DALITS/SCHEDULED CASTES - 2015
January to December - 2015
Compiled By
Fr. Paul G Documentation Centre∗
Pappu’s prescription to Dalits: convert to other religion to escape caste oppression (2)
Patna: Amid reports of conversion and re-conversion from different parts of the State, Rashtriya Janata
Dal MP Pappu Yadav has suggested that poor Dalits can convert to other religions to escape caste
oppression and prejudices. He also supported the Aamir Khan starrer PK and demanded a ban on
militant Hindu outfits for protesting against screening of the movie in theatres across the country. “Dalits
and poor people who are victims of caste oppression and prejudices in society should convert to
Christianity, Buddhism or any other religion of their choice. This is the only way for them to get rid of the
so-called thekedar [contractors] of religion,” declared the RJD MP from Madhepura. Mr. Pappu Yadav,
who, of late, has waged a war against corrupt doctors, further said that he too would have converted to
another religion had he been born in a poor and oppressed caste. “There is no way out to escape from
these dharm ke thekedars [religious contractors]”, he told The Hindu wondering why some people have
any objection to poor people converting to any other religion for their growth. “Why don’t they do
something for their welfare instead of hyping up their re-conversion?”, he asked. He further said that only
those people who were opposing conversions were against reservation for the backward and deprived
sections of society. “Do they think that those who have converted are their personal property?”, asked the
heavyweight MP, whose wife Ranjit Ranjan too is a Congress MP from the neighbouring Supaul Lok
Sabha constituency. They are the lone MP couple in the 16th Lok Sabha. While lashing out at Hindu
outfits like Bajrang Dal and others opposing the screening of PK, he demanded a ban on them while
suggesting that everyone should watch this “entertaining” movie. “I demand a ban on Hindu outfits
indulging in vandalism on movie theatres and burning posters of the film. Films are the mirror of society
but organisations like Bajrang Dal are making this issue political for their vested interest”, he said while
admitting that he watched the movie and found it a “complete entertainer with nothing objectionable”. He
said, he had also asked members of Yuva Shakti, a youth organisation formed by him, to confront those
protesting the screening of the film and indulge in vandalism. “When BJP veteran L.K. Advani has found
the film quite entertaining, why should not those who are protesting it?”, he asked. Recently, the five-time
MP, hit the headlines for waging a war against corrupt doctors fleecing poor patients in various ways in
the State. He had even prescribed fees for the doctors as per their qualifications and degrees to charge
from the patients. The doctors, though, have been opposing his move but the MP has been receiving a
warm response from the locals wherever he held a people’s court to raise the issue. “In the next two-three
days, I’m also going to file a defamation suit against state BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi who had earlier
said that the doctors of the State are frightened because of me. Giving such statements, he is tarnishing
my image,” said Mr. Yadav who, earlier, was acquitted of the murder of former Purnea MLA Ajit Sarkar.
Asked about the political situation in the State, he said Bihar needed leaders such as Arvind Kejriwal and
Mamata Banerjee “to make the functioning streamlined and corruption-free.” (The Hindu 1/1/15)
Bharat Ratna to two Brahmins discrimination against Dalits: Mayawati (2)
Lucknow: BSP supremo Mayawati Saturday accused the Narendra Modi-led NDA government of
discriminating against Dalit icons like party founder Kanshi Ram and social reformer Jyotiba Phule while
awarding Bharat Ratna to two Brahmins Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malaviya. She said the
∗
This is a collection of previously published news and views from the print as well as the electronic media, whose reference
marked at the end of each news items. Department of Documentation and Library (DDL) of the Indian Social Institute, New
Delhi neither claims to the veracity of the facts in the news nor subscribes to the views expressed.
move shows the “casteist” mindset of the Modi government. She also attacked the Centre for adopting
the “ordinance route” on key issues terming it “anti-farmer and made with an intention to give undue
benefit to the business community”. “The BJP government has the same discriminatory attitude as that of
the previous Congress-led UPA government. The Congress government had not declared national
mourning after the death of Kanshi Ram and the BJP government has continued with the same casteist
mindset. It has given Bharat Ratna to two persons from the same caste, which my party does not oppose,
but none from the Dalit or OBC category was chosen,” she said. Mayawati said Kanshi Ram should have
been given the highest civilian honour for his sacrifice and hard work for the upliftment of Dalits.
“Similarly, Jyotiba Phule, who belonged to a backward caste, should have been given the award for
working in the field of education and and efforts to establish equality in society. Taking exception to the
Modi government adopting the ordinance route, Mayawati said this was not in keeping with the spirit of
the Constitution. On the land acquisition ordinance, she said it was against the interest of farmers. “I do
not find it right…the amendments could have been brought in the next session of Parliament,” she said,
adding interests of capitalists were being safeguarded by the government. She said the NDA government
has not shown any interest in last seven months of fulfilling the promises made during the elections. She
alleged that as per a conspiracy, the quotafor Dalits and backwards was being neutralised by allocating
major works to the private sector. Mayawati also criticised the organisations affiliated to BJP, saying they
were hatching a conspiracy to spoil the atmosphere by raising the issue of conversion and promising a
‘Hindu Rashtra’. To a question on replacing Planning Commission by a new think-tank, NITI Aayog
(National Institution for Transforming India), she said government should concentrate on solving problems
of the poor and unemployed. “Changing names will not usher in any change in the country,” she said.
(Indian Express 4/1/15)
Dalit girl burnt alive at home in Ghaziabad, police suspect honour killing (2)
GHAZIABAD: A 16-year-old girl was burnt alive in her house in Hapur on Saturday during what her father
claimed was a robbery by four men. But a dodgy account of events the father gave has turned suspicion
on him, with the police not ruling out the possibility of an honour killing. In the complaint he filed at Kotwali
police station, Mahesh (45) claimed his daughter was killed by the four robbers for putting up a
resistance. According to Mahesh, they broke into the second floor house in Ganeshpura, where the Dalit
family lived, around 1am. The robbers allegedly took a pair of silver anklets from Mahesh's wife and were
leaving when 16-year-old Neetu raised an alarm. The men, Mahesh claimed, then doused her with
kerosene and set fire to her. But this theory, police officers said, fell apart when investigators visited the
crime scene and started making inquiries. None of the neighbours, for instance, reported hearing any
commotion from the building at the time Mahesh said Neetu was killed. Besides, there were seven family
members in the house, including Neetu, at the time of the alleged crime but no one else was injured.
Mahesh sells fruits to earn a living. Other than Neetu, he has three sons and a daughter. "The victim was
wearing gold earrings and so was her mother. Yet, both ornaments were secure. This casts a doubt on
the claims made by the family," said Kotwali SHO Rajender Singh Yadav. Each family member also gave
a different version of the cash allegedly stolen from the house. Another loophole the police found in
Mahesh's theory was his claim that the robbers had gained access to the house by jumping from the roof
of an adjacent building. "We inspected the building where Mahesh lives. It's not possible to jump into the
house from the adjacent buildings because of the distance between them," said Yadav. Hapur police
superintendent R P Pandey said, "It seems the girl's father filed a false complaint to mislead us. The girl,
a school dropout, was working as a domestic help in several households. Suspecting her of having an
illicit relationship, Mahesh had asked her not to work at some of the houses. It seems when she refused
to obey him, her father and other members of the family killed her. A number of facts pointing towards
honour killing have surfaced during our investigations." The police are yet to receive the girl's autopsy
report. As of now, police have lodged an FIR against four unknown persons under sections 302 (murder),
302 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 394 (robbery) of the IPC. The SP said they would take action against
the Mahesh based on findings of their probe. "Afresh FIR will be filed depending on the probe's outcome,"
said Pandey. (Times of India 5/1/15)
VHP rushes to prevent Dalits embracing Islam in Meerut (2)
Meerut: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has rushed to the “rescue” of about 60 members of a Dalit
community who had threatened to embrace Islam after they were not allowed to worship at the Balmiki
Ashram in Baghpat. The Dalits who are residents of Jamaalpur village in Meerut alleged they were not
allowed to celebrate Balmiki Jayanti, birth anniversary of Saint Balmiki on October 8, 2014 at the Balmiki
Ashram. They alleged that an upper caste priest of the Ashram had been discriminating against the
Dalits. The U.P. unit of the VHP approached the families and assured that action will be taken against the
priest if their allegations were found to be true. Shyam Sundar Singh, a member of the Dalit community
told The Hindu that an upper caste priest had put a ban on their entry in the Ashram which he claimed
belonged to Balmiki community. “There is an upper caste priest who has hijacked the Balmiki Ashram and
for quite some time now has been refusing us the permission to perform pooja inside its premise. We
have approached the administration against this kind of injustice,” he alleged. “If our grievances are not
solved by January 26, all of us will convert to Islam en masse,” he reiterated the threat. The local VHP
leader Sudarshan Chakra told The Hindu that he will look into the grievances of the Dalits to ensure the
Dalits don't convert. “We have approached the Dalit families who are angry at being discriminated. We
are going to sort out their issues and ensure that they get access to the ashram and perform puja there,”
he said. (The Hindu 6/1/15)
Dalit groups slam ‘casteist’ event in Hyderabad (2)
HYDERABAD: Banners recently put up across the city, inviting members of the Catholic Reddy
Association (CRA) to the 'tricentenary celebrations of Global Catholic Reddy families' on January 11, has
left some dalit Catholic Christian groups fuming. Lashing out at the organizers, these groups have termed
the event as regressive and 'casteist' in nature. "Dalits can never organize such lavish gatherings. We
fear that the CRA's event would further alienate us from the mainstream, owing to our weak economic
status. And this despite dalits representing 70% of the Christian population in both Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh," said Jerusalem Mathaiah, president of All India dalit Christians Samakhya. He said dalit groups
would stand in protest outside the venue, if the programme is not called off. "Though we have embraced
Christianity, caste issues are still haunting us. We already feel wronged by the fact that not many dalit
Catholic Christians have been elevated to high posts," Mathaiah rued. When TOI contacted CRA office,
Vijay Bhaskar Kommareddy speaking on behalf of the group said the tricentenary celebrations would be
nothing more than a community event being organised to mark the conversion of the first Reddy member
to Christianity 300 years ago. The incident took place in Anantapur in 1715. The CRA found support in
Christine Lazarus, former MLA in the erstwhile AP assembly, who strongly came out in defence of the
event. "We are living in a free country and there's nothing wrong if a community comes together to
celebrate an occasion," she said. (Times of India 7/1/15)
Dalits to organise panchayat over lack of temple access (2)
Meerut: Dalits living in Meerut villages on Friday decided to organise a panchayat to discuss the lack of
access to a Balmiki temple situated on Meerut Baghpat road. This comes a day after about sixty Dalits of
Jamalpur village in Meerut threatened to convert to Islam after they were denied access to the temple
allegedly by its upper caste priest. The aggrieved Dalits, who were denied permission to celebrate Balmiki
Jayanti on October 8, gave the deadline of January 26 for getting access to the temple failing which they
will convert to Islam. Meanwhile, the local BJP leaders continued to persuade them on Friday to let go of
their wish to convert to Islam. Premnath Dhingar, a local Dalit leader told The Hindu that more than 2
lakhs Dalits who live in Meerut countryside will attend the panchayat. “We will meet tomorrow [Saturday]
to fix the date of the panchayat. We will chalk out our future strategy about how to get access to the
temple which has been hijacked by upper caste people.” The VHP approached the Dalit families, asking
them not to convert to Islam and assuring them access to the temple but activists like Mr. Dhingar
remained unimpressed. (The Hindu 10/1/15)
Dalit man burnt alive in 'honour killing' (2)
Bhopal: A 23-year-old Dalit man and his two friends were allegedly burnt alive in a case of 'honour killing'
at the border of Balaghat and Seoni districts in Bhopal, police said on Sunday. Chandraboj (41),
Deendayal (30), Subham (18) and Vinod (25) were arrested for killing Dipak and his two accomplices on
Thursday for having relationship with a minor girl of their family, Balaghat's Tirodi police station in-charge
inspector Harish Yadav told PTI. "The killings were carried out for honour," he said. Chandraboj,
Deendayal and Subham were arrested on Saturday while the fourth accused was nabbed on Sunday,
Yadav said. The accused allegedly tricked the victim by sending him an SMS from the girl's phone asking
him to meet her at Dhobi Tola area three days ago, police said. Dipak along with his friends Rajesh (26)
and Nihal (18) rushed to meet the girl and were thrashed by the accused, Yadav said, adding that the trio
was locked in a jeep and the vehicle was set on fire by the accused. Chandraboj, uncle of the girl was
furious after he read some intimate messages sent by Dipak to his niece and thus hatched a plan to kill
the youth with the help of other family members, police said. Further probe in the matter is on, they
added. (DNA 11/1/15)
Bihar court acquits 24 accused in 1999 Dalit massacre (2)
Patna: Citing lack of evidence, a Bihar court Tuesday acquitted 24 people of the 1999 massacre of 22
Dalits, a government lawyer said. Additional District and Sessions Judge Raghvendra Kumar Singh of
Jehanabad district civil court pronounced the verdict. Outlawed Ranvir Sena men had allegedly killed 22
Dalits Jan 25, 1999, in Shankar Bigha village in Jehanabad. The Sena was a private army of landed
upper caste Bhumihars. The victims were landless agricultural workers and were all Dalits. Police had
filed an FIR against 29 accused in the case. Shankar Bigha is located near Lakshmanpur-Bathe where
the Ranbir Sena killed 61 agricultural workers belonging to backward communities in December 1997.
(Business Standard 13/1/15)
Dalit author accused of using abusive language, attacked (2)
TRICHY: A dalit writer and author of 'Oorar Varaintha Oviyam' (Painting by Villagers) Durai Guna was
allegedly attacked by members of his own community during Pongal celebrations on Thursday in his
native village in Pudukottai district. This is the second attack on the author after his book was published
last year. In 'Oorar Varaintha Oviyam', Durai Guna cites instances of atrocities against dalits in his native
village of Kulanthiranpattu in Pudukottai district. Guna lodged a complaint at the Karambankudi police
station against five dalits. Guna complained that since the launch of his book in July 2014, he has been
facing several threats. "The non-dalits in the village have been instigating dalits to attack me," Guna told
TOI. After several months, Guna had returned to his village to celebrate Pongal when he was attacked.
Indicating that it appeared to be a family feud, Pudukottai superintendent of police E S Uma said, "We
received two complaints, one from Durai Guna and another from Manickam, one of the five men against
whom the author complained. An FIR has been registered against both for using foul and abusive
language".Following an earlier attack soon after the release of his book, the author had moved the
Madras high court and sought police protection. Police said when the author arrived in the village on
Thursday he was accosted by five villagers, who verbally abused him. But, a couple of policemen, who
were on duty as part of his security, prevented any further attack.Durai Guna alleged that the non-dalits in
the village had been instigating the dalits against him. Fearing further reprisal, Durai Guna had moved to
Chennai after the first incident in August. His father Duraisamy, 65, registered a complaint with the police,
alleging discrimination and threat from the village panchayat president. (Times of India 18/1/15)
SC, ST students protest, allege discrimination by PU special cell (2)
CHANDIGARH: Members of Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA) on Wednesday staged a protest
outside the Panjab University (PU) vice chancellor office and alleged discriminatory attitude on part of
PU's Special Cell for SC/ST - especially against students coming from Haryana. ASA president Gurdeep
Singh said that the SC/ST cell of PU was not following guidelines of the University Grants Commission.
"We met the registrar, Col Guljit Singh Chadha, who assured us to redress the problems of SC/ST
students within two days," Singh added. ASA also demanded the transfer of SC/ST cell's superintendent
Chandarkanta. ASA, in its letter to the vice chancellor - a copy of which was sent to the chairman of
National Commission for Scheduled Castes - said that it had been receiving complaints from SC/ST
students of harassment by various departments and SC/ST cell, PU. "We have already written to your
office on several occasions about the discriminatory action of PU Special Cell for SC/ST but no action has
been taken against officials concerned," it read. ASA claimed that students of Haryana had been
submitting post-matric scholarship form to the state's welfare department since the implementation of
scheme, with no help from the PU cell. It said, "This is a big problem because sometimes freshers could
not find the welfare office. As per the UGC guidelines, it is the duty of the special cell for SC/ST to
advertise information about any scheme meant for SC/ST students and SC/ST cell should collect the
scholarship/stipend form from students through their departments and send it to the department
concerned." "We approached the SC/ST cell of PU, but they denied to accept the Post-Matric Scholarship
and replied that they have a duty to deal with the students of Punjab and Chandigarh only... due to the
discriminatory attitude of the Chandrkanta (suprintendent) of SC/ST Cell SC/ST students are facing
problems," the letter read. (Times of India 22/1/15)
NGO wants relief for Dalits attacked by group (2)
PUDUKOTTAI: Evidence, a Madurai-based non-government organisation, has urged the State
government to pay compensation to three Dalits allegedly attacked by a group of persons belonging to
upper caste at Manganur village near Gandarvakottai near here recently. The three Dalits – Marimuthu
(70), Rajasekar (29) and his brother Prabakaran (27) – were attacked by a group of persons belonging to
upper caste community near the panchayat union middle school in the village on Saturday. Previous
enmity between the two communities was said to be the reason behind the attack, according to police
sources. Of the injured, Marimuthu has been admitted to Thanjavur Medical College and Hospital. A factfinding committee from Evidence, after a visit to the village, said that refusal of the Dalits to beat the
‘thappu’, a percussion instrument, during a funeral procession is said to have triggered the issue. Irked
over their decision, the upper caste Hindus took objection to the brothers, Rajasekar and Prabakaran,
visiting a temple. Based on a complaint filed by Prabakaran, the police registered a case under Sec. 147
(rioting), Sec. 341 (wrongful restraint), Sec. 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and Sec. 506 (1) (Criminal
intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and Sec.3 (1) of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Three persons, R.Marimuthu (23), S.Ganesan (24) and S.Sivamani (23),
have been arrested and remanded to custody. The police have also registered a case against a group of
Dalits, based on a complaint from Thamaraiselvan, alleging that they had damaged a tea stall in the
village. (The Hindu 24/1/15)
Dalit man hacked to death in Odisha (2)
Kendrapara: A 40-year-old Dalit man was hacked to death at a village in Aul area of Odisha's Kendrapara
district, the police said Monday. The deceased, identified as Kailash Mallik, was hacked allegedly by
fellow villagers in a sudden fit of rage in Khandola village, about 30 km from here, the police said. The
profusely bleeding victim succumbed to injuries before he could be hospitalised, police said. About six
persons allegedly involved in yesterday's incident have been identified and search is on to arrest them,
police said. (Zee news 26/1/15)
Dalits scholarship: State in a fix over Centre’s directive (2)
CHENNAI: The State government finds itself in a tight corner over the latest directive of the Central
government to implement the Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme with regard to scholarship schemes
for Dalit students.As per the Centre’s decision, students covered under the scholarship schemes will, as a
matter of rule, receive the amount directly through their bank accounts. Recently, Secretary in the Ministry
of Social Justice and Empowerment Sudhir Bhargava sent a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary K.
Gnanadesikan, urging him to issue instructions regarding the DBT implementation for all the scholarship
schemes of the Ministry in an “effective and efficient way.” Even though the Centre’s move also covers
scholarship schemes meant for the Backward Classes/Most Backward Classes, its applicability to Dalit
and Scheduled Tribes students is posing a major challenge to the State government. After the revamp of
the post-matric scholarship scheme in 2012, the number of applicants and the amount sanctioned have
risen sharply. During 2009-2010, about 5.1 lakh students were benefited and the amount of scholarship
released was around Rs.170 crore. In 2012, the scheme’s norms were tuned to accommodate students of
professional courses liberally. In 2013-2014, the figure of beneficiaries went up about 6.81 lakh students,
registering a 25 per cent rise. The amount of scholarship released was around Rs. 898 crore, about 430
per cent increase. In fact, the State has got cumulative arrears of about Rs. 1,000 crore from the Centre
for the scholarship scheme, says a senior official. The issue does not end with figures. Given the nature
of the scheme, there is an element of the State’s share in expenditure. The State government has to
absorb about Rs. 353.5 crore every year. The Central funding comes into picture when the overall
expenditure exceeds this amount. The official says it is not practical to segregate the list of beneficiaries
for the purpose of cost-sharing. Even if it is done, the release of the scholarship may vary from one group
of students to another, causing confusion and anxiety among the student community. When asked for
reaction, a senior official in the Union Ministry says the Centre was conscious of the concerns of the
States. A software was being developed by the Department of Information Technology to ensure smooth
payment of scholarship to all students, irrespective of the source of funding. The official adds that till now,
22 States have furnished information on beneficiaries and modalities of disbursal of scholarship and
Tamil Nadu is not one of them. The Centre’s decision evokes varied response from Dalit activists. K.
Bharathi, national secretary of the Revolutionary Youth Association, says: “Even now, not all the eligible
Dalit students get the assistance and the State government’s orders are not being implemented in toto. It
is immaterial as to which government - Central or State - disburses assistance. There should be no
hassle for students in getting the assistance.” M. Bharadan, State organiser of the Ambedkar Kalvi
Nutrandu Iyakkam, says his organisation will oppose the Centre’s move towards DBT in the post-matric
scholarship scheme. “Nearly one lakh Dalit students pursuing engineering are benefited now, whereas
only about 30,000 students were covered earlier. So, the present system should remain and the role of
the State governments should not be reduced,” he emphasises. (The Hindu 27/1/15)
Atrocities against Dalits rising in UP: Punia (2)
Kanpur: National Commission for Scheduled Caste (NCSC) today said that that cases of atrocities
against Dalits are on the rise in Uttar Pradesh during the tenure of the present state government as
compared to the last regime. Addressing reporters here, NCSC Chairman P L Punia said, at present
several cases of Dalits are pending for a long time and their speedy disposal does not seem to be a
priority of the state government. Punia today held a meeting to take stock of the atrocities cases in
Kanpur division which was attended by senior administrative and police officials of Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur
Dehat, Auraiya, Etah, Farrukhabad and Kannauj districts. "During the tenure of the present government
there is no dearth in cases of atrocities against Dalits, but there is an rise in such cases," he said, adding,
this is because preventing Dalit atrocities is not the priority of the government. When asked whether
atrocities against Dalits have increased in UP during the tenure of present government as compared to
the tenure of last BSP government, he said, "Yes the crimes against Dalits have increased and several
such cases are pending." "One reason for this can be the fact that cases of Dalit atrocities are now
registered in police stations. The chief of last BSP government was a dalit just by name but issues
concerning Dalit were not priority for the last government," he claimed. "Incidences of rapes, atrocities
against Dalit used to take place regularly when the BSP government was in power, but the government
did not pay attention towards such incidences," he alleged. According to Punia, he is visiting all 18
divisions in the state after which he will meet UP CM Akhilesh Yadav to appraise him about the issue.
Punia said, prior to this he has reviewed the situation in Punjab, Kerala and Changigarh. During the
review, he said, the matters which are pending for last 2 years are being cleared. He has instructed all
District Magistrates and SSPs to appoint an officer of SDM rank for speedy disposal of cases of Dalit
atrocities and asked them to deal with such cases more seriously and with priority. According to him, all
SSP's have been asked to instruct the SHOs to immediately register FIR in such cases and asked them
to take action against the errant officers. Punia said that 38 out of 66 cases were disposed from Kanpur
city, 15 out of 20 cases were disposed from Kanpur Dehat, 13 out of 20 cases were disposed from
Auraiya, 2 out of 4 cases were resolved from Farrukhabad and 6 out of 8 cases were settled from
Kannauj. (Business Standard 30/1/15)
Dalit IAS and IPS officers neglected: Puthiya Tamilagam (2)
MADURAI: Puthiya Tamilagam founder K. Krishnasamy, on Monday, wanted the Centre to frame rules
which ensured that important posts for IAS and IPS officers in all States were given in rotation to officers
belonging to Scheduled Castes. Addressing the media, he accused the AIADMK Government of
neglecting the senior IAS and IPS officers belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the
State in appointment to important posts. “When both the Dravidian parties have never posted a Dalit
officer as Home Secretary, the AIADMK Government does not appoint them in any of important
positions,” he said. After 1967 not even a single Dalit IAS officer has become Home Secretary in the
State. Similarly, the AIADMK Government ignored Dalit IPS officers for top posts in the Police
Department, he said. The Centre’s role is only in recruitment of the civil servants who are then deployed
at the mercy of the State Governments. “The Centre should issue a standing order that would ensure that
the posts like Home Secretary and Chief Secretary are given to Dalits on a rotation basis,” he said.
Though he said that he was not completely in agreement with the senior IAS officer C. Umashankar on
his contention for taking up religious preachings, he said it could be out of neglect by the Government that
the IAS officer, known for his integrity, converted to Christianity. Dr. Krishnasamy said that Tamil Nadu
stood second in rime against oppressed classes in the entire nation, next only to Uttar Pradesh. “Among
those incidences, the southern districts accounted for the majority,” he said. “Southern districts have
turned into a field for atrocities against Dalits,” he said. He said that he would seek the intervention of
President of India for a setting up a special investigation team to probe into atrocities against Dalits. Dr.
Krishnasamy sought the Government to set up special courts to try cases registered under the Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act expeditiously. (The Hindu 3/2/15)
Dalit families facing discrimination: AGM (2)
KANNUR: Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha (AGM) convener M. Geethanandan has alleged that Dalit families
in a village near Azhikkal here are facing discrimination in connection with a local temple festival. Mr.
Geethanandan said at a press conference here on Monday that the Dalits in the area were facing threats
of violence and caste polarisation following the announcement of a stir by the Kerala Pattika Jana
Samajam (KPJS). The KPJS stir was against what it called “untouchability” in connection with the
“ezhunnellippu” ritual at Azhikkal Pambadiyal Temple.Mr. Geethanandan said that the KPJS would
organise a fast from February 4 to 7 against the alleged caste discrimination in the temple. A rally by the
Dalits would be held on February 7. The AGM convener also said that the exclusion of Dalit households
from the annual ritual was a violation of the Civic Rights Protection Act, 1955 and the Scheduled Castes
and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.The response of the temple authorities to this was that the
annual ritual would by custom be performed by the Thiya community alone. He said that nearly 400 Dalit
families lived in the neighbourhood.The samajam would participate in the talks convened by District
Collector P. Bala Kiran on February 3 to discuss the issue, he added. KPJS general secretary Thekkan
Sunil Kumar was among those present at the press conference. (The Hindu 3/2/15)
‘Protect Dalits of Kalayarkoil’ (2)
MADURAI: The Sivaganga Superintendent of Police should review the action taken on complaints of
atrocities against Dalit families living around Kalayarkoil, a fact-finding team has said. The three-member
team, led by former MLA R. Krishnan, which visited Kalayarkoil and surrounding villages on Tuesday,
alleged that many attacks on Dalit families did not come to light due to police inaction. When there was an
attack on Dalit habitations in Gandhi Nagar in Sembanur panchayat on January 16, instead of booking
the culprits, the police filed cases against 10 Dalits, including four women. The residents alleged that a
tea shop in the village was practising two-tumbler system and wanted the police to set up an outpost as
they were living in fear. A release from the fact-finding team said that Dalits of Easanur were denied their
traditional right to worship at the Ayyanar Temple during the annual festival through promulgation of
prohibitory orders. Dalits were prevented from using the common cremation ground at Velarendal village
by the dominant castes. A family of eve teasing victim had to leave Indira Nagar in Maravamangalam
after the police filed a cast against it. The release also referred to the attack on Kanchipatti panchayat
president Sekar by dominant castes. The team urged the Collector, T. Munusamy, to initiate action
against the police personnel who did not act on complaints of atrocities against Dalits and for withdrawal
of cases foisted on Dalits. The SP should be instructed to review the action taken on complaints filed by
Dalits. The team comprised P. Kavitha Kumar, journalist, and Viduthalai Veeran of Adi Tamizhar
Viduthalai Iyakkam, besides Mr. Krishnan. (The Hindu 5/2/15)
VHP to promote interdining with Dalits (2)
HOSUR: Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Togadia on Saturday said his organisation would launch
a movement for Hindus of all communities to remove untouchability and promote interdining with Dalits.
“Up to the point where Togadia is allowed inside a temple, a Dalit will also be allowed entry,” he told The
Hindu, when he was asked if he would launch a temple entry movement where Dalits were denied entry.
“The VHP will launch a movement in six lakh villages to interdine with Dalits, to drink out of the same well,
and to have common graveyard,” the VHP’s international working president said. Mr. Togadia was denied
entry into Bengaluru for the VHP’s national conference scheduled for Sunday. Arriving in Hosur, he
launched the VHP’s ‘Happy Healthy Hindu Scheme’ — a six-point action plan to ring in “prosperity for the
Hindus by providing food, health care, education, job, trade and security.” The action plan was to ensure
that every Hindu would act to remove untouchability and dine with Dalits. Criticising Karnataka Chief
Minister Siddaramaiah, Mr. Togadia said he was due to launch the scheme in Bengaluru, but he had to
do it from Hosur. “Mr. Siddaramaiah does not want health and prosperity for the Hindus of Karnataka,” he
said. Steering clear of any controversy, he said the only VHP activity for Valentine’s Day was “to bring
prosperity for Hindus.” Earlier, in his speech, Mr. Togadia touched upon issues such as ‘love jihad’,
conversions, cow slaughter and Haj subsidy. (The Hindu 8/2/15)
Unique tool to track atrocities against Dalits (2)
NEW DELHI: To monitor atrocities perpetrated against Dalits and Adivasis and to ensure speedy justice,
a unique web-based tool — Atrocity Tracking and Monitoring (ATM) System — has been launched. The
initiative falls under the aegis of the National Coalition for Strengthening SC/ST PoA Act (NCSPOA) by
the National Dalit Movement for Justice (NDMJ). A two-day training workshop will also be organised in the
city next month to promote the use of ATM System among the stakeholders concerned. “The ATM
System has been built with an objective to provide a tool in the hands of Dalits and Adivasis to report
atrocities and avail of timely justice. We hope it will be useful for Dalit human rights activists and
organisations, to create and maintain a repository of cases, track records, and facilitate information
exchange for timely action,” said V.A. Ramesh Nathan, general secretary, NDMJ. “At present, more than
100 atrocity cases have been reported from different parts of the country. The users of the States
concerned have sent e-mail and SMS notifications to the officials in their region regarding the cases of
atrocities against Dalits,” he added. As per the National Crime Records Bureau (2001-12), the extent of
atrocities committed against SCs & STs is enormous. Nearly 3,70,234 crimes have been committed
against SCs & STs, 15,917 women have reportedly been raped, 7,900 murdered, 49,514 brutally
attacked and severely injured, and 1,59,692 other forms of atrocities have been committed. Under the
ATM System, anyone with Internet access can go to the website where a helpline number 9898915455 is
given. As soon as a person sends a message on this number, the website automatically identifies its
circle and sends a message. After the validation is done, the message goes to the authority concerned to
facilitate necessary action against the case. The NDMJ, is a democratic non-party movement of Dalit
survivors, defenders, academics, organisations headed by Dalits to initiate advocacy and involve in mass
action to address the issues of caste-based discrimination and violence (primarily untouchability and
atrocities) to ensure dignity, equality and justice. (The Hindu 12/2/15)
3 held for attacking Dalit who tried to fend off their dogs (2)
MEERUT: Three men were arrested from Khanjapur Kushaavli village of Meerut district after a Dalit man
complained that he was attacked and insulted by them as he tried to fend off their pet dogs. The man
complained that he had long endured the onslaught of pet dogs that belonged to a Rajput family, but on
February 6, as two dogs set upon him, he warded them off with a stick. Gopal, the Dalit, said the dogs'
owners unleashed verbal abuse laced with caste-related insults. They also attacked him with knives and
sticks. Gopal said he had taken the matter to police soon afterwards, but police were slow to react. "I was
on the way to my shop when I was attacked by the dogs belonging to a Rajput family. Their dogs have
always been a problem for my kids, who have often been attacked by the animals while passing by,"
Gopal said. Dhanu Singh, Kaalicharan and Sanju, members of a Rajput family, had allegedly once told
Gopal's kids that the "dogs were better than them". "On February 6, as the dogs grew aggressive, I tried
to shoo them away with a stick. That was when Dhanu, Kaalicharan and Sanju came out of their house
with knives and sticks. Angry that I had tried to hit the animals, the three of them thrashed me. I was cut
in the face by a knife one of them used," Gopal said. "Because I am a Dalit doesn't mean they can call me
what they like," Gopal said, adding that he filed a complaint at the Sardhana police station that very day.
Station officer Meher Singh of Sardhana police station said the three accused were arrested on
Wednesday, and investigations were underway. Early Wednesday, Gopal had approached the office of
the SSP seeking action in the matter. (Times of India 13/2/15)
All Dalits now Mahadalits, question is who’s their leader (2)
Patna: By expanding the Mahadalit bracket to include Dharis and Dhadis, sub-castes of Dusadh or
Paswan, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has effectively staked his claim to being the leader of
Bihar’s Dalits, a role so far associated with Ram Vilas Paswan. So far, Paswans were the only one of 22
Scheduled Castes kept out of the bracket. Mahadalit status entails benefits of over a dozen welfare
schemes, including free land to the landless. And so far, Ram Vilas’s stand has been that Paswans, being
the most “forward looking of Scheduled Castes”, did not need the Mahadalit tag. The LJP chief cannot,
however, openly criticise the new move. He was the first prominent NDA leader to come out in support of
Manjhi in his showdown with Nitish Kumar. “Manjhi is a fellow Dalit,” Paswan has said, describing him as
a better CM than Nitish, but has steered clear of reacting to the cabinet decision. “In long-term politics,
Ram Vilas Paswan and Manjhi are going to share same the Dalit space,” says a senior leader of
Paswan’s LJP. “With Manjhi moving close to the BJP, there is bound to be competition between the two
leaders.” “If Manjhi joins the BJP, the conflict would be less intense,” says a BJP leader, “but Ram Vilas
Paswan can still lose some of his bargaining power with the BJP. If Manjhi floats a party, the BJP will
have to deal with two allies with a similar profile. It will be a problem of plenty.” CM Manjhi said after the
cabinet meeting: “The government saw no point in leaving Paswans out of the Mahadalit umbrella. In fact,
we have proposed to appoint Paswans as chowkidars across the state.” The Nitish Kumar camp has
already lodged a protest with Raj Bhavan, questioning how the cabinet of “a government of 13 MLAs” can
decide ahead of a floor test. “It is not about what decisions have been taken by the cabinet but whether
Manjhi can take such a decision when his government is in a minority,” says JD(U) leader Bijay Kumar
Choudhary. As chief minister, Nitish had introduced the Mahadalit umbrella in 2007 after the Bihar State
Mahadalit Commission recommended inclusion of 18 SCs in the category. Subsequently, three more SC
groups were included, leaving out only the Paswans or Dusadhs. Following the inclusion of Paswans,
there remains no distinction between Dalits and Mahadalits. Ravidas, Mushahar and Paswan are among
the most dominant groups among the Scheduled Castes, accounting for 18 per cent of the population.
And a caste conglomerate created with meticulous social engineering by Nitish Kumar now has three
claimants to their leadership — Nitish, Manjhi and Paswan. (Indian Express 16/2/15)
Dalit man's nose cut off for breaking bread with upper castes (2)
Lucknow: Upper caste anti-social elements in a village in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh cut off a
Dalit man's nose only because he had displayed the temerity to break bread with them at a 'barat'
(wedding party). Upper caste anti-social elements in a village in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh cut
off a Dalit man's nose only because he had displayed the temerity to break bread with them at a 'barat'
(wedding party). This virtually god-forsaken area in southern UP bordering Madhya Pradesh is one of the
remotest and most backward regions of the state, and is infamous for continuing social evils like
untouchability, dowry and female infanticide. The latest episode has been reported from Surpati village in
Madhogarh area of Jalaun district where Amar Singh, a labourer, was dealt the horrific punishment by his
masters belonging to the upper caste. The incident is even more alarming as the village is a Dalitdominated one. The Surpati gram panchayat of three villages accounts for as many as 2,500 Dalits out of
the total population of about 5,000. Dalits in this region are barred from even touching the utensils used
by upper castes. They are also not allowed to draw water from the same well. Amar Singh had gone with
his master's family in the 'barat' (wedding procession) for a wedding to another village and had committed
the "crime" of having food along with his feudal masters there. "Some people on the bride's side raised
the issue with them which created quite a scene at the wedding as the other guests threatened to leave
without having food on discovering that a Dalit was also breaking bread with them," Daddu Prasad, exminister and a prominent Dalit BSP leader told dna. Once they returned to their village, they decided
"justice needed to be done", he said. Their justification was simple, though rather gruesome. "Tumne
hamaari naak katwa di. Ab hum tumhaari naak kaatenge. (since you caused us such humiliation, you
shall get equivalent punishment)," they are reported to have told Amar Singh before pinning him down
and cutting off his nose with a domestic knife. Family members rushed to his rescue and took the
profusely bleeding Amar Singh to Jhansi for treatment. On being informed, Jhansi DIG AK Singh got a
case registered against the named accused. He told reporters that they would soon be arrested.
However, till late evening no arrest had been made as, sources said, the feudal landlords responsible for
the ghastly act were "politically well connected".Bundelkhand has witnessed such horrific incidents earlier,
too. But, since it is a remote area, most of these incidents don't even get reported in the mainstream
media. "I know of places (in Bundelkhand) where Dalits go to other villages incognito to get a shave or
buy things for daily needs as they can't dare to do this in their own village," says Vivek Singh, former
Congress MLA from Banda. (DNA 17/2/15)
Social boycott of Dalits can't be ended by judicial order: SC (2)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said that it cannot pass an order to end alleged social boycott
of the Dalit community in violence-hit Mirchpur village in Haryana as it would be an "ineffective" one.
"What is the solution to end the social boycott? The courts cannot say that end the social boycott of
Dalits. It would be an ineffective order," the social justice bench of justices MB Lokur and UU Lalit said.
The court was hearing a PIL seeking rehabilitation and relocation of Dalit community members from
Mirchpur in Rohtak district. An old Dalit man and his physically-challenged daughter of the village were
killed by members of dominant Jat community in 2010, sparking fear among the Dalits. The bench today
asked the counsel for Haryana to apprise it as to whether a judicial panel headed by Justice Iqbal Singh
has filed its report on the incident. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for Dalit community
members, said that they are living under constant threat as the dominant community members feel that
because of them some persons have been convicted in the case. Moreover, the appeals against the
conviction of some members of the dominant community are pending in the Delhi High Court and Dalits
feel threatened, he said. "We are also suffering the social boycott," he said, adding that the entire state is
not hostile to the community and hence, they be given land at some other place to live. The counsel,
appearing for Haryana, however, said that one company of CRPF personnel is camping in the village
since 2010 and there has been such incidents thereafter against Dalit community members there.
Meanwhile, Gonsalves said that he will not press for the relief that the members of Dalit community be
rehabilitated in Delhi and added rather, they be given land at some other place in Haryana itself. Earlier,
the apex court had dubbed the incident as "scar on the society" and had expressed its anguish after the
then Congress-led state government said the 70-year-old man and his handicap daughter were "trapped"
in the house after it was set on fire and the trial court has not held their death as murder. Earlier, the 15
convicts, belonging to Jat community, were held guilty for setting ablaze victim Tara Chand's house,
which caused the death on April 21, 2010 at Mirchpur. The incident took place after a dispute between Jat
and Dalit communities of the village. They were convicted in the case by a Delhi trial court on September
24, 2011. Three persons were sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court on October 31, 2011 for
their involvement in the killings. Five others were sentenced to varying jail terms up to five years and
seven convicts were let off on probation for one year. The court had earlier acquitted 82 out of 97
accused in the case saying the allegations levelled against them were not proved beyond reasonable
doubt. The accused resorted to rioting and attacked the houses of members of Dalit community on April
21 as a pet dog of a Dalit had barked at a group of Jats two days ago when they were passing through
the colony, according to the charge sheet. They got enraged when a Dalit boy objected to hurling of
stones by Jat youths at the dog, it had said, adding later it led to the killings. (Zee News 20/2/15)
Attack leaves Dalits terrorised; police drag their feet on taking action (2)
Bengaluru: Around 100 Dalit families living in a separate colony at Harobele village on the outskirts of the
city were allegedly attacked and terrorised by upper caste people over a trivial row in January. Though
the incident indicated the practice of untouchability and atrocity, the jurisdictional Sathanur police took a
month to register the complaint and that too after a city-based NGO approached the National and State
human rights commissions. Men and women were beaten up and their houses damaged. They were
threatened with dire consequences, forcing the families to flee and take shelter in a nearby field the whole
night on the day of the attack. “We even approached the State police chief and got a direction issued to
the Ramanagaram Superintendent of Police to take immediate action on January 16. But neither have the
police taken up a complaint nor acted against the attackers,” Mariswamy, a member of the All-India
Human Rights Council told The Hindu. According to him, the village practises untouchability as the Dalits
(Christians) are not allowed to enter the hotel and the barber’s shop, and do not even have access to
houses of the upper castes. They have a separate barber’s shop, he said. The attack was a fallout of an
incident where Upkar Raju (57), a Dalit from the colony and theatre artiste, was bashed up by “Kerosene”
Prakash on January 11 over a trivial row, according to the complaint. Raju’s daughter Mary (22), who
came to the rescue of her father, was also abused and beaten up. Upset by this, Raju’s two sons Naveen
(27) and Antony (20) went to Prakash’s house to enquire about the incident. Enraged by this, a group of
20 people not only beat up the boys, but also chased them to their colony; they also attacked other men
and damaged houses, according to the complaint. The Sathanur police on Saturday registered a case
against Prakash and others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and under the SC/ST
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act. “We have taken up a case and are investigating,” a senior police officer
said. (The Hindu 22/2/15)
RS passes bill to include certain communities in SC list (2)
New Delhi: A bill to include certain synonymous names of communities under Scheduled Castes category
in Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha and Dadra and Nagar Haveli was passed by Rajya Sabha Tuesday. The
Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2014 was passed by a voice vote. Replying to
a debate on the bill, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot said the law
has been further amended to modify the SC list in three states and one Union Territory. Expressing
concern over the diversion of the SC sub-plan fund in various states including Delhi and atrocities on SC
people, he said the government is taking several measures to help them and is also taking active
measures. He also mentioned that the government has a proposal from the Bihar government with regard
to inclusion of more castes in SC list. "This will entail some additional recurring and non-recurring
expenditure on account of benefits of schemes meant for the development of SCs to which the persons
belonging to the newly-added communities will become entitled, as a result of enacting the bill," the bill
reads. As per the bill, communities such as 'Kabirpanthi and Julaha' in Haryana, 'Bhovi, od, odde, Vaddar,
Waddar' in Karnatka, 'Dhoba, Dhobi, Dom, Dombo, Duria Dom, Katia, Kela, Nalua Kela, Khadala and
Turi' in Odisha and the community of 'Chamar' in Dadra and Nagar Haveli are included in the SC list.
Participating in the debate, Ali Anwar Ansari (JDU) Ali Anwar (JDU) sought inclusion of Haryana's Mev
community under Scheduled Tribe (ST) category on par with Meena tribe. He alleged that the community,
which fought against Babar's invasion and sacrificed 1200 lives, was not included in the list simply on
basis of their religion because they fell under Mewati Muslim category. (Zee News 24/2/15)
Dalit family thrown out of their house and threatened (2)
Gadchiroli: A Dalit from Laxmipur village in Kurkheda taluka named Hiralal Shende, demanded stern
action against the Purada police station officer for allegedly shielding the accused who threw away his
belongings as well as compelled his family to leave his house and village, police sources said on
Wednesday. After the incident, Hiralal met the Superintendent of Police here on Tuesday and submitted a
memorandum to him requesting for stringent action against the erring police officials and those who
harassed him as well as his family. “On February 11, around 13 people entered my house and threw
away all my belongings out of my house. They molested my wife and broke portraits of Lord Buddha and
Dr Ambedkar,” Shende said. “You will not be allowed to stay in the village until you agree to graze our
cattle. They also destroyed our food and then virtually drove me as well as my wife out of our house,
warning us to leave the village immediately,” Shende’s complaint said. “The next day I went to the
Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police office and submitted a complaint. The officials asked me to lodge a
complaint at the Purada Police Station. I approached the police station on February 13 and submitted the
same complaint but instead of registering my original complaint, the police gave me a non-cognisable
offence letter. They failed to take any action against attackers,” the complaint said. “My family has been
terrorised due to this incident and it has become difficult for us to return to the village. We have been
wandering since the incident and are homeless. The attackers can do anything to my life any time,” he
said in his complaint. “Therefore, stringent action should be taken against the police station officer for
shielding the accused. Action should also an action be taken against the attackers,” Shende said in his
complaint. When asked about the incident, police sub-inspector Sagar Khare of Purada police station
claimed that the complaint is being probed and action would be taken after the enquiry. (The Hindu
26/2/15)
Less cash for Dalits, tribals (2)
New Delhi, March 1: Finance minister Arun Jaitley has slashed the overall allocation for Dalits and tribals
in his budget compared with last year's proposals in a trend critics fear could see the "last man" gradually
becoming the "lost man".The media, too, came in for criticism for giving the "impression" that the country
had no SC/ST citizens. Jaitley yesterday set aside Rs 30,851 crore for Scheduled Castes and Rs 19,980
crore for Scheduled Tribes out of a total plan allocation of Rs 4,65,277 crore for the coming 2015-16
financial year. That works out to 6.6 per cent of the total outlay for SCs and 4.3 per cent for STs. Last
year's budget - presented after the BJP came to power in May - had set aside Rs 50,548 crore and Rs
32,287 crore for SCs and STs, which accounted for 8.8 per cent and 5.6 per cent, respectively, of the
total outlay of Rs 5,75,000 crore. The 2014 allocations were higher - in both outlay and percentage compared with what the UPA government had set aside for SC/STs in 2013. Of the total plan outlay of Rs
5,55,322 crore in 2013 - the last full budget by the UPA government - the allocation for SCs was Rs
41,561 crore (7.48 per cent) and that for STs, Rs 24,598 crore (4.43 per cent). CPM politburo member K.
Varadharajan said all governments speak about the "significance of Antodaya", referring to the
government policy that the last man on the socio-economic ladder should get priority in welfare schemes.
"The SCs and STs are historically the last persons. The last man is the lost man in the budget and policy
planning," Varadharajan said. When the Planning Commission - now replaced by the Niti Aayog - was still
active, it issued guidelines from time to time on how funds should be set aside for SCs and STs. The
guidelines suggested that outlays should earmark exclusive funds equivalent to the population proportion
of SC/STs nationally and within the states under the SC Sub-Plan (SCSP) and the ST Sub-Plan (STSP).
According to the 2011 census, SCs accounted for 16.6 per cent of the country's population and STs, 8.6
per cent. P.S. Krishnan, former secretary, welfare department, Government of India, said it was
"deplorable" that the allocation for SC/STs had come down substantially. "Whatever is being allocated for
SCs and STs is not being utilised," Krishnan added. Money meant for exclusive schemes is shown to
have been spent as part of other schemes like the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan or the national highway
project, reducing the SCSP and the STSP to arithmetical jugglery, he said. This year's Union budget has
just one exclusive scheme - the MUDRA Bank scheme - that will give priority to SCs and STs in giving
loans for setting up micro-enterprises. "One scheme is a drop in the desert. The historical neglect and
continuing discrimination against these people cannot be addressed by one scheme," Krishnan said.
Krishnan was also critical of the media. "The media coverage of the budget gives the impression that
there are no SCs and STs in the country or they do not matter for the development of the nation," he said.
Balabhadra Majhi, a Lok Sabha MP from Odisha's Nabarangpur tribal constituency, said the government
must bring in a law for exclusive allocation of funds and schemes according to the population proportion
of SC/STs. (The Telegraph 2/3/15)
Temple locked following dispute over entry of Dalits in Tamil Nadu (2)
Salem: Prohibitory orders were on Tuesday clamped in 21 villages in the district and a temple locked by
revenue officials apprehending trouble after Adi Dravidar community people were allegedly barred from
attending its consecration slated tomorrow by caste Hindus. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC
were promulgated in the villages, including Thirumalaigiri where the Lord Shiva temple is located, as
tension prevailed in the region following the dispute over participation of the Adi Dravidar (Dalits)
community people in the consecration, police said. According to police, the Shiva temple had been
renovated at a cost of Rs crore by collecting donations. Ahead of the consecration, the dominant
Vanniyar community representatives allegedly refused to allow Adi Dravidars from offering worship at the
temple tomorrow, leading to a near-clash between them. Revenue and police officials rushed to the
village and made attempts to pacify the warring communities and sort out the problem but could not
succeed. In view of the situation, Salem Revenue Divisional Officer Sheik Moideen ordered the temple to
be locked and clamped prohibitory orders banning entry of anyone into the temple and gathering near it,
police said. Police pickets have been posted in the village and Salem Police Commisioner A Amalraj
visited the spot and inspected security arrangments. (Zee News 4/3/15)
Dalits Move Madras HC For Permission to Conduct 'Untouchability' Conference (2)
MADURAI: A Dalit Christian forum has moved the Madras High Court bench here seeking police
permission for its proposed conference in Sivaganga district aimed at creating awareness about
eradicating "untouchability" in Christian community. When the petition by Federation of Dalit Christian
People seeking a direction to police to grant permission for its March 15 state-level conference came up
for hearing, Justice P Rajendran directed the police file their counter. The petitioner said all arrangements
for the conference had been made but the Superintendent of Police was not giving permission for it. The
Dalits have the right to raise their voice and protest against untouchability. Hence the court should direct
the police to give permission for organising the conference. During the hearing, counsel for police said the
venue of the conference was a sensitive area and the participants would have to cross the local Bishop's
House, which would cause law and order problem. Police also rejected three other locations suggested
by the Federation coordinator D Arul Justin Diraviam, saying they were also sensitive areas. (New Indian
Express 5/3/15)
Rape of Dalit women registers 500% increase since 2001, RTI reveals (2)
Gansdhinagar: Rape of Dalit women rose in Gujarat over the last 13 years, reaching the highest in 2014,
higher by 500 per cent since 2001, says an RTI reply. The reply to an RTI application by Mehsana-based
human rights activist Kaushik Parmar, from the office of Director General of Police (DGP), Gujarat,
revealed that 74 Dalit women were allegedly raped and cases were registered under the provisions of the
Indian Penal Code and Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, in 2014.
According to the RTI reply, dated February 23, 2015 – provided by Deputy Superintendent of Police of
DGP Office, G M Malek – the number records five-time increase in the rape incidents against Dalit
women, compared to 2001 when only 14 such cases were recorded. The data provided in reply to the RTI
application reveal that total 501 rape cases were registered between January 2001 and December 2014.
Incidentally, the Government of Gujarat launched the women’s helpline ‘Abhayam’ in November that year
for the state to check atrocities on women. The figures are in stark contrast to the state government’s
claims on women’s empowerment, like 50 per cent reservation for women in local bodies, enforcing 33
per cent reservation for women in police force and highest Budget allocation for social sector.
Commenting on the data, Parmar said, “The five-fold increase in the number of rape cases in Gujarat
even when the chief minister is a woman shows that the tall claims of Gujarat Government on women
empowerment and social harmony are hollow.” Minister of State (Home), Rajnikant Patel, could not be
contacted despite repeated attempts. The RTI reply also provided data, as sought by Parmar, on the
number of villages in Gujarat where Dalits were provided police protection against local influential
communities in different districts. According to the reply, police protection has presently been provided to
Dalits by the government in 116 villages of the state. (Indian Express 8/3/15)
Caste Cruelty against Dalits on Rise in South TN (2)
CHENNAI: Violence against Dalits have increased in the last few years in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli
districts with the dominant caste Hindus even going to the extent of carrying out well-planned murders to
eliminate Dalits, said K Krishnasamy, president of Puthiya Tamilagam party. Speaking to reporters in a
press meet here on Saturday, Krishnasamy said that last year alone around 90 Dalits were murdered in
inter-caste conflicts in these two southern districts. “Caste related violence existed in these districts earlier
also. But now it has gone to the extent where dominant caste members hire henchmen to eliminate Dalits
who dare raise their voice against the oppression. In these 90 murders, people were specifically targeted
and executed by professional assailants, as is evident from the injuries the victims suffered,” he said. L
Ramakrishnan, whose younger brother L Baskaran was murdered at Pichanar Thoppu village near
Srivaikundam in Thoothukudi district, said his brother was killed for daring to question the caste Hindus
for intentionally letting cattle graze in the lands of Dalits. “There are about 80 families of our community
living in the village which is otherwise dominated by a caste Hindu community. They repeatedly abuse
and ill-treat our community people and our children can’t study in the local school or college. They try
various forms of oppression and one of them is to intentionally destroy our crops. When my brother
questioned them, they executed him in a well-planned murder when he was driving alone on February 22
night,” he said. He added that the caste Hindus, have also disconnected cable TV connection to Dalit
houses. “They say we have apologise and only then will the cable connection be restored. What wrong
did we do?”, he said. Lakshmanan, whose son Dharmaraj was murdered in Gopalasamudram village in
Tirunelveli district in November 2013, said Dharmaraj was killed on Deepavali day by henchmen engaged
by the dominant community in their village. “Just a week prior to that, he supported a girl from our
community with whom men from other community were trying to misbehave. He also lodged a police
complaint against them,” Lakshmanan told reporters. Rajeswari, whose school-going son Mariselvan was
found murdered on February 5 in Vellagal village in Tirunelveli district, too believes that it was the caste
Hindus who killed her son and his friend Murugan. Krishnasamy charged that the police were lethargic in
taking action against those responsible for these gruesome murders, which is only emboldening the
dominant community members. “Soon after each murder, a few persons surrender with the police. But
even the police know these are not the real culprits,” Krishnasamy said. (New Indian Express 9/3/15)
Dalit woman gang-raped in Haryana village (2)
CHANDIGARH: A Dalit woman on her way to a marriage was abducted by six men, taken to a field and
gang-raped at Roopgarh village in Jind district of Haryana on Tuesday. It is the second such recent
incident in the State after the gang rape of a Nepalese woman in Rohtak. The victim, who is from Harsola
village in Kaithal district, was travelling with a relative. When their car reached Patiala Chowk, two of the
accused, who were drinking nearby, spotted her. They and the others attacked the car with rods and
smashed its windows. They beat up the woman’s relative. The woman was taken to a nearby field and
assaulted. When she raised an alarm, the accused threatened to kill her. They hurled casteist abuses at
her. She managed to reach the Sadar police station and file a complaint. The police registered a first
information report by invoking sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act and the Indian Penal Code. Five of the accused have been identified as Chandrasekhar,
Manoj, Jitendra, Kala and Sandeep, all of Kandela village. Superintendent of Police, Jind, Abhishek
Jorwal said medical examination of the victim confirmed rape. A manhunt has been launched for the
culprits. Leader of the Congress Legislature Party Kiran Choudhary said the law-and-order situation in
Haryana had gone from bad to worse and dastardly attacks on women had been on the rise. The
government has not yet commented on the incident. (The Hindu 11/3/15)
Groups demand a Dalit CM for the State (2)
RAICHUR: Janandolana for Dalit Chief Minister, a conglomeration of 50 groups representing various Dalit
communities, demanded the Congress high command to replace Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with a Dalit
candidate. Addressing a media conference at Reporters’ Guild here on Sunday, K. Shivaram and N.
Murthy, the leaders of the Janandolana, alleged that the Dalits had been systematically kept out of power
even 68 years after the Independence. They also blamed Congress for using Dalit and minority
communities as its vote-bank and depriving them of enjoying power. “Lingayat leaders ruled the state as
Chief Ministers for 23 years, Vakkaliga leaders for 18 years, Brahman leaders for 8.5 years. The leaders
of other numerically smaller communities could also become chief ministers. However, the leaders of Dalit
and minority communities which are relatively bigger in terms of numerical size have not assumed power
as chief minister owing largely to systematic conspiracies,” N Murthy charged. He verbally attacked Chief
Minister Siddaramaiah for his role in “defeating Parameshwar” in the last assembly election. “It is none
other than Siddaramaiah who made an all-out effort to defeat Parameswhar for clearing his way to Chief
Minister post. Parameshwar who was completely engaged in election campaign across the state for
Congress victory could not concentrate on his own constituency. Taking advantage of his absence in the
constituency, Siddaramaiah ensured his defeat,” Murthy alleged. K. Shivaram, former IAS officer and
leader of Chalavadi Mahasabha, alleged that Dalit leaders were systematically sidelined and deprived of
Chief Minister post despite they led Congress to power in many assembly polls. “There are many able
leaders in Dalit community, such as Mallikarjun Kharge, G. Parameshwar, K.H. Muniyappa, Motamma,
Anjaneya, who can efficiently lead the state as Chief Minister on the path of development. Our campaign
is not for any one particular leader. We want the Congress high command to choose any one Dalit leader
for the post,” he clarified. The leaders announced that over 10,000 Dalits would march to Delhi for
pressurising the Congress high command to make a Dalit leader chief minister of Karnataka. “If our
demand is ignored, all Dalit groups will work against Congress right away in all coming elections. We will
ensure that Congress will be reduced to politically irrelevant as Aam Aadmi Party uprooted its base in
Delhi,” Murhty warned. Dalit leaders Ravindranath Patti, J. Lingaiah and others were present. (The Hindu
15/3/17)
UP: Day after ‘attack by Gurjars’, three Dalit families flee Pilibhit village (2)
Lucknow: A day after a mob of Gurjar community allegedly attacked three Dalit families ransacking their
houses and beating up women and children in Nuria police station area of Pilibhit district, the families left
the village on Sunday morning fearing more attacks. Four persons including two women had sustained
injuries in the attack. The families were targeted in response to the alleged elopement of a Gurjar girl with
a youth of one of the Dalit families on March 10. After the attack, a case was registered against 22
persons, including the girl’s father who has been arrested along with three others on Saturday.
Incidentally, the girl’s father, after his arrest, too, got an FIR registered against the Dalit youth, Vijay Pal,
his uncle and two cousins on charges of abducting his 19-year-old daughter for force-marriage. Heavy
police force have been deployed in the village to avoid any untoward incident. Additional Superintendent
of Police, Pilibhit, Sudhir Kumar Singh said Pal’s family had left the village on Friday morning while the
Gurjar community attacked the other families later in the night. Village pradhan Anand Prakash, a Gurjar,
told The Indian Express that three Dalit families, including that of Vijay Pal, his uncle and another relative,
have left the village, which has a population of around 1000 with a predominantly Gurjar population
(nearly 80 per cent). Pal is a daily-wage labourer at a factory in Uttrakhand, the pradhan added. Station
Officer, Nuria police station, Shamshad Ali said the girl left house for some work on March 10 and did not
return. Her family, informed by others that she had eloped with Pal, did not inform the police and carried
out a search of their own, the SO said. Four persons identified as Gaurav, Prempal, Sunderlal and the
girl’s father were caught from the spot when the attack took place. Upon the arrival of the police,
members of the Gurjar community staged protest following which police had to use force to disperse the
crowd. The injured have been identified as Mayadevi, Suman Devi, Raju and Sohanlal. They were sent to
district hospital for treatment. Later, Sohanlal got an FIR registered against 22 named and 40-50
unidentified assailants at the Nuria police station on various charges, including arson and SC/ST Act.
(Indian Express 17/3/15)
Upper caste men 'urinate' in dalit youth's mouth in Tamil Nadu (2)
KRISHNAGIRI: A group of non-dalits in a Tamil Nadu village allegedly attacked a 20-year-old dalit youth
and urinated in his mouth. The incident happened during a temple festival at Karuvanur in Krishnagiri
district on March 2. M Aravindhan (20), who is working as a welder at a private company in Bangalore,
visited his native village to participate at a temple festival on March 2. "I went to the temple with my
relative R Dinesh (20). Some caste Hindus used filthy words against us when they saw us," Aravindhan
said. When the duo opposed it, the group attacked them. The caste men later dragged both of them to a
nearby toilet and continued to beat them up. Aravindhan fell on the ground. When he asked for a glass of
water, the men allegedly urinated in his mouth. Meanwhile, Dinesh, who managed to escape, alerted his
family members. They rushed to the spot and rescued Aravindhan. The next day, he was admitted to
Dharmapuri Government Medical College and Hospital. "I suffered several injuries when they attacked
me," the victim told TOI. Meanwhile, he lodged a complaint with the Kallavi police. However, the police
allegedly refused to register a case under the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act. "They just registered an
assault case against unknown people," he said. Meanwhile, district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Kuravan
Pazhankudiina Makkal Sangam (TNKPMS) S Ravi urged the Kallavi police to register the case under
SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act. "Police officials told me that they would extort money from the non-dalits
in return for not registering a case against them. So, we have decided to take up this issue to the court,"
Ravi said. When contacted by TOI, the Kallavi police said they had registered a case and the
investigating was going on. "We will alter the case once we confirm whether the dalit youth was harassed
or not," they said. (Times of India 18/3/15)
3 Dalit Girls Found Dead in Uttar Pradesh, Families Allege Gang-Rape and Murder (2)
Lucknow: Three Dalit girls from Uttar Pradesh's Deoria district, who had gone missing since Friday, were
found dead in a field on Saturday. The families of the three girls suspect it to be a case of gang-rape and
murder. Two of the three girls were minors and belonged to the same village, Katiyari. According to the
families of the girls - aged 18, 13 and nine - the three had gone to the fields to collect fodder around noon
on Friday but did not return. The next day their bodies were discovered in the fields by a local and had
injury marks on the neck and head. The police claim the case to be a fallout of a one-sided love affair.
The main accused, Sonu, from the same village, was in love with the eldest girl who had rejected his
advances, prompting him to take this step. Manoj Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Deoria said "Sonu
had made up his mind to kill the girl. They killed the other 2 girls to remove evidence. This is not a case of
rape".The police are waiting for the post-mortem report before calling it a rape and murder case. "The
bodies bear head injury which seems to have caused the death. The case has been filed and we will look
whether there was any sexual offence," said Manoj Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Deoria. Of the 4
accused, 2 have been nabbed by the police while 2 are still absconding. (NDTV 22/3/15)
Homeless Dalit families protest outside Tahsildar’s office (2)
RAICHUR: As many as 25 Dalit families of Tidigola village in Sindhanur taluk, whose houses were
alleged burnt in the presence of police as per court orders on Monday, camped outside the office of
Sindhanur Tahsildar on Tuesday, protesting the action. While the women prepared food in the office
premises, the children, babies and aged were exhausted in the sweltering heat. "We have been living on
11 gunta land bearing survey number 2/1 at Tidigola village for the last 25 years. The original land owner,
Yankareddeppa, claims that he had donated the land to government in 1986-87. The owner and his
followers along with a police constable with a court order forcibly dragged us out of our homes on Monday
and burnt our homes, which were later cleared with an earth mover," the agitating families said.
Addressing at the agitation site, Mr. H N Badiger, state convenor of Jaati Nirmoolana Chalavali, verbally
attacked the taluk administration for its "inhuman action" against poor Dalit families. "The bureaucratic
apparatus from top to bottom is indisputably working for the creamy layer of society and crushing the
downtrodden and marginalised sections under its iron heels. The Tidigola incident, where the concerned
authorities neither served prior-notices to poor Dalits nor made alternative arrangements, clearly showed
how democracy functioned at grassroots level," he said. He demanded for a stringent legal action against
all those involved in the case, including Turvihal Police Sub Inspector and Sindhanur Circle Inspector for
their alleged support to the "miscreants who destroyed the homes of the Dalits".He warned that the Dalit
families would continue to stay at the Tahshildar's office if they were not provided with permanent
shelters. The agitating families later submitted a memorandum to Tahshildar M.Gangappa with a list of
demands which included paying compensation and providing alternative and permanent shelters for the
homeless, registering First Information Report based on the complaint lodged by the grieving families,
amongst others. Representatives of various organisations, including Ramesh Patil Berigi of Karnataka
Raitha Sangha, Nagaraj Pujar of Revolutionary Youth Federation of India, B.N. Yaradihal of Trade Union
Centre of India and Basappa Kadabur of Hamalara Sangha participated in the protest and expressed
their solidarity to the agitating Dalit families. (The Hindu 24/3/15)
Attack on dalits on rise in Haryana (2)
CHANDIGARH: The change of guard in Haryana has not improved the condition of dalits in the state if
the data on crime against the community tabled in the assembly is anything to go by. During Manohar Lal
Khattar-led BJP regime in the state, there was at least one attack on dalits in Haryana everyday from
October 26 to February 28. According to the documents presented in the House, 146 crimes, including
rapes, murders, dacoities and assaults, were committed against dalits during the said period. Cases were
registered against 358 persons and 142 of them are still on the run. In backward classes' case, 292
persons were booked for 98 crimes against the community and 151 accused are yet to be arrested. This
data was tabled in the assembly in response to a question by INLD MLAs Ranbir Singh Gangwa and
Ravinder Baliani. In his reply, chief minister M L Khattar said the best possible measures had been put in
place for the protection of dalits and backward classes. During the previous Bhupinder Hooda regime,
238 cases of crime against dalits were registered in 2010 and 257 in 2013. Secretary general of INLD R S
Chaudhary said, "After the new government took over, we had expected that they would be able to
control the atrocities against dalits. However, things are going from bad to worse.''Chairman of the
National Confederation of Dalit Organizations Ashok Bharti alleged that the BJP lacked political will to
curb crimes against dalits in Haryana. "Dalits had lot of expectations from the new government. We were
disappointment on Day 1 itself as Khattar did not induct any dalit in his cabinet. Only one dalit was
appointed as a minister of state,'' said Bharti. (Times of India 25/3/15)
Dalits, ‘upper’ castes at daggers drawn in Hassan village (2)
Hassan: The differences between Dalits and ‘upper’ castes over celebrating Ramanavami at Nittur in
Hassan taluk have deepened with both of them filing complaints against each other with the Hassan
Rural police. Ananth, a Dalit, was allegedly assaulted by ‘upper’ caste people on March 26 following
differences between the two groups over putting up a banner on Ramanavami celebrations in the village.
Ananth, who is being treated at the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, filed a complaint against seven
people under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The Hassan Rural police had taken two persons
into custody following the complaint registered on March 27. Later, representatives of the ‘upper’ castes
filed a case against 16 people, all Dalits, levelling charges of attempt to murder. The police registered the
complaint.Dalit organisations alleged that the police had registered the complaint against innocent
persons. Satish, Hassan district president of Samata Sainik Dal, said, “The differences between Dalits
and ‘upper’ castes began in Nittur three or four years ago as many Dalit families started accepting
Buddhism. Time and again, the ‘upper’ caste people had picked quarrels with Dalits. On March 26,
‘upper’ caste youths tried to put up a banner close to a retail shop belonging to a Dalit. As the shopkeeper
pointed out that the banner would end up as an obstruction to people, the Dalits were assaulted. Now,
they have filed complaint against those who were not in the village on the day,” he said. Hassan Deputy
Superintendent of Police Jayaram said the cases were registered based on the written complaints
submitted by both the groups. The police would take appropriate action after investigation, he added.
(The Hindu 29/3/15)
Rs. 200-cr. fund for SC/ST entrepreneurs (2)
HYDERABAD: State government will set up a Rs.200 crore fund under Scheduled Caste Sub Plan and
Rs.100 crore under Tribal Sub Plan for direct lending to SC and ST entrepreneurs. Social Welfare
Minister R. Kishore Babu told reporters here on Thursday that the government would also create another
fund of Rs.100 crore under Schedule Caste Sub Plan and Rs.50 crore under Tribal Sub Plan for State
level credit guarantee fund trust for micro and small enterprises scheme for SC and ST entrepreneurs. He
said the new industrial policy announced by the government would enable more number of SC, ST
entrepreneurs to avail the incentives and set up units. He said the Dalit Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (DICCI) also appreciated the new policy. Mentioning the concessions given in the policy, he said
the fixed power cost reimbursement has been increased to Rs.1.50 per unit from Re.1 for five years.
Seed capital assistance to first generation entrepreneurs has been enhanced from 10 per cent to 25 per
cent of the machinery cost, which would be deducted from eligible investment subsidy. (The Hindu
3/4/15)
Dalit manual scavenger's unbelievable journey (2)
LONDON: As a child, the longest distance Usha had travelled was the two kilometre walk from Hazurigate
Harijan Colony in Alwar (Rajasthan) to the houses where her mother worked as a manual scavenger.
When she reached seven years of age, she followed her mother's footsteps and for the next three
decades, used her bare hands to manually clean human waste in drains and homes of upper caste
people. But on Monday, Usha Chamour's remarkable journey will see her embark on a plane ride she
could never imagine in her wildest dreams - to United Kingdom. Forty-two-year-old Usha, who was
married off at the age of 10 and spent most of her years being treated as an "untouchable" will travel nine
hours to tell Britain of her incredible story of being a Dalit and call on the eradication of the age old
practice of manual scavenging in India. Usha has been invited by the British Association of South Asian
Studies at University of Portsmouth to narrate an almost unbelievable story that saw her clean sewage
pipes and dirty stinking manholes and drains in India for a paltry Rs 300 a month to working as a
motivator for other Dalit women, pushing them into giving up manual scavenging in order to lead a "more
honourable life" making jute bags, pickles, Indian sweets and also train them in working in beauty
parlours. Usha, who was rescued and rehabilitated by the NGO Sulabh International's Dr Bindeshwar
Pathak will interact with top British academics and policy makers during a special panel discussion on
"Sanitation and Women's Rights in India' on April 8. Speaking to TOI from India, Usha said "It almost like
a dream. I can't wait for this night to end"."It was almost a given that we had to follow our mother's
footsteps into becoming a manual scavenger. I worked in 30 houses around Alwar cleaning human waste
for just Rs 10 a day. I would eat the leftover food from the previous day's dinner given to me by the
houses where I worked. I pray no one has to ever work as a manual scavenger - the worst job in the
world," Usha told TOI. She lamented, "Most people avoided us like a plague. We were the
untouchables"."I was then helped by Sulabh and now am involved in making jute bags, pickles and am
also trained to work in beauty parlours. Today I make almost Rs 3500 as salary. During wedding season,
I can earn upto Rs 5000 a day to dress up the bride. The people who once avoided me for being from the
low caste today invite me to their homes for meals and attend their functions like weddings. They also
don't mind me eating from the same utensils used by them. The priests of the local Jagannath temple
also invite me during festivities," Usha said. UK recently became the first country outside South Asia to
legislate against caste discrimination. A bill that outlawed discrimination on the basis of caste received
royal assent from the Queen. In a major victory to 4 lakh dalits here, The Enterprise and Regulatory
Reform Bill made history in parliament with the House of Commons voting for the inclusion of caste as an
aspect of race. Now, it is illegal to discriminate against Dalits on the basis of their caste. (Times of India
5/4/15)
Decision to demote dalit officials a political vendetta, says Maya (2)
LUCKNOW: BSP supremo Mayawati on Sunday slammed the Samajwadi Party for demoting government
employees of SC/ST category saying the decision was part of a 'political vendetta'. She said the state
government has treated the MBCs and even the economically weaker section of upper caste in the same
way. The BSP chief also took a swipe at UP chief minister Akhilesh saying that he did not have work to
do and thus was cycling around. Responding to this, Akhilesh said, "Cycling is good for health, she
should know." He said Mayawati did not have any issue to raise and was, therefore, dabbling in nonissues. Mayawati said the SP government was only harvesting the developmental initiatives which were
taken during her previous tenure. "Metro rail in Lucknow, Noida and Ghaziabad was initiated during my
tenure," the BSP chief said and added that the present state government was only focusing on SP
strongholds like Saifai. Mayawati said that the SP government has failed to meet the expectations of the
people, especially farmers who are committing suicides because of government apathy. Mayawati
challenged the Samajwadi Party to dissolve the assembly and hold elections if it has, at all, stood by what
it promised to the electorate during the assembly elections of 2012. (Times of India 6/4/15)
Dalit family set on fire over land dispute, 1 dies (2)
JAIPUR: An old land dispute has claimed one life in Nagaur district after three members of a Scheduled
Caste family were reportedly set on fire inside their hut on the February 18. Two others received burn
injuries, one of whom continues to be admitted in a hospital in a serious condition. However, there have
been no arrests so far and the Congress is alleging that the accused named in the FIR were politicallyconnected, rich and being shielded by the police. The deceased Udao, her son Babulal and grandson
Harendra, were sleeping inside their hut on the intervening night of February 18 and 19 when they were
set on fire allegedly by Amraram, Chhaila Ram, Ardan Ram (all brothers) and an associate Dungar Ram.
The accused are from Raika community. While Udao died on way to Jodhpur while she was shifted for
treatment, Harendra is still undergoing treatment for severe burns, though Babulal escaped with some
burn injuries. According to the police, the two had an old dispute over land. “We have sent out police
teams to arrest the accused,” a senior police official told The Hindu . Describing the incident as
inhumane, Pradesh Congress president Sachin Pilot said it was unfortunate that more than 45 days had
elapsed since the incident took place and no arrests had still been made. “One the one hand we are
celebrating 125th birth anniversary of Babasaheb B.R. Ambedkar and on the other hand atrocities
continue to be committed on Dalits. Taking on the State government for not appointing a chairperson for
the Scheduled Caste Commission which only showed how serious she was about SC welfare. In Nagaur,
the local SC community members are sitting on a dharna outside the Collectorate demanding the arrest
of the accused, and a memorandum has been submitted to the Chief Minister’s Office as well but to no
avail. (The Hindu 9/4/15)
‘Admin can’t displace Rampur Dalits’ (2)
RAMPUR: The district administration's attempt to demolish 80 houses of Dalit residents at Valmiki Basti in
Topkhana area adjacent to the newly constructed shopping mall by the municipality came to a grinding
halt after various delegations of social activists and political parties joined the protest against the move
here on Saturday. Police have arrested Congress leader Dr Tanveer Ahmad Khan and five of his
supporters from the protest site. Dalits are protesting against the proposed demolition of their houses by
the administration and have been sitting on an indefinite dharna outside their houses. On Saturday, the
agitationists met with social activists Nutan Thakur and her husband Amitabh Thakur. "It's a matter of
grave concern that the local administration wants to demolish their houses without any reason. We have
seen the roads of the colony and they are quite wide. The residents also showed the receipts of their
house tax which they had paid to the municipality. The most important thing is that the houses were
allotted by the government earlier to these safai karamcharies, as they are also the employees of the
state government," said Amitabh. He said the details about the Valmiki Basti would be submitted before
the office of the principal secretary. Nutan Thakur added that, "Prior to the demolition, the administration
should issue proper legal notices to the occupants ." The couple assured residents that they would also
provide them legal aid. The police have arrested SP leader Azam Khan's arch rival and Congress leader
Tanveer Ahmad Khan along with his supporters for protesting against the administration on behalf of the
Dalits for breach of peace. Heavy police force has been deployed into the Dalit colony and section 144 of
the CrPC has been imposed in the city. Meanwhile, SP, Rampur, Sadhna Goswami suspended six
policemen, including an SI, for allowing Dalits to take out a procession against the minister on
Wednesday (Times of India 11/2/15)
Economic gap between upper castes and dalits persists (2)
Despite more access to education, better household amenities and increased incomes, the economic gap
between upper castes and dalit and tribal communities continues unchanged over the years, according to
latest economic data from the NSSO. A comparison of average monthly expenditure of households
belonging to dalit communities with upper caste households showed that in rural areas there was a gap of
about 38% in 1999-2000 which changed only marginally to 37% in 2011-12. In urban areas, upper caste
households reported incomes that were 65% more than dalit households in 1999-2000. This gap reduced
to a still shocking 60% in 2011-12. For tribal households, the gap in monthly expenditures increased from
49% in 1999-2000 to 53% in 2011-12 in rural areas and from 45% to 48% in urban areas. Since there is
no direct survey of incomes in India, monthly household expenditure is seen as a proxy measure of
monthly income for most households except the very rich. The economic stagnation of dalit and tribal
communities has not prevented them from seizing the opportunities for better education, perhaps in the
hope that education will pave the way for a better life. In urban areas, the proportion of graduates in the
15+ years dalit population increased from 4.6% in 1999 to 9.4% in 2011, while among tribals it increased
from 8.9% to 13.4% in the same period. Current attendance rates in educational institutions of various
communities are now almost at par at the elementary stage, that is, 5-14 years age group. At the
secondary stage, dalit students' attendance has shot up from 37% in 2004-05 to 57% in 2011-12 while
tribal students' attendance has increased from 36% to 54% in the same period. At the higher education
stage, attendance for dalits has increased from 8% to 15% while for tribals it has increased from 9% to
13%. In all these stages, attendance of upper castes is still higher than dalits and tribals but the gaps are
fast reducing. So, why does the economic chasm persist? Affirmative action to help dalits or tribals, like
reservation in jobs, reaches only a small section of these communities, leaving the vast mass untouched
and frozen in backward economic conditions, says Surinder S Jodhka, professor of sociology at the
Jawaharlal Nehru University and a long time researcher of dalit communities. "In rural areas, most dalits
do not have any assets and are the worst sufferers in the ongoing agrarian crisis. If they migrate to cities,
again they enter at the lowest level of the economy, working in informal sector jobs. So it is not surprising
that their economic status remains what it is," Jodhka said. In rural areas, for five-member households,
the average monthly expenditure in 1999-2000 was Rs 2,095 for dalit households, Rs1,940 for tribal
households and Rs 2,370 for OBC households compared to Rs 2,885 for upper caste households. In
2011-12, the dalit households were having an average monthly expenditure of Rs 6,260, tribal
households Rs 5,610, and OBC households Rs 7,195 but upper caste households were spending Rs
7,150. In urban areas, in 1999-2000, the dalits household spend was Rs 3,455, tribal household Rs 3,455
and OBC household Rs 3,675 while the upper caste household's average spend was Rs 5,025. By 201112, the corresponding monthly expenditures were Rs 10,140 for dalits, Rs 10,965 for tribals, Rs 11,375
for OBC's and Rs 16,210 for upper caste households. "Indian modernization, unlike in the west, has not
produced an organized economy. We continue to have remnants of pre-modern economic relations and a
huge informal or unorganized economy. Dalits and tribals largely continue to occupy this lowest rung,"
Jodhka explained. (Times of India 14/2/15)
CPM talks of equality but denies dalits top posts (2)
VISHAKHAPATNAM: CPM's abysmal record in giving Dalits a place in the party's top decision-making
bodies — politburo and central committee — came to haunt it on Wednesday as general secretary
Prakash Karat demanded a special session of Parliament to discuss inequality as part of commemoration
BR Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary. Karat was talking about failure to implement reservation for
Scheduled Castes and atrocities against them. But when asked why CPM's politburo — a preserve of
upper caste Brahmins, Nairs, Kayasthas with occasional OBCs thrown in —never had a Dalit in the past
50 years, Karat came up with an evasive reply: "You ask me this question on April 19 when the new
politburo and central committee is in place." Karat said he will check the records if there has been a Dalit
in the central committee, but he couldn't remember a single name. For now, there is no chance of a Dalit
getting into the politburo since membership to this exclusive club is limited to the 85-member strong
central committee. Of the few contenders to the politburo, no one is a Dalit. Among those in the running
are Mohammad Salim, Madan Ghosh and Subhasini Ali. It is possible for the central committee to have a
Dalit members, especially from Kerala. But even getting into CC is not so simple and needs a proven
track record. "It will be a tough exercise. We have few Dalit leaders who are doing good work," a central
committee member told TOI. In its resolution on Ambedkar's birth anniversary, CPM said the condition of
Dalits had worsened with more cases of atrocities against them and many laws like Manual Scavengers
Act not getting implemented. It also pointed out that Dalit Christians and Muslims are being denied
benefits of reservation. (Times of India 16/4/15)
Budget cuts, loan problems push Dalits out of education (2)
CHENNAI: Saranya, who took a loan of Rs. 2 lakh to pursue a BE course in a self-financing college in
Coimbatore will be completing the repayment of loan by the year-end. A Dalit student, she was denied
loan initially. “The manager told me loans are given only to people who come in cars. A friend then helped
us get the loan,” says Saranya, now an IT company employee. That was in 2010, when she also received
around Rs. 3,000 as government scholarship. Many like Saranya continue to struggle to pay outstanding
loans as they are uncertain about the post-matric scholarships that come from the Central government. In
the last two years as many as 60,000 students from SC, ST communities have joined engineering
courses, but the State government is unable to pay their tuition fee as the Central funding often is
delayed. Students in self-financing colleges fret over their future as managements pressurise them to pay
the fees. Activists say though recommendations were made in the Sub Plan for SCs and tribal
communities for payment of tuition fees, the Union budget has been steadily reducing the funds allotted to
the University Grants Commission for the purpose. Between 2012-13 and 2015-16, the allocation for
UGC under SC/ST sub plan was cut by 50 per cent. Activists say this could further impact the students’
education as they could drop out for want of funds. R. Christodas Gandhi, founder of Ambedkar Kalvi
Centenary Movement, says around 100 colleges that admitted over 50 per cent of the SC students are
now putting pressure on the students to pay up. For the year 2014-15, the Central government had
sanctioned Rs. 1204.76 crore under the scheme for BE courses. So far, the State has received only Rs.
254 crore but that money had not reached self-financing colleges. K. Srinivasan, convener of Educational
Loan Task Force, says: “Every day we get grievances from across the nation and it is the poor students
who suffer the most. As of March 2014, Rs. 60,000 crore has been paid out as loans to around 25 lakh
beneficiaries across the countries. Though his organisation has been helping students to get education
loans, he recommends that students try to claim eligible scholarships instead of becoming debtors. (The
Hindu 20/4/15)
“Dalit students forced to clean toilets” (2)
Tirunelveli: Dalit students of an aided high school near Kalakkad in the district were being forced to clean
the toilets in the school, the Communist Party of India has alleged. Its cadres submitted a petition to
Collector M. Karunakaran on Monday, asking him to direct Kalakkad police that had registered a case on
Friday last to conduct a proper enquiry into the issue. The petitioners, led by T. Paulraj, CPI’s East
Vadakarai secretary, said the Dalit students of Hindu High School, having a total strength of around 550
students, at Keezhapaththai Pandithankurichi near Kalakkad were being forced to clean the toilets while
students from other communities were being spared. “Since there is no watchman or conservancy worker
in this aided school , the Dalit students are being compelled to clean the toilets. Though this practice is in
vogue for the past several years, the matter came to light only recently after the offended students
narrated this practice to their parents,” said Mr. Paulraj. CPI farmers’ wing deputy secretary P.
Perumbadaiyar was present. Pressing for a similar demand, two Dalit outfits also submitted petitions to
the Collector. (The Hindu 21/4/15)
UP: 13-year-old dalit girl gang-raped, 'set ablaze' (2)
KOSI: A 13-year-old dalit girl allegedly gang-raped by five local youths in Nagriya village of Mathura was
found with more than 70% burn injuries. The girl has been referred to Delhi Safdarjang Hospital where
her condition continues to be serious.While the police said the girl had set herself afire, her family
members alleged she was set on fire by the accused. Senior superintendent of police Manzil Saini said
the five were booked under sections 376 ( rape) of IPC, and 3/4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual
Offences Act (POCSO) Act. Following a complaint by the girl's father, the five accused — Vinay, Deepak,
Sukhvir, Vikram and Dinesh — were arrested. On Wednesday, the five were presented before a
magistrate who sent them to jail. Deputy inspector general Laxmi Singh too visited the village on Tuesday
spoke with the victim's family members. One of the accused, Sukhvir, is said to be the girl's uncle while
the other four are his friends. In her statement to the police, the girl said she had gone to the fields to
answer nature's call on Sunday when two men dragged her to a secluded room. There, three other men
were waiting, and the five took turns raping her. She alleged that the men then sprinkled kerosene, before
setting her on fire. When she did not return, her family members went out to look for her and found her in
the burnt state. Her relatives lodged a police complaint on Tuesday evening. Locals claimed that the
delay in lodging the complaint was because the family feared social stigma. Villagers alleged that initially
the police were reluctant to file a report and wanted to hush up the matter. It was only when the media got
wind of it on April 21 that the police lodged an FIR and the girl was transferred to Delhi for treatment. Kosi
station house officer Surendra Singh said all angles are being probed and sections of attempt to murder
will be added to the FIR, if the family members' claims are found to be true. Times of India 22/4/15)
With eye on Dalit vote, Modi calls for end to manual scavenging (2)
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a major outreach to Dalits by calling for an
end to manual scavenging as India celebrates the 125th birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar. He also
announced an international centre in Ambedkar's name in Delhi and grant of land in Mumbai for an
Ambedkar memorial. Regretting the continuance of manual scavenging, Modi sought cooperation from
society in the resolve to get rid of this "blot". "Does it behove us that manual scavenging is still continuing
in the country? I have emphasized that we must get rid of this blot in the 125th anniversary of Babasaheb
Ambedkar. We will not tolerate a situation where any of the poor persons has to engage in manual
scavenging," he said in his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' programme. "We need the cooperation of society. The
government will have to carry out its responsibility. I need the support of people to fulfill this endeavour,"
he added. The statements assume significance in the context of upcoming assembly elections in Bihar
where BJP is hoping to get a sizable share of Dalit votes. In the wake of former Bihar CM Jitan Ram
Manjhi, a Musahar, having been unceremoniously dethroned by Nitish Kumar, the current CM is on a
sticky wicket as far as his 'Mahadalit' constituency is concerned. They have significance for UP too, which
goes to polls in 2017 but where Dalits have already shown a liking for the BJP in the 2014 general
elections. BJP and Sangh Parivar's attempt to co-opt Ambedkar is in line with its effort to spread its
influence among the socially disadvantaged in UP at a time when Mayawati has suffered serious electoral
setbacks. Modi said his government has decided to give land in Mumbai for building of a memorial for
Ambedkar. The land was in dispute for several years, he said. Similarly, in Delhi, an international centre
in Ambedkar's name would be established where intellectuals from across the world would research his
works and get to know his contributions better, Modi said, adding that the foundation stone of this
complex had been laid after two decades. "What was not done in 20 years, we have pledged to do it in 20
months," he said. Invoking Ambedkar, the PM said the architect of the Indian Constitution, throughout his
life, kept advocating the need for education for all. "But even today, education has not reached Dalits,
oppressed and deprived sections of the society, especially the girls," he said. "In the 125th birth
anniversary year, let us resolve that the daughters of even the poorest of the poor will not remain
uneducated in villages, cities or mohallas," he added. The PM said the government will do its duty and the
society should join in this effort so that everyone has the satisfaction. (Times of India 27/4/15)
Jaipur: Dacoits scare 300 dalit villagers, rape 2 in Karauli (2)
JAIPUR/ALWAR: Nearly 300 dalit villagers went through the scariest five hours of their lives on MondayTuesday midnight. Four dacoits went on a rampage as they raped two women, injured several men and
looted houses at Chaud Ka Kalan village in Karuali's dacoit-infested Chambal ravines, at least 250km
from the city. The five-hour long ordeal ended on a horrifying note early on Tuesday when the dacoits
opened fire after they got to know that the villagers had called up the police. Local residents told TOI that
a dacoit was shot dead in indiscriminate firing by another dacoit. Two villagers also sustained bullet
injuries. The condition of one of them is stated to be serious. Several men were injured after they were
beaten up with rifle butts. According to villagers, a gang of four dacoits reached the village around
Monday midnight. "They were armed with country-made rifles. Taking some villagers at gun point, they
started beating them up with the rifle butts. They then barged into various houses and raped at least two
married women while their family members were kept hostage at gun point," said a villager Ramesh
Bairwa. Scared villagers bolted themselves inside their huts as the dacoits let loose a reign of terror.
Villagers kept dialling the numbers of two police stations, Sapotara and Karanpur, but the landlines were
not working. They even contacted the local policemen, on their cellphones, but failed to get any response.
Police finally arrived at the spot around 5 am after the intervention of local public representative, said
Ganpat Meena, former sarpanch. Meanwhile, when the dacoits came to know that the villagers tried to
contact police, "They opened fire indiscriminately. Mukesh Gujjar, a dacoit was shot in his chest and
collapsed on the spot. Another dacoit Dhaniram Gujjar was "captured" by the villagers, while two others
fled," said Bairwa. (Times of India 29/4/15)
Heat in Rajya Sabha over ‘discrimination’ against dalits in Gujarat (2)
New Delhi: Heated exchanges between opposition and BJP benches were witnessed in Rajya Sabha on
Thursday after a Congress member alleged discrimination against dalits in Gujarat saying they were not
being allowed to enter temples in some villages there. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, P L Punia
(Congress) said dalits in many Gujarat villages were being discriminated against and not allowed to enter
temples. He also alleged that the dalits were also not being allowed to take water from the village well.
“Dalits are migrating from villages as those associating with them are being punished. We heard of
Gujarat’s progress and equality. Today the real face of the government has come out…Government is not
concerned about welfare of dalits and poor. It is clear that this government is anti-dalit,” he said, urging
the government to maintain equality and harmony. Strongly objecting to the allegations, Parliamentary
Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the member should not make “sweeping statements without any
basis” to target a state which is a “model state” of the country. “It is a political speech. The people have
given their mandate. Try to respect that. Don’t make political speeches. If there are specific complaints,
government will address them. Let him not make sweeping political comments. I totally condemn such
comments,” he said. As heated exchanges ensued between members from treasury benches and
opposition on the issue, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien asked Punia to bring to the House if he had “any
specific instance. But no sweeping allegations.” This saw some Congress members display some papers
to highlight the issue, much to the dismay of Kurien, who said, “What is this nonsense…Don’t display
anything”. Earlier K C Tyagi (JD-U) raised the plight of sugarcane farmers saying their problems should
be addressed by the government while granting relief to sugar mills. He said though he had no objections
to provision of relief to sugar mills, the pending amount of Rs 20,000 crore due to sugarcane growers
should also be addressed. Tyagi lauded the role of leaders like Devi Lal and Parkash Singh Badal a few
years ago to fix MSP for farm products, saying now there was no such criterion. Pointing to the relief
provided to Indian Sugar Mills Association, he alleged, “it reflects the friendship between Ministry of
Consumer Affairs and ISMA” but while sugar mills are being bailed out, nothing is being done for farmers.
(Indian Express 1/5/15)
Punjab SC commission to meet Rajnath over incidents related to Dalits in state (2)
JALANDHAR: In the wake of rise in the number of attack on Dalits in the state, Punjab Scheduled Caste
Commission has sought an appointment from Union home minister Rajnath Singh and request him for
getting these issues investigated. It also plans to urge the home minister to form a policy to check the
incidents targeting Dalits as these could be part of a larger conspiracy to disturb peace in Punjab. The
commission also sought status reports of these incidents from Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini.
Revealing this here on Saturday, commission's chairman Rajesh Bagha said that, in the recent past, quite
a few instances have hurt the sentiments of Dalit communities. "There can be a larger conspiracy to
disturb the atmosphere of the state through such actions as Punjab has the highest population of Dalits in
the country. There should be a thorough probe to find if there are any linkages in these events," Bagha
said while addressing a press conference to justify the reason to seek an appointment with the Union
home minister. He said Punjab DGP Saini had been called to see the commission on Tuesday. The
incidents include killing of a Dalit girl in Moga who was thrown off an Orbit Transport bus, thrashing of
granthis by Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Committee, damage caused to a statue of B R Ambedkar in
Phagwara and defiling of a picture of Guru Ravidass. Asked if the commission lacked confidence in the
state government that it was going to the Union home ministry, Bagha evaded a direct reply. He said he
did not want to politicize the issue. "We want some mechanism to be evolved to tackle these incidents,"
he said. Before his appointment as SC commission chairman, Bagha has remained national general
secretary of SC wing of the BJP. (Times of India 3/5/15)
Dalits' Houses Burnt after Clash in Perambalur (2)
TIRUCHY: A dispute between the Dalits and Caste Hindus of V-Kalathur in Perambalur over Chithirai
festivities took a violent turn on Sunday when the members of both the communities entered into a freefor-all, leaving many injured. Later, a group of Caste Hindus allegedly went on a rampage, torching seven
huts belonging to Dalits. However, no casualty was reported in the arson. Sources said the village had a
public ground (chavadi), which was used by both the communities. On Sunday, the Dalit residents
decided to organise a festival to honour Moopanar Swamy and erected a digital banner at the chavadi.
The very day, the members of the caste-Hindu group planned to organise Chithra Pournami festival and
decided to take out a procession, followed by a pooja at chavadi. A group of Caste Hindus visited the spot
and demanded that the Dalits postpone their plans and remove the banner. Opposing the demand, the
Dalits entered into a heated argument with the caste-Hindus. Soon, the matter came to a head and the
verbal altercation gave way to fisticuffs. Sources said that during the fight, members of both the
communities began pelting each other with stones, injuring many from the two sides injured. The fight
was stopped after village elders intervened. However, a few hours later, a group of Caste Hindus reached
the Dalit settlement in the village and set afire seven houses. On information, Perambalur Fire and
Rescue personnel rushed to the spot and doused the fire. The victims of the attack were identified as
Govindhan (45), Samikannu (37), Selvamani (40), Amarthavalli (43), Ramesh (32), Raja and Ramasamy.
On information, SP Sonal Chandra and sub-collector P Madusuthanan held a spot inquiry. One of the
victims was sanctioned a house under the Greenhouse project while the rest were awarded a
compensation of `5,000. On Monday, based on complaints lodged by both groups, the police registered a
case and arrested 40 people from both the communities. A huge posse of police was deployed to avert
the incident from flaring up again. (New Indian Express 5/5/15)
Dalit grooms beaten, forced to get off horses (2)
AJMER: In another case of backward community people being subdued in society, two dalit grooms were
thrashed by villagers after they arrived on horses for their wedding in the remote Chindaliya village of
Makrana block on Thursday night. Angry villagers also forced family members of the bride to stop the
music being played. Finally, the grooms had to walk out of the house of the brides. Makrana police on
Friday registered a case against six villagers under Dalit Atrocity Act and are trying to arrest them. There
was tension in the village after the incident with dalit organizations demanding action against the
'samants' of the village. According to sources, Bhomaram, a dalit of Chindaliya village, fixed marriages of
his two daughters Swaroop and Bhagwati with Rajuram and Gajender, sons of Lichman of Pabupura
village of Naguar district. The marriage was fixed on May 7 and relatives of Bhomaram gathered to
celebrate the occasion. On Thursday evening the marriage procession reached the outskirts of the village
from Pabupura village where both Rajuram and Gajender with relatives and friends prepared to reach the
house of grooms. The procession started late with a musical band and the grooms climbed onto horses
for the ritual of 'toran'. When the procession reached inside the village, the Jat community got angry and
gathered on the street and declared the procession as unreligious. "They brought sticks and threatened
us and forced my sons to get down from the horses as they don't allow dalits from the village to ride on
horses," said Lichman, father of grooms to police. Villagers also stopped the band and directed the
procession to walk quietly to the house of the brides without looking upward. When the news broke at the
house of grooms, Bhomaram along with his relatives reached the spot and tension spread in the village.
Someone called the police and two constables from Makrana police station reached the spot after halfan-hour. Both sides this morning filed an FIR in the Makrana police station and demanded action against
the accused. "We have registered a case against six people of the village and others under dalit atrocity
and started investigation. Arrests will be made soon," said Dilip Soni, SHO of Makrana police station. He
added that police was deputed for peace and order in the village. (Times of India 8/5/15)
Barriers broken as Dalits brush shoulders with swamijis at Sahapankti Bhojana (2)
YADGIR: In a district like Yadgir where the caste system still rules the roost, the heads of religious mutts
visiting Dalit colonies and eating the food prepared by them is unheard of. To protest against the
discriminatory practise of serving food to upper castes and others in some of the temples in Dakshina
Kannada district, the swamis initiated the movement of Sahapankti Bhojana — where the upper castes
have food with Dalits in their colonies. The first such programme was held in Basavakalyan in Bidar
district and the second at Belthangady in Dakshina Kannada district last year. This is the third Sahapankti
Bhojana held in the State. Right from the morning, the Maremma Temple complexwas teeming with the
people, both Dalits and curious onlookers from other localities. The local delicacy Huggi, a sweet item
made out of wheat and jaggery along with ghee, was served to the swamis who sat on the floor along
with Dalit families. Later they were served rice and Sambar. “This is a special day for me. I still cannot
believe that the swamis had food with me,” said Susheela Melinamane, a Dalit housewife. After taking
part in the programme, Sri Chennamalla Shivacharyaru of Nidumamidi Mutt, who took the lead in
organising the event, said that people should adopt humanity and reject the Manu Smriti which was
against the freedom of women, equality, social balance and education. Sahapankti Bhojana is a part of
the struggle against untouchability, he said and added that people should organise similar programmes to
bring the social equality among the people of all communities. Prominent among other swamis who
participated in the event were — Sri Sarangadareshwara Mahaswamigal of Saranga Mutt in Srisailam in
Andhra Pradesh, Sri Gnana Prakasha Swami of Urilinga Peddi Samastana Math of Mysuru, Sri
Nanjundaswami of Urilinga Peddi Samsthana Mut at Kodla in Kalaburagi, Sidda Kabira Mahaswamigalu
of Marlu Shankara Mutt at Chigarallia and Sri Shantaveera Murugarjendra Swami of Kasa Mutt in
Gurmitkal in Yadgir district. Members of the Pragatipara Dalit Okkuta including Sabanna Sungalkar,
Baghawanth Anwar, Veerabhadrappa Eddalli, Samsan Malikeri, Mareppa Chattarkar and Chandrakanth
Motnalli participated in the Sahapankti Bhojana. (The Hindu 12/5/15)
Dalit Groom Wears Helmet for Marriage Procession, as Villagers Stone Him (2)
Along with the regular preparations for a barat, the wedding procession, a groom in Madhya Pradesh was
forced to carry a sturdy helmet too. Reason? The groom Pawan Malviya's father expected the villagers to
hurt him as he dared to use a horse in the barat. It is reported that the Balit groom was at the receiving
end of the fury by the upper cast men for breaking the norm. Dalits in the area are expected not to have a
grand procession and are also not allowed to use a horse for a wedding. The incident took place late
Sunday night, when the Pawan Malviya's procession made its way through the village in Ratlam district to
reach the venue. Half-way into the procession, upper caste men attacked the groom and his family
members by hurling stones at them. Many from the groom family were injured in the incident. The
procession was blocked for a while and resumed with policemen on rooftops to guard against any more
attacks. It was then, Pawan traded his traditional headgear to a helmet. It is also reported that Pawan's
father was worried for the safety ohf his son and had asked for police protection. The police also worked
for a compromise between the two sides, following which the upper caste families is said to have agreed
to shut their doors and not witness the procession. Close to 30 villagers have been arrested and scores
more have been booked under a law that bans caste-based atrocities. (New Indian Express 13/5/15)
Rajasthan: Dalits killed, thrashed in violence over land dispute (2)
Nagaur: A man was arrested on Saturday over the death of four people during a bloody clash in
Rajasthan’s Nagaur district, where Jats used tractors to flatten the homes of Dalits and allegedly thrashed
several women following a sudden flare-up over a decades-old land dispute. Officials said the situation in
Dangawas village, where the Jats and Dalits clashed on Thursday, was slowly returning to normal.
Twenty policemen were deployed in the village, located 250 km east of state capital Jaipur, to instill
confidence among residents, Superintendent of police Raghvendra Suhasa said.Ram Kumar Jat, 40, was
arrested by police at Nagaur hospital, where he was admitted for treatment, Suhasa said. State home
minister Gulab Chand Kataria said all the accused would be arrested soon. After visiting Dangawas on
Saturday evening, National Commission for Scheduled Castes chairman PL Punia indicted the Nagaur
district administration for laxity in handling the clash. “The victims were not happy with the police inquiry. I
will ask the government for a probe by an independent agency,” Punia told Hindustan Times. He said the
violence began as an individual dispute but snowballed into a caste clash because the administration
failed to act. A team from the Centre for Dalit Rights in Jaipur also visited the village and met people
injured in the clash who are being treated in a hospital in Ajmer. The violence was sparked by a dispute
over 24 bighas of land between Chimnaram Jat and a Dalit man named Ratanram Meghwal. Chimanram
Jat claimed Meghwal’s ancestors had sold the plot to his family and that the Dalit family had encroached
on the land. Both sides had filed cases in court.Tensions spiked on Thursday morning when Chimanram
Jat’s supporters began moving towards Meghwal’s home built on the disputed land. There was a pitched
battle when a group tried to occupy the land, police said. However, the Jats said they had sent two men
to call the Dalits for a panchayat meeting organised to resolve the issue. The Jats alleged the Dalits fired
at the two men, killing one Rampal Gosain. They added that this had triggered the clash.Three Dalits –
Ratanram Meghwal, Pokaram Meghwal and Pancharam Meghwal – also died.Bhanwari Meghwal, who
sustained multiple fractures in the clash, alleged the Jats thrashed the Dalits, molested women, flattened
their home with tractors and even tried to crush them under the tractors.She claimed one person was
crushed by a tractor but police denied this. Police officials said three Dalits were beaten to death while 13
more were injured.The injured were admitted to the government hospital in Ajmer, where doctors
described the condition of one person as serious.Members of the Dalit community also alleged that the
Jat men had assaulted Dalit women and tried to insert rods in their genitals. However, police officers and
doctors treating the women denied this claim.Suhasa said the dead were cremated on Friday. He
contended the violence was not the outcome of a caste clash.“The accused include Meghwals as well as
Jats. FIRs have been registered against 12 persons, eight of them Jats and two Meghwals,” he
said.Nagaur collector Vishal Rajan said all the victims would be given compensation on Monday. He said
police had been deployed in the hospital in Ajmer where relatives of deceased Ratanram Meghwal are
being treated.The village with a population of 15,000 is dominated by Jats but also has about 4,000 Dalit
families. There are proper roads and houses and agriculture is the main occupation… (Hindustan Times
16/5/15)
4 Dalits Slippered for 2 Hours in Kanchi Village (2)
CHENNAI: Four Dalit youth, including two Class 12 students, were allegedly tied to an electric pole and
beaten with slippers for nearly two hours in public view in a Vanniyar-dominated village about 25 km from
Kancheepuram town, on February 28. A fact finding team, comprising human rights activists, which
conducted an inquiry into the shocking episode blamed the police for biased attitude as the cops had
arrested two of the victims. The Kancheepuram Taluk police, after a delay of 18 days, filed an FIR on the
persons from the Vanniyar community based on the complaint of the victim Dalits. But no arrest was
made since the accused persons was granted anticipatory bail in the meantime. The incident is said to
have taken place in the Purisai village in which about 50 families live, and is otherwise dominated by
Vanniyar community. Narrating the incident, M Alexander, a Class XII student and one of the victims, said
he and his friend G Prasanth were visiting a shop in the village in the evening to recharge a cell phone
when a group of bike-borne youth surrounded their cycles and started assaulting them. “They then took
us forcibly to a ground nearby and asked us to kneel down. I asked why we should do that. Then they
started severely beating us and forced us to the ground,” said Alexander. They were made to call their
two elder brothers -- D Saravanan and M Govendhan over phone, asking them to come to the place.
Soon after the two reached the spot, all four were tied to an electric pole and the men in the village took
turns to beat them with slippers. “We were all tied in four different directions and about 20 members were
assaulting us when a huge crowd of the villagers gathered around us hurling abuses,” says Prasanth,
another victim and a Class 12 student. The reason for the abuse of the four youth is the alleged
misbehaviour towards a 14-year-old girl of the Vanniyar community by a group of unidentified men.
“When we enquired with the Vanniyar community members, they confessed to having assaulted the four
youth for misbehaving with the girl by sprinkling powder on her face when she was walking alone and
giving her abusive letters. But nobody, even the girl concerned, does not know who those persons were
as they had covered their faces with kerchieves,” said A Marx, a noted human rights activist who was part
of the fact-finding team. The four Dalit youth say they were assaulted initially asking them to reveal
names of the persons who misbehaved with the girl. “They assumed that we knew those persons and
wanted us to tell their names. But we pleaded them we had no idea about the incident. But after the
incident, now they have filed a police complaint that we misbehaved with the girl,” said Alexander. The
Kanchi Taluk police had on the same day registered a women harassment case and remanded D
Saravanan and M Govendan, who managed to come out on bail after 18 days in jail. (New Indian Express
17/5/15)
Dalit youth killed for keeping Ambedkar song as ringtone (2)
Shirdi (Maharashtra): A Dalit youth was brutally assaulted and killed in the temple town of Shirdi in
Maharashtra allegedly over his mobile ringtone of a song on Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. Four assailants have
been arrested while four others are absconding. Sagar Shejwal, a nursing student , had come home to
Shirdi to attend a wedding. On May 16 around 1.30 p.m., he went to a local beer shop with two of his
cousins. According to Vivek Patil, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sagar was assaulted by eight youths
over his ringtone. Mr Patil said: “Eight youths were sitting at a table at the shop. When Sagar’s mobile
rang with the Ambedkar song as its ringtone, the youths told him to switch it off. In a police statement, the
cousin has described the song as Tumhi kara re kitihi halla / Mazbut Bhimacha quilla [Shout all you want /
Bhim’s fortress is strong]. An altercation ensued and the assailants hit Sagar with a beer bottle and
started kicking and punching him. Then they dragged him out, put him on a motorbike and took him away
to a nearby forest. They crushed him under the bike. Sagar’s body was found around 6.30 p.m. in a
naked state near Rui village. The cause of death was multiple fractures. The autopsy says Sagar
sustained around 25 injuries. He died between 2 and 4 p.m.” The perpetrators, a group of local youths
from the dominant Maratha and OBC communities, ran their bike repeatedly over Sagar’s body mutilating
it . “I can understand that they hit him. Quarrels can happen anytime, but look at the brutality of the act.
Why would they do this on such a trivial matter?” Sagar’s father Subhash Shejwal asked, unable to
comprehend the horror of the assault. The initial assault was captured on the CCTV cameras at the beer
shop. The 21-minute footage, in which the faces of the assailants are clearly seen, provides strong
electronic evidence to the police. The shop itself is within a stone’s throw from the Shirdi police station,
raising serious questions about police inaction. “I called the police at 1.45 p.m. when the youths were
beating up Sagar, but for a long time they did not come,” said Sandeep Ghorpade, manager of the beer
shop. Sagar’s cousins, who managed to escape, also alerted the police, but in vain. The family alleged
that the officers on duty demanded an air-conditioned vehicle to look for Sagar. The police said a
departmental inquiry would be initiated against Inspector Pramod Wagh and constable Sharad Kadam.
“Only our relatives were looking for Sagar. No police vehicle was in sight. The body was also discovered
by family members,” said complainant and Sagar’s cousin Satish Gaikwad. The police arrested Vishal
Kote, Somnath and Rupesh Wadekar, who are historysheeters and Sunil Jadhav. They have been
booked under the Sections 302 (murder), 395 (punishment for dacoity), 201 (causing disappearance of
evidence of offence), 109 (punishment of abetment) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 3 (2) (v) and
3 (1) (x) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. (The Hindu
22/5/15)
Dalits in Madhya Pradesh Village Allegedly Not Allowed to Use Public Borewell (2)
Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh: Dalit residents of Ghatwani village in Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh -some 400 km from Bhopal -- have alleged that they are not allowed to use a public borewell and have to
drink dirty water of a disused well. Ironically, the Bhilala community in the village, which allegedly does
not allow Dalits to use the lone hand-operated borewell, is itself a scheduled tribe. Over 200 Dalit
residents of the village recently met Collector Shekhar Verma and demanded that a separate borewell be
dug for them. Mr Verma told PTI that he was going to send a team of officials of social justice and
revenue departments to the village to stop the discrimination. "Untouchability won't be tolerated at any
cost," the collector said. Also, as demanded by the Dalits, another hand-operated borewell would be
provided in the village, he said. RS Chouhan, Executive Engineer of Public Health and Engineering
Department, said, "A complaint has come that Bhilalas don't allow Dalits to fetch water. We will install a
new hand-pump for the Dalit community in the village." Mehtab Mandor and Mukesh, both Dalits, said the
existing borewell is just 100 metres from their houses, but they are not allowed to use it. They fetch water
from an old well. "Our children frequently fall ill due to its contaminated water," they said. Pinki Mandor, a
Dalit woman, said there were instances where members of her community were thrashed for daring to
use the only borewell in the village. The village has a population of about 930, over 200 of them Dalits.
Majority are Bhilalas, a sub-community of Bhils, who consider themselves descendants of Rajput chiefs
who married daughters of Bhil chieftains. (NDTV 24/5/15)
Dalits Attacked for Tea Shop Entry; 8 Booked (2)
THANJAVUR:Days after four Dalits were allegedly assaulted by a group of caste-Hindu members at a tea
stall here, the Tiruchitrambalam police on Sunday booked eight persons from the intermediate caste.
Police said K Mathimurugan (44), a Dalit from Vellaiyan street in Navakollaikadu, along with his relatives
Vignesh (22), Madhavan (22), Aravind and a few locals had gone to a tea stall at Ottankadu bazaar on
Friday night. However, a group of caste-Hindu persons allegedly prevented them from entering the shop
and verbally abused them. To prevent the fight from snowballing into a caste clash, Mathimurugan asked
his friends to return. However, his friends picked up some logs from roadside as a precaution. On seeing
the Dalits arming themselves, the caste-Hindu people allegedly started attacking them with clubs, iron
rods and aruval, police said. (Indian Express 26/5/12)
Dalit villager set afire for fetching water at hand-pump in MP's Sagar dist (2)
Sagar: A Dalit villager was allegedly set on fire by an upper caste man in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district
for collecting water from a hand-pump, police said on Wednesday, highlighting the social divide in the
caste-ridden state. The incident took place May 23 at the remote Belai village near Bina town, around 160
km from Bhopal, but came to light only on Wednesday after the injured person was referred to the Sagar
district hospital. The incident came barely days after a Dalit groom was assaulted in neighbouring Damoh
district by a group of people, also from an upper caste, for riding a horse on his way to the bride’s
house.Bina police station officer Anil Gupta said a case under the SC/ST Act has been registered against
the accused Ramsahay Richariya, who was absconding.The victim Samrat Ahirwar, 31, said that
Richariya had tried to stop him from fetching water from a government-installed hand-pump before him.
“When I objected, he abused and thrashed me,” said Ahirwar. “Later, when I was passing by his house he
threw a burning kerosene oil lamp at me resulting in burn injuries in the lower part of my body.”Dalits,
considered among the lower strata of society by the so-called high castes, regularly face discrimination
across many parts of the country where the social divide is strictly enforced. Activists say that divisive
politics by different parties have nullified efforts by successive governments to create awareness and
bring in legislations to end the discrimination. (Hindustan Times 28/5/15)
Dalit deaths trigger concern (2)
Mumbai, May 31: A fortnight after a Dalit youth was murdered by eight dominant caste youths in
Maharashtra's Ahmednagar for having a pro-Dalit slogan as his ringtone, another youth from the
community has died under controversial circumstances in police custody in the same district. Nitin Balu
Sathye (22) died in police custody on May 29 after being arrested on suspicion of being a robber in
Ahmednagar city. "Sathye and (Sagar) Sehejwal (the youth whose murder was triggered allegedly by the
ringtone) are victims of an anti-Dalit mindset. Intolerance - religious or caste - has become rampant.
Whoever is raising their head to assert themselves is being crushed in the current political atmosphere whether in the IIT in Chennai or in the interiors of Maharashtra. "These attacks are coming because Dalits
have become politically assertive and some members of the dominant caste are not being able to handle
that," Dalit activist and B.R. Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar told The Telegraph. Ahmednagar
superintendent of police Sourav Tripathi said there were reports of robbery in the Kotwali area and a team
of policemen was patrolling the streets late on Wednesday night when they spotted Sathye on a
motorbike with a pillion rider "moving around suspiciously".The SP added: "The police party flagged them
down and detained Sathye while the pillion rider escaped. He was then brought to the Kotwali police
station where he was interrogated and then arrested around 7am on Thursday. The policemen in charge
of him have claimed that Sathye then escaped with his bike from the police station around 5pm on the
pretext of going to the toilet. Chased by the police, he allegedly hit a lamp-post, fell unconscious and later
died in a private hospital. "But since this is a custodial death, I have suspended the policemen involved in
the matter and, as per norms, ordered a CID inquiry." Prakash Ambedkar said Sathye's death was "not
due to any accident - it was custodial murder"."Sathye had no criminal record - yet he was picked up on
the basis of suspicion, he was not produced before a magistrate after arrest and then he died in custody
due to police torture. The police would have hushed up the matter but for protests by his family and
neighbours." On May 16, another Dalit youth, a nursing student, was brutally killed by high caste
assailants. Sehejwal (21) was sitting with his cousin at a beer outlet in Ahmednagar's Shirdi town when
his mobile phone rang. The ringtone was " Kara kitihi halla, majboot Bhimacha killa (Holler as much as
you can, the fortress of Bhim is strong)." Dalits in Maharashtra refer to themselves as Bhim after
Babasaheb Ambedkar's first name. Sehejwal's ringtone irritated eight youths belonging to the dominant
Maratha community sitting at another t able. They allegedly abused and thrashed Sehejwal, all the time
asking if he would still use the same ringtone, the police said. "They hit him with a beer bottle, kicked and
punched him and then tied him to their motorbikes and dragged him into a forest where his mutilated
body was found later," Prakash Ambedkar said.Four of the eight assailants were arrested on May 22 with
the help of evidence from CCTV footage in the beer bar. The others are absconding. (The Telegraph
1/6/15)
Sonia Gandhi writes to PM Modi expressing concern over atrocities on Dalits (2)
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi Monday wrote to PM Narendra Modi on the “distressing
rise in the incidents of atrocities against Dalits” and accused his government of letting lapse an ordinance
brought by the UPA government to “strengthen the implementation” of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Sonia wrote that even though the Standing Committee which
examined the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, which
replaced the ordinance, tabled its report in December, the “government did not bring it to the Parliament
for passage in the Budget session.”She said that while it is important to ensure that a fair inquiry is
conducted in such cases and the guilty are punished, it is equally important to strengthen the institutional
machinery charged with the welfare of Dalits. (Indian Express 2/6/15)
Dalit families want to relocate (2)
MUMBAI: Facing a social boycott from upper castes and fearing possible violence, all 13 Dalit families of
Ansurda village in Osmanabad in Maharashtra have written to District Collector Prashant Narnavre
seeking rehabilitation near an urban area. Mr. Narnavre said the administration would ensure the safety
of the Dalits and see to it that their constitutional rights were not violated. On April 28, the Dalits took out
a procession to mark the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar, where songs dedicated to the Dalit
icon were played. “A few upper caste youths objected to it and demanded that we play songs on Shivaji
Maharaj. We played those songs too,” Nishikant Humbe, one of the Dalits from the village, told The
Hindu. The young men desecrated the image of Dr. Ambedkar and abused Dalit women, according to a
police complaint filed by the families. The police arrested four youths, of which two were minors. “The fact
that we filed a complaint enraged the upper castes and they called for a social boycott,” said Bibhishan
Avadhute, another villager. Ansurda, with a population of over 1,500, has only 13 Dalit households — 11
of Buddhist Mahars and two of the Mang community. The Dalits were asked not to drink water from public
taps and their cattle was barred from grazing in the village. Shopkeepers were asked not to sell groceries
to them. Despite the continuous boycott for over 12 days, no case has been filed under the Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. “On the contrary, all the arrested four came
out on bail,” Mr. Avadhute said. While the boycott was officially called off on the Collector’s intervention,
the situation remains unchanged. “We are still denied groceries from shops. Members of the upper castes
have put saffron flags everywhere to threaten us. The police deployed by the Collector do nothing but
watch. We want to shift somewhere safer,” said Sushma Sonawane, another villager from Ansurda. The
families are living in fear of a possible attack by the upper castes. (The Hindu 5/6/15)
Dalit groom becomes first to ride horse in Rajasthan village (2)
JAIPUR: Anil Raigner (22) has become the first dalit groom of his village — Pathredi — in Rajasthan to
ride a horse for his wedding procession. The procession passed through upper caste settlements in the
village with much pomp on Thursday while 125 policemen guarded it in presence of top police and district
administration officers. Pathredi is home to about 50 dalit families and none among them has ever ridden
a horse for wedding procession. The security arrangements were made in the backdrop of tensions
reported from various parts of the state recently after upper castes prevented dalit grooms from riding
horses. "We deputed nearly 20 policemen at the groom's house prior to the wedding. When his nikasi (a
ritual before the wedding) procession was taken out in the village on Thursday, there were nearly 125
policemen for security," said a police officer. Raigner rode the horse from his house to the village temple
where prayers were offered before he left for nearby Jahidpura village, where he tied the knot."People
from upper caste do not like it (dalits riding horses), so there was no point in creating unnecessary
tension. But Raigner expressed his desire to ride a horse following which it was planned for the first time,"
said Dayaram Raiger, a local resident. Some villagers from upper castes offered to be present at the
wedding procession to ensure that nothing went wrong. But the administration did not want to take any
chances and offered security.Preventing dalits from riding horses, entering temples and cremating bodies
in crematoriums is common in Rajasthan. A petition filed before the Rajasthan high court on May 29
highlighted 20 cases in which dalit grooms were not allowed to ride horses in 2014 alone. (Times of India
5/6/15)
IIT-Madras Lifts Ban on Dalit Student Group (2)
CHENNAI: Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) today reinstated recognition of a student group,
whose de-recogition had triggered a controversy, and appointed a professor as its faculty advisor,
bringing an end to the more than a week-long standoff. The re-instatement of recognition to Ambedkar
Periyar Study Circle (APSC) and appoinment of Professor Miland Brahme as Advisor came after a
meeting between the Dean of Students and representatives of APSC held today, ending the confrontation
that had left the campus in turmoil. "The Dean of Students reinstated the recognition of APSC as an
independent student body, and after consultation with the APSC representatives, recommended
Professor Milind Brahme as the Faculty Advisor," an official release from IIT-M said. "Professor Brahme
has consented to advise APSC as required in the guidelines for independent student bodies," it said. IITM found itself at the centre of a controversy after it recently derecognised APSC, many of whose
members are Dalits, following a complaint that it was critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Union HRD
Minster Smriti Irani also came under fire from political parties including Congress and students' bodies for
the action against the APSC. IIT-M had, however, maintained that "as per the guidelines in force, student
bodies cannot use its name or its official entities in any capacity to publicise their activities or garner
support without official permission." With students staging protests demanding withdrawal of the action,
IIT-M had last week convened a meeting of the Board of Students. Noting that the Board of Students met
and discussed the issues raised by APSC regarding modifications and suggestions for ensuring uniform
guidelines for independent student bodies, the release said, some of the suggestions will be taken up in
"due course”. "Some of these will be implemented by the Office of Dean (Students), while the Student
Affairs Council, Board of Students, and Senate will take up the modifications in due course for
consideration as per established procedure," it said. APSC and Dean of Students expressed satisfaction
that the matter "has been closed", the release said. (New Indian Express 8/6/15)
Nine dalits injured in attack in Sikar (2)
JAIPUR: Heavy police force was deployed in Gandakya ki Dhani in Sikar's Dantaramgarh, a day after
nine Dalit people were injured after members of an OBC community attacked them over a land-related old
dispute. The assailants also set on fire a thatched house belonging to dalit families. Two injured are
undergoing treatment at SMS Hospital in Jaipur. The incident took place over a piece of land over which
both the Dalits and Kumawats (an OBC community) claim ownership. Even as Dalit families live on the
land, the dispute is pending in a court. One Mularam Kumawat along with 50-60 others attacked the Dalit
members and injured them. "Several members of a caste attacked Dalit people following a land related
dispute which left nine people injured. Two of them were referred to SMS hospital in Jaipur for treatment,"
police said. Both the dalits and Kumawats (an OBC community) stake claim on the land and the matter is
sub judice. After the incident, Additional SP Rakesh Kachwal and others rushed to the spot and additional
policemen were deployed in the area. (Times of India 11/6/15)
Two dalit youths shot dead in dispute over Rs 4 (2)
GHOORPUR (Allahabad): A clash over payment of mere Rs 4 turned deadly when a group of brahmans
fired at two dalits, killing them, and injuring three others in Mohddinpur village in Ghoorpur, 25 km from
Allahabad on Friday. In the backlash that followed, angry dalit mobs set fire to the flour mill and a portion
of the house of the people who had shot and killed the dalits. Four people, including the main accused,
Suresh Dubey, were arrested, and heavy police force was deployed in the village. Those killed were
identified as Rahul Bhartiya (19) and Shubham Bhartiya (18) of Mohddinpur and Dandi village. Rahul was
a BSc student while Ashu had cleared his intermediate. Rajat and Vikas Bhartiya, and another youth
injured in the attack, were admitted to a nursing home where their condition was said to be stable.
Trouble began when Rajat (22) reached the flour unit of Suresh and Rakesh Dubey and demanded 154kg
of flour that he had given them for grinding on Thursday. When Suresh told them the cost of grinding was
Rs 154, Rajat paid him Rs 150 and said the remaining Rs 4 would follow. At this, Suresh began arguing
with Rajat and allegedly made some coarse remarks. Rajat left and returned to the shop with Rs 20, and
allegedly threw it at Suresh's face, asking him to take his Rs 4 and return the rest. Feeling insulted,
Suresh and his brothers attacked Rajat with a sharp edged weapon, leaving him bleeding. Suresh then
ran to his cousins Rahul, Ashu, Gulab, Vikas and others, exhorting them for revenge. When the relatives
and other villagers saw Rajat bleeding, they moved towards Dubey's mill and surrounded the house and
the shop. Sensing danger, Suresh took out his licensed double barreled gun and fired from the terrace
twice, killing Rahul and Shubham instantly. Hearing the gun shots, other villagers came out of their
houses and attacked and flour unit and set the house of Dubeys on fire. A case was lodged with
Ghoorpur Police under relevant Sections. The licenced weapon used in the crime was seized. Senior
police officers including SP Ashutosh Mishra, rushed to the spot with heavy police force and brought the
controlled the situation. (Times of India 13/6/15)
Ambedkar statue vandalised; Dalits protest (2)
Phagwara: A statue of B. R. Ambedkar was allegedly vandalised at village Palahi near here on Sunday,
sparking protests by Dalits who blocked roads at many places in the district. The statue’s raised arm was
found twisted and damaged in a park at village Palahi, the police said. Protesting against the incident,
members of Dalit community blocked traffic on Phagwara-Chandigarh bypass in front of Palahi village, at
Bhullarai crossing of the by-pass and Phagwara-Palahi crossing on Phagwara-Hoshiarpur road, they
said. Led by BSP leader Jarnail Nangal and Ambedkar Sena Moolnivasi Punjab President Harbhajan
Suman, protesters raised anti-government slogans. The protesters also threatened to call for a bandh on
Wednesday if the culprits are not arrested by then. They alleged that it was the second such incident of
vandalisation in two-and-half-months. Earlier, a statue of Ambedkar was damaged in local Palahigate
mohalla in the intervening night of April 4-5 and police failed to trace the miscreants, they alleged. They
also alleged that miscreants had intentionally vandalised the statues in the localities with Dalit population
in order to create tension.They demanded immediate arrest of culprits and security for all statues of
Ambedkar. – PTI (The Hindu 15/6/15)
Dalit girl severly beaten up after her shadow falls on high caste muscleman (2)
Chattarpur: In a shocking incident, a minor Dalit girl was allegedly thrashed by higher caste women in
Ganeshpura village here after the victim’s shadow fell on a muscleman belonging to their family, police
said today. The incident took place on June 13 and the complaint was also filed on the same day at Gadi
Malhera police station, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Neeraj Pandey said.According to the
complaint lodged by the girl’s father, the problem began when his daughter was fetching water from a
village hand pump and her shadow fell on muscle-man Puran Yadav (belonging to a higher caste) when
he happened to pass from there, the ASP said. The episode enraged the family of the muscle-man to
such an extent that the women of the family severely beat the girl and threatened that if she was spotted
again at the hand pump, they would kill her, he said. Yadav’s family also prevented the victim from going
to police station, but they somehow managed to reach there. A case under sections 323, 341, 506 of the
IPC has been registered against the accused and further investigation is underway. In several remote
pockets of India, where untouchability is still prevalent, people from the lower caste are forbidden to come
in contact with those belonging to the higher rung so much so that they can’t share their food, cook for
them or even look them in the eye. It is even forbidden for their shadow to fall on higher caste people,
who consider it as defiling or polluting. (Indian Express 17/6/15)
NHRC orders action against headmistress for illtreating dalit girls (2)
MADURAI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked Tamil Nadu government to
explain why 25,000 each should not be paid as relief to two girls of a panchayat union middle school in
Tirunelveli, who were forced to clean the toilets by the headmistress of the school. According to the state
organiser of the Arundhadhiar Pengal Ezhuchi Iyakkam (APEI), K Maria Selvi, their organisation held
regular Sunday classes called Arundhadhiar Ilan Kanal Sirar Mandram. There the school students were
asked to give an account of their week's study and also if they had any problems related to it. "It was
there that the two students, Petchiamma, 11, and Sermakani, 12, came forward to tell us about the
harassment they faced at the hands of the headmistress of Ettankulam Panchayat Middle School,'' she
said. The girls were allegedly forced to scrub and wash the toilet used by the headmistress, Sathya
Bama, who was allegedly biased against dalit students. They said the toilet had squirming worms and
they refused to clean it, earning the ire of the headmistress. The APEI staged demonstrations on April 8,
2013 and also sent petitions to the collector, chief educational officer, elementary educational officer and
superintendent of police. The CEO conducted enquiries with the students and the teachers and the
allegations were confirmed and the headmistress was transferred. Member of the commission, Justice D
Murugesan, has recommended that the state government initiate action against the headmistress for her
misconduct. Social justice department, which has to take action, should submit a report within six weeks.
(Times of India 18/6/15)
Ambedkar statue damaged, Dalit outfits protest (2)
MADURAI: Tension prevailed at Avaniyapuram as a statue of B R Ambedkar was found with minor
damages on Friday morning. The index finger and thumb of the right hand of the statue were broken. The
spectacles, which were made of iron, was also damaged. The people who spotted the damages on Friday
morning reported the matter to the police. Functionaries from various dalit outfits thronged the spot when
the information reached them. They blocked the road for a few minutes and raised slogans demanding
safety for the statue and the early arrest of the miscreants. A large number of police personnel were
posted to prevent any untoward incident. Police said outfits like Aathi Tamizhar Peravai, Viduthalai
Chiruthaigal, Puratchi Puligal and Tamizh Puligal gathered at Madurai Municipal Colony in Avaniyapuram.
However, after the intervention of city police, they withdrew the blockade. Following the incident, protests
were held in Melur and Tirumangalam. People belonging to different outfits raised slogans against the
incident in front of the Madurai bench of the Madras high court. The city police said a case has been
registered under the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act, and they were
searching for the miscreants. Avaniyapuram police inspector Sethu Mani Mathavan said police have
assured that the demands of the functionaries of the Dalit outfits will be fulfilled. Also, they have started to
restore the statue, install CCTV camera and provide lights, he said. The Ambedkar statue, installed by the
state government, was opened several years ago, when Kakkan was a minister of the state. Police said
this was not the first instance of desecration of statues. Such incidents have taken at least three times
place in the recent years. Police sources said there were 22 statues in Avaniyapuram police limit, of
which 12 are Thevar statues, three are Ambedkar statues, five Marudhupandiar statues and one is a
Periyar statue. (Times of India 20/6/15)
UP brothers, who cracked IIT, fought dalit stigma as much as poverty (2)
REHUA LALGANJ (Pratapgarh): It was not just straitened financial circumstances but also the villagers'
casteist mindset that the Saroj brothers fought along their way to achieving their IIT dream. Caste biases
run so deep here that even as they returned home feted by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday,
stones were thrown at their house. "There were five or six stones thrown at our home. We informed the
police," Raju Saroj told TOI. Otherwise, the brothers said, the villagers have become nice to them,
especially since they shot to limelight after their incredible IIT success. It wasn't always like this. The
villagers would mock the Saroj brothers when they dared to study. They were told that as dalits, they
need not study any further as they have no future. Even their drainage line was cut off a few weeks ago.
But, the family today is being idolized by the same villagers.When Brijesh was applying to Jawahar
Navodaya Vidyalaya for the first time, villagers had said he would never get through. As if that wasn't
enough, when his roll number appeared in the list of those selected, a neighbour tore up the newspaper
and threw it away. They always pulled us back. There were no words of encouragement," recalled
Brijesh. When Raju applied a year later, 40 other children had applied as well. Only Raju made it. "The
people then said our family has some 'source', that's why we got admission," said Raju, without a trace of
resentment. "Navodaya was my turning point," said Brijesh in crisp English. Before Navodaya, the boys
were always pulled into the caste yolk. They were asked their caste by villagers, bus drivers and cotravellers. "People here are stuck in another century. They don't want to move forward," says Raju. "As
my sons were studying in cities, villagers thought I had lots of money. They asked for my BPL card to be
withdrawn," said Dharmraj. But there were words of encouragement as well. "These two were the stars of
our village from childhood as we knew that one day they will make their family and the entire village
proud," said Rakesh Jaiswal. He'd taken CPMT but could not make it. Hare Ram Yadav, principal, Vikas
Uchchatar Madhyamik Vidyalaya, where the Saroj brothers had studied till class V, and who till a couple
of days back had told Raju it would've been better had he had taken ITI, gave a different spiel on Sunday
when TOI revisited the village. "When they were small, they used to tell me they wanted to become doctor
and engineer and I only honed their skills," he said. He tactfully concealed the fact that in 2005, one of the
teachers had beaten young Brijesh when the 10-year-old had questioned his Sanskrit translation. Gulab
Soni, their immediate neighbour, said, "We were sure of their achievements since they were kids." As the
celebrations were on, he merrily sipped soft drink offered by Raju's elder. "Yeh log aapke saamne naatak
karte hain. In logon ne hamara bathroom jaane ka rasta bhi band kara diya hai aur aaye din dhamki dete
rahte hain" (these people are acting before you. They had even blocked the path I took for bathroom),"
said Shiv Nath Saroj, the grandfather of the Saroj brothers. "They've stopped all the approach paths,
barring one, for our house claiming that it was their own land. Had it not been thin lane, we could have not
able to move out to go to the loo in the open," he added with moist eyes. "We've been tormented for
years as all of us have struggled against poverty and stigma to achieve what we are today. Had it not
been TOI, this success story would not have been noticed," said Munna Saroj, uncle of these boys.
(Times of India 22/6/15)
Teacher’s dumb act ends Dalit girl’s education (2)
RAMANATHAPURAM: Children drop out of school for various reasons. For 15-year-old A. Muthulakshmi,
a Dalit girl suffering from partial hearing loss, a malfunctioning hearing aid effectively ended her
schooling. The teenager, hailing from a poor family in Peravoor, was in tears at the Collectorate here on
Monday as she could not pursue her education after her teacher asked her to leave the school for the
simple reason that she could not hear properly in the classroom. As her education came to an abrupt end,
Muthulakshmi visited the Collectorate with her parents to request Collector K. Nanthakumar to provide
her a sewing machine to supplement family income. However, officials turned her away saying she was
still a child. Muthulakshmi was a normal child till the age of 11 when she suffered partial hearing loss. She
was studying at Peravoorani Government High School and continued her studies with the help of hearing
aid. In 2014-15, when she was in Class X, water seeped into her hearing aid and stopped working. Her
class teacher pulled her up for not being attentive and sharp like other students. When she explained her
difficulty, the teacher, instead of helping her to buy a new hearing aid, asked her to leave the school. “I
cried before the teacher asking her not to send me out of school. But, she stood firm and I was soon
given a transfer certificate,” Muthulakshmi told reporters. Her father K. Azhagan, a sanitary worker at the
Peravoor Panchayat Union, said that he had also pleaded with the teacher to allow his daughter complete
at least Class X, but in vain. With no other option, Muthulakshmi joined ‘Sigaram Vattara Kalainjiam’ and
underwent a three-month cutting and stitching course in tailoring. “I am scared of being humiliated,” said
Muthulakshmi when asked whether she would go back to school if she gets a new hearing aid. (The
Hindu 23/6/15)
Dalit priest's suicide: Tamil Nadu minister Panneerselvam’s brother gets bail (2)
MADURAI: A sessions court in Theni on Wednesday granted bail to O Raja, brother of Tamil Nadu
finance minister O Panneerselvam, in a case relating to the suicide of a dalit priest. The Madurai bench of
the Madras high court on June 11 directed Raja to surrender before the sessions court within three weeks
and file a bail application. The high court also directed the court to pass orders on Raja's petition on
merits. Accordingly, Raja surrendered before the court on Wednesday. Later, when his case was called
for, he filed a petition seeking bail. (Times of India 24/6/15)
100 dalit Christians re-convert to Hinduism in Gorakhpur (2)
Lucknow: After several months, Uttar Pradesh had the first instance of “ghar vapsi” when saffron outfits in
Gorakhpur re-converted nearly 100 Dalits from Christianity to Hinduism. Reports said members of Hindu
Yuva Vahini, the outfit belonging to Gorakhpur BJP MP Mahant Adityanath, held a special ceremony at
the Dalit hamlet of Mohaddipur in the town on Wednesday evening in which around 100 Christian Dalits
were welcomed to Hinduism. Vahini activists had earlier rounded up four Christian priests and nuns, who
they alleged “lured” poor Dalits into their faith. “Every family (embracing Christianity) were promised cash
and a house,” Vahini’s state general secretary Ram Bhual Kushwaha alleged. Saffron activists handed
the priests and nuns to the local police demanding stern action against them, but the police released
them later since they did not find materials encouraging conversion in their possession. The outfit vowed
to bring back everyone “lured” into conversion from Hinduism. “Our workers are keeping a close watch on
conversion activities,” Kushwaha said. Hindu Yuva Vahini is active in Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar,
Sant Kabir Nagar and other districts. Police in Gorakhpur said security personnel have been kept in full
strength in the locality as a precautionary measure. Saffron outfits launched a state-wide “ghar vapsi”
programme to welcome converts from Hinduism back to their ‘home faith’. Re-conversion programmes
across the state triggered a strong reaction from Christian and Muslim communities. (Deccan Herald
26/6/15)
Dalit woman gang-raped in Bhojpur, 3 held (2)
ARA: A newly married Mahadalit woman was gang-raped by four men on the outskirts of Karisath village
in Bhojpur district around Saturday midnight. Taking swift action, police on Sunday arrested three persons
in this connection. The three have been identified as Indu Dom and Jaiky Dom of Town police station
area, and Bhola Ram of Maula Bagh locality under the same police station area. They were later sent to
jail. Police brought the woman to Ara sadar hospital for medical examination. Police are searching for two
others involved in the incident. According to the complaint lodged with woman police station here, Reena
Kharwar (name changed), a resident of Bihia in the district, got down from a passenger train at Jagjivan
Halt, about 4km from Ara railway station, late on Saturday evening and reached Chandwa under Nawada
police station area. Five persons were following her en route Chandwa, who forcibly took her to a field
near Karisath village and four of them outraged her modesty one by one, the complaint said.The woman
reached Ara in the wee hours of Sunday and narrated her ordeal to a mobile police party, which took her
to Nawada police station. SDPO Binod Kumar Raut said the woman got down from a train at Jagjivan halt
and reached Chandwa on foot. "The five miscreants followed her. Seeing them, the woman complained to
a mobile police team there that the miscreants were chasing her. The police team shooed away the
miscreants and hired a three-wheeler to take her to Karisath. After the police team left the place, the
miscreants forcibly boarded the same three-wheeler, took her to Karisath and gang-raped her in a field,"
he said. The accused, however, said all of them, including the woman, are luggage-lifters. The woman
had snatched a chain from a passenger and they were demanding their share in the booty but she
refused and instead implicated them in the false case of rape, they said. (Times of India 29/6/15)
Dalit's death turns out to be murder, 6 held (2)
NAMAKKAL: Two days after a court-appointed medical team submitted its report to the Madras high court
after conducting autopsy on the body of a dalit youth, the Tiruchengode police on Wednesday altered the
case from 'suspicious death' to murder and arrested six men. The headless body of 23-year-old V
Gokulraj, an engineering graduate, was found on a railway track at Thottipalayam in Namakkal district on
June 24. The severed head was found nearby. "We have altered case registered by the Erode railway
police under Section 174 ( suspicious death) of CrPC to Section 302 (murder) of the IPC based on the
autopsy report," Namakkal superintendent of police SR Senthil Kumar told TOI. He confirmed that six
persons had been picked up in connection with the case. He declined to comment on the autopsy report.
"I cannot reveal details of the autopsy report as it's confidential. But, we have initiated investigations
based on the report," Kumar said. The youth's death triggered tension in the caste-sensitive region with
family members and dalit outfits alleging that Gokulraj was murdered by some members of the gounder
community. The youth was last seen talking to a girl from the community. Based on a petition, the high
court ordered postmortem by a medical team constituted by it. The autopsy report was given to the
investigating officer, DSP Vishnu Priya, by the court…. (Times of India 2/7/15)
Dalit commission member calls separate crematoria inhuman (2)
Karnal: Showing deep concern over separate crematoria for Dalits in Haryana villages, the National
Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) member Ishwar Singh has demanded that this practice be
made a criminal offence. Ishwar Singh, who was here on Friday to convene a meeting with the district
officials, said that Haryana had the dubious distinction of being a state committing a large number of
violations of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. "Of the total crimes
registered in Haryana, 9.52% cases relate to Dalit atrocities. It is higher than the national average of 7%.
This data reflects a biased mindset, leading to curtailment of the basic human rights of Dalits. It is a
matter of worry that such violations are routine and the state must take serious note of it," said Singh, a
former member of Rajya Sabha from Haryana. He said that he had got several complaints from Haryana
where it was alleged that members of the Dalit community were not being allowed to cremate bodies at
places where the last rites of upper caste people are performed. "I am personally aware that even the
funeral processions of Dalits are not allowed to cross through the streets dominated by upper castes. I
strongly believe that the Centre should pass a resolution to ensure that bodies are not discriminated on
the grounds of caste and the last rights must be performed at the same place," he told reporters. Singh,
who is incharge of five states on violations of the SC Act, said that despite tall official claims, inhuman
practices like manual scavenging were still practised in Haryana. "I have recently written to the Union
government to bring changes in the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 as
it is not implemented in its true spirit. Despite strict legal provisions, instances of atrocities are repeated in
various parts of the country," he said. Singh said that as per official records, Dalits comprise 46% of the
total strength of students studying in government schools, and suggested that public officials should also
admit their wards in such schools. "It is a worrying trend as the standards of education are quite poor in
government schools and Dalits are being marginlised. I am of the opinion that wards of public officials,
including the deputy commissioner, should be enrolled in government schools. The mechanism may
infuse a new lease of life in the neglected sector of education," he said…. (Hindustan Times 4/7/15)
Dalit youth murder: Fact-finding team demands CBI probe (2)
Chennai: A fact-finding team consisting of Dalit scholars and academics has termed the death of a Dalit
youth, whose body was found on a railway track in Namakkal, as a “clear case of honour killing” and have
demanded a CBI probe. A team of the Intellectual Circle for Dalit Actions (ICDA), which included
academics such as C. Lakshmanan of the Madras Institute of Development studies and Dalit writers like
Stalin Rajangam, said in a report that the investigation by the local police into the murder was clearly
“slow and sloppy”, with the prime accused still absconding. According to the report, published after a visit
to the area last week, several factors clearly establish that Swathi, who belongs to the Gounder
community, and Gokulraj, the Dalit youth, who was murdered, were in a relationship. “In fact, Gokulraj
had recently bought a diamond ring on instalment basis from a jewellery shop which seems to indicate
that the couple may have thought about marriage,” said Mr. Rajangam. The report said the youth had
been threatened of dire consequences even a year earlier for his relationship with Swathi. “This fact has
to be thoroughly investigated,” the report said. The team said the role of the prime accused, Yuvaraja of
the Dheeran Chinnamalai Gounder Peravai, had been underplayed. “He was actively involved in
campaigns against inter-caste marriages,” Mr. Rajangam said, urging the government to ban such
organisations and incentivise inter-caste marriages. Sources said Yuvaraja was also an active organiser
of campaigns against writer Perumal Murugan last year over the contents of his book Madhorubagan.
Protests broke out after several caste and Hindutva organisations demanded the ban of the book for its
portrayal of Gounder women. In fact, as early as in 2012, The Hindu had reported that youth belonging to
smaller caste-based organisations had begun a campaign in colleges in the Salem area against intercaste marriage. The report claims that this campaign could have given the perpetrators the advantage of
a network that identified inter-caste relationships. (The Hindu 6/7/15)
Atrocities Against SC/ST Highest in Capital (2)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: State capital Thiruvananthapuram tops the list for crimes committed against
members of the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe communities. The capital has been maintaining the
position for the past four years. As many as 536 cases have been registered in the district, according to
statistics presented in the Assembly on Monday. Of the 536 cases, 404 have been registered in rural
Thiruvananthapuram alone, according a written reply given by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala. 132
were registered in the city limits. As many as 278 cases were registered on charges of harassment of
women, 57 in the city and 221 in the rural limits. In 126 cases, chargesheets were issued. The total
number of accused in these cases, the Home Minister said, was 459 of which 202 have been arrested.
No one has been punished so far and 12 cases are still under investigation. Across the state, during the
four-year period, 3,634 cases have been registered for atrocities against SC/ST communities, 1,809
cases for harassment of women. Of the total 2,642 accused, 1,572 have been arrested and 14 punished.
Thrissur district is second in the list with 473 cases of which the rural areas recorded 332 cases and city
limits, 141. Kollam, which is third, registered 441 cases of which 283 cases were registered in the rural
areas and 158 in the city limits. Kozhikode registered 279 cases, with rural Kozhikode alone recording
190 cases. (New Indian Express 7/7/15)
SC Christians Allege Caste Discrimination (2)
COIMBATORE: Alleging caste discrimination and untouchability by the bishop, dioceses, churches and
Christian institutions, a group of people belonging to the Scheduled Caste Christian community staged a
protest at St Michael’s Cathedral in Coimbatore, where 21 Bishops from 18 Dioceses were participating in
the council meeting on Sunday. They also alleged that Bishop Jebamalai Susaimanickam deliberately
blocked Michael Raj from being appointed as deacon, thus blocking his chances of becoming a priest.
The deacon is the position below the priest. The protesters demanded that Michael Raj be appointed as
priest of the Sivagangai constituency. They also alleged that, even though the scheduled caste Christian
community constitutes 75 per cent of the total Christian population, they have been discriminated against
and have not been allowed to participate in the decision making process in the church and dioceses.
“Michael Raj underwent training at a seminary for 12 years and was on the verge of being appointed
deacon, which will make him eligible to become a priest soon. It would have been a proud moment for us,
but he was sacked from the seminary without any reason,” said PJ Xavier, one of the protestors.
Explaining the developments that led to his ouster, Michael Raj told Express, “There was a function at the
seminary in Tiruchy to welcome the novices. The very next day, six mikes that were used for the function
went missing. Later, the mikes were found in a well inside the seminary. I and five others were blamed for
it and all six persons were sacked from the seminary. A few days later the culprits confessed and the
authorities were forced to take back all the six.” However, Michael Raj was asked to go abroad to practice
as a priest and the other five were appointed as priests elsewhere, said Michael Raj. He raised the
question that if he could be a priest abroad, why shouldn’t he get the opportunity here. “The dioceses and
Bishop always discriminate us and it is the reason why 13 people who finished their training in various
seminaries have not become priests,” he added. Staff from the Bishop’s office told Express that there was
no logic behind the allegations. They said the Bishop would convene a press conference on Wednesday
to clear all concerns. (New Indian Express 13/7/15)
Dalit beaten for walking on land owned by upper caste (2)
COIMBATORE: In a shocking incident that smacks of the level of inequality that exists in our society, a
40-year-old dalit was bound to an iron pole and severely thrashed by non-dalits for walking through an
agricultural land owned by the latter, near Udumalpet in Tirupur district. The arms of A Palani, of Chinna
Bommansalai in Udumalpet, was tied behind his back and his legs were bound by the trousers he wore.
He was then tied to a pole and beaten until he fell unconscious. Palani has been admitted to hospital. The
incident that happened four days ago has come to light after human rights activists took up the issue.
Police have registered cases against two men, but have not arrested them yet. The attack happened on
July 9 at about 5.30 pm when Palani walked through the agricultural land belonging to Thirumalaisamy, a
non-dalit, as it was a short cut to reach the next street. "As soon as Thirumalaisamy spotted me, he was
furious and started threatening me. Though all villagers use the short cut through his land,
Thirumalaisamy asked, how can a dalit walk on his land," Palani told TOI over phone from the hospital
bed. "I retorted saying that the land will not be spoilt if a dalit walks on it. Immediately, Thirumalaisamy
and his son Senthilkumar started beating me. They tied my hands behind and bound me to an iron pole.
They then started attacking me with wooden logs. I have cut injuries on my head and my teeth are also
broken," Palani alleged. The duo assaulted Palani until he fell unconscious 30 minutes later.
Thirumalaisamy then called an ambulance to send him to hospital. His wife P Lakshmi was allegedly
driven away when she rushed there and questioned the non-dalits. Meanwhile, a police team from Thali
reached the spot and arranged for Palani to be admitted to the Udumalpet Government Hospital. "We
have registered cases against Thirumalaisamy and Senthilkumar under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities)
Act 1989. But the two are on the run. We have formed special teams to nab them," deputy superintendent
of police A Kanageswari, Udumalpet sub-division, Tirupur district. "The non-dalits levelled allegations that
Palani entered the land to steal a rooster. But we have found out that allegation is false," she said. There
are about 100 dalit and 1,300 non-dalit families in Chinna Bommansalai. "Dalits are not treated as equals,
but never in the past was a dalit beaten up so badly," said S Rangasamy, an Arunthathiyar Makkal
Munnetra Kazhagam functionary, who has planned to stage a protest against the attack on July 17. In a
similar incident that happened in Coimbatore on July 12, K Rajeswari (38), a dalit woman from Anna
Nagar near Perur was beaten up for entering the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments
Department's land taken on lease by a non-dalit. Two men have been arrested and search is on for two
more. M Thangavel, co-ordinator of Vizhuthugal, an NGO said discrimination against dalits continues in
several villages in Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts. (Times of India 14/7/15)
Dalit youth shot dead in Sarfabad near Noida (2)
NOIDA: Tension erupted in Sarfabad near Sector 73 after a 22-year-old Dalit youth was allegedly shot
dead by his neighbours after he responded to their casteist remarks. An FIR has been registered. The
three accused are on the run. A senior police officer said the shooting took place around 1am on
Wednesday when the deceased, identified as Sohit Jatav, was sleeping on the roof of his rented house in
Sarfabad. Sources said Sohit used to work with a private firm and was living in the house for the past 2-3
years. The accused, brothers Munish, Kale and Umesh Yadav, were making noise when Sohit asked
them to lower their volumes. In response, they started abusing him and passed some casteist remarks,
which angered Sohit. The argument escalated and Kale brought a country-made pistol from his home
downstairs. Before Sohit could see the pistol, Kale shot him in the chest from a close range, killing him
immediately. On hearing the ruckus, a few neighbours called police but the accused had fled. The
neighbours said the accused used to bully Sohit and had passed castiest remarks several times before. A
case of murder has been registered against the trio with Phase 3 police station. "An FIR was lodged on
the complaint of Sohit's brother Suraj. The body has been sent for autopsy," said Arvind Yadav, circle
officer III, Gautam Budh Nagar. (Times of India 16/7/15)
Dalit families forced off land in Telangana (2)
PATHAPALLY (MAHABUBNAGAR DISTRICT): Trouble for the 45 Madiga families in the small village of
Pathapally, about 170 kms from Hyderabad, began on May Day this year, when Raghuram, a conductor
with the Telangana Road Transport Corporation, got married in the “Madiga-Wada’ (SC locality) and
wanted to enter the village temple. The wedding party was initially stopped but on assurance from the
sitting MLA, G. Chinna Reddy, they managed to enter and have ‘darshan’. But on May 4 the temple was
locked like it had been for years. When the villagers lodged a complaint with the district administration,
the Mandal Revenue Officer and Sub-Inspector of Police visited the village and sorted out the issue.
However, even as the officers were leaving the village, the temple was locked again, allegedly by
members of the dominant Boya community. Since then the tiny scheduled caste community has faced
unprecedented persecution. Around the second week of May, the families were driven out of land that
was allotted to them by the government. Members of the Boya community then proceeded to bury their
dead in this land to ensure that the displaced families cannot return. They have been denied water from
the 40,000-litre capacity overhead service reservoir (OHSR) and are constantly abused, taunted,
threatened and even physically assaulted. Though the Madiga members have documents to prove their
ownership of the land, the district administration, under the Revenue Divisional Officer and Deputy
Superintendent of Police, termed them encroachers and pulled down their huts and a shop. The ‘Kula
Nirmoolana Porata Samithi’ (Struggle Committee for Caste Annihilation) has taken up the issue and
organised protests since June 23 at Mahabubnagar and Pebbair. On Sunday, the hunger strike at
Pebbair was visited by social activist Anand Teltumbde, grandson of B.R. Ambedkar. After interacting
with the ousted families in the village, Mr. Teltumbde said it was unfortunate that such a situation should
arise within 11 months of the birth of Telangana, a State that was achieved after decades of struggle.
(The Hindu 20/7/15)
Khap Panchayat Excommunicates Dalit Couple (2)
Madurai: Khap panchayat by Ramesh Babu, a caste Hindu, has ostracized a family from Arunthathiyar
community for questioning his authority at Kattunayakanpatty village near Bodi in Theni district. The last
six months for Paramasivam, his wife Lakshmi and their three children who were forced to live in a
makeshift thatched hut in a bushy area by the village tank bunds have been a nightmare. "We have been
spending sleepless nights for months fearing for our lives. Snakes and other reptiles often enter our
house at night. My children are scared of snakes and they refused to sleep in the house. They are now at
my father's place," said Paramasivam. Though nearly 224 Arunthathiyar families live in the village, they
refused to give a house on rent to the couple. They are scared of Ramesh Babu's wrath. He is also the
vice president of Theni panchayat union. "Twice I paid advance to my community members to rent a
house, but they returned the money after Ramesh Babu threatened them," claimed Lakshmi. As the khap
panchayat passed an order directing the villagers not to speak to the couple; not to allow them to walk on
the village roads or collect water from public taps; and sell grocery to them, the couple has been
struggling for drinking water. "I am walking nearly 3 kms a day to collect water from Venkatachalapuram
village," Lakshmi said. "We have to face this hardship because my husband dared to question Ramesh
for misusing the panchayat for his personal gain. Though the village panchayat president Panthanam
belongs to our community, he keeps silence," she said. After the couple petitioned the district police
repeatedly, the police filed an FIR against Ramesh Babu under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act on
February 2015, but so far they haven't arrested him, said A Kathir, executive director, Evidence, a
Madurai-based NGO working on Dalit issues. "Everything happens in the village as ordered by the khap
panchayat," said Kathir, adding that Evidence had sent a report to the DGP demanding immediate action.
When Express contacted a senior police officer, he denied there were khap panchayats in the village.
"Two caste Hindus tried to use Dalits for their personal reasons. We have found it was a mistake of fact
and closed the case. The report has been sent to the collector," he claimed. Kathir on the other hand
claims, "Without asking the Dalit couple still living near the tank, how is it possible for the police to close
the case as a mistake of fact? Nowadays Theni police close cases booked under the SC/ST Act as a
mistake of fact. The police should re-probe the case to unearth the truth." (New Indian Express 21/7/15)
Dalit groom seeks protection to ride horse to his wedding (2)
AJMER: Fearing an attack by people from upper castes, a youth from Dalit community has asked the
district administration for protection during his wedding procession on Saturday in village Danta of
Nasirabad block of the district. No Dalit in this village has ever been allowed to sit on a horse for the
procession by the upper castes. On receiving this complaint, the district administration asked the
Nasirabad police to intervene in the matter. Dalit villagers said they have earlier tried taking out retirement
and wedding processions but they were beaten by the high caste groups every time. "Two months ago, a
Dalit groom sat on a horse and wedding procession left for the venue but angry villagers tossed stones at
them," said Ramesh Bansal of Centre for Dalit Rights who visited the village. Rakesh is set to marry a girl
from the same village on Saturday and lunch will be organized for the guests on Sunday. "We are have
been told by the upper castes not to sit on a horse during the procession and have been threatened with
consequences," said Jasraj, Rakesh's brother. He added that there have been several such incidents
when the groom and his relatives have been beaten and punished for breaking village's this law. About
one dozen Dalit families came to Ajmer on Thursday and registered their complaint with the district
administration seeking protection for the wedding procession and also for the ceremony. "A team of
Centre for Dalit Rights visited the village and found that Dalits are not allowed to organize processions in
the village. They found several instances when grooms were beaten or villagers threw stones from their
terraces injuring groom's relatives," added Bansal. These families asked the administration to provide
security during the procession as well as for the ceremony and lunch on Sunday. Meanwhile,
administration directed police to control the situation and provide security to the Dalit family. Sources said
that Rakesh's family agreed to follow the village's rule but the groom put his foot down to riding the horse
to his wedding. "Since there are chances that the groom or his relatives can be harassed for breaking the
rule, most of Rakesh's relatives do not want to attend the wedding," said one of the groom's relatives.
Danta village is highly populated with Gujjars and there are 275 houses of this community, 25 families of
Rajputs, 25 Daroga families, 30 Mali households, 40 of Kumhars and 15 of Meghwals. Rajputs and
Gujjars lead the village and pass laws for the village. "There is no threat to any community in the village
and we simply ask them not to disturb the peace during any function," said Katar Singh Gujjar, a resident
of the village. (Times of India 25/7/15)
Woman Held for Chopping Fingers of Dalit Youth (2)
MANGALURU: An upper caste woman was arrested on Monday in connection on charges of chopping
the fingers of a dalit youth in Belthangady. The arrested is Pushpalatha of Kataje in Neriya village. The
main accused Gopal Gowda, husband of Pushpalatha, is absconding. Belthangady police sources said
the victim Sundar Malekudiya had objected to Gopal Gowda mowing grass on a piece of land in Neriya,
claiming it belonged to him, on Sunday evening. A quarrel ensued that led to Gowda attacking Sundar
with mower. As the machine was switched on, Sundar’s fingers were chopped off. It is alleged that
Pushpalatha and Gowda’s sister Damayanthi threw chilli powder on Sundar and his family members
during the incident. (New Indian Express 28/7/15)
Dalits Attacked During Temple Fest; 12 Booked (2)
THOOTHUKUDI: Owing to the fallout of caste clashes during a temple festival at Vadaku Konarkottai
near Kayathar, 12 caste Hindus were booked for allegedly attacking Dalits, on Wednesday. As part of the
celebrations at Kommandi Amman and Pudhuveetu Amman temples on Tuesday night, Dalits of Vadaku
Konarkottai carried germinated plants- Molapari- in a procession through Mettutheru inhabited by caste
Hindus. They also burst crackers in the street as part of revelry. As one of the crackers fell in front of a
caste Hindu’s house, some caste Hindu youth pelting stones in retaliation. With some of them sustaining
injuries in the attack, Dalits too hit back. Police claimed that caste Hindus verbally abused the Dalits using
the names of their castes. However, owing to the intervention of the village elders, the Molapari
procession continued unhindered. Immediately, a police team headed by Kovilpatti ASP, Murali Ramba,
rushed to the spot and carried out investigations. Dalits too submitted a petition at the Kayathar Police
station on Wednesday morning and demanded action against the Caste Hindus. Following the probe
Murali Ramba booked 12 Caste Hindus namley Mani, Murugan, Sangilipandi, Muthusamy, Murugan,
Mahendiran, Veerapandi, Veilpandi, Murugan, Veeriah, Mahendiran and Vijayapandi under the
Scheduled Castes/Tribes(Prevention of Atrocities) Act. on Mednesday afternoon. Following the
registration of the case against the caste Hindus , a peace committee meeting was conducted by officials
of the revenue department during which caste Hindus promised not to attack Dalits in future. Religious
Outfits’ Members Booked for Hate MessagesA case has been registered against members of Hindu and
Christian outfits for alleged hate messages against each other religions at Kurumbur on Wednesday.
Police said that members of both tcommunities spoke ill of each other’s religion. Based on complaints
from both sides, they were booked under 107 of IPC. (New Indian Express 30/7/15)
Dalits attacked for deciding to boycott panchayat polls (2)
MUMBAI: Eleven Scheduled Caste Buddhist families at Ansurda village in Osmanabad district of
Maharashtra have been attacked by upper caste men as they decided to boycott the August 4 gram
panchayat elections in protest a social boycott on them. In a report headlined “Dalit families in
Maharashtra want to relocate” in The Hindu, June 5, the families had demanded that they be relocated
because of the social boycott and threat of physical violence. The social boycott started after they took
out a procession to mark the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar on April 28 and played songs
dedicated to the Dalit icon. A few weeks after the police protection given to them was lifted, the Dalit
households were attacked on Friday night. Six of the injured have been admitted to a hospital in
Osmanabad for treatment. District Collector Prashant Narnaware and Superintendent of Police A.B.
Trimukhe have sought a report on the attack. The police have registered a complaint against the upper
caste villagers. The first information report, however, does not invoke sections of the Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. “I have asked for a detailed report and posted a
special officer to see that social harmony remains intact in the village,” Mr. Narnaware said. The
sarpanch’s post is reserved for the Scheduled Caste category, and each of the two panels contesting the
elections has chosen a candidate from the Chambhar caste for the post. “Despite the police protection,
the social boycott continued. As a mark of protest, we decided to boycott the gram panchayat election
and that angered the upper caste households,” Babasaheb Gharbudwe of one of the families told The
Hindu on the phone. Another person, Anita Humbe, said: “They started beating us without provocation.
We were secure till a police van was parked in the village. Their [upper caste] activities have begun as
the police left here,” she said. “We know that this is a sensitive village. We will ensure that no untoward
incident takes place,” Mr. Trimukhe said. (The Hindu 2/8/15)
SCs to be allowed to sell small piece of land to non-Dalits (2)
LUCKNOW: In a major change in the land law in the state, the UP government is likely to allow members
of scheduled caste to sell their land to non-Dalits even if their holding is less than 3.5 acre. According to
highly placed sources, the state cabinet in its meeting on Tuesday is likely to accept a recommendation to
this effect made by a committee set up to present the Revenue Code Bill 2015. This recommendation is a
key feature of the bill. As per the existing rules, a Dalit can't sell his land to a non-Dalit if his holding is
less than 3.5 acre. If the cabinet accepts the recommendation made by the committee formed under
additional advocate general RBS Yadav, members of scheduled caste with smaller holdings would be
able to sell their land to non-dalits. Subsequent governments in the state have been trying to effect this
change, but have not been able to do so. Even SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav as cooperative minister in
1977 had initiated this move couldn't be successful. A fresh attempt in this regard was made in 2012
when the SP came to power with full majority and set up a committee under Yadav for presenting the
revenue code bill having many provisions for land reforms in the state. The committee strongly
recommended for repealing the existing provision in favour of the non-Dalits and had met the chief
minister last month who had asked the members of the committee to take feedback from different political
parties and other sections of the society. Speaking to TOI, RBS Yadav confirmed that he has
recommended for the same on the ground that in many cases members of the SCs need money for
urgent matters like treatment of deadly diseases, but they don't get buyers as their choice is restricted to
selling it to the members of their own community only. "So, they have to go for distress sale and get
peanuts for their land which is an injustice for them," he said, adding "that's why the committee has asked
that the SCs should be allowed to sell their land to anyone whenever needed." When asked about taking
opinion of the major political parties as desired by the chief minister, the he said except BSP, most of the
parties have agreed to his recommendations. Speaking to TOI, Leader of Opposition and BSP leader
Swami Prasad Maurya retaliated that it was an onslaught on the rights of the SCs who are already
socially, economically and politically weak and depriving them of their land would amount to snatching
their livelihood and weakening them further. (Time of India 4/8/15)
‘Chalo Pathapally’ by Dalits today (2)
HYDERABAD: ‘Chalo Pathapally’, the agitation programme called by the Struggle Committee for Caste
Annihilation, protesting against the ‘atrocities’ of a section of society against Dalits in Pathapally of
Pebbair mandal in Mahbubnbagar district is on. On Thursday morning, Anand Teltumbde, the grandson
of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the champion of the weaker sections, will reach the dharna camp that has been on
for over three weeks now. He will be accompanied by social activists from the University of Hyderabad —
Profs. K.Y. Ratnam and K. Lakshminarayana and General Secretary of the Struggle Committee, Bandari
Laxmaiah. It all started this May 6, when members of the dominant ‘Boya’ community in the village forced
themselves into the huts belonging to the minority ‘Madiga’ community and allegedly went on the
rampage, throwing things out and pulling the huts down. The feeling among the Dalits is that the ‘Boyas’
did not like the scheduled castes being given land that was obviously prime, located as 16 plots are, in
Survey No. 4 right next to the main road leading from Pebbair to Kollapur. Following this, the SCs were
denied temple entry too and they stepped up the pressure launching an agitation, capping it off with a
‘Chalo Pathapally’ call. Efforts by the district administration to stave off the ‘Chalo Pathapally’ till late on
Wednesday evening failed, with Mr. Laxmaiah and others unrelenting. On Tuesday evening, District
Collector T.K. Sreedevi told them that having got a re-survey done nearby they would get them ‘pattas’
together with the 2 BHK houses announced by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. But Mr. Laxmaiah
pointed out that part of the land that she promised to give them originally belonged to another dalit by
name Parmanna, to whom 2 acres was allocated in the year 2007. When contacted, Superintendent of
Police, P. Vishwa Prasad said they were all for an amicable solution to be thrashed out on Thursday, but
added that they would be prepared if trouble broke out. “Additional SP D.V. Srinivasa Rao will be at the
dharna camp,” he said. The district Collector Ms. Sreedevi later told The Hindu that she had imposed
prohibitory order under Section 144 Cr. Pc. around the site of the dharna camp starting from the NH 44 at
Pebbair and at the village too. (The Hindu 6/8/15)
Dalit families on dharna ‘convert’ to Islam, VHP protests (2)
New Delhi: Families from Hisar’s Bhagana village, who have been protesting at Jantar Mantar for the past
two years over alleged atrocities and rapes by the upper-caste Jats, claimed to have converted to Islam
at Jantar Mantar on Saturday. However, the VHP alleged that the conversion was an instance of
“exploitation” of Dalit families and said they were able to “intervene in time” to stop it. The protesting
families had been threatening to convert to Islam for the past week. “We have given up Hinduism. We are
tired of waiting. We have met chief ministers and police and all we have received in return are empty
promises. Not one person has done anything. What is the point of staying within this community when no
one comes to you at the time of your need? We are treated like animals and that has not changed despite
our protests,” said Jagdish Kajla, convener of Bhagana Kand Sangharsh Samiti. Countering the villagers’
claims, VHP Delhi spokesperson Vinod Bansal said, “Some of our workers reached Jantar Mantar after
receiving information that certain individuals were exploiting the helplessness of these people and forcing
them to convert to Islam. What is shocking is that this was happening virtually next to the Parliament.
When our workers arrived at the spot and called police, they detained the workers. Later, more protesters
arrived and we were able to intervene in time and stop the conversion.” The families explained that in
February 2012, members of the Jat community had initially claimed a playground that the Dalit families
used. This was followed by a period of routine sexual harassment and molestation. In May, Dalit families
began protesting outside the district magistrate’s office in Hisar. In retaliation, the khap panchayat
declared a social and economic boycott against the Dalits. On March 23, four girls were allegedly picked
up and raped in the village, after which 80 Dalit families fled to the capital. Their conversion to Islam, the
families said, was a mark of their protest. “We have been humiliated and tortured in ways which aren’t
human. Our women have been raped and harassed. We no longer want to belong to this community. For
two years, we have been waiting for and demanding justice, but to no avail,” said a woman, who claimed
to have been molested. The VHP, however, maintained that the real issue at hand was the continued
exploitation of the Dalit families by those who wanted to convert them. “The VHP demands action against
the culprits, irrespective of who they are. But the real issue at hand is the fact that the agony of these
suffering families is being exploited by those who want to make this a religious issue. The VHP will take
action against this and ensure that at least in Delhi, this can’t happen,” said Bansal. A senior police officer
of New Delhi district maintained that the protest was peaceful and no one was detained. “We have
deployed adequate police personnel at Jantar Mantar as the organisers of the protest took prior
permission. A PCR call was made, but we weren’t able to find anything,” the officer added. (Indian
Express 9/8/15)
Dalit girl cremated, police arrest 3 more accused (2)
SANGRUR: The 16-year-old dalit girl, who had immolated herself after being harassed by four youths,
was cremated on Wednesday after police nabbed the remaining three accused. The victim's family had
refused to cremate her earlier, demanding that all the accused youths be arrested. The victim's body
reached her village in Sangrur district around 11.30am and was taken for cremation soon after. However,
once at the crematorium, some youths and representatives of several organizations carried the body
outside to start a protest on the Lehra-Patran road. They demanded that police arrest all the accused in
the case and threatened not to cremate the girl unless it was done. As her family remained firm on not
cremating the body till police took action against the remaining three youths, Sangrur police announced
their arrest around 2pm. The victim was cremated around an hour later. "We have arrested the other
three accused on the basis of supplementary statement given by the victim's brother. All of them are
school students and have been charged under similar sections under which the first accused was
arrested," said Lehragaga deputy superintendent of police Bimal Sharma. The three accused were
arrested and charged under sections 306 (abetment to suicide), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman
with intent to outrage her modesty), 354D (follows a woman and contacts, or attempts to contact such
woman) and 511 of the IPC, and Section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO)
Act, 2012. Police had arrested one accused in the case on Tuesday, saying the victim had mentioned
only his name in her statement to the magistrate. However, the victim's brother had claimed that three
other boys had also harassed her and demanded that they too should be arrested. In a video clip
recorded by the victim's family a day before the girl died, she had named four youths in her statement.
Police took Sanjeev Mintu, president of Krantikari Pendu Mazdoor Union, the victim's brother and some
other protesters to the police station to show them the arrested three youths. Barring chief parliamentary
secretary Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, no other senior leader visited the family. Dr Sidhu and former MLA and
senior CPI leader Hardev Arshi were present during the cremation. BJP leader Navjot Kaur, who joined
the family in staging a protest, said she would urge the state government to install CCTV cameras in
every police station so that there is a visual record of visitors and of police response to their complaint.
She added that she would request the government to pay compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the victim's
family. "If the government fails to do so, I will provide financial help of Rs 10 lakh to the family from my
MLA fund," she added. If need be, she added, she would hold a protest in front of the office of the Punjab
education minister to demand upgradation of the village school so that girls can pursue their studies
easily. (Times of India 13/8/15)
Two Dalit habitations denied town bus facility (2)
NAGERCOIL: Two Dalit habitations – Kakkanpudur and Kattetri – situated 3 km from Parakkai panchayat
in Rajakkamangalam Panchayat Union in Kanyakumari district were denied town bus facility for over
three months, lamented the residents. Thanks to a big hole that has formed in a small culvert on the way
to Kakkanpudur from Parakkai village three months ago. Repeated pleas fell on the deaf ears of the
officials, the residents said. Due to this, the town bus operated by TNSTC on route 50 from Nagercoil to
Kattetri was stopped for over three months forcing the students, officegoers to walk up to three km to
catch a town bus to reach Nagercoil and other destinations. Over 300 dalit families residing in
Kakkanpudur and Kattetri were depending on this bus service, as they have no other option of travel. The
bus was operated on three return singles daily in the morning, afternoon and evening to cater to the
needs of school going children, office goers and the general public. A road for a length of one km from
Parakkai junction to Kakkanpudur was laid under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) at a
cost of Rs. 69.96 in 2014. A hole had developed on the culvert near the Valikoli Amman temple and was
left unattended by the officials, said a social activist. Farmers were unable to take their agriculture
engineering equipment on this route. If the authorities set right the damage, buses can plied via Parakkai
village, and it will benefit the students, he added. S. Sundar, President, Parakkai Panchayat could not be
contacted for his comment. (The Hindu 16/8/15)
Tamil Nadu: Vanniyars attack Dalit procession, torch huts (2)
Chennai: At least 10 Dalit huts were torched and 15 people, including a SP and six other policemen, were
injured when upper-caste Vanniyars attacked a procession of Dalits in Seshasamuthiram village of Tamil
Nadu’s Villupuram district late on Saturday evening. Police said that the attack was a fallout of longpending dispute over Dalits’ right to bring out a temple car procession through the village’s main road,
which passes through a Vanniyar-dominated area. According to a police report, Seshasamuthiram has
over 3,000 Vanniyars and only 400 Dalits.“The dispute has been pending for the past four years.
Vanniyars had objected to the procession and the government, too, had been denying permission, citing
law and order problems. But this year, the administration decided to allow Dalits to take out the
procession. The Vanniyars responded by attacking the Dalits and torching the temple car. They set their
huts on fire and also hurled petrol bombs at police,” said a senior police officer. Immediately after the
violence broke out, large number of police teams rushed to the spot. “SP K S Narendran Nair rushed to
the village with a police team, but they were not able to enter the area as the Vanniyars started pelting
stones. The SP and six other policemen were injured. We had to fire several rounds in the air before we
could enter the Dalit localities where huts had been set on fire. Even fire tenders were not allowed entry
by the Vanniyar groups. They also disconnected power supply to the entire area,” said the officer. He
added that tension is still prevailing in the area and over 400 armed personnel have been deployed to
prevent untoward incidents. The officer further said that many of the attackers are supporters of the
Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and were returning from a demonstration organised by PMK leader and
former Union minister Anbumani Ramadoss. Vanniyars are a core voter base of the PMK. (Indian
Express 17/8/15)
Dalit girl sexually assaulted, her eyes and private parts stabbed in UP (2)
Hardoi: A day after Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav made shocking comments on rape,
a 13-year-old Dalit girl was killed after being allegedly sexually assaulted, with the attackers brutally
stabbing her eyes and private parts while she had gone out of her house here, police said on Thursday.
The girl had stepped out of her house to buy medicine for her father when the incident happened, police
said. Her body with stab marks on her eyes and private parts was found yesterday from a field under
Sursa police station area, they said. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, police added.
The SP supremo had yesterday kicked a fresh controversy with his comments on rape, saying while one
man commits rape, four are named to "settle scores" and that rape by four persons was not
"practical".This was not the first time that the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister has made shocking
comments on rape. While opposing capital punishment for rape last year, he had sparked outrage by
saying "ladke, ladke hain...Galti ho jati hai (boys will be boys...They commit mistakes)." Speaking on the
law and order situation in the state at a function here, Yadav had said considering UP's population, the
crime rate was "very low". (Zee News 20/8/15)
Dalit group stages protest against ‘indifferent attitude’ of authorities (2)
KALABURAGI: The Dalit Sene charged the district administration of indifferent attitude in providing due
compensation to Dalit victims of atrocities. It also charged the district police of weakening the cases
pertaining to the atrocities on the Dalits by encouraging the offenders to file counter cases. Members of
the Dalit Sena, led by senior leader Hanumanth Yelasangi, who staged a protest demonstration in front of
the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Saturday, said that there were many instances wherein the
police have failed to produce the witnesses in the cases of atrocities against Dalits, resulting in the
acquittal of the accused. There were several cases in which the police encouraged the offenders to file
counter cases in the cases filed by Dalits under the Scheduled Caste and Tribe Atrocities (Prevention)
Act, with an intention to intimidate Dalits who were victims of the atrocities, they said. The sene, in a
memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, said that the Dalits have lost all confidence in
him. The memorandum pointed out a series of incidents in Kalaburagi district in which the Dalit victims
were denied of the due compensation as per the Act. (The Hindu 23/8/15)
30 Dalit families expelled from M’garh village (2)
Bawana (Mahendragarh): More than 30 Dalit families belonging to ‘sapera’ (snake charmer) community
were expelled from Bawana village by a group of villagers on Saturday to construct a stadium on the
panchayat land where the families had been residing for over two decades. The families alleged the
villagers demolished their houses with a JCB machine and tractor-trailers to get them out, while the
villagers claimed no force was used against the families who had taken illegal possession over the
panchayat land. Now, the expelled families have taken shelter in an open space near Majra Chungi in
Mahendragarh city and demanded the district authorities to ensure the restoration of their houses in the
village. Though the victim families have lodged a complaint with the police against the villagers, but no
action has been taken so far. “We have been residing in Bawana village for over 30 years and the
government has issued us Aadhaar, ration and voter cards. Some people also get their old-age pension,
but the villagers have rendered us homeless by demolishing our houses,” said Ram Kumar Nath, head of
these families. Dalip Nath, another victim, said armed villagers came to their houses and asked them to
leave the village immediately. He added villagers loaded their household items and other belongings in
tractor-trailers and dumped them in Mahendragarh. “The infuriated villagers also manhandled our
families. They ruined us by smashing our belongings,” said Samer Nath, one of the victims. Munna Nath
said the incident has also ruined the future of our 30 children who are students of Bawana village school.
Now the villagers have threatened us not to send our wards to school, Munna claimed. The families said
they had also approached National Commission for Scheduled Castes to get justice. Meanwhile, Bawana
village sarpanch Rati Ram said the families left the village after losing a court case in this regard. They
had illegally been residing on panchayat land for over two decades. “We did not use any force, instead
we helped them in transporting their household items to other place,” Rati Ram said. Mahendragarh DC
Atul Kumar said a criminal case had been booked against Bawana sarpanch Rati Ram and some other
villagers on a complaint filed by the evicted families. “Since the families do not want to go back to the
village, they are demanding rehabilitation at another place. We have started searching for another place
to make them stay,” the DC said. (The Tribune 24/8/15)
Dalits’ killing in Bihar: PM urged to take action (2)
Patna: Some UK-based dalit organizations have expressed their shock over the silence and inaction of
PM Narendra Modi over the 'role of senior BJP leaders' in the dalits' massacre between 1994 and 2000 in
Bihar. They alleged some senior BJP leaders were allegedly involved in the massacres of some 144 dalit
men, women and children in Bihar and that PM has so far neither spoken against them and their
accomplices nor taken any action against them. In a letter addressed to the PM, they said, "We are
deeply shocked by the recent horrifying revelations (by a news portal) about the massacres of dalit and
other oppressed-caste people in Bihar and are writing to you to express our dismay that you have so far
not spoken out against the killers and their accomplices. Spokespersons of these organizations urged
Modi to act because his "lack of action on this issue gives the shocking message that lives of dalits and
oppressed do not matter in India". They urged him to act urgently to ensure that the self-confessed killers
are brought to justice and all the politicians, including senior BJP politicians, are dismissed from their
posts, arrested and charged. Quoting the news portal, they said Ranvir Sena, the upper caste landlords'
army in Bihar, perpetrated a number of major massacres of dalits and oppressed caste people, including
at Bathani Tola, Laxmanpur Bathe, Shankarbigha, Miyanpur and Ekwari, between 1994 and 2000,
murdering some 144 men, women and children simply for demanding basic rights and dignity. The Amir
Das Commission, which was set up in 1997 after the Laxmanpur Bathe killings, to investigate these
massacres was disbanded in 2005 by the Nitish government, then in alliance with the BJP, to appease
and shield his erstwhile BJP allies, they alleged. The signatories include Meena Varma (Dalit Solidarity
Network), Arun Kumar (Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organization, UK), Davinder Prasad
(Caste Watch, UK) Ramesh Klair (Sri Guru Ravidass Global Organisation for Human Rights), Ravi Kumar
(Anti-Caste Discrimination Alliance), Amrit Wilson (South Asia Solidarity Group). (Times of India 27/8/15)
Safai karamcharis pour out woes at meeting (2)
RAICHUR: Hundreds of safai karmacharis and their family members poured out their grievances to M.
Shivanna, Chairperson of National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, when he visited Raichur on
Thursday. In a meeting held at the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Shivanna received a number
of complaints and attempted to solve them on the spot by directly discussing the issue with the concerned
officer. The grievances ranged from insulting the children of safai karmacharis in a school on the basis of
caste and their family profession to the denial of loans by State-owned financial institutions for selfemployment. “I was initially denied admission to a private school under Right to Education Act. After the
then Assistant Commissioner spoke to the school authorities, I was given admission. Now, the school
authorities are demanding Rs. 10,000 as fees. The school authorities also insult me before other students
by calling me by my parents’ profession,” a girl complained to the NCSK chairman. Additional Deputy
Commissioner H.P. Nagaraj and Mr. Shivanna immediately talked to the school authorities and warned
them of dire consequences if they continued to harass the girl. They also warned that the authorities
would be booked under Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. In another case,
Bhaskar Babu, a safai karmachari leader, complained that the Ambedkar Development Corporation had
denied loans to safai karmacharis for self-employment. S.L. Manjunath, district manager of the
corporation denied the allegation by stating that 612 safai karmacharies were provided with loans in the
last year. However, they countered that the loans were given to some other people in the name of safai
karmahcaris. NCSK chairperson asked the corporation to conduct an enquiry into the issue and submit a
report within thirty days. Mr. Shivanna said that there was no dearth of funds with the government for the
development of safai karmacharis, however, the implementing agencies lacked will. “There is a stringent
law in place. There is no dearth of funds. Yet, the development of safai karmacharis and rehabilitation of
manual scavengers is at a snail’s pace,” he said. (The Hindu 28/8/15)
Dalit woman 'stripped' over land dispute in Chhatarpur (2)
Sagar: A 45-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly stripped and forced to consume urine by a couple
belonging to the upper caste in Chhatarpur district. The victim along with a group of people belong to her
caste on Tuesday met additional superintendent of police (ASP) Chhatarpur, Neeraj Pandey and lodged a
complaint, accusing local police station of not taking action against the accused couple. The incident
occurred at village Mudwara under Nowgong police station of the district on August 24. The Nowgong
police had registered a case under section 394, 323, 506 and 34 of IPC and relevant sections of SC/ST
Act against Vijay Yadav and his wife Vimla Yadav. In her complaint to ASP, victim said that few months
ago she was given a 'patta' of a piece of government land, which was earlier in Vijay Yadav's possession.
This angered Vijay Yadav so that he started harassing her, said victim in her complaint. She further said
that Yadav, on August 24, got her crops damaged by releasing his cattle in the field. When she went to
Yadav's house to lodge protest, Yadav's wife Vimla beat her up with lathis. Later, Yadav came and
stripped the victim and also forced her to consume his urine. The accused also threatened the victim with
dire consequence if they would lodge complaint to police. Superintendent of police (SP), Chhatarpur, Lalit
Shakyawar said that a case was registered by local police station on complaint of the victim but she didn't
inform police about any such incident. “I have instructed the sub-divisional officer of police to conduct a
probe and take action against accused couple,” Shakyawar told HT over phone. He further said that the
accused couple went missing from village after police registered case against them. (Hindustan Times
2/9/15)
‘Atrocities against Dalits on the rise’ (2)
DINDIGUL: Atrocities against Dalits have been increasing in southern part of Tamil Nadu in recent times.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has been taking measures to control it, said its Assistant
Director, P. Ramasamy has said. Talking to press persons at Batlagundu near here on Wednesday, he
said that the Commission will extend its total support to affected people and recommend to the
government to initiate stern action against persons involved in atrocities against Dalits. Expressing
concern over prevalence of twin-tumbler system in many districts, especially in southern districts, he said
massive awareness against the twin tumbler system had been created among rural people to eradicate it
from the society. Complaints on twin tumbler system would be viewed seriously. Earlier, Mr. Rmasamy
visited Viralipatti village near Batlagundu and consoled family members M. Sivakumar (22) who died
under mysterious circumstances in a snacks unit in Andhra Pradesh in July, 29. He advised revenue
officials to construct a house for them under Green house scheme and issue a land patta. He also
directed Nilakottai DSP P. Suriliandi to follow agents who sent the youth to snacks manufacturing unit in
Andhra. Earlier, the Assistant Director enquired officials including Vice Chancellor S. Natarajan at
Gandhigram Rural Institute over implementation of Adi-Dravida Welfare G.O. No.92 (Amendment), dated
September 11, 2012. Vice-Chancellor S. Natarajan clarified that GRI had been collecting fees including
tuition fees fully from SC/ST students and reimbursed the tuition fee to students on receipt of prescribed
amount from the State Government. Mr. Ramasamy advised the GRI to scrap the existing system and not
to collect tuition fees from SC/ST students. Instead, the institute could submit the list of SC and ST
students to the district administration directly for reimbursement of tuition fees. Meanwhile, the VC stated
that a five-member committee had been constituted to sort out the issues raised by SC/ST students
regarding tuition fees. Mr. Ramasamy also enquired Oddanchatram municipal commissioner in
connection with distribution of land pattas to Dalits. (The Hindu 3/9/15)
Dalits fume over fine on their women for entering temple in Karnataka (2)
Sigaranahalli (Hassan): The Scheduled Castes community at Sigaranahalli in Holenarsipur taluk is furious
after the ‘upper caste’ people of the village imposed a penalty on four Dalit women for entering a temple.
The women have refused to pay the penalty arguing that they too have rights to enter the temple as they
contribute money to organise its festival. When The Hindu visited the village on Sunday, Thayamma, in
her late 50s, came down heavily on the ‘upper castes’ for questioning her entry into the Sri Basaveshwara
Temple, constructed in 2001. It was on August 31 that the four women entered the temple for a special
puja held on behalf of Sri Basaveshwara Stree Shakti Sangha, a self-help group consisting of 20
members. “There were about nine women from the Vokkaliga community and four from Dalit families.
Devaraja, a Vokkaliga, raised his voice opposing our entry into the temple. He said SCs are not allowed
in the temple. I questioned him. He attempted to beat one of us,” said Thayamma, a former member of
the Hariharpur Gram Panchayat. The next day, the ‘upper caste’ people held a meeting and resolved to
impose a penalty of Rs. 1,000 on the self-help group, besides insisting that the sangha hold rituals meant
for 'purification' of the temple, arguing that it had lost its 'sanctity' with the entry of the SC women.
Sigaranahalli is about 2-km away from Haradanahalli, the native place of the former Prime Minister H.D.
Deve Gowda. A few years ago, a community hall was built here by the Hassan Zilla Panchayat. Mr. Deve
Gowda also contributed funds from his MP Local Area Development Fund. But now, the community hall
has been converted into Vokkaliga Bhavan, restricting the entry of Dalits. Thayamma recalled that she
was denied permission to organise her daughter’s marriage in the community hall in 2001. “They did not
handover the keys of the hall, though they had earlier agreed to rent it out. It was a tough time for me. I
had to organise the marriage outside my house,” she said. Padmamma, another woman in the Scheduled
Castes colony, said last year a teenage boy, who had gone inside the community hall to have food at a
function organised by the ‘upper caste’ people, was driven out mercilessly. “The hall was built using
government funds. We Dalits do not have an alternative place to hold our programmes. We need the right
to enter community hall,” she added. When The Hindu brought the issue to the notice of N.R.
Purushottam, district social welfare officer, said restricting the entry of Dalits into a temple or a community
hall amounts to violation of laws. “I will get details from the people concerned and take appropriate
action,” he said. (The Hindu 7/9/15)
Amid resistance, Dalit women taken inside temple (2)
Sigaranahalli (Hassan): Amidst opposition from the ‘upper caste’ people, the Hassan district
administration on Tuesday took two Dalit women inside the Basaveshwara Temple at Sigaranahalli in
Holenarsipur taluk. The ‘upper caste’ people refused to accept the appeal made by officers and MLA H.D.
Revanna to allow Dalits into the temple and community hall, built using government funds. The officers
had organised a meeting to resolve the differences between the two sections. Addressing the gathering,
Mr. Revanna said it was against the law to restrict the entry of Scheduled Castes into a temple or
community hall. However, the ‘upper caste’ (Vokkaligas) argued that this would be against the custom
followed for years. They maintained that they would not visit the temple or the community hall if Dalits
entered it. Last week, the ‘upper caste’ people had objected the entry of four Dalit women into the temple
and imposed a penalty of Rs. 1,000 on the Stree Shakti Sangha, whose members had taken them there.
The Scheduled Castes community, disappointed by the development, filed a complaint against those who
opposed their entry into the temple. The Hindu had carried a report, following which the National
Commission for Scheduled Castes directed the district administration to submit a report. Earlier, the Dalits
refused to attend the meeting citing that the police had not registered their complaint. They took part in
the meeting after senior officers assured them that the complaint would be registered. The officers forcibly
took the temple keys and allowed two Dalit women to enter the temple and offer prayers around 9 p.m.
When the policemen offered to return the keys, the caretaker of the temple refused to take it stating that
no ‘upper caste’ people would visit the temple from now onwards. Bhimashankar Guled, ASP, told the
Dalits that the police would be deployed in the village and they could visit the temple whenever they
wanted to. (The Hindu 10/9/15)
“RSS trying to turn Dalits against reservation policy” (2)
Paramakudi: Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF) has criticised the Rahstriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for trying to turn a section of Dalits against the reservation policy. Talking to
reporters after paying homage to Dalit leader Immanuel Sekaran on the occasion of his 58th death
anniversary here on Friday, TNUF State general secretary K. Samuel Raj said that the recent conference
addressed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah in Madurai was part of the RSS’s ploy to
make Dalits “prick their eyes with their own hands”. “The conference was part of a larger conspiracy
launched by the RSS to do away with reservation,” he alleged. (The Hndu 12/9/15)
Misuse of photographs: action sought (2)
COIMBATORE: Tamilaga Dalit Munnetra Kazhagam on Friday sought action against those who misused
photographs of a few residents in the Kamarajapuram slum by pasting them on toilets. The Kazhagam
leader, S.B. Nagaraj, called it a cruel joke. He said that the photographs were taken by misleading them.
The residents were told that they were identified as beneficiaries for a housing scheme and therefore
needed to submit their photographs. But the photographs were pasted inside Namma Toilets across the
State. Mr. Nagaraj submitted a a petition to the Coimbatore Corporation officials asking the civic body to
initiate criminal action by lodging a complaint with the police. He wanted the corporation to end manual
scavenging, which he alleged was prevalent across the city.He said the civic body should provide regular
employment opportunities to conservancy workers and not engage them on contract basis. (The Hindu
13/9/15)
SC summons top police officials of Baghpat in Dalit family harassment case (2)
NEW DELHI: Taking serious view of diktat passed by a khap panchayat of Baghpat district in UP against
a Dalit family, the Supreme Court today summoned the top police officials of the district. The panchayat
had allegedly passed order that girls of Dalit family be raped after their brother had eloped with married
girl of Jat community. The man had later on returned to the village after which he was arrested by police
in a drug case. In an in-chamber proceeding, a bench of justices J Chelameswar and A M Sapre
interacted with family members of the Dalit family who fled the village and now residing in national capital.
The bench after hearing them decided to summon police officials of the district and directed them to
appear before it tomorrow at 2 PM along with the man who is still in jail. The court was hearing a plea
filed by Dalit family seeking protection from Khap. They alleged that police is trying to implicate them in
false cases. (Times of India 15/9/15)
SC asks police to protect Dalit family (2)
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi police to protect a 23-year-old Dalit
woman and her family who fled Baghpat in U.P. after a khap panchayat condemned her and her sister to
be raped and paraded naked as punishment for their brother’s elopement with a married, dominant caste
woman. The woman, represented by lawyer Rebecca John, had moved the court against the khap
panchayat’s ire. (The Hindu 17/9/15)
Dalit Students Allegedly Denied Puja Rights, Case Registered (2)
KENDRAPADA: A case has been registered by police under Scheduled Caste and Tribe (Atrocity
Prevention) Act, 1973 following complaint that dalit students were allegedly denied of their rights to offer
prayer to Lord Ganesha in a government-run school in Kendrapara district. Around 25 dalit children
studying in Andara Upper Primary School under Pattamundai police station limits were allegedly
disallowed to break coconut shells and offer prayer to Lord Ganesha while upper caste students were
allowed to do so during Ganesha Chaturthi on Thursday. "We have registered a case. The incident is
being investigated. Legal action would accordingly be initiated," Kendrapara Superintendent of police
Nitinjeet Singh said. A separate probe by Schools and Mass Education department has also been
ordered into the incident, sources said. "The administration has taken serious view of the incident.
Directives have been served on the School and Mass education department authorities to conduct an
‘unbiased’ inquiry into the reported denial of puja rights to dalit children," Kendrapara Collector Debraj
Senapati said. Rabindra Nath Sethi, a rights’ activist, sought for immediate arrest of the perpetrators of
the crime. Promotion of caste bias in government-run educational institutions is in bad taste, he said.
District Education Officer Sangram Sahu said, "An inquiry has been ordered into alleged caste
discrimination. On the basis of inquiry findings, due action will be taken against those found guilty." (New
Indian Express 19/9/15)
Dalit girl of Theni village escapes from “hell”(2)
Madurai: “I was brutally attacked by my employer” said a 15-year-old girl, hailing from a village in Theni
district. Speaking to The Hindu on Saturday, the Dalit girl, (name withheld) who was still in a state of
shock, said in a choked voice that no child, especially girls, should face such a torture. After hearing
people saying that some spinning mills in Erode district paid “lucrative” wages, the girl convinced her
father, left with hopes of helping her family fight poverty and joined a mill in the third week of August. She
said, “Little did I realise that I was entering the gates of hell.” As she could not cope with the strenuous
work for long hours, she pleaded with the management to let her go home from the second day. Work
started at 5 a.m., and went on till 3 p.m. “When I requested that I be relieved, the employer slapped and
abused me. When I refused to work or take food, another well-built man said that they would let me go
home provided some one replaced me,” she said. As the place was new to the girl, her attempt to escape
was not that easy. Finally, when they allowed her to speak to her family over phone, her grandmother
rushed in as her replacement. Again, the mill owner refused to let her go and instead the abuse
continued, the girl said. When she fainted, they ignored her. Utilising the opportunity, the girl escaped
from the mill premises, only to be caught by the watchman. But, a few people came to her rescue and
freed her, she added. A fact-finding team from Evidence, a Madurai-based NGO, which visited Theni
district, has demanded the arrest of the mill owner and also a compensation of Rs. 3 lakh for the girl.
Based on a complaint from the girl’s father, Karuppiah, Theni All Woman Police registered a case under
the POCSO Act, 2012. But A. Kathir, executive director of Evidence, urged the police to book cases
under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and for illegal confinement.According to the complainant,
many children in the age group of 13 to 17 years were lured into working in the mill on the promise of a
lump sum payment after working for three years. (The Hindu 21/9/15)
Punjab and Haryana High Court seeks report on dalit families of Bhagana village (2)
The Punjab and Haryana High Court Wednesday sought a complete status report from the Haryana
government about the Dalit families agitating against the alleged threat by the dominant caste in Bhagana
village of Hisar district. The directions came from Justice Paramjeet Singh while hearing a petition filed by
Ambedkar Welfare Samiti, Bhagana. The court has also directed the state government to inform as to
whether it has filed any appeal against the acquittal of the accused in the alleged abduction and gang
rape case of four Dalit minor girls of the Bhagana village. The accused were acquitted by the Hisar fast
track court on August 12. The petitioner’s counsel contradicted the reply submitted by Hisar deputy
commissioner Chander Shekhar Khare earlier on September 14 in the court. The court was informed that
it was wrong that all the villagers who had moved out of the village earlier have returned to the village and
still there are a number of villagers who are at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, in their protest. The court was
also informed that there are a number of such protesting families who have converted to Islam. The
petitioner’s counsel also sought directions from the court to the state government to make a rehabilitation
policy for the villagers like in case of Kashmiri pandits of Jammu and Kashmir. The petitioners association
had approached the high court last year seeking security and proper investigation into the FIR registered
at police station Hisar Sadar on March 25 last year on account of gang rape of four minor girls on March
23 last year. It has been alleged that around 90 families had to leave the village in the night of March 25
due to lack of security and at the time of filing of petition in the high court were protesting at Jantar
Mantar, New Delhi. The petitioner association has also sought rehabilitation of the villagers. In August
first week this year over 100 dalit families of the village had converted to Islam in New Delhi. The court
has now directed the state government to file its detailed reply in the case on October 7. (Indian Express
24/9/15)
Upper Caste Men in Mysuru Refuse to Give Dalit Boy His Reward (2)
MYSURU: Upper caste men of Kuruburu Village in T Narasipur Taluk near here allegedly refused to give
a dalit boy his reward for winning a competition organised in the village, on Thursday night. It is also
alleged that upper caste individuals assaulted the dalit boys who participated in the competition and
allegedly showed disrespect to a portrait of Dr B R Ambedkar. According to sources, the upper caste
residents had put up a Ganesha pandal and had organised a gundu kallu (stone lifting) competition in the
village for Gowri-Ganesha festival. They had also declared that the winner will get a cash award of
`2,000. Dalit boys Narayan, Chinnaiah, Rangaiah, Puttaswamy and Mahesh took part in the contest,
which Narayan won. When Narayan claimed the cash prize, the men allegedly refused to hand it over.
They also allegedly hit Narayan with sticks and chased him and the other boys till their locality. According
to sources, the villagers even broke the drinking water pipes in the dalit area. T Narasipur police personell
rushed to the spot and diffused the situation. Cases for harassment of dalits have been slapped against
14 people —Jagadish, Prashanth, Swamy, Nagaraju, Bullimara, Shivu, Anil, Karthik, Guruswamy, Babu,
Yogesh, Subbu and Shantha. (New Indian Express 26/9/15)
Dalit couple ostracised for raising question at gram sabha (2)
Madurai: When the Dalit couple raised a question at the gram sabha meeting, they would never have
imagined that they would be ostracised by the community. Narrating their woes at a public hearing
organised here by an NGO, Evidence, the couple – Lakshmi (35) and Paramasivam – from
Kattunayakanpatti in Theni district, said that the police and the district administration had not taken any
tangible action to date. The police registered a case against the accused seven months ago, but had not
arrested them. Mr. Paramasivam raised a question at the gram sabha meeting held on January 26 on the
manner in which expenses were made by the organisers for a local temple festival. Angered by this,
Ramesh Babu, who claimed to be close to district-level All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
functionaries, threatened the couple and also ordered the others to keep them away from their hamlet,
they said. The couple lodged a complaint with Veerapandi police. After 23 days, the police booked a case
against Ramesh Babu and others under different sections of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act. For the last seven months, the couple, along with their children, had been
living in an unsafe place near a small pond outside the village. “Even for drawing potable water, I have to
trek for two km. To buy grocery, I have to go to Venkatachalapuram, which is about three km away,” Ms.
Lakshmi said. Like the couple, about 20 victims of caste oppression narrated their woes to the panellists
who comprised P. Shanmugam, State president of Tamil Nadu Malaivaazh Makkal Sangam, advocates
Nirmala Rani and Ezhil Caroline and journalists Jayarani and Sugitha. Executive director of Evidence A.
Kathir, who moderated the hearing, said that it was an initiative to create an awareness among the
deprived class, and such public hearings might help in preventing atrocities. (The Hindu 28/9/15)
Dalit man, 90, hacked, burnt to death in UP (2)
JHANSI: A drunk allegedly killed a 90-year-old dalit in a village in UP's Hamirpur district on Wednesday
after the latter refused to part with his money. Accused Sanjay Tiwari later set the body on fire. On Friday,
Hamirpur police said the killing took place in Bilgaon village when Khimma Ahirwar was going to a temple.
He was accompanied by his wife, Basanti, and a relative. On the way, they encountered a drunken
Tiwari, who demanded money from Ahirwar. When Ahirwar refused, the accused attacked him with an
axe. Basanti and the relative fled from the spot. After Ahirwar died, Tiwari burned the body. Alerted by
Basanti, villagers went to the crime scene, overpowered Tiwari and handed him over to the police. The
police denied an earlier report that Ahirwar was killed because he was entering a temple. They lodged an
FIR against Tiwari and three of his associates under the IPC and SC/ST Act. "The accused was under the
influence of alcohol at the time he committed the crime," Hamirpur SP Muniraj G told TOI. "We've
arrested him and are further investigating the matter." According to villagers, Tiwari is a drug addict and a
troublemaker. He was reported to the police several times, but no action was taken against him. (Times of
India 3/10/15)
Dalit Student Thrashed by Government School Teacher for Touching Plates During Mid-day Meal
In a shocking incident, a lower caste Dalit student of a government school in Jodhpur city Rajasthan was
beaten up by his teacher for touching plates being used to serve mid-day meal on Thursday. Although,
India banned caste-based discrimination in 1955, its 170 million Dalits continue to face prejudice in every
sector from education to employment, because of their traditional occupations such as street sweeping
and grave digging. The episode happened in Government Higher Secondary School in Osian town of
Jodhpur, where mid-day meal was being served. It also came to fore that separate plates were kept for
Dalit students and those belonging to a higher caste, Jats. Malaram, father of the Dalit student, was also
allegedly beaten up when he came to pick up his son from school. A complaint has been filed against the
teacher but police is yet to take any action against him. Nisha Siddu, a child activist from Jaipur on
Saturday expressed concern over the incident of discrimination that happened in a state-run institution,
regarding the government-funded mid-day meal scheme, which provides free lunch to school children.
(New Indian Express 4/10/15)
Situation tense in U’khand village after Dalits refused entry in temple (2)
GABELA(DEHRADUN): The otherwise peaceful mountain village of Gabela, nestled in the picturesque
hills of Saiyya, about 130 km from Dehradun, was on Wednesday simmering with tension that began a
day earlier after a group of Dalits were denied entry into the %village temple. The agitating Dalits sat on a
hunger protest outside the village saying that they will convert to another religion if they are not allowed
entry to the temple of Kukarshi devta, a local diety. They added that they would offer prayers only after
they are taken to the temple with "poorna samman" (due respect). With both sides sticking to their stand,
heavy police force has been deployed in the area with senior district officials on the spot trying to resolve
the issue. According to sources, the matter flared up when Daulat Kunwar, a resident of Quansi village,
under the aegis of his organisation Aaradhna Gramin Vikas Kendra, took out a 10-day procession for "the
welfare of Dalits." He first reached Quanu village where he was reportedly denied an opportunity to
address a gathering following which he reached Gabela on Monday evening. A high voltage drama was
witnessed at the village as a group of locals who claimed they were "directed by the village god to do so"
did not permit the procession to enter the temple. "Hundreds of villagers gathered at the spot claiming
that the almighty did not want them to enter what was a holy place," said an eyewitness. Reiterating the
villagers' stand, Jeetendra Ram Sharma, the gram pradhan of Gabela, told TOI, "We cannot do anything
in the matter. It is the order of our god." He added that Kunwar had "political aspirations and he was trying
to mislead Dalits of the entire area." "Dalits make for 50% of the village population and we have never
stopped them from entering the temple, therefore the question of stopping anyone does not arise. But at
the same time we cannot go against the wish of our god," he said. On his part, Kunwar claimed that it was
a deliberate attempt on the part of few people to "humiliate Dalits". "If we are not allowed to enter our
temples, then it is better that we convert to another religion where we are treated better," he said. He
claimed that residents of Gabela had misbehaved with his wife Saraswati and minor daughter, too, when
they tried to enter the temple. "Our lives are under threat here, but we will not look back. We will continue
with our hunger fast till the time the district authorities take us to the temple with due respect." Meanwhile,
A K Pandey, SDM Chakrata, maintained that efforts were on to convince Kunwar to call off the protest.
"We have spoken to both parties. The residents of Gabela have agreed to permit them inside the temple,
but Kunwar and his team are still adamant and we are making best possible efforts to end the deadlock at
the earliest," he said. (Times of India 7/10/15)
Evicted from Gabela, Dalit group protests at Doon (2)
DEHRADUN: Evicted out of Gabela village, the group of Dalits that had started a protest in the village
after they were denied permission to enter the village temple, sat on a hunger protest outside Dehradun's
Gandhi Park on Thursday morning. Meanwhile, the district administration has stated that it will not allow
members of the Jaunsar Bawar Parivartan Yatra (JBPY) to enter the village. After a written complaint
from the villagers, the police arrested the protestors and released them later on personal bonds. The
entire matter took a political turn when Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) members and some social
organizations extended support to the protestors claiming "atrocities on Dalits will not be tolerated." On
October 5, Daulat Kunwar, under the aegis of his organization Aaradhna Gramin Vikas Kendra, took out a
10-day Jaunsar Bawar Parivartan Yatra for the "welfare of Dalits." The yatra in which some meeting with
the Dalits and visits to a few temples had been planned, was to pass through some villages of the area.
After being denied a chance to hold a meeting in Quansi area on October 5, the yatra arrived at Gabela
village. However, the group was prevented from entering the temple by a group of people, who claimed
that they were under the control of the spirit of village god. Annoyed, Kunwar and his team sat on a
protest and were said to be "forcefully" removed from the village late on Wednesday night. On Thursday
morning, the group came to Dehradun and held the protest. Kunwar told TOI, "We will continue our
protest till we get entry in the temple with the respect we are due, or we will have no other option than to
convert to some other religion which grants us the permission to offer prayers before our God." Kunwar
alleged he was beaten and forcefully removed from the protest venue. Kunwar's wife Saraswati claimed
that her bag with valuables and documents was missing. "Derogatory remarks were hurled at us, police
stood as mute spectators while the villagers insulted us," she added. Meanwhile, the district
administration has made it clear that JBPY members will not be allowed inside Gabela. "The yatra
members are disturbing peace and harmony of the village. Residents, including those of the Dalit
community, have submitted a report to the administration demanding JBPY not be allowed into the village
as it affects the harmony of the area," said district magistrate Ravinath Raman. According to subdivisional magistrate Ashok Pandey, none of the 250 Dalit families of the 600 families of Gabela
participated in the yatra or showed an inclination to visit the temple. Pandey also denied allegations that
the district administration allowed the matter to fester for three days without taking any action. BSP and
some social organizations have come forward in support of the Dalits. BSP leader Usha Devi maintained
that everyone has the right to go to a temple. Members of Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch took out a march
from the old bus stand on Rajpur Road to Lansdowne Chowk in support of the Dalit group. (Times of India
9/10/15)
Cases against Dalits booked for Indu Mills agitation to be withdrawn (2)
Mumbai: The state government has decided to withdraw all criminal cases registered against Dalits who
had agitated for building the Ambedkar memorial at Indu Mills compound over the last 15 years, Chief
Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday. “All those who took to the streets to see the grand memorial
of Ambedkar should be thanked for their contribution, But the earlier government tried to silence their
voices by slapping criminal cases against them and holding them in prisons,” Fadnavis said. The chief
minister said that his government has set aside a budget for social justice and skill development to pursue
Ambedkar’s path. While thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for helping to facilitate the transfer of
land at Indu Mills to the state government for the memorial, Fadnavis said that the previous CongressNCP government had been giving excuses. “They cited how land for the Ambedkar memorial would
require an amendment in the Act which had to be passed in Parliament. They cited environmental
hurdles. But the BJP-led government raised the issue with the Prime Minister who called Union textiles
minister Santosh Gangwar and other officials and got it sanctioned. In three days, I was called to Delhi
and an MoU was signed. Today, all environmental clearances have been given.” Fadnavis added. The
chief minister attacked the Congress and the NCP saying, “They could never treat Dalits beyond vote
bank politics. They failed to allocate even 1.25 inch of land for the Ambedkar memorial.” On the eve of the
125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar, the state government has set aside Rs 125 crore for the
development of socially oppressed and suppressed sections of society. The memorial will be built at an
estimated cost of Rs 475 crore. (Indian Express 12/10/15)
2 Dalits Hacked to Death; Another Injured (2)
Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu: Two Dalit men were hacked to death and another seriously injured by a sixmember armed gang in Tirunelveli on Monday night, police said. The gang followed the three men, who
were travelling on a two-wheeler, waylaid and attacked them near a petrol station on the Tenkasi road.
Police said Shanmugam (54) and Mariappan (33) died on the spot, while Rajkumar was seriously injured
and admitted to hospital. The reason for the attack is under investigation, police said. Tension prevailed
at Paraiyadi where the deceased lived and armed policemen have been posted in the area. Special
teams have been formed to nab the culprits, police added. (NDTV 13/10/15)
Dalit girl allegedly gangraped in Rohtak (2)
CHANDIGARH: A dalit girl studying in class 9 was allegedly gangraped by five persons, including a
resident of her own village in Rohtak. Police have started the investigation after registering the case at
Sadar police station, and are yet to make arrests. Police claimed to have sent teams to apprehend the
accused. The incident allegedly occurred on Tuesday when the girl was returning home after collecting a
passbook from a bank. Meanwhile, Deepak, who also lives in her village, allegedly offered her a lift.
Instead of taking her home, he allegedly took her to some fields, where his four friends were already
waiting. They then allegedly drugged her and sexually assaulted her throughout the night. In her
statement to police, the girl said that after sexually assaulting her through the night, Deepak and his
friends abandoned her outside her school and threatened her with dire consequences if she told anybody
about the incident. She reached home and informed her parents, who took her to police station. (Times of
India 15/10/15)
Dalit man hacked to death in UP village (2)
A 46-year-old Dalit man was hacked to death allegedly by unidentified persons in Parikhara Takarsan
village in Bansdeeeh road area here, police said today. Bheem Ram was hacked yesterday night by
some persons while he was asleep, they said. Dalit man hacked to death in UP village The probe is
underway to find out the motive behind the incident. No arrests have so far been made in this connection,
police said. (Oneindia 18/10/15)
Bihar Priest Beaten for Pushing Dalit Woman Out of Temple (2)
PATNA: A priest was beaten up by a group of men after he pushed a Dalit woman and forcibly stopped
her from offering prayers at a temple in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, police said on Sunday. Rishikesh Jha,
the priest of the Sankatmochan Hanuman Baba Anandeshwar Mahadev Mandir in Muzaffarpur, about 70
km from here, pushed her out of the temple, police said. "The priest's behaviour angered Dalits so much
that they attacked him," police said. The woman, Anita, has also lodged a a police complaint against Jha,
who, however, denied the allegations against him. (New Indian Express 19/10/15)
Socio-economic backwardness is the main issue troubling Dalits: writer (2)
Bagalkot: Dalit writers said that the sixth national Dalit Sahitya Sammelan, which concluded in Bagalkot
on Sunday, provided a platform to raise crucial issues related to the community. The two-day event was
organised by the Dalit Sahitya Parishat to discuss many civic/social issues. However, while a section of
people felt that the event did not gain significance at the national level, the writers said that the mere
presence of people was not a criterion to term the event national or not. Dalit writer B.M. Puttaiah, who
participated in the event, told The Hindu that though a limited number of people attended, the issues
discussed were of national-level importance. He, however, admitted that the issues raised should have
been presented more effectively. “When we talk of Dalit issues, we tend to confine it to their food habits
such as eating beef. In reality, these are not the issues primarily faced by Dalits. Socio-economic
backwardness of the community is the main issue. More discussion should be held on this and efforts
made to find a solution,” Mr. Puttaiah asserted. Meanwhile, during the event, the writers unanimously
opposed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s proposal to revisit the reservation system in the country. They also
opposed the shrinking space for rationalists in the society and the murder of writer M.M. Kalburgi. L.
Hanumantaiah, president of Kannada Development Authority, expressed apprehension over the Dadri
incident and said right-wing elements may beat up even Dalits for consuming beef. He called upon
progressive thinkers, Dalits, backward and minority communities to join hand to fight anti-social elements,
which were destroying the social fabric in the name of religion and nationalism. (The Hindu 20/10/15)
2 die as Dalit family set afire in Haryana (2)
FARIDABAD: A Dalit family of four, including two children, was set afire inside their house allegedly by
members of the Rajput community in Sun Perh village in Ballabgarh, Faridabad district of Haryana, early
on Tuesday. While Vaibhav (2 years) and Divya (10 months) died before reaching the Safdarjung
Hospital in Delhi, their mother Rekha (22) was admitted to the ICU with serious burns. Rekha’s husband,
Jitender (26), a medical attendant at a hospital, escaped with minor burns on his hands. The police have
booked 11 persons in the case and arrested three so far. “A case has been registered under the Indian
Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against 11
persons and three — Balwant, Dharam Singh and Kartar — have been arrested,” said Assistant
Commissioner of Police (Prithla) Vishnu Dayal. The attack on the Dalit family has its history in the murder
of three persons of the Rajput community on October 5 last year following an altercation over a mobile
phone. Twelve members of Jitender’s family were named in the case and are currently in jail. Two weeks
ago, the accused had allegedly threatened Jitender’s family with dire consequences if they did not leave
the village. Jitender, who has been given police protection since October last year, said he had informed
the local police about the threat, but no action was taken. “The Rajputs had threatened my wife of dire
consequences. We gave a written complaint to the Station House Officer, Sadar police station,
Ballabgarh, on October 6, but the police did not take congnisance of it. Had they taken our complaint
seriously, the lives of my children could have been saved,” said Jitender, demanding action against the
police for their inaction. Recalling the attack, Jitender said he, his wife and two children were sleeping on
a bed near a window that was kept open. The other members of the family had gone to attend a jagran, a
religious function, in the neighbourhood. “Around 3 a.m., a few men poured petrol on us from the window.
I felt some liquid on my hands and got up. It was dark in the room. Even before I could figure out
anything, somebody threw a lighted match stick inside and we were engulfed in flames,” said Jitender.
The three policemen in-charge of Jitender family’s security were at the jagran when the incident took
place. All three — constables Bali Mohamad, Vikas and Sandeep — have been suspended for dereliction
of duty. Inspector Anil Kumar, Officer-In-charge of Sadar police station, has also been suspended for not
taking action on Jitender’s compliant. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced Rs.10 lakh
to Jitender’s family. (The Hindu 20/10/15)
Dalit writer assaulted for ‘anti-Hindu’ writings (2)
BENGALURU: Amid continuing countrywide protests by writers over "rising intolerance", a young dalit
activist and writer was allegedly attacked by unidentified men whom he suspects to be right-wing
activists, for his "anti-Hindu" writings at Davangere in central Karnataka. Huchangi Prasad, a 23-year-old
student and author of a book "Odala Kichchu" which speaks against the caste system, alleged that he
was assaulted on Wednesday and threatened that his fingers would be cut for writing against Hinduism.
"On October 21, late night, a group of eight to nine people came to SC/ST hostel where I reside and told
me that my mother was unwell. Worried, I followed them. They took me to a place and started threatening
and assaulting me for writing against Hinduism and caste system," Prasad told PTI. Prasad, a journalism
student, alleged, "They also smeared kumkum on my face and threatened to cut my fingers for my
writings." Prasad said he received some minor injuries in the attack, adding, "They (the attackers) said I'm
born as dalit, because of sins I had committed in my previous life." Asked whether the men belonged to
any particular group, Prasad said, "From their words it was almost clear that they are from some rightwing group but I'm not completely sure." A case has been registered against unidentified people at RMC
Yard police station in this regard. Police said they are on a lookout for the suspects. "A complaint was
filed by Prasad yesterday (Thursday) alleging eight to ten people had attacked him and attempted to kill
him," a police official involved in the investigation said. He said case has been registered under various
sections of Indian Penal Code, including 307 (attempt to murder), as also under sections of the SC/ST
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The incident has occurred at a time when at least 35 writers from across the
country have announced their decision to return their Sahitya Akademi awards to protest the "rising
intolerance" in the country and the killing of Kannada writer and rationalist MM Kalburgi at Dharwad in
north Karnataka…. (Times of India 23/10/15)
Another Dalit dies in Haryana, blames cops in suicide note (2)
CHANDIGARH: Almost a week after two Dalit children were burnt alive at Haryana's Sunped village in
Faridabad district and the mysterious death of a 14-year-old scheduled caste boy in Gohana town,
another Dalit died in the state when a tailor committed suicide by hanging himself in his house at Bhatla
village in Hisar district on Saturday night and blamed the cops for his death. Two cops were suspended in
the case. In a suicide note, Badan Singh, who was in his mid-forties and a witness in his cousin
Gurbachan Singh's suicide case, stated that he was being pressurized by cops not to give any statement
in the case.Gurbachan, 50, had died under mysterious circumstances following a dispute with his
employers, Rajbir, Lila and Raj Kumar. He was found hanging in a field on the outskirts of adjoining
Chainat village on October 8. His family alleged that he was murdered but cops registered a case of
suicide, and that too only on Sunday. According to sources, Badan was being pressurized to give a
statement in favour of Gurbachan's employers. Sadar police on Sunday arrested Rajbir, Lila and Kumar
under Sections 306 (abetment to suicide) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of
common intention) of IPC. Hisar SP Jaipal Singh suspended Sadar SHO Jagbir Singh and sub-inspector
Ramesh Kumar for delay in taking action in both the cases as well as for threatening Badan. "The court
remanded the trio in police custody. We have initiated departmental proceedings against Jagbir Singh
and Ramesh Kumar. If required, we can initiate criminal action against them," said Jaipal Singh, who is
heading a five-member special investigation team formed to probe the matter.Doctors performed Badan's
autopsy amid protests by Dalits outside the civil hospital. Initially, villagers refused to cremate the body
but relented after an assurance from district administration officials that the guilty would be punished. Two
Dalit children were burnt alive when their house in Faridabad district was set afire on October 20. (Times
of India 26/10/15)
Dalit priests presiding over UP temple for past 200 years (2)
KANPUR: Amid reports of atrocities against dalits from some parts of the country, a nondescript temple
on the banks of the Yamuna in Lakhna town in Etawah district stands out as a ray of hope with its unique
200-year-old tradition. Here, devotees — be they brahmin, thakur, vaishya or from any other caste — bow
in front of dalit priests and perform puja and other rituals with their help. "Since the past 200 years, only
dalits have been priests at Kali Mata temple," said priest Akhilesh Kumar and his brother Ashok Kumar.
One of their ancestors, Chotey Lal, was the temple's first priest. Brahmins, thakurs and vaishyas in and
around Etawah and from as far as neighbouring Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan visit the temple through
the year. "The priests of the temple are revered by all upper-caste people, who offer them garlands and
offerings of fruits during rituals," said Tribhuvan Singh, former block pramukh of the area. "The dalit priest,
who sits at the 'hawan kund', prays and blesses people by offering 'prasad'." Legend has it that in 1820,
local ruler Jaswant Rao built the temple and appointed Chotey Lal as the first dalit priest to show respect
towards lower-caste people. "King Jaswant Rao, who got the temple constructed, made it mandatory that
the temple priest would only be a dalit," said Dashrath Singh, a grocery shop owner in Lakhna. Ram
Sumer, a resident, told another tale associated with the custom. "Our ancestors used to tell us that during
construction of the temple, King Jaswant Rao had got angry when he saw a group of upper-caste men
beat up a dalit labourer, Chotey Lal, for touching the idol that was to be installed in the temple," he said.
"He issued a diktat that only Chotey Lal and his future generations would take care of the temple."
Residents of Lakhna seek out dalit priests even for weddings, 'mundan' (tonsure ceremony) or other
rituals. "During these disturbing times, one only needs to look to this 200-year-old place — where priests
belonging to the dalit community are held in high esteem — for inspiration," said Ram Das, another local
of Lakhna. (Times of India 30/10/15)
‘One Dalit complained being denied entry, standing on temple premises’ (2)
KALABURAGI: Pejawar Mutt seer Sri Visvesha Tirtha Swami has clarified that Dalits of Duttargoan village
had not complained to him about being denied entry to a temple and only one Dalit leader, Kalyan Rao
Siddramappa Bhavimani, had raised the issue but he had replied to him before leaving the temple.
Referring to reports appearing in the media about an incident at Duttargoan village in Aland taluk in
Kalaburagi district on Saturday, the seer told presspersons here on Sunday that when Mr. Bhavimani told
him that Dalits were prevented from entering the temple, “I replied that he (Mr. Bhavimani) was speaking
about prevention of Dalits from entering the temple, on a temple premises itself and offered that he (the
seer) would lead Dalits into the temple if the complaint was true.” The seer said that except Mr.
Bhavimani, no other Dalit had made a complaint and it was also not true that the Dalits of the village had
surrounded him forcing him to give up his intended padayatra to appeal to people to shun consumption of
liquor and seek introduction of total prohibition in the village. “On my way to the temple, I came in a
padayatra,” he said. However, the seer did not reply why the intended padayatra in the village did not
take place. “Everyone knows about my work for the uplift of Dalits. I am ready to take up the cause of
Dalits and fight against their exploitation. Today, I visited the houses of two Dalits and they (Dalits)
showered love on me and performed pada puja,” he said. The seer, who would be ascending the Paryaya
Peetha of the Ashta Mutts in Udupi for a record fifth time on January 18, 2016, said that he had plans for
taking up several works during his Paryaya period. Work on a world class educational centre in a 40-acre
land in the birth place of Madhwacharya, 10 km from Udupi, would be completed. At present, classes up
to seventh standard were being run in a residential school. Translation of religious books into other
languages and improving amenities for pilgrims visiting Udupi would be taken up. The seer had ascended
the Paryaya Peetha in 1952, 1968, 1984 and 2000. (The Hindu 2/11/15)
Yet another Dalit-caste Hindu clash at temple festival (2)
Madurai: In yet another temple festival-related clash between caste Hindus and Dalits near
Tirumangalam, an unruly mob pelted stones on police personnel and damaged the windscreen of the
official car of Madurai Superintendent of Police Vijayendra Bidari on Wednesday evening. Five police
personnel sustained minor injuries in the incident, the SP said. The police had arrested 12 persons, he
added. A large posse of police personnel have been deployed at Keezha Urapanur. The police said that
Dalits who had taken part in Vadakkuvatchi Selliamman Temple festival along with caste Hindus
complained that they were not properly treated at the two-day temple function that began on Tuesday.
After a scuffle, Tirumangalam Tahsildar S. Gopalakrishnan locked the temple on Tuesday and stopped
further celebration. Dalits said that they were boycotting the rituals at the temple. Usilampatti Revenue
Divisional Officer M. Balasubramaniam said that caste Hindus wanted to resume the rituals of sprouts
procession and ‘puravi eduppu’ and do it outside the temple on Wednesday. However, Dalits objected to
sprouts procession being taken out on Wednesday. The SP said that the police averted a possible attack
on the women from the other side. Later, some 200 Dalits blocked Tirumangalam-Sholavandan Road
blocking the van carrying sprouts procession en route a tank. The SP, who held talks with the protestors,
asked them to disperse. However, the situation worsened when some persons started pelting stones on
the police. The windscreen of the SP’s vehicle developed cracks after a stone hit it. The situation was
calm and no untoward incidents were reported, the police added. (The Hindu 5/11/15)
Dalit Woman Beaten Up for Refusing to be Maid (2)
THANJAVUR: Three caste Hindus were booked for allegedly thrashing a Dalit woman who refused to
work as a servant maid in the house of one of the accused. Sources said, Samikannu, of Pattuviduthi
asked Palaniyammal (38), a Dalit, of the same village, to work as a servant maid in his house. As
Palaniyammal refused, Samikannu and his two associates went to the house of Palaniyammal on Oct 31.
Even as Samikannu abused Palaniyammal in front of her house using her caste name, the two others
assaulted Palaniyammal with a spade. The Orathanadu DSP Sengamalakkannan on Wednesday
registered a case under various sections of SC, ST Act against the three. (New Indian Express 6/11/15)
Jaipur School Warns Dalit Students to Sweep the Floor or Take TC (2)
A class III student claims that he uses the buara (broom) twice daily, once in the morning, and then
before the meals. His classmate reminds him that they also clean, and set the garbage pile on fire,
whenever the school gets too dirty. "Sweep the floor or we'll give you a TC", is a threat that a 12-year-old
often hears at school. They are all the Dalit students of Rajkiya Ucch Madhyamik Vidyalaya in Benada
village on the outskirts of Jaipur. Last year, following a PIL, the Rajastan High Court had directed an
NGO, Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), to review the status of toilets in about hundred schools in and
around Jaipur. The NGO reported that the girl children from SC communities were made to clean toilets
by the teachers and administration. These children face discrimination because they belong to SC
communities, thereby reinforcing untouchability and caste roles of traditional societies. The kids of
Rajkiya Ucch Madhyamik Vidyalaya, where the Gujjars outnumber the Dalit students, do not clean toilets.
However, the work they are made to do, does reinforce the caste roles. Parents of these Dalit children
told to Delhi-based Indian Express that their kids are made to fetch water for their teachers, are given
smaller portions of food at mid-day meals compared to their Gujjar counterparts, and bear the duty of
cleaning the school premises. The school principal, however, denies that the children are made to clean
the school. He claims that they pay a "Dalit woman" to clean both the toilet and the school premises. The
children say that she comes only once a month and only cleans the toilets. Even the Gujjars acknowledge
the difference between them and their counterparts when it comes to cleaning duty. They claim that they
are made to clean the classroom only as punishment for coming late for class. (New Indian Express
9/11/15)
Minor Dalit Girl Gangraped Near Muzaffarnagar (2)
MUZAFFARNAGAR: A 15-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gangraped by three persons in the
neighbouring Shamli district, police said. According to SHO Naresh Yadav, a case has been registered
against three persons, two of whom have been identified as Digvijay Singh and Sumit. The identity of the
third accused is being ascertained even as the victim has been sent for a medical examination, police
said, adding that the alleged incident took place in Ghasoli village under Kandhla police station. The
complaint lodged by the victim's father said that the minor girl had gone to the fields to collect fodder
when the three youths caught hold of her. It was alleged that the trio raped her and also threatened her
against speaking to anybody about the episode. Following her alleged gangrape, the girl was found in an
unconscious state in the fields by her parents. (New Indian Express 11/11/15)
Dalit Samiti to hold Statewide protest tomorrow (2)
KALABURAGI: The Karnataka State Dalit Sangharsh Samiti will hold a Statewide protest on Monday
condemning the growing intolerance and atrocities against Dalits in the country. State secretary of the
samiti, Mallesh Sajjan, and convener, Arjun Bhadre, told presspersons here on Saturday that the samiti
would stage the protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in all district headquarters and burn
the effigies of both the State and the Union government for their inaction against increasing communal
violence. Mr. Sajjan referring to a recent incident in Faridabad district in Haryana where two children from
a Dalit family was set ablaze in their house, criticised Minister of State for External Minister V.K. Singh’s
controversial statement of likening the death of Dalit children to the stoning of dogs. Mr. Sajjan accused
Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being conspicuously silent on these issues. He added that communal
violence was increasing after the BJP–led NDA government came to power at the centre. He also
condemned the recent attack on a young Dalit writer from Davanagere, Huchangi Prasad. He demanded
the State government to hand over the investigation to CBI of all the charges of alleged irregularities in
funds utilisation in the Social Welfare Department. (The Hindu 15/11/15)
Atrocities against Dalits rampant in coastal AP’ (2)
VIJAYAWADA: Atrocities against Dalits appear to be rampant in Krishna, Visakhapatnam and East and
West Godavari districts in the State, said Samuel Anand Kumar, Director, Social Welfare. Mr. Anand
Kumar was addressing a roundtable conference on atrocities against Dalit women and girl children,
organised by Dalit Sthree Sakthi (DSS) in city on Saturday. After listening to a series of cases wherein
justice eluded Dalit women and girls who suffered harassment, sexual abuse, physical attacks and rapes
and murders, Mr. Anand Kumar said this was because Dalits were voiceless and economically poor. He
said in most cases, the compensation did not reach the victim. Referring to the police role in handling of
cases filed under SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said a sensitisation drive was in the offing for
the Police Department to ensure justice to Dalit victims. He said with regard to the cases presented
before him, he would do all possible help within the ambit of law to ensure justice to the victims. Deputy
Director of Prosecutions B. Ramakoteswara Rao blamed judicial officers for preventing arrests in SC, ST
cases. State convenor of Dalit Stree Shakti G. Jhansi said lack of proper coordination between the
government departments was compounding the woes of the Dalit community. She called for amendment
to the ‘outdated’ Act and said a relentless struggle was the only way to achieve it. Referring to the ‘hype’
surrounding Amaravati, she said the State was witnessing a paradoxical scenario. While large-scale
world-class infrastructure was being created for the rich and the wealthy, the Dalits living in remote
villages were deprived of their basic right to live. (The Hindu 16/11/15)
Dalit groups back Minister Anjaneya (2)
RAICHUR: Responding to the demand from Opposition corner for Social Welfare Minister Anjaneya's
resignation, several dalit groups in Raichur came in support of the Minister, terming him as an efficient
leader of the “most oppressed” Madiga community. Addressing a media conference here on Wednesday,
leaders of Madiga Reservation Horata Samithi, Madiga Dandora, Dalita Sangharsha Samithi, Hyderabad
Karnataka Dalita Sangharsha Samithi, Dalita Sangharsha Samithi (Bheemavada), Dalita Sangharsha
Samithi (Ambedkarvada) and other groups extended their full support to Mr. Anjaneya and asked him not
to step down from his position. The leaders alleged that Mr. Anjaneya was being victimised with a sting
operation on his wife just for diverting people’s attention from Justice A.J. Sadashiva panel report that
recommended reallocation of reservation within communities grouped under Scheduled Castes. “It was
Mr. Anjaneya who had consistently been pressuring government to adopt the Justice Sadashiva
Commission report that recommended reallocation of reservation among SC communities.
Implementation of the recommendation will rationalise the reservation allocated to SCs and correct the
injustice meted out to Madiga community. However, some groups within the SCs such as Holeya, Bhovi,
Lambani and other communities are opposing the recommendation on the perception that it would snatch
their reservation. Some leaders from these communities hatched a conspiracy to silence Mr. Anjaneya
who was going to raise the issue in the Cabinet meet,” M. Virupakshi, a dalit leader, told the press. J.B.
Raju, another leader, termed Mr. Anjaneya as an efficient Minister and a leader representing the
aspirations of the Madiga community in the State. “Mr. Siddaramaiah should not heed the pressure being
mounted by the forces in all parties that are opposed to Sadashiva panel report and demanding
resignation of Mr. Anjaneya. The government would have to face the wrath of Madiga community if he is
removed from office,” Mr. Raju warned. He said that no Opposition party had any moral right to seek
Anjaneya's resignation. M.R. Bheri, another dalit leader, said that they were not in a position to point
fingers to a particular leader of the outfit behind the ‘conspiracy’ against Mr. Anjaneya. “Yet, it is clear that
those who are against the Sadashiva panel are behind the conspiracy against Mr. Anjaneya,” he said.
(The Hindu 18/11/15)
Midday meal: parents of children want all cooks to go (2)
Kolar: In what is seen as another veiled attempt by parents of children in a government-run school in
Kolar to prevent Dalits from cooking midday meals, they have now demanded that all cooks in the school
be replaced if their children are to return to the school. A meeting convened on Wednesday to resolve the
controversy failed to come to a decisive conclusion as the villagers placed several demands before the
authorities. In early November, parents of most of the students of a government higher primary school in
Kagganahalli of Mulbagal taluk had withdrawn their wards after raising objections to Radhamma, a Dalit
cook, being one of the cooks of the midday meal scheme at the school. Only 18 of the 118 students have
been attending school since the controversy broke out. The Hindu had published a report on it in the
November 10 issue. Bhaskar Rao, Additional Director-General of Police, Civil Rights Enforcement
Directorate, visited the school recently, and instructed all concerned to solve the issue by November 18.
Deputy Commissioner K.V. Thrilokchandra also sent a directive in this regard. In this backdrop, a meeting
with parents was convened and their demands that all cooks be changed has put the officials in a “fix”
said Devaraj, Block Education Officer. The villagers, however, refused to say anything specific to the
question posed by officials in regard to Ms. Radhamma being engaged as the cook according to school
guidelines, he added. The villagers also demanded that the School Development and Management
Committee be dissolved and a new committee selected. The Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI)
N. Anjanappa reacted to this saying it was up to the parents and villagers to select a new committee. The
villagers told the authorities that they would bring back their wards within a month if their demands are
fulfilled. (The Hindu 19/11/15)
Dalit family attacked, threatened in UP for ‘touching idols’ in temple (2)
Lucknow: A Dalit couple and their relatives were beaten up, abused and issued life threats for allegedly
touching idols at a temple in Chitrakoot district Thursday, police said. The accused, one Rohit Tiwari, and
his unidentified associates barged into the temple where the Dalit family was performing rituals and beat
them up for “touching the goddess’s idol”, the police said. Dharamlal, who works as a sweeper for the
municipal board, alleged the officers at the Rajapur police station initially ignored his complaint, and
registered it only after local Dalits staged a sit-in demonstration. Dharamlal’s wife Asha Devi was recently
elected a block development committee member from Kaushambi, the district the couple belongs to. The
police have registered an FIR against Tiwari and two of his associates. No arrests have been made so
far. The Dalits in Rajapur town have announced a march on Sunday if the accused are not arrested by
then. “I had gone to the temple with my wife and son Rambali (15) for a ritual. While my wife was busy
with the rituals, Rohit Tiwari and two others entered the temple and started beating her. He pointed a
pistol at her and abused her for her caste. He slapped me when I intervened and pointed the pistol at me.
The other two men hit my family with sticks,” Dharamlal told The Indian Express. (Indian Express
21/11/15)
In Kanyakumari, Dalits face invisible discrimination (2)
CHENNAI: The observation made 79 years ago by legendary British Missionary-Surgeon Theodore
Howard Somervell in his memoir ‘After Everest: The Experiences of a Mountaineer and Medical
Missionary’ remains valid even today on the status of Dalits in Kanyakumari district. Regretting that
“centuries of Hinduism, in spite of their great mystics, have never given untouchables a chance”, Dr
Somervell, who served the CSI Mission hospital in Neyyoor for two decades since 1923, had observed
that “caste is firmly embedded in the Indian mind, so much so that many Indian Christians take several
generations to throw it off.” Even though Christianity has empowered Dalits, who are known as
Sambavars and relatively well off when compared to their Hindu brothers in the district in so far as they
are not subjected to untouchability overtly, they continue to face discrimination in socio-economic and
political spheres even six decades after independence. “Of course, Christianity has liberated them, but
not to the extent it could have done. Psychological discrimination continues to plague the Dalits, but not to
the extent they suffer in Hinduism,” said Dr James Reynold Daniels, former Principal of the ScottChristian
College. In Kanyakumari district, many of the early leaders of the Church were Dalits and some like John
Palmer and Devar Munshi had even contributed to the hymns and lyrics ( Gnanapaatu and Gnana
Keerthanai ) regularly sung in churches. Paul Mani, a Dalit Chrisitian who worked with the Concordia
Theological Seminary, claimed that the first Christian Missionary to work in the district was Maharajan
Vedamanickam, a Dalit from Tharangambadi. He landed in the district in 1805. “Dalits here face
untouchability indirectly. They may not get jobs in Christian institutions. Their children are not given any
priority in admission to educational institutions even though there are marriages between Dalits and
Nadars,” he said.Dr. Daniels attributed the trend to the emergence of Nadar majoritarianism in the
London Missionary Society (LMS). A majority of Dalits joined the Salvation Army after it was launched.
The Church of South India (CSI) had ensured special representation for not just Dalits but all minority
Christians. We sit together, pray together and attend function. But there is an invisible divide,” he said. Dr.
Somervell also mentions in his memoir how his cook was not allowed to conduct his wedding in a church
next door because he belonged to a different caste. Writer Nada Sivakumar said unlike other districts,
untouchability was not blatantly practised in Kanyakumari because of small land holdings. “But they face
micro-discrimination,” he says. “Denial of a role for Dalits in socio-economic and political platforms was
explained by the fact that they were never given a representation in Parliament or the Legislative
Assembly all these years. Many schemes are out of reach for Dalits because of such a situation,” he said.
While acknowledging the uplifting role of Christianity, Mr. Sivakumar complained that a majority of Dalit
Christians retained their Hindu identity for the sake of government benefits. “It comes in the way of people
like me enjoying the benefits reserved for Dalits in the Hindu fold,” he said. (The Hindu 23/11/15)
Temple entry row: Dalit group to meet Rajnath Singh for justice (2)
DEHRADUN: The issue of dalits being denied entry in the renowned Kukarshi Maharaj temple of Gabela
village and their alleged thrashing has taken a serious turn as a dalit group - which has raised the matter
is the past - is all set to meet Union home minister Rajnath Singh on December 1 to seek his assistance.
On Wednesday, the group leaders have given a three-day deadline to the district authorities to arrest the
accused, failing which they have threatened to launch a protest at Jantar Mantar. The dalit group has also
accused the revenue police of shielding the three accused and asked the probe to be shifted to regular
police. Meanwhile, the district authorities have claimed that the revenue police teams have raided the
Gabela village thrice in search of the accused but on all occasions they managed to escape. A resident of
Mallawala village Tikam Singh along with his wife Kavita and father-in-law Daultu Ram went to Gabela
village to offer prayers in the temple on November 18. While Daultu preferred to remain outside, Kavita
and Tikam entered the temple. Some locals identified Daultu and reportedly thrashed the trio. As per the
allegations, the locals instructed them to give a goat for sacrifice. However, after a payment of Rs 501,
which had been slapped as cash penalty on them and a warning to never enter the temple again, the
three were given permission to leave the temple. The matter was reported to revenue police and on the
complaint a case under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) 504 (intentional insult with intent to
provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC has been registered against the accused
identified as Thenia, Chetram and Tikam Singh. A similar scenario had been witnessed in the village on
October 5, when a group of dalits led by Daulat Kunwar were denied permission to enter the temple. After
days of protest and fast, the dalit group was made to offer prayers in the temple in the presence of police
and administrative team on October 12. Dalit leader Daulat Kunwar, who also runs on an organisation
Aaradhana Gramin Vikas Kendra, told TOI, "We have got the permission from Rajnath Singh to meet him
on December 1. Our delegation will meet him and ask for his support on the issue which has haunted the
dalits in the region for ages now." Kunwar also spoke to SDM Chakrata Prem Lal and set a three-day
deadline for the arrest of the three accused in the November 18 case. "If the accused are not arrest by
then, we will have no other option than to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi," he said, adding
that keeping in mind the complications in the case, it needs to be given to regular police for probe. "It
appears that the revenue police is trying to shield the accused but we will continue our fight for justice till
we are granted entry in the Gabela temple," added the dalit leader. On the other end, SDM Chakrata
Prem Lal maintained that sincere efforts were being made to arrest the three accused. "We have
conducted three raids and possibilities are high that we will nab them in the next few days. We will ensure
that no one is denied entry in the temple," he added. (Times of India 25/11/15)
Dalit man, daughter forced to eat cow dung, assaulted; NHRC sends notice to Haryana govt
New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission has issued notice to Haryana government over
alleged acts of atrocity against a Dalit family in Haryana's Hisar and called for a report in the matter within
two weeks. The Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that in Muzadpur village
of Hisar district, some influential persons allegedly barged into the house of a Dalit person and compelled
him and his daughter to eat cow dung. They also physically assaulted and injured them. When the duo
went to the hospital for treatment, they were again attacked and beaten by the assailants. "The content of
the press report, it true, raise serious issue of violation of human rights of the Dalit family," observed the
Commission as it issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, government of Haryana calling for a report in the
matter within two weeks. According to the media report, carried on November 23, the victim and his
daughter have stated that they had been targeted after a statue of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar was erected
in the village, despite opposition from some villagers, an NHRC statement said. (DNA 27/11/15)
‘Implement Sadashiva commission report’ (2)
BALLARI: The members of the Karnataka Madiga Dandora Samiti, fighting for the internal reservation
among scheduled Castes, staged a day-long protest in front of the Deputy Commissioners’ office in
Ballari on Monday, asking the State government to implement the recommendations of the Justice A .J.
Sadashiva Commission immediately. District president of the samiti J. Jaganath Madiga, in a
memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Siddhramaiah, stated that even though the Justice A.J.
Sadashiva Commission Report was submitted to the government in 2012, the government has not
initiated any measures for implementation of the commission report. Mr. Jaganath demanded that the
State government set up a separate development board for the Madiga community; the government
should allot 5 acres of land to all landless farmers belonging to the community, he said. Instead of
evacuating, the government should give land ownership rights to all Madiga families cultivating in
government land. Mr. Jaganath urged the government to conduct a proper survey of Devadasis in all the
eight taluks in Ballari, rehabilitate, and extend facilities to them. He added that the pourakarmikas working
on contract basis in city corporations should be covered under health benefit schemes. (The Hindu
1/12/15)
Muslims cremate dalit boycotted by community for not voting on caste lines (2)
MEERUT: One has to go no further than this incident in Saharanpur to see how polarisation is playing out
in villages of Uttar Pradesh. In the just-concluded pradhan elections in Dayalpur village, electorates were
clearly divided along religious lines: while Muslims supported Saeed Ahmad, the dalits showed allegiance
to Deepak Kumar. But Ram Daiya, a 55-year-old dalit, and his family went against the tide to support
Ahmad, triggering off an unfortunate sequence of events that began with their social boycott by the dalit
community. On Thursday night, when Ram Daiya died, due to natural causes, no one from his community
came forward to attend his last rites. Eventually, it was Muslims who helped the bereaved family with the
cremation on Friday. Ram Daiya's son Rajinder Kumar told TOI, "The Hindus, particularly Dalits and
members of the Saini community, completely boycotted us socially. In fact, we were told that nobody will
assist us in performing the last rites when anybody in our family dies." However, on hearing news of
Daiya's death, a large number of Muslims began to gather at his house on Friday morning. They then
arranged for wood and other material for his cremation. Saeed Ahmad, the gram pradhan candidate
Daiya's family voted for, said, "We knew that no one would attend his cremation, so we extended all
possible help to the family. But the way things are turning out is very sad. At least, no bitterness should
be carried forward following one's death." Kumar said that his father was a very old associate of Saeed
Ahmad and valued the ties with him. "He gave priority to his relationship with Ahmad and did not vote on
caste lines," he added. Deepak Kumar, Ahmad's rival who was supported by the dalit community, said,
"The social boycott story is all concocted. I was out of the village, so I could not attend his funeral."
(Times of India 5/12/15)
Dalit who complained of bias barred from village (2)
MUMBAI: Seven months after 13 Dalit families in Maharashtra’s Ansurda village of Osmanabad district
faced social boycott by upper caste villagers, the main complainant in the case has been served an
externment notice by three districts authorities. No action has been taken against the accused, so far.
Nishikant Humbe, a member of the Dalit community who had contacted the police and the media about
the social boycott in the village, is now accused of creating rift in the village, and has been called a
habitual criminal. The notice bars him from residing in Osmanabad, Beed or Latur districts for the next two
years. However, he will be given a chance to present his case in front of the sub-divisional magistrate on
December 8. “I do not know why they want me out? I raised my voice against powerful people in the
village. Was it my fault? I am nobody in front of them and still I am being targeted,” Mr. Humbe told The
Hindu. When contacted, district collector Dr. Prashant Narnavare said that he was not aware about the
notice being served to Mr. Humbe. “I must get all the details from the concerned officer before
commenting on this matter. But there has to be a reason why the notice has been served. I will get all the
details and appropriate action will be taken,” he said. In a first notice served to Mr. Humbe three crimes
were registered against his name, while the second notice on October 31 mentions only one case. The
notice accuses the complainant of continuing to terrorize people in the village as a result everyone is
scared of him. “Any sane person who knows the dynamics of rural Maharashtra will laugh at this.
Furthermore, the administration has not initiated any action against the accused. Why? There is no
answer to this,” said Subodh More of Jati Ant Sangharsh Samiti, which had raised the issue in the past.
The samiti members held a meeting with C. L. Thool, member of SC/ST commission demanding
cancellation of this notice. On April 28, the Dalits took out a procession to mark the birth anniversary of
Babasaheb Ambedkar, where songs dedicated to the Dalit icon were played. According to the original
complaint, few upper caste youths objected to it and demanded songs on Shivaji Maharaj, which were
played too. The young men allegedly desecrated the image of Dr. Ambedkar and abused Dalit women,
according to a police complaint filed by the families. The police arrested four youths, of which two were
minors. “The fact that we filed a complaint enraged the upper castes and they called for a social boycott,”
said Mr. Humbe. Ansurda, with a population of over 1,500, has only 13 Dalit households — 11 of
Buddhist Mahars and two of the Mang community. The Dalits were asked not to drink water from public
taps and their cattle was barred from grazing in the village. Shopkeepers were asked not to sell groceries
to them. (The Hindu 7/12/15)
Dalit families flee state's rich NRI village Dharmaj (2)
DHARMAJ (Anand): In Dharmaj, known as Gujarat's "village of NRIs" with a whopping Rs 1,000 crore of
deposits in its banks, the dalit falia (quarter) wears a deserted look. Only 24 of 274 dalit families have
remained in the village. The reason for the mass absence they claim, is that they were being intimidated
by the dominant Patidar community , for trying to exercise their right to vote for local body polls held on
November 29. Close to the 65th death anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on December 6, the dalits
of Dharmaj village alleged that they were barred from exercising their constitutional right. The dalit
quarter, which earlier had a population of about 1,500, had few houses open and almost none dared to
talk about what happened between November 23 and 29. Rajesh Makwana, who filed an FIR in Petlad
police station against 11members of the Patidar community for allegedly beating and intimidating them on
November 23, says the accused were enraged that three dalit candidates were contesting district and
taluka panchayat elections on Bahujan Samaj Party tickets. "They directed us not to go out to vote,"
Makwana says, adding that posters of BSP candidates were torn down, and this led to a tense situation.
Narrating the incidents of the night of November 25, a blind 77-year-old dalit man, Reva Rohit, said:
"They (Patel vil lagers) first abused us with casteist slurs. They then beat me and my family , which
frightened us and most of our community fled the village. Only 24 of 274 dalit families remained here." "I
have never voted in my entire life.Every election, the vote on my behalf. Do we not have rights?" he asks.
Another community member Suresh Makwana (32) alleges, "On November 29, when polling was
underway for Petlad taluka panchayat and Anand district panchayat, members of the Patidar community
created a ruckus at Rohitvaas in the dalit quarter and carried out atrocities. One man, Purshottam Rohit
(65), was beaten as he was going to vote, and the ambulance wasn't allowed to take him for treatment."
Kala Rohit (32), says she took the lead for her community and went to the polling station, but even
women weren't spared. "Another woman and I were going to vote and fellow community members were
behind us. But they (Patels) started abusing and beating us. This caused our community to flee the
village in fear of further violence," she says. Anand district collector Dhaval Pa tel, whom the villagers had
made a representation to, wasn't aware of the present situation. He said, "FIRs and crossFIRs were made
by dalit and Patel communities after a brawl." When asked if the dalits have fled, Patel said, "Some of
them absconded." Dharmaj sarpanch Bhupendra Patel, said: "There was a brawl between members of
the Patel and dalit communities before the local elections. Some Patels did wrong to the dalits and now
the entire Patel community is defamed." Dina Rohit, a worker of the NGO Navsarjan, says atrocities on
dalits are common here. "They don't speak out as they fear losing daily-wage work on the tobacco farms
of Patels. Even if a dalit farmer has land, he would grow tobacco and that trade is also dominated by
Patels. So they fear harassment by way of blocked payments," she says. Ashok Yadav, superintendent of
police in Anand district, said the situation in Dharmaj is now peaceful. "A fight did take place in Dharmaj.
Following which, we held meetings with leaders of both communities to restore peace," he said. (Times of
India 8/12/15)
Dalit woman not allowed to file rape complaint against PSI (2)
Nagpur: A Dalit woman is not being allowed to file a rape complaint against a police sub-inspector, who
sexually exploited her for nine years before ditching her for a fellow woman officer. The 23-year-old Dalit
woman, a Bachelor of Pharmacy student, was sent back by Hudkeshwar police station on Thursday when
she tried to register an offence. The police seem extremely reluctant to help the Dalit woman sexually
exploited by the sub-inspector, now with rural cops. Sunita (name changed) first approached the police
with a written complaint on Thursday, and was made to wait for two hours at Hudkeshwar police station
before being sent back. The woman, who was helped by social activist Nutan Rewatkar, was even denied
an acknowledgement on the complaint by a senior police station officer for reasons best known to him.
Incidentally, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, has been stressing on
lifting the department's image among the masses with quick action in all cases. Fadnavis, along with
guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, had expressed deep anguish over the media's role last
week, while launching the Distress Call Response Management System (DCRMS) in the city, for
highlighting negativity in the police department. The CM had also raised doubts whether the media was
playing a role in derailing investment plans for the city. However, citizens like Sunita are repeatedly
expressing their disappointment with police at the ground level, which the media is reporting. Sunita said
that she had first met a senior woman officer with the rural department earlier this year, who was
supportive but did not initiate any legal action. "I want to register an offence against the man for shattering
my life and also marrying another police officer without even informing me about the development. It was
because of him that I had developed medical complications when I was in standard XI. We have been in
a relationship for more than nine years, over which he continued to promise that he would marry me. He
also entered into physical relations with me with these promises, but went on to marry another woman,"
she said. Sunita said that she knew the officer from childhood as a neighbour in her village in Bhandara
district, where they met and also became friends. Their families too knew about their relationship. He was
later recruited in the police department as a constable and subsequently selected as an officer through
state commission examination. Sunita would frequent his official quarters at Raghuji Nagar in Sakkardara.
She said that her paramour started avoiding her after returning from a one-year training recently, and
stopped taking her calls too. She later discovered that the man had married a fellow officer from the city
police. "The woman officer too came to meet me. She too tried to convince me to forget the episode," said
the woman. Sunita then reached Hudkeshwar police station to lodge a complaint but was sent away. City
police chief SP Yadav seemed to have been told a different version of events by senior officers. "I am told
that the woman did not register any complaint at the police station. She should now furnish a written
complaint to us," said the CP. Yadav was not told that the woman had already furnished a written
complaint but was sent away by the police station officer. (Times of India 12/12/15)
Limbs of 2 Dalit men chopped off in Fazilka, NCSC summons IG, DC (2)
National Commission for Scheduled Castes has issued notices to IGP Bhatinda zone, Deputy
Commissioner Fazilka and SSP in connection with this case and they have been asked to appear before
the commission on Monday afternoon in Abhohar. The commission has also directed the police
authorities to arrest the people involved in the incident within three days failing which strict action will be
taken against the official concerned," Dr Rajkumar Verka said. Dr Verka said that the incident has
shocked the entire Dalit community which has alleged that efforts are being made to hushup the case as
the people involved in the case are influential. He has assured the affected families that the Commission
will take action against the people involved in the case. According to the police, the Dalit youths identified
as Bheem Tak and Gurjant Singh alias Janta were working with Shivlal Doda who is a liquor trader. They
had some dispute with the rival trader who had called them for a compromise on Friday at Doda's farm
house. The youths were taken hostage by the people present at the farm house. They chopped off
Bheem's hands and feet. Janta's, also a Dalit, one arm and foot were cut off brutally. The people involved
in the incident fled after the crime. They were numbered between eight to 10. While Bheem Tak
succumbed to his injures in the hospital, Gurjant Singh is battling for his life in the hospital. The police has
registered a case against 11 people including an Akali Dal leader Shiv lal Doda and his nephew. No
arrests have been made so far.Relatives of Bheem and Gurjant protested in Abhohar on Saurday. The
administration has deployed police force in the town to control the situation. (India Today 13/12/15)
Dalits in U.P. can now sell their land to non-Dalits (2)
LUCKNOW: Dalits in Uttar Pradesh would soon be able to sell their land to non-Dalits without the
approval of the administration. This comes into being after Governor Ram Naik on Tuesday gave his
consent to the Revenue Code (Amendment) Ordinance proposed by the Samajwadi government. Chief
Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s Cabinet had passed the ordinance last month but the Governor had withheld
approval. The ordinance would bring radical changes in prevailing revenue laws dating to the British era,
speeding up disposal of litigations in rural areas over land ownership. It also contains a contentious
clause regarding Dalits, which has led to the BSP gunning for the SP. The ordinance will allow Dalits to
sell their land to non-Dalits even if their remaining holding is less than 3.5 acres. To safeguard land
ownership of Dalits and protect them from being forced to sell their land to upper caste persons, the
existing land revenue laws did not allow them to sell their land to OBCs and Upper Castes if their
remaining land was less than 3.5 acres. In 2006, the Mulayam Singh government proposed a similar
amendment but it could not be implemented. The Mayawati government, which came to power in 2007,
opposed the move. When the SP came back to power in 2012 it got the President’s assent, as the
ordinance involved the repealing of more than 30 Acts, including Central Acts. While the SP has
contended that the ordinance would safeguard Dalit interest and protect them from “distress selling,” the
BSP has accused the party of conspiring to make poor Dalits landless and further push them towards the
periphery.The issue could heat up during the 2007 Assembly election. Ms. Mayawati is hoping for a
strong consolidation of her traditional voters, the Dalits, to regain power. Mr. Naik gave his assent
keeping in view the urgency of the matter, as there was a possibility that the Winter Session of the U.P.
Assembly could be convened in the last week of January, a Raj Bhavan spokesperson said. To end the
stalemate on a number of issues, Mr. Yadav had called on Mr. Naik on December 9. Among other issues,
the Winter Session and Revenue Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015 were discussed. (The Hindu
16/12/5)
Proper inquiry sought into complaints lodged by Dalits (2)
COIMBATORE: Condemning the alleged action taken by the police in the favour of Caste Hindus when
Dalits lodged complaints against them, representatives of Social Justice Movement tried to present a
wreath to the officials at the Collectorate as a mark of protest. This caused flutter on Wednesday. Police
personnel took away the wreath and allowed members of the organisation to make a representation to
the Collector. The protest that led to flutter coincided with a steering committee meeting chaired by the
Collector in connection with cases of atrocities against Dalits. The movement’s president N.
Paneerselvam alleged that police obtained counter complaints from Caste Hindus and initiated action
against Dalit people, who were victims of atrocities. Mr. Paneerselvam said that police and other
authorities, who had to conduct an unbiased inquiry into atrocities against Dalits, were in favour of Caste
Hindus. “This is the reason for acquittal of Caste Hindu oppressors,” he said, as he sought appointment of
a special public prosecutor to appear for the Dalit victims of caste discrimination. After petitioning the
Collector, he said that they have urged the district administration and the police to conduct a workshop for
police officers and personnel, on the recent amendments in the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act. (The Hindu 18/12/15)
RSS extends its Dalit outreach: Adopt, host, dine with a family (2)
Lucknow: TAKING one more step to reaffirm its pro-Dalit credentials, the RSS has told its volunteers
across the country to adopt at least one family of the community, intermingle with their family members,
dine with them and work to bring them in the mainstream of society. While the Sangh has been trying to
contain the damage from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks suggesting a rethink on the quota system,
the RSS claims this programme is part of a campaign to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of its third
sarsanghchalak, the late Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras. The Sangh’s Awadh Prant Sah Prachar Pramukh,
Diwakar Awasthi, said their volunteers would adopt a Dalit family each, develop and maintain cordial
relations with them, meet the family regularly, dine with them and invite the Dalit family home. The
volunteers have been told to also introduce the Dalit family to their own community to establish social
equality, as well as to the Sangh ideology. The Sangh’s Nagpur headquarters announced the campaign
on December 11, the birth anniversary of Deoras. The campaign will continue till December 11 next year
when some states including Uttar Pradesh, which has a strong Dalit vote, go in for Assembly polls.
Deoras had served as RSS sarsanghchalak from 1973 to 1993. RSS office-bearers claim Deoras strove
against the practice of untouchability and aimed to bring Dalits on a par with other sections of society.
The RSS has published a speech of Deoras that he had delivered against untouchability. Volunteers are
being given copies of that speech to tell them about the “motive behind the campaign”. Underlining the
scale of the plans, an RSS office-bearer said the Sangh holds 52,000 shakhas across the country at
present. Shakhas in urban areas have been asked to adopt a slum and start interaction with the Dalits
there. In rural areas, district units of the RSS will adopt Dalit-dominated villages. (Indian Express
20/12/15)
Ostracised, dalit family forced to carry footwear over head (2)
BHOPAL: For the last couple of years 15 members of a family of dalits at a distant village in Sagar district
have been carrying their footwear over their head when they walk down the dusty hamlet. Ostracised
about two years back, the family is under tremendous pressure from members of upper caste to withdraw
a criminal case filed against the member of a Thakur family of the same village. Guljari Dhanuk (50)
alleged that his 17-year-old daughter was taken away to Delhi by Rajendra Singh, member of a Thakur
family of village Kaithora in Bunda tehsil of Sagar. She was confined there and raped. Later, his daughter
gave birth to a child who was killed by Rajendra's family, he alleged. After his complaint, he said Bunda
police registered a case of abduction and rape against Rajendra five years back, but he continues to be
on the run. "In fact he roams around and even threatens to kill us," alleged Anar Bai, sister of the rape
victim. Two years ago, a village panchayat of upper caste decided to ostracise the dalit family and orderd
them to carry their footwear over their head till they withdraw the case, Guljari said. "As we have decided
not to withdraw it, we continue to suffer with no help from the police or administration," he said. According
to him, his daughter continues to live in Delhi with some dalit families and works as a maid . She is too
scared to return to the village, he said. Santosh Athia, husband of the village sarpanch, confirmed the
diktat to a team of journalists, which visited the village, saying "We are helpless." As no one provides
ration or water to the family, Dhanuks are facing a harrowing time. "We travel to Karrapur, about 10 km
from our village, to purchase commodities of our daily need," said Guljari. Even lower rung of bureaucracy
in Sagar has no clue about the family's misery. When contacted, CG Goswami, tehsildar of Bunda, said,
"I have come to know about it from you. I have asked Bunda SHO to look into the case." Sachin Atulker,
SP Sagar, told TOI he has no idea about the incident and have asked for details from concerned officials.
(Times of India 21/12/15)
Dalit families of Mansa village face boycott (12)
Mansa, December 24: Around 10 Dalit families of Burj Dhillwan village here are facing a boycott after a
circle head of the Youth Akali Dal allegedly got announced in the village gurdwara that members of these
families should not be given any work. A fine of Rs 5,000 has been allegedly announced for anybody
giving employment or any other work to these families. Anybody informing about any such “violation” of
the diktat will get Rs 2,000. All this was announced from the village gurdwara today. These families are
being penalised for laying a kutcha pavement over a drain passing by the gates of their houses. Members
of these Dalit families alleged that Akali leader Gurmeet Singh Nikka himself made an announcement to
this effect in the gurdwara. Sukhdev Singh said he lived near the cremation ground and had laid a
pavement on the drain as it had become difficult to bear the stench emanating from it. “As the gurdwara
management refused to make any announcement against us, the Akali leader himself came forward and
made the announcement. We are already facing abject poverty. Three days ago, a number of upper cast
people gathered here along with panchayat members and threw our household goods into a nearby pond.
They also assaulted and abused our women. We have submitted complaints to SHO Harpal Singh and
met the Senior Superintendent of Police in that regard, but to no avail,” he said. The drain was forcibly
constructed two years ago following which they had lodged several complaints with the district
administration, but no action was initiated. Nikka said, “The announcement about the boycott was made
by someone else and not me. I was just present there along with some villagers who were criticising the
action of the Dalit family.” Panchayat member Harbans Singh denied the allegations of thrashing Dalit
families and tearing clothes of their women. He said Nikka was being defamed by the Dalits. SSP
Raghubir Singh Mann could not be contacted for his comments. SHO Harpal Singh said, “We came to
knew about the issue two days ago when a tussle between the Dalits and some villagers came to the
fore. But, we have no information about today’s happenings.” Majdur Mukti Morcha leader Bhagwant
Smao, said, “Akali leaders have turned shameless. It is shameful to snatch bread from the mouth of a
person who is already starving. We will stage a protest if the police fail to take action against the Akali
leader.” (The Tribune 24/12/15)
20 Dalits, including pregnant woman, injured in attack (2)
RAICHUR: A group of 50 ‘upper caste’ men, equipped with rods and sharp weapons, barged into the Dalit
colony and attacked the residents, leaving three persons, including a pregnant woman, seriously injured
in Turvihal village of Sindhanur taluk on Friday. Another 25 persons sustained minor injuries. The
pregnant woman, Huligemma, was rushed to Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences in Ballari after she
started bleeding and was later shifted to a hospital in Sindhanur where two injured persons are being
treated. Following a complaint lodged by Huligemma’s husband Shivaputrappa, Turvihal police booked 29
persons under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to
outrage her modesty), 148 (rioting), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), of
Indian Penal Code and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Superintendent of Police Chetan Singh Rathore told The Hindu that no arrests had been made so far in
the case. As per the information provided by Turvihal police and residents, an ‘upper caste’ youth
accidently rammed his vegetable-laden goods carrier against a Dalit youth organisation’s signboard that
carried B.R. Ambedkar’s photo on Thursday. Next day, some Dalit youth associated with the organisation
picked up an argument alleging that the act was deliberate. Enraged by this, 50 men attacked the Dalits.
The victims alleged that the attackers had warned that they would not allow them to live in the village.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka Janashakti organisation demanded that the police arrest the accused at the
earliest. The organisation also sought police protection for Dalits in the village apart from demanding Rs.
5 lakh compensation for the three persons, who were seriously injured. (The Hindu 27/12/15)
Fighting against untouchability proves costly for three Dalits (2)
Hassan: Three residents of the Dalit colony, who raised their voice against untouchability prevailing at
Sigaranahalli, a village in Holenarsipur taluk, have been branded by the taluk administration as persons
most likely to disturb peace and harmony in the village. The administration has issued notices to them
under Section 107 of the Criminal Procedure Code and asked them to appear before the taluk
magistrate.Thayamma, K.T. Kumar and Umesh — all belonging to Scheduled Castes — have received
the notices. Ms. Thayamma is one among the four Dalit women, who attracted penalty from the “upper
caste” people for entering the Basaveshwara Temple in the village in September. Many Dalit residents
opposed the penalty imposed on the women and staged protests against untouchability still in vogue in
the village. In fact, they had demanded that the district administration allow them to enter the community
hall constructed with government funds in the village. For the last 15 years, Dalits have been barred from
entering the community hall. A notice dated December 18 was issued from the office of Holenarsipur
tahsildar, which said that the Holenarsipur Rural police had informed the taluk administration that Ms.
Thayamma, Mr. Kumar and Mr. Umesh were likely to disturb peace and order in the village. In order to
ensure peace in the village, the three should be summoned and warned. The notice had been issued
based on the police report. However, the Dalits of the village argued that there was no reason for the
taluk administration to suspect them to be disturbing peace. “We have never indulged in any sort of
violence. There are no police cases against us. What made the police to brand us as troublemakers?”
asked Mr. Umesh. The Hassan district administration and H.D. Revanna, Holenarsipur MLA, had held
meetings in the village to resolve the issue, but in vain. The Dalits are still not allowed to enter the
community hall and the temple has been closed ever since the Dalit women entered it. (The Hindu
30/12/15)