Statewide Protests for Justice for Sowjanya
The Dharmasthala Dourjanya Virodhi Vedike, a collective of writers, activists, and lawyers, organised protests across 60 locations in 15 Karnataka districts on October 9, the anniversary of the 2012 rape-murder of 17-year-old Sowjanya. The campaign, set to continue until her birthday on October 18, included marches, book releases, and candlelight vigils. Activists criticised mainstream media for barely covering the protests, despite widespread participation across Dakshina Kannada, Bengaluru, Mysuru, and other districts.
Indore: Transgender Group Attempts Mass Suicide
In Indore, 24 members of the transgender community consumed phenyl in a mass suicide attempt demanding justice for a trans-woman raped by two men posing as journalists. The victims were hospitalised and are reportedly stable. The protest highlights deep frustration over rising violence and systemic neglect of trans rights. Police have detained suspects and are investigating the assault, which has drawn national outrage and calls for stronger legal protection.
Kerala Left Govt Faces Backlash Over NEP 2020 Move
Kerala’s Left Democratic Front government faces backlash from its own allies and student bodies after signing the PM SHRI MoU, which aligns state schools with the National Education Policy 2020. The CPI and left-leaning groups accuse the government of betraying its federal and secular stance, calling NEP 2020 a ‘centralising, privatising’ reform. Protests have erupted statewide, as educationists and teachers’ unions warn it undermines Kerala’s independent education model. The MoU has been put on hold.
Protest Against Waqf Amendments in Maharashtra
Thousands assembled at G.S. Ground in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, under the banner of the Tahaffuz Awqaf Committee (Waqf Bachao Samiti) to protest the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which attacks community autonomy. The ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ campaign began with a sit-in and resulted in about 2,000 voluntary detentions. Demonstrators delivered a memorandum demanding repeal of the law, decentralised Waqf boards, and protection from encroachments and state control.
VBA Protests Against RSS in Maharashtra
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), led by Sujat Ambedkar, launched the ‘Jan Aakrosh Morcha’ outside the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters to protest police action against two youths who opposed an RSS registration drive near a government engineering college. Police stopped the march; VBA accused the police of acting without a complaint and questioned RSS’s legal status.
Global Outrage Against the Genocide in Sudan
Protests and rallies are being carried out worldwide demanding an end to the ongoing genocide in Sudan carried out by the UAE-backed paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Thousands of people are feared to have been murdered in the western city of el-Fasher, capital of North Darfur state, since the RSF seized it. Sudan has been ravaged by a civil war for the past two-and-a-half years, causing an estimated 40,000 deaths and the displacement of 12 million people.
Madagascar President Flees Amid Youth-Led Uprising
Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina has reportedly fled the country after weeks of mass protests over worsening power and water shortages turned into a broader anti-government movement. Young demonstrators and mutinous soldiers demanded his resignation, leading to clashes that left at least 22 dead. Rajoelina, claiming multiple assassination attempts, said he was seeking refuge in a ‘safe place’. French media report he was flown out with help from Paris, possibly to Dubai.
