Ruben Banerjee

Trump’s Jerusalem decision: Apart from getting enraged, Palestinians can do little

The Israeli State --both economically and militarily powerful -- is no easy pushover and fury on the streets is unlikely to propel the Palestinians anywhere close to their goal of an independent nation.

Gauri Lankesh killing: True tribute only when journalists stand for principles

Journalist Gauri Lankesh may have been silenced, but it is now for us – the journalists –to ensure her lifelong battle is not lost.

There will be more Gurmeet Ram Rahims, it’s a question of demand and supply

Freeing India of the menace of charlatans -- the likes of Ram Rahims -- is a far stiffer challenge than cleaning up India through the ambitious Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Heartless Delhi: Punish those who look away when accident victims plead for help

An accident victim lay on a Delhi road with a broken spine for 12 hours but nobody came to his rescue. Standing by and doing nothing is no less a crime. It’s perhaps time that the Good Samaritan law have punitive provisions for ‘Bad Samaritans’

Darjeeling unrest: Mamata Banerjee’s stand will fuel Gorkhaland demand

50 days of Darjeeling unrest: The coming days don’t offer better prospects, with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee betraying little or no sympathy for the Gorkha agitators.

Brave Paikas are cannon fodder for Odisha’s politicians

Odisha goes to the polls in 2019 and the BJP hopes to unseat Patnaik who has been at the helm of the state uninterruptedly since 2000.

Basirhat tells us battle for Bengal will be bloody

Religious fault lines have run deep in the state with 27% Muslim population. It has grown deeper since Mamata Banerjee took over as the chief minister.

Why Bihar CM Nitish Kumar is rocking the alliance boat but not sinking it

Nitish Kumar is worried that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will return in 2019 and Lalu Prasad will stake claim in Bihar the year after. And that could leave him nowhere.

Darjeeling will remain in India; Bengal must dump opposition to Gorkhaland

It is about time Bengalis should set aside their emotional opposition and weigh the demand for separate Gorkhaland for whatever its worth

Al Jazeera: Good, bad, and a little ugly

Al Jazeera’s very deep pockets allow it to hire the best and brightest and the newsroom drawn from all continents and across nationalities is a mini-United Nations.

Gulf crisis: Don’t panic, Qatar situation is far from apocalyptic | Opinion

The latest crisis in the Gulf was triggered after seven countries cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of backing terrorism.

Jharkhand lynching: Our outrage is selective, and also possibly discriminatory

India hasn’t reacted to the lynching of Jharkhand villagers with rage, maybe because the incident didn’t take place in any of India’s big cities or the victims don’t belong to a particular religion or caste, or the crime is not connected to cows.

It is time to shed these ‘watershed’ moments in Kashmir

From ‘time to act’ to ‘about time the Kashimiri issue is settled’, the response of those who shape our national discourse has grown stale. The Indian Army oversteps and ties up an innocent Kashmiri to a jeep as a human shield and we are told the army leadership must be more mature. When militants kill an unarmed soldier, our conscience-keepers take the high moral ground and decry violence.

For all her political success, it’s time to admit Jayalalithaa was no Amma

Jayalalithaa, accused by the Supreme Court of being a mastermind who misused her public office to amass wealth, should be remembered for whatever her worth: She was a politician par excellence, but she was not someone who can lay claim to sainthood

Nagaland blocks women’s participation in local polls: Lack of outrage is outrageous

The news from Nagaland over the past few days has been unnerving. The violence that swept the state, resulting in several deaths and destruction of property, was terrible. More appalling were the reasons fuelling the street protests.

Heartless India? Time to punish people who watched Karnataka cyclist bleed to death

Since standing by and watching a person die is no less a crime, it’s perhaps time that the Good Samaritan law have punitive provisions for ‘Bad Samaritans’: people who do nothing to help a dying person.

‘Murthal gang-rape’ to ‘Bengaluru molestation’: Media vigilantism to the fore

Being a vigilante rather than being just vigilant can be disastrous. The past few days dominated by the news of reported ‘mass molestation’ of women in Bengaluru’s MG Road on New Year’s Eve proved how damaging it is for journalists.

Assembly elections in five states not the semis for 2019 Lok Sabha contest

The five-state elections are crucial, but are in no way critical. Neither are they a semi-final to the 2019 general elections as being suggested by many.

Bengaluru molestation: Politicians add hype, but where is the evidence?

Putting emotions aside, it is time to take a clinical look at what’s fast snowballing into the country’s latest collective shame.

Impunity of Bastar police holds up mirror to our collective impotency

The controversial officer in charge of Bastar’s insurgency-ridden six districts threatened HT’s Raipur-based reporter for having the temerity to question him over academic Nandini Sundar’s alleged involvement in a recent murder in the region.

Shameless ‘beef’ politics eclipses teen rape-survivor’s plight in Uttar Pradesh

Failure of the establishment to help the unwed pregnant Bareilly girl in time is not only shameful, but also makes the system criminal.

Majhi gets help, what about others like him?

Symbols of our shame: In Odisha, Dana Majhis and deprivation abound

Dana Majhi has ultimately been saved from doom. The Odisha tribal who dented our collective conscience on being forced to walk 10 kilometres with the body of his dead wife last month was in Delhi this week to collect financial aid. The Bahrain government gave him Rs 8 lakh. Others also chipped in with donations that add up to no less than a king’s ransom for the poor farmer from poverty-stricken Kalahandi.

Dana Majhi collects financial aid, says ‘life has turned upside down’

After his ‘death walk’, Dana Majhi gets the red carpet in Delhi

A month after the video of a helpless Dana Majhi walking back home with the body of his wife on the shoulder triggered nationwide outrage, the Odisha tribal received a red carpet reception during a day’s visit to the city to collect financial aid.

Rape survivor struggles in face of apathy

Why no outrage over this rape victim denied permission by court to abort?

Rape victim is 32-weeks pregnant but her plea for abortion has been rejected many times.

Money or dignity: The dilemma of Indians in the Gulf

Middle East is great as long as the going is good. But things can go horribly wrong all of a sudden, if you find yourself at the wrong side of law, or someone locally influential.

Qatar: An oasis for exiles

In granting nationality to M.F. Husain, the Gulf state of Qatar has done what it always does best — providing refuge to those in trouble back home, writes Ruben Banerjee.