September 4, 1987: In Deorala, Rajasthan, 18-year-old Rajput bride Roop Kanwar performsSati on her husbands funeral pyre. A decade later, the legal proceedings continue.
In 86 the Supreme Court orders Shah Banos ex-husband to pay alimony. The Court is accused of violating the Shariat and a Bill is passed to protect Muslim personal law.
Grassroots environmental activism grows, inspired by the Chipko movement, in which Garhwal women clung to trees to stop a sports firm from felling them.
1987 sees 1,319 registered dowry deaths. The post-Emergency period sees the mushrooming of womens groups. In Kanpur, three Sahu sisters commit suicide in 88 as their father is unable to arrange dowry. They become symbols of womens oppression.
In 1987, a crusade against big dams is led by Medha Patkar who ropes in a large number of NGOs to oppose the Sardar Sarovar project. The World Bank is forced to review its funding norms for major development projects.
