Dear Reader,

The release of Bilkis Bano’s rapists and killers of her family continues to haunt. Mojo Story, which first set the agenda for the national media, when an MLA of the ruling party attempted to justify and legitimise the release of the 11 convicts because of their so-called ‘sanskar’, launched an online petition that garnered around 26,000 signatures to urge the Supreme Court to send these men back to the gaol.

The campaign for justice and closure to Bilkis Bano has seen Mojo Story go beyond the event into the larger issues of the seeming entrenchment of the ‘rape culture’ in India. As part of the coverage, they also spoke to Sohaila Abdulali, an author and a rape survivor herself, who has written one of the seminal works on sexual violence and gender justice ‘What we talk about when we talk about rape’.

The Bilkis Bano travesty has also rekindled the horrors and nightmares of the past. The Probe reached out to the victims of the 2002 riots at the Baria relief camp where the families from Randhikpur, a village in the Dahod district of Gujarat, are housed. Following the release of the convicts by the Gujarat government, the fears and nightmares of a repeat of what happened two decades ago are back.

Online gambling is increasingly becoming a dangerous game, taking young lives. Initially lured by ‘easy money’ and then addicted beyond reason to avarice, the downward spiral to debt, depression and then death is now a scenario that is increasingly being played out among online gamblers.

Adding to the fire is a ‘regulatory vacuum’, with the state and the courts taking contrasting positions. MediaNama, therefore argues that a policy is urgently needed which defines the legality of particular ‘gambling games’, enforces an oversight mechanism and protects citizens from harm.

The condition of the members of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) is perilous with abysmal support from the state. Main Bhi Bharat reports from the Sahibganj district in Jharkhand on the wretched state of the schools in the Pahariya Adivasi (a PVTG community) villages, where there are no regular teachers, toilets or even provision for something as basic as drinking water.

For more stories from the grantees this week, please read on.

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF

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Author, Gang-Rape Survivor at 17 on Bilkis Bano case - Sohaila Abdulali

In light of the Bilkis Bano tragedy in Gujarat, Mojo Story discusses the issue of the entrenched and growing ‘rape culture’ in India.

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Bilkis Bano convicts’ release: Muslim families who fled village reveal shocking details

The Probe travels to Baria relief camp, where the families from Randhikpur, a village in the Dahod district of Gujarat, are living in fear and anxiety at the release of the Bilkis Bano's rapists and the celebrations by certain groups thereafter.

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India’s Unclear Gaming And Gambling Regulations Are ‘Playing’ With Lives

India needs an urgent and clear policy on regulating the online gambling space, as deaths linked to online gambling are significantly on the rise, says MediaNama.

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पहाड़िया कैसे पढ़ेगा?

Main Bhi Bharat brings you the state’s unconcern for the Pahariya villages in Jharkhand, where the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups live. Not only are the numbers of the community depleting but their children’s education and lives are increasingly at the mercy of an indifferent and apathetic administration.

Watch Here

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Jharkhand has been a state which has seen a large number of cases filed under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) -- 704 cases in the last 13 years -- for their alleged nexus with Maoism. The Caravan deep reports from the ground.
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Given the latest report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, which flagged the gaps in documentation of monuments and antiquities in the country, Live History India delves deep into the issues of ‘missing’ monuments and finds that far too little is done to protect heritage in the country.

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