Illegally grown GM aubergines highlight India’s continuing ambivalence to transgenic crops

An image showing Jairam Ramesh interacting with protesters as he arrives for the genetically modified BT Brinjal Consultancy program in Ahmedabad on January 19, 2010

Source: © Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images

Discovery has revived protests against the technology

An Indian farmer has been found illegally growing a genetically modified (GM) aubergine. The event immediately sparked anti-GM protests and anti-GM lobby groups have filed a public interest litigation in the supreme court demanding a complete moratorium on the growing of GM crops. The discovery highlights India’s ongoing, uneasy relationship with genetically modified organisms (GMO).