Observers of the saga of genetically modified cotton, or Bt cotton, in India would have felt a sense of déjà vu when Bharatiya Kisan Union activists recently torched a field growing genetically modified rice in Haryana. Back in November 28, 1998, farmers belonging to the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha torched a field growing Bt cotton in Karnataka, launching Operation Cremate Monsanto—a protest movement targeting the US multinational that introduced this technology into India in collaboration with its seed partner Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Ltd (Mahyco).