-Scroll.in Hundreds have been arrested by the Delhi Police, even as the lockdown made scrutiny and access to justice difficult. On February 24, communal violence engulfed North East Delhi, leaving at least 53 people dead over the next three days, most of whom were Muslim. Exactly a month later, India went under a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Normal life came to a halt – but not...

-The Indian Express Locusts normally arrive during July-October, but have already been spotted in Rajasthan. At a time India is battling Covid, they present a new worry with their potential for exponential growth and crop destruction. On April 11-12, scientists at the Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) observed groups of grasshoppers at Sri Ganganagar and Jaisalmer districts of Rajasthan. But far from ordinary hoppers, these were desert locusts — the same destructive migratory...

-The Hindu North east coast also to have below normal rainfall; good rains in western States While the India Meteorological Department has predicted a normal monsoon, spatial forecast models show wide variations in rainfall across the country which can have dire implications for farmers, especially on the north eastern coast and the dryland areas of the Deccan. For instance, there are likely to be long dry spells and low rainfall in June and...

-Scroll.in Even the Delhi government’s compensation programme has been held up by the lockdown. Till a month ago, Haroon Ali had a home, work as a part-time driver and an additional source of income from supplying stationery to shops. Then the riots stormed through North East Delhi, uprooting hundreds. Ali and his wife, as their home and belongings in Shiv Vihar were destroyed by mobs. The family sought shelter in a relief...

As body count due to Delhi riots (some call it pogrom) rise above 45, it is essential to look at the official data related to communal incidents in the country. It is from the annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), one gets information about the number of communal incidents in different years, apart from the number of persons injured and killed in those incidents. There is one...