1. Ashis Nandy was booked a day after remarks he made during a discussion at the Jaipur Literary Festival, under Section 3(1) of the SC/ST Act, "which is non-bailable and invites a 10-year jail term. This section pertains to the actions of a non-SC/ST person, performed with the intention of humiliating a member of the group." Details here, with many links providing opinions and news. Sign a petition here if you want to protest.
2. Salman Rushdie's visit to Calcutta this week has been called off. Rushdie has been travelling India promoting the film Midnight's Children with director Deepa Mehta and cast member Rahul Bose. However, "The intelligence branch and the (Calcutta) city police told PVR, the Indian distributors of Midnight’s Children, that if Rushdie came to Calcutta, he would be sent back on the next flight, according to the sources." Details here.
3. Kamal Haasan's film Vishwaroopam has been banned in TamilNadu because some Muslim groups in there allege that the film's portrayal of Muslims is offensive and derogatory. Reacting to the controversy surrounding the film, Leela Samson, chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification, said that it was “unjustified”. “This puts the entire film industry and the artistic creative spirit of Indian people under a strain. How will people express themselves freely? And he (Haasan) is not irresponsible. I have seen a lot of irresponsible film but this is not one. So I think it is absolutely unjustified,” Samson said. Details here.