The Simulia madrassa, on the outskirts of Bardhaman town in West Bengal, allegedly had links with Gulshana Bibi and Amina Bibi, the women arrested after the October 2 blast in the town. The NIA alleges the madrassa trained poor Muslim women in jihad. The madrassa had an unwritten convention: The women trained there would be married only to men who were on the same 'mission.'
A 23-year-old inmate who escaped from the Akshaya Trust home, founded by CNN hero Narayanan Krishnan, alleges that she was raped. This has cast a shadow over the non-profit organization, that houses mentally ill inmates in Madurai. A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com investigates the controversy.
The controversy over Sant Rampal and his army of followers taking the law into their hands has once again thrown the spotlight on the clout that India's godmen possess.