-Tehelka   It is time India had a Good Samaritan law  It has been more than a year since the Nirbhaya rape case stirred the nation. Apart from the brutality inflicted upon the victim what else became a stigma for our society was the fact that no one came to the victim's rescue when the two were lying on the street naked and grievously injured. Of course people did cross them in luxurious...

-The Hindustan Times   Sakhri Nate: In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the 5,000-odd voters of Sakhri Nate, a Muslim village, took their day off from fishing activities, sacrificing a day's earning, to vote for Congress candidate Nilesh Rane. Five years later, the story is different. They have dared Congress leader Narayan Rane and his son Nilesh to enter their village. On Thursday, the Ranes cancelled their scheduled meeting here when they learnt that...

-The Hindustan Times Narendra Modi has in his poll speeches blamed the UPA government on more than one occasion for farmer suicides while admitting to just one such death due to agrarian reasons in 10 years in Gujarat. But an HT investigation has established his claim to be false. Copies of FIRs, last declarations by farmers and internal records of the state police accessed by HT reveal at least 54 farmers in...

-IANS Nagpur (Maharashtra): Distraught over not getting compensation for losses suffered in the recent hailstorm in Maharashtra, a farmer consumed poison in the Yavatmal Collectorate office, officials said Tuesday. The incident occurred late Monday. Farmer Janardhan Raut, 70, hails from Akpuri village and is now battling for life in a hospital. "There was this unfortunate incident just outside my office and we rushed him to hospital. We are taking details about the farmer,...

-The Indian Express New street vendors act is welcome. But questions of hawkers' rights come down to our understanding of city spaces and people. The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, 2014, was finally passed by the Rajya Sabha on February 19 and received presidential assent last week. This is to be lauded. Since the late 19th century, the official view has been to treat street...