Even if the cases of violence against women during the 2002 riots were to be overlooked, there have been a spate of rapes, which have made headlines in newspapers, but justice is yet to be delivered in several of them. In 2006, there were 354 instances of rape and 945 instances of kidnapping of women with or without torture, reported in the state. In 2007 the number of rapes reported has been 316 and the number of kidnappings, 1089. The final tally for 2007 is yet awaited.

Here is a look at the progress in some of the rape cases that came to light in recent times.

Bijal Joshi Suicide and Rape Case, Ahmedabad: Twenty-four-year old Bijal Joshi committed suicide on January 7, 2004 after she was gangraped and tortured by her boyfriend and several others during a New Year's party on January 1. Bijal took the extreme step for she believed the police were favouring the accused. Her sister then began a campaign for justice. Though some of the accused have been arrested, the main culprits are still at large.

Minor Girls Sex Scam in Vadodara: On March 1, 2007, the Vadodara Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) busted a sex racket in which the main victim was a 13-year-old girl brought to the city from Mumbai. Surat ACP B I Patel committed suicide by shooting himself when his name figured in the FIR. The main accused have been arrested and now await trial.

Rape of Minors in Saurashtra: A religious trip to Datar Hills in Saurashtra in May, 2007 turned tragic for two teenagers, one from Rajkot, the other from Junagadh, after they were raped by two men in a desolate spot. The girl from Rajkot was later killed. Poor police investigations in the aftermath of the crime had the Koli community, to which both girls belonged, seething. It also triggered a bit of politicking, but no major arrests have been made so far.

Taral Jadhav Murder in Ahmedabad: Twenty-six-year old Vadodara-born Taral was preparing for her IELTS examinations in Ahmedabad when her live-in partner, known only as Goldy, brutally murdered her and left her body in the guesthouse they were living in. The incident happened on September 11, 2007. Taral's parents later told the police that their daughter had met Goldy in London where she had gone for a vacation and they lived together in Ahmedabad for a year-and-a-half, without their knowledge, before her murder.