dalits/scheduled castes - 2008

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DALITS/SCHEDULED CASTES - 2008 (January to December 2008) Compiled By Human Rights Documentation * Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi Bias against UP dalits exists’ (2) Lucknow, Jan. 3: The Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Mahasabha, a leading dalit organisation, has alleged that the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh has completely failed to curb untouchability in the state. Talking to reporters here on Thursday, the vice-president of the Mahasabha, Mr S.P. Darapuri, who is a retired IPS officer, said that government orders regarding dalits were being flouted and dalits continued to be victims of social discrimination. Citing a recent case where children had refused food cooked by dalit women for midday meals, Mr Darapuri said that the mahasabha, along with 25 NGOs, had recently conducted a survey on this issue in 216 schools spread over 28 districts. "The government order for midday meals clearly states that priority must be given to dalits in appointments of cooks. The idea was to promote social harmony, apart from ensuring nutrition for the children. In our survey, we found that merely 17 per cent of the cooks were Scheduled Castes and three per cent belonged to Scheduled Tribes. One per cent of the cooks were Muslims and the remaining 79 per cent belonged to upper castes, which is a clear violation of the government order," he said. Mr Darapuri said that even in schools where dalits had been officially appointed as cooks, they were not being allowed to cook food, they were instead being used as helpers. "There is also considerable discrimination with dalit children who are made to sit separately when midday meals are served. In Majeeth village in Orai district, we found that dalit children were made to sit separately and the schoolteachers even had a separate stick to beat these children. In Singhpur village in Banda district, dalit cooks were beaten up and chased away by the teachers," he said. Referring to the recent incident in Banthra, on the outskirts of Lucknow, where a dalit cook lost her job because the children refused to eat food cooked by her, the Ambedkar Mahasabha has demanded a high-level inquiry. "Such instances abound in UP and all claims of equality for dalits in this regime are misleading. We are working on various issues and we will keep the people informed of the actual state of affairs," he said. (Asian Age 4/1/08) US ‘caste’ killing is a shock to Ambala kin (2) Chandigarh, Jan. 3: In a bizarre New Year Eve honour killing, an Indian father set fire to his daughter’s home in the USA because he could not bear the fact that she had married a lower caste immigrant from Ambala, Haryana, against his wishes. Subhash Chander’s five-month pregnant daughter, Monica (22), her husband Rajesh Kumar Arora (30) and their three-year-old son, Varun perished in the fire in an apartment block in Oak Forest, Chicago. Their bodies were charred beyond recognition and investigators have requested Rajesh’s shattered family, back in Ambala city, for identification marks. Arrested by the police shortly after the killings, Chander told the detectives, investigating the case, that he was "upset and angry" because Monica married a man of lower caste against his (Chander’s) wi shes. He reportedly told the police that he wanted to teach her a lesson. The police has told Rajesh’s family that Chander doused the couple’s apartment using petrol that he carried back from the gas station where he works. He set the apartment on fire, knowing that his daughter, son-in-law and grandson would be fast asleep and unlikely to escape before the flames engulfed their home. Inconsolable at the death of his son, daughter-in-law and grandson, Rajesh’ grieving father Om Prakash Arora said that Chander is "lying" and that he was probably driven to committing the gruesome crime because of his greed. "Subhash Chander is an alcoholic given to violent and abusive behaviour. He is also an extortionist. He would force Rajesh and Monica to give him money to feed his drinking habit and often created a scene when they refused him," the weeping father told the reporters at his Ambala home on Thursday morning. Om Prakash Arora and his family want "nothing less than the death penalty for the evil man who killed three innocent children." * This is a collection of previously published news and v iews 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 f acts in the news nor subscribes to the v iews expressed.

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DALITS/SCHEDULED CASTES - 2008 (January to December 2008)

Compiled By

Human Rights Documentation∗ Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi

Bias against UP dalits exists’ (2) Lucknow, Jan. 3: The Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Mahasabha, a leading dalit organisation, has alleged that the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh has completely failed to curb untouchability in the state. Talking to reporters here on Thursday, the vice-president of the Mahasabha, Mr S.P. Darapuri, who is a retired IPS officer, said that government orders regarding dalits were being flouted and dalits continued to be victims of social discrimination. Citing a recent case where children had refused food cooked by dalit women for midday meals, Mr Darapuri said that the mahasabha, along with 25 NGOs, had recently conducted a survey on this issue in 216 schools spread over 28 districts. "The government order for midday meals clearly states that priority must be given to dalits in appointments of cooks. The idea was to promote social harmony, apart from ensuring nutrition for the children. In our survey, we found that merely 17 per cent of the cooks were Scheduled Castes and three per cent belonged to Scheduled Tribes. One per cent of the cooks were Muslims and the remaining 79 per cent belonged to upper castes, which is a clear violation of the government order," he said. Mr Darapuri said that even in schools where dalits had been officially appointed as cooks, they were not being allowed to cook food, they were instead being used as helpers. "There is also considerable discrimination with dalit children who are made to sit separately when midday meals are served. In Majeeth village in Orai district, we found that dalit children were made to sit separately and the schoolteachers even had a separate stick to beat these children. In Singhpur village in Banda district, dalit cooks were beaten up and chased away by the teachers," he said. Referring to the recent incident in Banthra, on the outskirt s of Lucknow, where a dalit cook lost her job because the children refused to eat food cooked by her, the Ambedkar Mahasabha has demanded a high-level inquiry. "Such instances abound in UP and all claims of equality for dalits in this regime are misleading. We are working on various issue s and we will keep the people informed of the actual state of affairs," he said. (Asian Age 4/1/08)

US ‘caste’ killing is a shock to Ambala kin (2) Chandigarh, Jan. 3: In a bizarre New Year Eve honour killing, an Indian father set fire to his daughter’s home in the USA because he could not bear the fact that she had married a lower caste immigrant from Ambala, Haryana, against his wishes. Subhash Chander’s five-month pregnant daughter, Monica (22), her husband Rajesh Kumar Arora (30) and their three-year-old son, Varun perished in the fire in an apartment block in Oak Forest, Chicago. Their bodies were charred beyond recognition and investigators have requested Rajesh’s shattered family, back in Ambala city, for identification marks. Arrested by the police shortly after the kil lings, Chander told the detectives, investigating the case, that he was "upset and angry" because Monica married a man of lower caste against his (Chander’s) wi shes. He reportedly told the police that he wanted to teach her a lesson. The police has told Rajesh’s family that Chander doused the couple’s apartment using petrol that he carried back from the gas station where he works. He set the apartment on fire, knowing that his daughter, son-in-law and grandson would be fast asleep and unlikely to escape before the flames engulfed their home. Inconsolable at the death of his son, daughter-in-law and grandson, Rajesh’ grieving father Om Prakash Arora said that Chander is "lying" and that he was probably driven to committing the gruesome crime because of his greed. "Subhash Chander is an alcoholic given to violent and abusive behaviour. He is also an extortionist. He would force Rajesh and Monica to give him money to feed his drinking habit and often created a scene when they refused him," the weeping father told the reporters at his Ambala home on Thursday morning. Om Prakash Arora and his family want "nothing less than the death penalty for the evil man who killed three innocent children."

∗ This is a collection of previously published news and v iews 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 f acts in the news nor subscribes to the v iews expressed.

An illegal immigrant, who overstayed his tourist 1997 visa to the US, Rajesh fell in love and married Monica just over five years ago in October 2002. He found employment as a cashier at a local gas station. Trying hard to make ends meet, the young couple initially left their son Varun with his grandparents in Ambala and took him back to live in Chicago only last July. The grieving Ambala family, which has a small electronics shop as their sole means of livelihood, besides coping with the huge tragedy that has suddenly befallen them, is also trying to find means to bring home the remains of their loved ones for a respectable funeral. (Asian Age 4/1/08)

Chandigarh drops the word “Dalit” (2) Chandigarh: Chandigarh administration on Saturday instructed all the departments, Boards and Corporations within its jurisdiction not to use the word “Dalit” as interchangeable with the word “Scheduled Castes”. Home Secretary Krishan Mohan said that as the word “Dalit” is neither defined under the Constitution nor under any law in force, it should not be used. (The Hindu 6/1/07)

Yechury wants SC status for dalit Christians (2) New Delhi, Jan. 6: CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury has demanded SC reservation for dalit Christians. Mr Yechury also demanded that the Orissa government should take speedy steps to implement the Tribal Forest Rights Act, which was notified recently. By giving access to land in forest areas, this Act wil l be instrumental in empowering dalit tribals economically, thereby removing the basis for the current conflict. Before meeting the victims of communal disturbance, Mr Yechury met Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar. During his meeting, Mr Yechury conveyed that the BJP, a leading partner of the BJD government in Orissa, wa s uti lising its coalition status to implement its communalisation plans in the state. Analysing the pattern of the incidents, Mr Yechury conveyed his apprehension that the RSS and its affiliates are planning to repeat what they had done in Dangs district of Gujarat. He also drew the attention of Mr Patnaik to the fact that the RSS was publicly claiming that Orissa is their next Hindutva laboratory. He also highlighted the timing of these incidents, immediately after the electoral victory in Gujarat. After meeting the Orissa chief minister, the delegation proceeded to meet the large number of tribal Christian people, whose houses and places of worship were ransacked. The Orissa government’s official estimates proved the enormity of the violence, which is a cause of concern, he said. The pattern of attacks also clearly showed that they were pre-planned and pre-meditated. There was similarity in the happenings to what RSS affil iates undertook in the Dangs district of Gujarat a decade ago. Mr Yechury, accompanied by a delegation of archbishops, visited Orissa on January 3-4 for a first-hand understanding of the situation arising out of RSS/VHP attacks on Christians in Kandhamal district. During the course of his visit, he met leaders of non-Congress, non-BJP-BJD parties and discussed with them plans to work out a joint protest movement against this communal offensive. Meanwhile, he appealed to the people of the state to ensure normalcy and cautioned both sections involved in the fight not to fall prey to the designs of communal forces. Mr Naveen Patnaik claimed that the situation was under control. He requested Mr Yechury and the accompanying delegation not to proceed to the affected areas. Mr Patnaik’s reasoning was that nobody is being permitted. He acknowledged that Mr Yechury’s visit would help in the process of normalisation, but if it was permitted, then the state government cannot stop others, who may wish to create mischief by going there. (Asian Age 7/1/08)

Dalit gangraped in Uttar Pradesh (2) KANPUR:: On New Year eve, 32-year-old Ratna (name changed), a Dalit, was allegedly gangraped by her neighbour Surendra Kumar and three others in Ravidaspuram locality under Barra police station. The Barra police, however, registered a case of loot and manhandling and arrested Surendra on Saturday. The others are stil l absconding. Ratna said that the incident took place when she was alone at her house. She alleged that Surendra, in an inebriated condition, had barged into her house with his friends. They raped her and escaped with cash. “Initially, my family did not want to lodge a complaint but I decided to register a case,” she said. (Indian Express 7/1/08)

Dalit activists resent police action (2) JAIPUR: Dalit activists in Rajasthan have taken strong exception to the tendency of the police to compel the Dalit victims of higher caste atrocities to reach a compromise or change their statements to enable the prosecution to submit a final report in the court for closure of cases, despite the absolute lack of any such provision in the law. Representatives of Dalit groups participating in an orientation workshop at Shahpura

in Bhilwara district over the weekend accused the State police of being “completely insensitive” to the crimes against Dalits and charged that they had neither any understanding nor any willingness to implement the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The two-day workshop was organised by the Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR) and Raigar Navyuvak Mandal to enhance the capacity of young Dalit activists to work for welfare of Dalit communities and protect Dalits’ rights by demanding legal protection. The need for making common cause with other subjugated communities, such as Muslims, was also underlined on the occasion. CDR chairperson and Supreme Court lawyer P. L. Mimroth pointed out that though Bhilwara was one of the districts reporting the highest rate of crimes against Dalit, the Administration had failed to initiate any drive to prevent atrocities. He warned that resentment among Dalits was mounting in the wake of denial of equal opportunities, insult to religious beliefs and grabbing of their land by manipulations. CDR Director Satish Kumar said the Dalit activists should record each incident of offence against Dalits by constant monitoring and through fact-finding assignments. “Such an exercise will act as a check on police pressurising Dalit complainants to reach a compromise or let off the criminals,” he said. The speakers threw light on the provisions in legislations such as the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, and SC/ST Act, 1989, as well as the rules framed under them to emphasise that it was the government’s duty to abolish untouchability, take action against the erring public servants, appoint special public prosecutors and undertake monitoring and vigilance to protect Dalits. “Both the statutes have been enacted on the salutary principle of social justice,” said Mr. Kumar. Programme convenor M.P. Chaudhary said the Tehsildar concerned should be immediately approached on the encroachment of land belonging to Dalits for initiation of proceedings for its restoration. Ramdayal Bairwa from Dausa said Dalit activists should pay special attention to follow-up of all cases by learning about all relevant facts in the First Information Report and monitoring the action of investigating officers. On any deviation, the higher police and administrative officers should be immediately informed. Abid Mohammed Khan from Bhilwara said most of the Muslims and Christians in the State were converts from Dalits and backward classe s and faced the same discrimination, prejudice and atrocities to which the Dalits were subjected. He said all backward communities should unite to confront the anti-social elements among higher castes. Dalit Adivasi Abhiyan convenor Bhanwar Meghvanshi said the leadership of the movement for Dalits’ empowerment should be handed over to the youth for providing it a right direction. He said Dalits should also claim their legitimate right on natural resources to get equitable share. (The Hindu 8/1/08)

Dalit denied entry into temple (2) Lucknow, Jan. 9: A brahmin priest in Kanpur allegedly abused and beat up a dalit and his three friends on Tuesday when the latter tried to enter the famous Mahadev temple to offer prayers. Pandit Shailendra Tiwari, priest, allegedly assaulted the dalit devotee, Mr Sudhir Kumar, and his friends, and hurled casteist invectives at them when they tried to enter the temple. The priest’s friends, Rajan Dixit and Shiv Singh Yadav, joined him in physically attacking and preventing Sudhir and his friends from entering the temple. They also demanded money to "purify" the temple, that they claimed, had been sullied with the presence of the dalit devotees. The news of the incident generated considerable tension in the area and dalits held a meeting late on Tuesday night in which they demanded that the police must take action against the priest and his accomplices. Meanwhile, senior police officers rushed to the village following the dalit anger and assured that action will be taken against those found guilty of assault against Sudhir. The temple priest, Shailendra, meanwhile, has lodged an FIR stating that Sudhir and his friends had passed lewd comments on his wife, Ms Madhuri Tiwari, at the temple. Sudhir also lodged an FIR on the incident at the Bidhnu police station. BSP MP from Bilhaur, Anil Shukla Warsi, visited the Gangapur village where Sudhir lives. He said the BSP had taken a strong view of the attack against dalits and appropriate action will be taken in the matter. Local party cadres have been alerted to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. (Asian Age 10/1/08) Retrenchment of SC/ST staff challenged (2) New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to the Centre and Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. on a petition challenging retrenchment of a large number of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes employees after the Union government divested 25 per cent stake in the VSNL, when it was a public sector undertaking. A Bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice R.V. Raveendran also issued notice to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes on the petition seeking a direction to the authorities to stop further retrenchment of SC/ST employees. The petitioner, Videsh Sanchar Nigam SC/ST Welfare Samiti, alleged that company’s staff members belonging to SCs/STs were

under threat of termination as the performance of 75 per cent of them had been wrongly evaluated as unsatisfactory or marginal. It said: “The evaluation did not follow scientific criteria, but have been mala fide designed to retrench the services of majority of the existing employees, who have been inherited by a strategic partner along with a 25 per cent stake.” It submitted that after the divestment, the company management was not following the social obligation of providing sufficient job opportunities to SCs/STs. It pointed out that the VSNL had given an undertaking to the Centre that the safeguard for SC/ST employees would continue after the disinvestment, but it was now following an arbitrary and discriminatory policy.” The petitioner alleged that the decision to retrench the employees belonging to weaker sections of society was informal and due to this, the company had retained only 194 old employees who were either employees at the time of the Overseas Communication Service, Government of India or at the time when the VSNL was a public sector company. The government was sti l l holding majority stake. It said that the company had recruited a large number of new employees and there was no representation for members of the SC/ST categories, and the percentage of such employees had come down to 4.2 per cent. It sought a direction to safeguard the fundamental rights of the SC/ST employees as per the undertakings given in 2001 and 2002. (The Hindu 11/1/08)

Valmikis say ‘creamy’ SCs cornering all benefits (2 ) New Delhi, January 13: The present Scheduled Caste reservation regime comprising 1,206 castes is facing a challenge within. Some intellectuals of the Valmiki caste, a caste of scavengers and safai karmacharis spread across north India, are demanding a separate quota within the SC quota for Valmikis and other Ati Dalit (extremely Dalit) castes. In addition to this, they are also demanding that “creamy layer” among SCs—families who have progressed as a result of quotas—be excluded from reservation. Their targets are the Jatavs and the BSP, a party “dominated” by them. According to the 2001 Census, there are 23 lakh people belonging to the SC category in Delhi, of whom Jatavs number 8.9 lakh and Valmikis 5 lakh (22 per cent). Valmikis constitute 11.2 per cent and 19.2 per cent of the SC populations of Punjab and Haryana, respectively. In Uttar Pradesh, they are placed fifth in the SC list, the Jatavs being the dominant lot accounting for 56 per cent of the SC population. The Valmiki intellectuals contest this enumeration, but not on well-established empirical grounds. A conference of about 50-60 Valmiki intellectuals was held at Gandhi Peace Foundation in New Delhi on January 12. Among those who attended were O P Shukla, Judicial Member, Income-Tax Appellate Tribunal; Vijay Prakash, advocate, Delhi High Court; Jyoti Atwal, Assistant Professor of History at JNU; and Vijay Kayat, Reader, MD University, Rohtak. This conference followed a similar ones held by Uttaranchal Valmiki Krantikari Morcha headed by Bhagwat Prasad Makwana on December 23, 2007 at Dehradun and at Agra on January 5 this year. Shukla said, “In the past 60 years, a few developed castes among SCs have walked away with all the benefits of reservations. The Jatavs in north India, the Mahars in Maharashtra, Malas in Andhra, Pasis and Dusadhs in Bihar have reaped all the benefits of the SC quota. Castes like the Valmikis, Dhanaks, Khatiks and Baazigars have had none of these benefits. Valmiki Class-I officers in Delhi can be counted on fingers, and only three Valmikis in the whole country have til l now reached the rank of Additional Secretary. The benefits of quota need to be equitably distributed among different castes by bifurcating the SC category.” He concluded his address by saying that those families who had benefited from the SC quota should be excluded from reservation. “Even the Supreme Court had recently observed that there should be creamy layer exclusion among SCs,” he said. Prakash said some states had made efforts to bifurcate the SC quota. “In 1975, Zail Singh had bifurcated the SC category in Punjab into A and B categories, the Valmikis came in the former and the Jatavs in the latter. In 1994, Bhajan Lal also created A and B categories in Haryana. Rajnath Singh did the same in UP, but the initiative was lost as an advocate filed a case against this quota. In Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu bifurcated the SC category into A, B, C and D categories. This was challenged in the Andhra High Court, which upheld Chandrababu’s step. One E V Chinnaiah then filed a petition in the Supreme Court in 2004, arguing that there was no constitutional basis for a state providing a separate quota within the SC quota. The apex court struck down the Andhra High Court judgment providing quota within the SC quota as unconstitutional. On the basis of this judgment of the apex court, a petition was filed by Brajesh Singh Muwal, a Jatav, against the SC quota bifurcation in the Punjab and Haryana High Court too, resulting in these categories being abolished,” he said. Quoting figures, Kayat told The Indian Express that while Jatavs in Haryana occupied about 90 per cent of the Class I and Class II posts in the state before 1994, the distribution of these posts between the “dominant” Jatavs and Ati Dalit castes like Valmikis became almost 50-50 when the A and B categories existed between 1994 and 2006. “This shows how important it is to bifurcate the SC category,” he said. (Indian Express 14/1/08)

Dalit woman assaulted (2) Kanpur: One person has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a Dalit woman at Mangalpur vil lage in the district, police said on Sunday. The incident happened yesterday while the woman was travelling in a bus with her relative when a drunk man tore her clothes, thrashed and abused her, they said. The families of the accused and the woman were involved in a family feud which led to the incident, they said. The accused has been arrested under charges of eve teasing, DIG Brijbhushan said, adding that he has ordered a detailed enquiry. ((The Hindu 14/1/08)

NCW member v isits Betul to probe Dalit woman suicid e (2) Bhopal : Member of National Commission for Women Malini Bhattacharya has visited Betul to investigate into suicide by a Dalit woman in front of the Collectorate. After visiting the district, the member of NCW told the newspersons on Sunday that a report in this regard would soon be submitted and demands would be made for providing accommodation and making arrangements for schooling of deceased's children. Urmila Bai, a former panch, had killed self by consuming sulphose in front of Betul Collectorate. She had told the police on October 9 that she would resort to extreme step if they failed to take action against Kallu, the sarpanch's son, who allegedly raped her twice. Bhattacharya said the police had registered a case of rape against the accused and arrested him. Besides, six persons were also booked under section 306 of the IPC and DSP SC/ST police station was suspended with immediate effect. She said that demands would be made for schooling of deceased's kids and providing them accommodation at safer locations. The member would submit a report in this regard after reaching the headquarters. It may be noted that the NCW had sought report within 15 days from Betul district administration in connection with the incident on December 20. However, the Collector reportedly submitted the report on Sunday. (Pioneer 14/1/08)

Dalit pays w ith his life to get school building for daughter (2) BHOPAL, JANUARY 14: A week after he immolated himself in Sagar town to protest against the administration’s failure to find a permanent building for a school attended by his child, Shivkumar Ahirwar finally got what he wanted. Only the decision came too late for the 45-year-old Dalit, who passed away last night after battling for his life. Ahirwar, who had become the chairman of the parent-teacher association of the primary school in Bhagwanganj due to his daughter’s excellent academic record, believed that his pleas for a permanent building were ignored as he belonged to a low caste. Within hours of his death, the administration today hastily performed bhoomi pujan for the primary school building near the site where the school currently functions from rented premises. All this while it had been telling Ahirwar that no land was available around the area and that parents were not willing to let the school be shifted anywhere else. Today, they suddenly claimed that the temple trust which owned land where classe s are currently held had come forward to transfer ownership. The administration denied that they had panicked following Ahirwar’s death and brought pressure upon the temple to hand over land. Sagar Collector Hiralal Trivedi promised that the new building will be in place before the next academic session begins. The government may have taken prompt response to Ahirwar’s death to ward off the BSP and Congress which have been holding demonstrations since last week’s immolation bid. Today, they held a bandh in Sagar town. Ahirwar had given the administration time till January 6 to find land for the school, which has been functioning from a rented building for the past three decades. On January 7, with no action in sight, he doused himself with kerosene and carrying a torch landed at the Collectorate premises where local BJP MP Veerendra Khatik holds his janata darbar. For half an hour he kept threatening that he would take the extreme step, even as he charged the administration with always being prompt in finding land and building for the upper castes. Finally, he lit himself. By the time someone tried to douse the flames, Ahirwar had suffered serious burns. (Indian Express 15/1/08)

Case against Congress MLA for beating Dalit officia l (2) Muzaffarnagar: A case was registered on Friday against a Congress MLA who had allegedly thrashed a Dalit District Development Officer during an official meeting here. The DDO was “hit” by Congress MLA Pankaj Malik when the two got into an argument over the implementation of the Rashtriya Gramin Rozgar Yojana during an official meeting at the district panchayat hall on Thursday. A search was on to arrest the MLA and his supporters involved in the incident, SP M. Vinod Kumar said. The police had raided several places to arrest Malik, son of a Member of Parliament, he said. The supporters of the MLA had gathered at his residence to guard him against any raid. In another incident, the police arrested one Ram Kumar for allegedly raping and threatening a Dalit woman at Bhemsi village in the district. — PTI (The Hindu

19/1/08)

“Congress has failed to mete out justice to SC/ST” (2) LUCKNOW: In what is seen by political observers here as a deft political move to consolidate her Dalit vote bank for next year’s Lok Sabha elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday said that in the last 60 years the Congress has failed to mete out justice to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The Congress has been swept aside in U.P. due to its anti-Dalit approach and it appears that it would be wiped out in the forthcoming elections, she added. Using an incident involving a Congress MLA, Pankaj Chaudhary, and a Scheduled Caste officer in Muzaffarnagar for sending a strong political message to her Dalit constituents, Ms. Mayawati said even today injustice and atrocities were being perpetrated on the SCs/STs by the Congress. She said the incident reflected ‘anti-SC/ST mentality of the Congress Party’. Atrocities on the Dalits and poorer sections in Congress-ruled States suggested that the anti-SC/ST mentality of the party had not changed, she claimed. Ms. Mayawati warned the Congress that the Bahujan Samaj Party government knew how to change this mentality. Once UP’s example of upholding “sarv samaj bhaichara” (social brotherhood) is replicated by other States, the Congress’s anti-Dalit stand would be changed by law, the Chief Minister said at a press conference here. In Muzaffarnagar on Thursday, District Development Officer Brahma Swaroop was reportedly thrashed by the Congress MLA during a National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme meeting in the Zila Panchayat office. Stating that the guilty would not be spared, Ms. Mayawati indicated that the MLA would be booked under the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Recent political developments, revolving round some crucial issues have apparently triggered a face-off between the Congress and the BSP with the Chief Minister threatening to withdraw support to the UPA Government at the Centre. (The Hindu 19/1/08)

Don't use 'Dalit' for SCs: Panel (2) NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has asked the Centre and states not to use the word "Dalit" for SCs. The panel's advice comes in a letter to the Centre and states, after DoPT sought its opinion on the issue. It was said that use of words other than SC was not recognised in the Constitution and references like "Dalits" and "Harijans" in official communications created problems in courts. (Times of India 19/1/08)

Caste row stops temple rituals in Balasore (2) Balasore : Following the controversies that had erupted between upper and lower caste people over worship of the deity in the Siva temple in village Purana, under the Saud gram panchayat of Bahanaga block in Balasore district, the performance of rituals in the temple were completely stopped for the past three days. Although both the castes had been using the 300-year old temple, the lower caste people were made to offer prayers from the 'natya mandir', which lies outside the main temple, by the temple priest. The controversy broke out during Kartik Purnima when a demand, made by the lower caste people for performing a puja in the temple with a priest of their choice, was turned down by the priests and the people from the higher castes. Furthermore, the lower castes were denied entry into the temple on Makar Sankranti, which intensified the tension even more. As if this were not enough, the temple doors were locked and the police was informed, with whose intervention the temple doors were finally opened. The Superintendent of Police YK Jethua informed that normalcy is gradually returning to the village after the initiation of peace talksbetween the two groups. However, the police officials are maintaining strict vigil to take stock of any unpleasant developments. (Pioneer 21/1/08)

Dalits get back their share of water in UP village (2) FAIZABAD, January 21: A couple of days after The Indian Express, in its January 17 edition, highlighted the plight of Dalits in Samaisa village of Ambedkarnagar district, who were banned by upper caste members from using water from a government tubewell, they got access to the same on Monday. After the story was published, the state Government swung into action and Sub District Magistrate B R Diwedi and Deputy Superintendent of Police Shiv Raj were sent to the vil lage to restore water supply to the Dalits. This eastern district is the stronghold of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). All the five Ambedkarnagar legislators are from the BSP and three of them are cabinet ministers. It was also Mayawati’s constituency when she was Member of Parliament. Yet, the upper castes could impose a ban on Dalits, preventing them from drawing water from the government tubewell to irrigate their fields. Manoj Mishra, a human right activist in Ambedkarnagar, who had highlighted the issue at various levels, said,

“Our struggle got strengthened when The Indian Express supported our cause.” DSP Shivraj, who has been camping in the village for the last three days, said, “In future, the upper castes will refrain from acting like dictators.” He added that the keys of the tubewell, which was in the posse ssion of the upper castes for the last six months, have been handed over to the Dalits. SDM B R Diwedi said, “Along with restoring water supply to the Dalits, we are also restoring them their lands which were encroached by the upper castes.” (Indian Express 22/1/08)

“Officials acted swiftly in Dalit torture case” (2) MUMBAI: Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat is all praise for officials who took prompt action in the case of a sordid tale of a Dalit youth at Sategaon village in Maharashtra’s Nanded district. His eye was gouged out and acid from a car battery poured into it on January 6 for eloping with a minor girl belonging to the upper caste Marathas. The youth, Chandrakant Gaikwad, was beaten up and wrongfully confined for about 16 hours by his tormentors. The CPI(M) leader, who recently visited the vil lage and met the Gaikwads, told The Hindu that the district officials “acted well and fast and this is a very positive thing.” Taking suo motu action, Superintendent of Police Vasant Jadhav arrested five of the girl ’s relatives and was looking for six others. Collector Radhakrishna Mopalwar arranged for a financial help of Rs. 1 lakh to Chandrakant and his friend Milind Jondhale, who was also tortured. But he did not lose his eye. Both boys were taken to Hyderabad for urgent treatment. Ms. Karat said Chandrakant and the 16-year-old girl, both belonging to families of labourers, took shelter in Milind’s house at Kamareddy, Andhra Pradesh. The girl ’s relatives tracked them down there and brought all the three back to Sategaon, the boys reportedly tied with ropes like animals. The boys were warned against reporting the matter to the police. Their families took them to a private hospital to escape a police case. But Chandrakant’s uncle living in a neighbouring village came to know about the incident and phoned the police. Ms. Karat said the Marathas had acted in the name of the “honour of the caste.” And six out of the 30 Dalit families in the vil lage moved out for fear of further reprisal. The rest of the families at Sategaon were Marathas. The girl was also traumatised by the episode.Critical of the major political parties, Ms. Karat said: “Not a single elected representative from the area, MP downward to member of the taluk panchayat, paid any attention to such a barbaric and caste-driven incident.” This showed the double standards of the political parties. (The Hindu 23/1/08) Dacoit threat forces Dalits to seek High Court’s he lp (2) JAIPUR: Dalits facing the threats of dacoit gangs in Dholpur district have approached the Rajasthan High Court seeking directions to the police to provide security to them and protect their lives and property. An incident at Harajpura village has especially led to fear and insecurity among Dalits in the region. The gang of dacoit Laturi Thakur reportedly stormed the Harajpura village on November 18 and threatened the Dalit families by firing in the air and thrashed three Dalit youths. The dacoits left a letter for 19 Jatav families of the vil lage demanding that they pay Rs.1.50 lakh to the gang at the Hanuman temple in the neighbouring Banaura village by November 27. “Or else be prepared to breathe your last,” warned the letter. Dalit vil lagers – apprehensive after fail ing to meet the “deadline” – did not report the matter to the nearest police station in Basedi for fear of their lives. Some Dholpur-based activists came to know of the incident from the vil lage Sarpanch, Sitaram Parmar, and alerted their counterparts in Jaipur. Babu Jagjivan Ram Samata Andolan, a Jaipur-based non-government organisation, moved a public interest writ petition in the Rajasthan High Court on behalf of the Dalits of Harajpura, seeking directions for ensuring safety of families facing dacoits’ threats and orders to police to submit a status report in the case. A Division Bench of the High Court asked the petitioner’s counsel, Chetan Bairwa, this past month to find out if the first information report in connection with the incident had been registered and send a written statement to the Director-General of Police. Counsel complied with the Court’s directions. The Bench, comprising Chief Justice Narain Rai and Justice R.M. Lodha, on Monday issued notices to the DGP, Dholpur Superintendent of Police and others and asked them to submit their replies within two weeks. (The Hindu 23/1/08)

Notice to Centre on plea for quota for Dalit Muslim s (2) New Delhi: The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre on a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the 1950 Presidential Order providing quotas for Scheduled Castes only in Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. On Friday, a Bench consisting of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice R.V. Raveendran issued the notice, returnable in four weeks, on a public interest l itigation petition filed by the Akhil Maharashtra Muslim Khatik Samaj. The petitioner said there were Arzals (Dalits) in the

Muslim community who also needed reservation. Though Hindu Khatiks (those who slaughter animals) were included in the SC category, Muslim Khatiks were denied the benefit despite being their being on the same social strata and facing similar discrimination. On Tuesday the court granted the Centre eight weeks to file its response to similar petitions filed by Christian organisations and individuals seeking extension of reservation to Dalits within their community. The Samaj pointed out that the Justice Rajinder Sachar Committee and the National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities headed by the former Chief Justice of India Rangnath Misra had recommended de-linking of religion from the issue of SCs and that the quota be extended to Dalits of all religions. There was need to identify and include Muslim Arzals such as Khatiks, Mehters, Bhangis, Lalbegis, Halakhors, Mochis, Mukris and Garudis in the SC category. (The Hindu 27/1/08)

Gov t giv es final touches to special Dalit package ( 2) New Delhi : On the lines of minority doles in the Prime Minister's 15-point programme, the Government has decided to come out with a massive populist package for Dalits in the coming months. The blueprint of the ambitious programme, which may be announced during the Budget Session, was given final shape at a meeting of the Group of Ministers on Dalit Affairs, headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday. Sources told The Pioneer that the effort of the Government is to bring back the Dalit votes to the Congress from the regional chieftains before the general elections. While the proposed programme for Dalits would include special welfare measures for Dalit-concentration districts of the country, there may be general measures for funding the entrepreneurship of Dalit individuals. There would also be provisions for special educational opportunities right from the primary level and increase their ration at all stages of education. "There would be two Navodaya Schools in Dalit-concentration districts, while in general districts there is just one," top sources in the Government told The Pioneer. There are plans to open special Dalit residential schools in Dalit-dominated blocks too. The sources even indicated that while there might be reservation for Dalit traders and manufacturers in Government purchases, the package may include special drive for employment through skil l development programmes. Dalit-dominated villages might be declared as model villages with speedy arrangement of all related infrastructure. The GoM on Dalit Affairs had been working hard to formulate such programmes and within last one year it held total 24 meetings to discuss the issues. There have been six sub-groups in the GoM and all the groups have submitted their separate reports. Besides Mukherjee, the GoM consists of senior Ministers l ike Shivraj Patil, Arjun Singh, P Chidambaram, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Ramvilas Paswan, and Meira Kumar along with Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia. The Social Justice Ministry is the service Ministry for the GoM. "In March, there will be final meeting of the GoM when the recommendations of different sub-groups would be considered," sources said. (Pioneer 27/1/08)

Dalit party puts DMK in a spot (2) Chennai : A Dalit party, that espouses the cause of the LTTE in Tamil Nadu, has put the ruling DMK in a spot by organising a public meeting here on Friday night demanding that the Centre should lift the ban on Tamil Tigers. Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi (VCK), or Liberation Panthers, formerly the Dalit Panthers of India, got up the meeting ostensibly for the "retrieval of freedom of expression" in the light of restrictions placed by the police and the Government on statements and programmes hailing the LTTE. VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan, a DMK ally, demanded that India remove the ban on the LTTE and asked the international community to recognise the Tigers as a democratic movement fighting for the liberation of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately for the DMK, its ally's espousal of the Tiger cause comes two days after the Congress raised a demand in the Assembly for the proscription of outfits, groups and political parties supporting the LTTE in Tamil Nadu. The State police, too, had recently warned such groups against backing outlawed organisations and speaking of stringent action under the law. City Police Commissioner Nanjil Kumaran, said the legal department of the police was looking into the speeches made at the meeting addressed by Thirumavalavan. "We will take action depending on the advice we get," he said. The LTTE was first banned in 1992 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, following its role in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi being fully unearthed by investigators. The ban has been renewed every two years since then. Thirumavalavan invoked the fundamental rights clauses in the Constitution to argue that taking up the cause of a banned outfit was not an offence. In fact, he argued, freedom of speech and expression was under peril, when even a Chief Minister was being castigated for writing an elegy in memory of a slain Sri Lankan Tamil leader. He was referring to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi penning an ode to LTTE political wing leader SP Thamilselvan who was killed in the Sri

Lankan air raid. Opposition leader J Jayalalithaa had dubbed him anti-national for eulogising the leader of a banned outfit. At the VCK public meeting, several speakers hailed the Tamil Tigers as the "only beacon of hope" for the "Eelam Tamils" now scattered across the world as refugees after suffering "oppression at the hands of the racist Sinhala regime." Congress MLAs had on Thursday alleged in the Assembly that the LTTE had infiltrated into Tamil Nadu and its sympathisers were getting active again to help smuggle fuel and arms supplies across the Palk Straits to northern Sri Lanka. C Gnanasekaran, a Congress legislator, had demanded an outright ban on groups and parties espousing the Tiger cause in the State. VCK activists were, however, undeterred. They even tried to erect a cut-out of LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran, but the police persuaded them not to do so. They complied with the request. Karunanidhi may find himself in a dilemma, as the Dalit party is a key supporter. However, he cannot be seen as being soft on a pro-LTTE gathering, given the mood of the Congress. (Pioneer 27/1/08)

Dalits protest continued neglect (2) HASSAN: A large number of Dalits, backward classe s and women and children from the minority communities took out a protest rally from the Hemavathy statue to the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Saturday, seeking better opportunities for self-improvement. State organising convener R. Marijosheph, district organisers Victoria Rani and Yogesh M.S. and taluk convener Chandrasekhar A.P. presented a memorandum addressed to the Governor through the Deputy Commissioner. They demanded greater access to education; standardisation in curriculum so as to eliminate educational disparities; implementation of the Guruprasad Committee report on establishment of residential schools at the hobli level and improvement in hostel facilities; increase in scholarship amount for students to Rs. 1,000 a month; allotment of 75 per cent of excess agriculture land to Dalits; provision of land to landless Dalits; award of ownership deeds to Dalits who had been cultivating crops under C and D categories of forest lands; issue of Below the Poverty Line cards to all poor people and distribution of 28 kg of rice every month to each poor family. (The Hindu 27/1/08)

Rahul halts at dalit’s hut in Amethi (2) Amethi: In an apparent bid to garner the support of dalits, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited a dalit vil lage and spent the night in the house of a community member. Mr. Gandhi, who is on a three-day visit to his constituency, visited Jawaharpur vil lage in Sangarampur block to hold a meeting with 20 groups associated with the Rajiv Gandhi Women Development Project on Saturday evening. Immediately after the meeting, Mr. Gandhi visited the house of Sunita, a dalit in the vil lage. He ate the food offered by her and stayed there for the day. Mr. Gandhi also discussed problems faced by dalits, party sources said. SPG men and security personnel were on their toes due to Mr. Gandhi’s unscheduled halt in the hut. He spent the entire night in the village and reached the Sanjay Gandhi Hosptial Guest House, where he was put up during his visit at 7 a.m. on Sunday to hold a meeting with people of his constituency. District panchayat representatives and Congressmen sought the intervention of Mr. Gandhi to set right alleged discrepancies in the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and “non-effective implementation” of Central schemes. He told partymen that while the youth were being given responsibility in the party, elders would also be given due respect. — PTI (The Hindu 28/1/08)

Centre to focus welfare efforts in Dalit districts (2) NEW DELHI, JANUARY 27: As the election year draws closer, the Congress-led UPA Government is trying to get its act right on Dalit welfare through a special focus on districts with substantial Scheduled Caste population. This thrust will be similar to its initiative for minority-concentrated districts. Reliable sources in the Government said providing special attention to districts with more than 20 per cent SC population was one of the issues that came up during a meeting of the Committee on Dalit Affairs headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on January 24. The committee, comprising Mukherjee, P Chidamabaram, Sharad Pawar, Arjun Singh, Ram Vilas Paswan, Meira Kumar, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Shivraj Patil and Montek Singh Ahluwalia among others, was set up in 2005. It is now in the process of finalising its recommendations after discussing the suggestions of six different sub-groups constituted under different ministers. At last week’s meeting the committee discussed the suggestions of the subgroups on land and education headed by Pawar and Arjun Singh, respectively. In fact, Paswan is learnt to have suggested establishing additional Navodaya Vidyalayas in such districts. Currently, the Government provides for just one Navodaya Vidayalaya in each district. However, the committee will take a final view after perusing suggestions of all sub-groups sometime before or during the forthcoming Parliament session. As per the 2001 Census, the Government has already identified over 60 districts with

substantial SC population. (Indian Express 28/1/08)

Centre writes to UP Gov t on students spurning Dalit cooks (2) LUCKNOW, JANUARY 29: The Centre has shot off a letter to the Mayawati Government expressing concern over incidents of students in government schools in the state refusing to eat mid-day meals cooked by Dalit women. Two such incidents were reported in December. The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has expressed its displeasure in the letter, which was sent last week. Ministry officials say that the cases are being seen as “suppression of a Dalit woman” and are being treated more seriously since they have taken place in a state itself ruled by a Dalit leader. Officials at the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment confirmed that the letter had been sent. Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary P K Mishra’s office also confirmed receiving the note and forwarding it to the department and officials concerned. The letter, addressed to Chief Minister Mayawati, says: “Such incidents socially disrupt the society and create ill-wil l among different sections. They also exhibit the vulnerable position of the Dalits in the social structure...” Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar is reported to have taken note of the incidents herself and directed her officials to ask the Mayawati Government “to resolve such issue s strictly and ensure there was no recurrence”. The ministry has reportedly also sought a detailed report from the Mayawati Government on the incidents and the action taken, if any. Last month, in government-run schools in village Bibipur in Lucknow and village Hazratpur in Etawah district, students had refused to eat food prepared by Dalit cooks under the mid-day meal scheme. After a week-long controversy, the cook in Bibipur, Phool Kumari, was replaced by an OBC woman, whereas in Hazratpur, the matter was resolved through talks. (Indian Express 30/1/08)

Maya demands quota for Dalit Christians, Muslims (2 ) LUCKNOW, FEBRUARY 1: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has written to the Prime Minister demanding reservation in Government jobs for Dalits who have converted to Christianity or Islam. The BSP chief has also demanded that this should be in addition to the existing reservation. Mayawati has argued though para three of the Presidential Order 1950 prohibits reservation for Dalit Muslims and Christians, their conditions was not any better than that of the Scheduled Castes. She said that the Centre should consider the reality and extend reservation to Dalit Muslims and Christians, without changing the existing reservation quota for SCs. For facilitating this, the maximum limit of 50 per cent reservation, set by the Supreme Court, should be increased by amending the Constitution, she suggested, adding that the amendment should then be included in the Ninth Schedule. She said the step was necessary to improve the lot of Dalit Christians and Muslims. On August 11 last year, Mayawati had written to the Prime Minister recommending 10 per cent reservation each for SCs, OBCs and minorities as well as economically backward upper castes in the private sector. The UP Government has already issued orders for such reservation in all units which require any kind of assistance from the Government. In her first letter to the PM, soon after forming her Government in last May, Mayawati had asked him to fulfil the backlog in jobs reserved for SCs, STs and OBCs at the Centre. (Indian Express 2/2/08)

Minister says no to quota demand for Dalit converts (2) JAIPUR: Rajasthan Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Madan Dilawar on Saturday opposed the demand for extending reservation in government jobs to the Christian and Muslim converts among Dalits, saying the move would “go against the spirit of the Constitution”. Some sections in the Congress and other political parties have backed a recent call by the Bahujan Samaj Party to provide Scheduled Caste status to Christian and Muslim Dalits with the contention that their social and economic status is in no way better than Dalits of other religions. A Presidential Order of 1950 does not recognise Dalit Christians and Muslims as Scheduled Castes, denying them the reservation benefits accorded to other Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Addressing a press conference convened here to publicise the achievements of his department, Mr. Dilawar said the Semitic religions such as Christianity and Islam had no concept of caste hierarchy and their followers could not claim a benefit that was aimed essentially at ending caste-based prejudices and discrimination among Hindus. “Dalits converting to Christianity and Islam automatically save themselves from the purported injustice meted out to them in the Hindu fold. Why do they need reservation in the government jobs?” asked Mr. Dilawar. The Minister said any demand to disturb the existing 15 per cent quota for Scheduled Castes wa s unacceptable as it would go against the spirit of the Constitution and the Supreme Court’s guidelines and “break the nation”. “There is no logic in the demand that all Dalits irrespective of their faith be given reservation,” he said. Mr. Dilawar, known for his radical views, also underlined the need to redefine the concept of minorities, while affirming that all citizens of the

country should have a single identity. “The United Nations defines minorities as the settlers born outside a country,” he said. Mr. Dilawar said the State Social Justice and Empowerment Department had launched several new schemes for welfare of weaker sections and disabled and old people. Over 26 lakh below poverty line (BPL) families in the State were given free life insurance, while the number of pensioners under various categories had increased from 6 lakh to 8.73 lakh during the past four years. The Hindu 3/2/08)

Employer boils alive dalit in oil (2) Lucknow, Feb. 3: The owner of a sweets shop pushed his dalit employee into a large pot of boiling oil, resulting in his death, after the man refused to work for him in Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district. The employer, Anup Gupta, is absconding. The other employees reported the matter to the police after they noticed the body of Satvir Singh hanging out of the kadahi, a large pot used for frying, late on Friday night in Etawah district’s Bhartana town. Initially the police tried to hush up the matter as a case of an accident. They tried to say that Singh was an epilepsy patient and had slipped into the boil ing oil during an epileptic fit when he was he alone in the shop. However, after the employees held angry protests and Mr Gupta went into hiding, the truth behind the death became more apparent. A post-mortem examination of Singh’s body said the cause of death was more than 90 per cent burns. A case against Mr Gupta was registered only after senior officials cracked the whip from Lucknow. According to local news reports from Bhartana, Satvir Singh had not shown up for work for the last several days on account of il lness, following which Mr Gupta drove down to his house and demanded he return some payment that was made to him. "He persuaded Satvir to join him at the shop, where the poor employee was beaten up and eventually thrown into a kadahi fi lled with boiling hot oil," an official in Bhartana said. (IANS) (Asian Age 4/2/08)

Teachers accused of 'raping' Patan college student remanded (2) Ahmedabad: Six teachers of a Government Primary Teachers Training College in Patan town of north Gujarat who have been arrested following complaints by a Dalit hostel student that she had been raped by them over the last several months were produced in court and taken on seven days remand for further investigation. Infuriated parents and relatives of students had thrashed the teachers on Monday and virtually the entire town took to the streets on Tuesday to observe a bandh as a mark of protest. The Gujarat Government moved quickly in ordering a magisterial enquiry to probe all aspects of the case and ordered the suspension of the six teachers .Revenue,Women and Child Welfare Minister Anandiben Patel and her deputy Mayaben Kodnani visited the college and acquainted themselves with the facts of the case.Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a sum of Rs one lakh for the girl student who showed the courage to stand up and nail her exploiters .He said that no effort would be spared to ensure that the guilty were meted out exemplary punishment. According to Superintendent of Police Raghvendra Vats the FIR filed by the 18-year-old stated that the teachers had raped her several times on the college premises. According to the complaint the teachers would draw lots to decide the order in which they would take turns in raping her. The matter came out when the girl fainted on the college premises on January 31 and fearing she was pregnant confided in a classmate who informed the lone lady teacher of the college,Bharti Patel.The teacher,in turn, informed the college principal KT Poraniya who after talking to the victim, informed the police. Ninety eight girl students of the college also complained about the harassment including sexual harassment they had been undergoing at the hands of the teachers. As news of the harassment spilled out into the open, students,their parents and next of kin marched into the college premises on Monday and went on a rampage damaging furniture and attacking staff members. The teachers whose names figured in the alleged rape were brutally beaten up and even the principal was not spared. The cops who rushed to the scene,resorted to a lathicharge and took the teachers into custody. The six teachers have been arrested on charges of rape,sexual harassment and also under the Atrocity Act as she belongs to a Scheduled Caste. None of the other students have so far come forward to fi le any complaint. According to the victim she was repeatedly gangraped over four months at three different places, the college premises as well as in vil lages where she had gone for internship. She is also reported to have been photographed in the act on mobile phones and threatened with dire consequences if she spoke to anyone.(Pioneer 6/2/08)

Sonia outw its Karat, to address Dalit rally in Kera la (2) New Delhi, February 9: As the battle for Dalit mindspace is getting hotter, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has outwitted CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and BSP leader Mayawati in a popularity test among the Pulaya community, Kerala’s predominant SCs, who are traditional supporters of

Communist parties. Both Sonia and Karat wil l be in Kerala on February 14, the former addressing a rally of the All Kerala Pulaya Mahasabha (AKPM) and the latter a CPI(M) rally on the concluding day of the state party conference. The CPI(M) leadership tried to persuade leaders of AKMP to reschedule their rally so as not to overlap with the party rally, but failed. Sonia Gandhi is the first national Congress leader to address an AKPM meeting. The community has produced many stalwarts in Communist parties and overwhelmingly voted for the Left. Kodikkunnil Suresh, a four-time Lok Sabha MP and a recently-appointed AICC secretary, is among the handful of community leaders in the Congress. Anyway, the All Kerala Pulaya Mahasabha decided to play spoilsport for the CPI(M) party conference and rubbed it the wrong way by inviting Sonia Gandhi. The February 14 rally in Kochi is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of agricultural workers’ strike organised in 1907. Pulayas were agricultural labourers and Mahatma Ayyankali, a radical youth, mobilised the community against the prevalent untouchability and exploitation. Later, Ayyankali on became a legend in Kerala’s history of social reforms and his call for a labourers strike — much before the Communist movement took roots — was the first of its kind in the state. When the Communist party was set up, Pulayas became the most vocal supporters of the party and the association continued to this day, though not absolutely. The community’s participation has been crucial in the success of all political programmes of the CPI(M) and hence its rally on February 14 is bound to be affected by the parallel rally of the AKPM. All Kerala Pulaya Mahasabha rallies are usually addressed by Communist leaders. This time around, the organisation considered inviting Mayawati and Sonia Gandhi, but zeroed in on the latter. The politically assertive Pulaya community comprises 60 per cent of Kerala’s Dalit population and eight per cent of state’s population. Kerala has 104 Scheduled Castes, the dominant among them Parayar, Paravar, Vettuvar, Malavedan and Thandan. Most of these castes are confined to small areas while Pulayas are spread across the state. (Indian Express 10/2/08)

Unified v oice to put an end to atrocities against D alits (2) KOLAR: A large number of Dalits and Adivasis from various parts of south India converged here on Saturday for the concluding ceremony of the people’s awareness jatha, which began at Raichur on February 3. Activists from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Pudducherry and Kerala, apart from Karnataka, took part in the procession before conducting a public meeting at the Government PU College Grounds. The convention adopted a resolution calling to end atrocities against Dalits, women and Adivasis and to protect their rights to l ive with dignity. It also stressed the need to provide equal opportunities for the disabled people. “Educating people about the ill effects of setting up of Special Economic Zones was also the aim of the jatha,” N. Narayanaswamy, state organiser of Samajika Parivarthan Janandolan, which organised the jatha and convention, said. “The jatha provided an opportunity to interact with socially-oppressed people. ,” said Suma, one of the participants. Inaugurating the event, Adimashakthi Dalita Mahila Okkoota leader Maradalli Yallamma, said: “Women and Dalits should be bold and organise themselves to face the injustice being meted out against them.” DSS leader N. Venkatesh, Samata Sainik Dal president M. Venkataswamy, Raitha Sangha leader Sunanda Jairam, JMS leader V. Geetha and Rajya Angavikalara Vedike president Munirathnamma spoke. Several leaders from other States such as Jayanthi, M.L. Das, Madhunarayan, Raman and Ambanna Arolikar participated. Artistes from the southern States presented cultural programmes. The jatha travelled across Raichur, Koppal, Davangere, Chitradurga, Tumkur and Bangalore districts before reaching Kolar. (The Hindu 11/2/08)

Samiti protests against move to ev ict Dalit familie s (2) Belgaum: Members of the Karnataka Dalit, Backward and Minorities Samiti staged a demonstration in front of the Belgaum City Corporation office on Monday against the moves of the corporation to evict 168 Dalit families l iving in huts at Srinagar and Vantamuri. Samiti president Y. Sampangi said the Dalit families had been living in huts at Srinagar and Vantamuri without proper basic amenities for the past 15 years. The former Deputy Commissioner, Shalini Rajneesh, had promised to make alternative arrangements. for the poor Dalit families. But nothing had been done. While the Dalit families were living in poor conditions, the corporation had threatened to evict them without providing them shelter. The members said that they would intensify their agitation if the corporation went ahead with its threat to demolish the huts of Dalit families.(The Hindu 12/2/08) “Raje Gov t. denying Dalits their due share in budge t” (2) JAIPUR: Dalit activists in Rajasthan have taken strong exception to the Bharatiya Janata Party regime flouting the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan’s provision for Budget allocation to Dalits in proportion to their

percentage in the population. Budgets passed during the last four years in the State consistently deprived Dalits of their rightful share. Speakers from all over the State at a Dalit budget workshop here on Monday pointed out that against the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan’s stipulation of 17.2 per cent allocation for Dalits, only 2.5 per cent was allocated in the 2007-08 State budget. Of the total budgetary allocation of Rs.10,408 crore – which included revenue and capital expenditure – the Dalits received a paltry Rs.1,836 crore. The daylong workshop was organised jointly by the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), Rajasthan Budget Study Centre and the Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR) to impress upon the State Government the need to make a just and equitable financial provision for the progress and welfare of Dalits in the coming State budget. CDR chairperson and Supreme Court lawyer P.L. Mimroth said though the Special Component Plan had laid down that an allocation for Dalits could neither be allowed to lapse nor diverted to any other head, its benefits were not reaching the targeted groups in the absence of a monitoring mechanism. “Three decades after the SC Sub-Plan was launched in 1979-80, the social and economic gulf between the higher castes and Dalits continues to expand. This will ultimately lead to anarchy and disarray in the society,” said Mr. Mimroth, adding that Dalits could not get social equality without their economic empowerment. NCDHR national coordinator Paul Divakar said the labourers not getting minimum wages or a square meal were mostly Dalits. “Unless the budgetary discrimination ends, Dalits wil l continue to be at the lowest rung of the development ladder and face all kinds of humiliation, suffering and disgrace,” he said. In a few startl ing figures presented in the workshop, the participants were apprised that 41.5 per cent of the Dalits in the State were living below the poverty l ine, 30.1 per cent of them had no access to formal education and their dropout rate before the completion of secondary education was as high as 49.5 per cent. Dalits are not able to get full advantage of reservation in jobs because of their educational backwardness. Subroto Dutta, senior budget analyser of the Budget Study Centre, said the budgetary provision in 2007-08 for Dalits in the education sector was a meagre 0.45 per cent. The allocation in other spheres ranged between 0.23 per cent for water supply and 0.47 per cent for industries to 2.3 per cent for fisheries, while there were as many as 28 schemes in which no separate provision was made for Dalits…… (The Hindu 13/2/08)

SCs, STs being exploited to part w ith allotted land : court (2) New Delhi: Influential persons cannot grab or take away land allotted by the government to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes by paying a meagre sum as sale consideration even if alienation is allowed after a specified period, the Supreme Court held on Tuesday. It gave this ruling while upholding a Karnataka High Court judgment setting aside alienation of land allotted to the SCs/STs by the government under State legislation. A Bench consisting of Justices Tarun Chatterjee and Dalveer Bhandari pointed out that the government of India had urged State governments to enact law, on the lines of its model legislation, to prevent alienation of land. Writing the judgment, Justice Chatterjee said: “From the objects and reasons of this law, it was evident that ignorance and poverty of the SCs/STs were exploited by persons belonging to the affluent and powerful sections to get sales or mortgages, either for a nominal consideration or for no consideration at all.” On account of this, the SCs/STs became victims of circumstances. “It is for this reason and to fulfi l the purposes of the grant, it was thought fit by the [Karnataka] legislature that the land, even if it has been alienated, must be restored to the original grantee or his heirs and legal representatives who are admittedly SCs and STs,” the Bench said. In the instant case, Tejyanaika was allotted two acres and 20 guntas in Chitradurga district in September 1955 with a condition that the land be not alienated for 15 years. In July 1976, his legal heirs executed an agreement to sell the land. Meanwhile, the State enacted the law prohibiting sale of such land without government permission and it came into force from January 1, 1979. When the government wanted to take back the land allotted to Tejyanaika, citing the prohibition in the 1979 law, it was contended that alienation was permitted after 15 years and that the sale agreement was executed before the new legislation came into force. Dharma Naika, who purchased the land challenged the government’s move but the High court rejected his plea. Dismissing his appeal against this judgment, the apex court said: “From an overall consideration of the objects and reasons for which this Act was introduced viz. to protect the right and interests of the SCs and the STs in respect of the granted lands and the relevant provisions of the Act, it is pellucid that the definition of ‘transfer’ under the Act includes an agreement for sale also.” The sale deed was executed in October 1986 without prior permission of the government. That being the position, the transfer was “null and void” and no right, title [on] or interest in such land shall be conveyed or be deemed ever to have conveyed by such transfer,” the Bench said. (The Hindu 13/2/08)

Couple fight for Dalit girl, their daughter goes mi ssing (2) Bhadohi, February 14: A dalit girl is sexually exploited by a leading carpet exporter for 13 long years. When a social activist couple, Pushpa and V K Rai, take up her cause, their own daughter goes missing. Rachna (20), a BA (II) student of Kashi Naresh Rajkiya Snatkotar Mahavidyalai, has been missing since February 5, two days before her parents Pushpa and V K Rai had planned to stage a massive demonstration in support of hapless Dalit girl Santoshi, sexually exploited by carpet exporter Ghulam Rasool, who is absconding. “Our second daughter Rachna was kidnapped by goons of Ghulam Rasool while she was going to college on February 5. The abduction has been done to prevent us and other social activists from helping out Santoshi. We had planned to stage a demonstration outside her hut near Bhadohi railway station on February 7,” Pushpa and V K Rai, associated with Centre for Environment and Rural Technology, told The Indian Express on Thursday. The social activist duo’s fast unto death, however, was broken by other social activists on Thursday, who started a relay hunger strike outside the Bhadohi Teshil. Social outfits l ike NAPM, Gudiya, AIDWA, World Family Forum, Bhartiya Jan Sewa and political parties like CPI and CPI(ML) along with students and lawyers have joined the Rai couple in agitating for the quick release of Rachna. “The cops are hand-in-glove with Ghulam Rasool, whose goons had chased Rachna, three days before she went missing. On February 5, the cops intended to lodge only a missing report, but following pressure by the social groups they registered a case of kidnapping,” V K Rai said. A day after social groups led by Magsaysay awardee Sandeep Pandey formed a human chain in Lucknow to press for Rachna’s release, the social activists on Thursday carried out a silent procession in Bhadohi, known for world-class carpets. “We are not going to confine our agitation to Bhadohi or UP alone, but will also follow it up with relay hunger strike in Lucknow and other parts of the country, including New Delhi, by partner NGOs,” Gudia convenor Ajit Singh said. While social activists battle hard for Rachna’s safe return, 25-year-old Santoshi, whose family migrated to Bhadohi 50 years ago from Murshidabad (West Bengal), fears about her cause getting lost due to the focus shifting to Rachna’s cause. When only 12 years old, Santoshi used to accompany mother Parul (a housemaid) to one of the four houses of Ghulam Rasool. “Later, Rasool started sexually exploiting me and when I brought the matter to my mother’s notice, she only asked me to keep shut or go to Bengal,” Santoshi said breaking into tears. “For 13 long years Rasool sexually exploited. He also ensured abortions at a Varanasi hospital four times. He used to take me to hotels in Varanasi, Lucknow and New Delhi where he used to sexually exploit me,” she alleged. She gave birth to a male child three years ago, who is now named Munna. She also gave birth to a female child who died after three months. “I am four months pregnant with Rasool’s child.”…….. (Indian Express 15/2/08)

Pak dalits ignored by main parties (2) ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's dalits, who constitute three-quarters of the minority Hindu population, are dejected as their interests are being overlooked by the main political parties contesting next week's general election. Mainstream political parties have ignored dalits or schedule caste Hindus and opted for upper caste wealthy Hindus while picking candidates for seats reserved for the minority communities. The Pakistan People's Party, the dominant political group in the southern Sindh province, has nominated nine candidates for reserved seats in the provincial assembly but none of them are dalits. Of the five PPP candidates chosen for reserved National Assembly seats in the province, only one, Khatumal Jeevan, is a dalit. Other major parties like the PML-F and PML-Q have also ignored the dalits for the elections. "It doesn't matter whether or not I cast my vote. I know my vote is worthless as it will not transform my living standards or force candidates to change their positions," Kanji Bheel, a scheduled caste Hindu from Hajil Matal, told Newsline magazine. The dalits make up 75 per cent of Pakistan's 2.7-million Hindu population. According to the Declaration of Scheduled Castes Act of 1956, there are about 36 different "low caste" Hindus in Pakistan and they are collectively known as Dalits. Jeevan said, "Atrocities against us by upper caste Hindus are rampant. Since 2002, upper caste Hindu representatives in the national and provincial assemblies have not spoken about our problems even once." (Times of India 15/2/08)

UP exporter accused of Dalit’s sexual exploitation arrested (2) Varanasi, February 17: Five weeks after a Dalit woman alleged that she was sexually exploited by a powerful carpet exporter in Bhadohi district for 13 years, police arrested exporter Ghulam Rasool on Saturday evening. “Rasool, the owner of Shining Carpets, was arrested on Saturday evening from Lalanagar area under Gopiganj police station when he was on the way to a relative’s house after stepping down from a bus,” Bhadohi SP S N Upadhyaya told The Indian Express over phone on Sunday. Rasool, a middle-aged man, admitted having sexual relations with the West Bengal migrant for six years with her

consent. “Rasool claimed he was ready to solemnise nikah with the girl,” Upadhyaya said. Meanwhile, Rachna Rai, the daughter of Pushpa and V K Rai who have been championing the victim’s cause, is sti ll untraceable. “Rasool claimed he had no role in Rachna’s sudden disappearance,” the SP added. Rachna had gone missing on February 5, two days before her parents were to lead a massive demonstration in support of the victim’s cause. “Our teams are still working for Rachna’s safe return,” the SP added. Not ready to buy police claims, the Rai couple associated with Centre for Environment and Rural Development along with other social groups, including NAPM and Gudia, are continuing with the relay hunger strike, seeking justice for the victim and Rachna. “Rasool’s arre st is nothing but a drama staged by the police in collusion with the exporter’s counsels to ensure that he along with the other accused (his wife and three sons) gets bail,” V K Rai said. “If the police are so serious, why are they not providing any security to the victim and her three-year-old son Munna? Cases should be registered against Rasool and his family for trafficking of women and child abuse,” he added. The case came to light on January 8 when the Dalit girl submitted an application, narrating the entire episode to DIG (Vindhya range) S N Sabat during the Tehsil Diwas programme at Bhadohi. Three days ago, the victim had told The Indian Express that she was being sexually exploited by Rasool since she was 12. She alleged Rasool had forced her to undergo abortion at least four times at a Varanasi private hospital, besides sexually exploiting her at Bhadohi, and hotels and flats in Varanasi, New Delhi and Lucknow (Indian Express 18/2/08)

Dalits not elated by appointment of officer (2) KOLAR: The Dalit movement in the State in general and in undivided Kolar district in particular is apparently not elated over the appointment of an officer to supervise the developments with regard to the investigation of the Kambalapall i case. Deputy Commissioner G. Ramachandra has announced the appointment of Kolar Gold Fields Deputy Superintendent of Police M.V. Seshan as special officer to assist the public prosecutor in the appeal against the judgment of the Sessions court in the High Court of Karnataka. Mr. Seshan has also been asked to submit a monthly report to the Deputy Commissioner on the progress made in the case. Since the judgment was pronounced in the Kambalapall i case on December 4, 2006, the Dalit movement in the State is demanding retrial. The 32 accused in the case were acquitted by the Second Additional District and Sessions judge of Kolar. With a court here acquitting several accused in the Nagalapalli Dalit murder case also, a feeling of injustice has been growing among Dalits. In the Kambalapalli (Chintamani taluk) case, seven Dalits, including six of a family, were burnt to death on March 11, 2000, while three Dalits, (a woman and her two sons) were hacked to death at Nagalapalli in Bangarpet taluk in 2004. Though the accused were arrested in the two cases, they went “unpunished” after prolonged legal procedure, according to Dalit leaders. Lack of evidence and the failure of the prosecution to prove the charges against them have been cited as reasons for their acquittal. In the Kambalapalli case, witnesses turned hostile too. Perturbed over the judgments, the Dalit organisations and the Left parties, particularly the Communist Party of India (Marxist), have staged several agitations demanding retrial. If the culprits went unpunished, it wil l only encourage the forces inimical to Dalits, say Dalit and Left leaders. The latest protest seeking a retrial was the Raj Bhavan Chalo by the Dalit Sangharsh Samithi on February 11. According to DSS State convenor N. Venkatesh, the Governor’s advisor P.K.H. Tharakan has responded positively to their demands. On the appointment of the officer to monitor developments related to the Kambalapalli case, Mr. Venkatesh claimed: “This will not help the case in any way.” “What is important is that the Kambalapall i and Nagalapalli cases should be re-investigated thoroughly. A Deputy Superintendent of Police should be appointed for the purpose,” Mr. Venkatesh told The Hindu. A special prosecutor and a special judge should be appointed and the cases should be retried outside Karnataka, he said. Mr. Venkatesh alleged that sluggishness on the part of the departments concerned resulted in the acquittal of the accused in the two cases. (The Hindu 20/2/08)

Protest against harassment of Dalit (2) NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union has protested against the “systematic harassment and victimisation” of a woman Dalit research scholar on the campus. The students’ union has alleged that a M. Phil./ Ph. D. student in the School of Life Sciences had to discontinue her studies at JNU due to harassment and take admission in a Ph. D. programme at IIT-Roorkee. “The student who was a qualified scholar of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Junior Research Fellowship had completed three semesters in her M. Phil./Ph. D. enrolment at JNU. Since in the coursework she had the mandatory points, she opted for a direct Ph.D. But since then, she had faced numerous hurdles in her lab experiments and passing of synopsis towards confirmation in the Ph. D. programme,” claimed JNUSU president Sandeep Singh in a statement on Tuesday. “Also, her Council of Scientific and Industrial

Research fellowship remains discontinued since April 2007, which is impeding the continuation and transfer of the fellowship in her new enrolment.” The Hindu 21/2/08)

Dalits protest (2) KOLAR: In response to a State-wide call given by the Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samithi, scores of Dalits from Kolar Gold Fields staged a protest here on Thursday. They demanded 25 per cent reservation of funds in this year’s Budget for the welfare of the Dalits and a single-window system for its implementation. Strict application of Prohibition of Atrocities Act and special courts in every district, to expeditious trial of atrocity cases against the Dalits, were the other demands in their l ist. — Staff Correspondent (The Hindu 22/2/07)

22.5 p.c. of allocation for Dalit welfare sought (2 ) Bangalore: The Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission has appealed to Governor Rameshwar Thakur that 22.5 per cent of the total budget allocation be set aside for Dalit welfare in accordance to their population as per the 2001 Census. Speaking to presspersons here on Thursday, commission chairman Nehru H. Olekar said that the allocation stood at six per cent in the last budget and at four per cent in all budgets since 2002-03. Mr. Olekar said he had come up with proposals on SC/ST welfare after his visit to 14 districts and they had been forwarded to the Governor. Among the suggestions was the waiver of loans given to Dalits from Dr. Ambedkar Development Corporation and Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation on the lines of waiver of farm loans in the last budget. The commission had also suggested reforms in the education initiatives for Dalits, including raising the stipend to Rs. 400 for students up to seventh standard and to Rs. 500 for students up to tenth standard. It had also sought an increase in the allocation for food in student hostels run by the Social Welfare Department from Rs. 450 to Rs. 600 for students up to seventh standard and from Rs. 500 to Rs. 800 for students up to tenth standard. The commission had suggested that a single window system through the Social Welfare Department be put in place for all schemes related to SC/STs to ensure easy access to beneficiaries, Mr. Olekar said. The contentious issue of filling backlog vacancies had also been brought to the Governor’s attention, he said and added that there had been complaints of discrimination in promotions too. As many as 6,000 backlog posts were yet to be fi lled, he said. Mr. Olekar admitted that there was delay in using the allocations made in the budget in several departments and there had been cases of bogus claims and duplication. (The Hindu 22/2/07)

Three school teachers jailed under SC, ST Act (2) LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has taken stern action against six primary school teachers for discriminating against Dalits in the mid-day meal scheme. Three of them were sent to jail under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. These teachers, including the principal, have been charged with making Dalit children sit separately on the floor on the veranda before food was served to them in the school at Ambedkar village Majith in Jalaun district, a government statement said on Wednesday. The district magistrate handed over the three to the police. Of them, principal Mata Prasad Dixit and assistant teacher Amod Kumar Saxena were also placed under su spension. As for the other teacher, approval for ‘Shiksha Mitr’ Dinesh Kumar Kushwaha would be annulled. The axe also fell on Maithili Sharan, principal of another primary school at Makreda vil lage in the same district, who was held accountable for the cook mixing a dish wash powder, instead of salt, in the meal. The principal Devendra Singh Yadav has been booked under the SC/ST Act. He gave in writing that the food cooked by a Dalit woman would not be served to children, the government statement said. Assistant teacher Dinesh Chandra Sharma was placed under suspension for refusing to taste the food. The Hindu 28/2/08)

Conv iction in atrocity case gives hope for Khairlan j i victims (2) Mumbai: In a decision that has given hope for justice to victims in the Khairlanji massacre, Bhandara district has recorded speedy conviction in a case under the Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Purushottam Selokar, 41, resident of Walani in Paoni tehsil, was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for six years and imposed a fine of Rs. 4,000 for insulting and intimidating a person of the Scheduled Caste or Tribe. He was found guilty of an offence punishable under Section 3(1)(x) of the SC and ST Act, 1989 and Sections 294 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code. The case, heard in the special court of Justice P.K. Chavan from April, 30, 2007, was decided on February 14, 2008. Superintendent of Police Suresh Sagar told The Hindu that it was not the first case to result in a

conviction under the Act. Convictions had taken place before but they were rare, he pointed out. In 2006, fifty-two cases including the Khairlanji massacre were registered under the Act in Bhandara district alone. On January 29, 2007, Purushottam Selokar’s wife Lalita and son Rakesh abused Vanita Maatey, her neighbour, in fil thy language. The issue of contention was a bottle gourd creeper from Lalita’s house extending into Vanita’s courtyard. Vanita pruned the creeper, inviting abuse and assault from Lalita and her son. When Selokar, working in a flour mill nearby, returned home, he abused Vanita and threatened to rape her in public. He allegedly said he would re-enact Khairlanji, where two women were killed in the most brutal manner after having been stripped. His abuses continued till the next day. Vanita filed a complaint but the police did nothing and she later had to approach the SP with a written complaint. While the case was fi led against Selokar, his wife and son, he alone was convicted. His wife and son were acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence. However, while this case has resulted in a conviction, activists are critical of the slow pace at which the Khairlanji case is proceeding. (The Hindu 4.3.08)

Dalits fume over newspaper article (2) JALANDHAR: Some dalit activists resorted to mild stone pelting and blockade of road in front of the main entry gate of District Administrative Complex (DAC), while protesting against an article published in a Mohali based vernacular daily. While the atmosphere was charged as the leaders of the community were delivering speeches during a dharna, a group of dalit youths came out and blocked traffic on the road for around 20 minutes and even pelted stones on the vehicles trying to bypass their blockade. As the police led by SP (HQ) reached there and asked the youths to lift the blockade or face arrest, the protestors turned peaceful and joined the dharna inside DAC complex. Meanwhile, the Dalit leaders while alleging that the article had hurt the religious feelings of followers of Guru Ravidas. They demanded action against the editor of daily and asked that such incidents should not be repeated as they disturb communal harmony in the state (Times of India 5/3/08)

SCs list: Mayawati writes to Centre (2) LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has sent to the Centre a proposal for the inclusion of 17 most backward castes in the State in the list of the Scheduled Castes under Article 341 of the Constitution. She also urged it to increase the reservation for the SCs through a Constitution amendment. Making the announcement in the Assembly on Tuesday, Ms. Mayawati said these 17 castes were socially, economically and educationally most backward and thus fulfilled all criteria for being categorised as the SCs. A similar proposal made by the former Chief Minister Mulayam Singh in 2005 was shot down by the Centre. Ms. Mayawati regretted that the Samajwadi Party government had issued a notification conferring the SC status on these backward castes knowing full well that only the Centre had the power and authority to do so. The notification was stayed by the Allahabad High Court on December 20, 2005, Ms. Mayawati said. The previous regime’s move was “unconstitutional” and it harmed the interests of these castes. On her Bahujan Samaj Party coming to power, the notification was revoked, she said. (The Hindu 5.3.08)

Maya announces one lakh jobs for Valmikis (2) Lucknow, March 4: A day after Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram presented a populist Budget and announced Rs 60,000 crore loan waiver package for small and marginal farmers, UP Chief Minister Mayawati announced the recruitment of over one lakh sanitation workers in each of the 1.08 lakh revenue villages of the state. Sources said the employment scheme was an attempt to counter the goodwill generated by the loan waiver package. The undue haste of the UP Government in announcing the scheme in the Assembly on March 1 was evident from the fact that none in the top echelons of the state’s bureaucracy was aware of the CM’s announcement. Sources said the formal Cabinet approval was obtained on February 29. The Cabinet note was prepared by the Panchayati Raj Department. The state Budget for 2008-09, presented by Finance Minister Lalj i Verma on February 12, made no mention of the ambitious scheme for providing employment to over one lakh unemployed youth of the Valmiki community (a Dalit caste), who are the traditional vote bank of the Congress. Moreover, such an ambitious scheme involves huge expenditure in terms of salaries and there is no provision for it in the Budget for the next fiscal 2008-09. As per the Government order, dated March 1, as many as 1,08,848 sanitation workers are proposed to be appointed in pay scale of Rs 2,550-3,200. Hiring these workers would entail an annual expenditure of Rs 850 crore to the state exchequer. .(Indian Express 5/3/08)

Conv iction in Khairlanj i case raises hope for victi ms (2) Mumbai: In a decision that has given hope for justice to victims in the Khairlanji massacre, Bhandara district has recorded speedy conviction in a case under the Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Purushottam Selokar, 41, resident of Walani in Paoni tehsil, was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for six years and imposed a fine of Rs. 4,000 for insulting and intimidating a person of the Scheduled Caste or Tribe. He was found guilty of an offence punishable under Section 3(1)(x) of the SC and ST Act, 1989 and Sections 294 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code. The case, heard in the special court of Justice P.K. Chavan from April, 30, 2007, was decided on February 14, 2008. Superintendent of Police Suresh Sagar told The Hindu that it was not the first case to result in a conviction under the Act. Convictions had taken place before but they were rare, he pointed out. In 2006, fifty-two cases including the Khairlanji massacre were registered under the Act in Bhandara district alone. On January 29, 2007, Purushottam Selokar’s wife Lalita and son Rakesh abused Vanita Maatey, her neighbour, in fil thy language. The issue of contention was a bottle gourd creeper from Lalita’s house extending into Vanita’s courtyard. Vanita pruned the creeper, inviting abuse and assault from Lalita and her son. When Selokar, working in a flour mill nearby, returned home, he abused Vanita and threatened to rape her in public. He allegedly said he would re-enact Khairlanji, where two women were killed in the most brutal manner after having been stripped. His abuses continued till the next day. Vanita filed a complaint but the police did nothing and she later had to approach the SP with a written complaint. While the case was filed against Selokar, his wife and son, he alone was convicted. (The Hindu 5.3.08)

5 of Dalit family shot in Etawah (2) KANPUR: Five members of a Dalit family, including two women and a teenaged boy, were shot in Ameenabad village under the Ekdil police station in Etawah district late on Wednesday night. Police suspect it to be fallout of a running feud over a bigha of land. According to reports, around a dozen armed assailants forcibly entered into the house of Dr Vishram Singh and shot him and four of his family members while they were asleep. Those spared by the assailants were four children of Vishram's son Arjun, including his five-year-old daughter Tripti who told the police that the assailants were carrying 'bandook' (gun) and their faces were covered with mask and blankets. Besides Vishram, the police identified the other four victims as his wife Rajni, son and daughter-in-law Arjun (28) and Soni (25) and Rinku (16), one of his relatives who had come there to take his high school Board exam. A named FIR against Hom Singh, also a Dalit, a native of the same village, and six unidentified persons has been lodged with the Ekdil police station in this connection. According to the police, the incident took place at around 2 am. The murders come close on the heels of murder of a Dalit man last month which had shocked the region. "Initial investigations suggest that the murders are fallout of a property dispute. We have some leads in the case and arrests would be made shortly," SSP, Etawah, SRS Aditya told TOI. IG (Zone) SN Singh, who visited the site said, "A number of teams have been constituted and despatched to trace the culprits." "Several spent cartridges of 315 bore have been recovered from the house and fingerprints have been taken. We have also questioned a few relatives of Vishram," said another police officer. Those questioned admitted that the deceased, who was an active member of Chambal Ghati Vinoba Bhave Mission, had a dispute with Hom Singh, a native of the same village over a bigha of land. The dispute is pending with the court, the police said. Police are working on a clue that murders could be the handiwork of notorious contract killer Somveer, an active member of Nadiya gang of Etawah, who recently escaped from Etawah district jail. (Times of India 14/3/08)

Dalit killings: 8 members of Nadiya dacoit gang arr ested (2) ETAWAH: Eight members of a dacoit gang suspected to be behind the gruesome kill ing of five members of a dalit family in a village here have been arrested, police said on Saturday. The arrested belonged to dreaded Nadiya dacoit gang, they said adding the wife of an accused was among those held. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP supremo Mayawati had rushed to Aminabad village on Friday to meet the bereaved family and directed police to launch a hunt for the killers. She also directed police to provide adequate security to four minor girls, the only surviving members of the family. Vishram Singh, his wife, son, daughter-in-law and a youth were gunned down this week in a pre-dawn attack on his house in the vil lage which police said was allegedly carried out by his neighbour Hom Singh. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited the village on Saturday and consoled members of the grief-stricken family. (Times of India 15/3/08)

Archbishop promises equal access to Dalits (2) PUDUCHERRY: Archbishop of Puducherry and Cuddalore A. Anandarayar on Tuesday said a meeting of the priests belonging to the archdiocese unveiled a plan to resolve the Vanniyar-Dalit conflict in Eraiyur. As per the decision taken at the meeting, the Church Road, especially the road leading to the Parish church at Eraiyur village, could be used “freely by all Catholics , irrespective of caste, during the time of marriage, common celebrations and funeral processions,” he said. The meeting also decided to allow the funeral car kept in the custody of the parish priest on the church premises to be used by all Catholics without discrimination. Subscription for the parochial feast “would be collected from all the Catholic families irrespective of caste,” the Archbishop said. (The Hindu 19/3/08)

VCK meet to discuss Dalit Christians’ issues (2) PUDUCHERRY: Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol.Thirumavalavan on Wednesday said the party would hold a conference in the second week of May in Villupuram to highlight the problems faced by the Dalit Christians. Addressing the party activists who participated in a dharna here to condemn the Eraiyur incidents, he said the proposed meet would be called Dalit Christians Uprising Conference. Mr.Thirumavalavan described the declaration made by the Archbishop of Pondicherry and Cuddalore after a meeting of the priests of the archdiocese on Tuesday as “historic”. He denied the charge that pasting of posters bearing certain slogans by the VCK had triggered violence at Eraiyur in Villupuram district. Mr.Thirumavalavan made it clear that the party was only opposing discrimination against the Dalits irrespective of their religious affiliations. The struggle opposing atrocities against the Dalits would continue, he said. (The Hindu 20/3/08)

7-yr-old dalit girl raped, murdered (2) Lucknow, March 19: Atrocities on dalits are on the rise and in the third instance this week, a seven-year-old dalit girl was raped, tortured and brutally murdered in Kaushambi district. The body of the girl with one arm cut-off was recovered, on Tuesday afternoon, in the fields of the village pradhan of Koilaha vil lage. One eye of the victim had also been gouged out. Angry vil lagers blocked the Allahabad-Kanpur highway for hours, late on Tuesday evening, causing a massive traffic jam. They also took out their ire on the police and the cellphone tower, which was set afire. The tower’s switch room was ablaze when the police reached the spot. The villagers pelted stones at the police personnel and five officers, including station officer A.K. Singh and sub-inspector U.S. Pandey, were injured in the violence. The police has detained two guards of a cellphone company, Anand Kumar and Suresh Kumar, for interrogation. The two were on duty at the company’s network tower in the village when the girl was last seen near the tower. Her footsteps were traced inside the structure. According to reports reaching here, the girl, along with her mother had gone into a nearby clearing to collect firewood on Sunday afternoon. The girl then wandered away from her mother, towards a nearby hand-pump to drink water. When she did not return, the mother searched for the girl and soon called in her husband, Phoolchand. (Asian Age 20/3/08)

Dalit kids face bias: Group (2) Bhubaneswar, March 19 : Dalit children are being treated as untouchables in the government-run schools in a coastal district of Orissa. They are not permitted to sit with the upper-caste children while taking mid-day meal. This shocking disclosure was made by the Ambedkar-Lohia Vichar Manch, a rights body espousing the cause of the dalits in the state. A fact-finding team of the body, which visited the government-run schools in the coastal district of Kendrapara recently, found how small children belonging to scheduled castes are facing caste bias in these primary educational institutions. The team has submitted its report to the National Commission for Scheduled Caste seeking action against the authorities of these schools for treating dalit children shabbily. "The caste bias has permeated into social milieu mainly in villages. Ironically, it is in the government-run primary schools that impressionable minds of small children are vitiated in caste cauldron," the fact-finding report stated. "In some schools, the dalit children are served mid-day meal only after the children belonging to general castes have taken their lunch, " the report said. (Asian Age 20/3/08)

Details of panel report on Dalit Muslims sought (2) New Delhi : Many members on Thursday strongly demanded in the Rajya Sabha the Government should make public the recommendations of the Justice Ranganath Misra Commission regarding the plight of Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Ali Anwar (JD-U) said the

Ranganath Misra Commission report was kept under wraps, while the Government gave lot of publicity to the Sachar Committee Report on minority welfare. Supported by Brinda Karat(CPM) and some of her Left colleagues, Anwar pointed to the sad plight of Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians and strongly demanded an immediate action on the recommendations of the Misra Commission. He also said the report was submitted to the Government a year ago. (Pioneer 21/3/08)

Atrocities on Bihar’s SC, ST on rise (2) PATNA: Altogether 3,091 cases of atrocities on scheduled castes and scheduled tribes are pending in Bihar ti ll January 2008. According to official figures available from the state headquarters in Patna, of the 3091 cases, 378 cases were reported from Muzaffapur. In 2007, there was ri se in cases of atrocities on them as compared to previous years, official sources admitted. Altogether 1932 cases of atrocities on scheduled castes and scheduled tribes were registered during 2007 against 1729 in 2006. Of the cases registered during 2007, one related to murder, 11 to rape, 8 arson, and 67 under the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act 1989 and others under the Indian Penal Code (Times of India 21/3/08)

Call for equal rights (2) NEW DELHI: Leaders of the “Poor Christian Liberation Movement” have demanded that the church leadership take the initiative of giving equal rights and participation to Dalit Christians in the church structure. This it said was necessary for the concerted development of the Christian community as a whole. The leaders charged that the Church leadership was “ignoring the just demands of Dalit Christians”. (The Hindu 24/3/08)

Dalit woman assaulted for using village tubewell (2 ) Kendrapara : A dalit woman was beaten up by so-called upper caste people under Japa Gram Panchayat for fi lling water from vil lage tubewell, which is supposedly meant for the latter. Sources said about 10 Dalit families of Iribisa village had been using a tubewell in Harijan colony of the village. The tubewell went out of order last month prompting Lochan Sethi (25), wife of Sunil Kumar Sethi, to draw water from another tubewell that is used by so-called upper caste people. The vil lagers allegedly assaulted Lochan and threw away her bucket. An FIR was fi led against one Sanjay Kumar Jena and others at Ersama police station on Wednesday. She also alleged that some upper caste people prevented dalits from drawing water from the village tubewell. A has been registered against the accused under different Sections of the IPC and the SC/ST Act. The accused is sti ll at large. The State Government's approach to abolish casteism and to promote inter-caste marriages by announcing monetary incentives doesn't seem to appeal the people in the coastal districts. (Pioneer 27/3/08)

Villagers beat up Dalit woman (2) Patna, March 28 : Mob justice enacted in front of camera once again earned infamy for Bihar when vil lagers, some 30 kilometres away from Patna, mercilessly beat up a Dalit woman, accusing her of being a “witch”. The elaborately shot video footage — flashed across TV news channels — showed a middle aged woman, Lalpari Devi, being tied to a tree while an elderly man pulling her by her hair and thrashing her l ike a beast. Thereafter, the woman’s hair was sheared, her face smeared with limestone and then she was paraded while tied to a rope and people kept beating her with a broom. Surprisingly, women too joined the crowd in beating her. The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon and the video footage were aired on Friday morning. The place was Dumaria vil lage, some five kilometres away from Maner police station in Patna district. The police, however, reached the spot half-an-hour late and rescued the woman from the crowd and arrested one person — Ram Ayodhya Rai — accused of cutting the woman’s hair. Police said that two TV news stringers — from Aaj Tak and a local channel PTN — informed them about the incident but only after they had shot everything elaborately for about half-an-hour. “Police rushed to the spot immediately and rescued the woman. It’s sad that the stringers did not inform the police on time”, said Danapur ASP, Nishant Tiwary. Tiwary said that six persons have been arrested and produced in the court. “Chargesheet will be filed soon and the case will go for speedy trial. Nobody will be spared”, he told The Indian Express. Lalpari Devi was known in the village for possessing occult powers and practicing witchcraft. She was hired around a week back by Ram Ayodhya Rai (arrested) to cure his ailing wife. However, when the condition of his wife worsened, he felt the “witch” had used her powers to kill her. On Thursday, when Lalpari Devi was spotted in the village, Rai and other villagers caught her and started beating her. The incident was raised in the Assembly on Friday by Opposition members. Replying to it,

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said his government had taken the matter seriously and assured the House that the culprits wil l not be spared. Kumar said that it was unfortunate that such malaise existed in the society and urged everyone to make the masse s aware. Police said that so far they are going straight in the case, but would also probe the role of the TV stringers. “It is amazing that the villagers beat up the woman in front of camera for half an hour,” said a police officer. (Indian Express 29/3/08)

Torture of woman rocks Bihar Assembly (2) PATNA: The Opposition parties created a furore in the Bihar Assembly on Wednesday raising the issue of the manner in which a Dalit woman was tortured and subjected to disgrace in a village in Patna district on Thursday. The Opposition accused the Nitish Kumar government of failing to protect even women in the State. They alleged that Dalits were being subjected to torture and disgrace by the feudal elements in the absence of fear of the law. With the entire Opposition protesting on the issue, the Chief Minister agreed to make a statement on the incident after having it investigated. Ramayodhya Rai of Adalchak Dumaria vil lage had tied 45-year-old Lalpari Devi, a Dalit, to a tree, beat her up mercilessly and sheared her hair. The arrival of the police saved her l ife. Rai had called Lalpari Devi from a neighbouring village to treat his mentally ill wife. When his wife’s condition deteriorated, Rai vented his anger against Lalpari Devi accusing her of misusing her witchcraft. (The Hindu 29/3/08)

Tikait refuses to surrender as security forces surr ound v illage.. (2) Sisauli (Muzaffarnagar), April 1 : Having avoided public appearance all through the day, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Mahendra Singh Tikait made a surprise appearance late on Tuesday evening at the Kisan Bhawan of Sisauli. With Rapid Action Force and the Provincial Armed Constabulary deployed barely a couple of kilometres outside his village, Tikait declared that the overwhelming support of his followers had given him the courage to stand up to the police and the UP Government. Minutes earlier, he had said that he was willing to hand himself over to the police to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, but the large crowd gathered there persuaded him not to do so. Accompanying Tikait at Kisan Bhawan, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Anuradha Chaudhary announced that she would meet the President tomorrow to demand the dismissal of the Mayawati Government. The Rashtriya Lok Dal, that projects itself as a Jat party in the region, has been quick to be seen as standing by the side of Tikait, the Chaudhary of Baliyan Khap that comprises 87 villages, including Sisauli. This, despite the fact that Ajit Singh had reportedly tried to prevent Tikait from using the derogatory caste remark against Mayawati in Bijnor on Sunday, in response to which Tikait had sarcastically replied that if Mayawati had fallen short of even four seats in the Assembly, Ajit Singh would have been the first to rush to support her. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s brother Shivpal Singh Yadav has also supported Tikait. Sisauli — which was calm til l noon — began to bustle with activity in the evening. All lanes surrounding Tikait’s house were blocked with carts and trolleys. While the BKU leader’s house wa s quiet, with only some of his supporters relaxing on charpoys, young men were readying for battle on the rooftops of neighbouring houses. Bricks were being mounted on to rooftops with the help of ropes and the crowd was enthusiastically claiming that Tikait could not be taken from Sisauli till they were alive. Cheer, not fear, accompanied the preparations. People from the nearby village of Mundwar had come to Sisauli to defend Tikait. Effigies of Mayawati were paraded across the lanes of Sisauli with the same derogatory caste slogans inscribed on them that had led to the present controversy. Crowds cheered as the effigies were set aflame at the Kisan Bhawan. Meanwhile, in Agra, Samajwadi Party activists protested against the order to arrest Tikait. A large number of party supporters, led by Rais Uddin and Suresh Kushwaha, burnt the effigy of Mayawati at the party office on Fatehabad Road. SP supporters got into an altercation with police during the protest after which they courted arrest. (Indian Express 2/4/08)

Cong in fix as allies seek implementation of Rangan ath Mishra Commission report (2) New Delhi, April 1 : With the elections round the corner, the UPA Government seems to be stuck with the subtle political ramifications of the Ranganath Mishra Commission Report that has backed the demand for extending reservation benefits to Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims. The Government, which has been sitting on the report since May 2007, is now forced to make its stand clear with coalition partners l ike the DMK, Lok Janshakti Party and RJD pressing the Government to place it before the Parliament in the coming session. With their eyes fixed on the forthcoming elections, these parties see the Commission report as a good opportunity to take on the Mayawati Government, as it might split the Dalit votes with Hindu Dalits unwill ing to share the reservation pie. Both Ram Vilas Paswan and Lalu Prasad Yadav have decided to take up the issue with the Prime Minister, who is understood to be “hesitant” on the issue. “We

have decided to ask the Government to place the report in the next session itself. Otherwise, we will be forced to take the issue to the public,” said a RJD MP. The two parties are in touch with DMK chief M Karunanidhi, who had earlier written a letter to the PM requesting him to take steps to amend the Constitution to extend the benefit of reservation to Dalits belonging to Christian and Muslim communities. “There is no denying the fact that while there are some privileges available to the Scheduled Castes belonging to Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist religions, the Dalits among Christians and Muslims have been deprived of their fair share in them on grounds of their religion,” Karunanidhi had said. However, the Congress is hesitant to “open yet another Pandora’s box”. The party is not convinced that this would lead to a split in Mayawati’s Dalit vote bank. “It may backfire. Why create problems on the eve of elections?” asked a Congress leader. There is also a demand from Muslim and Christian groups for treatment of Dalit converts as SCs to entitle them to benefits of reservation in jobs and education. Various Muslim and Christian sects are planning to form a joint platform to launch an agitation to demand the implementation of the report. (Indian Express 2/4/08)

Tikait says sorry but in this Dalit colony, that’s of little comfort (2) SISAULI, APRIL 2 : Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Mahendra Singh Tikait may have apologised for his alleged derogatory and casteist remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP chief Mayawati — he was arrested and granted bail after he turned himself in today, maintaining that the remarks were “a slip of the tongue” — but in a Dalit locality in his Sisauli backyard, there’s a deafening silence, the fear of a caste backlash palpable. On Tuesday, even as Tikait supporters claimed that the standoff with Mayawati had nothing to with caste, a crowd collected nearby, raised anti-Dalit slogans and set fire to an effigy of the BSP leader. The slogans grew louder as the crowd walked past Dalit homes. Today, after Tikait’s arrest, some Dalits said they feared that they would be the target of Jat ire. Speaking to reporters, close associates of Tikait maintained that there was nothing much to his remarks about Mayawati, that he had used terms “very common” in these parts. There were no differences, they said, between Jats and Dalits in Sisauli. Sehensar Pal, Jansath tehsil president of the BKU, said: “There is an organic link between the Jats and the Dalits. We both work on land — the only difference is that we own some land and they are agricultural labourers.” But people close to Yograj Singh, the BSP’s Jat MLA from Khatauli who doesn’t quite get along with Tikait, said that Dalits in the village were too scared to speak about the insults they have to put up with. As in many villages, Saisauli has a neat caste divide despite the so-called economic interdependence. Dalits of the cobbler caste have their own Ravidas Mandir, their own priest. Similarly, the Valmikis have their own Valmiki temple, their own priest. The divide is not just between Dalits and the rest but also among the Dalits. “There are some 800 Dalit families in Sisauli. Not even 100 own any land. Our family, however, has six bighas. Many Dalit families leave for Punjab and Haryana in December to work in the brick kilns. They lock their houses and leave with their children who too work there. The families return after July and stay on till next December. They work as labourers, in the fields or at sites where houses are under construction,” said a 50-plus Dalit resident who did not wish to be named. Most Dalit children, he said, can’t go to school because they have such a routine. Asked whether Mayawati’s return to power had raised their hopes, the Dalits respond differently. While one youth said that Jats were aware there could be police action if a Dalit were to complain, another youth said Mayawati’s return did not mean that the lowest sections of society had been empowered. “She is powerful, but we remain powerless and dominated by others in our village,” the youth said. But his father had a different take. “We remain subordinate, especially on caste lines. But we are proud that one among us has risen to be Chief Minister without support from anyone,” he said. (Indian Express 3/4/08)

‘They are Dalits first and then Muslims and Christi ans’ (2) NEW DELHI: The study by the National Commission for Minorities that has suggested reservation for Dalit Muslims and Christians has said that there is no room for disputing the fact that they are invariably regarded as ‘socially inferior’ communities by their co-religionists.” They are Dalits first and then Muslims and Christians, it noted. Referring to the manner in which courts refused to recognise them as Scheduled Castes owing to lack of evidence, the study says that a lot of evidence has become available since the Soosai case — “the last major judicial pronouncement on this question.” In turn, Professor De shpande has concluded that it is unambiguously clear that “there is no compelling evidence to justify denying the SC status to Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians.” Among all SCs, the study found that Dalit Muslims are the worst off, particularly in urban areas. In fact, the NSSO data shows them to be completely absent in the affluent group for urban India. Dalit Christians, on the other hand, are moderately better off than other Dalits, except SC Sikhs. The pattern seen in the income levels extends to educational levels also, with

Dalit Muslims coming in the rear in terms of l iteracy. What is of particular concern is that the backwardness among Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians has shown up in a sample survey despite their small population, and hence relatively low representation in the NSSO’s exercise. Such is the caste bias that the conclusion of the study is that religious affil iation makes no difference for the poorest 75 per cent of all Dalits. The study commissioned in April last year, was conducted by Satish Deshpande of the Sociology Department at the Delhi School of Economics. Finding the current regime discriminatory, Professor De shpande has said in clear terms that “whether or not such discrimination can be proven in a court of law, it will surely weigh on the conscience of every fair-minded Indian.” (The Hindu 5/4/08)

SC status for Dalit Muslims, Dalit Christians fav ou red (2) NEW DELHI: A study commissioned by the National Commission for Minorities has suggested extension of reservation to Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians. Bringing them under the ambit of the constitutional safeguards that are available to other Scheduled Castes would “not only right a wrong” but also remove an “indefensible anomaly in our politico-legal system that can legitimately be construed as discriminatory,” it said. Titled “Dalits in the Muslim and Christian Communities: A Status Report on Current Social Scientific Knowledge,” the study is based on National Sample Survey Organisation data and other studies on the status of Dalit Muslims and Christians. The study says that there could be no doubt that Dalit Muslims and Christians are socially known and treated as distinct groups within their own religious communities. (The Hindu 5/4/08)

‘Dalits caught between naxalites and police’ (2) Udupi: The Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (Ambedkarwada) will be conducting the “Shoshitara Swabhimana Samavesha”, a conference, at Hebri on Sunday to focus on the woes of Dalits in 13 villages of Udupi district which are afflicted by naxalite activities and police highhandedness. Addressing presspersons here on Friday, chief convener of the district unit of DSS Sundar Gujjarbettu said that people from Scheduled Tribes in the 13 villages near Hebri were a frightened lot. They had been caught between the naxalites who frequented the area and the police who harassed them for information about the terrorist outfit. He said 25 cases had been booked against people in these villages for allegedly supporting the naxalites. Fifteen young men had left their homes owing to harassment by the police. “It has become difficult for these people to find marriage alliances for their children,” he said. Mr. Gujjarbettu said, “The DSS neither supports nor believes in the ideology of naxalites. We believe in democratic methods of protest. But we are opposed to harassment of our people by the police.” Naxalites were able to exploit the sentiments of Dalits in Meggade and Kabinale vil lages because they had not been given title deeds of their houses after having lived there for nearly 30 years. But other people had been given title deeds. “The benefits of the package for development of naxal-affected villages have gone to people from upper castes and the affluent and not the poor Dalits. These villages also lack amenities such as roads and power supply,” he said. The meeting aimed at facilitating an interaction between the authorities and aggrieved people. Deputy Commissioner P. Hemalatha and Superintendent of Police Devajyothi Ray would be participating in the conference. (The Hindu 5/4/08)

U.P. bans liquor shops in Dalit areas (2) Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Government has put a ban on opening liquor shops in and around areas having Dalit population in a bid to prevent them from turning into alcoholics, a senior official said on Saturday. “No new liquor shops will be opened in areas having Dalit population and the existing shops will be relocated,” the official said here, referring to an order passed by the State Excise Department. (The Hindu 6/4/08)

Dalit capital lures Maya (2) Agra : With an unusually huge population of Dalits, Agra holds the unofficial status of being the Dalits capital of north India and it is this distinction that has lured UP Chief Minister Mayawati into adopting this town as an urban development model for the entire State. Keeping her pre-poll promise of developing Agra into a model city worthy of its international stature, Mayawati is expected to arrive in the town on April 15 on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti and it is widely speculated that she will announce her decision to adapt Agra as a model city on this occasion. In anticipation of this visit by the Chief Minister, the Agra administration is spending crores in the rejuvenation of the existing infrastructure like roads and streetlights on the way leading from the Airport to the Bhim Nagri where Mayawati is expected to announce her developmental plans for the city. Senior Bahujan Samaj Party leaders claimed that the Chief

Minister will be having a night halt at Agra and it is this night-stay that has the local administration worried over the possible lapses that the Mayawati could detect in the development of the city despite their best last-ditch efforts to disguise these lapses. According to the BSP leaders associated with Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations, Mayawati had announced in Agra during her electoral campaign that she will only return to the city for Ambedkar Jayanti when the people of Agra will elect her to be Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister. She had promised that if elected, she will personally oversee the development of Agra into a city of international stature and her forthcoming Agra visit was the first step in the direction of fulfill ing the promise made to the people of Agra. Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal, is also known for its huge leather industry. The community that for long has been the bulwark of this industry and has contributed majorly to Agra's economy. The first sign of Dalit assertion here came in the form of renaming of the century-old Agra University as the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Agra University (Pioneer 6/4/08)

Dalit woman, girl killed (2) Kanpur: Unidentified assailants kil led a Dalit woman and her 18-year-old grand-daughter with sharp weapons at Ghatampur area on early Sunday morning, police said. According to the police, some unidentified persons forcibly entered into the house and killed the duo. Tension prevailed into the village as the news spread out but timely intervention by the police brought the situation under control. (The Hindu 7/4/08)

Dalit parties root for Maya model of alliance (2) Mumbai, April 6: In what might lead to an unprecedented shift in Dalit politics in Maharashtra, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s homestate, Dalit leaders are under pressure from their own followers to reconsider their brand of politics—that of forming alliances with “secular” parties like the Congress and the NCP. The immediate trigger for the new line of thought is the Shiv Sena’s decision to appoint two Dalit corporators of the party-ruled Thane Municipal Corporation as chairpersons of important civic committees. Last month, the Sena made Nagsen alias Bhaiyyasaheb Indise as chairperson of the TMC’s Standing Committee and co-opted his nephew Jitendra Indise as the chairperson of the transport committee. Over the past one month, it has led to excitement among the ranks and fi le of various factions of the Republican Party of India (RPI) across the state, as the Indises are being invited for felicitation functions. The demand to rethink ties with “secular” parties is simmering in various Dalit groups that are divided into over a dozen factions of the RPI. While none of the RPI leaders have yet come out in the open on the issue and sti ll maintain that they would prefer a “secular” political partner, their angry followers have been urging them to change their ways. The demand for changing the colour of alliance partners is based on two reasons: that the “secular” parties have never delivered what was promised in return for an alliance; and that the Dalit leadership in Maharashtra would face Mayawati, who has no hesitation in forming all iances with any party, provided she gains power. “We also have apprehensions that political equations may change on the eve of the Lok Sabha and assembly polls due next year…what happens if the BSP and Sena come together,” a senior party functionary of a major faction of the RPI asked. “If we have to tackle Mayawati, we should adopt her technique of forming alliances with the aim of coming to power…not just playing the second fiddle to the Congress or the NCP. If we don’t, she might beat us by having a tie-up with the Sena or the NCP.” Among the major RPI factions, the one led by Lok Sabha MP Ramdas Athavale enjoys the largest following of Dalits in the state, followed by the faction led by Prakash Ambedkar, R.S. Gavai and Jogendra Kawade. Since Gavai is the Governor of Bihar, his party is being run by his son Rajendra. Nagsen Indise, who claims that he has been flooded with calls from various RPI factions, who want the “Indise” pattern to be replicated in the forthcoming polls, said, “We have to be practical…there is no permanent enemy or friend in politics. We have seen what the secular parties have given us all these years…just crumbs of power. There is a need to change old policies, especially considering new challenges.” He pointed out that the Sena had kept its word and delivered what was promised, unlike the Congress and the NCP, which had failed to keep their promises of sharing power. The TMC has 116 members, with Sena being the single largest party with 48 members. Indise is one of the three Dalit corporators, who were former RPI leaders. The Sena looks at it as its old dream of bringing together the power of Chhatrapati Shivaji and Ambedkar. “This is our old pattern of bringing Shiv-Shakti (power of Shivaji) and Bhim-Shakti (power of Bhimrao Ambedkar) together. We already have Namdeo Dhasal (one of the founders of Dalit Panthers in 1972) on our side,” said Sanjay Raut, Sena MP and executive editor of the party’s mouthpiece Saamna. “Maharashtra’s true power is Shiv-Shakti and Bhim-Shakti. If we come together, we’ll become invincible.” The legislative assembly has 288 members,

out of which 75 belong to the Congress; 71 NCP; 56 Sena; and 54 BJP. There are two RPI MLAs. Since Dalits have been scattered across the state, without having a concentrated presence (except in a few urban constituencies) to elect their own MLAs, their leaders pledge support to “secular” parties in return for a ministerial berth and some political appointments. The Sena has a strong presence in Marathwada and parts of Konkan. “It is true that our local leaders bring up the issue of how to fight future elections. They are worried that if political equations change, we might suffer,” a senior RPI leader said. “But we’ll have to weigh all the pros and cons before taking any decision.” (Indian Express 7/4/08)

Dalit doc’s mother seeks Centre help (2) New Delhi, April 7: Discrimination against dalits continues to haunt AIIMS even after two year of the anti-reservation stir. Bringing back memories of the social evil that plagued the country years ago when dalits were termed as social outcasts, an aggrieved mother of a dalit doctor in AIIMS, has approached the Union health ministry and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes alleging caste-bias, abuse and assault on her son in AIIMS. Ms Siddamma, who rushed to Delhi in March, after her son Dr R. Vinay Kumar was admitted for psychiatric treatment after he suffered from anxiety, panic and sleeplessness after being allegedly assaulted and abused by relatives of a patient, has alleged that her son has repeatedly been subjected to discriminatory practices within AIIMS. The alleged caste-bias prevalent in AIIMS has already been documented in the Thorat Committee report, which has said that SC/ST students in the Institute are facing discrimination at all levels beginning from the classroom, playfield and even in the hostels. The incident took an ugly turn when Dr Vinay Kumar was allegedly beaten up, verbally abused and disgraced by comments on his geographical region by the relatives of a patient, while he was on duty well past mid-night on March 16. "Even in presence of around 8 guards i was assaulted repeatedly," alleged Dr Kumar who then made an SOS call to the Delhi police. Surprisingly, the Institute administration tried to hush-up the matter when the family of the dalit doctor decided to approach the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. Taking up the matter, the commission summoned the AIIMS Director T.D. Dogra and Delhi Police commissioner Y.S. Dadwal on Monday. (Asian Age 8/4/08)

Caste panchayat expels youth for embracing Islam (2 ) JAIPUR: A caste panchayat of the Jat community has hounded out a youth who embraced Islam and returned from Maharashtra to his native Chainpura village in Sikar district after marrying a Muslim girl. The panchayat also announced a social boycott of the youth’s kin living in the village. Kaluram Burdak, now known as Usman Sheikh, left for Kolhapur in Maharashtra with his wife Zulekha on Monday after the caste elders ruled that the newly-wed couple could not stay in the village. His parents and brothers have reportedly been ostracised with the villagers proclaiming that they had severed all relations with the family. Usman Sheikh, working as a mason in Kolhapur for several years, converted to Islam about four months ago and married Zulekha in the Maharashtra town. When he returned to Chainpura in Danta Ramgarh tehsil with his wife early this month, the villagers came to know of his conversion and took exception to it. Even as the 30-year-old youth kept insisting that he had embraced Islam of his own free will and his marriage performed through ‘Nikah’ at a mosque was valid, the Jat community opposed his new religious status and convened a caste panchayat. The youth, summoned before the community elders, put up a brave face and declared that he was now a practising Muslim. The panchayat rejected the plea of Usman’s father to allow his son and daughter-in-law to stay in the vil lage and ordered the couple to leave immediately. (The Hindu 10/4/08)

Mulayam defends Rahul for v isiting Dalit homes (2) HARDOI (UTTAR PRADESH): After BJP chief Rajnath Singh, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday came out in support of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who was targeted by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for visiting Dalit homes. “If he (Rahul) visits Dalit houses, what objection she (Mayawati) has?” said Mr. Yadav at an election rally here. The former UP Chief Minister said he and his party leaders would also visit houses of Dalit after April 23. Mr. Rajnath Singh had on Tuesday dismissed Ms. Mayawati’s utterances against Mr. Gandhi that he takes bath with special soaps and goes through purification rituals every time he visits a Dalit home as baseless. “Ye sab betuki batein hain (all this is baseless). How can Mayawati know that Rahul is bathed with special soaps? Has she seen this?” he had said. Wooing voters for his party nominee for the Bilgram Assembly by-election due on April 12, the SP chief dared Ms. Mayawati to arrest him and his party leaders if she had the courage. - PTI (The Hindu 10/4/08)

Textbook damning Dalits withdrawn (2) AHMEDABAD: A textbook containing derogatory words against Dalits, which was being taught in BA second year course in North Gujarat University, is being withdrawn following an expose in The Times of India on Tuesday. The book, 'Sapna Bhara', a compilation of plays written by the celebrated Gujarati li tterateur Umashanker Joshi, was published by Gurjar Granth Ratna. Written by Joshi in 1930, the book explains the prevalent caste system then. However, it is baffling that these derogatory words, punishable under the Atrocities Act with six months of imprisonment, were being sti ll taught in colleges in Gujarat. Vice-chancellor of the university KK Shah told TOI : "We did not intend to hurt anyone's feelings and this seems to be a mistake which has slipped through the syllabus committee which has three Dalit members." He said a meeting of the committee will be convened next week to formalise the withdrawal. PJ Patel, chairman of the syllabus committee, said: "We are not just removing the objectionable portion from the book; we are withdrawing the book itself." He claimed that while the book was being prescribed in the university only from 2005 onwards, almost 16 editions of the book have been published so far and it has been prescribed in several other universities in the past. Times of India 9/4/08)

Dalit student hacked to death (2) Etawah: A Dalit student was hacked to death by some unidentified men in Vijay Nagar locality here, police said on Thursday. The incident took place on Wednesday night when Nagendra Dohra (20) was at his residence and some unidentified men called him and hacked him to death. The police have registered a case. (The Hindu 11/4/08)

Girl burned alive for affair w ith Dalit in Punjab ( 2) HOSHIARPUR: Ravinder Kaur, just 18 and in love with Amritpal hardly got any chance to be with the man she wanted to marry. On Wednesday, when her family left home to attend a neighbour's wedding, she sneaked out and went to meet her 25-year-old lover. But someone spotted her with Amritpal and the word spread like wildfire in Darga Haeri village, 35 km away from Hoshiarpur. Soon, seething at seeing their Saini girl with a Scheduled Caste man, Ravinder was dragged home by her relatives and beaten unconscious. The next day, the girl was "consigned to flames", police sources said. It is yet another casualty in Punjab's bloody history of honour kill ings. Hoshiarpur SSP Sukh-chain Singh Gill told TOI on Friday that "the body of the deceased had been cremated before the matter came to the notice of the police." He added, "There were only ashes from the pyre." A case has been registered under sections 302, 201 and 120B of IPC at the Tanda police station and police said they were verifying if Ravinder was beaten to death or forced to commit suicide. The girl 's parents are behind bars. (Times of India 12/4/08) Caste has divided society: judge (2) New Delhi: The Supreme Court, while upholding the law providing 27 per cent quota for Other Backward Classe s (OBCs) in Central higher educational institutions, has lamented that caste had divided this country for ages. In his separate judgment, Justice R.V. Raveendran, who agreed with Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishan’s reasoning in the main judgment, said: “Caste has divided this country for ages. It has hampered its growth. To have a casteless society will be realisation of a noble dream. To start with, the effect of reservation may appear to perpetuate caste. The immediate effect of caste-based reservation has been rather unfortunate.” “In the pre-reservation era people wanted to get rid of the backward tag — either social or economical. But post reservation, there is a tendency even among those who are considered ‘forward,’ to seek the ‘backward’ tag, in the hope of enjoying the benefits of reservation. When more and more people aspire for ‘backwardness’ instead of ‘forwardness’ the country itself stagnates. “Reservation as an affirmative action is required only for a limited period to bring forward the socially and educationally backward classe s by giving them a gentle supportive push. But if there is no review after a reasonable period and if reservation is continued, the country will become a caste divided society permanently. Instead of developing a united society with diversity, we will end up as a fractured society for ever suspicious of each other. “While affirmative discrimination is a road to equality, care should be taken that the road does not become a rut in which the vehicle of progress gets entrenched and stuck. Any provision for reservation is a temporary crutch. Such a crutch, by unnecessary prolonged use, should not become a permanent l iability. “It is significant that the Constitution does not specifically prescribe a casteless society nor does it try to abolish caste. But by barring discrimination in the name of caste and by providing for affirmative action, the Constitution seeks to remove the difference in status on the basis of caste. When the differences in status among castes are removed, all castes will become equal. That will be a beginning for a casteless egalitarian society. When a caste is identified as a socially and

educationally backward caste, it becomes a socially and educationally backward class only when it sheds its creamy layer.” Referring to the total number of castes in the OBC list, Justice Arijit Pasayat, in his judgment (for himself and Justice C.K. Thakker) said “admittedly there is no deletion from the list of OBCs. It goes on increasing. Is it that backwardness has increased instead of decreasing? If the answer is ‘yes,’ a s contended by the respondents [Centre and others] then one is bound to raise eyebrows as to the effectiveness of providing reservations or quotas.” The court asked the Centre to deliberate whether the reservation policy followed since Independence had been effective in achieving the desired result. If after nearly six decades the objectives had been achieved, necessarily the need for its continuance warrants deliberations. The CJI, heading a five-judge Constitution Bench, in his judgment rejected the contentions of the petitioners that the practice in the United States of putting “suspect legislation” to “strict scrutiny test” could not be applied to Indian situations to examine the 93rd Constitution Amendment Act enabling the government to make a law providing for reservation. (The Hindu 14/4/08)

Ambedkar Jayanti gets bigger (2) Lucknow, April 14: It was, without doubt, the biggest celebration of late Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s birth anniversary in Lucknow. UP chief minister Mayawati’s dream project, called the Dr Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal, was finally dedicated to the people. The sthal, earlier known as Ambedkar Udyan, underwent a massive renovation in the past 10 months with an average of 3,000 labourers working round-the-clock to complete the red sandstone structure that sprawls over 25-acre land in the posh Gomti Nagar locality of the state capital. The Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal, whose cost is estimated to be more than Rs 7 bill ion, has been envisaged as a pilgrim centre for dalits and the monument chronicles the struggle by oppressed sections for their political and social rights. The sthal includes two fountains, reportedly worth Rs 3 crores, and 64 elephants sculpted in sandstone, costing around Rs 38.44 crores. More than 350 artisans from Rajasthan artisans have worked for several months on the project. Chief minister Mayawati announced on Monday that henceforth, no public rally or function would be held in the Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal that would be treated as pilgrim centre of sorts, enabling people to offer their homage to Dr Ambedkar. The gateways to the sthal are marked by statues of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and his wife Ramabai Ambedkar on the one side, and late Kanshi Ram and Ms Mayawati on the other. Meanwhile, Lucknow was il luminated as never before for the 117th birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar on Monday. While all the road rail ings and footpaths were painted in shades of blue and yellow, blue lights lit up all monuments of dalit significance, including Ambedkar Chowk, Parivartan Sthal, Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal and Smriti Upvan. (Asian Age 15/4/08)

Giv e credit to Ambedkar for securing Dalit rights” (2) LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Monday said the credit for the rights given to the depressed sections under the Constitution should go to Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. Even the credit for reservation for the Other Backward Classe s (OBCs) becoming a reality should go to him, the Bahujan Samaj Party president said. Ms. Mayawati said the Kaka Kalelkar and B.P. Mandal commissions were constituted under Article 340 of the Constitution and it was on their recommendations that the OBCs were granted reservation. Dedicating the renovated Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal (symbol of social change) in Gomtinagar on the occasion of Dr. Ambedkar’s 117th birth anniversary here, Ms. Mayawati also credited “Baba Saheb” with ensuring security for the religious minorities. She said he authored a Constitution based on the country’s secular traditions, far removed from the “Hindutva” statute advocated by the Bharatiya Janata Party. She alleged that the Congress tried to scuttle his chances of becoming a member of the Indian Constituent Assembly in July 1947. It ensured that Dr. Ambedkar became a member of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. Only after Dr. Ambedkar took up the issue with the British Government was he elected to the Indian Constituent Assembly, she claimed. Ms. Mayawati defended her Government’s decision to renovate the Ambedkar monument and attacked the Congress and other Opposition parties for terming the renovation work as a waste of public money. When several thousand crores of rupees were spent on building monuments in Rajghat and other places in Delhi the Congress and the UPA Government were silent, she said. She assailed the Samajwadi Party government of Mulayam Singh for ignoring the Ambedkar monument. The multi-crore monument earlier known as the Ambedkar memorial was completed during Ms. Mayawati’s last term as Chief Minister in 2002-2003. Its renovation work was undertaken when she returned to power in May 2007. (The Hindu 15/4/08)

Slew of measures for SC/ STs in Rajasthan (2) JAIPUR: Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Monday announced several measures for empowerment of Scheduled Castes and Tribes in Rajasthan, while affirming the State Government’s resolve to bring them into the mainstream of development and provide quality education to their children. Addressing a public meeting in Bikaner marking the birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar, Ms. Raje said the SC/ST children would get the benefit of amended Anuprati Yojana, while the facilities in their hostels would be improved and the provision for “Ambedkar model villages” would be doubled from Rs.1 crore to Rs.2 crore. Ms. Raje said the Anuprati Yojana would benefit the SC/ST youngsters appearing at the entrance examinations of IITs, IIMs and medical colleges as well as the competitive exams for administrative services. “Students with 60 per cent marks in the senior secondary examination getting selected in medical and engineering colleges will be given a lump sum of Rs.10,000,” she announced. The Chief Minister said the hostels for SC/ST children run by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry would be equipped with all modern facilities, while the State Government would bear the tuition fee . Ms. Raje announced that the provision of Rs.1 crore for development of 2,463 villages across the State identified as Ambedkar model vil lages would be doubled to Rs.2 crore. Besides, a permanent special unit will be established under the State Livelihood Mission for giving training to unemployed SC/ST youths and getting bank loans for their self-employment. Ms. Raje also announced 27 schemes for integrated development of Bikaner city. (The Hindu 15/4/08)

Wall of discord in Satara: Dalits threaten immolati on (2) Satara: : With 75 Dalits threatening self-immolation at Bhimnagar in Koregaon taluka of Satara district on Ambedkar’s birth anniversary on Monday, the undercurrent of exclusion that governs the lives of Dalits has again come to the fore. The Dalits were protesting against a 155-metre wall erected in front of their vil lage that bars them from entering the community hall located in the nearby village of Dare. As tensions rose, the district administration intervened, convincing the protesters to call off their threat. The village of Bhimnagar came into existence in 1959 when those displaced due to the construction of the Koyna dam were given land there. While most of the settlers belonged to the lower caste, some upper caste people were given land in 1961. This led to the creation of a new village called Dare in 1994, to the south of Bhimnagar. However, soon people from the two vil lages were quarrell ing over distribution of land and the common community hall. A case is pending on the matter in the district court. “The main problem is the distribution of land between the two vil lages. The decision of the lower court, declared in July 2007, went against Bhimnagar. A compound wall was erected by the zilla parishad from the funds provided by an MLA,” said District Collector Vikas Deshmukh. However, the wall acted as a border between the two vil lages and barred access to the community hall located in Dare for residents of Bhimnagar, who celebrate the Ambedkar Jayanti there every year. The Bhimnagar villagers have appealed to the district court. “We are facing problems while trying to enter the community hall, which belongs to us. We have given several notices to the administration but nobody is listening. So to attract the attention of the district administration, 75 of us threatened to commit suicide,” said a villager. The District Collector has assured the Dalits that he will look into the matter. “As the case is with the court, I cannot take any decision about the wall. If possible, some more area could be allotted to Bhimnagar village,” he said. However, the Dalits see an age old problem behind the wall. “The upper caste people didn’t want to live with us. So they asked for a separate village, granted in 1994. Then, the problem of land distribution surfaced. The population of Dare village was 170 while there were 650 Dalits at that time. But when vil lage land was distributed, the two were allotted almost the same land. This is discrimination against us,” says Ashok Gaikwad, a Republican Party of India leader from Satara. (Indian Express 15/4/08)

Dalit throats the most thirsty (2) BABAJIPURA (SURENDRANAGAR): On Ambedkar Jayanti, Dalits in Babajipura village, 40 km from Surendranagar, were hesitantly standing near the village well, hoping that a higher caste person would come and draw water for them. Dalits themselves are not allowed to draw water here. On Monday, TOI visited two vil lages in Saurashtra where caste sti ll decides who gets access to drinking water. The lower you are in the caste hierarchy, the thirstier you are likely to be in this semi-arid region. In Babajipura - a vil lage dominated by Koli Patels - Dalits have their separate well, but the water was contaminated last month, allegedly by some miscreants. They now have to rely on the mercy of higher caste people to get water from the other well. "Villagers decided that Dalits could take water from their well but they cannot draw it themselves,"say Laxman Shenva. A Dalit woman from the village said, "We have to hope that a

woman with a good heart comes that way while we are waiting and agrees to draw water for us. Some people even refuse us." In Tavi village, 18 km from Lakhtar, Dalits were given water connections 10 years ago. But, they got water for only for the first four days! Says Nandu Vadher, a Dalit, in the village dominated by Rajputs, "Our pipeline has been blocked by upper caste people." The well meant for Dalits has also been contaminated. Because they are not allowed to even venture near the other well - located in an upper caste neighbourhood - they now have go to the Narmada canal two km away and draw water from there. (Times of India 15/4/08)

Dalits thrashed in Faridabad (2) FARIDABAD: Picture this. Three Dalits busy preparing for Dr Ambedkar's 117th birth anniversary celebrations on Sunday night are beaten up over a dispute. When they go to a local hospital for treatment along with their relatives, a mob attacks them again. This time, eyewitnesses say, the 30-odd attackers are armed with rods and sticks. The victims and their relatives are showered with caste abuses and battered. Cops present at the hospital fail to react. Incidentally, a police post too is located barely 50 yards away from the hospital. That's exactly what happened in this Haryana town situated about 25km southeast of Delhi. By Monday, however, the police had arrested 12 offenders and booked them under various sections of the IPC and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A majority of them are Gujjars, an intermediary caste, from the nearby Fatehpur Chandela vil lage. A visit to the third floor of Faridabad's Badshah Khan hospital reveals the ferocity of the attack. Wounded men with worried women by their side lie in two rooms. Rajendra Beniwal's head is in bandage; there's blood all over his T-shirt. Barely 12-years-old, Rohit Tank has two fractures on his hand. Vinod Chauhan’s hand too is in plaster. Another victim is on a glucose drip and groaning. And Gautam Valmiki's face and nose are swathed in so many bandages that even his close friends might find it hard to recognize him. "Twelve victims of the attacks are admitted to the hospital," says the hospital’s CMO, Ravinder Mathur. The first incident took place in a Valmiki mandir located on the K C Cinema Road. Locals say a dispute over money transaction triggered the squabble that later turned into brutal caste violence. However, Mukesh Kumar, one of the three injured in the Valmiki mandir attack, says the assault was unprovoked. "They abused our pradhan and started beating us up without provocation," says Kumar, a tour and travels operator. Another victim says that Dalit festivities during Ambedkar Jayanti or Ravidas Jayanti would occasionally prompt some Gujjars to remark, 'Don't organise these programmes'. "But we were surprised by the viciousness of the attack because there is no history of animosity or violence between us," says Beniwal. The small room at the Valmiki mandir sti l l betrays signs of Sunday night's attack that took place around 8.30pm. The glass panel on the door is shattered with splinters lying on the ground. The chairs and a chowki are turned upside down. "This is the biggest temple for Dalits in this area. All our meetings are held in the room," says Beniwal. SSP Faridabad, Alok Mittal, admits that the police were present in the hospital when the second incident took place. But he adds that the cops were outnumbered and overwhelmed by the suddenness of the attack. "However, the entire police force was mobilized soon. We had arrested the offenders by 2am," he said. Two separate cases have been registered. "Ten of them were produced in the court on Monday. The remaining two will be produced on Tuesday," he said. The Dalits, mostly Valmikis who live near the temple located on the K C Cinema Road, work as sweepers either for the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad or in the shopping complexes of the area. A few of them are also petty contractors. Haryana's Faridabad district is no stranger to violence against Dalits. Earlier this year, in Machchgar vil lage, about five kilometres from Ballabhgarh town, Dalits were beaten up by for riding horse carriage to wedding. The offenders in that case too belonged to an intermediary caste. (Times of India 15/4/08)

Ram, Periyar caught in political crossfire (2) Lucknow, April 16: Lord Ram and dalit reformer Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy Naickar are caught in a political crossfire in Uttar Pradesh. The pro-dalit Indian Justice Party, which holds Periyar in high esteem, is seemingly determined to install statues of the dalit icon in UP, if only to embarrass the Bahujan Samaj Party which reportedly abandoned the idea of setting up Periyar statues after upper caste Hindus in the BSP registered a protest. The BJP, which insists Periyar is anti-Ram, has also woken up from slumber to strongly oppose any move to glorify Periyar. Periyar has been anathema for upper caste Hindus ever since excerpts from his Sachchi Ramayana became public. Periyar was known for his anti-Brahmin stance and his writings make several derogatory references to Lord Ram and other characters in the Ramayan. The BJP had successfully prevented Ms Mayawati from celebrating Periyar in the coalition governments in 1995, 1997 and 2002. However, the moment the BSP formed government on its own

strength in UP in 2007, Ms Mayawati decided to set up Periyar statues, along with those of other dalit icons. The BJP, immediately, initiated a campaign against the move, released excerpts from Periyar’s writings and questioned the stand of brahmin leaders in the BSP. "Periyar’s writings are completely unacceptable to any right-minded Hindu and glorifying such a leader in the Hindi heartland would be blasphemous," says senior BJP leader Om Prakash Singh. Realising the sensitivity of the issue, the BSP government hurriedly gave up its plans and the chief minister clarified that she did not intend to hurt the feelings of any one section of society since her government now worked on the concept of "Sarvjan Hitaye, Sarvjan Sukhaye".The Mayawati government even distanced itself from Periyar’s Sachchi Ramayana, saying that it had nothing to do with the publication or distribution of the controversial book. The Indian Justice Party, which is trying to position itself as an alternative to the BSP in UP, however, saw an opportunity in the Periyar issue and immediately declared that it would install statues of the dalit icon in Lucknow and Allahabad and even asked Ms Mayawati to allot land for the same. The statement was aimed at putting the BSP in the dock and causing embarrassment to the BSP leadership. "It is clear that Mayawati has succumbed to pressures from the brahmin lobby in her party and has given up the idea of glorifying Periyar," said IJP president Dr Udit Raj. (Asian Age 17/4/08)

These Dalits have nowhere to go (2) AHMEDABAD: Over 100 members of 19 Dalit families are spending their days in makeshift camps in front of the Banaskantha District Collector’s office in Palanpur for the last seven months because they have nowhere to go. They have been forced to migrate from their native village, Bukna in Vav taluka, after a Dalit was murdered following a quarrel with some caste Hindus of the village over a passage through the Dalit’s household plot to their fields. The District Collector has not taken any steps to enable their return to their village. The State government has not bothered to submit its report on the issue to the National Human Rights Commission, despite two notices. “Gujarat is considered to be a developed State. It is a wrong perception when we consider the conditions of the Dalits and other backward classes. The conditions in rural Gujarat have not changed, if anything, they have further deteriorated in the last five years as the dominance of the caste Hindus has increased with their political clout,” said Manjula Pradeep, executive director of the Navsarjan Trust, a voluntary organisation working for the Dalits in the State. She said while the minority migrations after the 2002 communal riots received much media and judicial attention, the Dalit migrations forced by fear for their lives, had been ignored. Twenty two members of five families in Kasumbad village in Borsad taluka of Anand district are also living in unsafe conditions and would be forced to migrate to some other vil lages if the authorities did not provide them security. The head of the family, Ramanbhai Makwana, was murdered in this village by caste Hindus after a quarrel over flying kites on the “Utran festival” day on January 14, 2006. The caste Hindus want the Dalit families to withdraw the police complaint on the murder and are threatening them with dire consequences if they did not. The murder took place in the presence of the police and yet no step was taken to book the guilty. The Dalit families were refused protection if they went out of their homes to earn their livelihood. Ms. Pradeep said some 40 other Dalit families in Kasumbad village were not supporting their affected community members for fear of angering the caste Hindus. The Navsarjan Trust found little government support to the weaker sections. (The Hindu 19/4/08)

Dalits stage dharna (2) BERHAMPUR: Dalits of Sindhaba village in Ganjam district allege that they are facing atrocities and social ostracisation by upper caste people at their village. Representatives of 36 dalit families from Sindhaba village of Digapahandi block in Ganjam district demonstrated in front of the office of the Berhampur Sub-Collector on Friday. They demanded action against the persons involved in atrocities against dalits at the vil lage. Tribal organisation Lok Sangram Manch has come out in support of these dalits. Hina Nayak, a dalit of the village said on April 7, a group of upper caste people had burnt down four of their houses, manhandled their women and had also injured a person seriously. A police camp has been opened up at the village to avoid further clashes. Till Thursday the male members of their community had preferred to l ive outside the vil lage due to panic. The recent attack had occurred over a trivial matter l ike fishing from the village tank, which the dalits had taken on lease from the local panchayat. Sangram Nayak, another inhabitant of the village said the upper caste people wanted the dalits to take their permission before draining out the tank for fishing. According to Hina and Sangram, atrocities against them have increased during the past two and a half years. It began when some educated dalit youths declined to perform certain rituals during funerals for some upper caste people at the village. The 36 dalit families were socially ostracised. They were not allowed to fetch water from

community tubewells. They alleged that the upper castes had also barred them from shopping from the vil lage shops and bathing in a particular pond at the village. They handed over a memorandum to Sub-Collector, Bhanskar Panda, demanding arrest of culprits, withdrawal of false cases fi led against them, free medical care to the person injured in the attack on April 7 and Indira Awas houses for the four families whose houses were gutted by miscreants.(The Hindu 19/4/08)

Dalit groom asserts his rights (2) JAIPUR: In a rare instance of self-assertion, Dalits in a remote and dusty vil lage of Rajasthan challenged the centuries-old dominance of higher castes and flouted the prohibition against public celebration of their weddings over the weekend. They took recourse to the law and order machinery for protection of their rights. Chaudaki Pakhar village in Dausa district – 100 km from here – witnessed the first-ever marriage procession in which a Dalit bridegroom mounted a mare and a band party walked with it blowing trumpets and beating the drums. Senior district and police officers, along with 50 policemen, accompanied the procession. The family of the Dalit bride, Urmila Bairwa, had informed the Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR) here that Dalits in the vil lage were will ing to break the barrier of caste and wanted to make a public display of their merriment. No Dalit in Chaudaki Pakhar was earlier allowed to take out a marriage procession with the bridegroom riding on a mare. CDR chairperson P. L. Mimroth contacted the district administration and sought protection for the Dalits’ marriage procession, saying the social practices of discrimination against Dalits had no legal sanction. He pointed out that it was the Government’s responsibil ity to defend Dalits against threats held out by dominant castes. A CDR team landed in the village on Saturday and accompanied the marriage procession of Anil Bairwa, who came from the nearby Ghotya Ka Baas vil lage. The procession wound its way through the main streets of Chaudaki Pakhar in full view of the higher caste villagers who could not object to it in view of a heavy police deployment. The wedding festivities continued through the late evening until the newly-wed couple and their relatives left the village. Police were deployed all over the vil lage throughout the day. Mahuwa Sub-Divisional Officer Pokhar Mal, Deputy Superintendent of Police Richhpal Singh, Tehsildar Pramod Jain and Mandawar police station in-charge Radheyshyam Kumawat accompanied the police contingent. CDR Director Satish Kumar – applauding the timely intervention of Dausa Collector Rajesh Yadav to safeguard the rights of Dalits – said here on Monday that the incident had proved that the rule of law, if implemented in its true spirit, could help end discrimination against Dalits and change the mind-set of dominant castes. (The Hindu 22/4/08)

5 Dalit men go missing in Jabalpur (2) Bhopal : As many as 15 male members of Dalit families are missing from Biharipura village of Jabalpur district for the past nine days. Their families suspect the involvement of upper caste people in their abduction Superintendent of Police of Jabalpur Markand Deuskar denied the allegations by the Dalit families stating that there were some complaints and the police was taking action, but there was nothing like upper caste people (Thakurs) forcing the Dalits out of the village. A Dalit woman Halki Bai had approached the police on April 15 and complained that her husband and other male members are missing. "The Thakurs do not behave properly with us. It is not just this incident, they do not allow us to fetch water and we are forced to carry our shoes on our heads while passing in front of their houses," she added. On last Saturday, it was the turn of Chaokiri Bai who alleged the police refused to listen to any complaint against the Thakurs, stating that she was forced out of the vil lage. Sources said that on April 13, a few Dalits were found smoking in the crematorium where the last rites of a member of a Thakur family were being performed and they went missing after that. The incident took place on April 13, but it came to light only on Monday when Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan told the Rajya Sabha that the largest number of cases of atrocities against Scheduled Castes had been registered in Madhya Pradesh. In her written statement she said, "A total of 5,711 cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 have been registered in Madhya Pradesh in the year 2006, while in Rajasthan the number was 4,877." In Uttar Pradesh, 4,838 cases were registered, 4,579 in Andhra Pradesh and 1,918 in Karnataka. The northeastern states of Meghalaya and Mizoram registered zero cases of atrocities against SC/STs and similar was the case with Lakshwadeep and Puducherry, she said. The State Governments are given Central assistance for strengthening the judicial machinery and incentives for inter-caste marriages, awareness generation, relief and rehabilitation of the affected persons, she added. State Congress chief spoke sman Manak Agrawal strongly condemned the incident and demanded a high-level enquiry into the incident. He was surprised that in the presence of all senior officials at Jabalpur divisional headquarters, such an incident took place, and Dalits were being forced out of the village. (Pioneer 22/4/08)

Atrocities on dalits: probe to be expedited (2) BHUBANESWAR: The State government on Wednesday said that a special drive would be launched to expedite the probe into the cases pertaining to atrocities on dalits. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Scheduled Castes Welfare Advisory Board. The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The meeting also decided that steps would be taken to fi ll the vacant posts of Deputy Superintendents of Police as vacancy in these posts was delaying investigation into the cases relating to atrocities on dalits. As per the law, the cases relating of atrocities on dalits are jointly conducted by the DSP and the Magistrate of the area concerned. The Home Department officials who attended the meeting informed that steps were being taken to increase the number of DSPs in the State. (The Hindu 24/4/08)

Dalit w idow triggers BJP-Cong game of one-upmanship (2) New Delhi : A poor Dalit widow from Tikamgarh district seems to have triggered a game of one-upmanship between the Congress and the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. The widow, who had got some help from Congress heir-apparent Rahul Gandhi during one of his night stays in a Dalit-dominated village, has now been "discovered" by the BJP Government in MP and given financial help for her daughter's wedding by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. A day before Rahul kickstarts his campaign to tribal-dominated poll-bound Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, the Congress took upon itself to set the record straight and clarify that it was Rahul who is actually turning around the state of Dalits and not the BJP. The official press briefing of the Congress party was amply used to issue clarification and send a message of sorts to the BJP. Congress spoke sman Manish Tewari recounted the entire episode. He said that the Dalit widow had approached Rahul and his team on April 15 when he was spending the night at a village in Tikamgarh area. The widow sought Rahul's help for her daughter's wedding as she had little financial help because her husband had passed away 20 years back. Rahul and UP Pradesh Congress Committee chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi helped her with money and sent sarees also. The widow was found by the BJP Government in MP also and was given Rs 6,000 under Kanyadaan Yojana and Rs 14,000 under the Chief Minister's discretionary fund. Tewari said: "This initiative by Rahul Gandhi, seems to have given a wake up call to the Governments in UP, MP and in all other Pradeshs. We want to set the record straight because MP CM is now trying his best to take credit for it." (Pioneer 25/4/08)

Cabinet may clear bid to give benefits to SC mother ’s child (2) NEW DELHI, APRIL 25: In yet another move to woo voters after its mega farm loan waiver and income-tax relaxations, the UPA Government at the Centre is all set to bring more people in the ambit of Scheduled Caste (SC) category by amending the Constitution. As per a new proposal, children of inter-caste parents will get SC status if either of them belongs to the category. The proposal, which was withdrawn at the last minute by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Meira Kumar before the Union Cabinet meeting on Thursday, is l ikely to be cleared in the next meeting. However, sources told The Indian Express that the National Commission for Scheduled Castes has expressed disagreement with the move. While the Ministries of Law and Tribal Affairs too are learnt to have expressed reservations, it’s only the Ministry of Women and Child Development that has come out in support of the proposal. Currently, only a child born to a SC father and a non-SC mother acquires the SC status and not vice-versa. Citing the need to provide gender equality to women, the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry is now proposing to amend the Constitution to insert a paragraph stating “the child or children born of inter-caste marriage shall be treated as belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, if either of the parents of the child or children belongs to that community”. To bring in the change, the Government is citing the Supreme Court judgment in the Punit Rai versus Dinesh Chaudhary case (2003), which it says created an “anomalous situation” by altering the customary law where the crucial test was to determine whether a child born out of an inter-caste wedlock had been brought up in that surrounding and in that community or not. Earlier, the nexus between the child and the community or class or caste was considered the real test irrespective of the fact whether the accommodating class or ca ste was SC or not. Simply put, if the mother was a SC and the child was brought up in the surroundings of a non-SC father, the child did not acquire the SC status. Similarly, if the father was a SC and the mother was a non-SC and the child was brought up in surroundings of the mother’s side, the child was not accorded the community status. Inversely, a child was treated as a SC if he was brought up as part of an SC community, irrespective of the fact whether the father or the mother were SCs. In its judgement, the apex court had held that a circular to determine the caste of a child born from a non-SC Hindu father and a SC mother shall not have the force of the statute. “The court had said that if the customary law was to be given a go-bye to enlarge the scope of SCs, it must be done in terms of a statute and not otherwise,” said

an official of Social Justice and Empowerment. Now, the Government is contesting the court’s judgement saying the empowerment and equality of SC women have been adversely affected, as their children born with non-SC father would be deprived of the benefits available to SCs. (The Indian Expess 26/4/08)

For ‘entering upper caste area’, Dalit child hurled into fire pit near Mathura (2) MATHURA, APRIL 30: In a chilling reminder of caste divisions that still run deep in rural Uttar Pradesh, an upper caste youth, pursuing a masters in social studies, has been arrested by the Mathura police for allegedly hurling a six-year-old Dalit girl into a pit of burning waste after she “trespassed into a Thakur area” of Tarauli vil lage. The child, Kamlesh, who sustained 50 per cent burns on Tuesday evening, is being treated at the Swarn Jayanti Samudaik Hospital in Mathura. Sunny Thakur, who is said to be in his early 20s and is the son of Ashok Thakur, has been charged under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder) and under the SC/ST Act. He has been put behind bars. Police say the situation in Tarauli, 55 km from Mathura, is under control while its residents maintain that incidents of caste-related violence are routine. Kamlesh’s family members allege that she was targeted because her father, Saudan Singh, had voted against Ashok Thakur, father of the accused, in the last village election. The incident took place around 6.30 pm on Tuesday when Kamlesh was left near a pond for a short while by her mother Manju. It is alleged that Sunny Thakur, spotting the girl, pushed her into a pit of burning waste. “We had heard remarks like ‘don’t act smart because it is Mayawati’s rule’ and ‘the government will soon change’ but this (incident) is because I voted against him (Ashok Thakur),” alleged Saudan Singh. Manju claims she is under pressure from the Thakur-dominated panchayat union to reach a “compromise” in the case but “until my daughter has totally recovered, I will not withdraw the case.” Others in the vil lage say they usually ignore “small incidents” but on this, they are all with Saudan Singh, backing him for approaching the police. “This is a matter that deserves to be addressed so that the girl gets justice,” said Puran Singh, head of Tarauli village. Doctors in the Mathura hospital say Kamlesh’s condition is stable but warn that any infection can endanger her life. “She will have to be taken care of very well by the parents after she is shifted out,” said the hospital’s emergency ward officer. The child’s parents say they cannot afford the treatment. “I hardly earn Rs 50-70 a day. I have told the doctors that I do not have the money to pay for the treatment. My girl ’s life is in their hands now,” said Saudan Singh. R K Chaturvedi, Mathura Senior Superintendent of Police, said: “We had taken immediate action in the matter, the culprit will not be spared. He is in jail and we have enough proof against him.” (Indian Express 1/5/08)

MPs’ forum demands land for landless SCs (2) NEW DELHI: At a meeting of the Scheduled Caste MPs’ Forum here on Tuesday evening, it was decided to take up its demand of land for the growing number of landless Scheduled Caste families with the Prime Minister and the Group of Ministers on SC Affairs. It was decided to submit a memorandum to the government. The MPs from various parties got together at the residence of Minister of State for Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja to discuss problems of gruelling poverty and social humiliation confronting Dalits even after 60 years after Independence and abolition of untouchability. Not a day went without reports of incidents of cruelty against Dalits. And despite job reservation, a large number of reserved positions remained vacant in the government sector, the MPs noted. Around 35 MPs were present — some came for a while and left before the meeting concluded. The view was that the forum must unitedly — cutting across party l ines — work for the economic and social betterment of Dalits. If they raise their voice together, the forum could help influence government policiy, it was felt. Several important points were made. While there was no dearth of educated SCs, a large number of reserved positions remained vacant and were later filled by general category candidates. The view was that old prejudices often worked to deny the SCs their constitutional right. An impassioned plea was also made in favour of rapid urbanisation, for that alone could make a dent on centuries-old prejudices and social practices. One Minister pointed out that though his entire family was well-educated and financially well-placed, back in his ancestral village in Tamil Nadu, his home was the area marked out for the Dalits. He could not, would not be allowed, to build a home and live next to the so-called caste-Hindus. That kind of untouchability was difficult to practise in densely-populated urban conglomerations and that was the positive aspect of industrialisation and urbanisation. “By and large in the vil lages of India, the Hindu-Aryan system remained firmly entrenched,” he said. It was also pointed out that B.R. Ambedkar was not against reservation for the Backward Classes but that had to be done only after identification of the Other Backward Classe s (other than the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) through a commission. Some BC leaders, it was pointed out, were trying to spread misinformation about Dr. Ambedkar’s views on reservation for Backward Classe s…….. (The Hindu 1/5/08)

Six-year-old Dalit girl thrown into fire (2) LUCKNOW: A six-year-old Dalit girl suffered serious burns when a youth belonging to an upper caste threw her into a garbage dump fire at Karoli village in Mathura district late on Tuesday. The youth, identified as 16-year-old Sunny, son of Ashok Thakur, was arrested by the Chata police and a case registered under the Scheduled Castes/Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A Home Department spoke sman said here on Wednesday that the girl had been admitted to a local hospital. At Chandanpurwa village in Etawah district, a 22-year-old Dalit youth was set afire on Monday by a shopkeeper, Chunna Pandit, over the payment of a sum of Rs. 10. The youth, who suffered 70 per cent burns, is now in hospital. (The Hindu 1/5/08)

Dalit man set on fire for Rs 10 (2) Lucknow : Insistence upon the return of Rs 10 balance has cost a young Dalit man heavy - he is now battling for survival at a hospital after reportedly being doused in petrol and torched in a remote Etawah district village. Police on Wednesday said Vinod Kumar Jatav, 22, purchased a litre of petrol from an il legal petrol shop owned by Chhana Pandit in Chandarpurwa vil lage on Monday night. The shopkeeper took Rs50 from Kumar but refused to return the balance Rs 10. This led to an argument which saw Pandit pouring petrol over Jatav and lighting the match. Jatav suffered 70 percent burns. Passers-by rushed Jatav to hospital where his condition was said to be critical. Assistant Superintendent of Police RP Gautam in Etawah confirmed the incident on Wednesday and said that Pandit had absconded and was yet to be arrested. (Pioneer 1/5/08)

Dalit girl raped (2) Muzaffarnagar: A 13-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped by an upper caste youth at gun point at Bamnagar area here, evoking strong protests. Police said the girl, belonging to Angar community, was criminally assaulted at a jungle. Her community members met the district magistrate today and demanded immediate action. The girl ’s father lodged a complaint with the local police. However, the accused Kawarpal was sti ll at large. (The Hindu 3/5/08)

US-based honcho comes headhunting for Dalits again (2) New Delhi, May 2: Michael Thevar is an unlikely headhunter. He wants a bunch of young IT pros for his US consultancy firm. Liberal compensations are assured, so are H-1 visas. A number of CVs have already landed from Mumbai’s Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), Nagpur University and even Chennai. Thevar has one condition, though: “only Dalits need apply”. “Class I officers and their families are a no-no. It’s mostly first-generation educated youth who might have spent their childhood in slums or shanties that I’m interested in,” says Thevar. Certain Tamil Nadu districts are notorious for Dalit-Thevar (an OBC community) clashes, but Michael’s parents migrated to Karnataka much before his birth. Born to a Catholic mother and Hindu father, his parents ensured that he went to an English-medium school, even if it meant cutting on their two square meals a day. Michael went to the Tata Institute of Social Sciences for his Masters before proceeding to the USA that facil itated his growth as an entrepreneur. The social work graduate worked as a “clinical services manager” before founding his own firm, Temp Solutions Inc, a healthcare firm, in 2000. His firm now clocks a turnover of $12 million. The health professionals that he got attached to various US hospitals were MSWs (Masters in Social Work) or even MAs in psychology. After having recruited 20 Dalit health professionals, with another 30 in the pipeline, the Pennsylvania-based entrepreneur now wants Dalits to ride the IT boom. A sprightly bunch of young Dalit engineers, sharing his vision of Dalit entrepreneurship, is helping him with the scanning process. Nitin Salve has a B Tech from VJTI and an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute. His friend, Mangesh Dahiwale, another VJTI alumnus, was a rank holder in civil services. Priyadarshi Telang did his BE from Nagpur University and worked with the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. Driven by Ambedkar’s vision, the trio quit their 9-to-6 jobs to work for the Dalit cause. Working with a Pune NGO, they now network with various Dalit organisations. It was another Dalit scholar from IIT-Bombay who had helped Thevar reach out to the Dalits. “A PhD scholar, Lalit Khandare, inspired me to recruit Dalits for my organisation. He then put out ads in Samrat and Mahanayak—two Marathi dailies that take up Dalit issues. Various online Dalit communities were involved and we got many suitable applicants,” recalls Thevar. Many slum-born kids on his team now earn $ 40,000 a year. His workforce in the US has an interesting spread of states and religions. Most of the Indian recruits are from Maharashtra, UP and Tamil Nadu. Half of them are Buddhists, a couple of them are Catholics, while the rest are “non-practising Hindus.” “I wa s baptized during my school days, but more than religion, education and efficiency in English language are a Dalit’s

passport to a secure future,” says Thevars. The BTechs and MBAs assisting him in his mission only reinforce this.(Indian Express 3/5/08)

UP tops in crime against Scheduled castes (2) New Delhi, May 4: Uttar Pradesh tops the list of states with the highest number of cases of crimes against Scheduled Castes. With a staggering 4,960 cases of crime committed against people from the Scheduled Castes, Uttar Pradesh topped the list in 2006, according to ministry of home affairs' data. The state is closely followed by Madhya Pradesh, with 4,214 such cases being registered the same year. Among the states of South India, Andhra Pradesh, where 3,891 such cases were registered in 2006, ranks the highest. Taken together, the three states - Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh - constituted more than 51 per cent of crimes committed against SCs in the country in 2006. Analysis of data shows that number of crimes against Scheduled Castes have increased in the country. While 26,127 cases of crime against SCs were registered in 2005, the subsequent year saw 27,070 cases being registered. The data for 2007 is yet to be compiled. As per the data available for the years 2004-06, UP has seen a increase in crime against SCs. While 2004 saw 3,785 such cases being registered, 4,397 cases were recorded in 2005. AP, where 3,117 cases of crime against SCs were reported in 2005, has also seen an increase in the number. On the other hand, MP has seen a decline in such cases. While data for 2006 showed 4,214 cases were registered in the state for crime against SCs, in 2005, the number was 4,222. The year 2004 witnessed the highest number with 4,699 cases being registered. Among the seven Union Territories, Delhi has recorded 21 such cases, which is the highest number. According to the figures available, the number of persons convicted for crimes against SCs under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989, including all IPC crimes, in 2005 was 12,468. (Asian Age 5/5/08)

Dalit siblings thrashed by landlord (2) NEW DELHI: Three Dalit siblings living as tenants in Mukherjee Nagar here were allegedly beaten up and abused by their landlord’s family on Saturday apparently after they learnt of their Scheduled Caste status. Two sisters and a brother living on the third floor of 165 Mukherjee Nagar claimed that they were beaten up and punched by their landlord Om Prakash Grover, his wife, their son and daughter in-law on Saturday after one of the sisters, Kanaklata, went downstairs to fi ll water. “They did not let her fi ll water and instead started beating her with a slipper. My brother Chandra Bhushan who tried to intervene was also beaten up. On hearing the commotion, I rushed downstairs. They tried to tear my clothes and one of the sons of our landlord punched me. They hurled abuses at us. A number of people had gathered outside the house but no one came forward to help us,” claimed Manorama, the other sister, on Sunday. When the victims called their brother Vijay Bahadur, who stays nearby in a separate accommodation, and a friend, they too were allegedly thrashed by Mr. Grover and his family. However, the police said that as per preliminary investigations it appeared to be a case of quarrel between the landlord and tenants over water distribution since there was an acute scarcity in the area. “Nonetheless an inquiry into the allegations is on and a case would be registered under relevant sections on the basis of its findings,’ said the police. Kanaklata is doing her M. Phil. from Delhi University, while Manorama is a teacher and Chandra Bhushan is studying MCA from Amity University. Apparently, the siblings have been living as tenants for more than a year. “A few months ago, when Mr. Grover’s daughter got married, we gave him five months’ rent in advance so that he faced no financial hurdles. We even cooperated with them and participated in the ceremonies like family members,” recalled Manorama. The relations between the two families apparently soured, when about four days ago Mr. Grover found out that the siblings were Dalits. “They began asking us to vacate the house. They started harassing us. They stopped providing water to us,” said Manorama. After the police were called in on Saturday, both the parties were taken to the Mukherjee Nagar police station. The siblings claimed that they were “pressurised” by the police to strike a compromise with their landlord. (The Hindu 5/5/08)

National SC panel seeks report on hunger death in D henkanal (2) | Bhubaneswar : The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has directed the Dhenkanal Collector to conduct an immediate inquiry into the alleged starvation death with a view of the seriousness of the allegation and send an action taken report along with a copy of the inquiry report within 30 days. Notably, one Santara Nayak (55) of village Dhirapatna under Sadar block in Dhenkanal district died of starvation on November 10, 2007. Though poor Santara had repeatedly approached the Collector to help him in getting two square meals, no action was taken on Santara's prayers. Following Santara's death the irate villagers'

gheraoed the panchayat office and godown and alleged that he died of starvation and the panchayat did not come to his rescue. It was also alleged that though it was a clear case of starvation death, the district administration had tried to hush up the matter. For example, instead of conducting autopsy of Santara the administration by the help of his neighbours cremated his body in which the Revenue Inspector (RI) was a party. By profession Santara was a bamboo craftsman and meeting his family needs by weaving different items of bamboo. But after the rigid enforcement of Forest Act he lost his livelihood. Besides, he was deprived of getting benefit of different welfare programmes such as Annapurna Yojana or Antodaya Yojana, even though his name was figured in the below poverty l ine (BPL) list. After the news spread the members of Development Initiative (DI) advocate Rashmirani Das and Nilima Mishra lodged a written complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. In their complaint they had mentioned that although different welfare programmes were being undertaken by Central and State Governments to check starvation deaths, the programme did not reach the dalit and adivasi people of Dhenkanal district. Even if it was alleged that some starvation deaths were reported in the district over past four months, the district administration has turned a deaf ear to all such allegations. (Pioneer 5/5/08)

2 youths held for rape of Dalit woman (2) LUCKNOW: The station in charge of the Kamalganj police station in Uttar Pradesh has been placed under suspension for his failure to prevent the rape of a Dalit woman by three youths late on Sunday night. Neeraj Lodhi and Anuj have been arrested and the police are on the lookout for the other. Gyan Singh, Special Secretary, Home, said on Monday that Nasir Hussain was placed under suspension for “dereliction of duty.” Following a complaint lodged by the 40-year-old woman that she was raped at a secluded spot near Nagla Thana village in Farrukhabad district around 10 p.m., a case was registered under the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. It is said the woman of Kanghrapur village left her house after a tiff with her husband and was walking towards to her relative’s house at Kamalganj, when the three youths allegedly assaulted her. Another case under the SC, ST Act was registered in the Ekdil police station in Etawah district following an aborted attempt to set ablaze Baba Gyandeep Jatav of the Jhala Ashram in the early hours of Monday. He was admitted to hospital with 40 per cent burns. (The Hindu 6/5/08)

Cop suspended after caste braw l (2) Muzaffarnagar: A police outpost in-charge at Madeda village has been suspended after seven Dalits su stained injuries when Upper Caste members fired at them during a brawl on Saturday. Police arrested one of the eight accused. Seven Dalits, including two women and three children, were fired upon after they refused to harvest wheat crop belonging to members of Jat community on Saturday. A case under the Dalit Act and various sections of the IPC has been registered and police patrolling has been intensified in the vil lage. (The Hindu 6/5/08)

Will demolition of 'caste wall' eradicate untouchab ility in TN? (2) Chennai : Deep down in a Tamil Nadu vil lage a system of untouchability was shaken and a wall that segregated Dalits from caste Hindus was breached. But will the demolition of the wall remove the deep-rooted social evil that even the political parties skirted since Independence? A four-metre section of a 600-metre wall built by Thevars, l isted as a most backward community, to block the entry of Dalits in Uthapuram vil lage 60- km from Madurai was brought down on Tuesday in the presence of a 1,000-strong armed police contingent. A campaign by a political party was instrumental in breaking down of a portion of the wall in an effort to eradicate untouchability. But the sensitivity of the issue involved has not diminished as 302 Thevar (Pillaimar community) families surrendered their ration cards and moved lock stock and barrel to Thalayuthu hill (four-km away) once Chief Minister M Karunanidhi ordered breaking of the wall. The task now lay with the district administration to coax Thevars to return to Uthapuram. The wall was built following clashes between Thevars and the 2,000 Dalit families in August 1989 and after a discussion between heads of the two groups. The wall runs through some pockets of public areas, including the main entrance road into the village. Apart from the wall, Dalits cannot drink tea in shops owned by Thevars or wait at bus shelters, where Thevars wait, sit under temple trees or go to the same temple. Recently the wall was electrified so that Dalit youths do not scale the wall or sit on it near the bus stop. Following reports in the local dail ies, the district administration disconnected power to the wall. The CPI(M) took up the issue of breaking the wall and in fact gave an ultimatum to the Karunanidhi Government that if the wall is not broken down by the end of May, the party would break the wall. Quickly Karunanidhi ordered breaking of the wall. But Thevars in protest left the vil lage. So Karunanidhi decided

that only the portion of the wall blocking the public pathway would be broken. This, he told the Assembly, would ensure pathway for Dalits and protection for Thevars. So under the posse of 1500 police personnel just the section of the wall blocking the pathway was broken. "How can we break the whole wall? The wall forms the back of houses? We only broke the section that blocked the public path. Now we are going to assure caste Hindu families that we would give them special protection and will not remove the rest of the wall. I have formed a committee - Ulilampatti Revenue Divisional Officer Pichaiyah and five other officers - which will meet the upper caste families and note their grievances and assure them full protection. We have to first localise solutions. Only then we can win them back. I am confident they will return to the vil lage," Madurai Collector SS Jawahar told The Pioneer. "Today is a historic day for Uthapuram, Tamil Nadu and our country, because after 18 years "the wall of shame" that had divided the people and symbolised caste oppression had been breached," Karat said addressing the public in the village, while Dalit community rejoiced. The discrimination against Dalits has led to several caste clashes in southern districts. But no political party would dare to question such practices. In fact, the parties exploit these differences, as most of the regional parties are caste-based. For instance, in panchayats like Papapatti-Keeripatti near Usilampatti, where the posts of president are reserved for SC/ST, Thevars would not allow Dalits to assume the position. If someone dares to take charge, he is mercilessly kil led.Similar equations exist between Dalits and other caste Hindus, like Vanniyars in northern districts. A classic example was in last March when in Villupuram district there was a clash between Vanniyar Christians and Dalit Christians over using certain paths and cemetery. Caste, in effect, overrides religion in Tamil Nadu. (Pioneer 8/5/08)

Mareppa wants a State for SCs/ STs (2) HYDERABAD: Courting controversy yet again, Marketing Minister M. Mareppa on Wednesday advocated a separate State for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and accused the Anti-Corruption Bureau with targeting low level weaker section employees leaving the big fish. Addressing a press conference, Mr. Mareppa said a separate State was needed for these two oppressed sections in line with the ideologies of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Jythirao Phule to fulfi l their aspirations. He called upon these sections to fight for such a State “as a final answer to all your woes” instead of quarrelling over categorisation issue. “If you launch agitation with this demand, I will back and join you.” He said while conducting raids and booking cases against SC/ST employees, the ACB was looking the other way when it involved higher officials, huge amounts and those belonging (The Hindu 8/5/08) Dalits fear backlash in TN (2) Uthapuram (Madurai), May 8: The opening of the Uthapuram caste wall has led to the consolidation of various caste Hindu groups in these highly sensitive villages of Usilamapatti block in Madurai and other southern districts of Tamil Nadu, causing bouts of fear psychosis in dalit colonies. The dalits here fear backlashes. The issue of discrimination in Uthapuram exposed by the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Committee of CPM, has hit the headlines at a time when the government is struggling to grapple with violent situations in the aftermath of desecration of statues and portraits of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar, Dr Ambedkar and Mutharayars at various places in southern districts. The self imposed exile of Uthapuram Pillaimars has provided a solid platform for these caste Hindu groups, including the predominant Piramalai Kallars (a sub-sect of Mukkulathors), to showcase their solidarity against the Tamil Nadu government, which they claim is "partisan" in its approach to the people. Self-styled caste leaders and groups have, in fact, provided not only food and water to the people of Uthapuram who "migrated" to the nearby hills in protest against the calculated attempts of a few political groups to "paint them evil," but also the moral support in their battle for restoring their "frayed pride." On Thursday, the members of the Usilampatti-based All-India Forward Bloc, All-India Moovendar Munnani Kazhagam (AIMMK), Moovendar Munnetra Kazhagam and even the local BJP leader Pon Karunanidhi visited the Thalaiyuthu hills to tell the Pillaimaars that they are with them. "Even after the desecration of Thevar statue, we maintained calm. After their attempts to instigate clash between Thevars and dalits failed, the vested interests are now targeting for a clash between Mutharayars and dalits and Pillaimaars and dalits. We expressed our solidarity to those Pillaimaars in the hil ls," said AIMMK leader Dr N. Sethuraman. But the dalits in these caste-sensitive villages are l iving in fear of retribution. They are also very apprehensive that the ghosts of 1996 caste violence would return to haunt them. "We cannot stand another round of caste clashes. We have already lost many lives and properties." says a dalit youth. More than 400 persons were killed in caste clashes that engulfed southern districts from 1996 to 1999. The underlying thorny issue here is that almost all dalit households in the vil lage have started showing signs of affluence. Many are land holders and the literacy rate among them also has shown a healthy

improvement. (Asian Age 9/5/08)

Dalit minors paraded naked for killing birds (2) JAIPUR: Two Dalit minors were paraded naked for allegedly killing birds at Byawar village in Rajasthan's Ajmer district. Although the incident took place three days ago, police came to know about it on Sunday and arrested two of the accused. The children, identified as Vinod (12) and Sagar (10), belong to the Kanjar tribe. They were catching birds when vil lagers caught hold of them and rummaged through their belongings. A few pigeons and partridges were found in a small bag they were carrying. Furious, the vil lagers thrashed the boys before stripping them naked in full public view. A barber was later called and after he tonsured their heads, they were paraded in the village. (Times of India 12/5/08)

Dalit: Give me gun to kill cop (2) Salem, May 12: P. Rajagopal, a former councillor and president of a dalit outfit, Adi Dravida Makkal, Katchi, has petitioned the chief minister and the home secretary seeking permission to shoot down the inspector of Palapatti, Lakshmanan, with the police commissioner’s gun on August 15. P. Rajagopal submitted an eight-page petition to the collector on Monday seeking 25 bullets and a week’s training to use the gun of the commissioner of police so that the "atrocious" inspector Lakshmanan could be put to death. The petition listed out charges against the inspector. It alleged that the policeman ran a "part time business" in which he earned money by collecting Rs 1,000 per stall from vendors in Salem bus stand. He is also said to be owning a private wine shop and procures liquor from Puducherry. When contacted, the commissioner of police, K. Gopalakrishnan, said the grievances should be raised in a proper forum. A case has been registered and the councillor wil l be remanded shortly, he said. The DGP office has directed the inspector to be transferred before May 20 and the orders will be followed, the commissioner of police added. Praveen, the district secretary of the Youth Federation of India CPI (M), who is absconding awaiting bail for theft charges reportedly foisted by Lakshmanan, spoke from his place of hiding. He said the inspector had foisted a false charge against him and five others when they announced to protest publicly against his action after he beat up an auto driver. He also added that the councillor had reportedly contacted the inspector on phone, seeking permission to erect some shops in the bus stand. "As the inspector did not give him permission, the councillor resorted to this kind of action," Mr Gopalakrishnan added. (Asian Age 13.5.08)

Dalits form anti-Mayawati forum (2) Lucknow, May 20: Dalit leaders heading different outfits in Uttar Pradesh have set up a joint forum that will "expose the anti-dalit policies of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati".The forum, titled "Save Democracy Forum" includes several former Bahujan Samaj Party leaders, some of whom were known to be close to the late Kanshi Ram. "The new forum will invite several national leaders in the state to give them a first-hand account of violation of political and democratic rights of dalits in the state under the Mayawati regime. All of us, who have joined the forum, firmly believe that issues related to dalits have not been patented by the Bahujan Samaj Party," said Mr S.R. Darapuri, a former IPS officer and leader of the Republican Party of India. The forum, incidentally, has the blessings of the Congress, which has been repeatedly targeted by the Bahujan Samaj Party of late, and its members include state leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party, the Samata Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal. A joint action committee comprising one member from each organisation has also been formed. While this forum will seek to expose the anti-dalit policies of the BSP and target its newfound love for Brahmins, another similar forum is being set up at the national level. Dr Udit Raj, president of the Indian Justice Party told this correspondent on Tuesday that he was making an effort to build a forum at the national level. "I have already spoken to Mr Ram Vilas Paswan and we are bringing in dalit leaders from all states. More than just opposing Mayawati, we want to create an alternative political forum that wil l sincerely work for dalits in the country," he said. The anger against Ms Mayawati seems to have been further fuelled by the fact that the UP government has been coming down heavily against state dalit leaders who do not support the Bahujan Samaj Party. While the Indian Justice Party leader, Dr Udit Raj, was beaten up during a demonstration, Mr R.K. Choudhury, a former BSP minister and now the president of BS-4, was denied permission to hold a seminar. The Congress Party was also denied permission to hold a dalit panchayat in the state capital recently. The party’s SC/ST cell state chief Prabhu Dayal Katheria, said, "Mayawati is trying to project herself as a deity for dalits, which is not justified in a democracy like India. She cannot tolerate if anyone speaks about dalit welfare." (Asian Age 21/5/08)

Rahul: Interest in dalits not new (2) New Delhi, May 22: His visits to dalit households may have caught the media spotlight, but Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said it was not a new-found interest. "I am trying to understand their lot. But I have been meeting everyone. I have met tribals in Madhya Pradesh. You (media) are making it out that I am meeting only dalits and tribals, but I am meeting everybody," Mr Gandhi told reporters. Talking to mediapersons at the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the occasion of the UPA completing four years, he said, "When I go to a village in UP, there is no signboard which says dalits only here. There are brahmins and there are people from other communities." The 37-year-old Amethi MP has been under intense attack from BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati, who has criticised him for his visits to dalit families. "This is not something which I have started doing now, I have been doing this in my constituency (Amethi) during my visits there," he said. "If you go back in history, you will find that I and my sister have been doing this regularly, so has my mother and father," Mr Gandhi said. (PTI) (Asian Age 23/5/08)

Author arrested for book on Ambedkar (2) Mumbai, May 27: A chapter in his yet to be launched book titled Ambedkarwaadache Khare Swaroop (Reality of Ambedkarism) which reportedly made certain comments on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar landed Vijay Satpute in jail for a day. The Meghwadi police booked him for “deliberately and maliciously outraging religious feelings by insulting religious beliefs” on the basis of a complaint lodged by Sumedh Uke on May 11. Satpute was taken into judicial custody and later released on bail. Satpute had distributed some copies of his book before its launch at a function organised by Dalit scholars. Uke who was also present at the function and collected his copy, later fi led a complaint claiming the book hurt Dalit sentiments and tarnished Ambedkar’s character. Satpute says: “The police did not even think it was important to read my book before imposing a ban on it... They cannot simply stop anyone from writing a book and curtail their freedom.” But police said such a book will only add to the existing tensions in the city.(Indian Express 28/5/08)

Polls-scarred, Cong eyes UP Dalit model (2) New Delhi, May 28: With Mayawati denting Congress’ chances in several states, the Congress-led UPA Government is now planning to initiate a slew of measures for Dalits, including a Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana on the lines of the Ambedkar vil lages of Uttar Pradesh. The 16-member Committee of Ministers on Dalit Affairs (CMDA) headed by Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday finalised its first report which envisages suitably “modifying” the Bharat Nirman guidelines for integrated development of villages with 40 per cent or more Dalit population. Sources said the scheme, slated to be called the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY), wil l provide 71,000 such villages an additional Rs 10 lakh for creating paved streets and culverts, covered drains, street lighting, street electrification, a panchayat house and sports facilities over and above the infrastructure currently allowed under Bharat Nirman. This is part of a dozen odd “high priority” recommendations in the first report of the CMDA, which was finalised after sub-groups led by Pranab Mukherjee, Sharad Pawar, Arjun Singh, Shivraj Patil, Meira Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan submitted their reports after extensive discussions. The CMDA report had 151 recommendations of which 12 were already found to be part of other schemes, while seven were “un-implementable”. The panel then gave its go-ahead for the remaining 131 recommendations and singled out a dozen-odd as “high priority”. It has set a four-month deadline to prepare an “action plan” for the implementation of these recommendations. In fact, the committee, which also includes Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, anticipates about Rs 7,200 crore expenditure on PMAGY during the remaining period of the Eleventh Plan. OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS • Provide free uniforms, footwear and stationary to all SC children until they become eligible for prematric scholarship— this is estimated to cost about Rs 8,800 crore in the next four years • An additional Navodaya Vidyalaya in districts with more than 20 per cent Dalit population plus two residential schools for boys in educationally backward blocks on the lines of the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas for girls. This will cost around Rs 2,500 crore • Charging no fee from Dalits enrolled in higher classe s and providing prematric scholarship to all SC children without any limit on the number • Increasing the number of fellowships to 2000 and the number of national overseas scholarship to 50 within a year • The creation of a separate budget head for Scheduled Caste Sub Plan in each department from 2009-10, making the allocation under it non-divertible and non-lapsable • The panel has also asked the Government to codify a law to fil l the backlog in government jobs reserved for Dalits (Indian Express 29/5/08)

Dalits remain unempowered (2) NEW DELHI: May 29: Panchayati raj has allowed a critical mass of 5.4 lakh dalits enter the mainstream panchayat system but they remain an unempowered lot. A report on the state of panchayats (2007-8) has highlighted that the practice of untouchability continues even during gram panchayat meetings where they are made to sit separately and drink tea and water from separate glasse s. The report, sponsored by the ministry of panchayati raj, cites examples of several violent incidents in which dalits have tried to assert their rights. One such example is of a dalit sarpanch Bholaram, who was battered to death in the village of Phooljhar close to Raipur because the villagers were not happy with a dalit sarpanch. Even in a state like Tamil Nadu , there have been complaints of dalit panchayat members being done to death by uppercaste Hindus. Ten Scheduled Caste panchayat presidents in Tirunelvelli district have recently complained that their lives are under threat from uppercastes. Four villages in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu which saw Dalits elected are witnessing accelerated caste tension. Following panchayat elections in October 2006, P. Jaggaiyan, president of Nakkalamuthanpatti village was done to death because he refused to oblige the `upper caste vice-president ‘ by being a rubber stamp president. This was followed by the death in suspicious circumstances of M. Servaran, president of the Maruthankinaru village panchayat. He was found dead near his house on February 9 2007. Several other dalit panchayat heads in different districts of Tamil Nadu complain of not being allowed to function by their deputies and other caste members. Dalit women also face similar discrimination. The report cites the example of Savita Ben, sarpanch of saddha gram panchayat in Himmatnagar taluka of Sabarkantha district in Gujarat who took part in several development activities but was suspended from her post on one pretext or the other. Another way to prevent dalit members from functioning is to introduce no-confidence motions against them. Last year, 34 no-confidence motions were introduced against dalit heads of panchayats in Chattisgarh alone. This has led a Dalit Mukti Morcha activist to conclude that `whenever dalits come to power, their posts are declared null and void so as to prevent them from exercising their rights’. This problem is heightened by the fact that the majority of elected SC representatives in the BIMARU states are illi terate. State governments have set up social justice committees to protect the interests of SCs, STs and backward classes but these committees remain only on paper. (Asian Age 30/5/08)

Dalit man killed in UP police firing (2) Agra : One Dalit was kil led and over two dozen people were injured in police firing after the police opened fire on a violent mob that was on a rampage in Soron town of the newly formed Kanshi Ram Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Curfew has been imposed in Soron town following the violence. The mob was demanding the reversal of the State Government decision's decision of shifting the recently established tehsil headquarters from Soron, an OBC populated area, to the nearby Sahawar town, which is a Muslim-dominated area allegedly on recommendation by local BSP MLA Mamtesh Shakya.A peaceful demonstration under the aegis of the Tehsil Bachao Sangharsh Samiti had been underway in Soron since May 23 but on Friday, the demonstration suddenly took a violent turn when one of the protestors climbed a cellular phone tower and began threatening to jump off the tower if the tehsil headquarters were not shifted back to Soron.While the district administrative and police officials were trying to coax the man to come down, some of the demonstrators began a heated debate with the officials which soon transformed into widespread firing, stone-pelting and arson by an agitated mob. (Pioneer 31/5/08)

Rape v ictim missing (2) JAIPUR: A minor Dalit girl, daughter of a poor labourer from Chhanibadi vil lage in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan, who was allegedly gang-raped for several months, has been missing since May 12 when the perpetrators of the crime allegedly abducted her to prevent her from recording her statement in court the next day. Two police officers are stated to be among those who allegedly raped the girl. The police also used force to disperse a crowd comprising the girl ’s family members and social activists demanding arrest of the guilty persons at the Naib Tehsildar’s office in Chhanibadi on June 4. A fact-finding team of the Centre for Dalit Rights, which visited the village this past Sunday, said here that influential people belonging to higher castes were threatening Dalits and not allowing the law to take its course. The team, led by CDR Director Satish Kumar, demanded that the absconding accused be arrested immediately and the 14-year-old girl recovered from them. (The Hindu 12/6/08)

Buta: UP has worst record of atrocities on Dalits ( 2) Allahabad, June 12: National Commission for Scheduled Castes chairman Buta Singh on Thursday said Uttar Pradesh had the worst track record when it comes to atrocities on Dalits. Singh was heading a

three-member fact-finding team of the commission to Kanti village, where the police allegedly used force on June 7 to evict Dalits from a plot which had been recently sold. “Uttar Pradesh continues to be at the top in terms of the number of cases of atrocities against Dalits reported in states across the country. The latest data available with us is for 2006 when the state recorded a whopping 52,827 such cases,” Singh said. He said the backward classe s were being driven to the wall in the state “due to an unsympathetic administration which has scant respect for the constitutional provisions made for the weaker sections”. “Mayawati has apparently has no control over the administration and the police as a result of which her proclaimed commitment to the cause of the Dalits was now under scanner,” the former Union minister said. After recording the statements of the villagers in Kanti, the commission termed the incident barbaric and ghastly. Singh said the role played by the district administration and the police was dubious, adding that the police did not even spare pregnant women and children. “The commission has taken the matter very seriously,” he said, adding that he would recommend action against 40 police personnel including some officers. (Indian Express 13/6/08)

SC panel summons IIT director (2) New Delhi: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has summoned the director of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, for a meeting on June 17 after students belonging to SC/ST community were asked to leave the institution for "very poor performance". "The director of IIT, Delhi, Prof. Surendra Prasad has been asked to come for a meeting on June 17," commission sources said. A decision to summon the director had been taken after a complaint had been registered with the commission by the father of one of the students. —PTI (Asian Age 13/6/08)

Honour for MP (2) BHUBANESWAR: Rajya Sabha member Radhakant Nayak has been conferred a honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa by the New England College of United States of America for his significant contribution towards uplift of Dalits and tribal people. Two other personalities, who were conferred the honorary degree at the commencement ceremony of the college recently were author, activist, and lecturer Loung Ung and Galway Kinnell, a well-known American poet. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Nayak dedicated the honour to all the Dalits and tribals as well as their sympathisers and supporters who struggle against injustice and oppression. (The Hindu 13/6/08)

Dalit dies after cops beat him, three sacked (2) Kanpur, June 13: A dead Dalit youth from Kamalpur village is mocking at Chief Minister Mayawati’s desperate attempts to rein in her indisciplined police force. The dead man, Umakant, was picked up from home on Wednesday afternoon by the Narval police and was beaten so severely that he passed away a few hours after the police let him go, Umakant’s mother Nanki has alleged. Umakant was accused of ‘helping’ his friend Sohanlal elope with girlfriend Babita. The deceased’s mother lodged an FIR on Thursday against the Narval police with the Maharajpur police station. A case under Section 304 of IPC was registered, following which the services of the concerned three policemen — sub-inspector Shesh Kumar Shukla, head constable Anand Hari Verma, and constable Khet Singh — were terminated. SSP Ashok Kumar Singh said the postmortem had revealed a fracture in Umakant’s neck bone. It appeared he had been hit with a heavy object. Villagers said Shesh Kumar Shukla and Khet Singh had picked up Umakant from his home on Wednesday to question him about the missing couple. A bereaved Nanki said: “The police are responsible for my son’s death. They are ruthless.” Umakant’s brother Chhatrapal said, “The officers picked him up forcefully and when his condition deteriorated, he was left in the village fields to die.” Umakant breathed his last in a local hospital. (Indian Express 14/6/08)

Sikh, Muslim, Dalit leaders call on Bainsla (2) Pilupura, June 13: Colonel Kirori Singh Bainsla, spearheading the Gurjjar agitation, had some unexpected guests amid a heavy downpour here on Friday. Kartar Singh Kochar, general secretary of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, visited Bainsla and spoke out against the “cruelties” inflicted on the Gurjjars by the Rajasthan Government and expressed support for their cause. “We believe in the cause for which the Gurjjars are fighting, and are here to express support for them in Delhi,” he said. Qasim Illyas Rasool, spokesperson of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, spoke of the need to build a base of such sections of society which are confronted with similar issues and problems. Dalit Samaj general secretary Padam Singh also visited Bainsla along with the other leaders and reiterated the need to “fight

together for a similar cause”. Expressing his pleasure at receiving support from “unexpected quarters”, Bainsla said, “There is an urgent need for a (joint) group which is as independent and strong as any other community or party in the country.” Advocate Attar Singh, a right hand man of Bainsla, said, “If there is any solution to our problems, it is a political base to challenge oppression and neglect of our community.” As support from Mayawati looked on the cards, the Gurjjar leaders reiterated that “whoever gives us reservation will be a friend”. With growing support for Bainsla’s cause among minority groups, there is talk among Gurjjar leaders of building up a joint political force at national and state level. The Gurjjar leaders are now looking at creating a support base outside of their community with communities fighting for similar causes. While the Gurjjar leaders look for more support to take their demands to Delhi, the murmur in Pilupura is about a stronger protest in case the talks in Jaipur fail on Friday after the third and final round. “We are ready for another blockade as our people have provided us the much-needed support to go ahead,” Col Bainsla said. (Indian Express 14/6/08)

Dalit's murder: Ex-UP Minister sent to judicial cus tody (2) Lucknow : The Faizabad sessions court on Sunday remanded former Uttar Pradesh Minister and Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) legislator Anand Sen Yadav in judicial custody til l June 28. After months of evading the law, Yadav, 45, surrendered at the Ghazipur police station here on Saturday evening following his alleged involvement in the November 2007 kidnapping and murder of Shashi, a Dalit woman from Faizabad. He was then arrested and produced in a Faizabad court on Sunday. He has been lodged at the Faizabad district prison. Yadav had to resign as Minister of State for Food Processing in the wake of Shashi's rape and kil ling. Before presenting him in the court, the Faizabad police also interrogated him at an undisclosed location. "However, we could not extract any useful information from him," said Senior Superintendent of Police (Faizabad) RKS Rathore. According to officials, the police would soon move an application in the court to seek a police remand for him for further interrogation. Shashi, a 24-year-old third-year law student in Faizabad, went missing October 22. After recovery of her wristwatch, which was found from the Gomti River in Sultanpur, the police suspected she was murdered, though her body is yet to be found. Her parents had confirmed that the watch belonged to her. In a first information report (FIR), Shashi's father Yogendra Prasad accused Anand Sen Yadav's distant relative and driver Vijay Sen of the crime. Seema Azad, a classmate of Shashi and believed to be close to Yadav, was named as the other accused. She was arrested June 8. Yadav's name figured as a suspect in the charge-sheet fi led in the court on the basis of narco analysis tests conducted on Vijay Sen. (Pioneer 16/6/08)

Dalits finally ‘dare’ in this reserved seat (2) Malasa, June 16: For the first time in three years, two Dalits on Monday finally mustered the courage to contest for the post of gram pradhan from the reserved seat of Malasa in Kanpur Dehat. On May 20, this newspaper had highlighted the fact that despite being ruled by a party that espouses the cause of the Dalits, this Uttar Pradesh vil lage was too scared to choose a Dalit gram pradhan. Previously, elections were held in August 2005 and February 2006, but on both the occasions under immense pressure from the dominant Thakurs, none of the Dalits filed nominations. On Monday, with the Kanpur Dehat district and police officials waking up to address the issue, the entire village was transformed into a police fortress and a section of PAC was posted at the Block Development Office office when nomination papers were filed. The entire force of Bhognipur and Moosanagar police stations were deployed in the village. One circle officer and two station officers were also on duty in the village. To boost the moral of the Dalits, a Bahujan Samaj Party team, led by district president Ram Babu Gautam, was present in the Block Development Office till the nomination process wa s over. However, it wasn’t all smooth for the Dalits. The Block Development Office was surrounded by over 500 Thakurs a s long as the nomination process continued. The Dalits coming to the Block Development Office were threatened and abused. That, however, was no deterrent for Chandrika Prasad and Lallai. Both of them fi led their respective set of nomination papers for gram pradhan polls. Chandrika Prasad, a postgraduate, had previously made an attempt to fi le nomination in August 2005 elections, but threats by Thakurs compelled him to back out. After assurance from the cops and the district authorities, he filed his nomination on Monday. “This time, the situation is different. I have the support of the district and police authorities who are ensuring a fair polls,” he told The Indian Express. Equally confident of victory was Lallai. “For the first time in past three years, any Dalit has dared to challenge the Thakurs’ supremacy,” he said. The village has a population of 3,033, out of which 1,400 are voters and of these 1,250 are Thakurs and a mere 134 are Dalits. District Magistrate O P N Singh said: “It was heartening to see the Dalits fil ing their nominations. We will ensure peaceful polls on June 28.” (Indian Express 17/6/08)

In Maya’s UP, Dalits who stood up are out before fi rst v ote is cast (2) Kanpur, June 18: Yesterday, Indian democracy was celebrated as heads of three urban local bodies were recalled by unhappy voters in Chhattisgarh. Today, it was time for reality, as two Dalits who had dared to defy Thakur fear to contest for a gram pradhan seat in Uttar Pradesh — for the first time since the seat was reserved for the community three years ago — found themselves out before the first vote was cast. Lallai and Chandrika Prasad had fi led their nominations for the June 28 by-election for the gram sabha’s post in Malasa vil lage of district Kanpur dehat, but neither is now left in the fray. While Lallai’s nomination papers were rejected because he could not get a single person to propose his name, Chandrika withdrew today, reportedly under pressure from the Thakurs. There was jubilation in the Thakur camp, whereas the Dalits have gone silent. Both Chandrika and Lallai have quietly left Malasa. It was in 2005 that the seat was re served for the Dalits, against the objections of the Thakurs. In August 2005, when the gram pradhan elections were held, not a single Dalit fi led nomination. None from the community dared challenge Thakur supremacy in the by-elections that followed in February 2006 either. This time, Lallai and Chandrika filed their papers, fighting the fear of the community as well as their own families. On nomination day, Lallai’s mother Leelawati had told The Indian Express: “Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will not permit my son to contest the elections... We want to l ive, and I do not want to risk the life of any of my family members.” Interestingly, local legislator Raghunath Prasad Shankwar, who belongs to the BSP, believes it was wrong to have declared Malasa a reserved seat. While not denying Chief Minister Mayawati’s claims of a “bhaymukt samaj (fearless society)”, he says: “When Thakurs make up 98 per cent of the population of the village, how can declaring Malasa a reserved seat be justified?” Malasa has a population of 3,033, of whom 1,400 are voters. The Thakurs have 1,250 votes and the Dalits barely 130. The Dalit population is about 300. Shankwar also admits that the Thakurs have been call ing the shots for the past several decades, adding: “It’s a complete mismatch, and Malasa should be declared a general seat at the earliest.” SP, Kanpur dehat, N Ravinder brushes aside any suggestions of fear among the Dalits. “There is no law and order problem,” he says. “The required police and PAC force were provided for security, but none was interested.” Block Development Officer D N Pandey also expresse s helplessness: “What can we do when none of the Dalits is will ing to contest?” (Indian Express 19/6/08)

Paswan warns Nitish against dividing Dalits (2) Patna : Alarmed by his shrinking Dalit vote base, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan on Sunday mounted attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Launching a scathing attack on the Chief Minister, Paswan said Nitish was, of late, shifting his focus from development to dividing the society. Paswan also warned Nitish Kumar that his effort to divide poor people into Dalit and Mahadalit would cost him heavily in the coming poll. Addressing a public meeting at Hajipur on the concluding day of a free medical camp organised by his Ministry, the Union Minister for Steel said the Chief Minister would have to pay dearly at hustings for his policy of divide and rule. The LJP chief was angry with the Nitish Kumar Government's decision to categorise Dalits into Dalit and Mahadalit categories. According to sources, the JD(U) leader is focusing on upper castes, a section of OBCs, extremely poor castes mainly Mahadalits for his support at the election. Through this social engineering Nitish Kumar has made a deep dent into the electoral base of Paswan and Lalu Prasad. Nitish Kumar had denied that he was dividing the society for electoral gains. "It's just l ike one brother in a family gets i ll and the head of the family spends money for his treatment. It's not partiality. What I'm doing is for the development of Dalits," explained Nitish Kumar. Criticising the Chief Minister, Paswan also charged that Bihar Government has not used the funds sent by the Central Government for implementing development schemes."The health insurance scheme for Rs 1.20 crore for BPL people has already started in other parts of the country but in Bihar it is yet to take off, though the entire fund is available to the State Government," charged Paswan. Eye to general election, Paswan promised that he would open residential schools for poor children in each block of the district. He also called upon people of his constituency to change the prevailing Government for their development. Commenting on BSP's withdrawal of support to the UPA, Paswan said it would not have any impact on the Centre. "The UPA Government would complete its full term and there is no danger on its survival," said the LJP chief. (Pioneer 23/6/08) Dalit v illager set ablaze in Maharashtra, … (2) KARANJALA, JUNE 23: Sahebrao Jondhale, a Dalit driver, was returning home in his Tata Sumo on the night of June 16 when, police and villagers say, a group of men allegedly stopped the vehicle, gagged and tied him up, poured kerosene and burnt him alive in Hingoli district of Maharashtra. One week later, police are still struggling for leads while the charred vehicle has been left at the crime scene on the small

dirt road near Karanjala village, about 500 km from Mumbai. It even has the remains of Jondhale’s bones scattered amid the ash. Villagers who pass by stop to look, some even poke around in the debris. The investigation has been handed over to the state CID. Local Dalits and activists allege the police couldn’t care less. They point out to the fact that two Dalit suspects were detained a day after the crime but they have neither been arrested so far nor produced in a court, making their detention illegal. Jondhale’s relatives allege his “new-found prosperity” had not gone down well among the upper-caste residents in his village. The 42-year-old driver had returned to Karanjala three years ago after working in Mumbai for 15 years. He had bought the Tata Sumo and was using it to ferry people in the area to earn a living. “There was a lot of tension in the past. Sahebrao’s growth and wealth had led to fights with the neighbours. Although we are not sure, we suspect upper-caste villagers to be behind it,” says Suryakiran Khandau, Jondhale’s brother-in-law. Jondhale’s wife, Sheela, has been inconsolable since the incident and breaks down every time she sees a visitor. Says Hingoli SP Pratapsingh Pathankar: “We have conducted a spot panchnama on the second day itself and have collected all essential evidence that could lead us to the culprit.” Aurangabad region IGP Prabhat Rangan said, “Karanjala has been among the peaceful vil lages. No major cases have been reported in the recent past. And all other cases have been triggered by property disputes.” Dalit activists disagree. About 40 cases of atrocities against Dalits have been registered in four districts in the Marathwada region alone — Latur, Parbhani, Nanded and Hingoli — this year, which is the same number as all of Maharashtra saw during the entire year in 2002. “Even though we have such a strong Prevention of Atrocities Act, the police don’t make good use of it. They often try to conceal atrocities as property disputes,” said Ganpatrao Bhise, convener of NGO Samajik Nyaya Andolan. Representatives of the State Human Rights Commission have visited the site of Jondhale’s killing and a report is expected soon. “It’s sti l l premature to comment on the findings but the state has failed to contain atrocities against Dalits in Marathwada. Without investigating the case, the police cannot rule out the possibil ity of it being a case of atrocity,” said an SHRC official. Even as local politicians are beginning to demand a CBI inquiry, Hingoli SP Pathankar said that police would seek custody of the two detained Dalits only “after preliminary investigation”. Asked why they had been detained and not produced in court so far, he said: “We cannot talk about it until investigations are completed.” (Indian Express 24/6/08)

Dalit women inv isible citizens: Report (2) JAIPUR: A fact-finding mission’s report on the status of dalit women in Rajasthan released here on Monday has brought to light the critical denial of rights to them on the basis of caste as well as gender. Dalit women were found having very little access to l ivelihood, food, water, sanitation and the government’s welfare programmes. As untouchables and outcastes, dalit women invariably face caste-based discrimination. As women, they face gender discrimination, and as poor, they face class discrimination, affirmed the report prepared by two leading dalit and women’s rights groups. The Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR) and the Programme on Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (PWESCR) conducted field surveys in five localities inhabited by dalits in Jaipur and Dausa districts to asse ss “exclusion and subordination” of dalit women. “Dalit women are restricted to the bottom of the society, impoverished and invisible as citizens,” noted the report. Releasing the report here in the presence of dalit activists, academicians and community leaders, State Assembly Speaker Sumitra Singh admitted that “systematic denial” of right to education, training, land and livelihood resources during the 60 years of Independence had led to exclusion of dalit women from all socio-economic and political fields. Ms. Singh called upon the dalit groups to exert pressure on government functionaries to provide health care, nutrition and other basic services in the dalit-dominated areas. “Access to education will surely enable dalit women to assert their rights and improve their living conditions,” she said. The 39-page report said all dalit communities in the State were suffering from the practice of untouchability and deliberate segregation. The fact-finding teams visiting the five areas found that dalits lived in ghetto-like structures within the segregated areas away from the general population. CDR chairperson P. L. Mimroth said that there was a complete lack of information about the State programmes and schemes and entitlements for dalits under them. With dalit men and women being unable to access these sources, the government functionaries had a sense of complacency and no concern for accountabil ity. The dalit habitations covered by the field surveys were the Jhalana Doongri Kachchi Basti, Jaipur; Bagarion Ki Dhani, Pachala; Kadwa Ka Bas, Dudu (all in Jaipur district) and Raigar Mohalla, Gudalia; and Raigar Basti, Dausa city (both in Dausa district). Preeti Darooka of PWESCR said the only occupations available and traditionally allocated to dalit women were those that no one else would prefer to do. “The fact-finding clearly demonstrates that in spite of various laws and schemes for dalits, not much is being done on the ground to address the day-

to-day hardships faced by dalit women,” she said. The report demanded that the State government develop a monitoring system to recognise the discrimination faced by dailt women in all walks of l ife. There should also be a redress mechanism to deal with the complaints of violation of rights and dalit women should be made aware of their legal rights. The report also underlined the need to bring about “radical changes” in the mind-set of people who see nothing wrong in the customary practices of social exclusion of dalit women. It said the government should ensure that dalit children had access to education without being discriminated. (The Hindu 24/6/08)

Buta slams Khanduri Gov t for shoddy probe into Dali t gangrape (2) Dehradun, June 26: Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Buta Singh has strongly criticised the Uttarakhand administration for the manner in which the alleged gangrape of a Dalit girl is being investigated. The commission has given the state administration a week’s time to investigate the case on its merits, failing which it will recommend a probe by a Central agency. Pramod Kumar Gupta, a BJP leader, and the victim’s paternal cousin, Ashok, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the case that came to light last Friday. The incident had occurred in a hotel on Rajpur Road on April 19. There are three other accused. On Thursday, Buta Singh along with two other members of the commission, Satya Behn and Mrityunjay Naik, was in Dehradun where he met senior officers from the state administration and the police. Buta was particularly hard on the police. “The FIR appears to be manufactured by the police since it carries very little of what the victim has to say. There is an attempt to shield the remaining three accused,” he said. “Instead of the sections of the IPC and the Atrocities Act which can nail the accused, those sections have been applied which will weaken the case. When I asked them why Ashok’s remand was not taken, police said he would die the moment he was touched. Is he a delicate flower or what?” Saying that there was an anti-Dalit conspiracy in Uttarakhand, Buta asked the state authorities to provide security to those who had highlighted the issue and the victim’s family. “The NGO which persuaded the victim to get a case registered is being harassed by the state administration. The protection given to the victim’s father was withdrawn in a day,” he added. (Indian Express 27/6/08)

Scavenging dignity (2) Employing manual scavengers to clear human excreta is punishable under the law. Yet, many institutions, private and public, continue to do so with impunity. The majesty of the law, and the might of the State, appears powerless to snuff out the tragic, shameful legacy of millennia, a practice which we call “manual scavenging”. It involves entrapping women, men and even children only because of the accident of their birth into a hated and humiliating vocation, of gathering human excreta from individual or community dry toilets with bare hands, brooms or metal scrapers into wicker baskets or buckets. This the scavengers then carry on their heads, shoulders or against their hips into dumping sites or water bodies. Others are similarly employed to clear, carry and dispose excreta from sewers, septic tanks, drains into which excreta flows and railway lines. In 1976, almost three decades after India secured freedom, Section 7A was introduced into the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, to make an offence punishable by imprisonment, compelling any person on grounds of untouchability to scavenge. It took another 17 years, in 1993, for Parliament to pass the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, which rendered even voluntary employment of manual scavengers for removing excreta an offence, and another four years for the act to be notified. In 2003, a remarkable national coalition for the elimination of manual scavenging, called the Safai Karmchari Andolan, led by S.R. Sankaran and Bejwada Wilson, filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court. It described the persistence of dry latrines in various parts of the country in violation of human dignity, the law and articles 14, 17, 21 and 23 of the Constitution. It demanded that the Court issues instructions to governments for time-bound eradication of manual scavenging and for effective rehabilitation of those freed from this despised vocation. The petition quotes the statutory National Commission for Safai Karamcharis to estimate that there are around 96 lakh dry latrines in the country. Successive reports of the Commission note with regret that manual scavengers are being employed not just by private employers but also by numerous urban local bodies, and most unconscionably, by the military engineering services and army, public sector undertakings and the Indian Railways. More than 95 per cent of the persons employed as manual scavengers are dalits. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment estimates the numbers of manual scavengers to be over six lakhs, whereas the Andolan fears that the numbers are three or four times even this. The problems with enumeration is that official agencies tend to deny the persistence of this outlawed practice, and in most places manual scavengers themselves do not speak out because of shame and fear of losing

even this frequently insecure source of l ivelihood. Instead they remain trapped in a vicious cycle of intense stigma, segregation, poor health and education, destructive coping strategies l ike alcohol and drugs, all of which shut even more firmly options of other dignified vocations, which in any case are barred by their birth in the most disadvantaged of all castes. Most governments failed even to respond to the petition of the Safai Karmchari Andolan for almost three years, and when they did, it was after the petitioners persisted and the highest Court admonished the governments. The official responses are instructive, as most expend reams of paper and time to deny the very existence of manual scavenging. The Ministry of Railways told the court that until they install washable aprons at stations and totally sealed toilet systems, “manual scavenging cannot be totally eradicated”, but offered no time frame. Many defence establishments flatly denied any dry latrines. Municipalities possibly threatened municipal employees to retract from their earlier affidavits and claim that were employed for other tasks. These official falsehoods have been nailed by moving, detailed affidavits, often with stomach-churning photographs, by countrywide activists of the Andolan. Many of these should be compulsory reading. From Ahra, Bihar, unlettered Dinesh Ram, now 15 years old, has been doing this work since he was nine. He tells the Court, “I hate this work. I do not feel like doing it. But my problem is that I do not know any other work”. Ramrakhi, who has worked since she was 10, says, “The gas emitted by the shit has spoilt my eyes, and my hands and feet also swell. It sticks to my hands and makes me nauseous”. Chinta Devi, like many others, says she hates this work, but has to pursue it to raise her children……… (The Hindu 29/6/08)

Cobbler doubles up as scribe to speak up for Dalit rights (2) Bhopal: Toiling in a makeshift matchbox-size shop, mending shoes or slippers Suresh Nanmehar is least likely to be known for his grasp over national issues and keen following of national newspapers. But for this cobbler from Bhopal, it is more than a passing interest for he has taken it upon himself to gather, compile and disseminate news and views from in and around Madhya Pradesh. Nanmehar, who ekes out a living by mending shoes sets apart a few hours of his busy schedule to bring out a journal that acts as a voice for people like him. ‘Bal ki Khal,’ was established around five years ago by Nanmehar who hit upon the idea of becoming a journalist and bringing out a newspaper after he suffered a “bitter experience”. Recollecting the incident, Nanmehar said, “In 2003, people from my community protested for almost a month demanding, better facil ities. But, our campaign could not come to the notice of administration and the local public as no news paper paid even the slightest attention to it, only because we are Dalit and have no significance for the society.” “The sheer negligence on the part of media hurt me, and I decided to start my own newspaper which could speak about the grievances and rights of Dalits, ignored and unheard for ages,” says the 43-year-old. Beginning in October, 2003 with a moderate output of 1,000 copies and with the financial and logistic support of community members there are 5,000 copies of the monthly that are brought out now. “My journal is dedicated to the Dalit issues. I take every care while clearing the stories for publication that they can bring real problems faced by Dalits into light,” Nanmehar said. A high-school dropout, Nanmehar now leads a “staff” of nearly 40 correspondents stationed at places including Mumbai and Delhi and is working towards converting the journal into a daily. -- PTI (The Hindu 1/7/08)

Dalits ask Government to abolish caste-based discri mination (2) JAIPUR: Dalit activists who attended a dialogue on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the U.N. General Assembly’s Human Rights Council in Geneva this past month have called upon the Union Government to take urgent steps to abolish caste-based discrimination and ensure effective implementation of laws for protection of Scheduled Castes. A five-member delegation of Dalits took part in the debates on the report of the Working Group on UPR for India in Geneva between June 9 and 13. P. L. Mimroth, chairman of the Centre for Dalit Rights, Jaipur, led the group, while India was represented by Swashpawan Singh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the U.N. Office. Mr. Mimroth said on his return here that India had for the first time admitted in a U.N. forum the existence of discrimination and marginalisation on the basis of caste s and tribes. The Permanent Representative to the U.N. also stated that action at the government level to end discrimination was not enough and other stakeholders were being engaged to address the gaps. “Mr. Singh’s admission in the U.N. body is a long-awaited indication of the Centre’s intent to do something for protecting the rights of Dalits,” said Mr. Mimroth, adding that it was high time the Centre initiated measures to stop violation of Dalit rights in the areas of access to education, health care, housing, employment and freedom of faith. More than 10 countries raised specific questions or recommendations concerning caste-based discrimination in India. This seemed to be a

“strong message” to the Centre that the international community was deeply concerned about the persistence of this form of discrimination that affected more than 16.7 crore Dalits. Addressing the meeting, National Human Rights Commission’s representative Aruna Sharma called upon India to ratify the U.N. Convention against Torture. She said policemen at the lower rung in the hierarchy often resorted to torture and harassment of people detained on suspicion of involvement in crimes. However, Solicitor-General G. E. Vahanvati said the caste-based discrimination could not be considered a form of “racial discrimination” because the caste system, which was unique to India, was not racial in origin. The Dalit delegation affirmed that the change in India’s stand in the U.N. body had taken place following concerted efforts and strong protests by Dalit organisations. “Only a decade ago, India’s representatives in the global forums were in a denial mode. They used to describe the occurrence of caste-based discrimination as isolated incidents,” said Mr. Mimroth. The Netherlands representative, Robert-Jan Sieben, called upon India to inform the Human Rights Council not only about the progress made on recommendations it agreed to but also on the efforts on recommendations it did not agree to. Besides Mr. Mimroth, other members of the delegation were Manas Jaina, Director, Development Initiative, Orissa; Bulu Sareen, national coordinator, European Initiative for Democratic and Human Rights (EIDHR) Project, New Delhi; Kewal Uke, State coordinator, EIDHR Project, Maharashtra; and M. Thangave, convenor, Vijuthangal Sanstha, Tamil Nadu. They also attended a series of conferences on human rights, civil rights, justice and discrimination held in the U.N. Office. (The Hindu 4/7/08)

At Dalit meet, call for alliance forged on dard ka rishta (2) NEW YORK, JULY 6: Is there an automatic and deep solidarity between Dalits and Muslims, waiting to be tapped? Or will it take more than that, in a political context where caste is often sought to be pitted against community in a competition for thinning sensitivities and strained resources? Is social justice only or primarily made up of reservations in the public and private sectors? What are the possibilities of internal critique in the disadvantaged caste or community? It is unfair to expect any one conference, however ambitiously titled, to deliver all the answers. Then, of course, those questions were never fully on the agenda of the ‘International Convention of Dalits and Minorities International Forum’, hosted by the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin, that came to a close on Sunday in New York. Over the last two days, speakers — an assortment of former and present legislators, retired bureaucrats and activists from India and the US — kept the focus on a tantalising project of electoral engineering: a confederacy of the vulnerable — a coming together at the hustings of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes along with Muslims and minority communities. Speaker after speaker reminded the audience that together these groups make up at least 40 per cent of the electorate. Together they could form a government of their own. Statistics were cited to illustrate the continuing lag between Dalits and minority groups and the national average on a wide range of indices — from literacy to employment, from healthcare to per capita expenditure. Ram Vilas Paswan, prime mover behind the DMIF, and serially hailed as the prime minister-So-be from the podium, offered the all iance its euphemism —dard ka rishta (a relationship of pain). Several speakers expressed frustration at the “closing of doors” in times of the shrinking State, and urged the immediate extension of reservations to Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians. For E Ponnusamy, PMK MP, the judiciary has become the “stumbling block” to a more encompassing reservation policy. Syed Shahabuddin, former MP, exhorted his audience not to forget that, “In the near future, the government will remain the largest employer in our country”. The general consensus wa s that the concept of “creamy layer” could not be applied to the SCs and STs. Gujarat 2002 was a recurring reference point and a call to action. Amid the vivid recitations of the crimes, it was the silent projection on the wall of the photographs — by his daughter — of Ehsan Jafri, MP, burned alive at Gulbarg Society, which brought the horror alive here in New York. And Udit Raj, president of the Indian Justice Party, urged the globalisation of Dalit and minority issue s in the manner that the “upper castes” have been globalising theirs. But it is clear that the terms of that globalisation are unclear yet. In the audience of mostly middle-class Dalit and Muslim professionals of the Indian diaspora in the US, were many who have opened up new spaces and mingled in new worlds. Bachchu Lal, a scientist at the Johns Hopkins University, was frankly sceptical of the power of reservations and about political power by itself. For him, the only mantra is education. Son of a sweeper-cum-chowkidar in district Lakhimpur Khiri, UP, he fought his way against financial hardship and prejudice to study. “When I needed money, I fixed punctures, but I didn't pick up the broom.” Now he propagates an easier way: Quite simply, if all Dalits put away just Re 1 every day, he says, just think of how many schools they can build. His dream is to set up a Dalit University in India. “My education gave me access to new worlds,” he says. “If I am educated, no Brahmin

can stop me.” Khemchand, an engineer with the New York City Transit Authority, says he worries about the anger and divisiveness that the reservation policy can unleash. “I am a beneficiary of reservations. But it can be a stigma that you carry for l ife, no matter how good you are.” For Khemchand, the Dalit can be of any caste, “even a Brahmin”.(Indian Express 7/7/08)

Four Dalits gunned down (2) JAIPUR: Forward caste men gunned down four Dalits, three from a single family, at Dhonde Ka Pura in Bari tehsil of Dholpur district on Wednesday. The fourth victim is a six-year-old boy. While caste rivalry, rampant in this Rajasthan district bordering Uttar Pradesh, is not being ruled out as the reason for the kil lings, some old enmity between Scheduled Caste Jatavs and Rajputs also seemingly prompted the present carnage. Two Gujjars are also among the accused. District Collector Ashutosh Pendekar, talking to The Hindu on phone, termed the killings a re sult of old dispute over land. Two years ago there was a murder involving one of the family members of the groups, he said. As a precautionary measure Rajasthan Armed Constabulary personnel have been deployed in the area. The Inspector-General of Police (Bharatpur range) has reached the trouble spot. “The situation is under control,” Mr. Pendekar said. The three victims have been identified as Rattu Lal, Nathi Lal and Ramswaroop, sons of Ghutai Jatav. The young victim is Jitendra. The Dalits were reportedly on their way to work at a road project under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme between Rewai and Dodipura villages when the men, carrying fire arms and axes, struck. They reportedly called out the members of the Dalit family from a small group of workers heading for NREGA site and shot them. The police have registered cases against 11 persons belonging to Rajput and Gujjar communities. All of them are said to be absconding. Reacting to the killings, Dalit groups in Rajasthan demanded declaration of Dholpur as an “atrocity-prone” district. The Hindu 10/7/08)

Non-Brahmin priest ‘attacked’ by upper castes in Ta mil Nadu (2) Chennai, July 8: An 80-year-old non-Brahmin priest, famous for his struggle to get permission to offer prayers in Tamil, was attacked allegedly by a group of priests at the Nataraja temple in Chidambaram on Monday night. The priest, Arumuga Samy, recently obtained an order from the Madras High Court to offer prayers inside the sanctum sanctorum, and entered the temple premises under police protection despite protests from higher caste priests. According to police, Samy had opposed the priests’ demanding a sum of Rs 100 from devotees for offering prayers at the Siva temple. The Government had issued an order against collecting such money, Samy told them. This led to an argument between Samy and the other priests, who beat him up regardless of his old age. Policemen at Cuddalore district said that five priests — Rajasekhar, Manikandan, Kumar, Thil lai and Kedarnath — have been named in the complaint, though none have been arrested. Through his struggle spanning several years, Samy had brought to the attention of the authorities that insistence on prayers being offered in Sanskrit would exclude non-Brahmins from becoming priests. (Indian Express 9/2/08)

Thakurs take revenge, kill four Dalits (2) JAIPUR: In what looks like a revenge attack, four members of the Jatav community were brutally murdered by Thakurs and Gujjars in Dhaundhi ka pura village under Badi police station of Dholpur district on Wednesday. Police have sent the bodies for post-mortem while four teams have been constituted to nab the guilty. According to the police, all the four persons from the Jatav community, worked under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in Sanora village. On Wednesday afternoon, while they were working at a site, around eight people from the Thakur and Gujjar community attacked them. (Times of India 10/7/08)

Dalit girl sold, raped repeatedly for ov er a year ( 2) AHMEDABAD: Police inaction has been blamed for the travails of a dalit girl. The minor was allegedly sold repeatedly, raped and tortured for a year-and-a-half. According to Gujarat Congress Committee general secretary Girish Parmar, the 15-year-old had gone missing in 2006 and her father lodged a complaint with the police in Bavla in Ahmedabad district. A year-and-a-half later, she was spotted in Jatapar village in Viramgam taluka, less than 50 kilometres from Bavla. A woman recognised her and informed her parents, who went to Jatapar with police escort and brought her back. In her complaint to the police, the girl narrated the events since her disappearance. She was kidnapped by a local anti-social element and sold to a sarpanch for Rs. 17,000, she alleged. The sarpanch reportedly locked her in a room and repeatedly raped her for months. She was then sold to a person in Jatapar village for Rs. 7,000

under whose custody too she suffered the same treatment. Mr. Parmar said the girl would not have had to suffer the indignity had the police acted with alacrity. Even now it seemed unwilling to arrest those named in the girl ’s complaint filed 10 days ago. (The Hindu 12/7/08)

Caste panel to Gov t: Don’t use the word Dalit, use SC (2) New Delhi, July 12: The Centrally appointed National Commission for Scheduled Castes has issued a circular disallowing the use of the word “Dalit” in all official communication while referring to Scheduled Castes. State and central governments have been asked to take “further necessary action.” The Commission, of which former Governor and Congress Minister Buta Singh is the Chairperson, has instructed all state and central government departments to stop using the word Dalit, “as inter-changeable with the word Scheduled Castes in day-to-day correspondence by them.” The circular states that the decision comes after advice from the Ministry of Law and Justice and after a full meeting of the Commission in October last year. The full meeting of the Commission concludes that the phrase “Dalits” has “no legal sanctity” and despite the wide currency and political connotation it now has, it is “Scheduled Castes” which must be used officially. It is the Law Ministry’s opinion that “the word Dalit is neither defined under the Constitution nor under any law in force.” The Law Ministry is of the view that as the expression “Scheduled Castes” is defined by Article 336 of the Constitution to denote “castes, races or tribes or parts of or groups within such castes, races or tribes as are deemed under article 341 to be Scheduled Castes for the purposes of this Constitution.” The Law ministry also takes recourse to the definition of Dalit as listed in the New Oxford English Dictionary and says that as Dalit denotes more than just those presumed to be at the bottom of the caste ladder and “therefore, it is assumed that expression the constitutional order specifying the caste under the Scheduled Caste List is wider and may include all the lowest castes but all the castes specified under the constitutional order may not be termed as Dalit.” The phrase “Dalit” (l i terally meaning ‘crushed’ and ‘broken’) has come to reflect a different response to oppression. It is believed to have been first used by social reformer Jyotiba Phule in the late 19th Century, but has gained currency over the past forty years. It is now the most politically acceptable phrase, having replaced ‘Harijan’ (seen as patronizing, and now unconstitutional) in political parlance, and often takes more into account than just one’s status in the caste hierarchy (it often refers to the poor and oppressed in other ways). Says sociologist and writer Gail Omvedt: “The phrase Dalit is not in the Constitution but that does not make it unconstitutional. It’s a widely used word, which has acquired acceptability. How and why should they legislate against a term? Maybe because it’s a militant word, they want to take away the connotation. But it will continue to be used. Anyway, who pays attention to government communication?” (Indian Express 13/7/08)

“Dalits’ massacre aimed at grabbing land”: Fact-fin ding team (2) JAIPUR: The recent massacre of four Dalits at Dhonde Ka Pura village in Dholpur district of Rajasthan was carried out in an all-pervading atmosphere of terror unleashed by the forward caste men to grab the land and houses of Jatav and Koli communities. The brutal murders were the result of an intense caste rivalry rampant in the dacoit-infested district. A fact-finding team of the Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR) which visited the village over the weekend found the families of the victims in a state of shock and an absolute lack of remorse among the dominant Gujjars. Eight members of the Gujjar community accompanied by three Rajputs allegedly committed the murders. The 11 murderers – two of whom have been arrested while others are absconding – allegedly mutilated the bodies of victims after gunning them down. According to eyewitness accounts recorded by the team, the kil lers beheaded the bodies and chopped off their arms and legs. They then went to a nearby temple shouting slogans and firing in the air. CDR chairperson P.L. Mimroth, who led the 10-member team, told reporters here on Monday that the Gujjars and Rajputs kil led the four members of Jatav community on the pretext of taking revenge for the alleged murder of one Rajbahadur Thakur of Revai village two years ago. Thakur’s body was dumped in the farm of Ratanlal Jatav to implicate him in the crime. Ratanlal and his brothers Natthi and Ramswaroop were shot dead on July 9 morning when they were working at a road construction site under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme. The fourth victim of the massacre was Ramvir, who happened to pass by the road on his tractor. A three-year-old child of Ratanlal’s family, Dipendra, sustained serious injuries in the firing and is under treatment. Mr. Mimroth said the majority of Jatavs and Kolis had fled from Dhonde Ka Pura village over the past few years and their immovable properties grabbed by dominant Gujjars. Ratanlal’s family was among the three Jatav households sti l l surviving in the village and the murderers wanted to drive them out. The fact-finding team found the role of police “suspicious” as they hurriedly conducted autopsy on the bodies of the deceased on the spot and forced the next of their

kin to cremate them together. “Terrified Dalits, who fear that they may be attacked again, have not been provided with any security,” said Mr. Mimroth. (The Hindu 15/7/08)

In Pune, malls to be manned by SC/ST youths (2) PUNE, JULY 14 : A mall may be as far as it gets from a village, but here in Pune, the symbol of urbanisation is providing an answer to rural unemployment. In a unique initiative, 286 Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe youth have been placed in various malls in the city since January this year, after a 45-day training course undertaken by the district employment agency. In all, 360 rural youth undertook the training course to be groomed as sales staff for retail stores, including auto shops. All of them were in the 18-25 age group, and none had cleared Class X. The initiative follows a resolution passed by the Maharashtra government to place rural youth from reserved categories in malls as sales staff. Pune has taken the lead, and Mumbai and Nagpur will follow suit. “The government has sponsored the programme and is spending Rs 5,000 per applicant on training,” says G A Sangde, the Assistant Director of the employment agency. “From bookstores such as Landmark and Crossword to malls such as SGS and Pune Central and even big retail outlets in the city, the training has ensured them placement. We will also be trying to place the rest,” says Anil Deshmukh, Director, MARKS (Management and Retail Knowledge Solutions), who conducted the training on behalf of the employment exchange. “We have 58 outlets on our l ist and, as and when the demand arises, they contact us,” he adds. Under the training, held in several batches, the youth were taught communication skil ls and personality and retail management for a month and a half, apart from credit card management as well as customer service. A mall visit is also part of the course. The process is fairly simple. “Once they apply, the youth are told about the training and if they have an interest in retail management are suggested to go for training at three centres in the city run by different agencies who have assured placement. The scheme is mainly for the economically backward and for the reserved categories,” explains Sangde. Deshmukh says there is enough demand and the youth they had trained had got placement. “Our task is to remove their apprehensions and make them confident. They are doing well now,” he said. The 286 youth have started with a salary of Rs 4,000-Rs 5,000, Deshmukh says, and they expect some to get promoted as floor managers. Shilpa Shinde, who works with My Dollar Store on Bhandarkar Road, is full of confidence. “The course has helped us a lot. I am able to handle the retail segment with ease,” she says. (Indian Express 15/7/08)

Dalits can’t afford trip to Tirupati, so the Lord g oes to them (2) Thallapaka, July 14: Ostracised and often banned from entering temples, Dalits in Chittoor district perhaps never imagined that one day Tirumala’s Lord Balalj i would come right to their doorstep. In a rare gesture, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has decided to take idols of the world’s richest God to several Dalit vil lages in the district not only to provide them a glimpse but also to enable them to worship Him right in front of their homes. With the disillusioned Dalits of the district increasingly turning to other religions, the gesture, the TTD admits, is also aimed at preventing largescale conversions. Named ‘Dalit Govindam’, the initiative involves Dalits in prayer rituals and ceremonies without any prejudice or cutting costs. The Lord and his entourage spend the night with the Dalit residents. Living in abject poverty, a majority of the Dalit families here cannot afford a pilgrimage to Tirumala. Prevail ing caste bias means they are not allowed into many local temples. “The God does not discriminate and this is the message we want to convey to them. Due to poverty, most of them wait several years to make a trip for the Lord’s darshan. We introduced this programme of taking the idols of Lord Venkateshwara and his two consorts to Dalit settlements to eradicate caste discrimination and also to give them an opportunity to pray and worship to their heart’s content and take part in the traditional rituals and ceremonies which they never witness. The priests also give them ‘Vedic blessings’ which only VVIPs visiting the main temple in Tirumala normally receive,” says TTD’s Chairman B Karunakar Reddy. Pointing out that Dalits are getting alienated from the society and Hindu religion, leading to conversions, Reddy adds: “I hope this will also help bring them back into the mainstream.” Once a month the idols in all their grandeur are carried by the main temple’s priests and bearers down the seven hil ls to a Dalit settlement. Normally the procession is taken through the traditional Maada Street of Tirumala only. “The TTD makes all the arrangements in the particular vil lage, including decorations, pandals etc, and no expenses are spared. While entering the ‘Dalitwada’ or the segregated area where the Dalits re side, the priests chant the same Vedic hymns that they chant in the main temple,” informs TTD official Rampulla Reddy, who is closely associated with Dalit Govindam. The idols are kept on a platform in the middle of the ‘dalitwada’ for the rituals. To make sure that there is no hesitation among the residents, the priests go to each and every household and invite them to join the ceremony and rituals. “Three couples are selected who will join the priests in reciting the hymns and

perfoming the various rituals. The ‘prasadam’ and food is also prepared with the involvement of everyone. To clear misconceptions like untouchability and segregation, the priests, TTD officials and the local residents then share the prasadam and food from the same vessels and plates,” Reddy informs. As far as assuaging the feelings of the backward community, the initiative seems to have worked. “It is very rare that the Lord himself comes to your doorstep. It is rarer sti l l for Dalits to participate in the rituals standing beside the main temple’s priests and amidst people of all castes,” says M Thirumaliah, president of the Tirupati (Rural) Mandal where the first Dalit Govindam was held in Vemuru Dalitwada. “I never thought I would actually sit in front of the Lord and perform a ceremony. It was such a privilege and I consider myself lucky,” says V Nagaraju, a resident of Thallapaka village where the second event was held recently. The third programme was held in Siddpeta Dalitwada in Medak district. “For people used to being told to bring their own glasse s and plates during public functions, this was definitely a new experience,” says Thirumaliah (Indian Express 15/7/08) Dalit killed in acid attack (2) Patna: A 35-year-old Dalit was kil led at Kusari vil lage allegedly by upper-caste farmers who poured acid on him, sources said on Sunday. His body was recovered from an open field on Friday. — PTI (The Hindu 28/7/08)

Dalit couple brutally thrashed (2) JAIPUR: A Dalit couple objecting to the shifting of sand from their field to a road being constructed under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) barely 40 km from the Rajasthan Capital were brutally thrashed by villagers belonging to dominant castes over the weekend. The terrified couple are spending sleepless nights after being threatened with dire consequences. Dalit activists who went to Padasoli village to investigate the case were also allegedly threatened and their digital camera was snatched and damaged. Higher caste men hounded them out of the village and they could escape unscathed only with the help of the Deputy Sarpanch. Despite the fact-finding team of the Jaipur-based Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR) reporting the matter to the police on Thursday evening, no first information report has been registered so far. Dalit victim Nathulal Bairwa and his kin are reportedly spending nights outside their house for fear of another attack by the villagers. Nathulal Bairwa had approached the CDR seeking its help for getting an alleged encroachment on his land rem-oved and complained of removal of sand from the bou- ndary wall of his field as well as a Dalits’ crematorium for being used in the construction of a road under NREGS. When a four-member CDR team arrived at Padasoli village in Bassi tehsil and met Nathulal and his wife in their field, a mob comprising about 50 miscreants stormed the field, caught hold of the Dalit couple and assaulted them in the presence of the activists. Gopal Ram Verma, one of the members of the CDR team, said the miscreants belonging to the dominant Rajput, Gujjar and Meena castes used abusive language for Dalit activists while asking them to “run away” from the place. “They snatched and damaged our digital camera and threatened to torch our jeep,” he added. When the CDR team tried to reason with the assailants, some of them threatened the activists with spears. Deputy Sarpanch Rameshwar Meena, sensing danger to the lives of the activists, brought them out of the village. After the narrow escape of the activists, CDR Director Satish Kumar reported the matter at the Bassi police station. A police team visited the village late on Thursday night but did not take any action to give protection to the Dalit family or identify the miscreants. Nathulal and his wife, facing threats to their l ives, also approached the police separately and sought protection along with the registration of a case under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. However, the police have not registered any FIR so far. (The Hindu 27/7/08)

BJP to protest against UPA move to grant SC status to conv erts (2) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP SC Morcha on Sunday chalked out a nationwide campaign against the UPA government's move to grant Scheduled Caste status to dalits who has converted to Christianity and Islam. A national office-bearers meeting of the morcha here decided to hold state-level conventions on the issue from August 16 to 31 followed by a national rally in New Delhi on September 26. About four lakh members from various SC and ST communities are expected to attend the rally, SC Morcha leader Ramnath Kovin told reporters here on Sunday. He alleged that a move was afoot to grant SC status to converted Christians and Muslims based on the recommendations of Justice Rangnath Commission on Religious and Linguistic Minorities. The morcha said granting SC/ST status to converts is discriminatory and against the Constitution. If the status is accorded, the converted people would enjoy double benefit of SC as well as minority status. (Times of India 28/7/08)

Dalit forced to drink acid for refusing to work for upper caste men (2) Patna : In a shocking incident, a poor Dalit man was forced to drink acid for refusing to work in the fields of upper caste landlords in Bihta, near Patna. The victim, later, died with the local administration declaring that those guilty would not be spared at any cost. According to police, Deonand Manjhi, a resident of Adlipur Neura Mushara Toli under Bihta police station, refused to work for Naresh Singh and Babloo Singh of neighbouring Kasadih vil lage. Both the accused persons are absconding after the incident. According to the victim's brother Ramashish Manjhi, the two landlords came to their house on Friday and inquired about Deonand Manjhi who had gone to work for someone. "When I told them that he was working in someone else's field they got infuriated and went away but a little while later I was told that my brother was lying in the filed," said Ramashish Manjhi. When I went to see him I was told that he was beaten up by both Naresh Singh and Babloo Singh and later forced to drink acid following which he died. Later, the infuriated villagers protested the killing of Deonand and demanded compensation for the family. The 32-year-old victim belongs to musahar community and had two little children. Musahars are extremely poor people. They have the lowest per capita income as well as the literacy rate in the country. Later, Patna District Magistrate Jitendra Kumar and other top officials reached the village and handed over a cheque of Rs 1.50 lakh to Manjhi's wife Saguni Devi. The officials also assured the family of all possible help, including a house under Indira Awas Yojna apart from other help. The gruesome incident also caught the attention of Opposition leaders and RJD MP from Patna Ram Kripal Yadav, who visited the vil lage and met the victim family. RJD chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad too talked to the brother of the victim over phone and assured all possible help in this hour of crisis. However, later the Patna MP demanded a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the victim's family and charged that the law and order situation in the State has collapsed in recent times. Meanwhile, the State administration too has taken the incident seriously and Amit Kumar, SSP, has declared that the accused persons would not be spared and nabbed soon at any cost."We will nab the absconding persons and put them behind bars soon," said the Patna SSP. Dhruv Kumar Singh, the officer in-charge of Bihta police station, said that a case was registered against the accused and extensive raids are being conducted to nab them. (Pioneer 29/7/08)

Dalit woman allegedly raped (2) Kaushambi (U.P.): A dalit woman was allegedly raped by a villager in Rasulpur village in Charva police circle here, police said on Thursday. The incident took place on Wednesday night when one Amar Singh Yadav of the vil lage allegedly raped the woman. An FIR has been registered in the case and efforts are on to nab the accused. (The Hindu 1/8/08)

U.P. Gov t. accused of shielding facts on Dalit’s de ath (2) LUCKNOW: The Chairman of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Commission, Buta Singh, on Friday accused the Uttar Pradesh Government of shielding facts which led a Dalit employee of the Vidhan Sabha secretariat to commit suicide. Sudebar Singh, a clerk in the Vidhan Sabha secretariat, committed suicide early this week. In his dying declaration he accused the Principal Secretary of the Vidhan Sabha, Rajendra Prasad Pandey, of harassment which led him to take the extreme step. Mr. Pandey resigned from his post on Wednesday and a case has been registered against him under the Scheduled Castes/Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Describing the Dalit employee’s death as unfortunate, Mr. Singh said he had been employed in the Vidhan Sabha secretariat since 1989, adding that his work was exemplary. The SC/ST panel Chairman told reporters that the Commission took suo motu cognizance of the incident through news reports and immediately decided to examine the case. The entire Commission comprising the Chairman, Vice-Chairman Professor Kamble and members Satyaben and Mohinder Baudh flew down to Lucknow on Friday evening. The Commission was scheduled to hold a meeting with the State Government officials later at night but it was subsequently postponed till Saturday. Mr. Singh said he has asked the State Chief Secretary, Atul Kumar Gupta, for some documents before conducting the meeting. The documents are required to be submitted to the Commission by 9 a.m. on Saturday. These include the post-mortem report, the dying declaration report, the annual confidential report of the deceased for the last five years and the report of the doctor who certified Mr. Subedar Singh’s dying declaration, the Commission Chairman added. After reaching Lucknow, the Commission visited the Rajajipuram residence of the deceased and met his family, including his widow, son and brother-in-law. Mr. Singh said the family narrated to the Commission members the sequence leading to Mr. Subedar Singh’s death. (The Hindu 2/8/08)

`Dropout rate of SC/ST students has gone up' (2) New Delhi (PTI): In an indication of the non-performance of various schemes initiated for SC/STs, a CAG report shows that school dropout rates for students from the communities have actually gone up while the enrolment rates have dipped. In a performance audit of the Educational Development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in India, the Comptroller and Auditor General has highlighted among other things, alarming gaps in the government's policy implementation as far as Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE) for SCs and STs is concerned. Two indicators of educational development -- gross enrolment rate (GER) and gross dropout rate (GDR) displayed an adverse trend in respect of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe boys and girls, the report says. The gross dropout rate represents the percentage of students who drop out from a given grade or cycle or level of education in a given cycle/school year. The drop out rate in respect of Scheduled Caste boys and girls increased in 2003-04 with reference to 2001-02 in several states. The increase ranged from 0.04 to 28.98 per cent in 2003-04. Similarly, the drop out rate for Scheduled Tribe boys and girls also increased in 2003-04 in several states with reference to 2001-02. The gap between general candidates and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe was 6.7 per cent and 15.1 per cent in 2001-02 and rose to 10.4 and 16.6 in 2003-04 respectively.(The Hindu 3/8/08)

Dalit woman forced to eat human excreta! (2) NUAPADA: Due to rivalry between tribals and Dalits, a Dalit woman - cooking mid-day meals (pachika) at an Anganwadi centre in Polenbasa village in Larka gram panchayat - was made to eat human excreta. A case has been registered by Boden police. As per reports, there has been tension between tribals and Dalits of the vil lage over appointment of Anganwadi workers since 2006. The confrontation began when two members of both the communities applied for an Anganwadi worker post and based on merit, the Dalit applicant, Randhabati Niyal was appointed. The tension further mounted when after initial appointment of an OBC woman as pachika, a Dalit woman Uma Jagat was appointed to the post about a year back. The appointment saw tribal students boycotting the mid-day meals and the tribals complained about it to the CDPO. The officials tried to patch up but in vain. Things took an ugly turn on Tuesday when a verbal fight ensued between some tribals, Randhabati and Uma. The situation worsened when the tribals gheraoed Uma and forced her to eat human excreta. However, Boden BDO Trilochan Singh denied any such report. (New Indian Express 3/8/08)

Karat, VS to address Dalit meet on Aug 16 (2) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, AUGUST 3: The CPI(M) in Kerala, which has been under fire for introducing a controversial school textbook in a bid to make the next generation “casteless and secular”, however seems to be indulging in blatant caste politics to strengthen its base in the state. In fact, the party is planning an exclusive convention for Scheduled Castes in Kochi on August 16 and local conventions are already on across the state as a precursor to the state-level event. According to organisers, a charter of SC rights would be released during the function by party general secretary Prakash Karat. The event, expected to be attended by one lakh SC members, would be addressed by party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan. According to state Education Minister M A Baby, “Such exclusive conventions may become inevitable to bring the marginalised groups to the mainstream society. It is an attempt to mark their position in society.” LDF convener Vaikom Vishwan said: “The event should be seen an effort to uplift the SC communities. We have no other intention.” (Indian Express 4/8/08)

Dalit activists stage rally demanding women’s right s (2) Mumbai: Dalit activists from the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) staged a rally here on Saturday demanding among other things, women’s rights, land and economic rights. “It is a declaration rally to flag the initiation of four movements — the National Dalit Movement for Justice, the All India Dalit Women’s Rights Forum, the Dalit Economic Campaign and the Land Rights Campaign. We also want to reclaim the spirit of B. R. Ambedkar,” said the campaign convener Paul Divakar. Volunteers from Kerala, Tamil Nadu Karnataka and Puducherry took part. J. Vincent Manoharan, general secretary, NCDHR highlighted a new trend in caste discrimination in Tamil Nadu. He said that walls were being erected around temples to bar the entry of Dalits, but it was being done in the name of protection. The marchers wore blue bandanas sporting the slogan ‘caste out caste’. After the rally, a public meeting was held at the University of Mumbai campus. Prakash Ambedkar, head of the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangha addressed the meeting. (The Hindu 4/8/08)

Maya upsets brahmins, dalits rejoice (2) Lucknow: Aug. 10: It has been more than 24 hours since the rally got over, but dalits in Uttar Pradesh have not stopped rejoicing. Their apprehensions are over and their fears have been set to rest. Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati’s announcement on Saturday that her successor would be from the dalit community has scotched all speculation about the BSP being gradually taken over by upper castes, particularly brahmins. "Dil ko bahut khushi hui ki dalit hi BSP to sambhalega. Ab koi caste aa jaye, humen koi dar nahin," said Ram Sajhawan, a BSP worker from Jhansi. He and his co-workers were so "relieved and thrilled" with the BSP president’s announcement that they decided to extend their stay in the state capital by a day and visit dalit monuments l ike Parivartan Chowk and the stil l-under-renovation Ambedkar memorial. Ms Mayawati has clearly hit the arrow right on the target. With a single announcement, she has emerged as the undisputed dalit queen on a pan-Indian basis. Her emotional appeal to dalits to support her successor in the event of her untimely death has had the desired impact, and also earned her yet-unnamed successor instant acceptability. T.K. Balu, a BSP worker from Tamil Nadu, said: "We are not bothered who the successor is a s long as she has decided to hand over her legacy to him. By assuring us that a dalit would continue to lead the BSP after her, she has set our fears to rest. We had been reading articles about how the BSP was gradually being usurped by brahmins after Kanshi Ram’s death; those doubts have been cleared. Outside UP, dalits and most backward castes will now gravitate towards the BSP." Ms Mayawati has cleverly played on the community’s underdog sentiments, and hopes to consolidate her standing as a dalit leader across the country with this masterstroke. The announcement has caused considerable heartburn among upper caste brahmins in the BSP. A senior brahmin minister in the Mayawati government said the move was "ill-timed". He said: "It would have been better if Behenji had waited till the Lok Sabha elections were over before making this declaration. We will now have problems in convincing upper castes that they will get equal status and respect in the BSP. If only a particular community has to continue leading the party, why should other castes pitch in with their support." (Asian Age 11/8/08)

DSS to stage protest on Aug 12 (2) Udupi: : Karnataka Dalitha Sangarsha Samithi (Bhima faction) will organise a huge protest march, in front of Chief Minister’s re sidence to demonstrate Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s failure to execute welfare programmes catering to the needs of SC and STs, on August 12. Speaking to mediapersons, State Co-ordinator R Mohan Raj informed that similar protests will be carried out, if the Government fails to take action concerning their demands. The demands include: the amount announced in the budget for the welfare of the community should be based on the evaluation of the population of both SC and ST, rank holders in the post graduate courses from SC and ST should be facilitated with direct recruitment, renovation of Ambedkar Bhavana in Udupi, action against those who have produced fake SC/ ST certificate to get employment, financial assistance for the Dr Ambedkar Development Board, reservation in private companies and industries, reservation for Daliths for the post of priests in the religious organisations belonging to the Religious Endowment Department. State Co-ordinator Udaykumar Tallur, District Co-ordinator Vishwanath Pethri and others were present. (Deccan Herald 11/8/08)

CPI(M) w ill fight atrocities against Dalits, says K arat (2) KOCHI: Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said on Saturday that the CPI(M) would step up the fight against caste-based discrimination and atrocities against Dalits across the country. Declaring open the Dalit convention here, he referred to the caste segregation at Uthapuram in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu and said the CPI (M)’s intervention there had helped in breaking the nine-foot wall that had cut off Dalits’ access. A survey by the party had shown that acute forms of discrimination existed in Tamil vil lages. Such oppression took place in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and other places on a day-to-day basis and that was why the CPI (M) was now prioritising mobilisation of Dalits to fight against caste discrimination. The 19th party congress had mandated such a struggle. He pointed out that the Dalits were the worst-affected by the globalisation-liberalisation policy as mill ions of traditional workers such as weavers, farmhands and fishermen had been deprived of their livelihoods. The CPI (M) stood for reservation of jobs for the SCs and STs in the private sector as well as for earmarking a certain percentage of seats in private higher-education institutions. Because of the government’s policy of downsizing, the public sector was shrinking leading to the shrinking of Dalits’ job opportunities too. Noting that the privatisation of public sector units reduced the number of reserved jobs, Mr. Karat asked the UPA

government to ensure that when PSUs were privatised, the SC-ST quota should be continued in the privatised unit. He contended that since many private units were heavily subsidised in the form of cheap power, tax holidays and infrastructural assi stance, they were not exactly `private’ and that the State had a stake in them. In view of this, the government should ensure that these firms complied with the statutory SC-ST reservation. Mr. Karat, however, stressed that reservation could be a temporary relief and for a permanent solution to the Dalit discrimination, basic social transformation was essential. It was because of the Communist movement and the work of social reformers that the Dalits’ condition was far better in Kerala than in any other State. The atrocities against the Dalits as witnessed in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu would never take place in Kerala, which had in the past been the venue of the worst form of untouchability and Dalit oppression, Mr. Karat said. The CPI(M)’s organising the Dalit meet has been flayed by its political opponents saying the party was straying from its traditional ‘class struggle’ theory and that it was trying to create a Dalit vote bank. (The Hindu 17/8/08)

Dalit meet seeks land, jobs, houses (2) KOCHI: An assertion of their right to land and jobs and a just share in government-sponsored schemes were the highlights of the “charter of demands” adopted at the CPI(M)-organised Dalit convention in Kochi on Saturday. Backward Classe s Welfare Minister A.K. Balan presented the charter which was evolved from the debates and “Dalit family meetings” organised by the party at district and panchayat levels. The charter raised as its number one demand allotment of arable land in the government’s posse ssion to farmhands for ti lling. Large tracks of excess land secured by the government were agricultural lands and this could be made use of by Dalit agricultural workers. Another demand was for the setting up of panchayat-level labour societies in agricultural and construction sectors. They should be given aid for raising the working capital and for purchasing tools, machines and office equipment. A major demand related to reservation of jobs for Dalits in the private sector. This was necessary because the economic liberalisation policy of the Centre had led to a reduction of Dalit jobs in public sector units. The Centre should enact a law to facilitate job reservation in the private sector, the charter said. It wanted the Centre to foot the entire bill for the higher education of Dalits. It should also give aid to professionally qualified Dalit youths to start self-employment projects and the banks should give them interest-free loans. (The Hindu 17/8/08)

Denigrating SCs, STs a disgrace to country: Supreme Court (2) NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has deprecated the practice of upper castes denigrating the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and said "this is a disgrace to our country." "Our Constitution provides for equality which includes special help and care for the oppressed and weaker sections who have been historically downtrodden. The SC/ST communities in our opinion are also equal citizens, and are entitled to a life of dignity in view of Article 21 of the Constitution as interpreted by this court," said a Bench consisting of Justices Altamas Kabir and Markandey Katju. The Bench was dealing with a criminal appeal whether the use of the word `Chamar' (an SC name) was an offence attracting the provisions of The Scheduled Castes and The Schedules Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Writing the judgment, Justice Katju said: "In the age of democracy, no people and no community should be treated as being inferior. However, the truth is that in many parts of our country persons belonging to the SC/ST are oppressed, humiliated and insulted. This is a disgrace to our country." The Bench said: "The caste system is a curse on our nation and the sooner it is destroyed the better. In fact, it is dividing our country at a time when we must all be united as Indians if we wish to face the gigantic problems confronting us -poverty, unemployment, price rise, corruption, etc. The 1989 Act is a salutary legislative measure in that direction." The Bench said: "In this connection, it may be mentioned that in America to use the word `nigger' today for an African-American is regarded as highly offensive and is totally unacceptable, even if it was acceptable 50 years ago. In our opinion, even if the word `Chamar' was not regarded as offensive at one time in our country, today it is certainly a highly offensive word when used in a derogatory sense to insult and humiliate a person. Hence, it should never be used with that intent. "In our opinion, calling a member of the Scheduled Caste `Chamar' with intent to insult or humiliate him in a place within public view is certainly an offence under Section 3(1) (x) of the Act. Whether there was intent to insult or humiliate [a person] by using the word `Chamar' will, of course, depend on the context in which it was used." In the instant case, a case was registered by Vinod Nagar, working as a driver, alleging that Delhi-based Swaran Singh, his wife and daughter insulted him, calling him `Chuda-Chamar.' The Delhi High Court rejected the appellants' plea to quash the framing of charge and the present appeal is directed against this judgment. The Bench said: "In a country like ours with so much diversity - so many religions, castes,

ethnic and lingual groups, etc. - all communities and groups must be treated with respect, and no one should be looked down upon as inferior. That is the only way we can keep our country united." The Bench held that a prima facie case had been made out against Singh's wife and daughter to proceed further with the trial, but not against him, first appellant. (The Hindu 20/8/08)

Dalit v illage faces ‘economic boycott’ (2) SURENDRANAGAR, AUGUST 19 : The Dalit settlement in Pirali village in Limdi Taluka is facing an economic boycott of sorts by the upper caste Darbar community which blocked their access to the village and even stopped them from going outside for work. The trouble started after the Dalits protested against the Darbars releasing sewage into their area three years ago. “Earlier, the sewage from the Darbar locality used to flow out of the village, but about three years ago they changed the direction of the water and made it flow towards our village,” said Tulsi Parmar, a resident of the Dalit village. “With the sewage flowing straight into our area we have major water contamination,” he said. “I got the water tested at a Gandhinagar laboratory and informed the Talati and the Sarpanch that the water is unfit for drinking,” said Ranobha Rathod, a local health worker. “I have also told them to ensure that the sewage discharge is stopped to prevent serious health implications, but nothing has been done,” he added. The Darbars have now blocked the road connecting the settlement to the Dalit vil lage. The Dalits are now being forced to travel through another road which bypasses the village. The Indian Express reporter, too, was accosted by some men wielding sticks when he tried to take the disputed road.”What are you doing here? You guys have no business here,” said a member of the group. Asked about the problems with the Dalits, a youngster in the group, said: “Yes, there are issues with the Dalits here, but we do not wish to discuss it with you.” Meanwhile, last week the police refused to register an FIR against the Darbars for assaulting Tulsi Parmar who had been protesting the release of sewage. Though a few arrests were made, the accused were later released on bail. “I have arrested 12 men as a preventive measure and produced them in the local court, where they have been granted bail,” said Panshena SI P L Padvhi, who claimed to have visited the village. The Dalits allege that an economic boycott has been imposed since they approached the police. “Most of us work in their fields. Now they have stopped giving us work, they also stopped us from working in other villages,” said Raju Soya. However, Sarpanch Tribhuban Chaturbha denied there was a boycott against the Dalits. He said sewage was flowing into the village, as it was in a low-lying area. Surendranagar District Development Collector S B Raval promised that the matter would be taken up immediately. (Indian Express 20/8/08)

Reservation has helped Dalits in southern states: R amadoss (2) NEW DELHI: Praising the better socio-economic profile of Dalits in southern Indian states, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said Friday it was due to the social inclusion brought about by the "in-depth reservation policies" of the state governments. Speaking at a national-level meeting on 'Dalits and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)' organised by the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies (IIDS) at the India Islamic Cultural Centre here, Ramadoss said the condition of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes in south Indian states was better. "It is the fact of social inclusion brought through the in-depth reservation policies (in the states) that has brought about the development," the minister said. He also said that Dalit communities have a "better value for life" as is evident from the better sex ratio figures. "In all health indicators such as Infant mortality rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Under-Nourishment, SCs, and STs fare very poorly. However, indicators with regard to sex ratio are much better in these deprived communities as there is better value for l ife," Ramadoss said. Housing and Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja, University Grants Commission chairman S.K. Thorat and general secretary of National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) Paul Divakar were among the participants. Pointing to the huge correlation between the low health indicators and the fact of social deprivation among the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classe s and minorities, Ramadoss said: "Development has to be an all-inclusive process, and without including deprived sections the growth cannot be real." The health minister also referred to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's emphasis on health, education and agriculture. He expressed satisfaction at the strides made by the National Rural Health Mission. (New Indian Express 23/8/08)

Empowering weaker section youth to compete for priv ate jobs (2) JAIPUR: A coaching programme sponsored by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) to equip the youngsters belonging to Dalit, tribal and Muslim communities to compete for the private sector jobs ended here on Saturday. The three-month coaching, forming part of the

industry body’s “affirmative action” for weaker sections, was conducted through a Jaipur-based non-government organisation, Progressive Muslim Social Circle (PMSC), with the emphasis on development of skil ls of college and university students. Entrepreneurs and experts attending the valedictory session described the coaching as a salutary step aimed at improving the competence and aptitude of the weaker section youths for the private sector employment. A total of 59 candidates, who had passed out 12th standard, attended the coaching. PMSC president and former civil servant A.R. Khan said the coaching programme comprised three segments – proficiency in basic computer operations, English language learning and grooming of personality. Assocham provided funds for paying remuneration to the faculty, purchasing study material and renting the building. Mr. Khan gave credit for the initiative to Asscocham secretary general D.S. Rawat and chief advisor Manohar Lal. He said the industry body had been making a strong case for promotion of vocational education and had for the first time taken up a programme for the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and minority candidates. A placement agency, Job Junction, offered its assistance to the trainees in finding gainful employment and prepared a database for them on the spot. Of the 59 trainees from Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, Karauli and Dausa districts enrolled for the coaching, 31 belonged to SC, 13 to ST and 15 to the Muslim community. There were 10 girls in the group. The Ahangaran Girls’ College in the Walled City selected as the venue for conducting the programme also sent across a positive signal to the marginalised sections. Rajasthan Chamber of Commerce and Industry president K.L. Jain said the RCCI would be willing to extend infrastructure facilities to the course and asked the PMSC to organise it regularly. He said the RCCI building, situated at a prime location, could be util ised for holding important events during the next course. Rajasthan Livelihood Mission’s Deputy Chairman and former Chief Secretary M.L. Mehta said the coaching would enable the Dalit, tribal and minority youths to overcome their capacity constraints while looking for jobs in the highly competitive private sector. RCCI secretary Saeed Khan, PMSC secretary I.B. Khan and others affirmed that this initiative for skil l development, if accompanied by availabil ity of finance and a change in the mindset of employers, would significantly improve the livelihood scenario for the marginalised sections. (The Hindu 25/8/08)

SC/ST cases on 11 boys after Agra school fight (2) Lucknow: Aug. 27: It was an everyday scuffle between Classes 8 and 9 friends at Agra’s Simpkins School on August 13. Little did they imagine this would erupt into a big political and legal controversy, and might jeopardise their entire future. One Rohit Soni got into a quarrel with his schoolfriends, which led to a scuffle. Some boys then pushed Rohit out of a schoolbus. Rohit’s father, Ramesh Chandra Soni, then marched into the nearby Jagdishpura police station and registered a case under the SC/ST Act against 11 schoolboys. He claimed that they had hurled "derogatory and casteist" abuse at his son. The parents of the boys named in the FIR are shocked that the police agreed to register such an FIR. BJP leader Raj Kumar Chahar, whose son was among those named, said: "At that age, children don’t even know the meaning of caste... how could they hurl casteist abuses? A case under the SC/ST Act is ridiculous... it only shows that the police is acting at the behest of ruling party leaders." The school authorities too are shocked. A senior teacher told this newspaper over the telephone: "Such scuffles take place almost every day and are forgotten in hours. This could also have been resolved if the boy’s father acted with restraint. Now all children are trying to understand what casteism means... this is not good at their age." It is also taking a political turn, with local jat leaders demanding scrapping of the FIR. Most of the boys belong to that community. The local MP, filmstar Raj Babbar, has threatened that he will an agitation if the cases are not dropped. "This is clearly the limit," he said. The parents of the boys are, meanwhile, preparing to move court and vow to "fight up to the Supreme Court for justice" if they have to. (Asian Age 28/8/08)

Protests in Goa over caste remark (2) PANAJI: Aug. 27: Use of the caste word chamar by BJP former CM Manohar Parrikar in the Goa Assembly, sparked off protests from scheduled castes’ organisations on Wednesday. A scheduled caste federation led a protest march on Wednesday to the Goa Assembly, demanding retraction of the word. "If Mr Parrikar can use the word, then people in the villages will start calling us by our caste names," said the president of the federation. (Asian Age 28/8/08)

Verdict today in Khairlanji case (2) KHAIRLANJI (Bhandara district): Nearly two years after the Khairlanji massacre which shook the country, an ad hoc sessions court in Bhandara will decide on Monday if the 11 men charged with the crime of brutally murdering four members of a Dalit family are guilty or not. The lone surviving member and head

of the Bhotmange family, Bhaiyyalal, is expecting the men to be sentenced to death. It was business a s usual in Khairlanji vil lage in Maharashtra on Sunday morning. If the residents were worried about the verdict, they did not show it. For two years, people have got used to a stage meant for cultural programmes in the village square, being converted into a police outpost. The police guard Bhaiyyalal’s house even though it has been reduced to a pile of bricks this monsoon. Life has changed a lot for Bhaiyyalal who accepted a government job and a house last year. He works a s a peon in the Babasaheb Ambedkar boys’ hostel in Bhandara and continues to live in the house of local Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Dilip Uke at Warthi for over a year. He has disowned his relatives after a squabble over money. The only regret Bhaiyyalal has is that the government did not pay enough attention to the case. “They should have tried the case on a day-to-day basis in a fast track court,” he told The Hindu. He also feels that some of the accused were discharged. “At least five more people were involved in the crime and the government should arrest them and find proof to prosecute them,” he said. After the killings on September 29, 2006, a devastated Bhaiyyalal had demanded death sentence for the perpetrators of the incident. He lost his wife Surekha, teenaged daughter Priyanka and two sons, one of whom was partially blind. “Compensation is okay, but it won’t bring back my family,” he said. Bhaiyyalal was a key prosecution eyewitness in the trial. He has vowed never to live in the village, though he still owns five acres there which he has leased to some sharecroppers. He had gone once to see his house, after the police informed him that it had collapsed. He has not decided whether to l ive in the government flat at Bhandara. (The Hindu 15/9/08)

8 held guilty in Khairlanji case (2) MUMBAI: Sept. 15: It’s a mixed bag verdict for the prosecution, the dalits awaiting stern action against those who caused the infamous Khairlanji massacre almost two years back and even the defence as the district and civil judge of Bhandara district announced that eight out of a total of 11 accused have been found guilty on charges of murder and causing riots. But what surprised everyone most was the fact that, the judge did not find any of the accused guilty of the more discussed charges of either atrocity or molestation. The quantum of punishment will be decided on September 20 after hearing the argument of both the prosecution and the defence regarding the same. The judge observed that it is proved that accused Gopal Biwnjwar (35), Shankar Biwnjwar (49), Shantaram Dhande (38), Vishawanath Dhande (58), Ram Dhande (44), Jagdhish Mandalikar (42), Prabhakar Mandalikar (28) and Shishupal Dhande (29) killed Surekha i.e. wife of Bayyalal Bhotmange. However Mahipal Dhande and Dharampal Dhande were acquitted as there was no evidence against them. Also in the case of Purushotam Titirmare, the only charge that could proved against him was that he assaulted police constable Sidharth Gajiye which led to the entire episode. He was also acquitted. The court observed that charges of murder and causing riots by gathering unlawful assembly are proved against all the other accused. The fact that while the victim set her animal shed on fire, a few of the accused tried to douse it leading the court to believe that it was not a pre-planned murder. (Asian Age 16/9/08)

Ministry for change in law on SC status for childre n (2) New Delhi : A child with either of the parents belonging to a scheduled caste (SC) could be considered a member of the community if a proposal for an amendment to the Constitution gets the government's nod. Under the present statute, a child with an SC father is only deemed to be belonging to the scheduled caste community. If only the mother belongs to the scheduled caste, the child does not get the status. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has mooted a proposal for an amendment in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 to make the provision "gender neutral", a senior official said."The proposal is in circulation at the Union Cabinet," official told PTI. (Pioneer 16/9/08)

No ev idence for conv iction under Atrocities Act: ju dge (2) BHANDARA: Ad hoc sessions judge S.S. Das on Monday held eight men guilty of murdering four members of the Bhotmange family in Khairlanji village two years ago but found no evidence to convict them under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Three persons were acquitted of all charges. In a verdict that disappointed Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange, the survivor of that brutal attack on September 29, 2006, the judge also did not convict any of the 11 accused of charges under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which refers to assault or criminal force with intent to outrage the modesty of a woman. He said what happened in Khairlanji was a case of murder spurred by revenge for an earlier case of assault involving the police patil of a nearby village, Siddharth Gajbhiye. Gajbhiye who was related to the Bhotmanges was a frequent visitor to their house, a fact

resented by other people. Surekha, Bhaiyyalal’s wife and daughter Priyanka testified in a case of attack by vil lagers of Khairlanji on Gajbhiye mid-September. The villagers were arre sted and released on September 29, 2006 and they sought revenge by attacking and killing the Bhotmange family. Gopal Binjewar, Sakru Binjewar, Shatrughna Dhande, Vishwanath Dhande, Ramu Dhande, Jagdish Mandlekar, Prabhakar Mandlekar and Shishupal Dhande have been convicted of murder (Section 302 of the IPC), rioting, armed with deadly weapons (Section 148 IPC), Section 149 of the IPC which refers to every member of an unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of a common object, and Section 201 of the IPC for destroying evidence or giving false evidence to protect offenders. Regarding charges under Section 354 of the IPC, the court held that the prosecution was not able to establish whether the two women were stripped of their clothes before or after the assault. On the two charges under the Atrocities Act, the judge said that Bhaiyyalal’s statement in court and his first information report (FIR) did not mention any caste-related abuse. Eyewitnesse s Muke sh Pusam and Suresh Khandate said that they did hear people shouting abuses at both Surekha and Priyanka, but the judge did not consider that as proof. The judge has set September 20 as the date for arguments on sentencing. The sentence is likely to be pronounced a few days later. Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said that he received the verdict with mixed reactions. “I am happy that most of the accused are held guilty but at the same time, three are acquitted. The court did not accept our main charge that it was a criminal conspiracy and the entire episode was a result of a caste war,” Mr. Nikam told the press. The prosecution is pressing for the maximum penalty. The court relied on the evidence of the eyewitnesse s and the two extra judicial testimonies. The judge accepted the evidence of Mukesh Pusam as well as another witness Premlal who saw one of the accused dragging the bodies to the bullock cart. They were later dumped in the Pench canal and only found over the next few days. Neeraj Khandewale, the advocate for the defence said the court has ruled out any caste-based atrocity and the three accused who have been acquitted, Mahipal Dhande, Dharampal Dhande and Purshottam Tittirmare, did not figure in the testimonies of any witness. The prosecution could not really establish a case under the Atrocities Act, he pointed out. The court discounted the delay in fil ing the FIR which was over one and a half months late. However, it has issued a show case to Mahadeo Zhanzhad, one of the prosecution witnesses who turned hostile and will initiate proceedings against him for perjury. The case, in which four members of the Bhotmange family were bludgeoned to death by a mob, led to widespread protests due to the shoddy investigation and suppression of evidence. The bodies of the two women were exhumed after Bhaiyyalal made a demand as he suspected rape. However, there was no forensic evidence to that effect and the CBI did not include rape as one of the charges. The case was handed over to the CBI for investigation and the charge sheet was fi led in December 2006. While 35 accused were discharged, 11 were charged with crimes under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act as well as murder, criminal conspiracy, destroying evidence and unlawful assembly. The prosecution examined 36 out of the 70 witnesse s listed. Despite several demands, the government did not appoint a fast track court. The trial began in May 2007. The two sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities ) Act under which no evidence was produced according to the court are : 3 (1) (10) whosoever intentionally insults or intimidates with intent to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe in any place within public view; and 3 (2) (v) whosoever commits any offence under the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860) punishable with imprisonment for a term of 10 years or more against a person or property on the ground that such person is a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe or such property belongs to such member, shall be punishable with imprisonment for l ife and with fine. (The Hindu 16/9/08)

Is this 21st-century apartheid? (2) Eight people were convicted on Monday of the murder of four members of a lower-caste Dalit family in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. A Dalit farmer's wife, daughter and two sons were lynched and beaten to death by an upper-caste mob in a land dispute in 2006. The women were also raped. What is unusual about this case i s that the perpetrators were successfully prosecuted. Normally, the killers of Dalits walk free. One reason why the murderers have been bought to justice is the rising tide of Dalit militancy. There has been a wave of mass demonstrations by Dalit people demanding justice and equal treatment. Newly confident and organised, the Dalits are fighting back with strikes and boycotts. Shaken by this burgeoning protest movement, some Indian authorities are finally being pushed and pressured into action, albeit slowly and exceptionally. About time too. India's 170 million Dalit people, formerly known as "untouchables," are at the bottom of the Hindu caste system. They are victims of the most extreme form of caste discrimination. It is, in many ways, analogous to racism. By virtue of their birth into a Dalit family

and community, they are condemned forever to a l ife of social stigma, exclusion and victimisation. Human Rights Watch has condemned India's abuse of its Dalit people as a "hidden apartheid," comparable to the institutional discrimination of pre-democratic South Africa. According to a major Human Rights Watch report, Dalit people are sti ll today seen by many Indians as sub-human and undeserving of basic rights. Shunned as inferiors and social outcasts, they suffer insults, violence, rape, discrimination and impoverishment. Often forced into de facto slave labour, they are made to eat, sleep and pray separately, and denied equal education and healthcare. In some schools, Dalit children are required to sit separately, at the back of the classroom. Similar segregation happens in housing, temples, hospitals and in relief camps after natural disasters l ike floods and earthquakes. Many Dalits are refused use of land and water wells. Others are pressed into degrading jobs, ranging from prostitution to the manual clearing of human waste. Payment is often in food, not money. Of those who get paid cash, many earn the equivalent of less than 50p for an eight-hour day. The plight of the Dalits is well-known to the Indian government. In 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh became the first serving Indian prime minister to acknowledge a parallel between the practice of "untouchability" and the abuses of apartheid. He condemned anti-Dalit casteism as a "blot on humanity", adding: "Even after 60 years of constitutional and legal protection and state support, there is sti l l social discrimination against Dalits in many parts of our country." This failure by successive Indian governments to adequately address the subhuman mistreatment of the Dalit people was exposed in 1999 by Human Rights Watch. Similar criticisms were voiced in a 2007 report by the UN committee on the elimination of racial discrimination. It reiterated that laws protecting Dalits were not strong enough and that existing laws were often not enforced. No surprise there. Anti-Dalit casteism is also deeply entrenched among law enforcement agencies, including government officials, police officers, judges and lawyers. Even many of the people who are employed to ensure the protection of Dalit human rights are either hostile, indifferent or fearful of a backlash if they do their job with any effectiveness. Over 100,000 cases of rape, murder, arson and other abuses against Dalits are reported in India each year. Some states record conviction rates as low as 2-3%. Moreover, the police themselves are sometimes the perpetrators of abuses against Dalit people. Human Rights Watch confirms that police officers have been guilty of detaining, torturing and extorting money from Dalits. These abuses are not happening in apartheid-era South Africa. They are occurring, with virtual impunity, in modern-day India – the world's largest democracy and an emerging economic superpower. If India wants to be an internationally respected world player, as it has every right to be, it needs to eradicate this blight on its national character. As long as the feudal caste system exists, India will never fulfil i ts potential, economically or ethically. You can help the Dalit struggle for dignity and human rights by emailing the Indian high commissioner in London, Shiv Shankar Mukherjee at [email protected] Urge him to press the Indian government for tougher laws and stronger law enforcement to protect the Dalit people, backed up with a mandatory education programme to promote Dalit equality in all Indian schools, businesse s, temples, mosques, government offices and police and judicial agencies. (The Guardian … World 17/9/08)

Caste discrimination alleged in TTD (2) TIRUPATI: A delegation of AP Scheduled Castes Welfare Association, Tirupati, met Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and submitted a memorandum highlighting the specific instances of alleged violation of the rule of reservation and the practice of ‘caste discrimination’ against the SCs in TTD. Of the five ‘major problems’ represented to the Chief Minister by the delegation led among others by the general secretary of the Association, P. Paramasivan, one related to the alleged ‘backdoor’ appointment to some posts misusing the word ‘unique’ found in the G.O Ms.No:1060. It is in total violation of the rule of reservation enshrined in the Constitution, the representation said and also cited another instance wherein the TTD was reportedly trying to regularise the services of 489 teachers working on contract and general basis in alleged violation of the reservation rules. (The Hindu 18/9/08)

Dalit group opposes quota for converts (2) New Delhi (PTI): A group espousing the protection of Dalit right to reservations on Thursday opposed UPA government's proposal to give SC quota to those Dalits who converted to Christianity or Islam saying it would deprive SC Hindus the benefits of reservation. The Anusuchit Jati Arakshan Adhikar Bachao Manch will hold a rally here on September 21 to register its protest and has invited leaders cutting across party lines to the rally to ask the government against any move to include Christian and Muslim Dalits in the SC reservation quota of 15 percent. "The Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission report, which was submitted in 2007, suggests that reservation should be given under the SC category to those Dalits who converted to Christianity or Islam....I think the Commission was formed with a political motive," the

Forum's national convenor Ram Nath Kovind said at a press conference. Kovind said Mishra Commission's suggestion is meant to serve Congress party as it hopes to get the support of converted Dalits after losing the traditional Dalit vote bank to leaders l ike Mayawati and Ram Vilas Paswan. Enumerating the "flaws" in the Mishra Commission report, Kovind said while suggesting reservations for Dalit converts it does not mention any cut-off date for conversions, thus widening its scope. The Dalit leader said SC population had increased to around 18 percent now though the reservation for Dalits is only 15 percent. Including Dalit converts would further deprive the Hindu SC population of the benefits of reservations, he said. (The Hindu 19/9/08)

BJP-backed body rally against quota in dalits (2) NEW DELHI: Sept. 18: Opposed to any move by the UPA government to introduce reservations for the country’s dalit Muslims and dalit Christians, the Anusuchit Jati Arakshan Adhikar Bachao Manch has said that this would only deprive those belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category of what is their due. The manch owes allegiance to the BJP though the party has a separate cell for SCs headed by former Union minister Satyanarayan Jatiya. The opposition to any reservations for dalit Muslims and Christians has come following a recommendation to this effect that had been made by the Ranganath Misra Commission. It is noteworthy that though the commission had submitted its report to the government in May last year, officially at least the report has been kept under wraps. The government, aware of the controversial nature of the recommendation on reservation for dalit Muslims and Christians, has chosen to not even table the report in Parliament. The manch, which is opposed to the implementation of this recommendation plans, to hold a "Chetavani" rally in the city on September 21 to protest against any move to give such reservations. Manch convenor Ram Nath Kovind told reporters on Thursday that leaders cutting across party l ines — from the Congress, CPI(M), CPI, NCP, BSP, LJP and the SP — had been invited to participate in the rally.(Asian Age 19/9/08)

Rajasthan claim on manual scav enging contested (2) JAIPUR: Chairperson of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Santosh Choudhary has contested the Rajasthan’s claim on eradication of manual scavenging in the State. Rajasthan is yet to rehabilitate those who carry night soil on their head. The State has utilised Rs.8.67 crore so far out of a Central assistance of Rs. 44.48 crore. “The State government’s claim on rehabilitation of all those engaged in manual scavenging is not true. Otherwise, why should the State’s Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Corporation seek an additional Rs.1 crore for the rehabilitation of 1,353 persons engaged in cleaning” she asked. Expressing concern over exploitation of the cleaning workers by the contractors, she said, “The State’s safai karamcharis are not given minimum wages. They are also not provided with the basic protection such as masks and gloves for carrying out their daily work.” The State was also found lagging behind in the “Sampoorna Swatchata Abhiyan” (total cleanliness campaign). (The Hindu 21/9/08)

“Khairlanj i fit case for death penalty, it should b e a deterrent” (2) MUMBAI: The much-awaited sentencing in the Khairlanji murder case will take place on September 24. On Saturday, the Central Bureau of Investigation and special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam pressing for the death penalty for the convicts. Last Monday, an ad hoc sessions court in Bhandara convicted eight persons of the murder of four members of the Dalit family of Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange. Sessions judge S.S. Das came down on the media for taking a “partisan attitude” to his judgment, which did not convict the accused under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes ( Prevention of Atrocities ) Act. Mr. Das also criticised activists who threatened to take the law into their own hands if the guilty were not given the death sentence. If people had problems with the verdict, they could approach the Bombay High Court. He said he would not tolerate this kind of expression of dissent in future and would be constrained to exercise his jurisdiction. Mr. Das said he had received threatening phone calls, abusing him since the first day of the trial. In response to the court request, Mr. Nikam submitted television recordings of stories by private news channels, apart from interviews of activists who were trying to “interfere” with the court’s work. The court indicated that it might contemplate some action. In the arguments on sentencing, CBI prosecutor Ejaz Khan said the court found all the eight guilty of murder and unlawful assembly. Each of them played an overt part in the crime, and the maximum penalty must be given. Mr. Nikam said it was the rarest of rare cases. The accused committed a gruesome murder, which was diabolically conceived and cruelly executed. On September 29, 2006, a mob encircled the Bhotmange house and abused Surekha, wife of

Bhaiyyalal; daughter Priyanka and sons Ro shan and Sudhir around 6.30 pm. Though Surekha set fire to a cattle shed to scare away the mob, it extinguished the blaze and assaulted her first by dragging her into a drain and then kil ling her. It was not merely a “cold-blooded murder but frozen-blooded murder,” Mr. Nikam told the court. He said the mob assaulted Priyanka and the two boys, who had no role to play and were defenceless. This was a case fit for the death penalty and it should be a deterrent. Defence lawyer Neeraj Khandewale said there was no extreme brutality or diabolic planning involved. What happened was an act on the spur of the moment. Had Surekha not set fire to the cattle shed, the incident would have not taken place. The accused feared that they would be implicated in another false case and tried to put out the fire. Even the prosecution witness, Mukesh Pusam, had said the accused were standing outside her house and they were provoked only when she set fire to the shed. Mr. Khandewale said the accused were poor, landless labourers with families and they might reform if given a chance. Security was tight in Bhandara and entry to Khairlanji village was restricted.(The Hindu 22/9/08)

To SC, ST add another SC: Ministry (2) New Delhi, September 22: The Ministry of Social Justice is piloting an amendment in the Constitution to

add denotified tribes as a new beneficiary of reservation with the job quota ceiling raised beyond 50 per cent — the limit fixed by the Supreme Court — to accommodate them. In a Cabinet note to the Ministry of Home Affairs this month, the Ministry has asked it to consider the proposal of the National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes to provide reservation to them by adding a new Article 342A defining the tribes as a ‘Scheduled Community’. “Once a denotified tribe is notified as a scheduled community, delete it from the list of scheduled tribe, scheduled castes or Other Backward Castes, a s the case may be... Reserve 10 percent of Government jobs for DNTs even if the ceiling of 50 percent is exceeded,” the Ministry restates the recommendations while pushing the First Stage Proposals for Action. Other amendments proposed are providing electoral reservation to the Scheduled Community in Lok Sabha, state legislatures, Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies as well as setting up a permanent National Commission for DNTs like those for SCs and STs that have powers of a civil court and monitor the safeguards of these sections. The rationale for a separate category outside the SC, ST or OBC list stems from the inequity in their rehabilitation. Though 97 percent of denotified tribes and 84 percent of nomadic tribes are categorized as SC, ST or OBC, they have been bypassed in the development process. And even though state governments are empowered under Article 16 to make separate provision for reservation outside the existing three categories, communities granted quota under this provision can get reservation benefits only in state institutions and not in the Central pool. Around 11 crore people belong to 150 denotified tribes such as Pardhi, Baori, Sansi, Berad and Kanjar Bhat or 1,500 semi-nomadic or nomadic tribes like Nat, Dombari, Sapera, Madari, Van Gujjar and Kalandar. The denotified tribes were included in an 1871 Criminal Tribes Act branding them as criminal. Though a newly independent India repealed it in 1952, they continue to be hounded. Other privileges proposed by the Ministry are providing a special housing scheme with campaigns to issue ration cards, BPL (Below Poverty Line) cards, voter identity cards to these tribes with a follow-up in the Inter State Council to evolve a common/coordinated approach among states.... (Indian Express 22/9/08)

Dalit ‘hacked’ in Orissa (2) Bhubaneswar, Sept. 21: A Dalit Christian was allegedly hacked to death last night in Kandhamal, breaking a six-day lull in the riot-torn district whose police chief insisted the situation was “under control”. Iswar Digal, 33, was waylaid as he and wife Pranati walked back to their relief camp in Phulbani town, about 250km from here, through a forest around 8.30pm. Pranati has told police that a group of tribals forced Iswar to accompany them deep into the jungles and then killed him, but it wasn’t clear if she had witnessed the alleged murder. “Iswar’s wife has lodged a case,” said Paitambar Bisoi, officer in charge of Sarangada police station. “However, we are yet to find the body.” The couple had been staying at the relief camp since their home was attacked during the violence against Christians that broke out four weeks ago in Orissa. If Iswar has been killed, the toll in Kandhamal — the epicentre of the violence — would rise to 28. Iswar had left the camp in the morning after being falsely informed that his paralytic father had died at their home in Gatringia village, 7km away. He hid in the jungles and visited his father only after sundown, Pranati said. Then the couple set off for their camp. Police sources said the news of Iswar’s return seemed to have reached the tribals and they lay in wait for him. The National Commission for Minorities has blamed the Bajrang Dal for the communal violence in NDA-ruled Orissa and Karnataka, reports PTI. (Telegraph 22/9/08)

Dalit agency to participate in U.N. meet (2) NEW DELHI: The National Confederation of Dalit Organisations (NACDOR) will participate in a round-table on Millennium Development Goals (MDG) at the United Nations’ High-Level Event (HLE) representing civil society organisations. All-India Convenor of NACDOR Ashok Bharti is the only Asian who has been nominated by the U.N. Non-Governmental Liaison Service and Millennium Campaign to address the HLE on ‘Poverty and Hunger.’ The HLE on the MDGs will take place at the U.N. headquarters in New York on September 25. The event convened by the U.N. Secretary-General is meant to review the progress towards achievement of MDGs and identify gaps and motivate commitments to bridge the gaps. The event will have thematic roundtables on ‘Poverty and Hunger,’ ‘Education and Health’ and ‘Environmental Sustainability.’ “We have crossed the half-way mark of the MDG achievement journey. But the situation in Asia, particularly most of South Asia, is far from satisfactory. An alarming spectre of social exclusion haunts every concerned citizen. Government, civil society and the corporate sector need to come together to identify such factors in meeting the MDG targets,” Mr. Bharti said in a press release before leaving for New York. The Hindu 24/9/08)

Dalit student stabbed during ragging in Rajasthan t own (2) JAIPUR: A Dalit student was beaten and stabbed in front of the polytechnic college in the district town of Jhalawar in Rajasthan on Tuesday when he refused to comply with the demands of a group of boys, apparently during a ragging attempt. The boy, Ravindra Nawalia, brought this predicament upon himself reportedly when he refused to disrobe. The first year student was coming out of the college when he was accosted by six persons, including two outsiders, at the gate. When he refused to remove his cloths, the miscreants first beat him and then stabbed him. The police authorities in Jhalawar said a case has been registered under Sections 304, 307 of the Indian Penal Code and under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Four of the accused have been taken into custody while two are still missing. The Hindu 24/9/08)

Death for six in Khairlanj i case; two get life term (2) MUMBAI: In a historic verdict on Wednesday, the ad hoc sessions court in Bhandara handed down the death sentence to six persons in the Khairlanji massacre case. Two others held guilty were given life imprisonment. On September 15, sessions judge S.S. Das convicted eight of the 11 accused of murder, rioting with deadly weapons, unlawful assembly and suppression of evidence, while acquitting the other three of all charges. The court found no evidence under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code, which refers to assault or criminal force with intent to outrage the modesty of a woman. While Gopal Binjewar and Shishupal Dhande were given life imprisonment, Sakru Binjewar, Shatrughna Dhande, Vishwanath Dhande, Ramu Dhande, Jagdish Mandlekar and Prabhakar Mandlekar were sentenced to death. Welcoming the verdict, Ramdas Athavale, Republican Party of India (Athavale), said it was the first time in the country that six persons were given the death sentence in a case of murder of people belonging to the Scheduled Castes. Activist and journalist Milind Fulzale from Yavatmal told The Hindu that in the cases of the Gavai brothers, who had their eyes gouged out in the 1970s; in the case of the Thombre brothers, who were killed at Kalamb in Yavatmal in 1997 during Holi; or in the case of Pochiram Kamble, an activist burnt alive during the struggle to rename the Marathwada University, nothing happened. Though cases were filed, either the matter was suppressed or some light sentence handed down. This was the first time the court conducted a speedy trial and awarded the death penalty, he said. The verdict comes five days before the second anniversary of the Khairlanji killings, which occurred on September 29, 2006. The crime sent shock waves across the State. Four members of the family of Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange — his wife Surekha, daughter Priyanka and sons Roshan and Sudhir — were killed near their house at Khairlanji by a mob from the village. Bhaiyyalal expressed satisfaction with the sentence. Soon after the incident, he demanded that all the culprits be hanged. After the conviction, he expressed disappointment that three people were acquitted. He demanded that the CBI gather fresh evidence against those acquitted and also against the 35 people discharged from the case earlier and proceed against them. If the CBI did not do this, he said, he would move the Bombay High Court to demand a fresh investigation against the three. Ujjwal Nikam, special public prosecutor, had demanded death sentence for all eight accused, saying this was the rarest of rare ca ses and brutal murder diabolically conceived. He told The Hindu that the judgment was a historic one and would send a strong message to society and act as a deterrent. Neeraj Khandewale, defence lawyer, said the death sentence was subject to confirmation by the High Court. “Actually this is not the rarest of rare cases but unfortunately the court has awarded the death sentence.

We are yet to get copies of the judgment and we will decide on the question of appealing in the High Court after that.” (The Hindu 25/9/08)

UP men miss feast, accused of casteism(2) LUCKNOW: Sept. 28: They "forgot" to attend his dinner and now they are paying the price for it. A group of persons in Farukkhabad district have been charged with spreading casteist hatred by not attending a "tehrevin" (post-death ritual) feast hosted by one Chandra Prakash after the death of his brother Ram Vraj. Chandra Prakash, who works in Patna, has fi led a case in a Patna court saying that the persons in question did not attend the feast because they said that he belongs to the Bedia community, which is considered low caste. He said that this had led to a loss of prestige and wastage of food. According to reports reaching here, Ram Vraj died in Tajpur village under Mohammadabad police station about a month ago. His younger brother Chandra Prakash hosted a "tehrevin" feast to wind up the rituals after the death. He sent out invitations to all and sundry and even obtained the signatures of the invitees to ensure that they had been duly informed. A dozen invitees, including Sher Singh, Vishram Singh, Pappan and Muneshwar Dixit, did not attend the feast. They reportedly told some people that since Mr Prakash belonged to the Bedia community, they would not eat a morsel at his place. The Bedia community belongs to the SC category but Mr Prakash claims that he had never received any benefit meant for Scheduled Castes. Upset at this, Mr Prakash returned to Patna and filed a case in court, accusing these persons of indulging in casteist slander. He said that though he belonged to the Thakur community, the group of invitees had lowered his prestige by saying that he belonged to the Bedia community. He said that considerable food at the "tehrevin" feast had gone waste because of the sudden decision of some persons. (Asian Age 29/9/08)

Tax holiday for firms in SC/ST areas (2) NEW DELHI: Sept. 29: Intending to ensure affirmative action by the industry in favour of people belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) and also to provide some impetus to otherwise sluggish industrial growth, the UPA government has decided to offer a 10-year tax holiday to those business house s, which set up their manufacturing units in the areas dominated by the underprivileged communities. Finding this an opportune time, as the general elections are due in about six months time from now, the decision to offer the tax shops was taken last week at a meeting chaired by principal secretary to the Prime Minister T.K.A. Nair, who also heads the coordination panel in the PMO on affirmative action by the private industry in favour of SCs and STs. The industry representatives belonging to Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) were also present in the meeting. In a hurry to woo the voters belonging to the communities ahead of elections the Centre is expected to formalise the decision in a month. "The PMO has sent a direction to the department for industrial policy and promotion to look into the matter. Then a formal draft proposal would be prepared by the finance ministry, which will be put before the Union Cabinet for its approval in a month’s time," sources in the government said. Interestingly, India’s manufacturing sector took a hit in July this year with a growth of only 7.5 per cent compared to that of 8.8 per cent in the last corresponding month. The sector contributed only 5.6 per cent to the country’s GDP growth in April-June of the current fiscal against 10.9 per cent in the same period last year. Claiming that the idea of tax holiday is quite exiting and encouraging to the manufacturing industry, an industry representative on the condition of anonymity said, "ST population is concentrated in states l ike Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, and Madhya Pradesh. Since most of them are infested with Naxal violence, we are apprehensive of proper law and order situation there." (Asian Age 30/9/08)

Dalits continue to be deprived of land rights, say rights activists (2) JAIPUR: A gathering of human rights activists and Dalit groups here over the weekend expressed concern over continuing deprivation of land rights to Dalits in Rajasthan and elsewhere in the country. Even after 60 years of Independence the Dalits are yet to get posse ssion of the land allocated to them out of the surplus land which came to the Governments through the Bhoodan movement or from the Land Ceiling Act, they pointed out. The convention on Dalit land rights, organised by the Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR) and the National Federation of Dalit Land Rights Movement (NFDLRM) here, also did not miss the fact that out of the 24 persons killed in police firing in the agitation over land acquisition for SEZ in Nandigram in West Bengal, 14 were Dalits. About 40 per cent of the farmers who committed suicide in Maharashtra due to the farm crisis too were Dalits, it was pointed out. “Most of the land allocated to Dalits in the wake of the Bhoodan movement and the implementation of the Land Ceiling Act has gone back to the old

landowners. While 95 per cent land allocated to the Dalits from the Bhoodan movement is under dispute, the benefits of land allotment made under the 20-Point Programme introduced by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi have been cornered by the influential persons,” said NFDLRM general secretary Manas Jena. “The Dalits remain deprived on the social and the economic fronts as the laws meant to protect Dalit rights are never honestly implemented in this country,” said CDR chairman P. L. Mimrot. “The provision for equal rights to Dalits in resources, enshrined in the Constitution, is yet to come to effect. While restoration of their land to the Dalits sti ll remains a mirage, the political parties have even stopped talking about land reforms and surplus land under Ceiling Act,” Mr. Mimrot pointed out. The convention, which decided to set up a core committee headed by NFDLRM State representative Satish Kumar to carry out a campaign on Dalit land rights in Rajasthan, sought shifting of the responsibil ity of protecting the Dalit interests on land --under the Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955 (Section 183 B and C) -- from tehsildars to SDOs or the Additional Collectors. The convention also wanted the cases related to Dalit lands to be registered under the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (Section 3(1) (IV) and V. (The Hindu 30/9/08)

Dalits, Adivasi bodies threaten agitation (2) KANNUR: Dalit and Adivasi organisations will launch an agitation demanding rehabilitation of landless Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families in agricultural land and oppose the State government’s stand that the landless among these sections need five to 10 cents of land for rehabilitation. Punnala Sreekumar, general convener of the joint action council of Dalit and tribal organisations, said here on Sunday that the government’s stand would adversely affect the State’s development. The demand for land by the landless wa s sought to be restricted to an issue of their rights to a dwelling place by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, he said adding that the Chief Minister’s Munnar mission and recovery of encroached land should not be seen as an initiative to take back land required for constructing houses for the landless. The government should convert its initiatives to evict unauthorised encroachments into a political project aimed at assigning agricultural land to the SC/ST communities, he told a press conference here. Kerala Pulayar Mahasabha president T.V. Babu; Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha chairperson C.K. Janu; Bhooparishkarana Samithi co-ordinator M. Geethanandan; and Velan Mahasabha general secretary M.K. Thankappan were present at the press meet. Accusing Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac of encouraging new investors and special economic zones (SEZ), Mr. Sreekumar said that Dalits and Adivasis were demanding that agricultural land be assigned among people who were farmers and steps be taken to fix the extent of plantation land. He said that this would develop employment opportunities in rural and eastern hill areas. The government would not touch the land of plantation owners for setting up SEZs, he added. He also said that the second land reforms movement started by 30-odd Dalit and tribal organisations was to raise their demand for agricultural land and social justice. The other demands included implementation of the Adivasi agreement; development policy for the Scheduled communities; handing over of recruitment in aided institutions to the Public Service Commission; and writing off of loans. The ‘Bhoo Parishkarana Jatha’ being organised by the joint action council would conclude at Neyyattinkara on November 1, he said adding that they would lay siege to collectorates and the Secretariat on November 5. (The Hindu 13/10/08)

Khairlanj i verdict hearing on Oct 20 (2) NAGPUR: The High Court Bench will deliver a verdict on October 20 on confirmation of sentences awarded to the accused of killing four members of a Dalit family in Khairlanji village. Division Bench of Justice Dilip Sinha and Justice A P Bhangale on Tuesday posted the matter for hearing on October 20. All documents pertaining to the case have been sent to the High Court for ratification of the death sentence to six persons and life sentence given to two persons in connection with the kill ings of four members of the Bhotmange family at Khairlanji in Bhandara district. The judicial system requires a death sentence awarded to any convict by a lower court to be ratified under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) by a High Court. Ad Hoc District and Sessions Judge S S Dass, on September 25, found eight of the 11 accused guilty of killing Surekha Bhaiyalal Bhotmange, her daughter Priyanka and sons Sudhir and Roshan on Sept 29, 2006. Sakru Binjewar, Shatrughan Dhande, Vishwanath Dhande, Ramu Dhande, Jagdish Mandlekar and Prabhakar Mandlekar were given the death sentence while Gopal Binjewar and Shishupal Dhande have been sentenced to life imprisonment. (Times of India 15/10/08)

Parties urged to field Dalit, women candidates (2)

JAIPUR: The Jaipur-based Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR) on Thursday released a “Dalit manifesto” for the forthcoming Rajasthan Assembly elections while calling upon all political parties to make a pledge to ensure social justice to Dalits and field a sufficient number of Dalit and women candidates even from unreserved constituencies. CDR president P. L. Mimroth and former State Human Rights Commission member R. K. Akodia, releasing the manifesto here, underlined the need for bridging the divide between the so-called higher castes and Dalits in areas such as education, health care, housing, livelihood, drinking water, security and human dignity. Mr. Mimroth said almost all political parties had “conveniently forgotten” the Land Ceiling Act, which was routinely violated by the forward caste people to encroach upon the land of Dalits and deprive them of their land title or make them bonded labourers on their own land. “Untouchability, discrimination, denial of legitimate rights, harassment and insult in public life are the order of the day for Dalits in Rajasthan. Their lot cannot improve unless the next elected government upholds the rule of law and acts with sensitivity to Dalit issues,” said Mr. Akodia. The 16-page manifesto, supported by several civil rights groups, demands that the next Education Minister in the State be appointed from a Dalit community to bring Dalits to the mainstream of highly specialised and money-oriented education. It said Dalits could not have access to higher and technical education without State support. As against the private medical, engineering, nursing and technical colleges and universities where heavy capitation fee and donation is charged, Dalits have a “limited access” to Lok Jumbish, Shiksha karmi, Poshahaar and District Primary Education Programme, the manifesto said. The Social Welfare Minister in the State should be appointed from a non-Dalit community, said the manifesto. The manifesto also called for strict implementation of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, Special Component Plan and special schemes for socio-economic development of Dalits. The groups which have extended support to CDR include the National Federation of Dalit Land Rights Movements, National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights and PUCL. (The Hindu 17/10/08)

“Ask States to enforce ban on manual scavenging” (2 ) NEW DELHI: Chairman of Law Commission Justice A.R. Lakshmanan has written to the Union government to take up with six State governments the issue of manual scavenging still prevalent in their States and to ask them to enforce the ban. In a letter written to Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar on October 14, Justice Lakshmanan pointed out that according to a report of the Safai Karamchari Andolan, about 13 lakh of people in the country “carry human excreta for disposal.” Quoting a letter received by him from the Uttar Pradesh Governor T.V. Rajeswar in this regard, Justice Lakshmanan said that in 1993 the Centre had enacted the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act and this Act was notified in 1997. However, the States of Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Bihar had not notified the Act and the problem was rampant in these States. (The Governor had urged the Commission to consider issuing directions to the States concerned for effective implementation of the law banning manual scavenging.) Justice Lakshmanan said: “I also the share the sentiments of the Governor that carrying of human excreta is most inhuman and therefore, a time limit should be fixed by which all State governments concerned should certify that the provisions of the Act have been fully implemented. “Since the Law Commission is only a recommendatory body, I thought it prudent to bring this important human issue to your kind attention for taking up this issue with the States.” (The Hindu 17/10/08) Dalit rape v ictim gives birth to child (2) Moga: A Dalit rape victim gave birth to a male child in the local civil hospital here on Tuesday. She had alleged that she was raped by one Sukhpreet Singh of Dhurkot Charahat Singh Wala village in Moga and against whom and former sarpanch Ravinder Singh a case of rape was registered with the area police on June 15 this year. In the hospital record the father’s name has been mentioned as Sukhpreet Singh. Senior Superintendent of Police Ashok Baath said that a case had been registered on the victim’s complaint. During the investigation co-accused Ravinder Singh was found innocent and his name was dropped. In the meantime the main accused Sukhpreet Singh was granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. According to the FIR, the victim alleged that she along with her mother was working as domestic help in the house of Sukhpreet Singh where he developed il licit relations with her. When she became pregnant, Sukhpreet Singh assured her of marriage, she further alleged. But later on when he refused to marry her, she informed her parents about her four-month pregnancy. The case was initially registered against both Sukhpreet Singh and Ravinder Singh. Earlier the main accused Sukhpreet Singh did not agree for a DNA test. He was also evading police investigation. Mr. Baath said that now they would go ahead with the DNA test. -- PTI (The Hindu 22/10/08)

Casteism troubles BJP, Cong (2) Jaipur: Oct. 21: The growing castesim has created problems for Rajasthan’s ruling BJP and Opposition Congress in candidate selection for Assembly elections as every caste is scrambling for a slice of the pie. "It is matter of concern for us," admits state BJP president O.P. Mathur. But the Congress blamed chief minister Vasundhara Raje for the present situation. The Brahmin Mahasabha knocked approached both the BJP and Congress and asked that 22 of its people be accommodated for the Assembly elections. "If these parties neglect our community, we will teach them a lesson," said Brahmin Mahasabha leader Bhawani Shankar Sharma. "Most of the candidates mentioned their caste in profiles submitted to the party while seeking a ticket," said a senior BJP leader. Mr Mathur said, "It is the first time that most aspirants are focusing on their caste background rather than other things," he said. The Dholis (drummer community) had organised a demonstration in Jaipur and said the community was neglected by both parties. Jaipur has been witnessing shows of strength by different communities since the election schedule was announced. The Ravnan Rajput community also organised a conference and demanded a slice of political power. "What is wrong in demanding tickets on caste basis when every caste is doing the same," asked Nathu Singh, a leader of the community. Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot blamed Ms Raje for promoting castesim in Rajasthan. (Asian Age 22/10/08)

In Kandhamal, majority Christians are from Dalit fa milies (2) Kandhamal (IANS): There has been a 66 per cent growth in Christian population in Orissa's Kandhamal region, which has seen attacks on Christians and churches. Of the 42,353 who adopted Christianity between 1991 and 2001, only two followed law to change religion. According to data available with the district collectorate, the Christian population in Kandhamal was 1,17,950 in the 2001 census, up from 75,597 a decade earlier. "The Christian growth rate in the district is 66 per cent as against 18.6 per cent for the overall population growth in the district," District Collector Krishan Kumar told IANS. Kumar said that the Orissa Freedom of Religion Rules, which came into action in 1989, allows people to change or adopt any religion but all such individuals need to submit a form to the district magistrate. "We have received just two applications not just between 1991 and 2001 but between 1989 and 2008. We must understand that every one must follow law," Kumar explained. However, he did not specify what action the district administration has taken to punish those who have violated the law. Asked if he attributes the growth of Christian population to conversions, he said: "It could be because of two reasons — conversion and migration." Of the over 6,50,000 people in the troubled district, at least 53 per cent are tribals, less than 20 per cent Christians. Of the nearly 1,18,000 Christians, a majority has converted from Dalit families. Kumar said that conversion, longstanding caste conflicts between tribals and Dalits, poverty and growing influence of Hindu groups among the tribal population had led to several communal clashes in recent years. Ever since the killing of Swami Laxmanananda, a Hindu religious leader, and four of his supporters by unidentified gunmen on August 23, anti-Christian violence has been boil ing in Kandhamal. While Maoists have claimed responsibility for the murders, the Hindu leader's supporters have insisted that Christians were behind the murder. The Orissa Police are investigating the case. At least 38 people including a Central Reserve Police Force trooper lost their lives in clashes. While over 3,000 houses, mostly belonging to Christians, were gutted or vandalised in Kandhamal, over 23,000 people fled from their villages fearing death. "Yes, there is a growth in Christian population but that does not mean fanatics from organisations like Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad can kill people," Hemant Naik, a rights activists from Udaygiri town, told IANS. "While talking about conversion, we must also talk about reconversion. While no one has complained about their change in faith to Christianity, 62 people have registered complaints about forced reconversion to Hinduism," said another activist, Issac Digal. (The Hindu 26/10/08)

SC/ST commission v isits Chengara (2) PATHANAMTHITTA: The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission, P.K. Sivanandan, visited the Kumbazha Estate at Chengara, which had been encroached upon by Sadhu Jana Vimochana Samyukta Vedi (SJVSV) workers, as part of their struggle for land since for past 14 months, on Saturday. District Collector P.C. Sanalkumar and Thiruvalla Tahasildar M.J. Jaisingh also accompanied the Commission. Official sources said the Commission’s visit was following reports of the spread of water-borne diseases there and the vedi’s allegations of denial of medical aid and food to the poor landless SC/ST families on the encroached land. SJVSV workers have been demanding five acres of land and cash worth Rs.50,000 for each landless family among them. The plantation workers, rendered jobless

following the encroachment of the rubber plantation, had also been staging a road blockade at the nearby Athumbamkulam, denying entry to all outsiders into the estate for the past three months. They had been protesting against the delay in clearing the encroachment. (The Hindu 26/10/08)

Maya’s Gov t not for protecting SCs from atrocities? (2) New Delhi, October 26: : Mayawati-led Uttar Pradesh Government has diluted the implementation of a key Act aimed at protecting the Scheduled Castes from atrocities, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has held. The Commission has expressed serious reservations over the UP government's order regarding implementation of the SC/ST Atrocity Prevention Act, a move that is l ikely to kick up a political controversy. According to the Commission member Satya Bahin, the state government's order warns of attracting legal action if any false cases are lodged under the Act. She says that the Commission feels the UP order "kil ls the very purpose of the Act". The Mayawati administration has failed to rectify the situation and has not even cared to reply to the Commission's letters in this regard. The Commission is headed by former Union Minister Buta Singh. "We have apprised the state government of our disapproval of the order," she said. According to the UP government's order issued in October last year, action will be taken under section 182 of IPC against those who lodge false cases under the Act. The section stipulates an imprisonment up to six months or fine up to Rs 1000 or both for a person who gives false information with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person. Dubbing it an "excess by the government" and a "draconian provision", Bahin said that such a move would lead further isolation of the SCs. "In a number of cases, the accused get acquitted by courts. Does that mean that all who lodged these complaints should be punished?" the NCSC member wondered. The Commission has directed the UP State Commission for Scheduled Castes to monitor the issue and ensure that Dalits are not harassed with this order of the state. "We have written to the concerned authorities a number of time over the matter but we are yet to get a reply from them. Hence we have asked the state's SC Commission to monitor the issue and keep us informed if any SC members is harassed there due to this order," she said. Earlier the state government had issued an order in May 2007 instructing that SC/ST Atrocities Act should be clamped only in offences of serious nature like rape and murder. "Proper caution should be taken in the implementation of the SC/ST Act. Small cases should be handled under general rules, while SC/ST... (Indian Express 26/10/08)

Dalit sub-castes up in arms against BSP (2) LUCKNOW: Nov. 2: Dalit sub-castes that have failed to find a proper representation in the Mayawati government have begun raising a demand for their share. After the Pasi community announced setting up of a caste army, the Kori-Koli community has also decided to seek its rightful share in the government. Kori and Koli communities claim to comprise 5 per cent of the total Dalit population — the largest of all the 65 sub castes among the Dalits. The Akhil Bhartiya Kori-Koli Samaj has decided to oppose the Bahujan Samaj Party candidates in the coming Lok Sabha elections because they have been denied their "political, economic and social rights" by the Mayawati government. "Jatavs — the sub caste to which UP chief minister Mayawati belongs — comprise merely 4 per cent of the Dalit population but this government has been handing out all sops to the Jatav community whereas the non-Jatav caste groups have been consciously ignored. The BSP did not nominate even a single member of our community in the reserved constituencies and our representation in the government is negligible," says Pradeep Kumar Kori, convenor of the Akhil Bhartiya Kori-Koli Samaj. Kori is presently busy organising a rally of non-Jatav Dalits in Allahabad on November 20 and he is confident that all non-Jatav communities will come together on a single platform against the BSP "which is known only to pamper the Jatavs." "After the rally, we will launch a campaign in all Lok Sabha segments to create awareness among non-Jatav Dalits and we will ask the other sub castes to vote for a candidate who is capable of defeating the BSP candidate," he disclosed. The Kori-Koli community has been demanding adequate reservation in government jobs and proper representation in the political set up. The community also wants statues of Sant Kabir to be installed in all districts and that the Jhansi district should be renamed after Jhalkari Bai. The November 20 rally being organised in Allahabad by the Kori-Koli community could pave the way for a consolidation of non-Jatav castes against the Mayawati government. This could lead to erosion in the Dalit vote base of the BSP. As Pradeep Kumar Kori says, "We will not allow any leader, particularly Mayawati, to take the non-Jatav castes for granted. We also want our rightful share and we will now use our votes to achieve that." (Asian Age 3/11/08)

Paswan forms dalit front to counter Maya (2) New Delhi : Nov. 3: LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday announced the formation of a National Dalit Front (NDF), a move apparently aimed at clipping the wings of BSP supremo Mayawati ahead of Assembly elections in six states and the Lok Sabha polls early next year. The NDF will have noted social and political leaders from all states as members and will work for the cause of the dalits, Mr Paswan told reporters here. Asked whether the NDF has been formed to counter the BSP in UP, the LJP chief replied in the negative but chose to attack the BSP’s changing stand on dalit politics. "Earlier Mayawati talked of bahujan. Now she talks of sarvajan. She has now pushed dalits into the hands of the manuvadis. Atrocities against dalits have increased in UP since she became chief minister," Mr Paswan said. The NDF, headed by Mr Paswan, will hold its first national conference here on November 15 to bring dalit leaders from across the country onto one platform. Republican Party of India chief Ramdas Athawale has been made working president of the NDF, Dalit Sena chief and LJP MP Ramchandra Paswan the vice-president and Indian Justice Party chief Udit Raj general secretary. Exhorting dalits across the country to unite, Mr Udit Raj said, "NDF will fight for dalit issues, including reservation for them in the private sector, a separate fund for their development in proportion to their population, and formation of a national judicial commission to ensure reservation for them in the judicial services." Meanwhile, the LJP sought a high-level inquiry into the attack besides enhancing security cover for Mr Paswan, who has survived two attacks in the past. Mr Paswan said here that his party has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding revival of Z-plus security for him. (Asian Age 4/11/08)

National Dalit Front to unite dalits (2) Lucknow: In a bid to unite the dalits and downtrodden sections of the society under one umbrella across the country, the National Dalit Front (NDF) today said that the front will ensure that these people are not deprived of their rights. The Front is headed by Union Minister and Lok Jan Shakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan and will fight for the dalit cause including reservation for them in private sector. Speaking to reporters here, General Secretary of the Front, Dr Udit Raj said, "The Front wil l unite the dalits and tribals, and work to ensure that dalits get their due share in all spheres." When asked whether the condition of dalits has worsened during Mayawati s regime, Raj said, "There has been a drop in the educational and social status of the dalits. Development is now only confined to Lucknow." Levelling allegations against the BSP supremo, Raj said that dalits of a particular sub-caste (cobblers) have been harassed especially in Bijnor. The NDF secretary also sought Centre s intervention alleging that the state government is making the SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act 1989 weak. Voicing concern over the non-allotment of funds for dalit in proportion to their population, Raj said that National Developmental Authority should be formed and such funds should be spent for the welfare of dalits. The NDF also asked for uniform and compulsory education throughout India after privatisation of education and ensure participation of dalits and tribals in the higher judicial services. (Indiainfo 4/11/08)

Rajasthan Dalit rights group forms ‘election watch’ body (2) JAIPUR: Amid apprehensions that powerful caste groups and musclemen hired by the political parties may intimidate the poor Dalit voters in the forthcoming State Assembly elections, a Dalit rights group in Rajasthan has set up an “election watch” body to maintain a constant vigil on all incidents in the run-up to the polls as well on the polling process. The Dalit Election Watch-Rajasthan will monitor the progress of election-related work all over the State and keep a watch on the law and order situation to take immediate action to safeguard the political freedom and rights of underprivileged people in any eventuality. The Jaipur-based Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR) has e stablished the unique body – the first of its kind anywhere in the country – after getting reports that the dominant castes in several interior rural areas might not allow Dalit voters to exercise their franchise. Dalits may also be threatened to vote or not to vote for a particular party or candidate. CDR chairman and Supreme Court lawyer P. L. Mimroth said here on Tuesday that there were specific reports that some powerful people might cast votes on behalf of vulnerable Dalits in the areas affected by the Gujjar agitation. “We fear that even the electoral staff may violate the Election Commission’s guidelines because of fear of miscreants or in connivance with the local dominant caste groups,” said Mr. Mimorth. The CDR has also received “credible reports” that a large number of criminals specialising in booth capturing in the remote and sensitive areas may come from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab with arms to help some candidates of forward castes. “These trained musclemen may damage election material in the poll ing booths and distribute l iquor to the electorate to lure them.” The Dalit Election Watch has started functioning round-the-clock to receive complaints and suggestions from Dalits. CDR Director Satish Kumar said the body would shortly hold

consultations with other like-minded outfits and identify vulnerable areas where Dalits could be denied the franchise. (The Hindu 5/11/08)

Dalit front to stay away from polls (2) Lucknow: Nov. 4: A day after its formal launch, the National Dalit Front (NDF) has announced that it has no immediate plans of contesting elections. "This is not a political front but a social group that aims at bringing a cultural revolution that will bring dalits into the social mainstream," said NDF general secretary, Udit Raj and added that the front was not interested in contesting elections at the moment. The NDF leader, however, termed UP chief minister Mayawati as the biggest "manuwadi" of present times and said that she fragmented the dalit community by setting up a bhaichara committee comprising upper castes. "The need of the hour is to bring dalits on to one platform and for this the National Dalit Front will soon organise its own bhaichara committees and will make a conscious effort to bring the dalit sub-castes together. To begin with, we will be organising a Khatik-Pasi Sammelan in Uttar Pradesh which will be followed by similar events," he told reporters here on Tuesday. Accusing Ms Mayawati of diluting the Ambedkar ideology and straying from the path shown by him, Dr Raj said that the NDF would create the right consciousness among dalits and make them aware about Ambedkar’s ideology. He further said that Ms Mayawati, despite being a dalit leader, had diluted the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in her regime. "The Act was a protection shield for the dalits but Mayawati is now under strong Brahmin influence and her thinking has also become manuwadi in nature," he said. The National Dalit Front now plans to bring all dalit outfits, except the BSP , on a single platform. "We will be contacting the ex-BSP leaders and make an effort to bring them in the NDF by underlining the need for dalit unity. Our demand is for reservation in the private sector, fi lling up of the backlog in vacancies and a cultural revolution," he pointed out. (Asian Age 5/11/08)

Dalit youth killed in police firing (2) MADURAI: K. Suresh, a 19-year-old Dalit youth, was kil led in police firing at E. Kottaipatti, one-and-a-half km from Uthapuram in Madurai district. The incident followed a clash that broke out between the police and villagers, who were protesting against Sunday’s attack on the convoy of Puthiya Tamilagam leader K. Krishnasamy. The villagers of E. Kottaipatti demanding the arrest of people involved in the attack, had erected barricades by cutting trees and placing stones on the roads, preventing the entry of vehicles. Simultaneously, there were protests in Elumalai where Dalits and non-Dalits, armed with weapons, hurled bottles and stones at one another. S. S. Krishnamoorthy, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Madurai Range, who was on his way to Elumalai, was prevented from proceeding further at E. Kottaipatti. The police asked the villagers to remove the barricades. There was a heated exchange of words, between the vil lagers and police, which escalated into a clash.Muruga Devi (40), mother of the deceased, said the police hurling abuses at women, started attacking them with lathis, injuring many. They also assaulted the men. When she was attacked, Suresh came to her rescue. But the police opened fire, without any warning, killing him on the spot, she alleged. Suresh was working as a wiring technician in a firm in Tirupur. There were bloodstains on the road as the police dragged the body for around 500 metres before taking it into a vehicle. E. Kottaipatti has a population of 600 families where Dalits are in majority. Inspector-General of Police (South Zone) Sanjeev Kumar, camping at Elumalai, told The Hindu: “Villagers armed with deadly weapons blocked the DIG’s vehicle heading towards Elumalai. They started throwing stones and three policemen were injured in the attack and the police opened fire.” He said adequate security had been provided, with a DIG, two Superintendents of Police and two companies of police. Four more companies of police would be deployed. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has announced a solatium of Rs. 2 lakh for the kin of Suresh. A Revenue Divisional Officer would hold an inquiry. (The Hindu 5/11/08)

‘Real issues of Dalits, Adivasis yet to be exposed’ (2) NILAMBUR: State Women’s Commission member P.K. Sainaba has said that providing financial assistance alone would not do justice to Dalits and Adivasis. Equal stress should be given to bring them to the mainstream, she said while delivering the keynote address at a seminar on ‘problems of Dalits, women and minorities with special reference to Malabar’ that began at M.E.S. Mampad College near here on Tuesday. Ms. Sainaba said that the real problems of Dalits and Adivasis were yet to be identified and exposed. She said women were still regarded inferior to men in the State. In domestic violence, she said, Kerala ranks number two in the country. “This should be a matter of grave concern for us,” she said. Ms. Sainaba bewailed that even educated women were refusing to take up employment. According to her, it is a major obstacle for achieving women empowerment. Inaugurating the seminar organized by the

Department of History, former Education Minister E.T. Mohammed Basheer said that the woes of Dalits, women and minorities continued unabated even 60 years after Independence. He alleged that statutory reservation for the marginalized in jobs wa s not properly observed, and access to education continue to be denied to those sections. Mr. Basheer said that the problems of Dalits who traditionally depended on agriculture for a living worsened as the agriculture had taken a beating in the State. He suggested that a common platform be set up for the uplift of Dalits, women and minorities. O.P. Abdurahman, college principal, presided over the function. K.M. Aboobacker, head of the Department of History, welcomed the gathering. (The Hindu 13/11/08)

Dalit families finally get their due in Amreli (2) Ahmedabad, November 14 : Win nine-year-long legal battle against the Kotdi Gram Panchayat in the Gujarat High Court; get posse ssion of land to build houses It's harvest time for seven-odd Dalit families of Kotdi village of Rajula taluka in Amreli district. After winning a nine-year-long legal battle against the Kotdi Gram Panchayat in the Gujarat High Court, they have finally got the legal possession of the land, which was given to them by the State Government to build houses. Although the Government had officially given the two-acre land to the Dalit families, the physical posse ssion of the same was never given to them. The official rigmarole in giving the land to the Dalits reached the Gujarat High Court, which recently passed an order that the Dalits be allowed to build houses on the land given to them by the State Government. Interestingly, the upper caste villagers had encroached upon the land by constructing a road and cultivating cotton crop on it. However, following the High Court's order, the District Collectorate machinery razed the encroachments on Friday. Dalit activist Valjibhai Patel, who guided the Dalits in their legal fight under the banner of Council for Social Justice, laid the foundation stone for the construction of houses. The complex will be called Adhikar Nagar. Dalit activist Raju Solanki said: "The movement of the Dalits of Kotdi vil lage is significant because they fought for their rights and got them without shedding a single drop of blood. The atmosphere here was amazing as hundreds of Dalits from nearby villages gathered to celebrate the victory of their rights." Many retired Dalit bureaucrats like T D Soyantar and Bhupendra Kapadiya were also present at the foundation stone laying ceremony.(Indian Express 14/11/08)

Pasi Samaj , a Dalit sub-caste, demands more represe ntation (2) Lucknow, November 16 : Despite the state being led by a Dalit chief minister, a section of the dalits — Pasi Samaj — feel under-represented in the government. On Sunday, the samaj held its conference under the banner of Viranagna Udadevi Smarak Sansthan at the Sikandarbagh Archaeological premises. Following the meeting, the samaj demanded that Chief Minister Mayawati declare November 16 as a public holiday in the memory of Udadevi — who had sacrificed her life while fighting against the British in 1857. Most of the participants were unhappy with the way their members in the state administration were being treated. “The officers who belong to our caste are always shunted. We want our own identity among the dalits,” a leader of the samaj told The Indian Express. To shield the community, a Pasi Sena was also initiated in 2007. In this conference, while Ram Lakhan was elected as the chief of the Sena, Bhagawati Prasad was elected as the president of the samaj. Regarding the creation of Pasi Sena, Lakhan said every district of the state has 100 to 150 youths, who are supposed to stop the atrocities committed on the people of the samaj. As for rehabilitating the members of the samaj, who are mostly engaged in producing local liquor like Mahua and Tadi, Lakhan said, “This is tragic that the police sti ll continues to suspect our members as criminals, particularly as thieves. This tendency must stop.” To stop the menace, Lakhan has written several letters to the authorities concerned to stop the production of i llicit liquor in Sarojini Nagar, Ashiyana, Mohanlalganj, Kakori and Mal areas, but to no avail. “Most of the women who belong to our society are also engaged in this trade. We have decided to motivate them to adopt other occupations like animal husbandry. We will also undertake efforts to make them aware about bank loans,” he added. (Indian Express 17/11/08)

Bihar restaurants to serve rat meat as delicacy (2) Patna, November 18: : Do not get surprised if you find roasted rat or rat curry on the menu of restaurants across Bihar along with chicken and mutton delicacies. Very soon protein rich "patal bageri" (rat meat) would adorn the menu of hotels in the state as Bihar Government is actively considering a proposal for rat farming on the lines of chicken, goat and pig husbandry in order to popularise consumption of protein rich rat meat. Welfare and Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe Development Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said that he had asked his department to popularise the consumption of rat meat as it would go a long way in

improving status of the lot of Dalit community particularly the "Musharars" (a rat eating tribe) in Bihar and adjoining states of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. Manjhi said, "Consumption of rat meat is safe. I and my family members are consuming the rat meat since our childhood without contacting any fatal disease. I have been told by the doctors and dieticians that the rat meat is protein rich and do not cause any health hazards." He said, "If chicken, christened as 'ram ki pakshi', why not rat meats (patal bageri) could be served in restaurants that can help in economic emancipation of Dalit community. "The state Welfare department is actively considering a proposal to develop farms for rearing rats on a mass scale and if the rat meats appear on the menus of the restaurants the economic condition of Dalits will improve manifold," Manjhi said. Manjhi said once the rat meat was accepted as "hygienic" food material and people start consuming it on mass scale like chicken, goat or pig meat, it could be sold at Rs 100 a kg in open market as against current rate of Rs 10 per kg. The minister said the Welfare department would take a policy decision for imparting rat rearing training and hoped that many people who consume rat surreptitiously would come out in the open, thereby contributing their lot in improving the conditions of more than 23 lakh people of Mushahar community and other Dalits. "It wil l not be mandatory for the hoteliers to serve the new food item for the urbanites," Manjhi clarified, saying the hotel owners would be "requested and not forced" to popularise the consumption of rat meat by preparing food items like they do using other meats. A few months ago the department's proposal to popularise the art of catching rats particularly from...(Indian Express 18/11/08)

Dalit Christians move law panel for SC status (2) New Delhi, November 19, 2008 : The National Council for Dalit Christians has approached the Law Commission seeking a recommendation to the government for extending scheduled caste status to Dalits belonging to the Christian and Muslim communities. In a representation to commission member Tahir Mahmood, council 's coordinator Franklin Caesar Thomas demanded that Dalit Christians/Muslims should be extended benefits l ike reservation in government jobs and educational institutions as provided to their Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist counterparts. The representation referred to the recommendation of the National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities (NCRLM) headed by Justice Ranganath Misra, which in May 2007 suggested delinking the scheduled caste status from religion. The representation has been forwarded to Law Commission chairman Justice A.R. Lakshmanan, Mahmood told HT. The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 issued under Article 341 of the Constitution originally said no non-Hindu could be a scheduled caste. However, the provision has been amended twice to extend reservation benefits to Dalit Sikhs and Buddhists. The NCRLM, of which Tahir Mahmood was a member, had recommended an amendment to the Constitution order, 1950 to include Dalit Christians/Muslims. NCRLM member secretary Asha Das had, however, dissented, saying there was no justification for inclusion of SC converts to Christianity or Islam as scheduled castes. The condition of ‘religion’ in the Constitution order, 1950 shouldn't be deleted. Hindu groups, too, are against the move. It would give a fill ip to conversion, they have said. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) headed by Buta Singh had put forth three conditions for extending the reservation benefits. Favouring reservation for Dalit Christians/Muslims, it said the government shouldn't disturb the 15 per cent share of reservation meant for scheduled castes and determine the element of reservation for them keeping in view their population. Overall reservation shouldn't exceed 50 per cent as fixed by the Supreme Court, it said. (Hindustan Times 19/11/08)

Dalit student gangraped in Ghaziabad (2) GHAZIABAD: A 19-year-old dalit, in the final year of her graduation, was gangraped in the Sahibabad police station area on Tuesday night. A report of rape and violation under the Atrocities on SC/ST Act was registered against two persons. While one of them was arrested, the other was absconding until last reports. According to the police, "The girl was returning home around 9 pm on Tuesday after attending a computer training class. After getting off a bus, she started walking home. She was accosted by Sagir and Sonu, who arrived on a motorcycle. Forcing her on to the motorcycle, they took her to an unoccupied building in the nearby Sanjay Colony and raped her taking turns.'' After returning home, the victim revealed what had happened to her family who took her to the Sahibabad police station. A relative of the victim said, "The police took four hours to agree to register a case and get her medically examined. They did it only when a crowd gathered at the police station. This gave one of the accused enough time to get away.'' While the police have arrested Sagir, attempts were on till Wednesday night to locate and arrest Sonu. In another case, a Ghaziabad court on Wednesday directed the city police to register a case of rape against one Lakki, alleged to have raped a school employee, also in the Sahibabad police station area,

on September 8. The police had then declined to register a case of rape. And, the victim had to move the court of the chief judicial magistrate. Meanwhile, SP (city) Vijay Bhushan declined to comment on the alleged delay in registering a case on Tuesday. Neither did he comment on why an alleged rape victim had to move a court to have a case registered. (Times of India 26.11.08)

Dalit, tribal women raise voice against violence in Rayagada (2) Rayagada: On the occasion of the International Day on Violence Against Women on Tuesday, hundreds of Dalit and tribal women under the aegis of Orissa Adibasi Manch, NAWO and the Rayagada chapter of the National Federation of Dalit Women (NFDW), condemned all kinds of violence against Dalit and Tribal (D & T) women and submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik through the Rayagada Collector. Addressing the gathering, tribal woman leader Bidulata Huika said the practice of untouchability and imposition of social disabilities relegate Dalits and tribals to a lifetime of discrimination, exploitation and violence, including severe forms of torture perpetrated by the State and private actors in violation of the rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. The D & T women constitute around 51 per cent of the total D & T population in the State and are positioned at the bottom of the caste, class and gender hierarchies. Violence against them is the outcome of the severely imbalanced social, economic and political power equations intensified by the caste system. According to a study undertaken by the social movements covering 500 Dalit women in 32 gram panchayats in four States, there are multiple layers of violence with approximately 54.8 per cent physical assault, 62.4 per cent verbal abuse, 46.8 per cent sexual harassment and 23.2 per cent rape. The common locations of violence are families, work places and Government spaces, l ike hospitals and police stations. The perpetrators of violence include upper caste people, land lords, police, forest officials, local leaders and thugs. Pointing out the violence against women in the name of religion, convener of the NFDW Kumudini Bacheli cited the recent genocide in Kandhamal district, in which more than 40,000 Dalit Christian women and their families have been displaced into the forest and 4,009 houses, 96 churches and 14 training centres were destroyed. She added that the most brutal thing was that a nun was beaten, raped and paraded half naked over a kilometre in the presence of dozens of policemen. The demands in the memorandum to the Chief Minister included, protection of D & T women's rights to l ife with dignity and security, effective implementation of the SC & ST Atrocity Act, fulfillment of the national and international obligations to protect them from violence, adequate focus on improving their socio-economic conditions, stringent action against the perpetrators of violence, implementation of policies to register a minimum of five acres of cultivable land in their name, evolve a national labour policy for the unorganised sector in the D & T dominated area and ensure them proper access to healthcare and basic amenities. (Pioneer 27/11/08)

“Expedite weaker sections’ bill” (2) KURNOOL: R. Krishnaiah, president AP Backward Class Welfare Association has urged the government to see that the SC, ST and BC Bill is passed in toto in the Parliament. Talking to reporters here on Thursday, Mr. Krishnaiah said the government introduced the bill in 2004, which was referred to Nachiappan Parliamentary panel. Since the panel gave its recommendations now, the bil l should be implemented without any deviation. Mr. Krishnaiah said that they were monitoring the bill in the wake of opposition from Scheduled Caste MPs led by Ramvilas Paswan. He explained that the bill would give Constitutional sanctity to the quota for weaker sections. At present many concessions were implemented on the basis of GOs only. The bill would lead to quota for BCs in the promotions, l ifting of creamy layer restriction and other concessions on a par with Scheduled Castes. Mr. Krishnaiah urged the MPs belonging to backward classes to go all out in support of the bill in view of the SC members lobbying against it. He said it was unfortunate that the Dalit leaders were opposing it even though the bill would not deprive the SCs of any benefits. Mr. Krishnaiah also urged the government to enact a law to prevent atrocities on backward class persons saying the BC employees and members underwent humiliations because of their low social status. (The Hindu 28/11/08)

Caste to play major role in Bharatpur (2) BHARATPUR: The profound psychological scars left by the brutal massacre of Dalits in Kumher 16 years ago and the resentment of Dalits against the social hierarchy shaped by numerically and socially dominant Jats are set to make an impact on the outcome of Rajasthan Assembly elections in Bharatpur district lying on the eastern fringe of this vast desert State. The entry of the scion of the erstwhile royal family, Vishwendra Singh – till recently the political adviser to Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje – into the high-profi le race after crossing over to the Congress has enraged Jatavs of Kumher who have been nursing

the wound in their hearts against the former Jat rulers. Kumher town and a few of its surrounding vil lages were the scene of a violent attack by a section of the Jat community against the Scheduled Caste Jatavs in the first week of June 1992. The violence and arson left 16 Dalits dead and hundreds injured and caused extensive damage, looting and destruction of property. With successive governments in the State having failed to render justice to the victims despite a judicial inquiry indicting the administration, Jatavs have been trying to pool their votes to give a political riposte to Jats. They accuse the erstwhile royal family of not making any attempt to resolve differences between the two sides. “Jatavs in Deeg-Kumher constituency have decided to vote en bloc for the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate and Industries Minister Digambar Singh. The reason is that among all nominees, he alone is capable of defeating Mr. Vishwendra Singh,” Dalit leader and former Councillor Mohan Singh told The Hindu at Kumher. As the Bahujan Samaj Party has also fielded a Jat, Amar Singh, as its candidate in the Assembly segment, Dalits have a limited choice in the poll ing. Mr. Mohan Singh said the elections in any case were not going to soften the opposition of higher castes to Dalits’ attempt to rise in social hierarchy commensurate with their economic status. In both the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, caste has been playing a major role as a factor overriding the development issues in Bharatpur district. The higher caste oppression takes various shapes such as the use of exclusive wells, control over common lands, prohibition on adopting “respectable” social practices and the demand that Dalits show subservience. Mr. Vishwendra Singh’s supporters, on the other hand, affirm that the erstwhile ruler is accessible to people and has always come to the help of the rural populace in the moments of need. “Maharaja Saheb rendered assistance to vil lagers affected by drought and made contributions to Krishi Upaj Mandi,” said Chandan Singh, Sarpanch of Girsa-Khori village. However, Jat votes are likely to split in Deeg-Kumher with the candidates of the three major parties belonging to the same community. Dr. Digambar Singh of BJP enjoys a degree of local support because of his development works a s a Minister. The Gujjar heartland of Nagar is set to witness an interesting battle with the Congress giving its ticket to expelled BJP MLA Atar Singh Bhadana as a replacement for Mahir Azad, a two-time winner who has shifted to Jaipur. Mr. Bhadana, along with the firebrand Gujjar leader Prahlad Gunjal, had revolted against the police firing on Gujjars agitating for reservation a few months ago. Gujjar leader Anita fielded by the BJP from Nagar does not enjoy the support of chief architect of the quota stir, Kirori Singh Bainsla. Gujjars also have a significant presence in the reserved constituency of Bayana, where Gyarsaram Koli of BJP is pitted against Nirbhaylal Jatav of Congress…….(The Hindu 29/11/08)

NSS holds talks w ith SC/ST leaders (2) KOTTAYAM: Leaders of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribe Reservation Protection Agitation Committee (SC/ST Samvarana Samrakshana Prakshobhana Samithy), an umbrella organisation of nearly 42 Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes organisations, held discussions with the Nair Service Society (NSS) leadership on possible areas of cooperation on the reservation issue, at Perunna on Saturday. According to sources, no decisions were taken at the end of the conclave, but both the parties have made a preliminary step in identifying common ground in the perceived injustice in the implementation of the reservation system. The NSS leadership pointed out that under the peculiar situation prevailing in Kerala, nearly 40 per cent of the total reserved vacancies was being usurped by the backward communities even as the share of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe seats was confined to 10 per cent. This was against the 22 per cent reservation for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe communities under the Centre’s stipulation. Both the present LDF government and the UDF government that preceded it had tried to strengthen the present situation, which, the NSS felt, was unjust to deserving segments of society. According to sources, Saturday’s move has no political overtones. According to sources close to the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe leaders, they were happy with the stance taken by the NSS. However, an official stand will be taken only after detailed discussion in the samithy. (The Hindu 30/11/08)

Dalit body wants removal of Kaibarta, Dhibar from S C list (2) Bhubaneswar: In January, tourism in India would get the much needed fillip, courtesy i-novatrip.com and the Indian Railways. With an aim to promote pan India tourism and revive the glorious days of the Indian Railways, i-novatrip.com, a group company of i-Nova Group, India’s emerging business group with diverse products and services has announced an exciting opportunity for the avid travellers of Orissa a s well as of the eastern India to be a part of the sensational trip on ‘Tolly to Bolly via Goa,’ a luxurious train journey beckoning one to step aboard for weeks of splendor amid the exotic locales of Goa and

entertainment extravaganza with Bollywood stars in Mumbai. This pioneering venture of i-novatrip.com in association with the Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) as a service provider and co-sponsored by Goa Tourism; aims at bringing alive the luxury of royal odyssey on wheel at an affordable price, according an official release. ‘Tolly to Bolly via Goa,’ would unravel a spectacular carnival on wheels before the tourists across the breathtaking locales of North Goa. The 11-day-long sojourn would flag off on January 2 at Howrah station. Equipped with all amenities of star category hospitality, the train has been designed to suit modern needs with air conditioning, a separate pantry coach, rustl ing up plethora of exotic cuisines, a well upholstered coach and dedicated friendly smiling host and hostess serving tourists round the clock. A tailor made FM Radio Channel is beset with the train to provide live infotainment to the tourists exclusively with a repertoire of melodious songs, adept radio jockeys and reality shows. The breathtaking odyssey on wheels would come to a gala end with an entertainment night with Bollywood stars and starlets at a five star hotel in Mumbai. The entire package comes at a mere Rs 34,990 per person. i-Novatrip.com also offer tourists from Orissa free ticket of AC 3 tier from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata. The tickets would be available from IRCTC office of Bhubaneswar from December 1 onwards. The sojourn on wheel would promote Orissa Tourism to tourists of other parts of India as well as foreign travellers by offering spectacular glimpse of Chilka lake. (Pioneer 1/12/08)

Dalits in Gujarat say their dead have no place to r est in peace (2) Banaskantha: Runi, nearly 25 km from the Rajasthan border, is a village that has always acted as a breeding ground of politicians. Although the village has seen a lot of development, the Dalits have a different story to tell. Their main complaint—they do not know if their dead are actually laid to rest. Unlike high-caste Hindus, who have well-developed crematoriums, thanks to the Rs 5 lakh grant under the Panchvati Yojana of the state government, Dalits from nine separate categories sti ll follow their age-old custom of burying the dead. But their burial ground has been encroached upon by the village high school that has left li ttle space to bury the dead. The story is similar in over 60 villages under Dhanera taluka of Banaskantha district. Varsha Ganguly, who heads the Ahmedabad-based Behavioural Science Centre (BSC), said: "The divide is evident, even in the eyes of the government. The reason: in the Hindu religion, last rites are always understood as cremation. The Government has not even cared about regularising burial lands for Dalits." The divide exists everywhere in the state. According to the BSC, there are nearly 18,100 villages in Gujarat; of these around 5,000 have no legal burial ground for the Dalits. Bharat Dhabi, a resident of Runi said: "They have funds for the upper castes—those who cremate their dead— but not for our community. We have been using the burial ground for a century now." He added, "Runi Gram Panchayat had allotted around 8.5 acres of land to Matrushree Vidyalaya—a private high school. However, the school authorities have encroached upon nearly 1.5 acres." Elsewhere, in Ruppur village under Chanasma taluka of Patan district, Valji Patel of the Council for Social Justice recounts how a Dalit burial ground located there was taken over by the Nirma trust. Incidentally, Karsan Patel, the founder of Nirma, belongs to this place, said Patel. Even as Dalits have been burying their dead for such a long time now, it is not regularised by the state government. As a result, the land is now considered a wasteland, Patel said. Interestingly, the price of burial lands at Ruppur has increased. The reason: with the construction of a national highway connecting Chanasma and Patan, around 1.5 acres of Dalit burial land came to the front. “Settlements were made between the Gram Panchayat and the trust, and the land was given to the latter, last year, to develop a garden,” Patel said. He added: "We started a 30-day agitation at the collectors office and also filed a petition in the high court, last year. (Indian Express 2/12/08)

“Amend Constitution to prov ide reservation for Dali t Christians” (2) CHENNAI: Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol Thirumavalavan on Wednesday urged the Centre to amend the Constitution to provide reservation for Dalit Christians under the quota of Scheduled Castes (SC). Reacting to the disqualification of the AIADMK MLA Chandra, elected from the Rajapalayam reserved Assembly constituency, on the ground that she was a Dalit Christian, Mr. Thirumavalavan said denying reservations to Dalit Christians, who were languishing under poor economic and social conditions all over the country, was unacceptable. He welcomed the State government’s decision to allot 3 per cent reservation to Arundathiyars out of 18 per cent quota allotted to the SCs. “It is a just and right decision aimed at uplifting the community that is in the last rung of the social ladder and still carry night soil on their heads.” Condemning the terrorist attack in Mumbai, Mr. Thirumavalavan said investigation into the incident should take into consideration the Hindutva’s l ink with terrorist activities as had unfolded in the

Malegaeon bomb blasts. He said the party had given up its plan to take a journey to Ayodhya on December 6 in view of the political situation. Mr. Thirumavalavan, who is part of the all-party team to meet Prime Minister Manmohan to urge him to end the war in Sri Lanka, said India should favourably consider LTTE leader Prabakaran’s request for l ifting the ban on the organisation. Asked about Union Minister EVKS Elangovan’s demand that that he should not be included in the all-party team, Mr.Thirumavalavan said neither TNCC president K.V. Thangkabalu nor AICC president Sonia Gandhi had expressed their opinion against him. “It is the personal opinion of Mr. Elangovan.” (The Hindu 4/12/08)

Ambedkars ideology is best (2) Kolar/Mulbagal/ KGF: In Kolar at function organised by Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samiti, Kolar unit at Lions’ Bhavan on Saturday, journalist K S Ganesh said Dr Ambedkar’s ideology is the best to tackle all problems of the society. He was speaking after inaugurating the Jagruthi Day and said the discrimination against dalits and downtrodden is continuing to this day and only education and awareness can eradicate it. Ambedkar has given us a Constitution where in all are treated equal. So have Mahatma Gandhi, Jyothi Ba Pule, Basava and Buddha have preached. Following on their path will lead us to a equal society. The educated dalits are also exploiting the uneducated dalits and this also should stop, he said. District Additional SP S R Phanindra Singh was the chief guest. He also stressed on the importance of education in the society. The Dalit Sangharsh Samiti which had initiated a strong movement against oppression is now in fragments and today we are lost said poet Subbu Holeyar. He was speaking at a function to mark the 52nd parinirvana day of Dr Ambedkar organised at Nachiketa Nilaya on Saturday., organised by the Karnataka Dalit Sangharsh Samiti. He called it a paradox that “we who fought against those who oppressed us to get equality and respect are actually fighting each other”. He called for unity among the dalits and collective efforts to restore dignity. DSS State coordinator Chintamani N Venkatesh said that the BJP government in the state is trying to curb dalits and oppressed. He too pointed out that dalits are also resorting to oppressing others and condemned it.Popular singer Pichchalli Srinivas said dalits should make best utilisation of the reservation and defended reservation within the community. He also called for unity and joint efforts at strengthing the organisation. Gollahall i Shivaprasad, Venkatapu Satyam, Bangavadi Naraynappa, Harohalli Ravi, Suggondahalli Muniyappa and others were present. The DHAS and BJP members of KGF held a silent procession and garlanded the statue of Dr B R Ambedkar on Saturday to mark his 52nd parinirvana day in the City. More than a thousand members of DHAS assembled at the municipal ground and paid homage to Dr Ambedkar. Earlier the procession went through Surajmal circle, Gandhi circle, Pichard road, Geetha road. The statue of Dr Ambedkar at the park was garlanded by them. KGF CMC chairman M Muniratnam Naidu, Krishnappa Naidu, Shashikala, Ramesh, Swamy and others participated. …… (Deccan Herald 7/12/08)

‘Literacy, agitation needed to fight untouchability ’ (2) HYDERABAD: Former Supreme Court Judge K. Ramaswamy said here on Wednesday that education, mobilisation of people and agitation were required to eliminate untouchability, which was sti ll being practised in villages. Launching the AP Chapter of the National Dalit Movement for Justice (NDMJ) (a movement against the practice of untouchability) to mark the International Human Rights Day, he said, it could not be eradicated unless the literacy rate improves. He wanted the civil society, human rights organisations and others to campaign against segregation of Dalits . Regretting that child labour was rampant, the former Judge stated that 80 per cent of the children, who are victims of the cruel practice, belonged to weaker sections, particularly Dalits and Adivasis. He wanted the movement to campaign against child labour and the right to health. He cautioned Dalits against falling a prey to the attempts of politicians who are best to create division among them. V. Nandagopal, convenor of the NDMJ-AP adhoc committee, said the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) had taken up four of movements on: rights of Dalit women, economic development, land problem and untouchability. He said the NDMJ would focus on untouchability. He demanded the implementation of the recommendations of Punnaiah Committee on eradication of untouchability in toto and a white paper with regard to implementation of G.O.s based on the committee report. As many as 154 types of untouchability practices were identified in the State in 2002. (The Hindu 11/12/08)

Unrest in village over temple entry agitation (2) TIRUNELVELI: The police have clamped ban orders on areas falling under the jurisdiction of the Karivalamvanthanallur police station for 15 days from Saturday midnight as cadre of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) along with Dalits are planning to enter into Kannanallur Mariamman temple at

Panthapuli near Sankarankovil in the district on December 17, The temple issue reached the flashpoint recently after Dalits and then the ‘upper caste Hindu’ families left the village to temporarily settle down in nearby hillocks in a bid to press their rights over the temple. The CPI (M)’s announcement escalated tension in the vil lage forcing Revenue Divisional Officer Mariappan to promulgate the orders re stricting holding of public meetings, demonstrations and rallies. Additional police personnel have been deployed in the areas. Meanwhile, the Dalits of Panthapuli village have announced that they would not take part in the agitation. Speaking to reporters at Sankarankovil on Sunday, head of Panthapuli Dalits K. Kalimuthu said members of the “oppressed community” would respect the verdict of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, before which the temple case is expected to come up for hearing on December 22. “We’ll not be the part of the temple entry protest announced by a political party on December 17 as we’ve decided to respect and accept the final verdict to be delivered by the court,” Mr. Kalimuthu said. (The Hindu 15/12/08)

‘Dalits attacked for not v oting for a party’ (2) Morena: The houses of Dalits were attacked allegedly by members of an upper caste community for not voting for a particular community at Douralvali village here, police said on Monday. No one was injured in the incident that took place last night when nearly 50 people armed with sticks attacked the Dalit community houses, police said. They also pelted stones as the residents rushed into their homes and locked the doors from inside. The Dalit community persons later told the police that they were targeted for allegedly not voting in favour of a particular party in the recent Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, police said. The attackers also took away four buffaloes chained outside their houses, police said. Later, Noorabad police station personnel chased away the attackers who ran away from the spot leaving two of the buffaloes. A case has been registered in this regard and a probe was on. -- PTI (The Hindu 16/12/08)

Ambedkar’s photo removed from PR banner (2) GUNTUR: The fallout of recent formation of district and urban committees by Praja Rajyam in Guntur had its first fallout on Monday with supporters of a prominent Dalit leader, Charuvaka, openly expressing their anger by cutting out the photograph of B. R. Ambedkar from party office banner. On a day when party central leader Allu Arvind was attending a function at Swarnabharati Nagar in the city, Mr. Charuvaka expressed unhappiness at his non-inclusion in the list of district in-charges for various committees. “We have been given a raw deal. To prevent Dr. Ambedkar from being dishonoured here in the party office, we are cutting his photo from the banner and taking away with us,” said a party youth. The youths destroyed the chairs in the meeting hall and only after other party office-bearers interfered did they leave the premises by cutting out Dr. Ambedkar’s photo. They headed straight to Lodge Centre to protest inclusion of Mr. Charuvaka only as member of the committee. They later washed the statue of Dr. Ambedkar with milk to show their anger. By evening, things seemed to have settled down with Mr. Arvind talking to all the disgruntled elements and calming tempers down before the Urban and Rural district in-charges took office at a function at Swarnabharati Nagar. Mr. Charuvaka was seen sharing the dais with Mr. Arvind later in the night. Mr. Arvind called for united fight against the Congress rule by getting closer to the people. “Show them the difference between the earlier regimes and our capabilities,” he said. (The Hindu 16/12/08) Dalit forum to march to PSC office (2) Kozhikode: The Kerala Dalit Federation (KDF) has demanded that all political parties should make clear their stand on “reservation and merit” as criteria for employment. The demand was put forth in the wake of the “Public Service Commission’s controversial stance that communities that enjoy reservation benefit should remain in that group and should not be considered for appointment purely on the basis of merit.” At the federation’s meeting in Kozhikode on Tuesday, P. Ramabhadran, president, KDF, alleged that the PSC’s stand would spark conflicts between forward and backward communities and dubbed the move “primitive.” The KDF has decided to take out a protest march to the PSC office in Thiruvananthapuram on December 18 to raise this issue. It also demanded immediate withdrawal of the circular issued by the government to the effect that members of scheduled communities, who were given government jobs through special recruitment, were not efficient and lacked practical skills. “Training programmes exclusively for officials of scheduled communities should not be held,” Mr. Ramabhadran said. Mr. Ramabhadran also complained that the government had not yet kept its promise to write off debts of scheduled communities. KDF district president T.P. Janardanan presided over the meeting. (The Hindu 17/12/08)

Speedy disposal of SC/ST cases sought (2) WARANGAL: The SC, ST Commission Chairman K. Nagarjuna directed the police and district authorities to expedite the investigation and processing of the cases booked under the SC, ST (Prevention) Atrocities Act. The speedy trial of SC and ST cases would help boost morale of the aggrieved sections, he felt. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr. Nagarjuna said, the commission had received a total of 12,000 complaints so far and action was initiated in as many as 6,000 cases. He said the commission had visited all the districts in the State to create awareness among the officers about the protection of rights and interests of the socially-downtrodden sections. Mr. Nagarjuna pointed that there were complaints from many districts about the officials deliberately not following the rule of reservation in recruitment and promotions. The commission’s recommendation to disburse the scholarships to students through banks is now being implemented by the State government and this online payment has eliminated the role of middlemen, he said. Later, he led a massive rally of thousands of people organised by the SC, ST Commission and it had converted into a meeting at the Arts & Science College auditorium. Addressing the gathering, Tribal Welfare Minister D. S. Redya Naik, said the government had received a total of 3 lakh applications claiming the rights over the forest land under the new Forest Rights Act. “The government has completed the survey and mapping on claims, and rights would be given to the tribals soon,” he said. SC, ST Commission members Rajarapu Pratap, Krishnaiah and others took part in the meeting. (The Hindu 17/12/08)

Dalit convention held (2) NEW DELHI: The first convention of National Dalit Front was held at Mavalankar Hall in V.P. House here on Wednesday in which leaders cutting across party lines demanded that reservation must be extended in the private sector. After long deliberations by the Front president Ram Vilas Paswan, working president Ramdas Athawale and secretary general Udit Raj, a resolution was passed in which it was demanded that the Reservation Bill must be passed in Parliament and atrocities against Dalits must come to an end. (The Hindu 18/12/08)

Row over promotion of SC/ST officers in U.P. power sector (2) LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Government has bought time to resolve the vexed issue of consequential seniority along with promotion for the officers belonging to the Scheduled Castes/Tribes in the power sector. The issue had triggered off a controversy with the UP Power Engineers Federation (UP Rajya Vidyut Parishad Abhiyanta Sangh ) opposing the move and the rival UP Power Officers’ Association supporting the decision. The Govt.’s decision at the behest of Chief Minister Mayawati was implemented in all the power corporations and uti li ties, including UP Power Transmission Corporation and UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam and subsidiary units from Tuesday. Protesting the move, the engineers belonging to the Power Engineers’ Federation (UP Rajya Vidyut Parishad Abhiyanta Sangh ) struck work on Wednesday. The work boycott followed by a protest meeting at the Shakti Bhawan headquarters of UP Power Corporation Limited here continued on Thursday with the engineers contemplating mass resignation. After a marathon meeting between the State Power Minister, Ramveer Upadhyaya and the leaders of the power unions opposing the move here on Thursday, the Abhiyanta Sangh decided to su spend its agitation till Monday when it would announce its next step. The provision of consequential seniority along with promotion for the SC/ST engineers and employees has been made by inserting Rule 8A in the U.P. Government Employees’ Seniority Service Rules to incorporate the provisions of Article 16 (4A) of the Constitution. Article 16 (4A) had been included in the statute following an amendment in 2001, which defined the provision of consequential seniority along with promotion for the SC/ST officers and employees. Power engineers in U.P. apprehended that the merit list at the time of their appointment would be of no consequence. Before the implementation of the Government order, only one-time seniority of the officers in accordance to the merit l ist was assured. The Abhiyanta Sangh has alleged that following the implementation of the consequential seniority along with promotion order, general category officers belonging to the 1971 batch have become junior to Scheduled Caste officers of the 1982 batch. Director (Personnel) of UPPCL, Harish Chandra Singh, is one of the general category officers who has become junior to the 1982 batch Scheduled Caste officers. (The Hindu 19/12/08)

Principal refused food: Dalit girls (2) Lucknow, Dec. 18: Six dalit girl students in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday accused their school principal of refusing to taste food they cooked for their home science practical examinations. Principal Madhuri

Pandey, who belongs to an upper caste, was on Wednesday charged with practising discrimination with the girls and the police and the education authorities are jointly investigating the case. "The complainants are Class 8 students of the private Jyoti Shiksha Niketan at Tejapur village in Mau district," an official in-charge of primary education in the district, Chandrapal, said. —IANS (Asian Age 19/12/08)

Bill to make SC/ST quota in civil services a 'statu tory right' (2) New Delhi (PTI): The government on Monday introduced a bill in the Rajya Sabha to make reservation for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in civil services under the Central government a statutory right instead of the provision being implemented through "administrative instructions". Minister of State in the PMO Prithviraj Chavan moved the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Reservation in Posts and Services) Bill, 2008 in the Rajya Sabha, to enact a legislation which aims to "instill greater confidence" among members of the SC and ST communities. "At present, administrative instructions issued by the Central government from time to time, provide reservation of appointments or posts for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in civil services," the statement of objects and reasons of the bill said. The bill seeks to make this a "statutory right" backing the instructions, it said adding, the bill aims to meet the "constitutional goal of securing justice, liberty and equality for all citizens and in promoting fraternity among them." Chavan also withdrew the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (Reservation in Posts and Services) Bil l, 2004 amid a din which broke out in the Upper House on the issue of Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay. The Rajya Sabha also passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) (Union Territories) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2007 which relates to giving ST status to the children of the inhabitants of Lakshadweep who have been residing elsewhere in India. All residents of Lakshadweep have been given ST status in view of their socio-economic backwardness arising out of isolation from the mainland. (The Hindu 23/12/08)

Nod for SC/ST Bill (2) NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Reservation in Posts and Services) Bill, 2008 to give statutory backing to the reservation for SC/STs in government jobs. The Bill, passed amidst noisy scenes by the Opposition, would provide for reservation in appointments or posts in civil services for SC/STs in establishment and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. At present, administrative instructions are issued by the Union government from time to time to provide reservation in appointments to SC/STs in civil services. The Bill will elevate the provisions of reservation to a statutory right. (The Hindu 24/12/08)

No case of atrocity on SC, STs booked in Hassan, sa ys Tagore (2) Hassan: Additional Director-General of Police, Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement K.V.R. Tagore said the number of cases of atrocity on people who belong to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe had come down in Hassan district and it showed that there was awareness in people in this regard. Mr. Tagore held discussions in the Deputy Commissioner’s Office on Tuesday evening on the implementation of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Tagore said that all over the State cases of atrocities on SC, STs had come down. It is little on the higher side in Bangalore Rural, Kolar and Gulbarga districts. He lauded Deputy Commissioner Naveen Raj Singh and Superintendent of Police Sharatchandra and said it was due to their effort, atrocities on dalits had come to zero in Hassan district. Mr. Tagore expressed surprise at the non-fil ing of charge sheet by Chennarayapatna police in Nallur case where a dalit (former home guard) was beaten to death after being tied to an electric pole on December 10, 2007. In this case, the accused were arrested and were released on bail but even after one year, no charge sheet had been fi led. He said he had directed the Superintendent of Police to file the charge sheet immediately. The Government wil l be requested to dismiss those persons against whom criminal cases will be filed for producing fake caste certificates, he said. The Hindu 24/12/08)

10-yr fight: Dalits defy ban and enter temple (2) Madurai: After a decade-long struggle, Dalits at Panthapuli village in Tirunelveli district entered the Kannanallur Mariamman temple with help of district officials defying a ban imposed by caste Hindus. Dalits led by District Collector G Prakash and Superintendent of Police Asra Garg, entered the temple at Panthapuli near Sankarankovil on Wednesday. Though the caste Hindus resented the entry, they did not, however, make any effort to resist the move, apparently due to stern warning issued by Prakash. The Collector has initiated speedy steps to take over the temple by the Hindu Religious and Charitable endowment Board. In order to prevent untoward incidents, police had been deployed in adequate

numbers in the sensitive areas. The temple, which was closed for nearly ten years due to conflict between Dalits and upper castes, has been opened and poojas would be performed on regular basis by all, officials said. A section of the caste Hindu families resisted the entry of Dalits in the past even though the local munsiff court permitted them to enter the temple. Due to tension, both Dalits and the caste Hindus left their homes in the vil lage and settled in nearby hills. The issue gained prominence after the CPM state unit recently threatened to take Dalits inside the temple. On December17, 200 CPM volunteers courted arrested, trying to enter the temple. (Indian Express 26/12/08)

Dalits bid to enter temple stopped by police (2) KRISHNAGIRI: Tension prevailed in Kalkeri village in Thenkanikottai block on Monday when police prevented some dalits from entering the Gangamma and Anajaneyar Temple to offer worship. A total of 110 persons, including Harur MLA B. Delhi Babu, Communist Party of India (Marxist) State executive member K. Balakrishnan, Krishnagiri district secretary T. Ravindran and 15 dalit women were detained under Section 151 of Cr.PC. They were released in the evening. The dalits said they had been denied entry into the temple by the caste Hindus since 1983. The issue was brought to focus by the CPI (M). Peace talks were held before the Tasildhar on October 4 this year in which both communities agreed to resolve the matter amicably. Dalits claimed that caste Hindus, who took part in the talks, agreed to allow them inside the temple to offer prayers. But when they announced that they would enter the temple on December 29, a section of caste Hindus, mainly youths, opposed it. They also intimidated the Dalit families in the village. The CPI (M), however, announced its support to the dalits and decided to lead the temple entry agitation. When dalits and CPI (M) cadres assembled at the village and attempted to take out a procession to the temple police detained them. Police pickets have been posted in the village. (The Hindu 30/12/08)

Dalit women take out procession (2) KOLAR: Under the banner of Adima Shakthi Dalita Mahila Okkoota, hundreds of Dalit women took out a procession in the town on Monday in support of various demands. Some of their demands included distribution of government land to the Dalits and other landless labourers, setting up of anganvadi centres in every vil lage, and setting up of primary health centres at every gram panchayat. The protesters also demanded dropping of unit system in the public distribution system. The protesters submitted a memorandum at the Deputy Commissioner’s office. — Staff Correspondent (The Hindu 30/12/08)