Whither Human Rights in India: Critical Essays on Democracy, State Power, Civil Liberties & the Lived Realities of Dalits, Adivasis, Minorities & More

Whither Human Rights in India, edited by Anand Teltumbde, one of India's prominent human rights activists, is a searing and indispensable anthology that brings together some of the most important thinkers, activists and human rights defenders of our time. The essays trace the historical and ideological roots of India’s human rights discourse―from colonial legacies and constitutional guarantees to the challenges posed by majoritarian politics, state violence and systemic inequality.

Contributors critically examine institutions and practices shaping the current landscape: judicial responses, hate speech, impunity, 'bulldozer justice' and contested models of development. They also turn to the lived realities of vulnerable communities―Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, Christians, women, children, LGBTQI+ people and prisoners―whose struggles for dignity illuminate the larger battle for justice and democracy.

Featuring incisive contributions from Harsh Mander, Kalpana Kannabiran, Aakar Patel, Teesta Setalvad, Gautam Navlakha, Mihir Desai and others, this volume offers an unflinching exploration of human rights at a critical juncture in India’s history.

Dedicated to the memory of Father Stan Swamy and Prof. G. N. Saibaba, Whither Human Rights in India is both a record of resistance and a call to rethink the future of democracy and human dignity.

Anand Teltumbde is a leading public intellectual, author and civil rights activist. He’s also regarded as one of the foremost authorities on Ambedkar and the Dalit movement in India. A polymath, his scholarship ranges from socio-political analysis to big data analytics. 

Among his significant books are The Radical in Ambedkar (ed., 2018), The Republic of Caste (2018), Dalits: Past, Present and Future (2016), Mahad: The Making of the First Dalit Revolt (2016), The Persistence of Caste (2010), and Khairlanji: A Strange and Bitter Crop (2008). Teltumbde regularly contributed to Mainstream, Frontier, Seminar and most leading English newspapers and wrote Margin Speak, one of the longest running columns in the Economic & Political Weekly. He held top management positions in his corporate career and taught at IIT, Kharagpur and Goa Institute of Management Business Management and Big Data Analytics respectively.