Over the past few years, Bernie Sanders has become a widely talked-about personality across the US and the world. He was born in 1941, New York, graduated from the University of Chicago, where he was a member of the civil rights movement and the Young Socialist League. In 1981, he moved to Vermont and got the position as mayor of Burlington. He became a senator in 2005, well-known for having strong virtues and an anti-Wall Street stance – which sparked the attention of many potential supporters, including famous personalities such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Denny DeVito and Mark Ruffalo, and even Steve Wozniack, one of Apple's founders.

In essence, liberalism is a way of understanding human nature; designed to enable everyone to freely reach prosperity (according to their own potential) in a society that minimizes social conflicts. At the same time, liberalism relies on two key aspects: tolerance and trust in reason.

It is a clear indication of the desperation being felt by the IB establishment as the heat turns on its senior officers in the Ishrat Jahan probe, that they are down to doing what they do best: use pliant sections of the media to plant stories to deflect scrutiny and create a favourable public mood.

Exactly one year after the CRPF mowed down 19 villagers who had gathered to celebrate the traditional seed festival in their village in Bijapur district, the act has been repeated: the same festival, the same district, the same class of unfortunate villagers, and the same set of killers. In an 'encounter' that villagers in Chhattisgarh allege to be fake, security forces killed 8 villagers near Edasmeta village in Bijapur district on Friday night. Three of those killed were minors.

Khalid Mujahid, proclaimed by the police as one of the executors of the serial blasts that rocked UP courts in November 2007, died in police custody yesterday (18th May 2013). This young man, with no past medical record, the police claim died of sudden medical complications, on his way back to Lucknow prison, having made his appearance in court in Barabanki in connection with the serial blasts case. In 2011, a report, Torture in India, had documented how custodial killings were rampantly passed off as sudden medical complications and natural deaths (ACHR, p. 8).

Last year, JTSA compiled and released a report documenting 16 cases where the Delhi Police, especially its Special Cell, had framed innocents as terrorists. An overwhelming number of these unfortunate men were from Kashmir. Despite the fact that we cited court judgements which reprimanded the Cell for refusing to join independent witnesses, for willfully violating established procedures, for illegally detaining accused and showing their arrests on later dates; for fabricating evidence and failing to provide an iota of evidence in support of their charges – neither the leadership of the Delhi police nor the Home Ministry felt the need for any enquiry.

We the undersigned condemn the sinister attempts to malign and hound activists engaged in ensuring justice for the victims of state sponsored violence against the minorities in Gujarat. In what has now become a pattern, powerful vested interests close to the ruling party in Gujarat, have again attacked Teesta Setalvad and Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP).

The NHRC has admitted JTSA’s statement condemning the assault on Dalit College teacher by Hindutva goons in Dhule (Maharashtra) as a formal complaint and ordered an enquiry into the assault.

In a grotesque replay of every investigation that follows a bomb blast, prejudice, misinformation and media blitz rules the direction of Dilsukh Nagar bombings investigation too. The same suspects and shadowy organizations are being paraded as executors of the Hyderabad bombings.

But should we be surprised? A day after the Home Minister’s humiliating capitulation to the RSS-BJP, virtually giving them and their affiliates a clean chit, the message to the investigating agencies must have been crystal clear.