Activist Ajayakumar passes away
His body was taken to his hometown, Kodungallur, where it was kept for public homage at his residence.
Later, the body was cremated at Chappara cemetery in Kodungallur.
Ajayakumar was the founder of NGO Rights, which works for the educational upliftment of Dalit, tribal and marginalised communities. He was serving as the global convener of NGO Alliance for Climate Frontline Communities.
He began his activism with movements like Narmada Bachao Andolan and People's Watch. He presented papers on marginalised communities at numerous UN conferences and participated in climate change discussions at COP 26 and COP 28.
During 2018 floods, he led several initiatives for students in Dalit communities and in coastal areas.
He also spoke at the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights conference held in Bangkok in Sept 2024. He was a speaker at the fifth forum of ministers and environment authorities of Asia Pacific organised by the United Nations Environment in Sri Lanka in Oct 2023. Alongside international activities, Ajayakumar undertook numerous initiatives for Dalit, adivasi and fishing communities in Kerala.
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
Friendship Day wishes
,
messages
and
quotes
!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
FIR against party leader over ‘A for Akhilesh, B for Babasaheb', Samajwadi Party chief hits back
After an FIR was filed against Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Farhad Alam Gada in Saharanpur district for allegedly teaching children a 'politicised' version of the English alphabet, SP national president Akhilesh Yadav accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being 'anti-education.' Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has accused the BJP of bein g 'anti-education'. (HT FILE PHOTO) The complaint, filed by Main Singh of Kallarpur Gurjar village at Kotwali Dehat police station, alleged that Farhad Gada had been conducting informal lessons at a so-called 'PDA Pathshala' set up at his home in Ramnagar. The controversy erupted after a video of one such class surfaced on social media. In the footage, schoolchildren—wearing uniforms and reportedly from a private school—were seen being taught alternative alphabet associations such as: A for Akhilesh, B for Babasaheb (Ambedkar), D for Dimple (Yadav) and M for Mulayam Singh Yadav. The complaint also mentioned that comparing Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar to Akhilesh and Dimple was an insult to the Dalit icon. According to police officials, the content raised concerns of political indoctrination of minors, prompting the registration of a case under relevant sections, including Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 353(2) (statements conducing to public mischief) and section 3(2)(V) of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Farhad Gada, who runs the PDA Pathshala—named after the SP's social justice plank 'Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak' (Backward Classes, Dalits, Minorities) plank—defended the lessons. He claimed the goal was not merely to teach ABCs but to 'educate children about the great men of Samajwadi ideology' and foster political awareness from a young age. Gada also revealed his ambition to expand such schools throughout the district. Taking to the social media platform X, Akhilesh Yadav wrote, 'Even the British did not file an FIR for studying. The anti-education face of the BJP has now been exposed to the public.'
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
RLD moots Ambedkar Panchteerth plan to tap Dalit voters
Lucknow: (RLD) president has intensified efforts to consolidate the Dalit vote bank in western Uttar Pradesh ahead of next year's panchayat elections and the 2027 UP elections. His recent push for Ambedkar Teerth Sthal Yatra Yojana has shifted focus to the party's strategy of strengthening support among Dalit communities. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on July 28, Chaudhary emphasised the need to enable Dalit and socially oppressed sections to visit Panchteerth – the five key sites associated with BR Ambedkar. These are Mhow-Janmabhoomi, London-Shiksha Bhoomi, Delhi-Mahaparinirvan Sthal, Nagpur-Diksha Bhoomi, and Mumbai-Chaitya Bhoomi. "Due to govt efforts, these pilgrimage sites have now developed into major tourist destinations as well as sources of inspiration. However, for economically weaker sections, visiting these places remains difficult. Therefore, to support them, a scheme named Ambedkar Teerth Sthal Yatra Yojana should be launched, so that people can easily visit and experience five major places associated with Dr Ambedkar's life," the RLD chief said. He said the scheme would make people understand Ambedkar's principles and ideas for building an egalitarian society. "It would not only promote social harmony but also serve as a concrete step towards realising Ambedkar's dreams," Jayant, also a Union minister, said. Experts said that by invoking Ambedkar and focusing on Panchteerth, Jayant Chaudhary is attempting to build an emotional and ideological alignment with Dalit voters, a group that has largely been loyal to , and in recent years courted by BJP and SP. They added that this also marks Jayant's another bid to channelise the Dalit vote bank amid the rise of Azad Samaj Party chief Chandrashekhar Azad, who won the Nagina parliamentary seat in 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Analysts said Jayant's letter to Yogi puts the state govt on record. It also avoids confrontation and indicates that RLD is playing within the constitutional and cultural framework, respecting its alliance with BJP while retaining its independent identity. RLD sources said the party wants to consolidate the Dalits, primarily the Jatav community, which has traditionally been the supporter of Bahujan Samaj Party. With BSP's political graph has been on a decline in recent years, the RLD sees an opportunity to fill in the vacuum. RLD national secretary Anupam Mishra said the party has stepped up its outreach to Dalits in recent times and added that "we need to work more aggressively to sustain our momentum and get more closely associated with Dalits and other oppressed classes." Sources said RLD has been sending feelers amongst Dalits since 2024 when it snapped ties with Samajwadi Party and joined the BJP-led NDA. In fact, it was Anil Kumar, a Dalit MLA from Purkazi (Muzaffarnagar), who got a ministerial seat during UP cabinet expansion in 2024.
Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Indian Express
During ‘missing' woman's probe, cops deny harassment allegations, ‘casteist remarks' towards 3 women
Pune City police landed in controversy following action taken by them while providing assistance to their counterparts from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar in tracing a 'missing' woman. Three women in Pune — in whose company the 'missing' woman had been for a day — alleged that police tortured them and passed casteist remarks against them. However, the police have refuted the allegations. A missing report was filed at a police station in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar by the family of a 23-year-old woman who had left home a few days ago, but didn't return. A probe by Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar police had revealed the missing woman was in Kothrud area of Pune city. So a police team reached Pune and sought Kothrud police station's help in tracing her. On August 1, a damini squad (comprising only policewomen) from Kothrud police station questioned three women residing at a hostel in Kothrud, as the missing lady had stayed with them for sometime. The three women were also brought to Kothrud police station for inquiry. Later, the women alleged that they were beaten up at the police station. They also alleged that the police officials made casteist remarks against them. The issue was raised on social media by activists and politicians. The women demanded action against police officials under the SC & ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar held a meeting with Joint Commissioner of Police Ranjan Kumar Sharma and other senior police officials demanding action against the cops who allegedly harassed the women. Dalit leaders Prakash Ambedkar, Sujat Ambedkar and others from Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi also levelled allegations against the police for making casteist comments against the women. The women staged protests even in the night at Pune City police Commissionerate. One of the women submitted a complaint application regarding harassment to police on August 2. Senior police inspector Sandip Deshmane of Kothrud police station gave her a reply in writing on August 3 that a prima-facie inquiry into her complaint found no substance and so no offence can be registered against the cops in this case. Deshmane stated that the alleged incident did not take place in 'public view' and the complainant was not able to give concrete material supporting the allegations. The woman then filed another complaint application at Pune Police Commissionerate around 2 am on August 4. Deshmane also replied to this application that no substance was found in the allegations. Meanwhile, the woman who reportedly went missing from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar was traced to Pune. She gave a statement that she left her home due to harassment from her husband and in-laws, police said. Political leaders and activists have demanded an investigation against her father-in-law, who they claimed is a retired police officer and allegedly exerted pressure on the police department for taking wrongful action in this case.
