of software engineering. He has more than 250 publications and his book, Software Testing, published by the Cambridge University Press, is well-received internationally. In an interview with THE WEEK, Singh talks about trends in higher education in India, the challenges faced by big universities, and how to make higher education more interesting. Asked about the perception that Indian graduates are “not employable”, he reacts strongly, and emphasises the difference between training and higher education. Edited excerpts:
SERVING WITH DISTINCTION
Conceived as a university like no other, Jawaharlal Nehru University became India's best. Here is how
Mandela Effect and Liar's Dividend
The complex tapestry of AI's impact on society
The other Sabyasachi
I am Sabyasachi Mukherjee, not to be confused with my namesake, the celebrated fashion couturier, declared the venerated director-general of Mumbai’s pride, George Wittet’s Indo-Saracenic jewel, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum.
THE MANGO HUNTERS
'Naadan Maavukal' started out as a Facebook group, but what it does offline has helped conserve many indigenous varieties of mangoes
BJP LEADERS, TOO, HAVE HAD ENOUGH
Farmers’ protest has taken the centre stage in Haryana, which goes to the polls on May 25. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is confident that the Congress, which has been out of power for 10 years, will regain its hold on the state. “People who voted for the BJP are disappointed today. It is clear that they want change,” he told THE WEEK.
