The victims of the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat are still to get justice but are determined to continue the fight. SAIRABEN SANDHI and Rupa Mody sit quietly on the back benches at the Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Ahmedabad watching the proceedings in the Zakia Jafri case. Both the women have witnessed immense tragedy. One saw her son killed, while the other has been searching for her missing son for the...

-The Hindustan Times   On the night of February 5, a woman, on her way back from visiting a nightclub in Kolkata’s Park Street area, was raped inside the vehicle in which she had been offered a lift. Horrifying as it is, the violence perpetrated was not unique in the annals of urban crime. A mother of two, the 37-year-old was alone, her companions having already left. She had been drinking for a...

Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), the apex authority for approval of large-scale field trials and commercialisation of GM crops, has decided to hold “dialogue” with state governments to iron out irritants being faced in the grant of no objection certificates (NOC) for GM crops’ trials. The development comes after the Centre’s Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation and GM seed industry association petitioned the GEAC regarding the delay or denial of NOC...

West Bengal is slowly turning into a politically volatile state again. Two CPIM activists including a former MLA, Pradip Taa were beaten to death in Burdwan on Wednesday morning. CPIM workers under the leadership of Taa, were holding a rally at Dewandighi near Burdwan town to mobilise public support in favour of the February 28 Bharat Bandh which has been called by the Left trade unions. The rally was attacked by...

-The Economic Times It is a matter of great regret that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's conduct has converted one incident of rape into a series of offences against human dignity and propriety. The rape took place on February 6, a woman being gang-raped inside a car at gunpoint. She had trouble registering a case. When the police finally obliged, chief minister Mamata Banerjee called it a fabricated case, a political...