Driven by ethnic differences between West Bengal’s majority Bengali population and Gorkha residents of the north, the statehood stir has gone on for decades.
The demand for separate state was first made in 1980s, followed by a violent agitation in 1986 that led to death of 1200 people in Hills. However, this election, all parties have put aside the statehood issue for development.
There were 42 times security agencies resorted to internet shutdowns this year to control volatile conditions in eleven states. Is this the only way to restore peace during violent protests?
The world watched aghast as police armed with tasers, tear-gas masks—and in one case backed up by snipers—arrested hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters at universities across the United States.
The Asian Development Outlook 2024 report suggests that policymakers in the region should monitor a number of risks. These include escalating conflicts and geopolitical tensions.
Germany’s erstwhile Christian Democratic Union govt, led by Angela Merkel, prevented sale of small arms to police forces in states they perceived had ‘bad human rights record’.
A theme has not yet emerged for BJP & people see lack of a contest, which makes it unexciting. For all these reasons, 2024 is turning out to be an unexpectedly theme-less election.
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