How the NHRC Failed to Protect G.N. Saibaba https://thewire.in/rights/how-the-nhrc-failed-to-protect-g-n-saibaba
Henri Tiphagne and Edgar Kaiser .. Retired Indian Administrative Officer (IAS) S. Jalaja, who was once NHRC’s joint secretary and had served as the NHRC’s special rapporteur, studied Maharashtra prisons and submitted a report on July 17, 2017. The report revealed harsh truths about the Nagpur prison where Saibaba was detained. These included staff shortage and overcrowding of prisoners among other things. She specifically noted Saibaba’s poor medical condition and recommended that “an independent medical team from AIIMS should assess his condition.” This NHRC report directly contradicted the investigation report submitted to the commission in the cases filed by the HRDA. While the NHRC relied on the investigation report provided by the police, it chose to overlook its own special rapporteur’s report on the prison where Saibaba was detained.  ..Despite the international community – and even individuals within the NHRC – becoming aware of the poor prison conditions that contributed to Saibaba’s deteriorating health, it was disheartening for an institution with such a mandate to simply dismiss these concerns. The NHRC and its former chairpersons – Justices K.G. Balakrishnan, Cyric Joseph, H.L. Dattu, Arun Kumar Mishra and Vijaya Bharathi Sayani – are answerable to this democracy for the institution’s wilful silence on Saibaba’s mistreatment. They all owe an apology to the people of this country for failing to exercise their powers to prevent the death of a dedicated academician who devoted his life to civil liberties and the socio-economic and cultural rights of India’s vulnerable populations.

Why Are Democrats Having Such a Hard Time Beating Trump? https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/02/upshot/democrats-trump-election.html
The national political environment just isn’t as conducive to a Harris victory as many might imagine. ..

In the United States, post-pandemic disillusionment and frustration took a toll on Democrats. The party championed a tough response to the virus, including mask and vaccine mandates, school closures and lockdowns. It had backed the Black Lives Matter movement, argued for a more liberal border policy, sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and spent trillions on stimulus. As the pandemic ended, all of this quickly became a liability...Democrats are playing defense on the issues. They’ve moved to the right on immigration, energy and crime. They de-emphasized the traditional liberal push to expand the society safety net, which was eclipsed by the urgency to reduce prices....On issue after issue, Democrats have responded by moving to the right. Most obviously, Ms. Harris had to back away from positions she took when the progressive cultural ascendancy was near its peak in 2019 — a ban on fracking, Medicare for all and so on. But the Democratic shift isn’t simply about backing away from positions taken during a Democratic primary...In her speech at the Democratic convention, Ms. Harris didn’t mention the unfinished business of Obama-Biden era liberalism: paid family leave, an expanded child tax credit, student loan forgiveness, universal pre-K or free community college. Instead, she promised a conservative-sounding tax break for small businesses. The liberal policies she does advocate on the campaign trail tend to be far smaller than the Affordable Care Act or those contained in Build Back Better... 

A Carnival of Hope: Trump, Harris and the Death of Liberalism  https://beiner.substack.com/p/a-carnival-of-hope-trump-harris-and    For progressives, the MAGA insurgency heralds the end of democracy. As a consumer, it doesn’t matter which you choose, as long as you choose.  Capitalism will happily take your rejection and sell it back to you. Don’t like extractive consumerism? No worries! We have a shampoo just for you.

Modern elections are no different. They are consumer culture’s attempt to sell the most sacred gift in the human soul back to us: hope. At the heart of every election is the promise that things will be new. In a polarised society like the US, this newness looks radically different depending on the tribe you belong to.

These tribes are no longer defined by ‘left’ or ‘right’, but by pro or anti-institutional. For those in the Trump insurgency, the political establishment represented by Kamala Harris is an existential threat. For progressives, the MAGA insurgency heralds the end of democracy. As a consumer, it doesn’t matter which you choose, as long as you choose.