![A close-up photograph of yellow crime scene tape in sharp focus reading "CRIME SCENE DO NO[T CROSS]", with a group of blurred figures standing in the background against a dark setting.](https://i0.wp.com/rootprivileges.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/joshua-coleman-g86cBfIbd6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=930%2C620&ssl=1)
State and crime
From ‘The Sulur horror story of child sexual assault and murder’, The Hindu, May 31, 2026: The abduction, sexual assault, and murder of the girl sent shock waves across Tamil Nadu, coming as it did…
May 2026
People, place, animal, disease
Is it a coincidence that more ‘complicated’ pathogens to vaccinate against and more poverty/poorer countries share a geographic area?
Find the dictionary
From ‘Measure for measure: On India’s courts and criticism’, The Hindu, May 21, 2026: In the Ali Khan Mahmudabad matter, the Court granted him relief from coercive action but also imposed a gag order. Then,…
Why analysis matters
I am a journalist… I think. I have been a desk guy most of my professional life (14+ years). In this time, I have commissioned and published hundreds of pieces, from news reports to investigative…
When is land more valuable — when it hosts a datacentre or a farm?
Excerpt from ‘Data center land use issues are fake’, by Andy Masley, May 2, 2026: Between 2000 and 2024, farmers sold in total a Colorado-sized chunk of land all on their own, 77 times all…
‘Hidden’ voting preferences
On May 4, former Tamil film actor C. Joseph Vijay and his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections as the single largest party. The magnitude of the victory was widely…
A political direction in life
Note to readers: Root Privileges is now Slightly Acidic. I’m a political creature. I didn’t think that I’d be one but I am. I believe this is a response to India’s present historical moment. Since…