"Dr. Dinanath Batra’s books are popular among school kids in Gujarat.e. His books are a must-read in Gujarat. Gujarat State education minister prescribed his books as reference books complementing the prescribed text books as per the syllabus In order to get a peek into Dr.Batra’s books, the following is a passage on stem cell technology in ancient India from his book titled Tejomoy Bharat.
'Zakia Jafri, a frail 76-year-old, has begun what may be the last legal battle to pin blame on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for deadly riots that shook Gujarat when he was chief minister, and claimed her husband's life. Modi denies any involvement in the 2002 unrest, one of the worst outbreaks of religious violence in independent India. In 2013, a panel appointed by the Supreme Court said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him. It was the third investigation to come to the same conclusion.
'One police official saw his promising career flatline and was dogged by minor misconduct charges until he took early retirement this year. Another endured a long suspension before being fired last month, but not before a sex video surfaced that purported to show him with a mistress. (Apart from the receding hairline and healthy mustache, his wife said, he looked nothing like the man on screen.) A third faces a possible inquiry into decade-old charges of disclosing sensitive information. It could cost him his pension.
'Violence is part of Hardik Patel's psyche. The media reports his talk of breaking hands and gouging out eyes but passes little judgement on it... Here’s a young firebrand fighting for concessions for his community, who in every conversation, speaks about breaking/cutting the hands of anyone who dares touches ``our daughters and sisters’’. Yet, no reporter has yet asked himwhy he has to bring in his community’s women while talking about his fight for reservation.'
"The vast and unprecedented mobilisation of young, middle-class Patels, or Patidars, as seen at the Kranti Rally on August 25, is a symptom of the unrest simmering in a globalised Gujarat. The government’s repeated projection of Gujarat as a state where “all is well” has been undermined by the scale and strength of this protest, which took the government, political parties and the media by surprise. Among all the castes in Gujarat, the unity of the Patidars — which often publicly manifests as caste patriotism — is taken as a given in the public discourse.
'Amidst alleged threats to judge Ms Jyotsna Yagnik who had convicted Maya Kodnani, Babu Bajrangi and others for their involvement in the Gujarat 2002 riots, a former judge has now come forward and claimed that he and other judges were tried to be pressurized by the state government (then ruled by Narendra Modi as chief minister) to act against the minority community following the riots.
"The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seemed to have got what they wanted. A Mumbai court on Friday turned down the anticipatory bail plea of social activist, Teesta Setalvad, and her husband Javed Anand in a CBI probe into alleged violations of Foreign Contributions Regulatory Act (FCRA) in the running of her non-governmental organisation, the Sabrang Trust. However, within hours, the Bombay high court extended Setalvad’s interim bail. But, the conflict is far from over.
"The hounding of Teesta Setalvad is timed to coincide with the publicly articulated urge of the Prime Minister to get a "clean chit" from the courts in relation to the ongoing cases in Gujarat, which Teesta has been doggedly pursuing. She is the victim of the pursuit for justice. We are being asked to roll back the clock, consign the 2002 Gujarat carnage to the dustbin of history and replace Teesta Setalvad as the villain, who hounded the then chief minister...Can the collective amnesia on the Gujarat riots, and the view that we must move on be legitimized?
To begin with, the aims and objectives of both CJP and Sabrang Trust as contained in their founding documents are wide enough to allow for a wide range of activities. However, since its inception in 2002, CJP’s core concern has been to provide legal aid to the victims of mass crimes. Sabrang Trust’s main focus has been, one, Khoj (education for a plural India) programme run in schools, and two, conflict resolution and peace building.
"The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday extended the bail of Babubhai Patel alias Babu Bajrangi, sentenced to life imprisonment in 2002 Naroda Patiya massacre, for ten days with a condition that he would not seek further extension. Bagrangi is on temporary bail for three months which ends on July 24. This relief had been granted for his eye treatment. Eventually, Bajrangi has stated in his application seeking further extension of bail for a month that he has lost his eyes.
