Peoples Democracy newsletter

Peoples Democracy newsletter

Blood on the Blackboard: Murder of Whistleblower’s Father Exposes Bengal’s State of Affairs

A violent confrontation in Karishunda village in Indas block of Bankura district has cast a harsh light on the deteriorating state of government education across West Bengal. The brutal assault on 24-year-old education activist Abdul Hafiz and the subsequent death of his father, Sheikh Mohammad Mafik — a landless farm labourer — has ignited widespread outrage.

Ebola: No Problem, Until it Heads North?

TWO months ago, two articles were published here on the Ebola outbreak unfolding in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) about the forgotten frontline and global consequences. Back then, the tally was brutal enough: 896 confirmed cases, 232 dead. As of 17 August 2026, we are staring at 4,945 cases and 2,325 deaths. It is already past the 2,299 who died in the 2018–2020 outbreak. The virus is not remaining confined. It has now spread to 54 health zones in six provinces, well beyond the original three hotspots.

Withdraw the proposed UPI Charges

The Modi government’s move to impose charges on UPI (Unified Payments Interface) transactions is an attack on ordinary people. On August 6, the government passed the bill in the Lok Sabha to allow charges on payments made through UPI apps.

This bill was passed without hearing the views of the opposition and without any debate. It was pushed through by voice vote in an authoritarian manner. Through this amendment, the government is punishing ordinary people by collecting charges from them and handing over the benefits to corporates.

The Ugliness of Latin America’s Angry Tide

In August, right-wing billionaire Abelardo de la Espriella took office as Colombia’s president and vowed to move an agenda of the far right even though he won by less than a percentage point over the left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda. It is characteristic of the far right of a special type to adopt any mandate and pretend that they have the authority to transform their society into a toxic swamp.

Significant Victory of Students in Jharkhand

The agreement reached between the Jharkhand government and the students protesting over the recruitments done by Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) issue is welcome. The cancellation of the JSSC-CGL (Combined Graduate Level) and examinations conducted by the private outsourcing agency TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL), along with the decision to investigate irregularities in recruitments made since 2014, is a significant achievement of the sustained student movement.

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