Victims have not forgotten the following brutal tragedies in the life of independent India, even if the State and political parties may pretend to have. 1984—Delhi: On October 31, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards in revenge for ‘Operation Bluestar’. For the next three days, as Doordarshan telecast the lying in state of her body, over 3000 Sikhs—men and boys—were burnt alive while policemen, politicians and...

Women speak out fears of resisting deep-seated taboos associated with menstruation, viewed even today as polluting in much of India The status of women in India, despite all the brave talk, remains as precarious as ever. This is, after all, a culture which not just condones, but actively encourages the termination of foetuses determined to be female. Other crimes of violence against women are routine. Can things ever change? We took...

A trail court in Etah in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday awarded the death sentence to 10 persons on the charge of murdering three persons, including a girl and her paramour, in a suspected case of honour killing. On the night of November 13/14, 2008 Rameshpal Singh, Udaypal Singh alias Bhura and Vidya were beaten up and then shot from point blank range by the girl's relatives at Bilkhatra village. The judgment was...

-BBC   A court in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has sentenced 10 people to death for killing a young couple who married against their parents' wishes. Vijaya, 18, and her husband, Udai Pal Singh, were killed by her family after they found out about the marriage, the court in Etah district heard. The groom's brother was also killed. India's Supreme Court recently said so-called honour killers should face the death penalty. It...

"The Earth upon which the sea, and the rivers and waters, upon which food and the tribes of man have arisen, upon which this breathing, moving life exists, shall afford us precedence in drinking." - Prithvi Sukta, Atharva Veda Land is life. It is the basis of livelihoods for peasants and indigenous people across the Third World and is also becoming the most vital asset in the global economy. As the...