In the past month, we have been on the ground in Varanasi to report on the renewed attempts by Hindutva groups to seize control of the Gyanvapi mosque through a series of contentious court orders. Aishwarya Iyer was the first to point out that the district court asked for a part of the mosque to be sealed even before it had received a survey report. In a detailed piece, Umang Poddar explained the role the lower courts have played in pushing Hindutva claims on mosques. This week, we will publish more of Iyer’s ground reports and Poddar’s explainers on the matter. You can find all our coverage on the Gyanvapi dispute here.

In Assam, Rokibuz Zaman travelled to Salonabari village where the death of a fish trader in police custody set off a disturbing chain of events, from a police station being set on fire, to his family members being arrested on terror charges and their homes being demolished. In Kashmir, Safwat Zargar wrote about the Dogra Rajputs, a tiny, little-known minority community that now finds itself in the line of fire.

Meanwhile, the Common Ground team continued to look beyond the news for stories that the mainstream media neglects. Ishan Kukreti travelled to the mining areas of Odisha to report on dubious rejections of claims filed by Adivasis and other forest-dwelling communities under the Forest Rights Act. Johanna Deeksha travelled to southern Tamil Nadu to report on the caste wars erupting in schools as students take to wearing wrist threads that are markers of caste.

Court ordered sealing of Gyanvapi tank even before it has received survey commission’s report

Hindu petitioners have claimed that a shivling had been found at the site. The caretakers of the mosque, however, said the object was part of the ablution tank.

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From Babri to Gyanvapi, how India’s courts have helped escalate Hindutva claims on mosques

Rather than dismissing them under the Places of Worship Act, 1991, courts often allow petitions against mosques to fester, thus helping Hindutva politics.

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Death, demolitions, terror charges: In ravaged Assam village, residents contradict police claims

The police have also contradicted themselves. Demolitions initially called an ‘anti-encroachment drive’ are now described as ‘search operations’.

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A killing has put the spotlight on a tiny, little-known minority in Kashmir

On April 13, militants killed Satish Kumar Singh, a member of the tiny Dogra Rajput community in the Valley.

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How to cheat forest dwellers of their rights (and enable mining)

Odisha rejected around 80,000 forest dwellers’ claims over forest land as the country was battered by Covid-19. Many rejections were done on dubious grounds.

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Caste threads are spawning deadly conflicts in Tamil Nadu schools

Children are wearing the threads to school to assert their caste identity. The result is a spiral of violence that recently led to a student's death.

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Why Hindu right-wing lawyers are strategically filing multiple cases about the Gyanvapi mosque

The host of cases is being coordinated by the same set of people.

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‘It will be a bulldozer this time’: In Varanasi, Hindutva groups impatient for Gyanvapi demolition

But most ordinary Hindus in Varanasi would rather leave it to the courts to decide the mosque’s fate. They do not want a riot.

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Behind Gyanvapi’s women petitioners, a network of men who have long fought for Hindutva causes

The bid to lay claim to the site of the 17th-century mosque did not start with the five women.

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