It sounds like an oxymoron, but it is starting to smell that way. The controversy over destruction of a mosque near the Golden Temple of Dambulla—a Buddhist cave-temple in central Sri Lanka which has been a pilgrimage destination since the third century, and is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site—bears echoes of the 1992 destruction of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, India, which ultimately led to the Gujarat genocide. This May 2 report by Sudha Ramachandran for Asia Times (interspersed with our annotation) is pretty chilling:

A trial court in the west Indian state of Gujarat on April 9 convicted 23 people of crimes committed during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The individuals were convicted on charges of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, rioting, unlawful assembly, and destruction of evidence over their participation in the killing of 23 Muslims, 18 of whom were women, in the riots that left more then 2,000 dead. An additional 23 individuals were acquitted. This specific incident became known as the "Ode massacre" for the village of Ode, where Muslim families were locked in homes that were then set on fire. The Ode massacre is the third out of 10 incidents during the riots that have been probed by a Special Investigating Team.

Millions of workers walked off their jobs across India on Feb. 28, with the telecoms, transport sector and postal service most affected. The "all-India" 24-hour general strike was most universally observed in the southern state of Kerala, which remains effectively paralyzed. The Congress-led government in the state has enforced a dies non (no work—no pay) order against the public-sector strikers. Among other demands, strikers want the government to contain inflation, provide universal social security for workers in the vast "informal" sector, and to stop selling off stakes in state-run companies. The action constitutes the 14th general strike since India liberalized its economy with major reforms in 1991. (Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Feb. 28)

Indian police detained two members of an Italian navy security team Feb. 19 over the fatal shooting of two fishermen from an Italian oil tanker off the coast of Kerala state four days earlier. Italian officials said the fishing boat behaved aggressively and ignored warning shots. They said they opened fire, assuming they were pirates. India said the fishermen were unarmed. Indian police have opened a murder enquiry into the deaths, while Italy is demanding release of the detained guards. The two have been remanded into judicial custody for 14 days by a local magistrate. The Italian ambassador in Delhi was summoned by the foreign ministry over the shooting. The two countries are at odds on whether the incident took place in waters under India's territorial jurisdiction. Indian Defence Minister AK Antony described the killings as "very serious." The tanker, MV Enrica Lexie, bound for Singapore, is now anchored off the port of Kochi. (The Hindu, Times of India, Feb. 21; BBC News, Feb. 19)

India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is pledging an in-depth investigation after the Feb. 9 killing of controversial fugitive paramilitary leader Kartam Surya in a road ambush by presumed militants of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist)—better known as Naxalites—in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh state. Dubbed the "Scourge of the Maoists," Surya, 29, began his career in counter-insurgency as a "Special Police Officer" in 2005, when the semi-official corps was created. The SPOs are leaders of an irregular anti-guerilla force known as the Salwa Judum, overseen by the official security forces. Surya grew to head his own Salwa Judum militia, the "Surya Group" or "Koya Commandos," which was trained by the Grey Hounds, an elite unit of the state police of Andhra Pradesh (bordering Chhattisgarh on the south). A Chhattisgarh state police honor guard attended his funeral, and state government officials honored him as the "Bastar Tiger," after the southern region of Chhattisgarh where he operated. But rights groups objected to this lionization; petitions filed with India's Supreme Court accuse Judum members and SPOs of over 500 murders, 99 rapes and 103 acts of arson.

Police and supporters of deposed Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed clashed Feb. 8, leading to the death of at least two who were protesting Nasheed's removal from power a day earlier in what is being called a coup d'etat. Clashes have spread beyond the capital of Male to several outlying islands, where protesters are reported to have seized several police stations. The Maldives had its first-ever democratic elections in 2008, bringing former political prisoner Nasheed to power and ending 30 years of rule under President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Nasheed now charges Gayoom and his supporters instigated street protests that preceded his removal. He said some 20 police and army rebels forced him at gunpoint to resign, which he later did live on TV. The weeks of protests were ostensibly over the detainment of senior criminal court Judge Abdulla Mohamed, who was arrested last month for corruption. But Mohamed was arrested by the military—an unprecedented move—following his ruling to release a government critic. Local media reported hours after Nasheed's removal that Mohamed had been released .

Molajula Koteswar Rao AKA "Kishenji," most-wanted leader of India's Naxalite guerillas, was killed in a gun battle with security forces in the Burisole jungle region of West Midnapore district, West Bengal, authorities said Nov. 24. Sympathizers of the Maoist rebel movement as well as human rights groups immediately questioned the government's version of events, and charged that Kishenji had been illegally executed. Varavara Rao of the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committeeo called the slaying a "political murder." The New Power website said, "These fake encounters mask a campaign of targeted assassination." (PTI, Nov. 27; NewPower.org, Nov. 26)

A court in the Indian state of Gujarat on Nov. 10 convicted 31 people of crimes committed during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The accused were convicted of murder, arson and rioting. Charges of criminal conspiracy were dropped by the court. All 31 of the convicted were sentenced to life in prison and required to pay a fine. The court acquitted 42 other defendants. The riots stemmed from anger over the death of 60 Hindus in a fire aboard a train. Violence targeting Muslims lasted three days, leaving more than 1,000 dead. Teesta Setalvad, an activist working on behalf of the riot victims said she welcomed the sentences but expressed disappointment that the investigation team look into a possible conspiracy behind the riots.