Usha Rani 40, tolerated her husband's drunken violence for years but the last straw came when she saw him trying to rape their 13-year-old daughter. She grabbed her son's cricket bat and bashed his head several times. Jothibasu 45, died shortly after in hospital.

Married nearly 20 years, the couple had three daughters and a son. Jothibasu who did odd jobs for a living had a history of violent behaviour. They separated in 1995, but Jothibasu kept coming back and each time Usha Rani lodged complaints with police. They finally separated again in 2007, recently Jothibasu returned home again, promising police he would live peacefully with his family.

Sadly he reverted to his heavy drinking and on the evening of the incident, he beat his wife and when he tried to force himself on their daughter, Usha Rani killed him.

Hours after confessing to the police, Usha Rani walked free. The local police were well acquainted with the couple's troubled life. They said it was clear the woman had no alternative and committed the crime in self defence.

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Sulabh International an Indian NGO for environmental sanitation, awarded young newly-wed Anita Bai of a tribal village for her courage in running away from her in-laws' home because they did not have a sanitary indoor toilet facility.

The NGO announced a cash award of Rs.5 lakhs and described Anita as a 'revolutionary of a different kind' and an inspiration for others in India, where over 660 million people still defecate in the open, causing serious diseases.

Anita Bai from Chichouli village in Madhya Pradesh returned to her parents' home even though her in-laws assured her they would provide a toilet. She returned to her husband only after he built a toilet with the help of a Gram Panchayat grant.

According to the founder of Sulabh International, Bindeshwar Pathak, the chronic shortage of proper plumbing is ironic in a country that has more mobile phones than toilets. Sulabh has thus far built toilets for 10 million people in India.

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Parmjit Singh a convicted murderer, walked out of jail unhindered, after getting three jail wardens drunk and stealing the keys from one. Jail authorities only realised the prisoner had escaped the morning after.

The disgraced and suspended wardens of the Nabha Jail in Sangrur are Joginder Singh, Bikar Singh and Parmjit Singh. Oddly enough prisoner Parmjit was jailed in 1998 after he murdered a jail warden posted in Malerkotala jail.

During his stay in Nabha jail for the last 14 years Parmjit struck up a friendship with many jail wardens including the three suspended officers.

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A 15-year-old grade 9 boy of St. Mary's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in Chennai stabbed his teacher to death in a classroom because he was angry with her for scolding him.

The son of a daily labourer repeatedly stabbed his science teacher Uma Maheswari 42, who was sitting in another class, when the lad stormed in with a knife. Ms Maheswari died on the spot.

The boy tried to flee after the murder but was caught by teachers and students and handed over to police.

His schoolmates described the boy as mild and aloof.

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Gudda 18, who was in a three year gay live-in relationship with his partner, locked himself in a room, dressed in bridal finery, a red sari, matching jewellery, a 'bindi' and make-up. He also wrote the name of his lover Rajesh Rajak on his forehead before hanging himself in a neighbour's cowshed while the rest of the people of Muwar Village, Bhopal were at a wedding.

When the villagers returned after the wedding they found the young man hanging from the cowshed ceiling. No suicide note was found. All that police found was Rajesh's name written in red ink on the dead boy's forehead.
Police say Rajesh 27, was a tabla player in a group that travelled and enacted the Ramayana. Gudda was a dancer with the same troupe.

Trouble started after Rajesh's family objected to their affair and told him he would have to marry a girl. Rajesh told Gudda of his decision to leave him and abandoned him and left the village.

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