Himalayan Advocacy Center

When my film #Sengadal,The DeadSea(2011) was submitted to CBFC for certification, the film was banned stating the reason that this film would ruin the relationship between India and SriLanka. I appealed to the Tribunal and won the certification without a single cut. Of course it was an ordeal but I had to take it up to protect my fundemental rights to free expression and the audience’s right to watch an important story of the times without state censorship. Till date there is no film like #Sengadal that could voice the lives and trials of Tamil fishermen and refugees in India. BJP unconstitutionally abolished the Tribunal(FCAT) in 2022 to build a free way to propaganda films like Dhurandhar and censor films that do not serve its fascist politics. When will the film fraternity wakeup?

Water day

It’s a little racist how much the European discourse on war changes to panic when they realise a missile can theoretically hit them and not brown people somewhere else

🇵🇸🚨Settlers torch 15 Palestinian villages across West Bank in seemingly coordinated retaliation Dozens of Israeli settlers carried out coordinated raids across many Palestinian villages, setting homes and vehicles on fire and assaulting residents, according to The Times of Israel. ➤ Attacks were recorded in Jalud, Fandaqumiya, Silat ad-Dhahr, and Qaryut, with footage showing buildings on fire as residents rushed to evacuate ➤ At least 9 Palestinians have been confirmed injured in a preliminary toll, including 3 in Jalud and 6 in the Jenin area, after being beaten by settlers. Many more are feared to have been come under attack. ➤ No arrests have been reported, consistent with a pattern of impunity in settler violence cases ➤ The raids come amid near-daily attacks in recent weeks and rising fears of retaliation after a settler was killed in a separate incident under investigation

Today marks the third anniversary of the arbitrary detention of HRD Irfan Mehraj in #Kashmir. His pre-trial detention has been extended multiple times & three years later, he has not even been brought to trial yet. This is a shocking state of affairs. The Indian government has failed to respond to the allegation letter my colleagues in @UN_SPExperts & I sent raising serious concerns over his detention. @IndiaUNGeneva

Every time a missile strikes Iran, tremors are felt thousands of miles away in Srinagar’s Badamwari carpet cluster. For many artisans, the war has struck a personal chord—Kashmir’s famed carpets are named after cities across Iran. thehindu.com/news/national/…

Academics want to “decolonize” everything, but are silent as Iran decolonizes the Middle East from America

下周五维吾尔著名诗人、学者@AbduwelA 先生将会在曼哈顿举办纪录片《口罩之后》纪录片，并现场与观众对谈，欢迎大家踊跃参与。 本次活动由希望之伞基金会和Beef Up Noodle赞助支持。 地址在宣传图片右下角。

Important new essay by Tianren Luo. asapjournal.com/feature/on-ext…

This #Eid marks a decade since my last visit to my homeland where Beijing has committed atrocity crimes against Uyghurs. I chose to speak out for my father and others and that choice cost me a disconnection, maybe forever, from those I love back home. @hrw hrw.org/news/2026/03/1…

We will be organising a discussion on "Identity, Dispossession and Resilience of the Subaltern A Study of Marginalised Communities in Kashmir" By Khalid Wasim Hassan, Deepanshu Mohan, Ishfaq Ahmad Wani, Najam Us Saqib in early April. DM/Email if you want to be a discussant.

Interview | Are Indian Corporations Complicit in Israel's Genocide in Gaza Vrinda Gopinath✍️ thewire.in/business/inter…

A Security Fiasco in India’s Northeast: The arrest of six Ukrainian nationals — all war veterans — and one American citizen with combat experience in the Syria and Libya conflicts by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) for providing military equipment and training to Chin rebels and other militants in Myanmar with ties to Indian insurgent groups casts an unflattering light on the security apparatus in India’s vulnerable northeast. ■ According to court filings, the seven accused mercenaries entered India on tourist visas and traveled undetected to the sensitive border state of Mizoram without obtaining the mandatory Restricted Area Permits (RAP). They then illegally crossed the unfenced international border into Myanmar’s Chin State. ■ The court filings state that, while in Myanmar, they provided training to Chin insurgents and other ethnic rebels with documented links to Indian militant organizations such as ULFA(I), NSCN and the Kuki National Army operating in the northeast. This training included: →Drone operations and assembly →Jamming technology and weapons handling →Supplying a “huge consignment” of drones sourced from Europe ■ The seven men subsequently re-entered India through the Mizoram-Myanmar border — again without detection by border or local police forces — before traveling deep into the Indian mainland. ■ They were eventually tracked by federal agencies and arrested on March 13 at transit hubs far from the Myanmar border while in the process of leaving India: →The American was detained at Kolkata airport →Three Ukrainians were arrested at Delhi airport →Three Ukrainians were arrested at Lucknow airport The NIA has charged them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), including Section 18 (terrorist conspiracy). The introduction of European-sourced drone technology and jamming expertise into this theater represents a significant “force multiplier” for insurgent groups. The investigation further indicates that the seven men were part of a broader conspiracy to transport sophisticated drones and other Western weapons into Myanmar via India, effectively establishing a “tactical corridor” through India’s northeastern borders. The scale of the security lapse is difficult to overstate. That these individuals were able to enter India, reach its northeast with military equipment, cross into Myanmar, and then return through the same route without detection points to a serious intelligence and border management failure. Their successful movement of a large consignment of drones and related supplies through Mizoram suggests that external provisioning of arms to Indian insurgent groups may be occurring more frequently — and more invisibly — than officially acknowledged. Taken together, these developments suggest that India’s northeast risks becoming a permissive operating environment for foreign actors fueling the Myanmar conflict, with spillover effects increasingly visible in Indian border states such as Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland.

Yesterday a coordinated and orchestrated campaign was carried out against The Reporters' Collective @reporters_co investigation on the Assam-Adani deal for 3,200 MW of coal power. The story: reporters-collective.in/trc/assam-govt… We analysed the attack using Grok, X's AI tool. I am sharing the report here and citing below its findings verbatim. Method of Attack "This is a highly organised, top-down coordinated campaign — not grassroots outrage or independent journalism critique. The pattern matches classic Indian political IT-cell operations: pre-packaged talking points + graphics issued to a mix of official spokespersons and loyal amplifiers for immediate narrative control. The goal is transparent — neutralise the TRC investigation’s impact on the Adani deal and the BJP government ahead of Assam assembly elections by reframing serious scrutiny as “propaganda” and “misrepresentation”. No involvement from Adani Power’s official handle; this is purely political defence." Verdict on Sophistication "This is Tier-1 political IT-cell orchestration — pre-briefed, pre-designed, pre-timed, and pre-loaded for instant deployment. The 107-second graphic sync, consecutive asset files, and 95%+ script fidelity are smoking-gun proof of a central command distributing ready-to-post packages. The goal was not debate but narrative neutralisation ahead of Assam elections: reframe investigative journalism as “propaganda” within 5 hours of publication. No Adani corporate involvement; purely political protective shield. This network is battle-tested and highly effective at shaping X discourse in India on sensitive corporate-political stories." The summary executive report by Grok AI on the coordinated attack can be read below. Includes the prompts we used. This is why investigative journalism matters. It scares those in power. Because it brings out the truth they try to distract us from using rhetoric and paid social media campaigns. To citizens: It's a sad irony that journalists who do such brave investigations struggle to earn a decent livelihood with security while the army of trolls get paid as a consequence of their work. You have the power to fix this. Donate to @reporters_co today. We back brave journalists to do reportage that holds the powerful accountable to journalists. You can donate by clicking reporters-collective.in/support-us To the paid trolls: You could also thank us for getting your more business (unless you are on monthly retainers, in which case you won't like us for providing you extra work for the same pay). Regardless, I am sure many of you do this work because it's hard to find dignified decent paying work. I honestly hope and pray you find it and live happier lives of dignity. I feel upset only at your employers, who rob our people of dignity by putting them to such crass, sad an ugly work. #Assam #adani #investigativejournalism #journalism

From Haaretz in Israel. A description of an IDF commander murdering a 4 year old. For fun. It's beyond demonic. haaretz.com/opinion/2024-1…

On Al-Quds, I spoke with Iranians from every walk of life. Iranian women--brilliant, resilient, defiant--shine like beacons of courage. Being in Iran matters; being with my people, listening, and sharing, has become the deepest source of healing these days. 'I was living in Europe, I came here the second day of war, to say I am here, in my country, on our land. Here will be the grave of anyone who dreams of “Big Israel.” 'Many ask, “What are you going back to do?” It’s not about doing, it’s about being. Being here is solidarity. I cannot sit in Europe while my people are under bombardment. I stand with them.' Full report incoming @VocalPolitics1

my response to Mayor Mamdani, the reporters calling me, etc.

Following repeated requests from charitable and benevolent members among our Indian brothers and sisters to provide humanitarian assistance to Iranian compatriots affected by the ongoing war, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi hereby announces the following bank account number for the deposit of intended cash donations. Bank Account Name: Embassy of Iran Bank Account Number: 11084232535 IFS Code: SBIN0000691 If you wish, you may also send the screenshot or payment receipt via WhatsApp to: +91 98998 12318.

@gautambhatia88 Context: newlinesmag.com/argument/juerg…

Ten years ago, I was so inspired by Habermas that I wanted to do my PhD on this thought. Time passed, his writing felt less persuasive. Then the genocide happened, and it turned out that his universalism was founded on a hierarchy of German “Staatsraison” over human beings.

@down2earthindia Horribly tone deaf.

By Sorit Gupto