The violent roots of caste-based vegetarianism – Southasia Weekly #53
This week in Himal
This week, Sohel Sarkar reviews three recent books unpacking the violent roots of caste-based vegetarianism. Sarkar writes that vegetarianism in India continues to be framed in terms of animal welfare and non-violence, obscuring the state-sanctioned brutality behind cow protection and the targeting of Dalits and Muslims.
For our next Podcast of the Week, host of the State of Southasia podcast Nayantara Narayanan interviews Yasmin Sooka, executive director of international non-profit International Truth and Justice Project about the naming of 60 Sri Lankan officials for sanctions and the pursuit of justice in the aftermath of Sri Lanka’s civil war.
Don't forget to send us your submissions for the latest edition of Himal Fiction Fest! Email editorial@himalmag.com by 1 April.
This week in Southasia
New Trump order delays legal proceedings against Adani Group
This week, US President Donald Trump paused enforcement of the 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), a US law banning the bribery of foreign officials. While signing the order, Trump said it would mean “a lot more business for America”, while the White House deemed the FCPA “over expansive and unpredictable” in a statement. The suspension could delay or even halt legal proceedings against the Indian conglomerate Adani Group, experts said. Under the order, US Attorney General Pam Bondi must review current and past decisions under the law and draft guidelines for enforcement. In November 2024, Gautam Adani and other senior executives were indicted for paying more than USD 250 million (INR 21 billion) to Indian government officials at the expense of US investors.
The order is only the latest in a series of sweeping executive orders impacting the Southasian region that Trump has introduced since winning a second term in office. It also came just before Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington on 13 March, with trade, tariffs and immigration key topics, highlighting Trump and Modi’s cordial relationship. Globally, there has been growing scrutiny on the Adani Group and its extractive footprint across Southasia, particularly since US-based short seller Hindenburg Research accused Adani Group of stock market manipulation and fraud - charges which the conglomerate denied.
Elsewhere in Southasia
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government behind possible ‘crimes against humanity’ as they used systematic, deadly violence against protesters to cling onto power, new report from the United Nations says
News outlet Maldives Independent (formerly Minivan) resumes operations, releases timeline of key events and news stories that broke after they suspended operations in January 2020
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party wins assembly elections in Delhi for the first time in 27 years after losing its majority in parliament last year
Bangladesh's security forces arrest over 1300 people across the country as part of the ongoing ‘Operation Devil Hunt’ led by the interim government to curb nationwide incidents of mob attacks and vandalism. Those arrested were mostly members of the Awami League, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s political party.
Myanmar’s junta forces burn nearly 200 homes in the northwestern region of Sagaing to punish communities that supported insurgents, sending more than 10,000 people fleeing for safety
Gyalo Thondup, elder brother of the Dalai Lama and former chairman of the exiled Tibetan government in India, has died at 97
More than 250 people held in cyber-scam centres in Myanmar’s Karen state freed by armed group amidst growing crackdown on operation of centres due to pressure from China
Delhi Police detains 14 Jamia Millia Islamia University students for protesting against the school’s disciplinary action for two PhD students that allegedly organised a demonstration last year, calling the administration’s action a ‘crackdown on student activism’
India’s Adani Group withdraws wind power deals with Sri Lanka after new government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said it was preparing to renegotiate the project for a lower price
A suicide bomb explosion outside a ministry building in Kabul killed a member of Taliban security and injured three others, two days after Islamic State-Khorasan took credit for an attack in northeastern Afghanistan that killed at least five people and wounded several others
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service expands to Bhutan, bringing high-speed internet connectivity to the nation and its remote areas
Nepal’s Madhesh-based Janata Samajbadi Party raises concerns about land ordinance, saying it favours corrupt government officials and could lead to destruction of Chure region in headache to ruling alliance
Only in Southasia!
Over the weekend, Sri Lankans found themselves in the dark for six hours. And Power Minister Kumar Jayakodi had an unusual explanation as to the cause - blaming a monkey colliding with a substation in Panadura, approximately 27 kilometres from Colombo. The news caused derision and of course, no end of monkey business from Sri Lankans in memes. Unfortunately, the outage meant that there were one and a half hour powercuts in certain areas through the rest of the week. As a comedian wryly commented in Sinhala, in a twist on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s campaign slogan, the country has indeed gone to the monkeys.
From the archive
The crackdown on comedy (May 2021)
This week, YouTuber Ranveer Allahabadia’s comments during a comedy roast show saw him being slapped with obscenity charges, while the host of the comedy show deleted his content. While media commentators pointed out that Allahabadia’s comments were in poor taste and others highlighted his links with prime minister Modi, the news also sparked discussions around censorship. Given this, Avantika Mehta’s 2021 article on the crackdown on comedy in India, particularly around criticism of the BJP government or Hinduism, is worth re-reading. Mehta writes that even comedians perceived as “politically neutral” have not been spared from censorship.