A group of Kanwariyas, religious pilgrims, beat up a man and smashed his motorcycle over a minor collision in Uttar Pradesh on July 10, while the police merely “pacified” the crowd and escorted the victim to safety. This is not an isolated incident, and there is a name for what such actions, now increasingly common, represent: para sovereignty. It refers to situations where groups outside the state act as if they have the authority to enforce rules, punish others and dominate public space – powers that belong solely to the state.

At least 11 people were killed and five seriously injured after the Gambhira Bridge in Gujarat’s Vadodara district collapsed into the Mahisagar River on the morning of July 8. The incident lays bare a longstanding culture of neglect and carelessness that defines public infrastructure governance across much of India.

On July 8, the Assam government began a demolition drive to clear land for a proposed thermal power plant in Dhubri district, targeting over 2,000 households of Bengali-origin Muslim families. The timing, method and impact of this operation raise serious questions about legal compliance, procedural fairness and ethical reasoning.

A joint forum of 10 central trade unions has called for a nationwide general strike, or “Bharat Bandh,” on July 9 in protest against what it calls the central government’s “anti-worker, anti-farmer, and anti-national pro-corporate policies.” With over 250 million (25 crore) workers expected to join from several critical sectors, the strike could be one of the most significant confrontations between the government and the country’s organised and unorganised workforce in recent years.

The European Union has decided to go ahead with its Artificial Intelligence Act on time, rejecting requests from some tech companies to delay it. This new law is meant to keep AI under control and protect people’s rights, safety and democracy. Countries in Asia, especially India, need to take this seriously. If they wait too long, AI systems might become common in daily life without any rules, and that can cause irreparable harm.

Vivek Singh, a fearless and thoughtful photojournalist whose camera often stood witness in places the rest of the country ignored, passed away on June 28 after a period of illness. The funeral is scheduled to take place on July 6.

A senior official in Odisha was assaulted inside his office by political supporters of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Jagannath Pradhan, who was arrested days later, after government officers across the state went on mass leave in protest. The incident reveals that political actors in the state believe the bureaucracy exists to obey them, and that violence is a legitimate way to enforce that obedience – which has consequences also for ordinary citizens who depend on a fair, functioning state.

Five police personnel in Tamil Nadu have been arrested for allegedly torturing a 29-year-old temple security guard to death in custody. He was detained without an FIR, subjected to prolonged assault and died without being charged or produced before a magistrate. The police, it seems, did not just act outside the law, they acted without regard for the existence of law altogether.

Starting July 1, petrol pumps in Delhi have been told to stop giving fuel to diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. These vehicles can also be impounded. Though the move is meant to reduce air pollution, it is based on the idea that the age of a vehicle shows how much it pollutes. This treats all old vehicles the same, even though many may be well-maintained or fitted with better technology to reduce emissions.