Comment - Himal Southasian

Nepal’s brutal history of police violence in the Madhesh

Police shootings following communal violence in Sunsari are just the latest reminder of the lethal policing long inflicted on Nepal’s Madhesh region

By Anjali Sah

/ 7 Aug 2026

Nepal’s brutal history of police violence in the Madhesh

The BJP’s victory in West Bengal belies Bengali exceptionalism and bhadralok liberalism

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s unprecedented electoral victory in West Bengal exposes the deep Bengali roots of Hindu nationalism and shatters the myth of secular bhadralok liberalism

By Ankush Pal

/ 19 May 2026

The Indian prime minister Narendra Modi bows with folded hands before a large garlanded portrait of Rabindranath Tagore, surrounded by flowers at a commemorative event.

The BJP and Modi’s quest for a supermajority

Halfway through the Narendra Modi government’s third term, the BJP has amped up efforts to gain a two-thirds majority in the Indian parliament and open the door to drastic constitutional change

By Shweta Desai

/ 13 May 2026

The BJP and Modi’s quest for a supermajority

Vijay and the limits of cinema stardom in Tamil Nadu politics

The superstar is aiming for a grand entrance into politics in Tamil Nadu’s 2026 assembly election, but history tells us stardom alone will not be enough to challenge the state’s duopoly of Dravidian parties

By Vignesh Karthik K R

/ 17 Apr 2026

A collage centred on an illustrated Vijay in a red shirt, smiling and raising his hand in greeting, framed by a circular halo

India’s giant step backwards on transgender rights

India’s hastily passed Transgender Amendment Bill dismantles self-identification rights and walks back on constitutional promises

By Ankush Pal and Muskan Tibrewala

/ 30 Mar 2026

India’s giant step backwards on transgender rights

Hindi cinema’s appalling descent into Islamophobia and Hindu nationalism

From manufacturing mythic pasts to promoting muscular nationalism, militarism and Islamophobia, Hindi cinema is increasingly aligning with Hindutva politics, and ripping up Indian secularism and democracy in the process

By Raza Rumi

/ 17 Mar 2026

Hindi cinema’s appalling descent into Islamophobia and Hindu nationalism

More mass graves at Chemmani and Sri Lanka’s old failures of justice

An observer of the 1999 Chemmani exhumations reflects on newly uncovered mass graves and Sri Lanka’s continued failure to deliver justice for Tamil victims of war-time crimes

By Ingrid Massagé

/ 28 Oct 2025

An archaeologist at the the Chemmani mass grave site excavates partially unearthed human skeletons from the sandy ground, wit

A sports journalist’s journey alongside the rise of Sri Lankan women’s cricket

The success of Chamari Athapaththu and Sri Lanka’s women’s cricket team is showing a new generation of girls where their dreams can take them, and opening doors to women in media and other adjacent fields

By Estelle Vasudevan

/ 24 Oct 2025

Captain Chamari Athapaththu raises her arms in celebration during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup match between Sri Lanka W

Despite Wickremesinghe’s arrest, Sri Lanka’s politics is stuck in its old loop

Former president Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested for misuse of public funds, but opposition leaders have opted to grandstand rather than press for reform

By Marlon Ariyasinghe

/ 26 Aug 2025

Ranil Wickremesinghe surrounded by police and lawyers coming out of the courtroom after being arrested for misusing state fun

How the Tablighi Jamaat is reshaping Khyber Pakhtunkhwah and opening doors for radicalisation

The Tablighi Jamaat’s orthodox Islamic preaching has gained mass popularity in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwah, where many Pashtuns complain it is transforming their culture and creating the potential for radicalisation and militant recruitment

By Naveen Khan

/ 8 Aug 2025

Bangladesh’s flawed attempt at transitional justice after Sheikh Hasina

The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, constrained by its own limitations and a volatile political climate, risks continuing the abuses of the Sheikh Hasina regime in its efforts at transitional justice

By Cyrus Naji

/ 26 May 2025

A group of activists in Bangladesh participate in a protest holding photographs of missing persons. They are carrying signs w

Pakistan loses nothing from India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty

Pakistan’s paranoia over India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam attacks is unfounded, lacking an understanding of geography, hydrology or its water security

By Daanish Mustafa

/ 20 May 2025

Pakistan loses nothing from India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty