Tensions continue to run high in the southern state of Kerala as police crack down on protesters trying to stop women from entering the hill shrine of Sabarimala. It opened to all men and women in October after the Supreme Court lifted a ban on women aged from 10 to 50.

Krishna Kumari became Pakistan’s first Hindu-Dalit senator after she was elected to the upper house of parliament in March 2018. In an interview with DW, Kumari talks about the plight of religious minorities in Pakistan.

Hindu fringe elements in parts of northern India have resorted to mass protests and vandalism in a bid to block the release of “Padmaavat,” a film about a mythical Hindu queen. Protesters say the movie distorts history. – Author: Srinivas Mazumdaru

Her hair is tied up in a top knot. Thick kohl lines her eyes up to the temples. Her forehead is painted in red, with a silver agni chakchuu – the third eye, which is known as the fire eye – staring out from the center. She sits playfully on her mother’s lap while one by one people kneel down to offer her flowers, donations or simply to touch her feet. She appears shy to me, as if not used to receiving strangers. Despite the shyness, her eyes sparkle with curiosity.

The city of Vrindavan in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is also known as the ‘City of Widows’ and is home to an estimated number of 20,000 women who have lost their husbands. These women have been abandoned by their families and are shunned by the society because of many superstitions. Widows are said to bring bad luck and being a widow is considered the biggest curse for a woman.