DALITS/SCHEDULED CASTES - 2009 - Indian Social Institute

DALITS/SCHEDULED CASTES - 2009
JANUARY to DECEMBER 2009
Compiled By
K. Samu
Human Rights Documentation,
Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi, India
Dalits enter two temples with police protection (2)
KRISHNAGIRI: After a 25-year-old struggle, Dalits of Kalkeri village in Denkanikottai taluk in Krishnagiri
district entered two temples on Thursday. Hosur Revenue Divisional Officer P. Rathinavel and a police
team headed by Additional Superintendent of Police D. Magesh Kumar led them inside the temples after
the locks were broken open. Mr. Rathinavel arrived at the village with officials from the Revenue
Department and entered the Karakathamman temple with Dalit youths, women and children. Some
women from a caste Hindu community said the Dalits should not enter the sanctum sanctorum. They
were removed by the police. Tension mounted outside the temple with some people objecting to the
action of revenue officials and the police. Police personnel chased them till the corner of the street on the
way to Anjaneyar Temple and asked them to disperse peacefully. As things did not calm down, the
protesters were removed from there and taken to a marriage hall in Thali. After this, Dalit women were
taken by the RDO and ADSP to enter the Anjaneyar Temple after breaking the lock. Mr. Rathinavel told
presspersons that the issue was settled amicably. The official said that when he verified the revenue
records, he found there were no problems between Dalits and caste Hindus in the village. The enmity
started only after Vinayakar Chathurthi festival last year. However, the Dalit youths denied this and said
they were not allowed inside the temple by the caste Hindus for 25 years. They said some of them even
worked for the construction of the Anjaneyar Temple in 2000. Even then they were denied entry into the
temple. Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary Ravindran thanked the revenue, police and
the people of the village for the smooth entry of Dalits into the temple. He said atrocities against Dalits
exist in many places in the district and the party would list these in a memorandum to the Collector to be
submitted in a day or two. Meanwhile, District Revenue Officer S. Nagarajan reached the village around
3.30 p.m. to find a permanent solution to the problem. He held peace talks with the caste Hindus from
Thali. The issue was brought into focus by the CPI (M). Earlier, peace talks were held before the
Denkanikottai Tahsildhar on October 4 last year, in which both the communities agreed to resolve the
matter amicably. Dalits said that caste Hindus, who took part in the talks, agreed to allow them inside the
temple to offer prayers. When the Dalits announced that they would enter the temple on December 29, a
section of the caste Hindus, mainly youths, opposed it. It was alleged that they also intimidated the Dalit
families in the village. In the meantime, the CPI (M) announced its support to the Dalits and decided to
lead the temple entry agitation on December 29. (The Hindu 2/1/09)
In Bihar, being flood-hit not enough, only Dalits and Muslims get blankets (2)
SONBARSHA RAJ (SAHARSA): The Bihar flood made no distinction between high- and low-castes in
choosing victims, and nor does the biting winter cold. But it appears the Saharsa district administration
does. In Sonbarsha Raj, one of the three flood-affected blocks in the district, you have to be Dalit,
Mahadalit (a group of 20 Scheduled and extremely backward castes) or Muslim to receive a relief blanket.
Upper-caste flood victims, despite being in exactly the same pitiful state, do not qualify. The blankets
have been donated by the Red Cross, the governments of Gujarat and Jharkhand, and some private
groups. They are being distributed by the district administration as per lists prepared by Government
officials with help from panchayat workers. In Soha, a village of poor upper castes, over 1,000 flood-hit
people were ignored during the distribution of blankets. Chiranjiv Singh, a flood victim, says: “Panchayat
workers said the blankets were only for Dalits, Mahadalits and Muslims. A flood victim is a flood victim. No
distinction has ever been made earlier.” Singh is particularly upset with the sudden appearance of the
‘Mahadalit’ category. He sees a conspiracy: “the district administration is trying to please the NDA
government that has coined the Mahadalit concept to split the Dalit vote,” he says. Bambam Kumar
agrees: “Had they used the word ‘poor’, we would have understood,” he says. Harinarayan Singh, a small
farmer, says there are “hundreds of people in the village” who need blankets. In Shahpur village, Lalan
Kumar Yadav, husband of the village mukhiya Anita Devi, shows an application listing hundreds of OBC
flood victims who have not been considered for blankets. Yadav says there are enough blankets for

everybody, but they are being distributed “solely at the discretion of officials”. According to him, “Over a
thousand Minorities in the panchayat area got blankets while other poor people just watched”. He will take
the matter to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janta Darbar, Yadav says. The resentment over the
discrimination spilled over recently when local CPM cadres locked up Sonbarsha Block Development
Officer Mohammed Qasim Ansari in his office for six hours without food. The CPM called its agitation
“flood curfew”, and kept it up for four days in the district. There is in fact, no specific instruction or written
order from the state government to adopt any caste or religious criteria in the distribution of relief. But the
district administration issued verbal instructions to panchayat workers to prepare lists of beneficiaries
starting with Dalits, Mahadalits and Muslims. (Indian Express 6/1/09)
A Dalit leprosy-striken driven out of Bihar village (2)
Patna, Jan 9 : A Dalit leprosy-striken man was cast out of the village in Bihar. Driven out of the village
along with his two very young daughters, the man had to struggle for survival under the open sky in this
chilling winter. After being diagonsed of leprosy, Femu Sada, in his late 30s, was first humiliated by the
villagers and was later forced to leave his village, Chatia Mushari in the Purnia district. “Femu was forced
to leave the village due to prevailing stigma, misconceptions about the disease, and untouchability
attached to it,” said Madan Singh, an activist. Femu earned his livelihood by begging and after he was
thrown out has taken temporary shelter in a school's premises outside the village. He and his two
daughters - Putul and Suman - are fighting a battle for life after social boycott, Singh added. Singh
informed the local administration about the incident, but no action has been taken to help him. (New
Kerala 9/1/09)
Sub-categorisation of Dalits: Centre may let states decide (2)
NEW DELHI: In a highly sensitive move, the Centre may constitutionally empower states to create subcategories
among Dalits with a separate quota for each of them. It is learnt that social justice ministry is
mulling a proposal to amend the Constitution to permit the states on what is technically known as "subcategorisation".
Hemmed in by its political compulsion to allow the demand made by Andhra Pradesh and
the sensitivity of doing what is also seen as anti-Dalit, Centre may be looking at a new way to achieve its
objective. Social justice ministry is looking to allow states to sub-categorise, if they wish, and limit the
move to reservations in jobs and education at state level. Such a move would make the Centre only a
facilitator while the final responsibility for such action on dividing SCs into sub-groups would rest with
individual states. The Supreme Court had earlier held that tampering with the SC list was beyond the
powers of states. It remains to be seen if the Union Cabinet agrees to the proposal as and when it is
finalised. Sources said the states have not been consulted on the move and it would draw criticism from
certain quarters. Issue of sub-categorisation revolves around the argument that a few sub-castes among
SCs have cornered the fruits of reservation, stalling an equitable distribution of the benefits. To undo the
'ill', Andhra Pradesh divided SCs among groups and apportioned the 15% quota among them 'to ensure
that all of them benefit'. It was first struck down by the AP high court and then by the apex court. The
issue has become controversial because it is also seen as an attempt to break the political consolidation
of Dalits by turning them into competing blocs. While states are barred from sub-categorisation on
jurisdictional grounds, as the SC list can be tampered only by the President, the National Commission for
SCs seems to have paved the way for such a move. In an ingenious argument, the Buta Singh-led panel
has told the ministry that sub-categorisation is an affirmative action policy for the development of the
backward classes, which has a constitutional mandate. In its opinion, the Dalit watchdog has claimed that
sub-categorisation is governed by Article 16(4) — which empowers states to formulate policies for
'equality in opportunities' — and not by Article 341 which deals with addition and deletion in the SC list.
The NCSC view threatens to turn the issue on its head as till now, it has been well accepted that dividing
Dalits into sub-groups was governed by Article 341 which is the exclusive domain of the President,
requiring a constitutional amendment. (Times of India 11/1/09)
70-yr-old shot dead in Noida (2)
Noida: A 70-year-old man was shot dead in the Achepur village of Rabupura area in Noida on Saturday.
The police said Khacheda, a Dalit, was awarded a piece of land in 1967 in the village, over which a
widowed relative was staking her claim. On Friday night, when Khacheda was overseeing construction on
the plot, the widow, along with some family members, started fighting with him. “The police were informed
and the matter was settled after they intervened. But he was shot later in the night, around 2 am.

Khacheda was taken to a hospital in Bulandshahr, where he succumbed to his injuries,” the Rabupura
police said. His son, Rakesh Kumar, has alleged that Khacheda was murdered for property. Two
villagers, Harikesh Bhati and Rajkumar Bhati, have been detained for interrogation. (Indian Express
11/1/09)
Poverty drives dalits to suicide (2)
Lucknow: Jan. 12: Driven to penury, a dalit family of eight, including six children, attempted suicide by
consuming poison in a village in Fatehpur district on Sunday. According to police sources, Ramanjit, his
wife Sunita and six children — Roshan (12), Satya (10), Chandni (8), Ankit (6) Ujala and Jyoti (3) —
consumed poison late on Sunday afternoon in their makeshift home in Jamalpur village. When their
condition began worsening, one of the neighbours saw them and called in other villagers who
immediately rushed all eight to the nearby district hospital. The children were discharged later in the night
while the parents are still undergoing treatment. A senior doctor at the district hospital said that the family
could be saved only because they were brought in to the hospital in time. Meanwhile, Ramanjit’s
neighbours said that the family had been going through bad times and were living under a plastic canopy.
"Ramanjit used to work in the city but had returned to his village a few months ago. He used to stitch
clothes for a living but could never make enough money to feed his family. He had discontinued the
education of his children because their scholarship from the government had been discontinued for no
apparent reason," said a neighbour on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, the district authorities on
Monday sent an official to probe the incident. "We will provide all possible help to the family and ensure
that such an incident is not repeated," said a district official on phone. (Asian Age 13/1/09)
35-yr-old Dalit murdered in Bhind (2)
Bhind: A 35-year-old Dalit was murdered on Monday morning for disobeying an influential person in this
district’s Thonda village, about 60 km from here, the police said. Rajendra’s killer Bhure Singh Tomar is
absconding. Tomar allegedly opened fire at the Dalit and also attacked the latter with a knife. Rajendra’s
mother was also injured. The accused had taken Rajendra to his residence and ordered him to cut down
a tree. After the murder, Tomar threatened the Dalit’s father, Ramdas and confined him to his residence.
Later, the accused approached the police and while concealing the truth lodged a complaint against
Rajendra and his kin. Pioneer 13/1/09)
Priests object SC minister temple visit (2)
BHUBANESWAR: Jan. 14: Orissa women and child welfare minister Pramila Mallick, who belongs to
Scheduled Caste community, on Wednesday suffered embarrassment as a group of priests objected to
her entry into a local temple in Bhadrak district, nearly 150 km here. The priests of Akhandalamani temple
"consecrated" the idol of Lord Shiva soon after the minister left the place after offering her prayers. The
minister’s visit to the shrine in the morning on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and subsequent
resentment by a group of temple priests gave rise to tension in the area. The temple administration
headed by local sub-collector Bibhuti Bhusan Das will meet on Thursday to discuss the issue. Ms Mallick
said she had not committed any crime by visiting the temple. (Asian Age 15/1/09)
SC/ST rights marooned at Mumbai varsity: teachers union (2)
Mumbai: A memorandum presented by the Bombay University and College Teachers Union to the
National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes raises serious concerns over the
University of Mumbai’s “appalling indifference” to the rights of the weaker sections. Be it providing
accommodation, representation, filling vacant posts or making provisions for the SC/ST as per
constitutional directives, its report card is abysmal, says the nine-point memorandum. “Despite generous
grants received from the Central and State governments during its sesquicentennial year and despite
repeated demands made by the teacher senators during 2005-06, the university has failed to build a
single hostel for the SC/ST students.” Lack of accommodation for poor SC/ST students, especially for
those who come from the tribal areas of Thane district to seek education in the “prestigious” university,
results in their dropping out, says the memorandum. The mandate of “special provisions” stipulated in
Section 5 (53) of the Maharashtra Universities Act, 1994, has become a “casualty” at the university. The
“near absence of remedial classes” and “inadequate awareness” of the Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship
Scheme have denied students their entitlement. Countering, Vice-Chancellor Vijay Khole said the union
would keep making demands. “The university is 100 per cent sensitive to government stipulations and is

ound to implement them.” And yet, when a commission team visited the campus recently, neither the
Vice-Chancellor nor the Pro Vice-Chancellor met it, as the union swung into action to place the issues
before the commission. Refuting allegations of apathy, Dr. Khole said he had been out of town for a
meeting and had expressed his desire to visit the commission in Delhi. “Mr. Khole was in Goa. He spoke
to me on the phone, apologised for not being there and said that he would be open to visiting Delhi to
meet the commission,” said its Vice-Chairman N.D. Kamble. On the low proportion of SC/ST students and
teachers in the university and its colleges, the memorandum points out: “The proportion of SC/ST
students in colleges affiliated to university was only 8 per cent in 2001 as compared to the State average
of 15 per cent.”Professor B.R. Salve of the union says the recently held Senate elections were an eyeopener.
Not a single ST representative could be found.For, the memorandum states, “as on 2007-08
there was not a single postgraduate teacher recruited from the ST category in the university
departments.” The reserved seat for the ST candidate in the Senate is vacant, resulting in the community
going potentially unrepresented. In fact, in educational institutions all over the State, the voice of the
weaker sections in the Senate is muffled by the Universities Act itself.For instance, as per Section 25 (2)
(l) of the Act, out of 18 college principals in the Senate, only one seat is reserved for all the weaker
categories put together .This works out to 5.5 per cent of reserved seats as opposed to the 50 per cent
reservation (The Hindu 19/1/09)
Dalit bodies demand apology from Pramila Mallick (2)
Bhubaneswar: Several Dalit associations on Sunday demanded regination of Women and Child
Development Minister Pramila Mallik for not protesting after her entry into the Garva Griha of
Akhandalamani Temple sparked tension among the temple servitors. The Minister is incapable to hold
her port-folio and she should apologize for her mere inaction, Dalit leaders demanded. Why the Minister
not lodged any FIR soon after the incident, they asked. They also demanded stringent action against the
tehesildar, the Collector and the temple servitors. They called a huge demonstration in Jajpur on January
27 in this connection. (Pioneer 19/1/09)
‘Dalits living in panic in Bharatpur village’ (2)
JAIPUR: Dominant Jat residents of Ballabhgarh village in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan allegedly
insulted and assaulted the Dalit woman Sarpanch of the village panchayat and her son earlier this month
for her refusal to part with the muster rolls of labourers engaged and records of public works executed
during her tenure. Fifty-five-year-old Sone Deyee, elected as Sarpanch in August last year, and her 20-
year-old son, Jal Singh, sustained serious fractures in their heads, arms and legs in the brutal attack on
January 7. The group of about 25 accused allegedly humiliated them for their caste and then assaulted
them with sharp-edged weapons. Sone Deyee contested the election for Sarpanch after the previous
occupant of the office, Hardeo Koli, quit following threats and thrashing by prime accused Ishwar Singh,
who works as the public distribution system dealer in the village. The rural Jat community of the region
blatantly supports the accused and has since boycotted the Dalit residents of the village. A three-member
fact-finding team of the Jaipur-based Centre for Dalit Rights, which visited the village situated in Weir
tehsil of Bharatpur district, detected a “hostile atmosphere” prevailing for Dalits who were living in panic
with no help coming from the law enforcement agencies. The police, who have perfunctorily registered a
case against Ishwar Singh and his accomplices at the Bhusawar police station, have not arrested any of
the accused. The CDR charged the police with acting under political pressure while the accused roam
about freely in the village and threatening the victims. Sone Deyee, a widow who has worked hard to
come up in the Panchayati Raj institution, was returning from the village primary school after making
payment for a kitchen set on the day she and her son were attacked. The fact-finding team suspected
that there was a conspiracy hatched by dominant Jats to intimidate the Sarpanch and force her to
relinquish her post. CDR Director Satish Kumar said the way the previous Sarpanch was first not allowed
to function independently and then forced to resign amounted to a “travesty of grassroots democracy”.
Hardeo Koli was reportedly blinded as a result of thrashing by the accused. Ever since she assumed
office in August, Son Deyee has been resisting attempts by Ishwar Singh and his cohorts to dictate their
terms to the village panchayat. The accused earlier insulted her publicly and tore the muster rolls in
September 2008, for which she immediately lodged a complaint and the police registered a case. In its
memoranda submitted to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission
for Women, the CDR has demanded addition of Section 3(2)(5) [life imprisonment] of the Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, to the latest criminal case against the

accused and payment of financial assistance to Sone Deyee and her son. Mr. Kumar said the State
Government should instruct the Bhusawar police to arrest all the accused named in the FIR without delay
and provide security to the victims. “Bharatpur,” he demanded, “should be declared an atrocity-prone
district under the SC/ST (PoA) Act in view of a sharp rise in the crimes against Dalits during the past
couple of years.” (The Hindu 20/1/09)
Panels urge Cong to issue tickets for Dalits (2)
BIJAPUR: Various Dalit organizations urged the Congress high command to issue tickets for Dalits to
contest in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections from Bijapur constituency. A press note issued by the
organizations, stated that, while issuing Congress tickets, six points should be taken in to consideration.
The candidate should be an untouchable as per the constitution, caste census should be considered as a
criteria, educational qualifications should be considered, candidate should be a permanent resident of
Bijapur district, a sitting member of the assembly and the council should not be considered. The Dalits
working for the party and the more than three-lakh Dalit voters from the constituency were the back bone
of the party, the organization stated. It also said that, the original Dalits such as Holer, Madar, Samagar,
Machagar, Dhor and others should be given a ticket for the contest. Karnataka Chalawadi Mahasabha
district unit, Karnataka State Samagar (Chammar), Haralayya Samaj Vedike district unit, Akhil Karnataka
Muchiger Sangh, Veerashaiv Dhor Kakkayya Samaj Seva Sangh and Shri Chennayya Samaj Seva
Sangh (Madig Samaj) are the organizations which issued the statement. (Times of India 20/2/09)
Inclusion of Dalit Christians in SC list sought (2)
CHENNAI: The State Government on Wednesday urged the Centre to include the Adi Dravidas following
Christianity in the list of Scheduled Castes as in the case of Adi Dravidars following Hinduism and
Buddhism. Addressing the Assembly, Governor Surjit Singh Barnala said it was a long-pending demand
of the Adi Dravidas following Christianity and the Centre should come forward to fulfil this demand. The
Governor requested the Centre to consider the recommendations of the Justice Ranganath Mishra
Commission to provide reservation for backward Muslims at the national level and make an
announcement in this regard. He urged the Centre to ensure that social backwardness was the sole
criterion for reservation. (New Indian Express 23/1/09)
Gang-rape of Dalit sisters: statements recorded (2)
Amritsar: DSP Chhajju Ram today recorded statements of the accused in the case of rape of two Dalit
sisters, who hail from Mamo Mahal village in Ajnala. The case has become talk of the town due to the
alleged involvement of the son of the district president of the BJP, who has been arrested along with two
others. Meanwhile, the medical examination of the complainant has confirmed rape. The girls were also
presented before the Judicial Magistrate for recoding of statements. Meanwhile, frantic efforts are being
made by the local BJP leadership to salvage the accused. Sources said the police were under pressure
to withdraw the following the intervention of the BJP leaders. The three accused, Vikram, alias Vicky, son
of BJP leader Ram Sharan Pal, Rachhpal, alias Sonu, and Goldi, were caught by the public when they
were assaulting the sisters, one minor and the other a widow. The case was registered under sections
376 and 120-B of the IPC on the complaint of the victims. “We are doing our duty and justice will be
done,” said SHO Balkar Singh. (Indian Express 27/1/09)
Crimes against Dalits in Uttar Pradesh persist, despite Mayawati's rule (2)
Lucknow, Jan 27 : Crime against Dalits is on the rise in Uttar Pradesh despite a Dalit chief minister at its
helm, official records show. But Dalit voters are sticking to Mayawati and her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
because they have few options, say political analysts. Analysts say the number of crimes against Dalits
has increased and the community is also angry that Mayawati co-opted members from the high caste
during the state assembly elections in 2007. But the caste politics of the state ensures that the Dalits
have no other alternative but to go with her, they say. The statistics provided by the National Crime
Records Bureau (NCRB) show that most of the crimes committed against Dalits were rape and murder
and a majority of the accused belonged to the higher castes. According to NCRB, 240 rape cases against
Dalit women were reported in 2006 and the number increased to 318 in 2007, the year Mayawati came to
power. The data for 2008 is not available with NCRB, but Dynamic Action Group, a non-government
organisation operating out of the state, put the figure for the first six months of last year at 100. The NGO
was provided with the information by the office of the Director-General of Uttar Pradesh Police under the

Right to Information Act. According to official figures, 21 percent of the population of Uttar Pradesh (which
was 166 million by the 2001 census) consists of Dalits. The state has the third highest percentage of
Dalits in the country after West Bengal (23 percent) and Punjab (28.9 percent). A former inspectorgeneral
of state police, S.R. Darapuri, told IANS that "the figures don't reflect the true reality, which is
worse." Several police commissions and human rights organisations have concluded that only 40 percent
of complaints of atrocities on Dalits are registered by the police, he said. Darapuri added that a
voluminous report of the National Human Rights Commission in 2006 stated that only a fraction of the
complaints by Dalits are registered by the police. "There is no change in this situation even after
Mayawati assumed power," said Darapuri, who works for Dalit rights. He said the state's 17-member
Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was "virtually defunct". A similar trend is also
reflected in other heinous crimes like kidnapping and murder. But this does not change the political
equation. "A majority of the Dalits look upon Mayawati as their icon. Though some of them tend to vote for
leaders of their community in other parties, they have little choice apart from Mayawati," political analyst
Ramesh Dixit told IANS on phone from Lucknow. This is because of the highly casteist nature of Uttar
Pradesh politics, he said. The BSP's main rival Samajwadi Party has its votebank in the Yadavs and
Rajputs, who are opposed to the Dalits. Yadavs belong to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and
Rajputs are a high caste. The Dalits were traditionally Congress supporters till the 1980s but with the
party's sway over the state petering out, the BSP stepped to fill in that space. Opposition parties admit
that Dalits vote for Mayawati irrespective of atrocities against them, but claim that the community was
gradually getting disenchanted with her. "It was a sustained campaign by Kanshi Ram (BSP founder),
which drew the Dalits to the party. But they are getting disillusioned and this will be visible after a couple
of more elections, though not immediately," senior Samajwadi Party leader Reoti Raman Singh told IANS.
The party is a staunch rival of the ruling BSP in the state. "Mayawati aroused in them an emotional
security, and this is why violence against them was not an issue. But they realise now that they are being
exploited; this will unfold with time," Congress spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh said. Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who is from the state, echoed the views: "This is
their (Dalits') third exposure to Mayawati's rule, and the sense of being exploited is increasing; that she is
more into personal growth." Retired police official Darapuri said the roots of the atrocities against Dalits in
the state runs deeper. "That there is a Dalit chief minister hardly makes a difference "."The system of
untouchability still persists in the country, particularly very strongly in Uttar Pradesh, despite the fact that
the constitution banned the system in 1950," Darapuri told IANS. "It is due to this persisting system that
an alarming number of cases of atrocities on Dalits are reported in the state,'' he said. However, the top
brass of the state police claim that there has been a marked decrease in the crime against Dalits in the
past year or so. "The present (Mayawati) government's top priority is law and order and we are
determined to ensure the safety of all the residents of the state, be it of any community or society,"
Additional Director General of police (crime, law and order) Brijlal sserted. (New Kerala 27/1/09)
Meet reviews attrocities against SCs & STs (2)
Bhopal: The Central Commit-tee on Tribal and Scheduled Caste Affairs undertook a review of works in
five States on matters relating to Prevention of Atrocities against SCs and STs and Civil Rights Acts on
Wednesday. Headed by the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar, the
committee stressed the need for more effective enforcement of the law. Madhya Pradesh Minister for
Tribal and Scheduled Castes Development Jagannath Singh, Minister of State Harishankar Khatik,
member of the committee KB Krishnamurthy and senior officers of Central and State Governments
attended the meeting. During the review, the fact was underlined that Madhya Pradesh is second in the
country in respect of conviction in cases under Prevention of Atrocities on Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes Act with 39.9 per cent conviction rate. As per the status of three years from 2005 to
2007 the conviction rate in such cases is 35.5 percent in Uttarakhand, 38 percent in Chhattisgarh, 34.6
percent in Jharkhand and at national level it is 31 per cent. Madhya Pradesh is second only to Uttar
Pradesh where conviction rate is 50.7 percent. This fact emerged in the presentation made at the meting
of five states. The central committee expressed happiness over this. It was disclosed at the meeting that
Madhya Pradesh tops the list in literacy rate of scheduled castes in the country. As per the available
figure, the literacy rate of scheduled caste women is 43.28% in Madhya Pradesh while the national
percentage is 41.90%. Similarly, male literacy rate of scheduled castes in Madhya Pradesh is 72.33%
against 66.64% percent at national level. The overall literacy percent of Scheduled Castes is 58.57%
against 54.69% at national level. Kumar was happy to note this. The chairperson of the central committee

lauded Madhya Pradesh for increasing the amount of incentive amount for inter-caste marriages from Rs
10,000 to Rs 50,000 on the recommendation of the committee. She hoped that the other states would
follow suit. Pleased by the performance of Madhya Pradesh the committee assured to provide funds to
the Social Empowerment Centres for social awakening as desired by the State. Kumar informed that the
Centre has instituted four national awards for effective enforcement of atrocity related laws to recognise
outstanding work towards prevention of atrocities and eradication of untouchability. Rs two lakh awards
will also be given to individuals and Rs. five lakh awards to NGOs. She asked all the States to institute
such awards at their own level also. She stressed the need for clear identification of atrocity-prone areas
and pockets. She asked them to prepare special development packages for these areas to effectively
curb atrocities. Similarly, the targeted groups should be helped to get the benefits of the schemes of
National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation and National Sanitary Workers
Finance Development Corporation. (Pioneer 29/1/09)
Scheduled Caste population in Haryana to get water connections (2)
CHANDIGARH: Haryana is heading to become the country’s first State to cover its entire population of
Scheduled Castes with the facility of private water connections under the Indira Gandhi Drinking Water
Scheme being implemented since November 19, 2006, an official spokesman said here on Wednesday.
He disclosed that under this scheme all households of Scheduled Castes were entitled to get a private
water connection with a 200-litre tank fitted with a tap free of cost in all urban and rural areas of the State.
The households of Scheduled Castes are also entitled to get a concession of 50 per cent in payment of
monthly water tariff. And to encourage use of private water connections in households of general
category, it has been decided to waive the connection fee of Rs.500 in rural areas and of Rs.1,000 in
urban areas for one year -- that is up to November 19, 2007. The Government had subsequently
extended this concession till November 19, 2008. Now this concession has been further extended up to
March 31, 2010, the spokesman added. He said that during 2006-07 private water connections were
given to 19,954 households of Scheduled Castes in rural areas and more than 2.51 lakh such households
were covered in 2007-08. Now the scheme is being implemented vigorously to provide more than 3.04
lakh water connections to the households of Scheduled Castes in rural areas and one lakh water
connections to households of Scheduled Castes in urban areas. (The Hindu 29/1/09)
Sonia does a Rahul, visits Dalit basti, eats food (2)
Rae Bareli: If it was Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi who visited a Dalit's 'basti' earlier this
month to feel the pulse of rural life, on Wednesday it was his mother and party chief Sonia Gandhi's turn
to follow the suit. On the second day of visit to her parliamentary constituency, the UPA chairperson
visited a Dalit's house in Rohania village and had some eatables. Gandhi made a surprise visit to one
Rampal's thatched house. In her over half-an-hour stay, Gandhi ate ‘chuda’ (flattened rice) and interacted
with the family. The Congress chief later visited the Mahepasi fort in Salon area and assured help to raise
it as a tourist spot. "I will talk to Tourism Minister Ambika Soni for making it a tourist attraction," she
reportedly told party workers. When local Dalmau MLA, Ajay Pal brought Gandhi's attention to the
backwardness of the district in health and education, she assured him of measures to overcome it.
(Indian Express 29/1/09)
Closure of eight SC/ST hostels recommended (2)
Chitradurga: M. Kumbaiah, Member of the Karnataka State Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
Commission, has said that the commission has recommended the closure of eight grant-in-aid SC/ST
hostels in the district owing to lack of infrastructure. He said the recommendations were also made based
on allegations of misuse of funds. Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, he said that after touring
the district, details in this regard had been collected and submitted to the district administration for further
action. He said the commission had come to know about the misuse of funds in several hostels in the
district as well as across the State. Mr. Kumbaiah said that according to his findings, funds reserved for
the development of SC/ST communities, in various departments, were either embezzled or unused. The
Government would be urged to book criminal cases against errant officials. He accused the Chitradurga
City Municipal Council of not distributing sewing machines to SC/ST beneficiaries. On the condition of
various SC/ST hostels in the State, Mr. Kumbaiah said that while a considerable number of them did not
have adequate infrastructure, others were facing shortage of staff such as cooks and wardens. He urged

the Government to fill up these vacancies as soon as possible so that the hostels could function
smoothly. Mr. Kumbaiah admitted that in several cases, undeserving people had been chosen to receive
benefits of government schemes. This was done in collusion with corrupt officials and influential people,
he alleged. The member said the Rs. 66 lakh released by the B.R. Ambedkar Development Corporation
for the purchase of computers was also not utilised properly. “We will submit details of all malpractices to
the Government urging action against corrupt officials. We hope the Government ensures that funds are
not misused hereafter,” Mr. Kumbaiah added. (The Hindu 1/2/09)
Behenji bets on Dalits, Brahmins (2)
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP chief Mayawati has asked all the functionaries of
Brahmin Samjaj Bhaichara Committees to hold meetings at various levels before the announcement of
the dates for the Lok Sabha polls. Addressing the state-level conference of the Brahmin Samaj Bhaichara
at her party office in Lucknow, the CM said it would not be possible to hold such caste-based
programmes after the announcement of poll dates. She also asked BSP’s national general secretary
Satish Chandra Mishra, who is the party’s Brahmin face, to undertake tour across the state and make
people aware about the BSP’s policies. The party had also invited its Lok Sabha candidates to participate
in Sunday’s conference. Giving a pep talk about the success of her party’s “social engineering theory” in
the last Assembly elections, she said it was the same combination of Dalit-Brahmins that had enabled the
Congress party to rule in the country for such a long period. “Congress ruled at the Centre for 48 years
after Independence. Brahmins and Dalits were the main base of the party. You got separated and this led
to the age of coalition government. No Government could get absolute majority to rule the country,” she
said. She told them that the Opposition parties in the state, like the Congress and the BJP, always tried to
keep both the Brahmins and Dalits separated from each other. “They not only ignored you people but also
stopped you from getting united by sowing hatred in Dalits for the Brahmins,” she said, referring to a
similar divide-and-rule policy of the British. “The Brahmin Samaj is the first to get associated with the
BSP. Rest of the upper-caste members also felt it is the BSP that can take care of their interest and they
also got associated. This sent the Opposition parties into a tizzy,” she added. The BSP chief said the
Opposition parties wanted to stop the Brahmins from joining her party. Explaining the party’s theory of
“Sarvjan Hitay and Sarvajan Sukhay,” she said her party wants to care the interest of Sarva Samaj.
(Indian Express 3/2/09)
Policeman sacked for beating up Dalit child (2)
Etawah/Lucknow: In a shocking case of police brutality, two policemen beat up a six-year-old Dalit girl for
allegedly stealing Rs. 280 from a woman. The Uttar Pradesh police chief on Tuesday sacked one of the
policemen, suspended the other and filed criminal cases against both. “Senior sub-inspector Shyamlal
Yadav has been sacked, SHO Chandrabhan Singh has been suspended and criminal cases have been
filed against both,” Director-General of Police Vikram Singh told reporters in Kanpur. He said the Etawah
SP had been directed to personally apologise to the child. The girl was beaten up on Monday after one
Anju Katharia took her to the Jaswantpur police station alleging that the child stole Rs. 280 from her
wallet and gave the money to another boy in a market near Lohamandi in Jaswantpur area. Yadav then
beat her up. The victim’s mother claimed in an FIR that the girl was innocent. “My daughter saw
somebody running away with a wallet in the market, but the police caught my daughter.” Television
channels showed Yadav grabbing the girl by the ears and hair, threatening and asking her to admit that
she stole the money, even as six other policemen, including SHO Chandrabhan Singh, looked on.
Initially, the district police justified the action, saying the girl confessed to having stolen the money and it
was also returned to the owner. But after the news reached the DGP, stern action was taken against the
two policemen involved. Terming the incident “unfortunate,” the U.P. police chief said that keeping in mind
the seriousness of the incident, quick action was taken even as he accepted that police had been “highly
negligent” and the matter would be investigated thoroughly. Asked if any case has been registered
against the girl, he said the police had been instructed to proceed cautiously while using Section 107 of
the CrPC (which deals with preventive detention) against women, children and the elderly. But Additional
Director-General, Law and Order, Brijlal told reporters in Lucknow that a case had been filed against the
girl on the complaint of the person whose money was stolen. He said cases had been filed against the
policemen as well under the SC/ST Act. — PTI (The Hindu 4/2/09)
Teacher bans Dalit students during Saraswati puja (2)

Kendrapara: While the State Government is promoting inter-caste marriages by providing monetary
incentives as a token of felicitation in order to abolish caste system, it seems to have made no impact in
the far-flung villages of Rajnagar block in Kendrapara district.Rajnagar block had drawn attention of
people for the first time two years ago when a controversy erupted out of Dalits’ entry into a 300-year-old
Hindu temple at Keredagada. And once again, it came to limelight last year for the same reason when a
Dalit couple was not allowed to touch Lord Baladev Jew in Snana Mandap at Righagada temple during
Rath Yatra. And this time it has drawn attention once again after a nodal primary school teacher
vehemently denied his Dalit students to offer coconuts before goddess Saraswati during Saraswati Puja
in the school. A case has come to the fore in the coastal Kendrapara district when some Dalit students
were denied by the Headmaster-in-charge of Siddha Marichani Nodal Primary School at
Sanamarichapalli under Koilipur GP under Rajnagar block not to break coconuts and partake the prasad
in front of the goddess during the Saraswati Puja in the school last Saturday. According to official
sources, some Dalit students of Standards VI and VII of Siddha Marichani Nodal Primary School allegedly
went to their school on January 31 in order to celebrate Saraswati Puja and tried to offer fruits and
coconuts before the deity. But when they went forward to break coconuts in front of the deity after their
upper-caste schoolmates got an opportunity to do the same, they were vehemently restricted by the
Headmaster-in-charge, Rabindranath Nayak, not to come in close proximity to the deity and break
coconuts. The Dalit students have alleged that their teacher was prompted by the guardians of their
upper-caste classmates to do so. “The teacher harassed me along with other Dalit students and drove us
out of the worship place when we were going to offer coconuts with all devotion,” alleged Ganeswar
Sethy, a Dalit student. The Dalit students, after facing humiliation from the upper-caste people and the
headmaster-in-charge of the school, returned to their homes with pale faces and raised the matter before
their parents. Later, their parents went to the school and asked the teacher about the matter. The teacher
replied that as the guardians of the upper-caste students impressed upon him the fact that Dalits were
never allowed to break coconuts before any Hindu deity since time immemorial, and instigated him to
restrict the Dalit students to do so, he was compelled to restrain his Dalit students to make offerings
before the deity, said Gangadhar Sethy, guardian of a Dalit Student. The Dalit students and their
guardians brought the matter before the notice of the IIC of Rajnagar police station, Subash Kumar
Panda and the BDO of Rajnagar block, Narayan Nayak, on Monday, urging before them to provide social
justice in this regard and take necessary action against the alleged teacher who restricted their children to
worship the goddess, informed police sources. When contacted, Rajnagar BDO Narayan Nayak informed
that he has asked Sub-Inspector of Schools Subash Chandra Biswal to conduct an inquiry and submit a
detailed report. The IIC of Rajnagar police station had also sent a police team to the school on Monday to
conduct an inquiry into the matter. As per the inquiry report, it has been revealed that the allegation is a
genuine one and the Dalits students were actually restricted by upper-caste people and the teacher to
offer coconuts before the deity, informed the BDO of Rajnagar. When contacted, IIC Subash Panda
informed that both the upper-caste and Dalits have settled the matter amicably in the village by organising
a meeting on Monday night. According to sources, even a resolution was unanimously made by both the
upper-caste and lower-caste villagers declaring that neither the upper-caste students nor the Dalit
students would ever get a privilege in future to break coconuts directly in front of the deity during
Saraswati Puja or Ganesh Puja in the school. When contacted, the IIC of Rajnagar police station
informed that he has not received any FIR in this regard yet, stating further that if the Dalit villagers lodge
an FIR against the errant teacher, he would be put behind the bars for violating human rights. Notably,
the same teacher had also allegedly deprived a Dalit girl student of the school to lead a rally in the village
with the National Flag in her hand on eve of the Republic Day, the reason being that she hailed from the
Dalit community. The girl’s parents had also brought the matter before the BDO of Rajnagar block the
next day on January 27, to take action against the teacher. (Pioneer 4/2/09)
Dalits barred from yagna in temple (2)
JAIPUR: Dalits of Tiloli village in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan are peeved at refusal by people belonging
to higher castes to allow them to take part in a week-long yagna beginning at the local Hanuman temple
this Sunday despite their willingness to make financial contribution for it and do manual labour for the
arrangements. One of the Brahmin priests arriving in the village to perform the Maruti Nandan
Mahayagna reportedly told the Dalit families that they would have to drink cow urine and eat cow dung to
cleanse themselves of their impurities before attending the yagna. A delegation comprising 10 Dalits from
Tiloli village visited Jaipur on Wednesday to meet civil rights activists here and submit a memorandum to

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot demanding protection of their religious rights and ensuring their “equal
participation” in the yagna by accommodating them on at least four of the 11 podiums. Bhanwar
Meghwanshi of Dalit Adivasi Evum Ghumantu Adhikar Abhiyan said the district administration had made
a “perfunctory intervention” in the matter twice on January 17 and 23 by brokering an agreement with the
temple clergy. “The agreement, imposing humiliating conditions on Dalits, is an eyewash,” he said. The
452 Dalit families in Tiloli village falling in Asind tehsil of Bhilwara district belong mainly to Khateek, Balai,
Raigar, Sargara and Harijan castes. They have been at the receiving end in the social interactions with
the higher castes with the incidents of harassment and discrimination regularly reported over the
decades. The yagna in the Hanuman temple, revered by the members of all castes among Hindus, is to
be performed by a team of priests headed by Pandit Suryaprakash Gaur. Mahant Rameshwar Das, a
respected sage, and mythological storyteller Krishnababu Dadhich from Vrindavan have been specially
invited to the religious event. During the seven days of the yagna, a number of rituals such as Dashvidya
Snan, Dev Sthapana, Kalash Yatra, Rudri Ahuti, Purush Sukta, Hanuman Sahasra Namavali Havan,
Balidaan Purnahuti and Mahaprasadi have been planned at 11 podiums at the venue where the yagna
fire will be lit. The delegation members pointed out that the yagna sponsors had felled about 100 trees on
the pasture land without the district administration’s permission and collected the wood for use at the site.
When Dalits pointed out the illegality, priest Mangilal Mali allegedly banned their entry into the temple.
The Jaipur-based Centre for Dalit Rights has demanded registration of a case under the Protection of
Civil Rights Act, 1955, against the temple clergy for stopping Dalits from attending a public function and
immediate steps for their protection during and after the yagna in the village. CDR Director Satish Kumar
said Bhilwara should be declared an atrocity-prone district under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. (The Hindu 5/2/09)
Cop sent to jail for torturing Dalit girl (2)
LUCKNOW: The sacked sub-inspector of the Jaswantnagar police station in Etawah district of Uttar
Pradesh, Shyam Lal Yadav, has been sent to jail on charges of torturing a six-year old Dalit girl. He has
been booked under Section 323 and 506 of IPC and the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The other accused, Station House Officer Chandra Bhan Singh, has been
granted bail. He too had been charged under Sections 323 and 506. Both the accused had surrendered
before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Etawah. Additional Director-General of Police (Law &
Order) Brij Lal told newsmen here on Wednesday that the case registered against the girl by Anju
Katheria was found to be false. He said action under Section 182 of Cr. PC has been initiated against Ms.
Katheria. The incident of police excesses on a Dalit child on charges of theft had created a furore. The
State Director-General of Police, Vikram Singh, sent strong directives to the district police chiefs and
other senior police officers to ensure that no human right violation is committed by policemen. Mr. Singh
said some policemen were insensitive towards the people as a result of which complaints of human rights
excesses were coming in regularly. (The Hindu 5/2/09)
Dalits create ruckus in AP House (2)
Hyderabad: Dalit activists of the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) raised a ruckus in the
Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday by scaling its building and locking themselves up in ministers'
chambers forcing the police to break the doors and arrest the miscreants. The protests came after the
Assembly was adjourned for the day and when no minister was present in the chambers. The protesters,
about 40 in all, were demanding Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy to immediately leave for Delhi to
convince the party leadership to introduce a bill in the ongoing Parliament session to categorise the
Scheduled Castes (SC) on the lines of the BC categorisation to avail reservation benefits. The police said
the protesters apparently got inside the high-security Assembly building with the help of visitor passes
and managed to find their way to the top of the building. Raising slogans against the chief minister for not
fulfilling the promise he gave to them, they threatened to throw themselves down from the building if no
assurance was forthcoming from the chief minister. The protesters divided themselves in to four groups.
While one group climbed to the top of the building, three groups took over chambers of three ministers.
The police broke down doors of some chambers while using the ventilators to gain access to the
chambers. After a couple of hours of tension, all the protesters were arrested. (Deccan Herald 5/2/09)
Vedic School opens doors to Dalits, non-Brahmins (2)

Hyderabad: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has opened the doors of its prestigious Vedic
schools to Scheduled Caste and non-Brahmin students. Considered sacred, admission to Vedic schools
was restricted only to Brahmins and the TTD's decision goes a long way in its attempt to shed its image of
a caste-rigid organisation. TTD Board chairman D K Aadikesavulu Naidu said the Scheduled Caste
students could now take admission in the Sri Venkateshwara Vedic Pathasalas and they would be
imparted Vedic education without any prejudice. The TTD has also decided to support the SC students
after they learn the Vedas by giving them a stipend of Rs 1 lakh which will help them till they find
employment. TTD public relations officer Ram Pulla Reddy said the TTD believes in equality and oneness
of all and has decided to open the doors of the Vedic schools to everyone. "Already several students
have taken admission. The first student, Pavan Kumar, applied from Tirupati itself," he said. The TTD
runs a Vedic University besides one school at Vedagiri at Tirupati and one at Hyderabad. The Vedagiri
school at Tirupati was established more than a century ago. Last July, in a rare gesture, the Tirumala
Tirupati Devasthanam had decided to take idols of the world's richest God to several Dalit villages in the
district not only to provide them a glimpse but also to enable them to worship Him right in front of their
homes. Named 'Dalit Govindam', the initiative that has become immensely popular now involves Dalits in
prayer rituals and ceremonies without any prejudice or cutting costs. Aadikesavulu Naidu says these
initiatives are aimed at drawing the SCs into the mainstream. He said the Board was also considering
constructing Lord Venkateshwara temples in Dalit villages if land is allotted by the village. A special fund
of Rs 5 lakh for construction of each temple is being set aside for this purpose. (Indian Express 6/2/09)
4 landmarks, up and coming (2)
Mumbai: Back today: Ambedkar bust in Ghatkopar. Over 11 years after the riot following the desecration
of the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar statue at Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar in Ghatkopar that led to death of 10
Dalits in police firing, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan is scheduled to inaugurate a statue of Dr Ambedkar in
the locality in a bid to woo Dalit votes in the run-up to the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. Congress MP
Gurudas Kamat, Social Justice Minister and Guardian Minister for Mumbai’s suburbs Chandrakant
Handore, Minister of State for Housing Pritamkumar Shegaonkar and Slum Board chairman Veluswami
Naidu will also attend the function to be held at Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar on Monday evening.
Interestingly, those responsible for the desecration have not been brought to book so far. On the other
hand, the case is still pending in court, in which State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) PSI Manohar Kadam
who had ordered the firing is being tried. It was in 1997 that the Dalits who were protesting against the
desecration of an Ambedkar bust at the slum — located off the Eastern Express Highway — were killed in
the police firing. The Justice S D Gundewar Commission, set up to probe the incident, had indicted the
police for the firing. The Dalit groups had demanded that Kadam should be booked for murder. Former
Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R R Patil had admitted that the culprits responsible for the
desecration were yet to be nabbed besides hinting at a fresh probe. After the desecration of the statue,
Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna had alleged that Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal had engineered
the desecration. Subsequently, Bhujbal had filed a defamation suit against Sena chief Bal Thackeray,
Saamna publisher and MLA Subhash Desai and editor and MP Sanjay Raut for defaming him. Three
months ago, Bhujbal withdrew the case, citing Thackeray’s ill health. He had also made a series of
overtures to the Sena, the latest being his dinner meeting with the Sena supremo on Saturday. (Indian
Express 9/2/09)
Discriminating Act: Dalit group rises against provision of Panchayati Raj (2)
Ahmedabad: The Act says it’s the responsibility of Dalits to dispose animal carcass . The Panchayati Raj
Act provides for a Social Justice Committee in every village, which is responsible for the disposal of dead
animals. The committee in every gram panchayat comprises Dalits. Strangely enough, such a system
exists only in Gujarat, say Dalit activists, who are now planning to challenge it in the court of law.
According to the Act, the task of disposing animal carcass in every gram panchayat has been given to the
Social Justice Committee. The Act makes it compulsory to form such a committee in every gram
panchayat. The committee comprises of a maximum of five members and minimum three members of
either the Scheduled Castes (SC) or Scheduled Tribes (ST). A Dalit voluntary group, Gujarat Rajya Gram
Panchayat Samajik Nyay Samiti Manch, formed to implement certain legal provisions of the Act for the
welfare of the weaker sections, is planning to challenge it in the court of law. “The task of disposing dead
animals has been given to the committee of Dalits, which violates their pride and honour. Therefore, we
are demanding the removal of the said provision from the Act,” said Mohan Parmar, president of Gujarat

Rajya Gram Panchayat Samajik Nyay Samiti Manch. A week ago, the group had organised a
demonstration programme in Ahmedabad to protest against the discriminatory provision. “It is the gram
panchayat’s duty to remove the unattended dead animals and it should make arrangements for the same.
It cannot be the responsibility of the Dalit committee,” said Joseph Pateliya, who is a programme
manager at the Behavioural Science Centre and who helped form the voluntary group. Pateliya said a
memorandum has been given to the Social Justice and Empowerment Minister, Fakir Vaghela, in this
regard. “We are also considering the option of getting legal remedy for the discriminatory provision if the
Government does not do the needful,” he added. Meanwhile, Vaghela said he has received the letter from
the Dalit group and will consider the demands after going through it. He, however, refused to comment
when asked if he finds anything objectionable in the legal provision of assigning the task of removing
dead animals to the Dalits. Earlier, the group had protested against the unavailability of burial grounds for
the Dalits in rural areas, which even the government has recognised as their right. (Indian Express
9/2/09)
Raped girl sets herself ablaze (2)
KANPUR: A 16-year-old Dalit girl, reportedly unable to stand the agony of rape, attempted suicide by
setting herself on fire at Rastampur village under the Sachendi police station on Monday. The victim,
Rekha (name changed), was allegedly raped by her neighbour, identified as Virendra Singh, on Monday
morning. The accused is absconding. Rekha who received 90 per cent burns was admitted to the burn
unit of Lala Lajpat Rai hospital, where the doctors stated her condition to be critical. The girl, along with
her nine other siblings, including six sisters and two brothers, lives with her parents in Rastampur village.
Her father and brothers are daily wage labourers. Though it was said that people were present when
Rekha set herself ablaze, no one rushed to her rescue even though victim's siblings cried for help. The
victim, after reportedly running around in agony for some time, collapsed and went unconscious. She was
later rushed to the LLR hospital. Rekha's family said that she took the extreme step because she was
unable to bear with the agony of rape. A case has been filed against the accused Virendra Singh and
investigations are underway, informed SO, Sachendi, Charan Singh. Another police official, however, said
that the girl was apparently caught in a compromising position with a youth following which she was
thrashed by her family members. As a result of this she attempted suicide. But this theory was denied by
the victim's family. According to reports, Rekha had gone to answer nature's call in the fields on Monday
morning where she was allegedly raped by Virendra. The accused threatened her with dire
consequences if reported the matter to the police. Later Rekha reached her home and narrated the entire
incident to her sister. Meanwhile, shocked members of Dalit community at Rastampur village demanded
immediate arrest of the accused. Attempts are on to arrest Virendra. (Times of India 10/2/09)
Cop dismissed for assault on girl (2)
LUCKNOW: Feb. 10: The Mayawati government has dismissed yet another sub-inspector for allegedly
assaulting a dalit girl in Ferozabad district. Satyendra Sheel, senior sub-inspector (SSI) of Fariha police
station in Ferozabad, was placed under suspension on Monday, following reports that he had outraged
the modesty of the girl inside lock up. Additional director general (law and order) Brijlal had said in a
statement that the medical report of the girl had not confirmed rape. According to reports, the girl had
gone missing on February 6 when she was reportedly kidnapped by two persons. She was rescued from
the clutches of the kidnappers two days later. The police kept her in the lock up on Sunday night after
rescuing her, and it was here that the senior sub-inspector sexually assaulted her. The state government
apparently took serious note of the reports appearing in the local newspapers and initiated action against
the accused police official immediately. It may be recalled that last week, the Mayawati government had
dismissed a sub-inspector in Etawah district after he was shown on many television channels, ruthlessly
beating a minor dalit girl who had been wrongly accused of stealing money. (Asian Age 11/2/09)
UP govt earmarks 104 cr for Dalit statues, 270 cr for Ambedkar Sthal(2)
Lucknow: After spending thousands of crores on several memorials in Lucknow, the UP Government
needs another Rs 685 crore for these projects, of which Rs 104 crore is proposed to be spent on the
construction of the statues of Dalit icons alone. The supplementary demand presented in the Assembly
by Finance Minister Lalji Verma on Friday disclosed the above statistics. This, when the state’s finances
in the next fiscal (2009-10) are already strained owing to an additional expenditure of Rs 18,000 crore
due to implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendation and a host of populist schemes,

ecently announced by Chief Minister Mayawati. Worse, the internal borrowings of the government for
financing the capital expenditure from small savings have fallen by over Rs 3,500 crore and the recovery
from VAT during the current fiscal has slumped by Rs 2,500 crore. The supplementary demand presented
on Friday, totalling Rs 4,898 crore, is the second this year. In the first such demand of Rs 5,916 crore,
presented on August 13 last year, Rs 253 crore was provided for the Ambedkar Parivartan Sthal. (Indian
Express 14/2/09)
Dalit marriage procession disrupted by upper caste villagers at Dehgam (2)
Ahmedabad: In what is being seen as an open caste-based discrimination, a group of upper caste people
allegedly pelted stones at a marriage party of a Dalit family. In the process, a pipeline was broken and
water spilled all along Khakhra in Dehgam taluka of Gandhinagar on Sunday. The incident occurred even
though the family took out the marriage procession under police protection, as they were apprehending
the attack. The Gandhinagar police have registered a case under various provisions of the Indian Penal
Code and Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Five persons have been
named, including the sarpanch and deputy sarpanch of the village, and three have been arrested. The
accused are Ramsinh Zala, Madhusinh Zala, Sardarsinh Zala, Balwantsinh Zala and Bharatsinh Zala, all
residents of Khakhra village. Ramsinh is the sarpanch and Madhusinh is the deputy sarpanch. The
complaint was lodged by Babu Parmar, a native of Khakhra village and father of the groom. Parmar
works in a textile company in the Rakhial area of Ahmedabad city. The Rakhial police said the village
consists of around 1,000 people, mostly from Thakor community, while the number of Dalit families hardly
touches five. The Thakors have warned the Dalits against taking out marriage procession in the village
with bandwagon. Parmar had sought police protection as last year also the Thakors had attacked the
marriage procession of his nephew. A police point was set up at the village to prevent any untoward
incident on Saturday along with a heavy police bandobast. “With the intervention of the police on
Saturday night, people from the two communities had discussed the issue. Thakors were ready to let
Dalits take out the procession,” said Sub-Inspector N G Vaghela. “However, on Sunday, somehow the
Thakors broke the water pipeline on the way of the procession,” he added. Parmar told Newsline: “Even
after police protection, they (Thakors) pelted stones at us and damaged the water pipeline on the road to
harass us. One can imagine what would have been the situation had the police not been there… With a
very thin population, we are a worried lot.” District Superintendent of Police Piyush Patel could not be
contacted but DySP B H Gameti, who is investigating the case, denied any stone pelting in the village.
(Indian Express 16/2/09)
Maharashtra Minister booked under SC/ST Atrocities Act (2)
Nagpur: A day after a woman Zilla Parishad official alleged him of hurling a file at her, Maharashtra
Minister Vijay Wadettiwar was on Tuesday booked under the Prevention of SC/ST Atrocities Act.
Wadettiwar was booked under Section, 3 (1), 10 of Atrocities Act and IPC 509 by Chimur police. The
Minister of State for Forests and Environment was facing allegations of flinging files on Subhadra
Kotnakhe, chairperson of Women and Child Committee of Zilla Parishad, Chandrapur during the
interviews of Anganwadi sevikas (assistants). Following the incident, Kotnakhe fell unconscious and was
taken to Primary Health Centre and later admitted in a hospital. (Pioneer 18/2/09)
Govt may consider amendments to SC/ST Bill (2)
New Delhi: After objections from the National SC Commission and some Dalit MPs to certain provisions in
the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Reservation in posts and services) Bill, the Government
on Tuesday indicated its willingness to look into their apprehensions when the Bill comes up before the
Lok Sabha. Close on the heels of National SC Commission chief Buta Singh expressing reservations over
the Bill, which was passed by the Rajya Sabha two months ago, CPI MP D Raja took up the issue with
Social Justice Minister Meira Kumar at an informal meeting called by Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker
Charanjit Singh Atwal. Raja’s basic objections, as that of Singh’s, are that the Bill exempts 47 national
institutes, including IITs and IIMs, from reservations and stipulates that there shall be no reservation to
posts qualified as scientific or technical posts. Besides Kumar, Union Ministers Sushil Kumar Shinde and
Ram Vilas Paswan and MPs R K Naik and Ramdas Athawale also attended the meeting. The National
Common Minimum Programme of the UPA had mentioned reservation in the private sector and an
intention to codify into law all reservation. And now they have taken away the existing reservation. The
Bill in its present form is not acceptable,” Raja told The Indian Express. Sources said the Left parties

would move amendments to the Bill when it comes up before the Lok Sabha and the Government is open
to considering them. (Indian Express 19/2/09)
Paswan slams Maya, says amended SC/ST Bill to be tabled in LS (2)
New Delhi: After BSP MPs created a ruckus in the Lok Sabha and forced an adjournment, Union Minister
and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters that all the ‘objectionable portions’ of The Scheduled
Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Reservation in Jobs and Posts) Bill 2008, including exemption of
reservation in the teaching faculty of government-owned institutes of higher education, will be amended
and brought in the Lok Sabha during the current session. “Objectionable clauses including the one that
said there will be no reservation in the teaching faculty of 47 scheduled universities have been amended.
The Bill with amendments ensuring provision for reservation for the SCs and STs even in the teaching
faculty of Central institutes would be brought in the Lok Sabha during the current session itself,” Paswan
declared and added that the Bill with amendments will be reverted to the Rajya Sabha. Interestingly, the
original Bill with controversial portions had been passed by the Rajya Sabha during the last session of
Parliament. Castigating BSP chief Mayawati for demanding withdrawal of the Bill, Paswan charged that
her concern for the cause of the SCs and STs was cosmetic. “None of her MPs turned up when the
Government called meetings to suggest amendments to the Bill. Now when the amendments have been
accepted, Mayawati has written to the PM demanding withdrawal of the Bill. After 25 years of struggle I
have got this Bill and anybody opposing it is an enemy of the Dalits,” he said. (Indian Express 20/2/09)
Dalits fear caste-wise budget allocations will create divisions (2)
Bangalore: The provisions made in the 2009-10 budget in the social welfare sector is striking for the
number of allocations made to specific caste groups and caste-based organisations. However, Dalit and
backward class activists fear that this will only create divisions and convert castes into vote banks rather
than contribute to their social empowerment as a whole. The budget makes an allocation for improving
infrastructure for organisations of communities such as Vishwakarma, Kshatriya, Uppara, Kuruba,
Devanga and a host of other communities. There is yet another allocation for providing loans to Kambara,
Badiga and other professional communities. It makes a significant allocation for communities such as the
Banjaras and Valmikis too, but the emphasis here is on building bhavans for these communities.
Institutions run by Christian, Buddhist, Jain and other minority communities get yet another allocation.
The accent in most allocations is clearly not on educational and social advancement. For instance, while
there is a promise of building bhavans in 200 Lambani tandas at a cost of Rs. 10 lakh each and districtlevel
Banjara bhavans at a cost of Rs. 10 crore each, the total allocation for improving 500 Banjara
tandas remains Rs. 50 crore, pointing to the imbalance in priorities. It is also significant that many of the
allocations made to maths and temples are again aimed at Dalit and backward class groups. Allocations
made to no less than 10 maths and temples — in the range of Rs. 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh each — are
targeted at them. “Dalit communities need quality education and access to healthcare rather than
bhavans built in their name to please a few leaders in each community,” said M. Venkatesh, an activist of
the Dalit Bahujan Samaj. Indudhar Honnapura of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti said, “The biggest tragedy
is the division being created within the Dalit community on caste lines.” While internal reservation has
been a much-debated issue, random allocation without scientifically taking into account the population
share is no more than divisive, vote-bank tactics, he added.Another much emphasised aspect of the
budget is the three-fold increase in the targeted allocation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in
the “pooled fund”, to be disbursed through the Social Welfare Department, from Rs. 200 crore to Rs. 600
crore. Dalit activists are sceptical as to whether this will mean anything at all considering that the 18 per
cent set aside by all government departments under Special Component Scheme does not get spent
even by half, year after and year, and some of it even being diverted for works not related to Dalit welfare.
The budget proposes renaming LIDKAR, the State-owned leather industry which is now in doldrums, as
Jagjivan Ram Development Corporation. This too comes across as a mere tokenism in the absence of a
clear vision on how the beleaguered industry will be revived and artisans helped. While the long-pending
demand of Dalit groups to allocate 23 per cent in the budget for social welfare in proportion to their
population has remained a distant dream, even the allocation made in the budget seems far from aiming
at addressing their real issues. (The Hindu 22/2/09)
Ahead of polls, attacks on Dalits on the rise (2)

Mumbai: The recent attacks on Dalits and other backward classes (OBC) is being seen as an attempt by
the dominant Maratha caste to suppress the voice of Dalit/other backward classes for having opposed
reservations for the Marathas. In Beed, two women were paraded naked in their village while an activist
was brutally beaten up for raising his voice when talking to so-called upper caste leaders. In Parbhani, an
old dalit woman was killed over a land dispute and on Tuesday, a young Dalit boy was killed in
Aurangabad for allegedly teasing an upper caste girl. The Bharip Bahujansamaj Party (BBP) chief,
Prakash Ambedkar, blamed the rise in attacks on the Maratha's demand for reservations. "The police's
inaction in the Marathwada region is promoting attacks against the Dalits," he claimed. He charged the
state government of deliberate inaction against those committing the atrocities. "At Shrirampur, OBC
activists who merely attended a political rally were arrested for promoting caste conflict, but when
Maratha activists pelted stones at the chief minister's aircraft, the police did not arrest a single person.
Such administrative prejudice encourages further attacks," he added. The Congress is banking on the
support of the Dalits, who form 10.5% of the electorate, to win the elections, and such attacks might hurt
the party. Congress leaders are quick to blame the NCP, whose member is the home minister that is
responsible for law and order, for failing to curb the attacks. Arjun Dangle, a Dalit writer who is associated
with the Republican Party of India (RPI), said, "The state has set up the Atrocities Committee to tackle
attacks against Dalits after the Khairlangi killings in 2006. But till date, this committee has not been
empowered." (DNA 25/2/09)
Dalit activists set Cong headquarters afire (2)
Hyderabad: At least four activists of Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS), a Dalit outfit, attacked
the APCC headquarters in Hyderabad on Saturday and set fire to the ground floor offices and reception
area. The incident happened even as UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was addressing a public meeting at
Secunderabad Parade Grounds. The MRPS activists entered the Congress headquarters, Gandhi
Bhawan, by barging past security guards and special protection police and throwing kerosene and petrol
on them. The activists first rushed into the office lobby and set fire to the furniture in the reception area,
waiting rooms and chambers of Congress leaders. The activists themselves suffered severe burn injuries
during the attack. It is not clear yet if they got burnt accidentally or tried self-immolation. Hyderabad Police
Commissioner B Prasada Rao said that an officer of the Special Protection Police posted at the Gandhi
Bhavan, and two staffers also suffered burn injuries while trying to douse the fire and prevent the activists
from reaching the upper floors. Those injured, including the MRPS activists, were rushed to Osmania
general hospital for treatment. Ads By GoogleThe MRPS is fighting for classification of Scheduled Castes
and is demanding the implementation of the Justice Usha Mehra Commission’s report which was
submitted in May first week and suggested categorisation of the SC. The MRPS is demanding that
reservations for scheduled castes on basis of A,B,C,D categories be implemented from the coming
academic year. MRPS President Manda Krishna has accused the YSR Government of dragging its feet
on the issue and is running a fight against the Congress Government. On May 26 last year, MRPS
activists stormed into the office of a Telugu daily, Andhra Jyoti, smashed the furniture and set the front
office on fire. The outfit was peeved over a news item in the paper, which alleged that leaders of certain
SCT organisations making demands for reservations were compromising with the Government.(Indian
Express 1/3/09)
Dalits on poll agenda: Mayawati (2)
LUCKNOW: Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBCs)
is expected to figure prominently in the Bahujan Samaj Party’s campaign for the coming Lok Sabha
elections. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP president Mayawati, unveiling her party’s strategy at its
national convention here, indicated that the Dalits still constitute the core of her poll agenda. She also
announced the beginning of the BSP’s all-India election campaign. The announcement of election
strategy comes hot on the heels of the BSP’s defeat in the UP Assembly by-election from Bhadohi
(Reserved) constituency at the hands of its arch-rival Samajwadi Party. Though the BSP candidate, Amar
Singh Saroj, lost to Madhubala Pasi of the SP by a narrow margin of 5,020 votes, the ruling party’s defeat
in a by-election has clearly irked the Chief Minister. The loss in the Bhadohi by-election, caused by the
death of Archana Saroj of the BSP, figured at the convention with Ms. Mayawati putting the onus on three
of her senior ministers – Naseemuddin Siddiqui, Indrajit Saroj and Ranganath Mishra. She said they had
failed to enlist the support of their castes -- Muslims, Pasis (SC) and Brahmins respectively. On the flip
side, it was on account of her that the Jatav SCs (the Dalit sub–caste to which the CM belongs) voted for

the BSP candidate. Referring to the feud in the Saroj family over Amar Singh Saroj’s nomination, the
Chief Minister said she had given the ticket to the candidate at the behest of Indrajit Saroj and
Ranghanath Mishra. Ms. Mayawati added that the deceased MLA’s father, Ram Nihor Rakesh, wanted
the ticket for his son. Amar Singh Saroj is the brother-in-law of Ms. Archana Saroj. The BSP chief made
her displeasure known over the “wrong” pre-election reports given to her by the three , and said she had
been mislead by them. Addressing the convention, the BSP president reminded delegates of the
contribution made by Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar who enabled the SCs and STs to avail of the
benefits of reservation in government jobs. She said job quota had been instrumental in improving the
economic status of the SCs and STs. Similarly, she added, it was due to Dr. Ambedkar’s endeavour
which later ensured a job quota for the OBCs. Ms. Mayawati emphasised that the quota benefit was due
to the efforts of Dr. Ambedkar and not of the Congress. She attacked the Chairman of the National
Commission for SCs/STs, Buta Singh, Union Minister of Small Industries, Mahavir Prasad and Union
Energy Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde (all Dalit leaders) for remaining mum on the Bill aimed at denying
reservation in promotion in Central and scientific institutions. Stressing the importance of the Central
Government, Ms. Mayawati said the delegates should focus on the formation of a BSP government and
prevent formation of a Congress government. (The Hindu 3/3/09)
Two Dalits hacked to death in TN (2)
Chennai: Exposing the continuing caste tensions in rural Tamil Nadu, two Dalits were hacked to death
allegedly by an upper caste gang on Friday night. Sources said there were skirmishes between the two
groups in the recent past over entry into a temple belonging to the upper caste, which is believed to have
led to the twin murders at Senthatty village in Tirunelveli. According to the police, K Paramasivam (22)
and Eswaran (60) were returning home from the neighbouring town when they were attacked and killed
by the group. A dispute over offering worship at an upper caste-owned temple is said to be the main
reason for the killings. The sources said there was an altercation between the two groups over harassing
women belonging to the other community, which could be the immediate cause. “After tension over the
temple issue, peace committees were formed and meetings were conducted between the rival
communities to maintain peace. The murders have taken the issue back to square one,” said a police
personnel. According to local sources, the Dalits had confronted the upper castes — a relative term as
the accused belong to the backward and most backward in terms of reservation — over denial of
permission to worship at an Amman temple at Senthatti village. However, the representatives of Konar
community along with other non-Dalits opposed this, which led to disputes between the two groups.
Security has been tightened in the region, as the district police superintendent and other senior officials
have reached the spot to prevent the tension from worsening. Like in the case of ‘untouchability wall’ in
Uthapuram near Madurai, barriers between Dalits and non-Dalits still continue in Tamil Nadu. Critics say
while Dravidian parties were able to shake up the social hierarchy, its reverberations were never taken to
the lowest level. (Indian Express 8/3/09)
Burglary suspect dies in Warje police custody (2)
PUNE: The death of a burglary suspect in the lock-up of the Warje Malwadi police station in the wee
hours of Saturday triggered protests from Dalit organisations, who demanded an investigation into the
matter. The state criminal investigation department (CID), Pune, has taken over the investigation into the
death, following directions from the National Human Rights Commission. The CID has seized the lock-up
register, station diary and case papers from the police station. The post-mortem report has described the
cause of death as traumatic shock and multiple blunt injuries, said Ajay Tawre, in charge, forensic
science department of Sassoon hospital. The viscera has been preserved for further investigation, he
added. The suspect, Amol Raghunath Kuchekar (28) of Surbhi colony in Warje, was allegedly caught redhanded
by people while attempting to commit a theft in Tejowalay society, Warje, late on Friday night.
Deputy commissioner of police Raghunath Khaire (zone I) told TOI that Kuchekar was beaten up by
members of the public before his arrest. "The suspect was taken to his residence for a search. Later,
when he was brought to the police station, he started vomiting. He was immediately taken to the Sassoon
hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival," he said. Some Dalit organisations, however, alleged
that Kuchekar was beaten up by the police. They submitted a memorandum to the district collector’s
office demanding a probe. They also demanded that a case be registered against the policemen
concerned. Sub-inspector Nilkanth Jagtap, who had arrested the suspect, said, "On Friday night, we
received a call from society members that they had locked up a suspect in the flat of one Mandar Pathak

on the fourth floor. We immediately went to the spot. After seeing the police, Kuchekar jumped into the
balcony of another flat on the third floor, but he was caught by the public and handed over to us." (Times
of India 9/3/09)
Dalit women seek government protection from atrocities (2)
Ahmedabad: The issue of atrocities against Dalit women in Gujarat came to the fore at a programme
organised for women belonging to the Valmiki community on Sunday, in Gandhinagar. Around 200
women who attended the programme spoke on the issues of gender bias, domestic violence and sexual
exploitation at work and sought protection from the government. The programme was organised by the
Kamdar Swasthya Seva Mandal (KSSM) and the participants had come from Mehsana, Kheda, Kalol,
Nadiad, Surat, Kheda and Gandhinagar. Ramila, a resident of Ramol village near Nadiad, said, “I remove
carcasses from roads and forest areas. When we go to work, people use abusive language and order us
to clean their places.” Likewise, women in Balasinor area of Kheda said they are not allowed to drink
water unless they bring their own glasses. A woman from Vadodara said, “Once, when I had gone to
sweep a street, a man called me inside saying he would like to give me some old saris. When I stepped
in, he said he would wrap the sari around me, and then tried to pull my clothes off.” Sexual exploitation of
Dalit women is very common, said the participants. Another woman from Surat said once she was beaten
up by shopkeepers as they were not happy with the way she swept the road. Bina Jadhav, an NGO
worker, said: “Rural women need to be taught first to identify exploitation and then fight it back.” She said
464 rape cases and 736 molestation cases have been reported from 2006 to 2008. Jadhav also spoke on
the issue of female foeticide and appealed to the participants to take a strong stand on sex determination
tests. H P Mishra from KSSM, said, “Most women in Valmiki community are illiterate. They should stop
tolerating violence and raise their voice against it. People take advantage of the situation as these women
are from a backward community.” The representatives of NGO present at the meet said they will make a
representation to the secretary of the Social Justice and Empowerment department of the state
Government on the issues. (Indian Express 9/3/09)
Dalit women narrate rights abuse, harassment (2)
MADURAI: A large number of women especially Dalit women narrated instances of violence, harassment,
persecution, insult and discrimination and demanded justice at a discussion on “Caste-based violence
and other forms of violence inflicted upon women” held here on Friday. A total of 40 cases were taken up
for discussion. The discussion organised by Centre for Dalit Solidarity and was chaired by K. Ramathal,
Chairperson, Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women. The participants felt that police and
administration should be made sensitive to crimes against Dalits and said the cases of untouchability, and
insult of Dalit women, was reported with regularity in the District. Ms. Ramathal said that the Commission
is not within the confines of any boundaries and woman should fight against domestic violence initially as
every form of violence starts at the domestic space and then enters the public. Most of the cases
represented during the day were related to issues of caste, domestic violence and human rights abuse. A
case in which a Dalit woman from Paraipathi near Thirumangalam whose daughter was murdered for
having an intercaste marriage was also discussed. Cases of social ostracism by upper castes in the
village were discussed. A dowry-related violence case was also presented and the woman stated that she
was allegedly tortured by her in-laws who also confiscated her jewellery. Even after representations at
various levels they were not able to retrieve the jewellery. A woman from Perungudi alleged that her
higher caste neighbours illegally sold her residential plot after preparing a forged power of attorney.
Muthumari of Arunthathiyar Pengal Ezhuchi Iyakkam said that Dalits had lost all hopes for justice in the
face of “insensitivity” of police, political pressure, and inordinate delay in court hearings. She also
explained the psychological disadvantage of being a Dalit and that too a woman. A plea was placed
before Ms. Ramathal before the Chairperson to intervene and change the working hours of women
conservancy workers who have to leave their homes early in the morning on a shift basis as it affects
their children’s education. She promised that necessary action should be taken in all the cases. Advocate
Rajni, organiser, Centre for Dalit Solidarity and Sr. Fatima Antony, Principal, Fatima College, S. Selvam,
organisers, Koodu Women’s Reading Club, were the discussants. (The Hindu 23/3/09)
Dalit groups protest against Cong (2)
Chandigarh: Members of various Dalit organisations across the city burnt the effigy of Congress
candidate Pawan Kumar Bansal in Sector 25 to protest against the clean-chit given to H S Lucky,

president of the Chandigarh Territorial Youth Congress. Lucky had been accused of making casteist
remarks during the Congress padyatra in Mauli Jagran. The protestors threatened to intensify their stir if a
case is not registered against Lucky Narender Choudhary, general secretary, Balmiki Shobha Yatra
Committee, alleged the police gave a clean-chit to Lucky under pressure from Congress candidate
Pawan Kumar Bansal. As a mark of protest, members of these organisations decided to greet Congress
leaders with black flags during its padyatra in Indira Colony. Meanwhile, the BSP forwarded another
formal complaint to the Chief Electoral Officer about the Mauli Jagran incident against the “inability of the
Chandigarh police to punish the guilty”. (Indian Express 4/4/09
Minor caste-based outfits pose major challenge to big fish (2)
Lucknow: With the aim to replicating the Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) success, many smaller, castebased
outfits have decided to field candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha election to reap rich dividends.
Many such organisations that have influence in select pockets are asking their community members to
vote for their candidates. Their mantra is simple: Win one to two seats and then strike a bargain with a
bigger party for benefits or ministerial berths. “The BSP grew this way only. If smaller caste-based parties
are moving in the same direction, there is nothing wrong in it,” said SP Pande, director of Govind Ballabh
Institute of Rural and Social Studies. There are organisations of Rajbhars, Kurmis, Nishads, Gadarias and
Prajapatis nurturing political ambitions and working to achieve this target. The presence of a number of
caste-based parties — like Apna Dal, National Lok Hind Party, Sarvoday Party, BS-4, Vanchit Jamat
Party, Parivartan Manch and Adhikar Manch etc — has crowded the State’s poll scene. “The possibility of
a fractured mandate this time too has fuelled the ambitions of these parties. If they can play their caste
cards with élan, success could be theirs,” Pande said. The BSP’s rise is not a one-day wonder. Party
founder-president Kanshi Ram sensitised Dalits by raising anti-upper caste slogans. Its slogans used to
be — “Tilak, tarazu aur talwar, inko maaro joote chaar”. But once it was able to pull back Dalit votes from
the Congress and BJP, it changed its political strategy and encompassed the new formula of social
engineering. The Bharat Samaj Party of Rajbhars or the Apna Dal of Kurmis are also replicating the BSP
model. Rajbhars, a dominant caste in several constituencies of eastern UP like Azamgarh, Mau, Varanasi
and Jaunpur, have the ability to influence elections in these constituencies. The Bharat Samaj Party has
been able to wean away members of their caste from the BSP’s fold. Even the Apna Dal has given a jolt
to the SP and the BJP as it has made a dent in the Kurmi vote bank of these parties. The political
ambitions of these parties have sent shivers down the spines of the mainstream parties since these
outfits plan to field candidates in constituencies where they have considerable clout. “These outfits may
not be able to win any seat, but they are certain to upset the calculations of the four major parties,” said
Namita P Srivastava, a research scholar in Giri Institute of Development Studies. She said that previous
elections have shown that such candidates have done very well — even better than national parties — in
some constituencies. “They have logged number three or four and it shows that no one can
underestimate them,” she said. “They will be in the fray in this election too and create problems for the
bigger parties,” she added. (Pioneer 6/4/09)
Dalit Christians in Kerala to vote for BSP in LS polls (2)
Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 7 : Dalit Christians in Kerala would vote for the Bahujan Samajwadi Party
(BSP) of Ms Mayawati in the elections to the Lok Sabha. Talking to reporters here, Dalit Christian leaders,
including Rt Rev Dr Mosus Swamidas alleged both the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and
the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government neglected Dalit communities and miserably failed
in implementing any welfare programmes for them. The leaders said the association had 25 lakh
members and all of them would vote for the BSP candidates in the state since Ms Mayawati and her party
were standing for the welfare and interests of the dalit sections of the people. Her aproach was quite
promising and they had confidence on her, they said, and added they were confident that once a
government under her came at the Centre, their problems would be solved. (New Kerala 7/4/09)
LJP promises Dalit regiment in armed forces (2)
PATNA: The LJP has promised to create a `Dalit Regiment', on the lines of Sikh, Gurkha and Maratha
regiments, to broad base representation of Dalits in the armed forces and to infuse self-respect among
them. The party wants to extend facility of reservation for SC, ST, OBC and minorities to judicial services
and establishment of a National Judicial Services. The manifesto was released by LJP president and
Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday here. He said his party advocates suitable policy for

eservation for SC and STs in the private sector. It promised to enact a foolproof SC & ST (Reservation in
Posts & Services) Act without any exemption and exclusion which will also provide for reservation in
promotions up to the highest levels and disciplinary action against defaulting officers. Paswan said, "LJP
is fully conscious of its commitments and with utmost humility approaches the people for election of a
secular, strong and stable government for giving power to the poor and powerless and also for peace,
progress and prosperity for all sections of the society." The manifesto said that the recommendations of
Rangnath Mishra Commission will be made public and implemented in right earnest. The party promised
15 per cent reservation for minorities out of which 10 per cent is for Muslims in the government services
and educational institutions. Also 50 per cent ceiling imposed by the Supreme Court will be removed
through appropriate legislation. On Dalit Muslims, it said that legal status will be ensured for both Dalit
Muslims and Christians after making amendments in Article 341 of the Constitution. It also promised an
exclusive Communal Riot Control Act to ensure stringent punishment for hate speeches and writings,
communal riots, incitement for communal killings and set up permanent tribunals to investigate riots and
terror incidents with full judicial powers. The manifesto listed works done by Paswan in the UPA
government in ministry of steel, chemicals and fertilisers. The party claimed that he checked the price of
fertiliser and drugs in the last five years, revived sick pharma PSUs and also revived eight closed fertiliser
plants while work on revival of Barauni fertiliser unit was started. The LJP favoured smaller states and
supported the demand of formation of Telangana, Vidarbha, Poorvanchal, Bundelkhand and Vikas
Pardesh in western UP. (Times of India 8/4/09)
Dalits are not vote banks for parties (2)
“Political parties which ruled the country have made use of Dalits as vote banks and not worked for the
welfare of Dalits,” said Delhi representative of Karnataka government Subhash Bharani. Speaking to
presspersons, at the sidelines of Dalit convention in Chikmgalur Assembly constituency, he said “Dalits
can get only 4th grade employment. There is no scope for them to get A or B grade employment. Inspite
of political reservation, no benefits have been given to them.” “After having learnt that other political
parties have cheated Dalits, several Dalit leaders are turning towards Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP). We
were casting our vote to one party for the last 60 years. However, they are neglecting us,” he added.
Mudigere MLA M P Kumaraswamy said “BJP has highest number of Dalit MLAs. 60 per cent of the
projects are earmarked for the welfare of the Dalits.” (Decan Herald 8/4/09)
PMK fails to impress SC with its plea for caste-based census (2)
NEW DELHI: Failure to impress the UPA government to make preparations for a caste-based census in
2011 did not deter S Ramadoss's PMK, which exited from the ruling coalition after stitching a pre-poll
alliance with AIADMK, to try its luck in the Supreme Court on Thursday, but it failed. PMK pleaded before
a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam that "caste-wise census
would help the government to know the backwardness, inadequate representation in services and overall
efficiency of each caste". If PMK tried to reach the masses afresh its pro-OBC work ahead of the polls
through a public interest litigation (PIL) in the SC, the CJI-headed Bench proved equal to the task by
elegantly deflecting the issue knowing fully well the importance of any judicial intervention at this stage.
"How can we give a direction to the government to conduct a caste-based census? It is a policy decision.
If it was not done for last more than 70 years, there must be some reason behind it. Why should it be
done now? Some fear that there could be a social problem," the CJI said. "There is a Backward Class
Commission. Why don't you go there? These are policy matters of serious implications. The courts can
neither interfere nor give any direction to the government in such matters," the Bench said. Arguing for
the party, senior advocate Raja Verma Kumar said only OBCs were left out of caste-based population
enumeration. "They are collecting full data about SCs, STs, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and Christians. It was
the lack of empirical data on the population of OBCs that had forced the apex court to stay for more than
a year the policy to provide 27% reservation to OBCs in educational institutions," he said. This did not
click with the Bench, which said: "The elections are round the corner. You wait for two months and there
will be a new government. May be you will also be part of it. And then you can represent the government
to change the policy on census." The unwillingness of the apex court to entertain the PIL forced the
counsel to withdraw the PIL. (Times of India 10/4/09)
Court directs college to reinstate scavenger (2)

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday directed a government arts college here to reinstate a
scavenger, who was dismissed on the ground that she belonged to backward class. She was born as
“Christian Adi Dravidar” but later converted to Hinduism. Setting aside the dismissal order, Justice N. Paul
Vasanthakumar said the petitioner should be reinstated in the post without disturbing the person
appointed in that place, either in any existing vacancy in the college or in the immediate arising vacancy if
there was no vacancy now. Till a regular vacancy arose, the college should pay her salary from the date
of reinstatement without backwages. She was not entitled to claim any backwages by applying the
principle of ‘no work, no pay’. When a regular vacancy arises, she should be accommodated with
continuity of service from the date of appointment – June 1998 without backwages and with all other
service benefits. In her petition, C. Clara alias Gomathi said she was born a “Christian Adi Dravidar”, a
backward class community. In 1991, she embraced Hinduism and changed her name as Gomathi. She
got married in 1991 to one Govindaraj, also a Hindu Adi Dravidar. She had registered herself as Christian
Adi Dravidar in 1986, mentioning the community as Backward Class. Subsequent to conversion and
wedding, she informed the same to the employment exchange. Due to conversion and marrying a Hindu
Adi Dravida, she also became a Hindu Adi Dravida, a scheduled caste community. After being sponsored
by the employment exchange, she was appointed as a scavenger in the Government Quaid-e-Milleth Arts
College for Women, Anna Salai, in June 1998. In March 1999, she was served a memo and called upon
to submit her explanation, which she did. Without considering it, she was dismissed. The college
submitted that the post was meant for SC candidate. While joining, the petitioner did not disclose that she
converted herself as a Hindu and changed her name as Gomathi. Based on a reply to a clarification
sought from the District Employment Officer, the petitioner’s services were terminated. (The Hindu
11/4/09)
Dalit leaders strive to put up united front (2)
MUMBAI: Dalits constitute nearly 15% of the total electorate and are the deciding factor in more than halfa-dozen
Lok Sabha constituencies, but their top leaders have failed to create a pressure group due to
lack of unity. Young leader Rahul Sangare, whose father Bhai Sangare fought throughout his life for the
cause of dalit unity, observed that it was high time that all leaders sink their differences and join hands for
the community's welfare. "It's a sad story of the dalit movement. We constitute nearly 15% of the total
population of the dalits in Maharashtra, but we have been deliberately ignored. Our leaders are at the
mercy of either the Congress or NCP,'' Sangare said. He said since there was a dispute over the
leadership issue, the dalit leaders should adopt the concept of the Polit Bureau, which has no president
and is controlled by a group of senior leaders, who have an equal say in the decision-making process.
"We will have to keep out ego aside to strengthen the dalit movement,'' Sangare said. Another dalit
leader, on the condition of anonymity, said, "In Maharashtra, every dalit leader has set up a political party
in his own name. Ramdas Athavale has set up RPI (Athavale), R S Gavai has set up ROI (Gavai),
Prakash Ambedkar has set up a new party a few years ago.'' "Both Congress and NCP gave us stepmotherly
treatment. This was evident from the manner in which they allotted seats to Athavale and
Rajendra Gavai for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls,'' he said. Ramdas Athavale, who shot into fame in the
wake of a prolonged movement for renaming of the Marathwada university after Dr Ambedkar, had to
struggle till the last moment for a nomination for the LS seat. Ultimately, he was adjusted by the Congress
only after he snapped his two-decade long association with NCP founder president Sharad Pawar. The
moot question is why Athavale failed to create his constituency. Same was the case with Rajendra Gavai,
son of Kerala governor R S Gavai, founder of the RPI (Gavai) party. Like Athavale, Gavai too was given
nomination for Amravati at the last moment. "We feel that dalit leaders are responsible for the present
state of affairs. Despite the fact that we are deciding factor in more than half-a-dozen constituencies, we
were unable to create situation that will force the Congress and NCP to take our cognisance,'' said a
senior Congress minister. What stunned the dalit leaders was the fact that when the delimitation process
was in progress, senior Congress leaders were mounting pressure on the Delimitation Commission not to
reserve Latur, Ramtek and Shirdi for the Scheduled Caste. Efforts were made to shift the reservation to
the neighbouring constituencies. However, following a firm stand taken by the state election
commissioner Nandlal, who was the member of the Delimitation Commission, the proposal was outrightly
rejected. (Times of India 11/4/09)
Give women equal rights, says DSS (2)

Udupi: Convener of the State unit of Dalit Sangharsh Samiti Lakshminarayan Nagawar has said a
movement should be launched to provide women with equal rights, especially those from weaker
sections. He was speaking after inaugurating the Dalit Mahila Swabhimani Samavesha organised by
Karnataka Dalit Mahila Okkoota here on Sunday. Mr. Nagawar alleged that the Pejawar seer and other
heads of Hindu maths believed in inequality especially towards women. This was because they believed
in the “Manu Smriti”. The Dalit movement should not be confined to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes. It was an inclusive movement and it highlighted issues concerning all weaker sections, he said.
Mr. Nagawar said that women were equal to men in intelligence and competence. They only required
opportunities to display their talent. But Sangh Parivar organisations such as the Bajrang Dal had made
life difficult for women in the coastal districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, he alleged. The Sangh
Parivar made tall claims of giving respect to women. But the way they treated Uma Bharati was too well
known to be recalled, Mr. Nagawar said. It was essential for all progressive and secular groups and
political parties to come together to defeat communal forces in the Lok Sabha elections, he added.
Manjula of Samanata Mahila Vedike, Shimoga, said that women were attacked in a pub in Mangalore
recently. Women were facing harassment, and crimes against them were increasing. A woman was being
kidnapped every 43 minutes. A dowry death was taking place every 60 minutes. There was some crime
taking place against women every seven minutes in the country, she said. Ms. Manjula said that in the
coastal districts girls were not being allowed to talk to boys from other communities. The plight of the Dalit
women might well be imagined there. Illiteracy had been the bane of Dalits. Only 10 per cent of Dalit
women and 31 per cent of Dalit men were literate. Parliament must give its nod for 33 per cent
reservation for women, Ms. Manjula said. Convener of DSS district unit Sundari Puttur, writer Anasuya
Kamble, progressive thinkers Athrady Amritha and Bhagya Hagalganchi were present. V. Saraswati
welcomed the gathering. Jayan Malpe delivered the introductory remarks. Dinakar Bengre compered the
programme. Saroja K. proposed a vote of thanks. (The Hindu 13/4/09)
Tribals, dalits most affected by water resources projects (2)
Vadodara: Thirty-two lakh hectares of revenue land has been acquired in the state for various
development projects in the last 57 years. Tribals and Dalits remain the most affected by the
displacement sought for various water resources projects, according to a recently published book, Land
acquisition, displacement and resettlement in Gujarat: 1947-2004. While the government has increased
the process of acquiring land for Special Economic Zones and Special Investment Regions, the two-year
study, conducted by city-based organisation Centre for Culture and Development Research (CCDR), has
found that land acquisition is creating a “non-inclusive growth and affecting the socio-economic conditions
of the displaced people.” The study, now in the form of the book, is the first-ever detailed analysis of the
land acquired for development projects and their impact on the displaced and project-affected people of
Gujarat. Out of the total land acquisition, 61% is for the water resources projects, 23% for road transport
and communication and 6% for industries related projects, says the study. As per conservative estimates,
a total of 4,32,636 families have been displaced so far. Of this, 59% displacement has been due to water
resources projects. A total of 34% is for transport and communication projects, while 3.5% for the
industries, says the study. “Tribals and Dalits have been the most affected by the water resources
projects. Less compensation in these projects has left most of them landless, jobless and homeless.
Many tribals have also migrated into non-tribal areas,” says Lancy Lobo, the author of the book. (Indian
Express 16/4/09)
Student killed self; no ragging in hostel, say cops (2)
Ahmedabad: A day after, the city police on Tuesday said that Ankita Veghda (18), a student of Singhi
Institute of Nursing at Hansol, had committed suicide and that there was no ragging in the hostel. Veghda
had reportedly jumped off her hostel building on Monday. Assistant Commissioner of Police K K Rathod
said: “There were two eye-witnesses in the case: one, Mayuri Parmar and the other, Mayuri Rajyaguru.
Parmar, who was with Veghda on the terrace in the morning, had seen her jump off the terrace. There is
no question of any murder as the deceased’s parents have alleged.” Rathod also ruled out any form of
physical torture. Reportedly, marks found on Ankita’s body had given rise to this speculation. In a letter to
the police commissioner and inspector, the deceased’s father, Ganpat Veghda said that his daughter was
severely harassed and bullied, as she was a Dalit. He alleged that as she was volunteering for the
leadership in the hostel, authorities had planned her murder. He further mentioned in the letter that hostel
warden Kalpana Thakore had harassed his daughter . Rathod said the postmortem report of Veghda had

evealed severe head injuries and multiple fractures. Meanwhile, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL)
report has said that the girl was sitting on the parapet of the terrace before she fell off. Had she jumped,
she would have fallen some distance away from the hostel building. Incidentally, every girl in the hostel
took turns to switch on the solar heater everyday. On Monday, it was not her turn, a source added. The
police, however, said that the hostel was not involved in any ragging issue. Rathod added, “Two weeks
ago, the warden had found two mobile phones, a letter and a picture of a boy from the girls’ room, after
which she became strict. Both phones belonged to Veghda’s roommates. The letter was addressed to
Veghda by her sister. But the photo of the unidentified boy is still a question.” (Indian Express 22/4/09)
Punjab SC panel seeks report in Dalit girl rape case (2)
Moga, April 22: Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission has taken serious note of the attitude of
Moga district administration towards Commission's directions as so far it has not received any reply on
the querry of Moga village minor dalit girl's rape who after eight months of pregnancy gave birth to a child
in Moga civil Hospital on April 19. A case was registered against two youths of the village Ramoonwala
on rape charges and also under Prevention of Atrocities to Scheduled Castes Act. The Commission
member Dalip Singh Pandhi told reporters here today that the commission had directed the SSP and
Deputy Commissioner Moga for the DNA test of the mother and child to ascertain the percentage. The
Commission, according to Pandhi, also directed the district administration that police must act according
to law and there should be no question of any leniency or compromise between the parties and police
shall have to file a challan in the court. Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent of Police Moga, Ashok Baath
when contacted, said that police was moving the court for getting directions for conducting the DNA test
of mother and the child. (Zee News 23/4/09)
Poor dalit woman dies inside CSMMU for want of proper treatment (2)
LUCKNOW: In stark contrast to Mayawati government's claims of dalit emancipation, a dalit woman died
writhing in pain near the gate of state's only medical university named after the dalit icon, Chhatrapati
Shahuji Maharaj. There were reports that despite orders to provide treatment to her, doctors in CSMMU
did not admit her. The woman, who died late on Sunday night, had been reportedly persuading for her
treatment for the last three weeks. Gyanti Devi, 27, a dalit woman hailing from Mahdipatti village,
Azamgarh was brought to CSMMU nearly three weeks ago by her husband, Harish Chandra. The man
reportedly contacted a senior professor, who also belonged to his native district for helping him in
arranging treatment for his wife. The professor used his connections to help the ailing woman. Gyanti was
seen by doctors at the gynaecology department where she was diagnosed cervix cancer and referred her
to the radiotherapy department. The doctors advised a series of tests including biopsy for which she had
to rely on private labs, it being a drain on her little savings. Later, the doctors at Radiotherapy refused to
admit her claiming non-availability of bed. After much persuasion, the doctors relented claiming that she
will be admitted on Monday. But Gyanti Devi died of acute pain on the road inside CSMMU campus on
Sunday night. "The radiotherapy department then asked us to go for number of pathological tests. After
giving samples at pathology department, we went back to our village and came back on April 10.
However, though tests confirmed cancer, doctors refused to admit my wife saying that there was no
vacancy. We took shelter under `rain basera' and on Sunday night she died," Harish told TOI. He said
that even the request made by the senior professor known to me failed to move hospital authorities.
Sources said that apart from radiotherapy department, the woman could have been admitted in a special
ward in gynaecology department. There are standing orders of the government and the CSMMU vicechancellor
that no patient will be denied admission but Gynati's case shows that doctors care little for
directions. When informed about the matter, vice-chancellor, Prof Saroj Chooramani Gopal said she
would order a probe into the matter. "This is the height of insensitivity and the wrong-doers will not be
spared," she told reporters. (Times of India 23/4/09)
Mayawati discards allegations of being anti-Brahmin (2)
LUCKNOW: Cautioning her voters not to believe rumours being spread by her opponents, chief minister
and BSP national president, Mayawati, while addressing election rallies in Hardoi and Sitapur on
Thursday, said that her party's popularity and mass base were growing fast in the country, hence the
opposition parties are trying to mislead them during elections by adopting different tactics. Maya's
statement assumes importance in the light of the recent statement of her rival SP chief, Mulayam Singh
Yadav, who at an election meeting in Bhadohi had read out excerpts from her autobiography which he

alleged were derogatory to upper caste and their women. Mulayam has already been served a notice for
the alleged casteist remarks but BSP leaders feel that SP chief's statement has damaged Maya's winning
combination of including dalit and Brahmin, which brought her to power in 2007. A section of the Brahmin
population voted for Maya in 2007. As a result, she gave 20 tickets out of 80 in UP to Brahmins. Apart
from Bhadohi, Sitapur and Hardoi also have substantial Brahmin votes. On Brahmin votes also depends
Muslim support because minority community votes tactically for the candidate who is in position to defeat
BJP. BSP's dalit and Brahmin combination provided a potent combination which also attracted Muslims.
Maya, however, while addressing her voters, said that BSP was emerging as an alternative in the
country, hence both the Congress and BJP and their allies are afraid of the party. She said that she is
getting support of all the castes and communities but opposition leaders want to damage it by spreading
rumours. She also charged the Congress led UPA government with discriminating against UP. "I had
demanded a special economic package of Rs. 80,000 crore for the development of the state but Centre
did not give even a single rupee,'' she rued. Maya said that BSP is contesting Lok Sabha elections in the
entire country on its own and had not made any electoral pact with any party. She said BSP's policies
were for the common man. She blamed central government for growing terrorism and naxalism in the
country. Mayawati said that UPA government did not implement recommendations of Sachar Committee
which proves that it is anti-Muslim. She said that she has written several letters to the Centre to provide
the benefit of reservation to SCs/STs and OBCs in private sector and the sectors where it has not been
implemented. Besides, she had also requested to Centre to provide reservation facility to the poor people
of the upper castes. She said she has also sent the proposal of including 16 most backwards castes in
SC/ST list. "But none of my proposals were accepted," she said adding "Congress, BJP and their
supporting parties are conspiring to do away with the reservation facility, which was the constitutional
right of dalits.'' (Times of India 24/4/09)
Remarks against Ambedkar condemned (2)
GULBARGA: Head of the Jnana Yoga Ashram at Kounta in Bidar district Beladal Siddrama Sharanaru
has condemned the “tendencies of vested interests to defame Dr. B.R. Ambedkar by spreading
falsehoods”. Inaugurating the 118th birth anniversary celebrations of Dr. Ambedkar organised here on
Thursday by the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (Sagar) in the city, Sri Siddarama Sharanaru said that Dalits
should strive hard to achieve economic independence and self-sufficiency to stand up to the challenges
posed by privatisation, liberalisation and globalisation. I.S. Vidyasagar, lecturer at Ambedkar Degree
College here said that all secular forces should come together and defeat communal forces and prevent
society from being divided on caste and community lines. (The Hindu 1/5/09)
Communal clash in Bidar (2)
Kamalanagar (Bidar), DH News Service: Tension prevailed in Kamalanagar on Bidar-Nanded interstate
highway on Sunday following communal clash between two communities with regard to installing the
statues of Allmaprabhu and Dr B R Ambedkar. In an argument between dalits and the other caste, the
dalits insisted that space must be provided in front of the government hospital to install Dr Ambedlar’s
staue. The other community people, however, refused to allow that and in a fit of rage removed the circle
raling in Haralaiah circle and moved it to the middle of the road. A dharna followed and finally, tahsildar Dr
Prashant Nalvar and Add SP J M Yatanur arrived on the spot and consoled both the protesting groups.
They assured to provide suitable space for installing Ambedkar’s statue and to allow the old circle in its
place. However a group of dalit youth and women refused to heed to the suggestion and proceeded to
install the staue of Dr B R Ambedkar in the middle of the road, which resulted in a clash between the two
communities. In the meanwhile stones were thrown at the buses and traffic came to a standstill. Finally
the police had to resort to mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd and curfew has been enforced in
Kamalanagar for two days. Senior police officials are camping at Kamalanagar and the situation has
been brought under control. (Deccan Herald 4/5/09)
Dalits facing boycott for ‘breaking’ convention (2)
Kittur (Belgaum District): Dalits of Kittur in Ramdurg taluk, hitherto a peaceful village free from any caste
conflict or communal disharmony, are facing social, economic and cultural boycott since a week now.
Except drinking water, Dalit families are denied any access to other facilities available in the village,
including provisional/grocer’s store, flour mill, tea stall, farms owned by upper castes and other non-Dalit
families, daily wages or regular employment with local landlords and a visit to the main temple of the

village. The Dalits are not supposed to travel by local transport services such as vans plying through the
village but only in State-owned transport buses. Apparently, the boycott has come as a severe blow to
their livelihood concerns. However, there has been no violence so far, though a posse of policemen has
been deployed in the village. It was on Basava Jayanti Day (April 27, 2009) that the village was divided
on caste lines with Dalits on the one side and upper and backward castes on the other because the Dalits
insisted on a place for three Dalit couples at the “pancha kalasha” mantap set up to conduct a mass
marriage organised by Sree Basaveshwar Sadbhakta Mandali. This, according to the mandali, was a
deliberate attempt to break the native convention but Dalits admit that they only tried to assert their right
to equality. According to I.B. Yargatti, a senior member of the mandali and other villagers, the mandali
has been organising mass marriages for the past 15 years. The mass marriage is open to all religious
and caste couples. This year, 80 couples entered into wedlock. According to a local practice, the couples
complete all rituals as per their own customs and traditions either at their house or temples concerned.
Finally, all converge at the main mantap for blessings followed by a feast. Maruti Kittur and Bheemappa
Kittur, elders representing Dalits, admit that this time they insisted on allowing the three Dalit couples to
complete all pre-“akshata” rituals at the main mantap set up in front of the presiding deity of the village,
Sri Dyamma Devi. However, the mandali did not heed the request of the three Dalit couples who had
come from Kharlakoppa, Hampiholi and Tadasi villages in the neighbourhood. The problem cropped up
when Dalits approached the mandali the next day demanding a clarification whether it would allow them
to perform rituals at the main mantap the next year. “When the mandali refused, we were annoyed and
felt insulted,” the elders said. “And, in a fit of anger, we not only demanded a place for us near the
‘pancha kalasha’ but also an opportunity to perform puja to the grama devathe, which was rejected by the
mandali,” Mr. Maruti said. The upper castes considered this as a threat and a deliberate attempt to break
the local customs wherein Dalits have been paying obeisance only by touching the steps of the temple of
the grama devathe. The question of allowing them inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple does not
arise, the villagers said. On being refused, the Dalits announced that if they were not treated equally, then
they will have their own way. “Nimdu neevo nodkori, namdu naav nodkotivee” (you take care of your
families yourselves and we will take care of our families ourselves). Enraged by this, the villagers
announced a boycott and a Rs. 500 fine. Mr. Yargatti said nobody was against the Dalits. “About two
years ago, we got installed an irrigation pumpset at a cost of Rs. 3.50 lakh made available by candidates
in various elections to facilitate irrigation in 42 acres of farmland belonging to Dalit families.” Fearing
assault, Dalits, who number about 75 living in 15 houses in the village which has more than 3,000 non-
Dalits, lodged a complaint against the villagers under the Prevention of Atrocities Act. Ramdurg Tahsildar
Geeta Kaulgi told The Hindu that the Deputy Superintendent of Police is looking into the matter. (The
Hindu 6/5/09)
SI gets life term for ordering fire on Dalits (2)
Mumbai: Manohar Kadam, a sub-inspector with the State Reserve Police Force, was on Thursday
sentenced to life imprisonment for unjustifiably ordering fire on Dalits here, in which 10 people were killed
and 26 injured. Mr. Kadam had ordered his police team to open fire indiscriminately on protesting Dalits at
Mata Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar in suburban Ghatkopar on July 11, 1997. A special sessions court,
giving its verdict in the Ramabai case 12 years after the incident, sentenced Mr. Kadam under Section
304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC. Shakeel Ahmed, who
represented one of the victims, said the court stated Mr. Kadam had not complied with the single-firing
norm, nor had he taken any precaution. He had not assessed the situation and did not have a
megaphone to warn the people, who were protesting against the desecration of a statue of Dr. B.R.
Ambedkar. He ordered the firing within 15 minutes of his reaching the sport at 7 a.m. The court rubbished
the police allegations that the Dalit protesters planned to set an oil tanker afire, stating they did not carry
deadly arms. Rejecting the contention that they endangered public safety, the court referred to a witness
statement that the protesters had asked passengers to alight from a bus. This showed that they had no
intention of causing hurt, Mr. Ahmed said. In a charged atmosphere outside the court, special public
prosecutor B.G. Bansode told journalists: “The judgment is the outcome of people’s fight for justice. We
had to struggle at every step to register the case, record statements of witnesses and file a charge sheet.”
The Ramabai case was plagued by many ills. Allegations of delaying tactics by the state machinery and
political manipulation were rife during the trial. Many saw the postponement of the verdict from April 27 to
May as a deliberate design to mitigate its impact on the April 30 elections. It took the government four
years just to appoint a prosecutor. The government was simply not interested in the case, Mr. Bansode

said. Sangharaj Rupawate, watching advocate for the victims, said the incident had raised the hackles of
Dalits. It galvanised them into staging strong protests and demanding the overthrow of the then Sena-BJP
government in 1997. To muzzle dissent, stories of rioting were concocted against the victims. But these
were discarded by the state-appointed Gundewar Commission, which investigated the killings, and now
by the court. Throughout the trial, there was an attempt to malign the Dalits as irresponsible, and as
rioters holding the city to ransom. There were counter-cases against the victims, Mr. Rupawate said.
Eight victims have had rioting cases slapped on them. Showing her scarred hand, Sudevi Ramchandra
Gire, 35, said: “I was shot in the palm. I had come only to take my son inside the house; and they say I
was rioting.” She has a case under the Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC. Hiraman Sadashiv
Gaikwad, 46, was shot in the stomach. Although he welcomed the verdict, he wished to see Mr. Kadam
hanged. Similar comments were heard all around. Sumedh Jadhav of the Ramabai Hatyakand
Sangharsh Samiti said big names in the establishment who might have asked Mr. Kadam to give the
firing orders escaped unscathed. (The Hindu 8/5/09)
“UPA government has not helped the Dalits” (2)
VELLORE: The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government has failed to implement the
assurances given to Dalits in its election manifesto for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. It did not implement
the assurances contained in the common minimum programme (CMP) evolved after the elections,
according to C.K. Thamizharasan, State president of the Republican Party of India (RPI), which is
supporting the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led alliance in the May 13 Lok Sabha elections in
Tamil Nadu. Talking to newspersons here on Saturday, Mr. Thamizharasan said that though reservation
for Dalits in the private sector was one of the assurances contained in the UPA election manifesto for
2004, the UPA government has not taken even a single step towards fulfilling the assurance. Whenever a
Dalit MP raised the question in Parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh used to give a standard
reply that the demand would be considered. But whenever he participated in meetings of industrialists in
Mumbai, he would assure them that reservation for Dalits in the private sector would not be imposed on
the industries. “This doublespeak has deprived Dalits of their livelihood rights. Lakhs of Dalits remain
unemployed today. The UPA government has not honoured its assurances given in the CMP, which
includes a special component plan for Dalits, promotion of self-employment among Dalits and increasing
employment opportunities for the Dalits in the rural areas,” Mr. Thamizharasan said. In three years of its
rule in Tamil Nadu, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government had failed to provide the basic
Constitutional protection to the Dalits. Though it was seven months since a case was registered against
Tourism Minister Suresh Rajan under the Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes/Scheduled
Tribes Act 1989 and the Protection of Civil Rights (PCR) Act 1956 on a complaint by a Dalit revenue
divisional officer of Kanyakumari district that the Minister scolded him using his caste name, no action had
been taken by the government . “This is a violation of the Constitution. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has
gone to the defence of the Minister by saying that he would not have spoken like that,” Mr.
Thamizharasan said. The decision of the Tamil Nadu government to provide three per cent internal
reservation to Arundadhiyars from the 18 per cent quota for the SC was a Constitutional violation, for the
government had no right to provide such internal reservation. The government had not also honoured the
assurance it had given to the Madras High Court that it would clear the backlog in filling vacancies against
reservations for Dalits in the various departments in a phased manner. These were the reasons for the
RPI deciding to support the AIADMK-led alliance, he said. Mr. Thamizharasan said that among the 80
lakh Dalit voters in Tamil Nadu, on an average, about 65 lakh exercised their franchise every election.
These Dalits were today functioning with the unanimous aim of defeating the Congress and the DMK in
Tamil Nadu. The Dalit vote bank is a powerful vote bank which can decide who will form the next
government at the Centre. This unity among the Dalits will create a political change in Tamil Nadu, he
said. Mr. Thamizharasan condemned the raids by the police and revenue officials in the house of the
AIADMK candidate for the Karur constituency and former Union Minister M. Thambithurai and in a
hospital owned by an AIADMK activist in Chennai on an alleged complaint that money and gifts were kept
there for distribution to voters. The officials however could not find anything on the premises. “These acts
of the DMK government only showed that the DMK is afraid of facing defeat in the elections”. The DMKled
Democratic Progressive Alliance was planning to seize thousands of polling stations during the
elections, and therefore the RPI wanted the Election Commission to provide protection by para-military
forces in the vulnerable booths, he said. (The Hindu 10/5/09)

‘Implement reservation policy in full’ (2)
DAVANGERE: The Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (DSS) has demanded that the Union Government implement
the reservation policy comprehensively for the next 20 years all over the country. Later, if required, it
could be withdrawn. Speaking to presspersons here on Monday, Venkatagiriah, State convener of the
DSS, said that only nine per cent reservation had been given to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
across the country in the last 60 years. He said that if the Government implemented the reservation
system properly with immediate effect, and filled up all vacancies, then Dalits would not object to its
withdrawal after 20 years. “In fact, we are seeking implementation of B.R. Ambedkar’s recommendations
in letter and spirit, that includes the withdrawal of the system,” he added. He alleged that Dalits were
continuously subject to harassment and were being denied their basic rights even now. He said that over
12,000 persons who had secured jobs by producing false caste certificates were pardoned during the
Ramakrishna Hegde Government, and similarly, during S.M. Krishna’s tenure as Chief Minister, over
10,000 persons who got jobs in a similar manner were excused. Owing to this, genuine Scheduled Caste
and Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries were deprived of employment, he said. The Union Planning
Commission had instructed the Karnataka Government to allocate Rs. 7,000 crore for the welfare of
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, based on their population, but the State Government had
earmarked only Rs. 600 crore, Mr. Venkatagiriah said. He added that the BJP Government had done
nothing new for the Dalits and was following the practises adopted by the Janata Dal (S) and the
Congress. The samiti also urged the State Government to enhance the allowances of Scheduled Caste
and Scheduled Tribe students keeping in mind the increase in prices of essential commodities. He
expressed the fear that if the old rates were still taken into account while determining the allowances for
students, they might not get quality food in hostels. Mr. Venkatagiriah also urged the Government to stop
giving facilities to those Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students who were well off. Dalit leaders
Alur Lingaraj, Vasu and Thippeswamy were present. (The Hindu 12/5/09)
Dalit family attacked for refusing to vote for BSP candidate (2)
KANPUR: Angry over their refusal of casting vote in favour of the ruling party candidate, as many as 12
assailants attacked a Dalit family, including four women in Ursan village under Derapur police station on
Friday night. The injured persons were identified as Ram Das, Ram Babu, Somwati, wife of Ram Das,
Mohini, wife of Ram Babu, Pappi, wife of Rakesh and Paraga, wife of Lallu. The victims said that the
relatives of the ruling party candidate forcibly entered the house of Ram Das, attacked him and other
members of the family with the sharp-edged weapons and lathis at around 11 pm on Friday night. Ram
Das said that the assailants were relatives of Mithilesh Kartiyar, BSP MLA from Rajpur in Kanpur Dehat,
who had asked them to cast vote in favour BSP candidate in Etawah. The incident had led to tension in
the village. The miscreants ransacked the house, causing extensive damage, he added. Following the
attack by the henchmen of the ruling party MLA, about six other Dalit families have left the village. The
injured persons are undergoing treatment at the district hospital. Ram Das said that the police action was
belated and they are satisfied with it. According to SP (Kanpur Dehat) KS Pipil, the incident was the
fallout of an incident, in which the members of the Dalit family refused to give way to the relatives of BSP
MLA from Rajpur Mithilesh Katiyar, who were on a tractor. This resulted into a scuffle. A case has been
registered and investigations are on. Fear still loomed large on on the faces of victims undergoing
treatment and they are not ready to return to their village. "It is true that the police have registered a case
against them but what is the guarantee that they would not attack us again. We now want full police
protection at our village," the family members said. Our women were attacked and robbed of ornaments,
Ram Babu added. Somwati added that the authorities at district hospital earlier refused to admit them.
But on the intervention of district magistrate Saroj Tewari, they were admitted. (Times of India 10/5/09)
“UPA government has not helped the Dalits” (2)
VELLORE: The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government has failed to implement the
assurances given to Dalits in its election manifesto for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. It did not implement
the assurances contained in the common minimum programme (CMP) evolved after the elections,
according to C.K. Thamizharasan, State president of the Republican Party of India (RPI), which is
supporting the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led alliance in the May 13 Lok Sabha elections in
Tamil Nadu.Talking to newspersons here on Saturday, Mr. Thamizharasan said that though reservation
for Dalits in the private sector was one of the assurances contained in the UPA election manifesto for
2004, the UPA government has not taken even a single step towards fulfilling the assurance. Whenever a

Dalit MP raised the question in Parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh used to give a standard
reply that the demand would be considered. But whenever he participated in meetings of industrialists in
Mumbai, he would assure them that reservation for Dalits in the private sector would not be imposed on
the industries. “This doublespeak has deprived Dalits of their livelihood rights. Lakhs of Dalits remain
unemployed today. The UPA government has not honoured its assurances given in the CMP, which
includes a special component plan for Dalits, promotion of self-employment among Dalits and increasing
employment opportunities for the Dalits in the rural areas,” Mr. Thamizharasan said. In three years of its
rule in Tamil Nadu, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government had failed to provide the basic
Constitutional protection to the Dalits. Though it was seven months since a case was registered against
Tourism Minister Suresh Rajan under the Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes/Scheduled
Tribes Act 1989 and the Protection of Civil Rights (PCR) Act 1956 on a complaint by a Dalit revenue
divisional officer of Kanyakumari district that the Minister scolded him using his caste name, no action had
been taken by the government . “This is a violation of the Constitution. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has
gone to the defence of the Minister by saying that he would not have spoken like that,” Mr.
Thamizharasan said. The decision of the Tamil Nadu government to provide three per cent internal
reservation to Arundadhiyars from the 18 per cent quota for the SC was a Constitutional violation, for the
government had no right to provide such internal reservation. The government had not also honoured the
assurance it had given to the Madras High Court that it would clear the backlog in filling vacancies against
reservations for Dalits in the various departments in a phased manner. These were the reasons for the
RPI deciding to support the AIADMK-led alliance, he said. Mr. Thamizharasan said that among the 80
lakh Dalit voters in Tamil Nadu, on an average, about 65 lakh exercised their franchise every election.
These Dalits were today functioning with the unanimous aim of defeating the Congress and the DMK in
Tamil Nadu. The Dalit vote bank is a powerful vote bank which can decide who will form the next
government at the Centre. This unity among the Dalits will create a political change in Tamil Nadu, he
said. Mr. Thamizharasan condemned the raids by the police and revenue officials in the house of the
AIADMK candidate for the Karur constituency and former Union Minister M. Thambithurai and in a
hospital owned by an AIADMK activist in Chennai on an alleged complaint that money and gifts were kept
there for distribution to voters. The officials however could not find anything on the premises. “These acts
of the DMK government only showed that the DMK is afraid of facing defeat in the elections”. The DMKled
Democratic Progressive Alliance was planning to seize thousands of polling stations during the
elections, and therefore the RPI wanted the Election Commission to provide protection by para-military
forces in the vulnerable booths, he said. (The Hindu 10/5/09)
Tamil Nadu’s Dalit vote (2)
Dalits want to be decision-makers and have a share in political power, declared Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Mayawati, during a rally in Madurai. The Bahujan Samaj Party leader, who is trying to expand her
reach, has put up candidates for all the 39 seats in the State. Her party is unlikely to have much of an
impact in this election, but the changing pattern of the Dalit vote since Independence is a cause for hope.
Twenty per cent of the State’s population, Dalits largely voted the Congress in the early years after
Independence. However, in the late 1960s, they shifted loyalty to the DMK and later the AIADMK. Dalit
intellectuals in the State feel that the Dravidian parties with their populism have failed to retain the Dalits
within their fold. The emergence of Dalit parties after the birth centenary of B.R. Ambedkar indicates the
failure of the social pluralism preached by the Dravidian parties, they say. Atrocities at the hands of
intermediate castes made a section of the Dalits organise themselves under the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal
Katchi (VCK) and Puthiya Tamilagam (PT). But both parties have deviated from addressing the core
issues affecting Dalits. For example, the PT has been attempting to emulate in southern districts what the
PMK did in the northern districts. The DPI tries to be the vanguard of the Lankan Tamil cause. Hugo
Gorringe, Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of Edinburgh, and author of Untouchable
Citizens: The Dalit Panthers and Democratisation in Tamilnadu, says that ultimately the PT and the VCK
need to grow beyond their Dalit constituency to succeed. Dalit writer Stalin Rajangam feels that
prioritisation of issues is important. He says: “Dalit parties have not even established themselves as a
pressure group whether part of the ruling alliance or not. No important issue affecting Dalits been
addressed adequately.” The momentum that Dalit movements had in the early 1990s has declined. This
is reflected in the couple of seats allocated for the VCK in the DMK alliance and the fact that the PT could
not get itself into any of the major alliances. The BSP, with its social engineering and politically astute
seat allocations for three Brahmins, three Muslims and OBCs, is expecting to make inroads. Suresh

Mane, national general secretary, says, “Our party alone has the vision to make the oppressed share
political power.” Kalpana Kannabiran, senior professor, NALSAR University of Law, says that the social
engineering formula of U.P. would not work here as Tamil Nadu had a political history of anti-caste
movements that was different. (The Hindu 13/5/09)
Dalit movements in State losing momentum? (2)
MADURAI: The Dalits want to be decision-makers and are for sharing political power. This is the theme,
not only of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP leader, Mayawati, but also of all Dalit leaders. The
Dalits who form 20 per cent of the State’s population remained largely with the Congress during the post-
Independence era, with the Communists in the Thanjavur belt, and in the late 60s with the Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam and later with MGR’s All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Dalit intellectuals
in the State feel that the Dravidian parties and their forms of populism have failed to consolidate the Dalits
within their fold. The emergence of Dalit parties during the post-centenary of B. R. Ambedkar indicates
the failure of social pluralism of Dravidian parties, they point out. The awakening following Ambedkar’s
centenary and the atrocities at the hands of intermediate castes made a section of Dalits organise
themselves under Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Puthiya Tamilagam (PT). Both PT and VCK
started as organisational entities and then forayed into electoral politics. But both parties have deviated
from addressing the core issues affecting the Dalits in their everyday lives. For example, the PT has been
attempting to emulate in southern districts what the PMK did in the northern districts. The DPI tries to be
the vanguard of the Sri Lankan Tamils cause. Hugo Gorringe, Lecturer, Department of Sociology,
University of Edinburgh (author of ‘Untouchable Citizens: The Dalit Panthers and Democratisation in
Tamilnadu’), told The Hindu that ultimately both the PT and the VCK need to grow beyond their Dalit vote
base if they want to succeed. From this perspective, their attempts at widening their appeal are
understandable. There is a precedent for this in the work of Communist parties in 1970s Thanjavur when
they managed to unite impoverished workers across the caste spectrum. “Politics in the State has
changed radically since then, however, and there has been an exacerbation of caste spirit.” Dalit writer
and intellectual Stalin Rajangam feels that it is not that they need not address these issues or dream to
form a broader coalition but prioritisation of issues is important. He says, “The Dalit parties have not even
established themselves as a pressure group whether they are part of the ruling alliance or not and no
important issue affecting Dalits like Special Component Plan has been addressed adequately.” The
momentum the Dalit movements had in the early 1990s has certainly declined. The Dalit identity then
transcended not only political boundaries but was also a socio-cultural identity that identified and
questioned the dominance in its various forms. Somehow, this momentum has been lost as just a couple
of seats have been allocated for the VCK in the DMK alliance and the PT could not get itself into any of
the major alliances. The BSP, with its social engineering and politically astute seat allocation for 3
Brahmins, 3 Muslims and OBCs, is expecting to make inroads. Suresh Mane, national general secretary,
says, “Our party alone has the vision to make the oppressed share political power.” Kalpana Kannabiran,
Senior Professor, NALSAR University of Law, told The Hindu that the social engineering formula of Uttar
Pradesh would not work here, as Tamil Nadu had a political history of anti-caste movement that was
different. “You need consolidation of a political dialogue and it is not enough if one is born a Dalit and
moreover, the term Dalit has a political etymology and the problem rests in how to use the identity on a
broader political framework.” Centre for Study of Developing Societies data show that during the 1999
Lok Sabha polls the PT and the VCK, which were part of Tamil Maanila Congress-led alliance, garnered
41.3 per cent of Dalit votes. (The Hindu 13/5/09)
Dalits protest ‘demolition’ of Ambedkar statue (2)
Angul: A number of people, including women, under the banner of Dalit organisations, on Thursday
demonstrated and gheroed the Collector’s office here in protest against the alleged demolition of Dr
Ambedkar’s statue at South Balanda in the MCL area of Talcher. The demonstrators broke the police
cordon and entered the Collector’s office premises to stage the stir. Leaders of the Dalit organisations Er
Bhajaman Behera, Abdul Ali, Er Dhanidrar Behera, Nihar Singh, Laxan Naik, Ritarani Das and
Muchharna Patnaik demanded immediate arrest of MCL officials responsible for the demolition of the
Ambedkar statue. They also demanded reinstallation of the statue at the same place. The administration
agreed in writing to take action. On the other hand, MCL director Syama Charan Padhi said the statue of
Dr Ambedkar has not at all been demolished at South Balanda. Even now, anybody can see the statue at
the place. However, some concrete pillars kept for unauthorised fencing were uprooted from the MCL

premises. Regarding the encroachment, the MCL has also lodged an FIR. Above all, he has ordered for a
high-level inquiry in this respect, said Padhi. General Manager of Gaganatha Area of MCL Amles Kumar
said the MCL is a reputed public sector undertaking and has the highest respect for the great leader of
the nation Dr Ambedkar and for whom it has established a big Ambedkar Park at Talcher. (Pioneer
15/5/09)
Upset over turnout, Maya reverting to dalit agenda (2)
Lucknow: May 20: UP CM and BSP president Mayawati is all set to return to her dalit agenda with a
vengeance. According to party sources, the CM is considerably upset at re-ports that the dalit turnout in
the just concluded LS elections declined considerably, causing reverses to the BSP. Ms Mayawati has
now made it clear to her party workers that the party would now focus on the dalit agenda and ensure that
the traditional party cadres were not sidelined. At the on-going series of meeting with her party workers,
the chief minister dissolved all district level committees and also the bhaichara committees set up to forge
alliance with upper caste groups and said that these would soon be reconstituted with dalits at the helm of
affairs. The chief minister has already taken the resignations of 125 odd chairpersons, corporation heads
and commission members, most of whom belonged to non-BSP cadres and were given these posts when
they came in from other parties. The posts will now be given to cadres persons in an attempt to assuage
their feelings. Though the CM has not yet abandoned the social engineering formula that failed to
recreate the 2007 magic this time, she is cautiously trying to firm up her dalit base again. Mayawati twohour
long speech at a party meeting indicated a re-thinking on the "social engineering" concept but
asserted that dalits would no longer be allowed to feel neglected. The chief minister is also said to be
deeply perturbed over the low dalit turnout in the elections — attributed to their disillusionment with the
BSP that has diluted its ideology — that made the BSP lose 15 out of the 17 reserved seats in the state.
What has deeply hurt the chief minister is the victory of her former principal secretary P.L. Punia from
Barabanki, which is a reserved constituency.(Asian Age 21/5/09)
Anti-Dalit stand contributes to Left defeat (2)
Pathanamthitta: The total disregard, shown by the LDF, especially the CPI, towards the needs and
sentiments for the different sections of the Kerala society was one of the prime reasons for the humiliating
failure of the front in the Lok Sabha elections, and the Government’s apathetic attitude towards the Dalits
and Adivasis agitating in different parts of the State had contributed heavily to this poll debacle. Post-poll
analyses prove that Dalit, Adivasi and Scheduled Caste voters, who were traditionally supporters of the
Left had massively transferred their votes to the UDF candidates this time, local poll managers of the Left
say. They also say that the situation would be more serious for the Left in the local bodies elections due
next year if the Left and the Government fail to change their attitude to the Dalits, Adivasis and other
backward people. Even sources in the LDF admit that the 22-month-long Dalit agitation in the hills of
Chengara, Pathanmathitta, by more than 7,000 Dalit families demanding land livelihood, had caused
massive erosion of votes for the Left. Most of these families belonged to Pathanamthitta, Kollam and
Thiruvananthapuram districts, and the results in all these constituencies had proved how the agitation had
impacted on the election. Lhaha Gopalan, president of the Sadhu Jana Vimochana Samyuktha Vedi,
which had been spearheading the agitation of the Dalits in Chengara said the stir had impacted the
elections not only in the southern constituencies but all over Kerala. The Vedi had decided to support the
UDF in the election as a mark of proest against the LDF Government’s apathetic attitude to the agitations.
“Nandigram and Singur had played a vital role in the Left’s poll defeat in West Bengal. Similarly, the
Chengara stir had affected the Left prospects in a big way in Kerala,” Gopalan said. “The LDF candidates
had got a terrible blow in all constituencies where there were children of the soil,” he added. The CPI(M)
and the LDF it leads have been trying hard to prove that their candidates had not lost any Dalit votes with
the support of statistics, but the experience in Pathanamthitta itself, where Congress candidate Anto
Antony won by a margin of more than 110,000 votes, proved otherwise. The Perunad pacnhayath, Ranni,
Pathanamthitta, which the LDF had won in 2005 with a majority of more than 3,000 votes, the LDF margin
plummeted to less than 800 votes in the Lok Sabha election. The Dalits had started the agitation in the
rubber estates of Chengara on August 4, 2007 demanding land to live and cultivate but the LDF
Government had so far adopted an approach that the agitators were rubber-robbers and anti-nationals.
The CPI(M) had even accused them of being agents of foreign powers intent on destroying the Left.
Observers said that the Dalit factor would be more dangerous as far as the Left was concerned in the
coming local bodies elections, due in 2010. At least five agitations by Adivasis and Dalits had been going

on simultaneously in the State, and in all these stirs, the agitators had taken a strong stand against the
LDF. The attitude of the Adivasi activists in the State towards the CPI(M) was summed up the other day
by Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha leader M Geethanandan, who said that the UDF of AK Antony, who as
chief minister had ordered police firing against them at Muthanga in 2003, was far better when compared
to the Marxists. The Mahasabha also had supported the UDF in the elections. “Despite all their faults, the
UDF had adopted a better position than that of the communists on the Adivasi land issue. At least, the
UDF seems to think that we too are human beings. But the CPI(M) thinks that everybody outside it is its
enemy. We can at least approach the UDF with our demands. But the Left front even does not invite us to
talks,” Geethanandan said. He alleged that the Left front had used the issue of the police firing at Adivasis
at Muthanga for their electoral victory but “they forgot us totally after the election”. He and his colleague
CK Janu wanted the CPI(M) to re-examine its approach towards Adivasis in the context of the poll
debacle. (Pioneer 20/5/09)
Dalit unrest: CM packs off DGP to village (2)
Lucknow: Chief Minister Mayawati today sent a stern warning to the SP and additional SP of Bahraich
and ordered immediate suspension of an SHO, a sub-inspector (S-I) and a constable following alleged
harassment of a few Dalit families in the district. Two Home Guards, also said to be involved in raids on
the Dalit families in Durgapurwa village on Friday night, were dismissed from services and the circle
officer of the Nanpara area was attached to the DGP (Headquarters). The CM has sent DGP Vikram
Singh to Bahraich, who today met the victims. ADG (Law & Order) Brij Lal said a police team of Nanpara
led by S-I R S Dwivedi, constable Dharmendra Chaturvedi and two Home Guards had raided the houses
of Ram Pheran, Indal, Phoolmati, Talukdei, Shanti Dei and Jal Varsha. The police allegedly misbehaved
with the women and ransacked the house. The police had raided the houses searching for male
members, who were said to have attacked a woman neighbour, Rajrani, over a dispute. Rajrani had
lodged a complaint with the police. (Indian Express 24/5/09)
Old Dailt woman accused of witchcraft stripped and beaten (2)
Wadegaon (Maharashtra), May 24 : In an unusual event in Wadegaon village of Maharashtra, a seventy
year-old Dalit woman, Ruddha, was accused of practicing witchcraft. She was stripped and beaten by the
villagers before being paraded astride a donkey. The locals claimed that she was doing sorcery on one of
the neighbours with lemons. However, Ruddha denied the charges and claimed that she was being
harassed. "They beat me. Ladies beat me. Men folk beat me. They dragged me out of my home onto the
streets and thrashed me for nothing," said Ruddha. She further said that the villagers tore her blouse and
even robbed her of Rs.2000. Police have detained 11 persons including four women for further
investigation. "Further investigation and necessary legal proceedings will be followed," said N Z
Kumbhare, Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Akola. He also mentioned that on learning about this incident,
the police personnel rushed to the village and saved Ruddha from further humiliation. She was taken to a
hospital for treatment. (New Kerala 25/5/09)
Jat-Dalit divide flashpoint (2)
Chandigarh: The border State of Punjab which has passed through a decade-long nightmare of
insurgency owing to unrest among Sikh fundamentalists now seems sitting on another volcano, that of
casteism. The emergence of so many deras in Punjab has been changing the socio-religious
demographics, making certain sections of society vulnerable to even small provocations. The incident of
Vienna where certain Sikh fundamentalists have allegedly attacked the religious leaders of a dera in
Punjab has exposed the growing unrest among the poor Dalits who are living in isolation for decades on
the social and economic fronts. The Vienna incident is the result of a simmering undercurrent of animosity
between the dominant Jat Sikh community of Punjab and the largely Dalit Sikh dera-goers. Much of the
following that the dera sects are attracting is because people from lower castes and the lower strata of
Punjabi society are trying to carve out a distinct identity for themselves. While the Vienna attack, police
claimed, was an organised crime, the violence in Punjab was neither organised nor targeted. It took a few
minutes to set all of Punjab aflame. The total failure of the State machinery to handle the situation is
another matter but fear of communal backlash loomed large on the faces of the State authorities. The
State police allowed the furious mob to damage public and private property and vent out their anger. In at
least one village in Jalandhar district, a senior official said Jat Sikhs had direct clash with the Dalits but
the situation was handled in time. Punjab has no history of communal riots. However, recent incidents of

violence between Sikhs community and followers of deras mushrooming in Punjab are symptoms of caste
struggle. In the midst of ongoing confrontation between Sikhs and Dera Sacha Sauda, the Dera Sach
Khand of Jalandhar is a new chapter added to Punjab politics. The Sikh community has banned
congregations by Dera Sacha Sauda that led to clash between the two sides at many places in Malwa
region. In Tallan village in Jalandhar district, major clashes took place twice between Jat Sikhs and Dalits
over control of a gurdwara in the village. Similar clashes are on between Sikh fundamentalists and Divya
Jyoti Jagran Sansthan and Baba Bhaniarewala who also has influence over Dalits. The Vienna attack had
its roots in local factors linked to Dera Sach Khand headed by Sant Niranjan Dass. His deputy Sant
Ramanand died in the attack. This Dera had lakhs of Dalit followers all over the world. Dera Sach Khand
was set up over 70 years ago in Ballan village near Jalandhar by Sant Pipal Singh. The sect follows the
ideals of Sant Ravi Dass, a late 15th century preacher. Over the ages, it has become a power centre for
members of the lower castes. Sect leaders have been placing the Sikh holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, in
their gurdwaras and religious ceremonies, much to the annoyance of the Sikh clergy and community. The
Sikhs object to their holy book being placed equally to living leaders of this sect. (Pioneer 27/5/09)
5% rise in crimes against Dalits in UP’ (2)
Lucknow: The atrocities against Dalits have gone up by almost five per cent during the last year of
Mayawati's tenure as compared to 2007, a Human Rights report claimed raising a big question over the
alleviation of the plight of downtrodden under the BSP rule. Atrocities against the Dalits and Tribals under
the Chief Ministership of Mayawati, a Dalit herself, increased by 4.74 per cent in 2008 as compared to
2007, Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) said in its report. Total 6,942 atrocities were registered in
2008 against 6,628 in 2007, it claimed on the basis of Uttar Pradesh Police records. These cases of
atrocities included 229 cases of murder, 333 cases of rape and 2,390 cases under SC/ST (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act, 1989. The report claimed that the figures could be inaccurate in view of low levels of public
respect for the institution of the police due to their repeated involvement in serious crimes. It added that
as the Dalits were in a state of trauma, the 17-member State Commission for SCs and STs of Uttar
Pradesh was hardly effective. The ACHR, which used to work in seven Asian countries, released its
detailed report of Human Rights-2009 talking about the violation of human rights in Asian countries,
including India. "The CM has failed to take appropriate measures to ensure the rights of the Dalits while
they continue to be denied entry into temples, barred from using public facilities, and faced discrimination
in educational institutions," the report said. It said discrimination persisted in educational institutions in the
State. Mid-day meal cooked by Dalits in Government schools was often rejected by the upper caste
students who received support from their parents in that act. This practice was prevalent despite
Government orders for appointment of Dalit cooks on priority basis. According to a survey, Dalit cooks
were appointed in only 17 per cent of schools. Besides, the report cited many atrocities in its report: In
November 2008, a Dalit student of the Government Girls Inter College in Ferozabad district was allegedly
forced to do the job of a sweeper and sit separately from others by upper caste teachers because of her
dark complexion and her caste. In December 2008, a school principal Madhuri Pandey allegedly refused
to eat the food cooked by Dalit students during an examination in Mau. On 10 November 2008, an elderly
Dalit woman was beaten up with sticks by the upper caste people for using a hand pump installed in
Mudaiya locality of Lachhu village in Auraiya district. The police refused to register her complaint when
the victim approached the police. On November 2, a 14-year-old Dalit was raped in Banda district after
the attacker poured hair dye into her mouth. She died in hospital. In February, teachers of a Government
primary school in Jalaun segregated Dalit pupils before the mid-day meal, forcing them to squat on the
veranda and eat. A ACHR senior official said that rise in crime rate could be because of increase in
awareness level among Dalits. After being politically sensitised because of having a Dalit Chief Minister in
the saddle, they now probably feel more secured and register case, he said. "This political sensitisation
can also lead to increase in direct confrontation between Dalits and upper castes," he said. The report
also highlighted Government's inability to utilise welfare funds for Dalits. Against Rs 421 crore earmarked
for the scholarship of SC students only Rs 74 crore was spent. The report even quoted Cabinet Secretary
Shashank Shekhar Singh as saying that 27 out of 30 departments spent no money under Special
Component Plan (SCP). This plan was meant exclusively for uplift of Dalits. (Pioneer 1/6/09)
Withdraw FIRs against Dalits, Bhattal urges Guv (2)
Chandigarh: Residents of village Bhutal, district Sangrur falling under Lehra Assembly constituency led by
Punjab Leader of Opposition, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal on Tuesday met the Punjab Governor General (Retd)

SF Rodrigues to seek his intervention in the open auction of reserve land of their village and to withdraw
frivolous FIRs registered against them. Bhattal apprised the Governor that previously this piece of land
was auctioned only to Scheduled Caste families who were solely dependant on this for their livelihood but
this time the land was auctioned in open. The members of the delegation alleged that prior to Lok Sabha
election, SAD-BJP leaders had lured them by promising 5 marla plots and also coaxed them to build their
houses, but now after the elections their houses were demolished and they were evicted, besides cases
were registered against them. Bhattal urged the Governor to direct the concerned authorities to withdraw
FIRs lodged against 6 leading persons of the area as their houses were demolished and reserve land
was now with the Government. She also appealed to the Government to allot 5 Marla plots to landless
Dalits and also re-auction the said land only to Scheduled Castes as per previous arrangement. Terming
the racist attacks on Indians in Australia as unfortunate, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal has urged the parties not
to politicise the issue to their advantage, rather they should play a pro-active role to reduce the tension
and maintain peace and amity. She lamented that some frustrated anti-social elements of Australian
origin were out to play the evil designs of creating fissures amongst the international community. (Pioneer
3/6/09)
Orissa minister in trouble over gangrape of Dalit girl (2)
Bhubaneswar: After a former assembly Speaker resigned following charges of sexual harassment last
year, the Naveen Patnaik government in Orissa is again facing a controversy with a minister accused of
shielding the prime accused in an alleged gangrape of a Dalit woman. Scheduled Caste and Scheduled
Tribe Development Minister Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha is accused of attempting to hush up the incident at
Paikamal in Bargarh district, 350 km from Bhubaneswar. "The allegations against me are false and
baseless. Truth will prevail soon," Bariha told reporters today and alleged it was a 'conspiracy' against
him. Ruling BJD on Monday suspended Paikamal block chairman Mahesh Agarwal, one of the four
accused persons in the alleged gangrape of a 24-year-old Dalit woman on May 10. The woman was
allegedly raped by four persons, including Agarwal, at a godown of the Paikamal block office. The victim
in her complaint to the police alleged she had gone there to enquire about a government job when
Agarwal's associates took her to the godown and raped her. According to Baragarh Superintendent of
Police Ashok Biswal, medical examination of the girl confirmed rape. Though the minister was not named
in the FIR, he has been accused of shielding Agarwal and others as they belonged to BJD. Bariha had
allegedly visited the house of Agarwal after becoming a minister when the police were searching for him.
Agarwal, who has obtained anticipatory bail while the three others were absconding, was also spotted at
the election victory procession of the minister which was held after the alleged gangrape incident. (Indian
Express 3/6/09)
Dalit murder: CM packs off DGP to Azamgarh (2)
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh DGP Vikram Singh rushed to Azamgarh on Tuesday for a spot inspection after a
Dalit was murdered in the district. This is the second instance in less than a fortnight that the DGP visited
the scene of a crime where the victims were Dalits. Sixty-year-old Sabru, a native of Tithaupur village,
was beaten up by his neighbour Tej Bahadur and his three sons following a dispute over the sharing of a
common passage to their fields on May 29. He was admitted to a hospital, where he died on Monday.
Chief Minister Mayawati, addressing a meeting of SPs and DMs on May 25, had ordered that the DGP
would visit the spot, whenever a Dalit was murdered. Singh visited Sabru’s family and handed over a
cheque for Rs 1.7 lakh to his son. The money was drawn from the Chief Minister’s Discretionary Fund.
The DGP also ordered suspension of seven policemen, including the sub-inspector in charge of a police
post, and shifted the SO of Tarwa police station to the Police Lines for dereliction of duty. He also ordered
Azamgarh SP Ramit Sharma to seek explanation from ASP (City) OP Srivastava and Circle Officer (CO)
Rajesh Srivastava for not carrying out annual inspections of the police stations and outposts under their
jurisdiction. The DGP found that the sub-inspector in charge of the Bogairya police post and six
constables were unaware of the beats under the jurisdiction of the outpost. Singh also visited the Tarwa
police station and found that the police had not registered any complaint regarding disputes over grabbing
of land, encroachment of subways and drains in the villages. The DGP said the murder could have been
avoided if the police had intervened in the matter. (Indian Express 3/6/09)
Mayawati wants Centre to focus on schemes for Dalits (2)

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday said the Centre should pay greater
attention to implementing the schemes for the welfare of Dalits and other weaker sections of society.
Reacting to President Pratibha Patil’s address to Parliament, Ms. Mayawati said in a statement that there
was nothing new in the programmes announced for Dalits and other weaker sections. The welfare
programmes should be implemented without discrimination. The UPA government was silent on the
schemes it had announced for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and deprived sections. One such
issue was giving reservation to SCs/STs in the private sector. Ms. Mayawati said she had written a letter
to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking quota for SCs/STs in the private sector, judiciary and
legislature. The Chief Minister wanted an action plan formulated for implementing the Sachar panel
recommendations on the welfare of Muslims. She alleged that the loan waiver scheme benefited only rich
farmers, who had taken loans from banks. She wanted steps taken for waiving the loans taken by Dalits.
Instead of 100-day employment, jobs for the whole year should be provided under the National Rural
Employment Guarantee Programme. The Chief Minister’s statement was released by Cabinet Secretary
Shashank Shekhar Singh here. Talking to journalists, Mr. Singh claimed that contrary to the Opposition
propaganda on the law and order situation, there was a fall in the number of incidents of crime. (The
Hindu 6/6/09)
DGP visits home of Dalit murder victim (2)
Ghaziabad: The DGP of UP police visited the home of a 40-year-old Dalit businessman here and
presented a cheque worth Rs 1.5 lakh to his next of kin on Friday. Rajesh Kumar Tomar, a laundry house
owner, was found strangled to death on agricultural land near Ator Nangla village in Sihani Gate PS area
of Ghaziabad early on Thursday morning. Police solved the case within six hours of his arrest. Four
persons including the wife of the deceased and her lover have been arrested. “I am here to execute the
new directives of the State Chief Minister that the DG would personally visit the spot to show the State’s
concern at the death of any Dalit in the State. A cheque is being presented to the family members of the
deceased,” DGP Vikram Singh said. Rajesh Dwivedi, inspector-in-charge of Sihani Gate police station,
said: “Locals spotted the body around 5 am and called us. When we interrogated the wife, Munish, she
broke before and confessed that her lover killed her husband and she had been complicit in the matter.
Upon her tip-off, we picked up the others and their confessional statements matched with hers. We had
solved the case in six hours.” At 23, Chaman Singh was 12 years younger than his lady love. He had
been a regular visitor to Rajesh’s house at Bhim Nagar in Vijay Nagar and had developed relations with
Munish over the past few years. Significantly, Chaman had also recorded a video of himself with Munesh
engaging in the sexual act, a clipping of which was found on his mobile phone. Later, Chaman also
started bringing two of his friends — Narendra and Shri Pal — to Rajesh’s house who developed
familiarity with him in course of time. The two were also said to have been having illegitimate relations
with Munesh. Rakesh, at one instance, borrowed Rs 16,000 from Shri Pal and still owed this amount to
him. Police said that Rajesh was suspicious of his wife’s relations with these men, particularly Chaman,
and had opposed their entry to the house but they continued to visit regularly. Faced with stiff resistance
from Rajesh, Chaman conspired with Narendra and Shri Pal to eliminate him. “Chaman picked up Rajesh
from his Bhim Nagar residence and administered poison mixed in a drink to him due to which he became
unconscious. He was then strangled by the trio in a moving Tavera and his body dumped in the
agricultural field,” Dwivedi said, adding that lengths of rope were found near the body and the neck bore
marks of strangulation. Rajesh was married to Munesh 15 years ago. He shifted from his native place
Ator Nangla to Ghaziabad city and finally settled in Bhim Nagar at Vijay Nagar. A case of murder was
registered at Sihani Gate police station against Chaman, Narendra and Shri Pal. Munesh was also
booked under Sections 302/120B for conspiring to murder her husband. Further investigations are in
progress, police said. (Pioneer 6/6/09)
Dalit’s gang rape: arrest of SI, constables sought (2)
HYDERABAD: The Society Against Caste Discrimination has demanded immediate arrest of the SI and
four constables attached to the Elamanchili police station, in East Godavari district, for allegedly resorting
recently to gang rape of a Dalit girl in the lock-up. In a representation to Home Minister , here on
Saturday, John Wesley, society’s general secretary, charged that the victim belonging to Konteru village ,
was ‘abducted’ by a landlord and subjected to molestation for 15 days. The girl was sexually abused by
the five police personnel also . The society leader sought the Minister’s intervention in the issue. (The
Hindu 7/6/09)

Naveen shields Bariha in Paikamal gangrape case (2)
Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seems to be in no mood to oblige the BJP leaders who are
baying for his Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Minister Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha’s
blood. The Patnaik Government is facing a controversy relating to Bariha who is allegedly shielding the
prime accused in the case of gangrape of a Dalit woman in the Paikamal area of Bargarh district. Bariha
is accused of attempting to hush up the incident. The ruling BJD on June 1 suspended Paikamal
Panchayat Samiti Chairman Mahesh Agarwal, one of the four accused persons in the alleged gang rape
of the 24-year-old Dalit woman on May 10. The woman was allegedly raped by four persons, including
Agarwal, at a godown of the Panchayat Samiti office. Incidentally the gowdown belongs to a local senior
Congress leader. The victim, in her complaint to the police, alleged that she had gone to the Panchayat
Samiti office to inquire about a Government job when Agarwal’s associates took her to the godown and
raped her. Minister Bariha has landed in trouble with allegations against him of trying to hush up the
incident. The Crime Branch has already started investigations into the incident. A team visited the place
of offence and inquired into related matters. Though the Minister was not named in the FIR, he has been
accused of shielding Agarwal and others as they belong to the BJD. Several BJP leaders who met the girl
in her village have demanded dismissal of Bariha from the Cabinet. The Minister had allegedly visited the
house of Agarwal after becoming Minister when the police were searching for him. The Chief Minister’s
Office (CMO) has already secretly inquired into the matter and ‘found out’ that it was a politically
motivated controversy, with both BJP and a group in the BJD baying for Bariha’s blood. Sources said
Minister of Health and Family Welfare Prasanna Acharya, who belongs to the same Bargarh district, is not
in good terms with Bariha and his cronies are allegedly gunning for the Minister. Taking the whole
scenario into consideration, the Chief Minister has asked Bariha to keep quiet and make him scarce with
the media. Interestingly, the Congress is not taking up the issue as the place of rape allegedly belongs to
a Congress leader. The Chief Minister feels that if he obliges the BJP by dismissing his Minister the BJD
will be weakened in western Orissa, where Bariha is the BJD’s tribal face. It appears that due to political
considerations the Chief Minister is not taking any action against the Minister. (Pioneer 10/6/09)
Dalit youth beaten to death over love affair (2)
A love affair proved fatal for a 20-year-old Dalit man in Uttar Pradesh, police said Wednesday. According
to police, Bhim Sen was beaten to death allegedly by the family members of the girl with whom he was in
love for the last several months. Four of the accused have been arrested for the alleged murder and
police said five more are absconding. Bhim Sen was beaten with wooden sticks in the Chainpura village
in Siddharthnagar district, about 300 km from here. 'After the youth was caught meeting the girl, her
family members dragged him to a nearby pole where he was tied and beaten repeatedly with sticks,'
district police chief Akhilesh Kumar told IANS. According to police, the girl was also beaten in the same
way. While the youth died on the spot, the girl was being treated in the district hospital and her condition
was stated to be critical. (India E-News 10/6/09)
In Maya’s UP, no takers for Dalit gram pradhan seat (2)
Kanpur: Chief Minister Mayawati may claim of giving a voice to the Dalits, a gram pradhan constituency
reserved for SCs in the state has again failed to elect its representative. The exercise to elect a gram
pradhan and 15 members for the Malasa panchayat in Kanpur Dehat has again turned futile as like
previous six occasions, no one came forward to even file the nomination papers before the deadline
ended on Tuesday. Since August 2005, when the post of gram pradhan was reserved for SCs, the
Thakur-dominated Malasa village has been without a panchayat. By-elections were scheduled six times
but were never held in want of candidates as the non-Dalits, who constitute an overwhelming majority in
the area, have been boycotting the election process protesting against the reservation of the post. The
Dalits, on the other hand, stay away because they reportedly do not want to annoy the non-Dalits. (Indian
Express 11/6/09)
Paswan threatens to ‘expose’ truth of Maha Dalit committee (2)
New Delhi: The LJP has accused the Nitish Kumar Government in Bihar of dividing the Scheduled Castes
in the State and has threatened to “expose the truth of the Maha Dalit Commission” constituted by the
State Government. “The Nitish Kumar Government has divided the Scheduled Castes (SC) in Bihar into
Dalits and Maha Dalits not with the intention of benefitting other Dalit castes but to ultimately remove the

esilient Dalit castes — Paswan and Ravidas — from the SC list,” Paswan told reporters after a meeting
of his party’s national executive here on Sunday. The party chief said that the LJP would organise a jail
bharo agitation in Bihar on July 27 to expose the “nefarious designs of the State Government.” The party
also demanded that Vishwamohan Rishi Commission report on Maha Dalits and Uday Kant Choudhary
Commission report on Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs) should be made public and implemented in
right earnest in Bihar. Attacking the State Government over the killings of people belonging to minority
and tribal communities over a land dispute in Purnea this week, Paswan demanded that the report of
Bandopadhyaye Commission on land reforms legislation should be made public and implemented.
“Despite establishing a Land Reform Commission, a number of killings are happening in Bihar over land
disputes. The Government completely failed to provide protection to the weaker sections in Bihar,”
Paswan said. The stand of the LJP, which could not open its account in the recent Lok Sabha election
and has just one Rajya Sabha MP, is in sync with the position taken by the Samajwadi Party and the RJD
led by Lalu Prasad, which are also opposing the Bill in its current format while demanding sub-quota for
these sections. Paswan’s party, which adopted a resolution on the reservation issue, had fought the last
Lok Sabha election in alliance with the two parties. Paswan also sought an end to the use of electronic
voting machines (EVMs) in the elections and favoured reverting to the old system of polling through ballot
papers. (Pioneer 15/6/09)
The reduction of Ambedkar (Article by Vivek Kumar *)
As the nation celebrates the 113th birth anniversary of Bhimrao Ambedkar his legacy has brought Dalits a
paradox of hope and despair. Despair because 50 per cent Dalits are living under poverty line,
approximately 70 per cent are still illiterate and about 80 per cent tied to agricultural activities. The spate
of violence against them makes their reality painful. In 1999 alone the SC&ST commission registered
25093 cases of atrocities on the Dalits. During the same period one thousand Dalit women were raped,
506 Dalits were murdered and 3241 suffered grievous injury. Further, the despair among Dalits exists
because the provision of job opportunities for them through compensatory discrimination under Article
335 of the Indian Constitution in government departments, public, banking and insurance sectors is
becoming redundant. It is so precisely for two reasons, one because of the onset of processes of
globalisation, privatisation and liberalisation and information revolution the state is rolling back and
secondly the Dalits are not able to meet the demands of the contemporary job market. It is not that the
Dalits do not have merit but they have been late starters in the field of education in general and technical
education in particular, which the MNCs need for day-to-day functioning. Today the Dalit movement has
strengthened Indian democracy by its struggle to get their constitutional rights fulfilled, which were
enshrined for them in the Constitution by Ambedkar. Though the Dalits movement has diversified its
nature and scope with different types of discourses like Dalit literature, Dalit religion (Buddhism), Dalit
Identity, Dalit Bureaucracy, Dalit Women, and Dalit Diaspora- Dalit Politics has taken precedence on all
other discourses. This dominance of Dalits politics is so overpowering that it has become synonymous
with the Dalit movement and that to with Bahujan Samaj Party. A class of Dalit intellectuals is involved in
the positive construction of much stigmatized and maligned image of the Dalits. In this regard the role
played by the Dalit Diaspora has also been very significant. However, an ugly aspect of Dalit assertion is
that today Ambedkar has become a victim of reductionism where he is projected only as a Dalit leader or
at the most a framer of the Constitution. His role in nation-building and social transformation based on
universal principles of scientific rationality, equality, democracy, fraternity and social justice have been
relegated to the periphery. (* The writer teaches sociology at JNU, New Delhi) (Indian Express 16/6/09
Policeman suspended for not registering Dalit's gangrape (2)
Lucknow, June 17: A policeman has been suspended in Uttar Pradesh for not registering the case of a
15-year-old Dalit girl who alleged that she was gangraped, police said Wednesday. Two of the three
accused have been arrested. "Station House Officer Ravindra Kumar Ravi with the Jhangha police station
in Gorakhpur district has been suspended with immediate effect for not registering the rape case,"
Superintendent of Police R.P. Pandey told over telephone. Police said the teenaged girl of the Roha
village in Gorakhpur, 275-km from Lucknow, was Sunday abducted by three men of the same village and
later raped by them at a secluded place. "When the victim went to the police station to register the case
against the accused, Ravi did not pay any heed and made her leave the police station without registering
the case," said Pandey. Later the victim met the deputy inspector general of police (DIG), Gorakhpur, who
Tuesday night suspended Ravi and ordered an enquiry into the case. Of the three accused of the rape,

police Wednesday managed to arrest two men, Dhananjay and Rajaram. Chief Minister Mayawati's
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) espouses the cause of India's Dalits or socially marginalised communities.
(Zee News 17/6/09)
Kewat’s fangs blunt UP Police teeth (2)
Lucknow: What is higher on the priority list of the Mayawati government —- crime against Dalits or crime
against the state. A lone dacoit with a motley goup of untrained street smart men is holding back a strong
army of UP Police comprising trained commandos of Special Task Force and Provincial Armed
Constabulary (PAC) beside the police from four districts for more than 36 hours in an obscure Chitrakoot
village. In the encounter, the brigands have gunned down three policemen besides critically injuring over
a dozen others, including an IG and a DIG. All this with a miniscule armoury pitted against the state’s
sophisticated and unliited arsenal in the hands of trained personnel. But for the state government and the
DGP, rushing to districts where crimes are perpetrated against Dalits, supervising arrest of accused and
distributing compensation is more important, at least in the present dispensation. Or else, why would the
top cop, who is expectantly looked upto by his men did not care to visit troubled Chitrakoot district or the
scene of encounter like his more prodigal predecessors JN Chaturvedi, Prakash Singh, Sri Ram Arun and
the likes, who believed in leading from the front and motivated the men in khaki. In fact, the DGP has
reached several scenes of encounters like the proverbial filmi policewallah, after the operations were
over, results notwithstanding. Be it the felling of Dadua, Nirbhay, Thokiya or Jagjeevan Parihar, the DGP
was there only for the showering of goodies. Yes, he did go to Banda to pay homage after dacoit Sapola
waylaid and killed six STF commandos. What is of more serious concern is the question that this holed up
gang has raised over the competence of UP Police personnel by keeping them at bay for a day-and-a
half. Going by the DGP’s version, the gang was in possession of a dozen outdated weapons except for a
303 rifle and four hand grenades, so what are the cops, who have access to sohisticated weaponry and
training, doing. \If this be the situation in handling a group of hot headed ravine rangers, where would the
UP Police personnel and its top brass hide, if there were an immaculately planned fidayeen attack carried
out by armed-to-the-teeth ultras in any corner of the state. The self-hyped ‘teeth’ of the UP Police lay
badly exposed by the operation against holed up Kewat in Jamrauli village of Chitrakoot. The DGP, on
the other hand, seems more preoccupied with meetings and issuing circulars and complying with the
government’s Dalit agenda. In the last fortnight, Singh has visited Lakhimpur Kheri, Ghaziabad, Hardoi,
Azamgarh, Sultanpur etc where Dalits were either murdered or female members were raped. In several
sensational crimes, he never cared to even crosscheck with the district police chief concerned. Even after
the three cops perished in the face-off with Kewat and more than dozen are injured, the DGP has not
cared to visit the scene himself. What is more surprising, the best operational teams of STF led by SSP,
STF, Amitabh Yash, Additional SP Anant Deo, Inspector Anil Singh who were rewarded Rs 3 lakh each
for eliminating dacoit Thokia were not sent. Not only this, even IG (STF) KL Meena, and ADG, Law &
Order, Brij Lal were held back and instead, IG (PAC) VK Gupta was sent for monitoring the situation. It
was only after an IG and DIG suffered bullet wounds that Brij Lal was sent to Chitrakot on Wednesday
afternoon and SSP STF, Amitabh Yash was asked to join him. (Pioneer 18/6/09)
BJP flays Maya govt’s false concern for Dalits (2)
Lucknow: Ridiculing the Mayawati government for its false concern for Dalits, the BJP on Wednesday
alleged that atrocities on people of the Scheduled Castes had gone up to an all-time high during the
current regime. State vice-president and spokesman of the BJP HN Dixit told reporters that never before
had the Dalits in the state faced such atrocities and BSP MLAs and the ministers were using the police to
settle personal scores. He said that the role of the police was even worse as it was registering cases
against the victims instead of the perpetrators.“Women and girls are the worst sufferers as complaints of
rape and other crimes against women are pouring in from every part of the state. Not only anti-social
elements but even the police are torturing them in the most inhuman way,” he said. He added that the
recent Shahjahanpur incident was an example of the atrocities against Dalits. Dixit said the BJP had
received reports that Dalits were victimised in Jaunpur, Pratapgarh, Sitapur, Azamgarh and Unnao but
police failed to book the culprits in any of the cases. He said that the DGP’s spot visits could not do any
good as the incidents of crimes against Dalits were on the rise. He said that the BJP would raise the issue
in the House and would also agitate against the state government on the streets. (Pioneer 18/6/09)
Spanish messiah of Anantapur’s poor dies (2)

Hyderabad: Father Vicente Ferrer, a Spanish activist, who worked for 50 years in Anantapur district of
Andhra Pradesh to uplift the downtrodden sections, passed away on Friday morning. He was 90 years.
"He died at around 4.15 am," said his son Manchu. Vicente, who ran Rural Development Trust, was seen
as a messiah by the poor and Dalits in the underdeveloped and drought-prone Anantapur district for the
welfare projects he had taken up in the areas of health, education, agriculture and livelihood. "It is a big
shock and loss for the district," said NK Singh, district superintendent of police. Vicente will be laid to rest
on Monday at Battalapally village in the courtyard of a hospital built by him. Vicente is survived by wife
Anne (a Briton), who now heads the organisation, and three children, including son Munchu Ferrer and
two daughters. Vicent arrived in India in 1952 from Barcelona and decided to stay put in the country as
"will of God". (Pioneer 20/6/09)
Nitish dividing dalit community : Paswan (2)
Patna: LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan on Thursday charged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with
deliberately trying to divide dalit community for their votes and threatened to launch a state-wide agitation
if the state government continued to ''discriminate'' against the community. Referring to the state
government's bid to keep Ravidas (chamaras) and Paswan (dusadhs) out of the mahadalit category,
Paswan, whose dalit sena spearheaded by his former MP brother Ramchandra Paswan, organised a
dharna at r-block roundabout here, said "it reflects a dirty politics aimed at dividing the dalits to rule the
state, a step LJP will not tolerate." Speaking to reporters at the venue of dharna, the LJD boss said his
party had geared up to push the state's NDA overnment towards a showdown to stop any move to
discriminate against the interests of dalits. He demanded that the Nitish Kumar government should make
public the recommendations of mahadalit commission headed by Vishwanath Rishi and extremely
backward commission report of Udaykant Choudhry. (Indian Express 25/6/09)
Maya returns to her Dalit agenda (2)
Lucknow: Mayawati is back to basics. She returned to her Dalit agenda on Monday when she asked
divisional commissioners to dispose of land-related cases of Scheduled Castes latest by July 15. She
also told the senior police officials to personally investigate the crimes against Dalits. In her over twohour-long
meeting with DMs, SPs and Commissioners, the Chief Minister gave a tongue-lashing to
officials telling them point blank that the law and order situation needed to be improved. “I have come to
know from my own sources that the law and order situation in the state is not up to the mark. The officials
will have to ensure that people in general and Dalits in particular should get the benefit of the government
schemes, besides they should feel secured,” Mayawati said while addressing officials here on Monday.
Mayawati also declared sectorwise division of the state which, she claimed, would help in curbing the
crime rate as well as expedite the pace of development. However, her focus was mainly on the Dalits.
The Chief Minister declared that in case of crimes committed against Dalits, the SP or SSP rank official
should visit the site the same day. “If the SP can not go, the IG or DIG should visit the site and in no case
a junior officer will be entrusted with the responsibility of investigation,” she said and added that the same
day the aggrieved person should get justice. “In case of murder or rape of a Dalit, the DGP or Principal
Secretary (Home) should visit the spot and report to me by the evening,” the Chief Minister said. She
asked the Divisional Commissioners to dispose all land-related cases of Dalits by July 15. “In case of
grabbing of land by upper caste persons, the SDM should take decision in three days time by holding a
court of inquiry. This new system will come into force immediately,” she said. She also asked officials to
stop the misuse of SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and asked them to take action against those filing
fake cases. She has asked officials to review the cases by July 15. “In many revenue villages, the safai
karamcharis have outsourced their work to private contractors. DMs should take action against such
persons,” Mayawati said. She also announced implementation of sector system to expedite review of
development projects as well as controlling law and order. Under this system, three districts would
comprise one sector which would be headed by a sector incharge. “Development and law and order
would have different sector incharges. These officials will carry out surprise inspections in their
designated districts and will also stay put in villages for atleast four days in a month,” the Chief Minister
said. Additional Cabinet Secretary Vijay Shankar Pandey and Principal Secretary (Home) Kunwar Fateh
Bahadur would start surprise inspections from June 1. “I will review the development work in Ambedkar
villages and ‘Dalit bastis’ personally,” she declared. (Pioneer 26/6/09)
Teen, two others arrested for Dalit woman’s rape (2)

Noida: An 18-year-old BA first year student in MMH College of Ghaziabad along with two other
associates were arrested as one among the two people involved in the alleged gangrape of a 32-year-old
Dalit woman working at the Heritage Club in Greater Noida on Friday morning. According to the district
police officers, "The three persons who gangraped the woman filmed the act on a mobile phone." The
woman is a resident of Darha village and is married to Lokesh for the past five years. Around 11 am on
Friday, the woman was walking down to her workplace when the bikeborne assailants forced her to
accompany them. The woman was taken to an unknown place and gangraped by the three boys. While
the incident happened in the morning hours, a complaint was lodged late in the evening around 9 pm.
Two of the accused have been identified as Deepak and Guru while the other has not yet been identified
by police. According to the victim, two of her colleagues, Deepak and Guru had convinced her that they
would help get her a job. On Friday, they told her that they have arranged for an interview. Thus she
accompanied them. But the duo took her to an isolated place where one more man joined them and the
three of them raped her. Though a complaint was lodged at the Greater Noida Police Station by Lokesh,
the husband of the victim, police kept mum over the issue before the rape confirmation report comes out.
According to SP (Rural), SK Verma, "We have investigated the scene of crime. It is all a farce. The
woman in her complaint had written that the scene of occurrence was behind a thick bush. But we
recovered keys from the accused which opened to a room in the B block series in Gama Phase 1. Further
investigations clearly indicated that she was not forced." Meanwhile, the parents of the accused who is a
Gujjar alleged that the woman had a deceptive nature and there have been incidents in the past when
she was disloyal to her husband. To this Ashok Kumar Singh, SSP responded, "There have always been
fights between Gujjar and the Dalits. We are still waiting for the rape confirmation report which has been
sent to the district hospital." Though the confirmation reports are awaited, police have detained Deepak,
one of the accused in the case, while two other accused are absconding. The DGP had earlier ordered
the State officials of providing compensation to Dalits for any misbehaviour against them. "After the
confirmation report comes out, only then we will take action. We plan to address the Social Welfare
Department to provide a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the victim, if the accused are found guilty," Verma
said. (Pioneer 28/6/09)
‘Meira made Speaker to keep her away from Dalits’ (2)
Lucknow: The Bahujan Samaj Party believes that the Congress has made Meira Kumar Speaker of the
Lok Sabha just to keep her away from her own people, and also that, in this position she will not be able
to do anything for the welfare of her community. The BSP’s position on Meira Kumar’s elevation to the
Speaker’s office has been spelt out for the first time in a booklet, titled “Dalit ke beti pradhan mantri kyon
nahin ban payee? Zara sochiye!” which Chief Minister Mayawati distributed among party leaders from
various states whom she met on Saturday. The booklet accuses the BJP and the Congress of appointing
Dalits to high offices, like those of President, Vice President, Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Governor,
only to alienate the people of the Dalit community from the BSP. It describes Dalit leaders, who are given
such positions, as “mostly the selfish kind, who have nothing to do with the welfare of their own
community”. Further, such leaders behave like “bonded labourers” of these parties, says the booklet.
“Meira Kumar has been made Speaker of the Lok Sabha in order to keep her away from her own people.
In our country, the posts of President, Vice President, Governor, and Speaker are such that if the people
of the Dalit community occupy them, they can do no good to the people of their own community.” Alleging
that the Congress has never allowed Dalits and tribals to remain in positions of influence for long, the
booklet says that Sushil Kumar Shinde was removed as Maharashtra Chief Minister after the Assembly
elections and made Governor of Andhra Pradesh. (Indian Express 29/6/09)
Only a Dalit will be my successor: Mayawati (2)
Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national general secretary Satish Misra may continue to remain
her confidant, but Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has no intentions of letting him don the mantle
of her successor as she Saturday said only a Dalit will succeed her. Making this clear at a hurriedly
convened meeting of party ministers, MPs, legislators and district coordinators at the BSP's state
headquarters here, Mayawati said: "I am aware that everyone was wondering who I would nominate as
my successor in the event I rode on to become prime minister. I was also told that other than Satish
Misra, the names of Naseem Siddiqui and Swami Prasad Maurya were doing rounds. "But let me clarify
that while I would accomodate these prominent leaders in key positions at the centre, a committed Dalit
alone would be my successor as chief minister here," she said as according to some of those who

attended the meet. only a Dalit will be her successor, she said, according to some of those who attended
the meet. Announcing a new role for Misra, who was so far projected as the architect of her "social
engineering" initiative, Mayawati reportedly said: "He will now devote his energies to fighting all court
battles for me and for our government." In the four-and-a-half-hour closed-door session, she also
cautioned her party's leaders against the Congress "playing tricks" with Dalits and "misguiding" them. She
also asked them to gear up for the forthcoming by-elections for 13 assembly and a parliamentary
constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Stressing on accountability, the BSP chief said, "Responsibility would be
fixed for poor performance." She also reiterated that in the April-May Lok Sabha elections, the entire
opposition had "ganged up" against the BSP, leading to a lower-than-expected tally for the party. Misra
was the only other leader who addressed the meeting. His 20-minute speech was devoted to clarifications
on rumours about his being sidelined. "I continue to enjoy Behenji's blessings as before and will continue
to work like her devoted soldier to further the interests of the party and the government," he said,
according to party sources. Meanwhile, Mayawati expelled a former Rajya sabha MP, Balihari Babu, from
the party for "anti-party activities". She was stated to have told the gathering, "Balihari Babu has been
removed as he damaged BSP's prospects in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and other places, where he was
sent to look after the interests of the party. I understand that he was playing into the hands of the
Congress." ( Indo-Asian News Service 5/7/09)
UPA failed to use Rs.72,500 crore for Dalits: Study (2)
New Delhi: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) may wax eloquent about empowering the
downtrodden, but in the last five years it has denied the Scheduled Castes (SCs) a whopping Rs.72,500
crore ($15.16 billion) that should have been earmarked for them under a special scheme. This has been
underlined by voluntary organisation National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) after a study of
India's budget documents. Called the special component plan (SCP), the scheme was a strategy evolved
way back in April 1975, envisaging that every central ministry must allocate funds from its annual plan for
Dalits according to their population. SCs today form 16.2 percent of India's 1.1 billion population.
Therefore, between 2005 and 2009, the Congress-led government should have set aside Rs.129,000
crore for Dalits. But as much as Rs.72,500 crore was not earmarked, the NCDHR has pointed out. "The
figures of allocation are a mute witness to the history of denial of exclusion. It is not only for the last five
years; this trend is observed for the last 28 years since the inception of the special component plan in
1979-80," states the NCDHR. It points to the allocations in the interim budget of the UPA government in
February. "Out of 75 ministries and their departments, only 16 have allocated funds under the SCP. Out
of these, nine ministries have allocated token amounts below five percent. Labour and employment,
science & technology, bio-technology, panchayati raj and textiles are some of the examples," says the
study. But the NCDHR concedes that human resource development, social justice and empowerment,
rural development, women and child development and health ministries did make allocations according to
the Dalit population. The SCP came into being in 1979-80 and only Rs.433 crore had been spent on SCs
and Scheduled Tribes (STs) together in the 30 years before that. According to the Planning Commission
guidelines, these funds cannot be diverted for any other purpose. The ruling Congress and its UPA allies
that spoke of the common man in the run up to elections allocated Rs.15,280 crore for SCs in its interim
budget in February while it should have set aside Rs.34,413 crore for this fiscal, says NCDHR. "This is
even lower than last year's allocation," points out the study. "While the total increase in the plan outlay is
15.74 percent, it is unacceptable that at this critical time of financial crisis, the amount for the socially and
economically vulnerable sections is drastically reduced. The amount denied is 55 percent this year!" ….
(Silicon India 5/7/09)
Radio Pakistan now comes to the aid of Dalits in India (2)
Abohar, July 6 : Radio Pakistan in its Punjabi Durbar programme has taken up the cause of Dalit
community in India. The Radio Pakistan has said that the Dalits in India do not have even basic rights.
The allegation has been rubbished by Babu Ram Chawla, General Secretary of All India Khatik Samaj
and Mangat Ram Chayal, Vice Chairman of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (Schedule Caste
department). “The statements of Pakistan radio about schedule castes in India are illogical. For, people of
schedule caste have gained all rights in India from Government and the society. They have been given
reservation in jobs, educational institutions, and a number of them are Members of Parliament. So the
statements by Pakistan Radio are malicious and we should not believe it,” said Babu Ram Chawla,
General Secretary of All India Khatik Samaj. “Pakistan wants to mislead us. There are special welfare

programs in politics, administration for the people of schedule castes. The schedule castes have
positioned themselves from Gram Panchayat to the designation of President, the highest position in
India,” said Mangatram Chayal, Vice Chairman of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Supreme
Court Department. Broadcasters of Radio Pakistan will do their listeners a good service by first keeping
themselves update about India through newspapers and other news sources. As they must also
remember that only recently all Member of Parliaments unanimously chose Meira Kumar as the head of
Lok Sabha, who besides being a highly educated and experienced parliamentarian, comes from a
schedule caste community. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is also one of the most popular
personalities which inspires the Dalits across the country. India has a history of individuals from schedule
caste or Dalit community occupying highest positions in all walks of life without prejudice. In jobs and
education, all socially backward or schedule caste people today have reservations to encourage their
participation in mainstream. Moreover, the Right to Equality is a fundamental right enshrined in the
Constitution of India.(New Kerala 6/7/09)
‘Untouchability made me convert’ (2)
MANGALORE: A person deposing before the B.K. Somashekhara Commission of Inquiry, which is
probing the attacks on churchs, on Wednesday said the reason for his conversion to Christianity was the
untouchability practised in the Hindu faith. The commission’s Legal Adviser, S.R. Raviprakash, recorded
the statements of the witnesses. Gunashekhara, who serves a church at Moodbidri, claimed that priests
of a temple in Bangalore refused him entry into the sanctum sanctorum some years ago. He said he was
not allowed to go close to the idols as he belonged to a “lower caste”, though as a painter he had applied
paint on idols of Hindu gods. Mr. Gunashekhara said he was even prevented from offering worship to
Hindu gods. He said he had to face this humiliation despite his parents having inculcated in him a sense
of spiritual devotion. Mr. Gunashekhara asserted that when his sister died within two days of her
marriage, the temple priests said she had “Mangalya dosha” and that she should not have been married
at all. He said such remarks even made him think of committing suicide. A chance sermon on Christianity
and a sudden “encounter with Jesus Christ” one day made him change his faith, Mr. Gunashekhara said.
He converted to Christianity on his own “under the provisions of the law,” he told the commission.
Although he spoke about Christianity with others, Mr. Gunashekhara claimed he never attempted to
convert them. Mr. Gunashekhara alleged that Bajrang Dal activists attacked his house when he was away
and only his wife and children were at home. “They ransacked my house. A police official took quick
action thereupon and arrested the persons” he added. -T.I. Joy, pastor of the Assemblies of God Church
at Nettana in Puttur Taluk, said a war-like situation prevailed on the premises of the prayer hall when
armed Bajrang Dal activists stormed it on September 14, 2008. The attackers lifted a two-year-old baby
and threw it. He did not specify what happened to the child. As he too was badly beaten, he had to be
hospitalised for 12 days. He said that even now, he was unable to move three of his fingers and his vision
and hearing had been affected. He said that six of the seven teachers of a school run by the church were
Hindu. A majority of the students there were also Hindu. He said he wanted to continue serving society
but was feeling scared. He stressed on peaceful coexistence of people of all faiths. Allwyn D’Souza, an
employee of a credit cooperative society, alleged that the police and the Bajrang Dal activists had,
together, attacked people near Milagres Church on September 14, 2008. Some of the vehicles were
damaged by people who were with the police. (The Hindu 9/7/09)
Delay in issuing caste certificate affects Irulas (2)
KANCHEEPURAM: Inordinate delay in issuance of caste certificates to Irula children living in
Bhudhavedu near Kovur is likely to prevent them from pursuing higher secondary school education,
according to Irular Tribal Community Organisation. In a memorandum submitted to the district
administration, the convener of ITCO, V. Jhon Devavaram, has said that 19 boys and 18 girls belonging
to 19 Irula families were studying in various standards in high school-level, with one of them in Standard
X, in the nearby Panchayat Union Middle School and in Adi Dravidar Welfare School. “Caste certificate
becomes necessary when pupils from the Irula community want to appear for public examinations and as
well as to pursue higher secondary in any other school,” he said. However, several pleas made to the
authorities concerned to issue caste certificates in the recent past had not yielded results. Apart from this,
non-availability of caste certificates had hampered the employment opportunities of 12 boys and two girls
and 10 housewives, he said. In all, the educational and employment prospects of 61 persons hailing from

24 Irula families settled in Bhudhavedu hinged on the caste certificates, Mr. Devavaram said. (The Hindu
9/7/09)
Dalit beaten to death, three cops suspended (2)
LUCKNOW: Three policemen were suspended in Muzaffarnagar district on Wednesday on the charge of
beating up a Dalit, Rajbal, in custody. He died of injuries in hospital. The district administration has
ordered a probe, which will be conducted by Circle Officer Rafique Ahmed. According to Inspector-
General, Law and Order, A.P. Maheshwari, the incident was a fallout of a land dispute between two
groups of Dalits in the Holi Chowk locality under the Chhaapar police station area. Mr. Maheshwari said
the two groups, led by Rajbal and Atmaram, came to blows on Tuesday night. The warring groups were
later brought to the police station. It was alleged that Rajbal was mercilessly beaten up by the rival group
and the policemen. Two first information reports were lodged at the station against Atmaram, Satpal,
Rajesh and Soraj; constables Munish Kumar and Ajay Kumar, and Station House Officer Muninder Singh
under Sections 456/09 and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. In another incident at Mirzapur village
in Gautam Buddha Nagar district, a 35-year-old speech and hearing challenged Dalit woman was
allegedly raped. The accused, an upper caste youth, was arrested on Tuesday. At Parsuiyan village in
Sitapur district, a 14-year-old Pasi girl was allegedly raped on Tuesday night. A youth, her neighbour, was
arrested on Wednesday. Mr. Maheshwari said the youth also belonged to a Scheduled Caste. (The Hindu
9/7/09)
Upper caste youth beaten up for teasing Dalit girl (2)
Orai (UP): An upper caste youth was beaten up and paraded with a garland of shoes on the charge of
teasing a Dalit girl at Usargaon village of Jalaun district in Uttar Pradesh. The youth, who had teased the
girl, was beaten up, had his hair cropped by the people belonging to the girl's caste, according to police
sources. They also shaved off a side of the youth's moustache and blackened his face and paraded him
in the Dalit locality. However, later the police with the mediation of the local MLA Chotey Singh and
eminent people of the village brokered a compromise between the two castes. (DNA 13/7/09)
Dalit minor girl ‘raped’ by hostel watchman (2)
HYDERABAD: A 10th standard student residing in the Government Hostel for Backward Classes at
Basheerabad in neighbouring Ranga Reddy district, 100 km from here, had been raped allegedly by a 50-
year-old watchman of the hostel. The girl belonging to Dalit community from Bantwaram area, who is six
months pregnant, approached the Ranga Reddy S.P. P. Muni Swamy, on Friday alleging that she had
been sexually assaulted for past few months by the watchman, Muthappa. A case of rape and cheating
was registered against the watchman who is absconding. With the support of M.V. Foundation, the girl
studied from class third to class ninth by residing in the local Government Hostel for Scheduled Caste
girls. She joined the B.C. Hostel for Girls for 10th class from this academic year. “Investigation revealed
that the watchman, whose family lives in Hyderabad, had been sexually abusing the girl for quite some
time. Investigation is on to ascertain if there was any negligence on the part of the hostel staff,” Mr. Muni
Swamy said. The accused allegedly tried to hush up the matter by aborting her pregnancy and took her to
a private hospital in Tandur. Somehow, the termination of pregnancy plan failed and the girl was brought
back to the hostel. A woman worker of the hostel alerted the higher-ups. The S.P. said the girl’s parents,
who are labourers, did not make any specific charges against the other hostel staff. But the angles of
possible negligence by hostel staff would be probed. A report would be submitted to the District Collector
in this regard, he explained. Meanwhile, the B.C. department officials began a department inquiry about
the sexual assault on the girl. (The Hindu 18/7/09)
Dalit votes behind BSP, Cong acrimony: SP (2)
Lucknow: The Dalit votes are bogey for both the Congress and the blue brigade, felt the leaders of the
Samajawadi Party here on Saturday. SP spokesman Rajendra Chowdhary alleged that the two parties
were shedding crocodile tears to woo the Dalit voters. However, both the parties had been befooling the
Dalit community for long, he claimed. “Rahul Gandhi and Mayawati are engaged in verbal duel but none
is concerned about the situation of Dalits in the country,” he added. The SP blamed both the parties for
keeping the Dalits at the lowest ebb of society. “During the Congress regime, Indira Gandhi gave the
slogan of ‘garibi hatao’ in 1969 but still 80 per cent of the population is living below the poverty line,”
Chowdhary said. He cited the incidents of farmers’ suicides in Vidarbha region during the previous UPA

egime. Taking a dig at BSP supremo Mayawati, the party alleged that construction of statues,
monuments and parks led to price rise and corruption. “Dailts will not be benefitted by these structures.
Incidents of their harssments and molestations are reported daily which suggests that law and order
situation has reached its lowest ebb,” Chowdhary added. The SP alleged that nearly one lakh party
workers were tortured by police at the behest of BSP leaders. “The law and order situation can be judged
best by the fact that when the residence of a leader was being set afire, police remained mute spectators.
Even the CM’s residence is situated just a few metres away from the scene of the incident,” he added.
Meanwhile, SP state unit chief Akhilesh Yadav has appointed over a dozen district and city unit heads of
the party on Saturday. The list of the newly-appointed district heads included Ravindra Pal Singh
(Aligarh), Devendra Agrawal (Hathras), Chand Ahmed Khan (Farrukhabad City), Aslam Sher Khan
(Jhansi City), Akhilesh Yadav (Azamgarh), Shahab Ansari (Gorakhpur City), Raj Kapoor Yadav (Basti),
SP Yadav (Balrampur), Raghuveer Prasad Yadav (Sultanpur), Qaiser Ali Quddusi (Moradabad City),
Aulad Ali (Ghaziabad District), Ram Kishore Agrawal (Ghaziabad City), Ishwa Mavi (Baghpat), Chitranjan
Swaroop (Muzaffarnagar District), Saleem Akhter (Muzaffarnagar City) and Samarjeet Singh (Fatehpur).
Akhilesh after his appoinment as party’s state chief on June 3, reconstitued committees in 55 districts.
However, most of the previous office-bearers were reappointed by him. (Pioneer 19/7/09)
“I wanted to convey Dalit women’s plight” (2)
Moradabad: UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi on Saturday walked free from jail here after securing
interim bail in the case of derogatory remarks against Chief Minister Mayawati. She regretted her
controversial statement, but said Ms. Mayawati had no right to continue in office. “I regret that one word I
used against the Chief Minister ... I crossed the limits but the context in which it was said should be
understood. My purpose was to convey the plight of dalit women [who were raped] and the woman Chief
Minister should have understood this ,” she told journalists on coming out of jail. She attacked Mayawati
for filing a case against her and claimed the assault on her residence was state-sponsored. In New Delhi,
Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh said the attack on Ms. Joshi’s residence took place at the
behest of Ms. Mayawati He did not expect justice to be done in the case and demanded a CBI inquiry .
Ms. Joshi said her struggle on women’s issues would continue and she was prepared to go to jail a
hundred times if it helped . The UPCC chief said she agreed with what Congress president Sonia Gandhi
said about her remarks, but added that her entire statement should be read because it referred to the
problems faced by the oppressed women. It was unfortunate that the State government applied certain
provisions of the law which should not have been used. “See, I have got bail within two days.” Ms. Joshi
said it was sad that the administration had behaved this way with a family that had worked for decades for
the sake of minorities, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. She said she had no personal fight with
Ms. Mayawati, but her struggle on issues facing women would continue. — PTI (The Hindu 19/7/09)
‘I’ve always worked for Dalits... have a Dalit cook’ (2)
A day after being released on interim bail, UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi on Sunday alleged
“maltreatment” in the Moradabad District Jail, saying that she was treated like an “ordinary criminal” there
and not a political prisoner. Countering allegations of having made derogatory remarks against Dalits, she
said that since 1947, there had been a Dalit and a Muslim cook in her house. Joshi met Digvijay Singh in
Delhi on Sunday, and was granted permission to launch a “movement” in Uttar Pradesh demanding a CBI
inquiry into the vandalism and arson at her Lucknow house hours after her controversial speech on
Mayawati. She is likely to call on Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday. Joshi, who will be seeing
the damage to her house for the first time on Monday, told The Indian Express: “In all my life, if anybody
can prove that I ever used a word against a Dalit, I will quit public life. My party, my family and I have
always worked for the uplift of Dalits and social harmony. Since 1947, my family has had a Dalit and a
Muslim cook. Even today, in my house in Allahabad, I have a Dalit cook.” (Indian Express 20/7/09)
Anti-Dalit crimes on rise in Uttar Pradesh, or simply more FIRs? (2)
Lucknow, July 17 : Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a steep rise in crimes against Dalits in the first six
months of year - more so after Chief Minister Mayawati ordered police to pay special attention to these
offences. However, police attribute the rise to Dalits now feeling free to report crimes against them.
According to the data made available by Inspector General of Police (Crime) G.P.Sharma and the State
Crime Records Bureau (SCRB), there has been a noticeable increase in various crimes against Dalits in
the past six months. As many as 139 cases of murder and rape of Dalits were lodged across the state

from Jan 1 to April 30. The figure from May 1 till date for these crimes was 121. The grievous crimes this
year till date were 227 while other cognizable offences totalled 1,487. However, the police have different
take on the rise in the crime graph. "The order issued by the government to pay special attention to such
cases has made the police more attentive towards the complaints related to Dalits," Additional Director
General of Police Brijlal said. He said there is a provision for paying compensation between Rs.10,000 to
Rs.100,000 to a Dalit subjected to any crime under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention
of Atrocities) Act but the members of the community were still unaware of this, he said. "However, the
chief minister's direction to the senior police officials to attend to all such complaints personally and make
them aware about their rights has made the difference," he said, adding Dalits no longer fear entering the
police station to lodge complaints. In a meeting of senior police officers May 24, Mayawati ordered the
superintendent of police in all districts to personally attend each and every complaint by a Scheduled
Castes/Scheduled Tribes member and also spread awareness about the compensation they were entitled
to. The state's Director General of Police, Vikram Singh was asked to visit each spot where a Dalit's
murder or rape takes place across the state. Since then, Singh has visited 18 such places, including the
four spots mentioned by state Congress unit president Rita Bahuguna Joshi in her remarks in Moradabad
Wednesday, which landed her in jail. Singh visited rape victims in Gautam Budhha Nagar, Meerut,
Mathura and Auraiya districts July 9 to get a first-hand account of the police action in their cases. The
DGP then ordered the suspension of three police personnel, including an inspector, for delay in lodging
complaint of a deaf and mute rape victim in Gautam Buddha Nagar. The incident took place July 7. Singh
met the victim and handed over a cheque of Rs.25,000. He also visited Ading village in Mathura district
where a 14-year-old Dalit girl was killed earlier this month. Police have pointed out specific regions of the
state where such cases are high. "Districts like Hardoi, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sultanpur, Azamgarh,
Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Etawah, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budhha Nagar record the maximum number of
cases," said Sharma, IG (Crime). However, he said he could cite any reason for this. (New Kerala
17/7/09)
Dalit beaten to death for stealing vegetables (2)
Lucknow: A Dalit, who was brutally thrashed allegedly by two farmers for stealing vegetables from their
fields, succumbed to injuries, leading to suspension of three policemen for not filing an FIR in the case,
police said on Tuesday. Srikrishna Bahelia was badly beaten allegedly by Subash Chandra and Sitaram
on July 18 for stealing vegetables from their field. But it was only after he died that police swung into
action and lodged an FIR (The Hindu 22/7/09)
Poverty deals a blow to Dalit girl’s dreams (2)
CHENNAI: The long cherished dream of a young Dalit girl to become a doctor has been shattered as her
poor widowed mother could not mobilise the money — Rs 2.25 lakh — to pay the fees at a private
medical college in which she was allotted an MBBS seat under the government quota. Since V Revathy
from Elavampattur in Villupuram district failed to pay the fees before the last day — July 23 — at the selffinancing
college, Adhiparasakthi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at Melmaruvathur, she lost
the seat. Now, she can get admission only if the government selection committee issues a
recommendation letter, Murugesan of the administrative office of the college told Express. Revathy, who
stood first in the Class X examination in the local government higher secondary school, moved to the
Mount Park School in Thiyagadurgam for her higher secondary, bagging a government scholarship. She
scored 1105 marks out of 1200 in Class XII and her rank for medical admission was 331 in the Scheduled
Castes category. “I wanted to make sure that nobody is denied proper medical treatment,” Revathy said.
“I studied hard to get a medical seat but all that went in vain as the college authorities instructed us to
either pay or get out” she told Express over phone from Elavampattur. “My mother, who is concerned
about my education, is helpless as she earns just Rs 80 a day,” she said. Murugesan said the college had
97 seats under government quota and 53 seats under the management quota. He said Revathy was
supposed to pay Rs 2.25 lakh to the college and another Rs 25,000 to the selection committee. Revathy
had paid the initial amount (Rs 25,000) but not the fees to the college, he said. “We had to state our
vacancy positions by 4 pm to the government. The girl has now lost the seat,” he said. Nagarajan,
Revathy’s Maths teacher till Class VIII, said she always dreamt of becoming a doctor. Disappointed,
Revathy said, “To realise your dreams, hard work is not enough. You need loads of cash too (Express
Buzz 25/7/09)

UP’s upper caste ‘safai karmacharis’ get the boot (2)
Some upper caste Hindus, working as safai karmacharis in Uttar Pradesh, have lost their jobs because of
a reason unheard of: outsourcing. One may have heard of multinational companies outsourcing their
work, but in Uttar Pradesh, some safai karmacharis belonging to the upper castes “outsourced” their work
as they felt that doing the job was below their “dignity.” Usually, the upper caste people do not apply for
the posts of safai karmacharis and the work was mostly performed by the people belonging to the valmiki
samaj. Forced by the lack of employment avenues in other fields, some upper caste people had applied
for the post of safai karmacharis in large numbers when the Mayawati government announced
recruitment of over one lakh people in the state last year. According to state government officials, even
those having post-graduate degrees had applied for the post. There had been allegations of large scale
irregularities in the selection process. Several applicants moved the Allahabad High Court, which had at
one point of time stayed the selection process. It was alleged that huge bribes were paid for the
appointment and a large number of upper caste candidates were able to get the job. Once appointed,
they found that cleaning the streets was below their dignity and hence they began to hire people from the
lower strata of society. According to government sources, 90 per cent of their work was outsourced,
which was revealed after physical verification. “So far the services of over 500 safai karmacharis, who
were found to have outsourced their work, have been terminated,” sources confided. “While they (safai
karmacharis) drew hefty salaries, those to whom the work was outsourced, were paid around Rs 1,500 to
Rs 2,000,” the sources revealed to Deccan Herald. The authorities have also stopped the salaries of
hundreds of safai karmacharis after receiving complaints that they have outsourced the work, while
scores have put in their papers fearing action. The district officials have been directed to launch physical
verification to identify the absentee safai karmacharis and terminate their service. “As they are still in the
probation period, they could be sacked after giving a month’s notice,” the sources added.(Deccan Herald
30/7/09)
"38 per cent of safai karamcharis are illiterate"
NEW DELHI: A day-long workshop was organised here to present the findings of a study on safai
karamcharis in the Capital by the Indian Social Institute. Sharing the findings, Ramesh Nayak, the coordinator
of the study, said his team had found that 38 per cent of these workers were illiterate. A high 97
per cent of the safai karamcharis were unaware of the Prevention of Manual Scavenging Act of 1993, and
88 per cent of them had no information about the Scheduled Castes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,
1989. "These karamcharis are subjected to the whims and devious ways of contractors. These
contractors pay less and sometimes defer payments for months together. About 52 per cent families live
in one-room tenements, 32 per cent have no tap water and 35 per cent have no toilets," pointed out Dr.
Nayak. The workshop had specific sessions on the Ebzdar system of contract, problems of women safai
karamcharis, challenges before these workers and the way ahead. More than 130 safai karamcharis
attended the workshop. (The Hindu 30/7/09)
Caste body lays siege to village (2)
Chandigarh: July 30: A 300-strong mob owing allegiance to a powerful khap panchayat, or caste council,
besieged a village in Haryana’s Jhajjar district on Thursday demanding the ouster of a jat family that has
refused to comply with their direction to leave. The "elders" had recently ordered the family of Ravinder
Gehlot to pack up and leave Dharana village after the young man refused to divorce the girl he had
married four months ago. Khap members had decreed the liaison was not according to gotra (kinship
traditions) and must therefore end. Ravinder belongs to the Gehlawat gotra while his wife Shilpa is a
Kadyani. But the khap has held that these are related clans, which, in its opinion, makes the young bride
and groom caste siblings. Initially somewhat inclined to accept the khap’s edict, the families of both the
husband and wife dug in their heels after Ravinder attempted suicide a fortnight ago. Directed to "leave
Dharana never to return", the Gehlots petitioned the Punjab and Haryana high court, which ordered the
Haryana police to protect them. But clearly intent on defying both the court and the police, 300 members
of the Kadyan khap marched on Dharana village to evict the Gehlot family from their ancestral home. And
when the huge police contingent, deployed in anticipation of violence, blocked the "elders", they pitched
tents on the outskirts of Dharana. "We shall sit at this very spot indefinitely until the policewallahs get tired
and leave. And it will be good for everyone if they take the family of Ravinder with them," a senior
member of the khap declared. Jhajjar superintendent of police Saurabh Singh, who is desperate to
quickly defuse the potentially explosive situation, claimed, "There are just about 30 to 40 khap members

camping outside the village boundary. The rest have gone home." Keenly aware of the potential political
damage any continuing confrontation with the caste panchayats could do, Haryana’s ruling Congress,
which is all set to return to power by calling early elections to the state Assembly this October, does not
want to take the slightest chance. Senior Haryana police officials are monitoring the situation at Dharana,
constantly rankled by memories of the recent lynching of another young groom on the orders of a caste
council. Vedpal, 21, was publicly bludgeoned to death in the presence of 15 armed policemen and a
warrant officer designated by the high court. (Asian Age 31/7/09)
After 60 yrs of Independence, untouchability alive and kicking in India (2)
More than 60 years after Independence, untouchability is alive and thriving in India’s hinterlands. Pockets
of social change have been but mere drops in an ocean of casteism and prejudice. This was borne out in
a survey by National Law School, Bangalore, which was reported recently. Following this, TOI
correspondents did a reality check in eight states across India. Dalits are still segregated with little access
to temples, water sources and upper caste areas. And ironically, even in Radhanagar in Hooghly district,
the birthplace of social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy, there are separate crematoria for Brahmins and
non-Brahmins. And in a bizarre case in Waganagere village in Gulbarga district of Karnataka, 120 Dalit
households were forced to draw water from their well even after a dog fell in and died. During festivities,
not only are they served food separately, but they have to bring their own plates and tumblers. Gulbarga,
incidentally, has 126 cases registered under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989 and the
Protection of Civil Rights Act 1955, the highest in Karnataka. In UP, almost every village has a chamar
toli, a place segregated for them. Dalit children are made to sit separately in schools. In Malasa village in
Kanpur Dehat, though the post of gram pradhan was reserved for scheduled castes, it has been lying
vacant as no Dalit has the courage to contest the election, fearing backlash from the dominant Thakurs.
And when they do, as two Dalits did last year, their candidature was rejected because no one, not even
Dalits, seconded them during the filing of nomination papers. Uniquely in UP, untouchability is practised
by Dalits too. In Rajasthan’s Dholeria Shashan village near Pali, newcomers are interrogated and if they
are scheduled castes, entry is tough. They also cannot pass upper caste houses wearing footwear or
headgear, says poet and writer Vinod Vithall. Segregation is also blighting the next generation. In Rajpur
tehsil, 60 km from Kanpur, Thakurs withdrew their children from a primary school after a Dalit cook was
employed to prepare mid-day meals. D Shyam Babu, senior fellow, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, says
authorities often turn a blind eye to caste atrocities. Acts which protect the lower castes aren’t
implemented either. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes in Chandigarh admitted that it
receives 3-4 complaints daily. Ajmer district police reportedly has recorded 360 cases pertaining to
SCs/STs over the last 18 months. In UP, over two dozen such cases were filed in the last six months. But
Dalits have now started asserting themselves. ‘‘In Tamil Nadu, upper castes are now at the receiving end
after two decades of virulent clashes. In Punjab, thanks to the Green Revolution and prosperity, most
Dalits have a good lifestyle,’’ says Balwinder Singh Sidhu, a government official, though there are pockets
of discrimination. Individuals have made a difference too. Tamil Nadu inspector general Pratheep V Philip
has started a social justice tea party where the police provides tea to villagers and counsels them against
discriminating Dalits. Two months back in Alwar, a Brahmin invited Dalits to his daughters wedding. In
rural Bengal, says social scientist Amal Mukhopadhyay, inter-caste marriages too are taking place. So will
B R Ambedkar’s dream of an India where untouchables are not a sub-division of Hindus, but a separate
and distinct element in the national life fructify? (Times of India 3/8/09)
CM, Pawar’s home turfs top in cases of atrocities against Dalits (2)
Mumbai, August 03, 2009: It’s happening in the backyards of chief ministers, past and present, besides
those of several top state leaders. If that were not enough, the conviction rates are dismal. The atrocities
against Dalits are rising in native districts of Chief Minister (CM) Ashok Chavan and Union Agriculture
Minister and former CM Sharad Pawar. Till May 2009, Chavan’s Nanded and Pawar’s Pune (rural) topped
the list with 30 cases of atrocity against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. In the same period last
year, Nanded did not have a single case. It has the highest number of villages (36) prone to violation by
upper castes. State’s first Dalit CM and Union Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s Solapur (26 cases) is
equally violent. Next door, Padmasinh Patil’s Osmanabad has 24 cases, former DCM and home minister
Gopinath Munde’s Beed and Ahmednagar (with 22 cases each) also paint a grim picture. Ahmednagar
boasts of influential Maratha Congressmen like Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil and his son, Education Minister
Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil. Barring Osmanabad and Ahmednagar, all other erring districts are in backward

Marathwada where 150 cases were registered till May 2009. The region has a large number of SCs who
feel emancipated due to their belief in Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s teachings. Statistics reveal that most
atrocity cases involve molestation, rape and murder. Quoting figures for 1999-2004, President of
Ambedkar Centre for Justice & Peace, NK Sonare, said that of 4,249 cases in the state, less than 5 per
cent of accused had been convicted. “It gives culprits the message that they can rape and kill Dalits, and
still get away with such heinous crimes. The situation may explode into a caste war anytime,” Sonare
said. As senior leaders were unavailable for comment Minister of State for Home Nitin Raut told
Hindustan Times, “We have prepared a 15-point plan to create awareness and fix responsibility. We may
even levy fines on an entire village where atrocities are committed frequently.” (Hindustan Times 3/8/09)
Kerala Dalit stir enters third year but Red eyes still closed (2)
Pathanamthitta: About 10,000 homeless and landless Dalits including women, aged people and kids
belonging to 4,000-odd families have been agitating in the inhospitable hills of Chengara in Kerala’s
Pathanamthitta district for land for the past two years, but the LDF Government led by the CPI(M), who
claim to be the saviours of the poor, is still refusing to open its eyes to the reality. Instead, the captains of
the Government, including Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, have consistently ridiculed these hapless
indigenous people by terming them as rubber thieves and anti-national extremists. The Dalits’ stir had
started on August 4 2007, and when it entered the third year, they have lost almost all their hopes of
getting even a piece of land from the Government. However, they are determined to stay on in the
agitation camp, a 600-acre estate of aged rubber trees, bearing all the hardships posed by nature,
suffering diseases like viral fevers and jaundice and withstanding the attacks from trade unions acting
under orders of political parties. All because of one simple reason: They have no place to go. “We will
stay here till we get land. We will die here if we don’t get land. We have no place to go,” said a 70-yearold
woman in the camp. Eleven persons have died of diseases. More than 200 children from these
families have been missing school due to poverty as well as threat by trade union workers who have laid
siege on the estate since August 3, 2008. “This attitude of the Government shows that the CPI(M),
despite its slogans, is not interested in the lives of the poor people. We are sure that they will never
assure justice to the Dalits and other poor people,” Lhaha Gopalan, president, Sadhujana Vimochana
Samyuktha Vedi said, which is spearheading the struggle. More than 90 per cent of the families do not
even have land to bury the dead. The Vedi had started the stir demanding five acres of land and funds to
start cultivation per family, but the demand came down to mere one acre and money. But the
Government, which held several rounds of talks with them, continued to hold on to its stand that
Chengara could not be taken as a separate case and that land would be given to the landless as per the
rules. According to Gopalan, the Chief Minister even threatened to send in “police with teeth and claw” to
Chengara if the stir continued. (Pioneer 4/8/09)
Parliament approves SC/ST reservation Bill (2)
NEW DELHI: Parliament has adopted the Constitution (109th amendment) Bill, 2009, for providing
reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and the Legislative
Assemblies for another 10 years, with the Lok Sabha approving it by division of votes on Tuesday. The
Rajya Sabha passed the Bill on Monday. The Bill was adopted with an amendment by the government.
When the Bill was taken up for consideration in the Lok Sabha and put to vote later, 375 members voted
in its favour. One member opposed it and another abstained from voting. The Bill seeks to extend the
reservation beyond January 25, 2010, when the time period of 60 years under Article 334 of the
Constitution lapses, and also to extend the nomination of Anglo-Indians to the Lok Sabha and Legislative
Assemblies by another 10 years. Law and Justice Minister M. Veerappa Moily, who moved the Bill, said of
the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, SCs had 79 and STs 41. Similarly, of the 3,961 seats in the Legislative
Assemblies, SCs had been reserved 543 seats and STs 527. Urging the House to adopt the Bill, Mr.
Moily said there should be a “change of heart” in society towards SCs and STs. “We need to travel more
distance to ensure they join the mainstream. We must practice inclusive politics and not exclusive
politics...fragmented politics,” he said. (The Hindu 5/8/09)
Call for nominated Dalit member (2)
KOTTAYAM: Laha Gopalan, leader of the Sadhu Jana Vimochana Samyukta Vedi, which spearheads the
Chengara agitation, has called for the nomination of a member from the SC/ST and converted Christian
communities to the Assembly to effectively take up Dalit issues. Speaking to mediapersons here on

Friday, Mr. Gopalan said that the existing reservation regime in the electoral system had failed to be an
effective tool in taking up Dalit issues. The representatives elected under the banner of various political
parties, once elected, would become party mouth pieces forgetting their dalit identity, he alleged. He
denied that the Chengara agitation was being hijacked by vested interests. “As long as I am alive the
struggle will be under my control,” he said. (The Hindu 8/8/09)
Custodial deaths among Dalits high (2)
THOOTHUKUDI: In Tamil Nadu as a whole, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts were leading in
custodial deaths, said K Krishnaswamy, President of Puthiya Thamilagam party at Thoothukudi. Speaking
at a press meet, he cited the custodial death of Ramachandran on July 28 at Srivaikundam as the most
recent incident. Dalits and the weaker sections of people were the most affected by the issue of custodial
deaths. Though the police usually claim that the deceased is a habitual offender, no one can be a
habitual offender without the support of police, Krishnaswamy said. Krishnaswamy also condemned the
police, saying that so far no action has been taken against those responsible for the custodial deaths. He
alleged that the higher officials in the police department were also involved in the custodial deaths. “The
torture and murder of Dalits in the name of custodial deaths should be stopped. Puthiya Thamilagam is
dedicated to the services of the weaker sections of the society and it will continue to fight for the rights of
the Dalits”, he added. Krishnaswamy also condemned the inactivity of the government on the issue of
illegal acquisition of lands. The lands of the farmers have been taken away illegally by creating fake
pattas, yet, no criminal action was directed against the offenders. Krishnaswamy also requested the
District Collector to form a special team to look into the matter seriously. He added that government
officials were those who benefited by the NREGP scheme, since the workers were given only Rs 20
against the stipulated daily wage of Rs 80. Strict action should be taken against the corrupt officials. To
emphasise free and fair implementation of NREGP, Puthiya Thamilagam has planned to conduct
awareness rally in Chennai on September 9, he added. On the by-polls, he said that another
Thirumangalam is totally undesirable. Political parties are playing on the weakness of the people by
giving cash for votes. He added that he will campaign against cash-for-votes. (Express Buzz 10/8/09)
‘Affirmative action’ for SC/STs in pvt sector: Wasnik (2)
New Delhi: The UPA government appears to have all but abandoned its pledge to pursue reservations for
SC/STs in the private sector, favouring the “affirmative action” approach. Social justice and empowerment
minister Mukul Wasnik conceded as much in an interview to FE when he said that the UPA government
was only looking at affirmative action in ensuring a fair deal for Dalits and tribals in industry at the
moment. “A particular course of action, aimed at affirmative action, has already been adopted. I don’t
think there should be multiple mechanisms,” Wasnik said to a pointed question on whether the
Manmohan Singh government would pursue quotas for SCs/STs in the private sector. The government
came in for criticism recently in Parliament when Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha slammed the
ministry of social justice and empowerment for failing to pursue the issue. CPI’s D Raja led other
members in demanding that the government keep its promise of introducing quotas in the private sector.
In its common minimum programme, the previous UPA government had taken a clear position: “The UPA
government is very sensitive to the issue of affirmative action, including reservations, in the private sector.
It will immediately initiate a national dialogue with all political parties, industry and other organisations to
see how best the private sector can fulfill the aspirations of SC and ST youth,” it had said. In its 2009
manifesto, the Congress, however, had restricted itself to stating that it was in favour of “affirmative
action”. Claiming that industry had already adopted concrete steps on affirmative action, Wasnik said that
the government now had to follow up on the matter. “We are committed towards it. It is, after all, the social
responsibility of industrial houses,” the minister said, adding that chambers of commerce like CII,
Assocham, andFicci had already adopted a code of conduct for affirmative action by their respective
members. “There is a mention of developing skills by the respective companies. Apart from this,
companies, on a voluntary basis, will also include data on the number of SC/ST employees in their annual
reports. I think a beginning has already been made and some companies have begun providing the data”,
he said. The minister added that a committee of officers headed by the secretary, department of
promotion, had already initiated efforts to suggest incentives for companies that were set up in areas
having high concentration of SCs/STs, so that employment opportunities went directly to... (Financial
Express 12/8/09)

Rahul dines with Dalits in Amethi (2)
LUCKNOW: While in Lucknow he may have resisted all suggestions to visit Rita Bahuguna Joshi's house
to avoid locking horns with the BSP supremo, back to Amethi the same night Rahul Gandhi once again
waved out a red cloth before chief minister Mayawati by dining with Dalit women in Kansapur, a small
hamlet in his constituency. Rahul reached Kansapur, nearly 9 km off Amethi, along with his friends at
10.30 pm. Though their host at the dinner at a short notice was a `savarn' (upper caste) Diptika
Srivastava, who heads a women self-help group in the area, all invitees who joined in the community
feast were Dalits from the neighbourhood. The number approximately 50 stayed up till late as the Gandhi
scion exchanged views with them. The conversation veered around a little bit of Maya bashing with Rahul
telling women how the chief minister did not accord any priority to Amethi for any dvelopement projects.
Rahul has lauched a similar self-help group in Budelkhand also, party sources told TOI and Amethi group
has been frequenting the region to teach them the nitty-gritty of the project. The MP shared their
experiences and gave suggestions. The visit lasted approximately five hours. Rahul and his cronies got
back to the rest house only after 3:00 am. It is his second visit to dine with Dalits in Kansapur, sources
claimed. (Times of India 8/8/09)
Tamil Nadu: Dalit Christians embrace Hinduism (2)
More than 200 Dalits who had embraced Christianity were ‘reconverted’ to Hinduism at a village near
Dindigul in a function organised by Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP). VHP sources claimed that 207 people
returned to Hinduism at a function in Tamaraikulam near here yesterday following alleged 'neglect' faced
by them in Christian community. The VHP presented mementos to the reconverted.(Indian Express
10/8/09)
Sonia batters BSP govt’s claims on uplift of Dalits (2)
Rae Bareli: On the second day of her visit to Rae Bareli, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi battered BSP
government’s claims of being a messiah to Dalits and downtrodden as also Chief Minister’s tall claims of
transparent police functioning in UP. The UPA chairperson not only exposed a case of setting up of a
Dalit asking the local Additional SP to probe but also ensured that the victim was released. In another
major embarrassment to the BSP government, personnel of a police station in Rae Bareli, approached
the Congress heavyweight for getting basic amenities at their workplace. Sonia Gandhi was too happy to
oblige the cops and immediately asked the local MLA to get the works done by using his Local Area
Development (LAD) fund. Atrocities on Dalits in the BSP regime came to the fore soon after Sonia
reached Sarai Digausa hamlet in Lalganj Assembly segment. Villager and kin of a local, Chedi Lal Pasi,
complained to the Congress chief that Pasi had been picked up by the police on Monday evening and
was set up in a fake case of manufacturing of illict liquor. A concerned Sonia Gandhi immediately asked
the accompanying Additional SP and CO of Rae Bareli to come out with the truth. The officers later said
that local cops at Ataura police station had picked up Pasi to achieve the ‘target of booking criminals’
involved in manufacturing of hooch. The officers after apologising to Sonia on their colleagues’ behalf
ensured the release of Chedi Lal. The Congress and other Opposition parties had earlier alleged that the
atrocities against Dalits and their unnecesary harassment had only increased during Chief Minister
Mayawati’s tenure. The Congress chief later moved on to Kesharuwa and Narpatganj hamlets where
local residents narrated their woes. Besides other central schemes, Sonia enquired whether Maulana
Azad Scholarship scheme for minority students was reaching them. Apalled at the poor condition of a
park named after freedom fighter Rana Beni Madhao, she instructed Youth Congress leaders and local
MLA Ashok Singh to spruce it up. Sonia then proceeded to Dhiru Govindpur and Pure Lal Saheb where
she made an on-the-spot inspection of a road laid under NREGA. Local pradhans told her that the DM
had taken up the project only three days back after learning of her visit. She also visited Ahirha and
Munshiganj villages. Sonia also met people from various sections of the society at the ITI Guest House in
the morning and NTPC guest house in the evening. She also inaugurated the Rajeev Gandhi Boys Hostel
at Feroz Gandhi Post Graduate College besides laying the foundation stone of Adminstrative
Block.(Pioneer 12/8/09)
Parents' plight drives Dalit boy to suicide (2)
VIJAYAWADA: It was a struggle between hope and despair. While hope pushed him to pursue his dream,
despair, in the form of poverty kept pulling him back and finally pushed him to death. This is the tragic
case of 18-year-old D Syam Kumar, an engineering student, who fought his circumstances as a member

of the Scheduled Caste, though his tuition fee was taken care of by the state. But his family had to
struggle to fund him through, and unable to bear the hardship he put his parents to, the boy ended his life
by consuming poison on Wednesday night. Syam was found dead by his shocked parents Lalu and
Ramanamma at their sparse home in Allapuram village of Gannavaram mandal in Krishna district on
Thursday. He was a first year engineering student at Sarojini Institute of Engineering and Technology at
Telaprolu. His parents are farm workers and Syam, their only child.urces said after the initial euphoria of
securing admission, Syam started attending classes. But despite a scholarship provided by the state, he
found his parents struggling to meet his other expenses like clothes, books and bus pass.
(Times of India 14/8/09)
Dalit youth in love with upper cast girl murdered (2)
Jalandhar, August 17, 2009: A Dalit youth had to pay with his life for being in love with an upper caste girl
belonging to this village in Jalandhar district, 110 km north of Chandigarh, on Friday. Rakesh Kumar, 20,
who was in a relationship with Bikramjit Kaur, 17, a Jat Sikh girl from the village, was allegedly done to
death by one of her family members and his body was thrown into a nearby drain. After questioning the
girl’s family, the district police recovered Kumar’s decomposed body on Sunday morning. Kaur’s paternal
uncle Balwinder Singh (50) has been arrested and booked on the charge of murder. Nurmahal Station
House Officer Harpreet Singh said Kewal Singh, Kumar’s father, had lodged a complaint on Saturday
after his son went missing. He had accused the Kaur’s family of foul play. Kumar and Kaur had been
lovers for past couple of years and had remained in touch despite opposition from her family, Kumar’s
maternal uncle Kulwant Singh said. “Bikramjit rang up Rakesh on Friday and asked him to come to her
house. When he reached there, he was beaten up by her relatives,” he said. Kulwant Singh said Kaur
rang up Kumar’s friends and appealed to them to save his life. But by the time Kumar’s father reached the
house, the girl’s family had left the place with the Kumar’s body, he said.(Hindustan Times 17/8/09)
I-Day-eve bonanza for tribals, Dalits (2)
Bhubaneswar: Naveen Patnaik finally seems to be worried for growing unemployment among the tribals
and Harijans. With the dwindling regular job opportunities in the Government sector and most of the
appointments being done on contractual basis, the authorities are not adhering to the provisions in the
Orissa Reservation of Vacancy (ORV) Act. The ORV Act is not applicable for contractual appointments,
said sources. So, Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates are not being
accommodated fairly in these appointments. For the last nine years, hundreds of Class III and Class IV
jobs in the Government, semi-Government organisations and PSUs have gone to contractual appointees.
In these cases, ST and SC candidates are almost kept at bay, admitted official sources. On August 14,
the Chief Minister ordered implementation of the provisions of the ORV Act for ST and SC with immediate
effect. In Classes III and IV, jobs like Data Entry Operators, teachers, ICDS Supervisors, Junior Engineers
and Peons are being filled up. The new decision of the Government in the SC/ST Development
Department would go a long way in helping out the tribals and Harijans, said an official. Secretary of the
department GVV Sarma issued the notification to all concerned officials in this regard so that the order is
to be carried out immediately, said sources. (The Pioneer 17/8/09)
Dalit youth attacked for riding bicycle (2)
MADURAI: A Dalit youth who rode a bicycle before caste Hindus was beaten up at Vadivelkarai near
Nagamalai Pudukottai in the district on Thursday last. A. Murugan (25) was allegedly attacked by a group
of youths. After the incident, in which he sustained a head injury, the youths filed a complaint against Mr.
Murugan and his father, a conservancy worker. He has been admitted to the Government Rajaji Hospital.
A case has been filed under Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and under
Section 302 against O. Anand at the Nagamalai Pudukottai police station. The Samayanallur Deputy
Superintendent of Police is investigating. In 2007, Mr. Murugan’s brother was attacked for the same
reason. A lone graduate from the Arunthathiyar community, Mr. Murugan has been opposing restrictions
imposed upon the community by caste Hindus. He has also been conducting free classes for children
belonging to the Dalit community. Residents alleged that the two-tumbler system still existed in the
village; it had changed from coconut shells to disposable cups for Dalits. The caste Hindus were served
tea in glass tumblers. The village has 75 Dalit families and more than 500 families of caste Hindus. (The
Hindu 18/8/09)

Dalit woman resists rape attempt, shot (2)
Lucknow: Chief Minister Mayawati’s strict instructions on checking excesses against Dalits
notwithstanding, negligence by the police led to the death of a 22-year-old Dalit woman who valiantly
opposed being raped in Mainpuri. Elsewhere in Kaushambi, a youth made suggestive advances on a
teacher and on resistance he shot at her from close range before committing suicide. In Mainpuri, Chhote
Lal of Rathe hamlet in Kisni police circle had evil designs on his neighbour Sri Krishna Jatav’s wife
Meena. He even intercepted the woman warning her to satiate his lust or face serious consequences. On
being informed by his wife, Shree Krishna complained to the local police but the cops refused to register a
case and hardly bothered to chastise the errant, which only bolstered Chhote’s plan. On Wednesday
evening, while Meena was retunring from a market, Chhote Lal accosted her and tried to drag her into the
fields to rape her. Hearing Meena’s cry for help, locals rushed towards the scene. Incensed at this,
Chhote shot at Meena before the terrified villagers and escaped from there. A case of murder was
registered and the police launched a hunt for the accused. In a bizarre case in Kaushambi, Chandu aka
Sanjeev aka Rahat Ali had developed a fascination for Nidhi Srivastava, a teacher in Primary Pathshala
at Sikenderpur Bajha hamlet. His feelings were, however, not reciprocated by the teacher. On Thursday
morning, Chandu went to the school and asked Nidhi that he wanted to marry her immediately. When
Nidhi refused and called other teachers, the lovelorn youth, who was carrying a .12 bore double-barrel
gun, first shot at her and later placed the barrel at his temple and pulled the trigger. While Chandu died on
the spot, a critically injured Nidhi was admitted to the district hospital. In another sensational case, a
guard was killed and idols were looted from a temple in Sultanpur on Thursday. As per reports, over halfa-dozen
armed miscreants barged inside the Sita-Ramchandra Temple at Dera Bazarkala at Motigarpur
in the wee hours of Thursday. They threatened the temple guard, Ram Narain Yadav (65) with dire
consequences if he intefered with their ‘job’. But when the guard refused to give in, they killed him and
decamped with the idols of Ramchandra and Shatrughan. A case was registered in this regard. (Pioneer
21/8/09)
MP, husband clash with Dalit gram paradhan (2)
Lucknow: Tension prevailed in Iglas locality of Aligarh when Samajwadi Party (SP) MP from Hathras
Sarika Baghel and her husband had a heated argument with a Dalit gram pradhan on Sunday night. The
situation worsened when the MP’s supporters allegedly damaged the statue of Dr BR Ambedkar. The
local administration not only replaced the statue but also arrested the MP’s husband to satisfy the
pradhan and his men. A case under SC & ST Act was lodged against the MP, her husband and some
supporters. Heavy police force was deployed in the area to avert any exigency. As per reports, Sarika
Baghel, accompanied by her husband Devendra Singh and some supporters, went to attend a Shreemad
Bhagwad Geeta Katha at Vidirika hamlet of Iglas on Sunday night. There she came across local pradhan
Rohan Singh who belongs to the Dalit community. The MP later accused the pradhan of carrying out
development work in areas dominated by Dalits and was ignoring those where people from the Baghel
community were living. The issue snowballed and Rohan Singh called his supporters who roughed up the
MP, her husband and supporters. The situation further worsened when the SP workers raised slogans
and reportedly damaged a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar there. SSP, Aligarh, Aseem Arun claimed that they
faced a tough time and heavy force had to be called to control the situation. He said that the damaged
statue was immediately replaced and the MP, her husband and their supporters were charged under the
SC & ST Act, indulging in violence and damaging the statue. Later, Devendra Singh was arrested. On
Monday, the MP also moved an application in the CJM court to seek an interim bail but the judge refused
asking her to apply for bail. (Pioneer 25/8/09)
Dalit women sarpanches forced out of villages (2)
BHOPAL: While the Union government has approved the increase in reservation for women in
Panchayats from 33 per cent to 50 per cent, feudalism continues to get the better of women in the remote
parts of Madhya Pradesh. Two Dalit women sarpanches of the Bundelkhand region have been forced to
move out of their villages due to constant threats and oppression from people of upper castes.
Bundelkhand is infamous for its highly discriminatory and feudal social structure. Gundiya Bai Ahirwar
(40), sarpanch of the Vikrampura village of the Badamahalra block in Chhatarpur district, has been living
out of the village for the past four years. She was elected sarpanch from Vikrampura, a general seat. This
earned her the wrath of upper castes. She and her family have repeatedly been threatened and beaten
up by them and forced to live out of the village. Similarly, Premrani Prajapati (35), sarpanch from the

eserved Chandwara village seat of Gaurihaar block in the same district, has faced threats and abuse
from powerful village groups. Premrani’s husband Gulabchand and her children were beaten up in their
house, following which they had to move to Baarigarh village. Both women have decided not to contest
the village election again. (The Hindu 30/8/09)
Diversity mission (2)
August 27 was the 8th anniversary of the Supplier Diversity Programme introduced by the former Madhya
Pradesh Government, headed by visionary Chief Minister Digvijay Singh. On August 27, 2003, the
Digvijay Government issued the first order to procure goods and services from over a dozen Dalit/Adivasi
entrepreneurs. The Government organised a conference of Dalit/Adivasi intellectuals on January 13-14,
2002. About 300 intellectuals/activists from all over India participated in the conference, popularly known
as Bhopal Conference. Helped by a wonderful Dalit Civil Servant Rajashekher Vundru, and my scholar
colleague D Shyam Babu, I wrote the Dalit agenda for the 21st century. Dr Amar Singh, an iconic civil
servant, was the catalyst between the MP Government and my group. That monograph is popularly
known as the Bhopal Document. On the concluding day of the conference on January 14, Singh asked us
the prescription we loved most and which one he should announce. We had an impromptu meet lasting
no more than a minute. We recommended only one issue — that the Government declare a Supplier
Diversity Programme where the State Government would buy goods and services from Dalit/Adivasi
businessmen. Digvijay Singh spent a quarter of a minute to say, “Hereafter 30 per cent of all Government
purchases will be done from Dalit/Adivasi businessmen. The Government gave a slogan of creating Dalit
millionaires. On the eve of Republic Day, the then President, late KR Narayanan, in his address to the
nation called upon the national leadership to embrace Diversity. The national media took note of it. Prof
Pratrap Bhanu Mehta, for instance, wrote two articles in The Hindu celebrating the Bhopal Declaration.
Thanks to Prof Mehta, the Bhopal Conference earned nationwide attention. While Digvijay Singh
unleashed a new model of Dalit/Adivasi uplift, his party was defeated in the polls the next year. Many
believe that Singh lost power because of the Dalit Agenda. I, on the other hand, kept the debate on and
refashioned my argument that Indian businesses ought to desegregate and Dalit/Adivasis be given an
opportunity to become market players. This had a greater appeal and acceptance in the Dalit middle
class. In the 2004 Parliamentary poll, Congress made the Dalit Entrepreneur question as part of their
manifesto. Sensing that the Dalit Diversity agenda is now entering the national mainstream, I moved over
to my Dalit Capitalism idea. Shishupal Singh formed “Delhi Dalit Diversity Group” and organised three
marches in Delhi. But he, too, got busy in his enterprise and the movement slowed down. Thanks to HL
Dushad, the Diversity agenda was back on rails. For the last four years, Dushad has been organising a
function to mark August 27 as “Diversity Day”. He invites a host of speakers and, on one occasion, even
Digvijay Singh graced the occasion. This year he could not make it. But his absence was somewhat
compensated as Dushad got newer friends to endorse the Diversity agenda. On August 27, I brought
prominent Muslim leader Syed Shahabuddin, and former BJP ideologue Sudheendra Kulkarni on the
dais. Due to Kulkarni’s efforts, even BJP added the Supplier Diversity for Dalits/Adivasis in its manifesto
for this Parliamentary elections. For the last four years, Dushad has been releasing a Diversity Yearbook
that contains all news reports/articles and discussions on the question of Supplier/Dealership/Contract
Diversity. Few months back, the Mayawati-led UP Government announced Diversity in construction
projects in the State. An outstanding social entrepreneur Brijpal Bharati and a well known face amongst
Dalits in the NCR, too, has joined Dushad in his Diversity mission. Dushad has members from several
North Indian States who are actively promoting the idea of Dalits’ rights in business and trade. An
eminent Dalit activist wanted to know the difference between “Reservations and Diversity”. He was
worried that Diversity might de-legitimise reservations. I explained that Diversity is an extension of
reservations, and it not only deals with jobs in the Government sector, but also involves the private sector
including film, TV and media, apart from business and trade. Wish we had more Dushads arguing Dalits’
case in businesses as Government jobs are shirking. India cannot grow into a great nation by keeping
Dalits segregated from the market economy. (Pioneer 31/8/09)
Doctors suspended for not attending to Dalit woman (2)
Farrukhabad (UP): Taking serious note of a Dalit woman delivering on the road after being turned away
by doctors at the Kamalganj community health centre, the district magistrate has suspended two doctors
and recommended dismissal of three midwives. District magistrate K. Dhanlaxmi on Sunday night
suspended the centre in-charge, Dr Vikas Chauhan and Dr Sunil Verma besides recommending dismissal

of Neelam Gautam, Suman Chauhan and Reena, all midwives. On Friday last, Ramnivas Balmiki of
Isapur village had brought his wife for delivery to the centre, but the doctors there referred her to the
district hospital citing shortage of blood following which the woman had delivered on the road. The DM
also issued a warning to the deputy CMO and all departmental officials against recurrence of such
incidents. (Deccan Chronicle 1/9/09)
Dalit girl accuses fiance of exploiting her (2)
KANPUR: An 18-year-old dalit girl of Sangrasipur village in Kanpur Dehat district was allegedly exploited
by a youth of Bara Sirohi village. The victim has accused the youth of exploiting her for the last few
months and making her pregnant. He refused to marry her when the girl's parents failed to fulfil his dowry
demands. SP KS Pippal has directed the Akbarpur police to probe into the matter. The girl has threatened
to commit self-immolation outside the district headquarters if she was denied justice. "The victim,
daughter of Ganga Ram of Sangrasipur village in Akbarpur Kotwali police circle in Kanpur Dehat, alleged
that her would be husband's father Kanhaiyya Lal had compelled her into an illicit relationship with his son
Deepu, by luring her," inspector Akbarpur Kotwali said. Deepu, who is absconding, works in a canteen at
a prestigious institute in the city. A case has been registered against him under Section 493, 3/4 of the
IPC with the Akbarpur Kotwali, he added. The victim and her family members approached the police
recently to register the case against her would be and his parents. "Soon after the engagement ceremony
in April last, the youth's father Kanhaiyya Lal lured the girl to his native place in Bara Sirohi village under
Kalyanpur police circle. When she told Deepu that she was pregnant, he said that he was not the father of
the child. "And now her would be and his parents are forcing me to undergo abortion," said the girl. The
case has been referred to Kalyanpur police for further investigations. "It is ridiculous that instead of
registering a case against a person, who had spoiled my life, the police are asking me to bring eye
witnesses of the incident and referring the case to other police stations," she said. Girl's father, who is a
labourer, accused the Akbarpur police of humiliating his daughter by asking awkward questions regarding
time spent with her would be husband who had now betrayed her. (Times of India 1/9/09)
Dispose SC, ST atrocities cases quickly’ (2)
Dhenkanal: Presiding over the district level vigilance and monitoring committee meeting district collector
SN Girish has laid emphasis on quick disposal of pending cases related to SC, ST atrocity act. Official
sources, said the collector has directed the sub-collectors’ of their concerned divisions, executive
magistrates and DSP to dispose the pending atrocity cases with a combined effort. Taking part on the
discussion local MP Tathagata Satpathy, stressed to expedite development projects at Sadar Block and
also the tribal populated villages of Kankadahad Block. Besides Satpathy advised the officials to organise
a workshop on ‘MADA’ to create awareness among the residents of Kankadahad block on the ongoing
project works. The MP also said to create alternative arrangement of drinking water for rural people as
most of the water sources are reportedly within the premises of the industrial houses. Among others
Dhenkanal SP Satish Kumar Gajaviye, District Welfare Officer Rajkishore Sastry, Sadar MLA Naveen
Nanda and other officials took part in the discussion. (Pioneer 1/9/09)
Dalit woman gang raped in Alwar (2)
Alwar, September, 1 : A Dalit woman of Tapukda town in this district was kidnapped and gang-raped by
three youths early this morning, police said. As per the FIR lodged by the victim, she had gone to attend
nature's call, along with her mother-in-law at around 0400 hrs today when three youths intercapted them
in their vehicle, pushed aside her mother-in-law and sped away after dragging her into their vehicle. All
three raped her on the way before dropping her near Tawdu village in Haryana later, the victim told the
police. In another incident, a 15-year-old girl was abducted by miscreants from outside her house in
Mudpuri Kalan under Govindgarh Sub-division in this district last evening, police said, quoting FIR by girl's
brother. (Dalit News 1/9/09)
Dalits barred from entering temple here (2)
BELLARY: Untouchability is prevalent in many parts of the country and Dharmasagara village near
Hospet taluk is no exception. Here, people from upper castes have forbidden the dalits from entering into
temples. The issue came to the fore when working president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha,
Koddihalli Chandrashekhar, attended a function on a temple premises recently. When the farmer leader
asked one of the farmers to get into the temple, the latter did not budge. Realizing what could have

stopped him, Chandrashekhar told him: "We are all one... there is no discrimination on the grounds of
caste and creed. (Social reformer) Basavanna has taught us that in the 12th century itself." The village
has six temples 80 houses belonging to dalits while its population is around 5,000. However, the dalits
are allowed to enter hotels and saloons. Jambanna, a dalit, said: "We have not been allowed to enter into
since many years. We have not tried to enter either." (Times of India 2/9/09)
Kendrapara Dalit girl murder: SI suspended (2)
KENDRAPARA: Sub Inspector of Kendrapara police station Khireswar Sahoo has been suspended on
the charge of gross negligence by not taking any action to rescue a minor Dalit girl of village Kapaleswar
on the outskirts of Kendrapara town. The hapless girl was allegedly raped and burnt alive by her
kidnapper and his parents recently, police sources said. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik
directed Director-General of Police (DGP) to investigate the case after a report on the rape and murder of
the minor Dalit girl was published in these columns. As per the order of the DGP, Inspector-General (IG)
Siddhartha Narvane, in-charge of Human Rights and Social Justice, rushed to the village of the victim on
Thursday for investigation. “I met the parents and brothers of the deceased girl in their village
Kapaleswar. Champa, mother of the girl, alleged before me that she filed an FIR in the police station on
April 4 last year saying that village youth Kantia Mallick (24) had forcibly kidnapped her daughter. She
also requested the police officers of Kendrapara police station many times to rescue her daughter. But
they did not pay any heed to it, Champa alleged. ‘’Police simply entered her name as a missing girl in the
station diary,” said Narvane. Champa identified SI Khireswar whom she met at least twice after filing the
FIR. But the police officer did not pay any heed to her plea. ‘’I will submit a detailed report about this
gruesome murder,” said Narvane. ‘’Kantia Mallick demanded Rs 50,000 from us to release my sister from
his custody,’’ said Bhagawan Mallick, brother of the deceased girl. The 16-year-old Dalit girl, daughter of
Sridhar Mallick, died of burn injuries on Tuesday evening in a hospital. She was set on fire because she
snubbed Kantia who had allegedly been harassing her. Last year Kantia allegedly kidnapped her. The girl
had an altercation with Kantia on Monday in his house after which he allegedly doused kerosene on her
and set her afire in the presence of his parents. Police arrested Kantia, his father Ratnakar Mallick and
his mother Ghungure of village Kapaleswar on the charges of kidnapping and killing the minor girl. All the
arrested persons were produced in the court of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) at Kendrapara.
The court rejected their bail applications and remanded them in judicial custody. (Express Buzz 5/9/09)
Dalit women unsafe under Maya regime: Joshi (2)
ALLAHABAD: `The atrocities and inhuman act committed on Dalit women and girls is a blot on the state
government given the fact that Dalit women are not safe in the state despite having a Dalit woman as
state chief minister,' said state Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi while addressing a Dalit Maha
rally at Shankragrah block here on Sunday. She said incidents of exploitation and rape of Dalit women
are increasing at an alarming rate in the state which was evident from the fact that while the musclemen
continued to torment the victims at Tandon Van the police and the district administration preferred to look
the other way. "The Congress party condemns this shameful act and demands immediate action including
lodging of FIR against the culprits and arresting them,'' UPCC chief said. It may be recalled that some
Dalit women and girls had gone to the jungles in Shankargarh block on August 19 to collect firewood
when they were caught by some musclemen in Tandon Van area. The women were stripped and beaten
up by and held captive for more than two hours. The issue was raised by several political parties including
the Samajwadi Party and Congress. Expressing shock at the the fact that no FIR has been lodged
against the persons responsible for the incident, Joshi termed the incident as shameful and demanded
that the officials concerned be taken to task. The victims were held captive for more than two hours and
the chairperson District panchayat also did not care to meet the victims. Meanwhile addressing
newspersons here on Sunday, state president of Mahila Congress, Mira Singh flayed the state
government for failing to take action in the Shakargarh incident. Accusing the state government of being
insensitive towards the plight of poor and Dalits she said that farmers in Jari block have died due to
starvation and their children are helpless. (Times of India 6/9/09)
Raped Dalit girl's family blames SP, other officers (2)
KENDRAPADA: The recent case of kidnapping, raping and burning alive a dalit girl in Kendrapada district
has opened a can of worms in the Kendrapada police department, with the girl's family accusing several
officers of negligence and even attempts to protect the culprits. Although, a Kendrapada SI was

suspended on Friday, they alleged that he was not the "only person responsible". The SI was accused of
not taking action to rescue Jhilli Mallick of Kapaleswar village, on the outskirts of Kendrapada town.
Members of the family said they had approached the then SP and several other police officers. But they
had allegedly not paid any heed to the pleas of the victim's mother and brother. "I approached the then
SP, D Patnaik, to rescue my daughter from her kidnapper Kantei Mallick (24) and his parents. On
Thursday, I also told the IG of Human Rights and Social Science that the Kendrapada police are not
helping us. Police had not even registered a case against the kidnap-per," Champa, the victim's mother,
said. A police officer of Kendrapada police station told this paper that Khireswar Sahoo, the sub-inspector
who was suspended, was working as a probational officer last year in Kendrapada police station. The
victim's mother filed an FIR before him on April 4, 2008. "According to the police manual, a probational
police officer is not authorized to register. He had appropriately entered the case in the diary. It is the duty
of then OIC and other police officers to register the case against the kidnapper. But the axe was dropped
on his neck while the guilty officers and the SP were given a clean chit," he alleged. "I filed an FIR in the
Kendrapada sadar police station after my sister was burnt to death and categorically mentioned that I had
informed the SP, urging him to take immediate action against the kidnapper after the police officers
refused to take any step," Jhilli's brother Bhagawan Mallick said. (Times of India 7/9/09)
Doctor slaps Dalit woman in Jajpur (2)
JAJPUR: A Dalit woman fell unconscious on Sunday when a doctor slapped her at his private clinic in
Jajpur Road. The woman had gone to the clinic for her son's treatment. According to witnesses, Jyotshna
Mallick of Sukadeipur village had gone to paediatric specialist Prasanna Sahu for a check up of her
younger son. "While the doctor was examining our younger son, my wife asked him about our elder son,
who was also under his treatment. When she asked why he was not recovering from a fever, the doctor
slapped her. My wife fell down from the stool and lost consciousness," Jyotshna's husband Naba Kishore
Mallick said. The doctor, however, denied the allegation. As soon as the news spread, residents rushed
to the clinic and staged a gherao, demanding the doctor's arrest. They alleged that Sahu had misbehaved
with several patients in the past. Police said the doctor was lucky to elude the mob's clutches as he
haInspector-in-charge (Jajpur Road police station) Umesh Chandra Gadnayak rushed to the spot with a
platoon police force. "Though the woman filed a written complaint, she withdrew it when the doctor
apologised for his act. Later, both went for a compromise," the inspector said. (The Times of India,
September 7, 2009)
56 Dalit families face eviction (2)
DHARMAPURI: Fifty six Dalit families who have been living on 0.56 cents in Sengodipuram Colony for
more than six decades face eviction. The colony was established by the late Communist leader
Jeevanantham in a plot of 4.78 acres and the Dalit families were settled there in 1948. . Cosmopolitan
Club and members of other communities were given patta in this plot for 4.23 acres but not the Dalits.
Dharmapuri Municipality Council at a meeting on July 27 passed a resolution to evict the Dalit families
with the help of the district administration. However, Communist councillors opposed the resolution. Harur
MLA and Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary P. Dillibabu told The Hindu that the
Municipal Council’s resolution was against the Government Order 854 which ensured patta to those who
were living on government land for more than five years. Mr. Dillibabu also said the resolution was
against the Constitution of India which guaranteed Dalits the right to live. He urged the government to
stop the eviction move and take necessary steps to issue patta to the 56 families immediately. He
accused the municipality of being indifferent to them and favouring caste Hindus, Cosmopolitan Club and
Indian Medical Association. Many of the caste Hindu families had been paying only 0.12 paise as tax from
1954, he alleged. Instead of raising income by restructuring its tax structure the municipality with ulterior
motives was bent upon evicting the poor people, he said. CPM has planned agitations in front of the
municipality from September 8 to 15 to express solidarity with the Dalits. CPM state secretary N.
Varadarajan, party leader in the state legislature K. Balabharathy, Perambur MLA S.K. Mahendran,
Gudiyatham MLA G. Latha, and other state leaders will participate in the agitations. A decision to this
effect was announced by Mr. Dillibabu after the party’s district committee meeting here last week. (The
Hindu 8/9/09)
Houses of Dalits attacked in Hassan district (2)

HASSAN: “Caste” Hindus allegedly attacked nine houses of Dalits in Yamasandhi village in Belur Taluk,
55 km from Hassan, on Saturday evening and threw stones at the houses. The police have registered
cases against 15 persons under the provisions of Prevention of Atrocities on SC ST Act. Superintendent
of Police K.V. Sharatchandra said here on Monday that the incident took place over recovery of Rs. 20
that was given as a loan to a Dalit. Vani alias Vanajakshi gave a loan of Rs. 20 to Rudraiah in the village.
Under the garb of recovering the amount, about 15 people entered the Dalit colony and picked up quarrel
with Rudraiah and allegedly abused and assaulted him. The residents were reportedly unhappy as the
Dalits did not invite “caste” Hindus for the Ganesha immersion in Dalit Colony. After assaulting Rudraiah,
the miscreants allegedly attacked the houses of Rudraiah, Veerabhadraih, Mallesh, Ramaiah, Shivaiah,
Thimmaiah, Mullaiah, Veerabhadraiah and Dyavayya and broke the tiles and asbestos sheets. Mr.
Sharatchandra said on the complaint by Kumar, they registered cases against Mahesh, Vani, Mallesh,
Gundappa, Manjappa, Raghavendra, Jagadish, Purnesh, Ninge Gowda, Shivappa, Y L Lakshmana
Shetty, Y C Suresh, Kaushik, Sriman and Manja. Search is on to arrest the accused who are reportedly
absconding. Mr. Sharatchandra said a peace meeting was conducted in the village on Sunday presided
over by Belur MLA Y.N. Rudresh Gowda. Officials of the Social Welfare Department were assessing the
damage to Dalit houses and that compensation would be paid according to the assessment. Mr.
Sharatchandra said illicit liquor was being sold in the village and that the Excise Department had been
directed to check the menace. (The Hindu 8/9/09)
“Caste-based discrimination eclipses democracy” (2)
MADURAI: The resilience of the caste system and the persistence of birth-based discrimination eclipse
democracy, leaving dark shadows across the country, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau
member Brinda Karat has said. She was addressing a meeting on “Untouchability and implementation of
legal provisions,” organised here by the All India Democratic Women’s Association to mark the
completion of 20 years of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,
1989. Untouchability that jeopardised the rights, dignity and self-reliance of the Dalits was the result of the
state’s failure to provide them economic and social equality, she said. They should be given land to make
them equal to the landlords. She sought reservation in employment in the private sector that enjoyed the
benefits of the government’s bailout. Though the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and its rules
framed in 1995 marked a step forward in the struggle to do justice to the Dalits, the 20 years of
experience showed deficiency in implementation. This called for amendments to the Act. Only 1 per cent
of the 1.43 lakh cases registered under the Act resulted in conviction every year. This was in contrast to
40 per cent conviction in cases registered under the Indian Penal Code. Ms. Karat flayed the “casteist
bias” among a section of the police and the judiciary while dealing with crimes against the Dalits. While
the police unilaterally disposed of 50 per cent of the 30,000 cases relating to crime against the Dalits
without any trial in 2000, one of the judges asked how the “castiest bias” of an upper caste man involved
in the rape of a Dalit woman could be proved. Suggesting amendments to strengthen the Act, Ms. Karat
called for a time limit to dispose of every case. She wanted a monitoring cell established to make the
police accountable for dropping legal action in any of the cases in which the first information report was
filed. The quantum of punishment for the same offence under the provisions of the Act was lesser than
that under the IPC, she said, demanding that the law dealing with special social crimes be made more
stringent. The punishment for rape under the IPC was up to seven years of imprisonment, while under
Section 3 of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, it was only up to five years. The punishment for
forcing somebody into bonded labour attracted a minimum of one year in jail, against just six months
under the Act. Despite their conversion to other religions, the Dalits were subjected to discrimination. The
Act should be amended to try cases of violence against the Dalits who converted, she said. The social
and economic boycott of the Dalits should be brought under the purview of the Act. An amendment was
also needed to protect survivors and witnesses to offences against the Dalits, who were often subjected
to pressures. (The Hindu 12/9/09)
Dalit boy loses vision to police torture, 5 cops suspended (2)
Faizabad/Lucknow:: A case was registered agai-nst five policemen on Tuesday for allegedly torturing a
Dalit boy in custody and causing loss of his eyesight in Faizabad. Faizabad SSP RKS Rathore ordered
for lodging the FIR after suspending the erring policemen, including Sub-Inspector (S-I) P P Pandey of
Ayodhya police station. The action was initiated following a probe conducted by Ayodhya Circle Officer R
K Pandey. The policemen were found guilty in the case and booked under the SC/ST Act and other

charges, the CO said. Faizabad SSP R K S Rathore said, “After going through the CSMMU report, I
suspended the policemen and also ordered the Ayodhya police station to lodge an FIR against them.”
Doctors of the CSMMU have confirmed that the boy had lost his vision. The police had allegedly picked
up Rohit (15) on July 29, claiming that he was involved in the theft of cellphones from a shop at Darshan
Nagar locality in Ayodhya. Interestingly, after Rohit was picked up, Rathore had defended the police
action saying that he was wanted in a case of theft and the police had recovered 18 mobile phones from
him. Locals had, however, alleged that the police tortured the boy and forced him to confess. The boy’s
condition gradually deteriorated in police custody and he was taken to the district hospital. “I was beaten
up in the police custody and had fever on the second day after which S-I Pandey took me to a doctor.
After I took the medicines given by Pandey, I was unable to see things properly as everything appeared
hazy. Soon I lost my eyesight completely,” Rohit told The Indian Express. (Indian Express 16/9/09)
Dalit poisons children, commits suicide (2)
A Dalit labourer, Bal Karan, poisoned his four children and killing two of them before ending his life in
Khutar area of Shahjahanpur district on Tuesday. The Shahjahanpur administration ruled out poor
economic condition as a possible reason behind the man taking the step. The District Magistrate, Anil
Garg, claimed that Bal Karan was upset because his wife had left the house one-and-a-half-months ago
and refused to return. After Bal Karan’s neighbours in Aurangabad village found him and the children
lying unconscious in the house in the morning, they rushed them to the district hospital where Bal Karan,
Geeta (6) and Ram Pravesh (4) were declared dead on arrival. The other children, Sarita (12) and Keerti
(10), are undergoing treatment and their condition is stated to be critical. “Sarita told the attending doctors
that last night her father had given them some tablets. According to the doctors, they had consumed
sulphas tablets,” said Garg. “Bal Karan’s parents and two of his brothers, who live in adjacent Sitapur
district, said he had married the girl of his choice and was staying in Shahjahanpur since his marriage,”
he added. The couple had five children. Bal Karan had visited his parents last month and told that his wife
had gone to her parental house taking their youngest daughter with her. He had visited her several times,
but she refused to return. Bal Karan also told his mother that he was unable to look after his small
children, the DM said. The neighbours told the administration that Bal Karan was unable to go for work
and used to stay at home throughout the day to look after his children, Garg added. He handed over Rs
5,000 and a cheque of Rs 20,000 to Bal Karan’s mother. (Indian Express 17/9/09)
Tension prevails in UP village as panchayat bans Dalits to enter into fields (2)
MUZAFFARNAGAR: Tension prevailed in a village in the district after a community panchayat banned
entry of Dalits into agricultural fields, even as police stepped up security to avert any untoward incident.
The panchayat had on Monday decided to ban entry of Dalits in the fields of Wazirabad village after a
Dalit filed an FIR against a person from the upper caste, alleging that he had attempted to rape his wife
on September 10, police said on Wednesday. The panchayat was of the view that the person was being
"falsely" implicated. (Times of India 17/9/09)
Dalit student suffers rape bid by neighbor (2)
Noida: A youth allegedly tried to rape a 22-year-old Dalit woman and threatened to kill her if she informed
anyone about the incident. The incident occurred at around 9 am in the morning when the accused broke
into her room and assaulted her. The victim is a student of a technical institute based in Sector 10 who
belonged to Muzaffarnagar and had been living in a rented house in Sector 22. She accused Nitu Sahu
(25) of misbehaving with her on her way home. When his feelings were not reciprocated, he got into a fit
of rage and tried to assault her. The girl had been complaining that a youth made suggestive advances
on the girl a number of times and on resistance the latter often threatened her. According to a police
officer, "The youth had evil designs on this girl who used to stay in the neighbourhood. On Tuesday
morning, the boy barged into the girl's house and attempted to rape her. Hearing the girl's cry for help, her
roommates rushed to help her. A case has been registered against the youth." According to Ashok
Tripathy, SP (City), "We have taken action against the accused for trying to rape a Dalit. The boy was
arrested." (Pioneer 17/9/09)
Land for poor Dalits still a distant dream in UP (2)
Lucknow: Despite a Dalit Chief Minister at the helm of affairs in UP, ineffective advocacy has brought the
welfare of landless Dalits to a nought as the land allotted to them is still a distant dream due to the stay

granted by the courts at various levels to influential persons possessing the land. Revenue department
statistics give some startling facts. More than 62,000 Dalits have been allotted nearly 11,000 hectare land
of agriculture and residential nature. However, nearly 8,000 infuential and powerful persons have
obtained stay orders on approximately 1,958 hectare agriculture land allotted to landless Dalits. As this
was not enough, more than 12,000 powerful persons have obtained stay orders on 3,300 hectare ceiling
land. The state capital itself tops the list of stay orders on agriculture and ceiling lands with 331 and 747
hectare respectively in Lucknow division. Agra division has stay orders on 340 hectare agriculture land
and 57 hectare ceiling land. Similarly, Devipatan division has court stays on 300 hectare agriculture and
400 hectare ceiling land. Besides the stay orders, the Revenue department had identified over 38,000
powerful persons who had illegal possession of around 6,000 hectare land. Agra division has 2,500 illegal
occupants of 746 hectare agriculture land, Bareilly 2,000 with 572 hectare, Vindhyachal 2,200 with 514
hectare and Aligarh nearly 2,000 persons having illegal possession of 453 hectare agricultural land.
Though the Revenue department claims that it has earnarked more than 30,000 Dalits for possession of
the land allotted to them yet the claim is far from ground realities. Sources said that in the review meeting
held a week back Revenue Minister Phagu Chauhan instructed the officials concerned to speed up work
so that Dalits got firm possession of the land allotted to them besides ensuring an effective advovacy so
that the stay orders were vacated as soon as possible. (Pioneer 17/9/09)
Atrocities against Dalits on the rise (2)
MADURAI: The statement, made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the meeting of the ministers of
social welfare and justice from various States in Delhi last week, that the conviction rate under the
Prevention of SC, ST Atrocities Act was very minimal, appears to have opened Pandora’s box. While
appreciating the concern of the Prime Minister who had written to the Chief Ministers of States,
requesting them to take action to curb atrocities against SC/ST persons as well as senior citizens, many
non-governmental organisations and social activists have said that the Act was now two decades old. The
law was enacted to protect the two communities from wanton attacks by those claiming to be superior.But
the law, the NGOs alleged, had in no way helped to reduce the number of crimes against the Dalits,
including murders and rapes, and the conviction rates were dismally low and very few had been
punished, substantiating the statement of the Prime Minister. The NGOs revealed some shocking
statistics. They said that in 2002, the number of cases registered under the Prevention of Atrocities Act in
Tamil Nadu was 917 and there were only 42 convictions. A total of 359 accused were acquitted, while
361 cases were dismissed, they added. The following year, 974 cases were registered. Convictions were
obtained only in 46 cases, 286 ended in acquittal and 351 cases were rejected or deferred, they pointed
out. They said that the trend continued in the following years as well, with only 24 convictions in 891
cases and in 1,056 cases in 2005, there were ten convictions and 73 acquittals, while 316 cases were
dismissed and 604 were pending. (Express Buzz 22/9/09)
Special SC/ST courts to be set up (2)
NEW DELHI: State governments have agreed to set up special courts to bring down pendency rate and
improve conviction under the SCs and STs Prevention of Atrocities Act. Official sources in the Ministry for
Social Justice and Empowerment said that more exclusive courts would be set up and investigation and
prosecution machinery strengthened for the purpose. For this, the ministry will provide Central assistance
under the relevant Centrally-sponsored scheme. Unanimity in this sphere was achieved during a recent
meeting of state social justice ministers, in which governments were asked to undertake a thorough
review of cases ending in acquittal and take corrective steps. Subsequently, state governments have
agreed to hold meetings of state and district level vigilance and monitoring committees on a regular basis
so that cases of atrocities are properly monitored. Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Mukul
Wasnik will visit states with high incidence of atrocities to conduct a high-level joint review, sources said.
Apart from this, during the meeting it was also assured by the states that they will send their comments
on the proposed amendments to Persons with Disability Act by October 15, 2009. It was agreed that the
procedure for providing disability certificates would be simplified and decentralised by all governments
before the end of the year. (Times of India 27/9/09)
UN set to treat caste as human rights violation (2)
NEW DELHI: If the recent genome study denying the Aryan-Dravidian divide has established the antiquity
of caste segregations in marriage, the ongoing session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva looks

set to recognize caste-based discrimination as a human rights violation. This, despite India's opposition
and following Nepal's breaking ranks on the culturally sensitive issue. Nepal has emerged as the first
country from South Asia -- the region where untouchability has been traditionally practiced -- to declare
support for the draft principles and guidelines published by UNHRC four months ago for ``effective
elimination of discrimination based on work and descent'' -- the UN terminology for caste inequities. In a
side-event to the session on September 16, Nepalese minister Jeet Bahadur Darjee Gautam said his
county welcomed the idea mooted by the UNHRC document to involve ``regional and international
mechanism, the UN and its organs'' to complement national efforts to combat caste discrimination. This is
radically different from India's stated aversion to the internationalization of the caste problem. Much to
India's embarrassment, Nepal's statement evoked an immediate endorsement from the office of the UN
high commissioner for human rights, Navanethem Pillay, a South African Tamil. Besides calling Nepal's
support ``a significant step by a country grappling with this entrenched problem itself'', Pillay's office said
it would ``like to encourage other states to follow this commendable example''. The reference to India was
unmistakable especially since Pillay had pressed the issue during her visit to New Delhi in March. Pillay
not only asked India to address ``its own challenges nationally, but show leadership in combating castebased
discrimination globally''. The granddaughter of an indentured labourer taken to South Africa from a
village near Madurai, Pillay recalled that in 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had compared
untouchability to apartheid. Adding to India's discomfiture, Sweden, in its capacity as the president of the
Europeon Union, said, ``caste-based discrimination and other forms of discrimination based on work and
descent is an important priority for EU''. If this issue continues to gather momentum, UNHRC may in a
future session adopt the draft principles and guidelines and, to impart greater legal force, send them for
adoption to the UN General Assembly. The draft principles specifically cited caste as one of the grounds
on which more than 200 million people in the world suffer discrimination. ``This type of discrimination is
typically associated with the notion of purity and pollution and practices of untouchability, and is deeply
rooted in societies and cultures where this discrimination is practiced,'' it said. Though India succeeded in
its efforts to keep caste out of the resolution adopted by the 2001 Durban conference on racism, the issue
has since re-emerged in a different guise, without getting drawn into the debate over where caste and
race are analogous. (Times of India 1/10/09)
UP people welcomed my visits to Dalit houses (2)
New Delhi, Sept 30:: Congress party general secretary Rahul Gandhi has said that people in Uttar
Pradesh and Maharashtra had whole heartedly welcomed his visits to Dalit houses. Addressing National
Students Union of India (NSUI) activists at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Gandhi said: " When I
go to their houses, they welcome and cuddle me and say you are the first politician who has come to
meet us." He said he was left wondering about the criticism made against his visits to these houses. "If
one politician goes to a Dalit's house, you ask why do you go to a Dalit's house. When thousands of
leaders do not visit Dalit houses, you do not ask them why do they not go," Gandhi questioned. "I go to a
poor man's house. It is the media which says it is a Dalit or an Adivasi house," Gandhi added.
Commenting on the hierarchal system existing in Indian politics Gandhi said: "The hierarchal system
exists. It is a reality. But what is the option before me?" Underlining his party's commitment to for the
cause of the Aam Admi, Rahul stressed on sustained economic growth and schemes to uplift the lot of
the poor. "Money does not grow on trees. Without growth, where is the money going to come from? In
order to have money you have to let the economy grow," he said. Rahul also claimed the country has
been recording a growth rate of nine per cent. He reiterated the UPA Government's commitment to
implement the recommendations of the Justice Rajinder Sachar Committee. (Central Chronicle 1/10/09)
Dalit girl dies, family claims jilted lover killed her (2)
Khandwa (MP), Sep 26 A dalit minor girl today died under mysterious circumstances as her family
claimed that she was burnt by her jilted lover and his friend under Kotwali police station here. After the
incident, the minor girl Deepmala&aposs elder sister Durgabai alleged that her sister&aposs lover Ashish
Akode of Amravati in Maharashtra along with his friend Mohan barged into their home and after pouring
kerosene, set Deepmala on fire. At the time of the incident, Durgabai said that she was in the
neighbourhood. Deepmala (17) died while she was being rushed to a hospital, police said. Akode was
angry with Deepmala after she refused his offer to marry him, sources close to the family claimed. Kotwali
City Superintendent of Police S K Nasina said the incident was being probed into."It will be too early to
state whether it was a suicide or a murder,"he said. (Indopia.in 1/10/09)

UP's Dalits in pathetic condition: Rita Bahuguna (2)
LUCKNOW: Lamenting the condition of Dalits in India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh Congress
president Rita Bahuguna Joshi Saturday said the community remained neglected even in the Ambedkar
villages that are on the priority list of the Mayawati government. Joshi was narrating her experience of
spending Friday night in Nai Garhi Purva village in a remote corner of Allahabad district, where she
stayed under the roof of a Kol tribal. The exercise was carried out as a continuation of the initiative taken
by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi last month to not only spend the night with a Dalit family but
to also share a meal with those who were once termed untouchables. Inspired by Gandhi's example,
Joshi had called upon her party MPs, legislators, district presidents and even lower unit functionaries to
follow suit on Oct 2, the 140th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Joshi told IANS said she had carried
some wheat flour, vegetables, pulses and cooking oil with her and gave them to the tribals to prepare a
meal to avoid imposing on them as their only source of their livelihood were the meagre daily wages as
labourers in the mushrooming stone quarries in the area. She said she reached the village after
traversing the last 2 km on foot, shortly after sunset Friday, and it was an "eye-opener" to be in a place
without roads, electricity, drinking water, schools or hospitals and where exploitation of labour was
blatant. Spreading a mat on the floor in an open quadrangle, she held an "open house" with the villagers,
who narrated their misery and problems. What shocked her was the "total absence of anything like
minimum wages. The poor labourers rarely earn more than Rs.25-30 for the day's toil. To make matters
worse for them, they are forced to shell out a 'tax' to the local zila panchayat (district council) boss."
According to her, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme was almost nonexistent
in the hamlet with a population of nearly 700. "Local officials have made a mockery of the
scheme, under which 80 residents were issued job cards way back in July 2008 but these were handed
over to the beneficiaries just about 15 days back," she said. The situation was equally deplorable on the
education front too. "Of the 250 children in the hamlet, only three were attending school largely because
of the 4 km distance to the nearest government educational institution," Joshi pointed out. The situation
she found has prompted Joshi to repeat the initiative once every month. "We will undertake this exercise
once a month right down to the level of each of the 830 development blocks across the state," she added.
(Express Buzz 3/10/09)
Gandhian plans 5,000 houses for Dalits (2)
TIRUCHY: A proposal to construct 5,000 houses for the homeless Dalits of tsunami-hit Nagapattinam and
Tiruvarur districts had been conveyed to President Pratibha Patil, said Krishnammal Jagannathan, noted
Gandhian activist and Alternative Nobel Prize winner. On the sidelines of a cultural function organised by
‘Swastika’, a self-improvement centre, here over the weekend, Krishnammal told Express that whatever
relief measures were implemented reached only the fishermen community in Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur
while the Dalits had no succour. As a remedial measure, Krishnammal had so far managed to distribute
land to over 1,000 landless families, making women the owners. The landlords were persuaded to part
with the lands, offering it to the Dalit tillers at a subsidy of 50 per cent. Since the land was registered in
the name of women, the menfolk addicted to liquor could not lay hands on the property. Three hostels
had been constructed for school students, with separate provisions for boys and girls to cater to the
needs of the wards of the Dalits. The women were trained to manufacture of mats and also sambar
powder, pickles and others. The women, who were now owners of the land and were involved in cottage
industry, had developed self-confidence and had emboldened them to face the challenges ahead of them.
Nearly 13,500 of them were reaping the benefits, Krishnammal said. “My only duty now is to construct
houses for the Dalits of Nagai and Tiruvarur areas who lead a very miserable life. They sweep the floor
with a piece of sack and the same wet piece is spread on the floor to lie down. The proposal to construct
1,000 houses will be forwarded to the President soon and the project completed at the earliest,” said
Krishnammal with confidence writ large on her face. Recalling her association with Vinoba Bhave,
Krishnammal who is 83, feels proud to have been a servant of the people for which she is thankful to
Vinobaji.(Express Buzz 6/10/09)
Hunger death of Dalit in Amethi? Admn blames heart attack (2)
The night Congress leaders were busy organising feasts in Dalit villages to mark Gandhi Jayanti, a Dalit
rickshaw-puller was battling for life in a hut in Sarvanpur, close to the Congress office in Rahul Gandhi’s
constituency Amethi. Nandlal Kori (46) lost the battle the next night. Locals say he died of poverty and

disease. The administration says he died of heart attack and liver damage. What is beyond dispute is that
not a single grain was found in Nandlal’s hut, where he lived and died alone. His possessions comprised
a small steel plate, a glass and a small bowl, all empty and clean. The “chulha”, it seemed, had not been
fired for sometime. Nandlal stopped pulling his rickshaw when he fell ill about two months ago. His
younger brother, Sunil, a labourer, who earns between Rs 25 and Rs 40 a day, supported him initially, but
the money was just not enough. Dr GM Khan, a private practitioner who treated Nandlal for sometime,
said: “He seemed to be suffering from tuberculosis and liver failure. When his brother brought him to me
around two months ago, I told them to get a few tests done to confirm TB so I could recommend
admission in a government hospital, but they never came back.” Sunil (25), said: “I did my best but I did
not have enough money for medicines and tests. We tried to send a message to Rahul Gandhi but we
were not successful. Some local Congress leaders had assured help, but nothing came”. Sultanpur
district Congress president Maqsood Alam, however, said nobody ever approached them. Alam’s office is
walking distance from Nandlal’s hut. Neighbours said Nandlal had a BPL card, but it could not be found in
the hut. They said he sometimes borrowed small amounts, and would repay with the PDS foodgrain. After
Nandlal’s death, the district administration conducted an inquiry. Radhey Shyam, Additional District
Magistrate of Sultanpur, said: “We confirmed that last month, 35 quintals of grain was collected on his
BPL card which is sufficient for one man. Moreover, his postmortem report confirmed that he died of heart
attack and liver damage,” said The Indian Express found that Nandlal’s supply of 20 kg rice and 15 kg
wheat was taken by pan shop owner Raj Verma. “It is true that someone else took the supply, but this
person had the authority letter from Nandlal,” said the ADM. Raj Verma said: “I took the grains for him
because he was not in the condition to go to the shop. However, I believe he later sold it off to buy
medicines.” Tea shop owner Raja Ram said: “Sometimes he begged for money for medicines, but we
could not give him more than Rs 10 or Rs 20.” The Congress NREGS cell in-charge in Amethi Dr
Narendra Mishra, who lives near Nandlal’s hut, said, “I used to pass his hut almost daily, but he never told
me about his problem.” (Indian Express 7/10/09)
Dalit woman suffers miscarriage after being assaulted by cop (8)
KANPUR: In an inhuman act, a police constable attacked a pregnant Dalit woman, carrying twins, so
brutally that she suffered miscarriage in Pahewa village of Ghatmapur, 20 km from Kanpur. The incident
came to light on Thursday after the family of the 30-year-old woman, carrying the six-month-old aborted
fetus, reached the office of the DIG (deputy inspector general) and apprised the senior police officials
about the barbaric incident. The police, however, have yet to take any action against the erring cop. The
victim, who was initially shooed away by the policemen from the DIG office also, was later sent for
medical, when the matter was brought to the notice of DIG, Neera Rawat. Identified as Somwati, wife of
Anil, is in trauma after the attack and undergoing treatment at the Ursala Horsman hospital. The incident
took place on Tuesday, October 6, after neighbours of the victim Somwati, identified as Mohan Lal, Jai
Karan, Hari Om and Ramesh first beat up her family members including her husband Anil, father-in-law
Ram Asrey, sister-in-law Rajrani and a relative Guru Prasad, after her father-in-law had raised objection
over the caging of saplings sown on the Gram Sabha land located adjacent to their house. According to
sources, all the four accused, who were armed with axe, other sharp-edged weapons and wooden sticks,
thereafter, forcibly entered Somwati's house again on Wednesday and beat up her family members. It
was when Somwati and her sister-in-law Rajrani rushed to the spot in order to rescue their family
members, a policeman identified as Ram Milan, attached with the Ghatampur police station, who was on
routine patrolling, reached there and allegedly started bullying them further. "When Somwati came in the
way, the cop Ram Milan ignoring her pleas, dragged her by her hair aside and kicked her in her stomach.
She immediately started crying with pain and we rushed her to a nearby hospital," said Ram Asrey,
victim's father-in-law while talking to TOI. Later in the evening, she suffered a miscarriage and delivered
stillborn babies. "Soon after the assault, I suffered an abortion. Later, when my sister-in-law Rajrani and
one of my relatives Guru Prasad reached Ghatampur police station and tried to register an FIR, the
policemen, instead of registering their complaint further confined us illegaly in the police lockup. However,
the Ghatampur police allowed all the four accused to go scot-free," she said on Thursday at the Ursala
hospital. Interestingly, the Ghatampur police denied the whole incident when TOI tried to contact them for
their version. "I have directed the officials to constitute a high-level probe into the incident and register a
case against the culprits who assaulted Somwati," DIG, Neera Rawat, said. (Times of India 9/10/09)
Dalit suicide casts shadow on poll in Aurangabad (2)

Aurangabad: The otherwise lack-lustre campaign in Aurangabad has been charged up with the suicide of
a Dalit former corporator on Thursday. The suicide would have gone unnoticed, but Ganesh Tambe in his
dying declaration has blamed former Congress Minister Rajendra Darda, local newspaper baron whose is
seeking re-election from the neighbouring constituency, Aurangabad East. Ganesh Tambe, a scrap
dealer, was an activist of the Republican Party of India (RPI) — Bahujan Mahasangh, headed by BR
Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar, which has put up a young Dalit worker Amit Bhuigal from the
newly carved out Aurangabad West constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes. Tambe in his dying
declaration before the Tehsildar said that the Congress MLA had subjected him to mental torture by
framing him and his family on several criminal charges following his fisticuff in the Municipal Corporation
with Congress corporators few years back. His family has refused to take his body till Rajendra Darda is
booked under the Atrocities Act. Darda has obviously rejected the charges and called the suicide as a
“political conspiracy” to damage his reputation. An influential person of the city, Darda had represented
this area earlier when it was Aurangabad Central, but is no longer a nominee here as the newly carved
out Aurangbad West has become a reserved seat for Scheduled Castes. RPI (Bahujan Mahasangh)
activists feel that the suicide would not only affect Darda’s prospects but would also have an impact on
elsewhere in the region where ever Dalits are in substantial number. But the talk has already gone round
the city that Ganesh Tambe was heavily indebted to the tune of Rs 1.50 lakh. Tambe’s reported
‘indebtedness’ may not fully bail out Darda even though he has shifted to Aurangabad East where there
are not many Dalits. In the new seat, he has to reckon with a rebel candidate from the Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP) and, worse, this independent Subhash Jhambad belongs to the same caste as
Darda. The contest is finally likely to become four-cornered as BJP nominee Bhagwat Karad too is facing
a rebel from within, Kashinath Kopate, former corporator who was denied the party ticket. In the
Aurangabad Central constituency, the area that comprised the erstwhile old city, an interesting multicornered
fight is in the offing between two former Mayors of the Shiv Sena —one formal nominee now
and the other rebel. Former Shiv Sena MP Pradip Jaiswal, having been denied the party ticket, is now
contesting as an independent while another former Mayor Vikas Jain is the official candidate of the BJP-
Shiv Sena combine. The Nationalist Congress Party has fielded Abdul Kadir Maulana, obviously with an
eye on the estimated 90,000 Muslims in the old city area. But there are many supporters of Pradip
Jaiswal among the Muslims too as they feel he had prevented communal tensions here despite the
influence of Shiv Sainiks. The CPI too has fielded Asfaque Salami who has a lot of influence among the
working class in the city industrial areas. People have a high opinion about him but add that he has
standard following from the educated class like doctors, teachers and advocates apart from what is
generally known here as ‘Comrades’. But, then, Comrade Asfaqe Salami is also a Muslim and so is the
candidate of the Nationalist Congress Party which, for a change, does not have a rebel nominee here
while the Shiv Sena candidate is faced with a rebel. With Bahujan Samaj Party putting up nominees in
almost all seats, Aurangabad is likely to witness interesting contests. (Pioneer 10/10/09)
Raw deal for dalits (2)
BIJAPUR: Don Budihal in Sindagi taluk has around 200 houses. But now, half of them have collapsed.
The government officials have enumerated all the houses, except six. The reason is not difficult to
understand: these houses belong to dalits and officials did not count them in, for reasons best known to
them. "Officials did not go house to house, assessing damage. They held a meeting of villagers in the
temple and asked them about the damage each had suffered. Since we are not allowed inside the
temple, we could not speak to officials. Neither did they ask us about the damage after the meeting," said
Anasubai Yamanappa Walikar. Similar is the case with the other five dalit families in Don Budihal. Two
walls and a part of the roof of Anasubai's house have collapsed. She now lives in a small, dry part of the
house, with eight of her family members. With jowar and millets stored in the kitchen rotting, she now
depends on the gruel centre in the village for the food. Seethavva's parents are old. Her parents
Marilingappa Pujari and Bheemabai work in the fields. Though both knew that officials had arrived at the
village temple to assess flood damage, they could not attend it due to a ban on their temple entry.
Seethavva, who has studied up to high school, is angry. "I don't think we should not approach
government officials to seek relief. The government should be proactive in helping flood victims," she
said. She feels that this must be the fate of dalits who suffered damages in the flood across the district.
DC R Shantaraj said he would instruct the officials to revisit the village and re-assess the damage. It is
understandable that such corrective action would help the members of the deprived community in Don
Budihal. But who can guarantee that dalits have not got such unjust treatment in other villages? When

contacted, district minister Govind Karjol said it was unfortunate that caste-based oppression had raised
its ugly head even in such trying times as the floods. "We will ensure that dalits are given an equal
opportunity to be heard. We will ask the officials to double check if dalits have been left out of flood loss
assessment before they finalize the report on loss," he said. Anasubai with her grandchildren in front of
her house. She has put up plastic sheets to cover the front wall after the roof partially collapsed ((Times
of India 12/10/09)
Dalit woman harassed at Villupuram (2)
CHENNAI: A 23-year-old Dalit woman, Kasiammal, was allegedly assaulted and humiliated in broad
daylight outside a fair price shop in Thachur village of Villupuram district on September 24, but the police
have reportedly diluted the case and let the accused caste Hindus get bail from a court. Though the
Kallakurichi police booked the accused under section 3 (I) XI) of SC/ST prevention of atrocities Act 1989,
which is a non-bailable offence, they allowed the accused to surrender in the court and get bail. “This
indicates that the police acted in liaison with the accused and failed to follow the procedure of the Act,”
said A Kathir, executive director, Evidence, an NGO that works for the emancipation of Dalits. Kasiammal
was standing in the queue outside the fair price shop around 2 pm on September 24 when her hand
accidentally touched Virut-hambal (35), belonging to the Padayachai community, who was standing
behind her. “Viruthambal immediately used vulgar language to abuse me and also hit me on my head.
When I objected to it, she pushed me down and said how dare you (belong to Pariyar community)
questi-on me,” Kasiammal told Express. Indumathi and Krishnavani, the daughters of Viruthambal, who
were also standing in the queue allegedly joined her and assaulted her in full public view. “Wi-thin a few
seconds, Virut-hambal’s husband Sinu alias Srinivasan joined them, and attacked me with wooded logs,”
claimed Kasiammal. “When people of my community informed my mother-in-law Kariammal and my
relative Alaiyamani, they came to my rescue. My mother-in-law literally begged him to stop beating me,
but Srinivasan pushed her aside and conti-nued beating me till I almost fainted,” said Kasiammal. When
Kasiammal filed a complaint with the Kallakurichi police station against the assailants, the dominant caste
Hindus of the village allegedly started discriminating against the 600 Dalits families. “Caste Hindus didn’t
allow us to walk on their str-eets, stopped selling tea and grocery items to us and sto-pped hiring us for
agriculture work,’’ said Duraimurugan, Kasiammal’s husband. When Express contacted Kallakurichi DSP
Arumugam over phone, he said that the section only enables the police not to release the accused on
bail, but the court could do so. When asked why the police waited till the accused surrendered in the
court, he said before the police could complete the investigation, he surrendered in the court a few days
after the incident. Express Buzz 13/10/09)
Caste bias rules in Virudhunagar village (2)
KARIAPATTI: The plight of the 37 Dalit families, whose members have fled T Veppankulam in
Virudhunagar district — of the 120 families, 70 are that of caste Hindus and 49 Scheduled Castes — to
Kariapatti is just one of the many instances of caste discrimination happening every day in the State,
where untouchability is still practised in subtle forms. Dalit, who are discrimated against by the dominant
upper class caste Hindus, face various types of atrocities. In a petition submitted to the divisional revenue
officer, Veeran, a Dalit ward member of Veppankulam village panchayat, says they have to pick up their
footwear in their hands while walking on streets housing the caste Hindus. If they are on a cycle or other
two-wheelers, they have to get down and walk. This applies to even small children walking to their
anganwadi schools under the hot sun. Sexual harassment of Dalit women is a major concern of rights
activists. Jayamma (23), a Dalit woman who has studied upto class VIII, is vocal on the issue. She says
she paid the price for giving a tongue-in-cheek reply to a caste Hindu man who wanted to know what she
was doing at the PDS shop. “He grabbed both my breasts and pushed me down and beat me
mercilessly.” Such incidents happen frequently, other women echo her. Caste Hindus do not like to see
Dalits well dressed, Jayamma says. Women have to tie their saris above their ankle, with the ends tightly
tucked into their hips. In the event of any death in a caste Hindu family, one woman per Dalit family has to
go up to the cremation ground sounding the kulavai. If they fail, a meeting is convened by the panchayat
the next day and they have to prostrate before the assembly. The petition says the two-tumbler system
still prevails in the village albeit in a modified form. While caste Hindus is served tea in a steel tumbler, it
is plastic cups for Dalits. Interestingly, the panchayat president, Malarkodi, is a Dalit, who was put up by
the caste Hindus for the reserved post. During meetings, she either has to stand or sit on the floor. Sitting
on the chair is a strict no-no, the villagers say. Muniaraj of People’s Watch, a Madurai-based human

ights NGO, says the main reason for the exploitation of Dalits is their complete economic dependence on
the upper castes. “The villagers are daily wage labourers. They do not own any land and work in farms
belonging to caste Hindus. Hence, they have to be at their beck and call.” (Express Buzz 19/10/09)
'Dalits are being harassed' (2)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Various human rights organisations have alleged that Dalits are being
harassed by the police in the wake of the murder and murder-attempts allegedly by Dalit Human Rights
Movement (DHRM) activists at Varkala. A 22-member delegation led by human rights activists and
veteran journalist B.R.P. Bhasker who visited the Dalit colonies in Varkala on Sunday alleged that one of
their team members, Baiju, was detained and attacked by Shiv Sena activists at Thoduva colony. Though
a police team led by Varkala Circle Inspector Anil Kumar was present in the area, they took a passive
stand towards the Shiv Sena activists, Bhasker told reporters. Addressing a press conference, Bhasker
said that the delegation which had gone to the Dalit colonies on a fact-finding mission could not find any
unethical activity by the DHRM. Men in Dalit colonies have gone into hiding fearing police action. Human
rights activist P.A. Pauran also alleged that there was an attempt by the real estate mafia to possess the
land from the Dalits by creating disturbances among them. The 250-odd families in the Dalit colonies are
not even having title deeds of the land they reside. A large number of Shiv Sena activists had joined
DHRM and this had agitated the Shiv Sena activists, he said. The delegation members said that they are
also planning to bring these matters to the notice of the Chief Minister and the Home Minister. (New
Indian Exp 19/10/09)
Suicide by teacher over caste-based harassment (2)
Darjeeling, October 23, 2009: “Being born a scheduled caste is the biggest curse for me.” These were the
last words Pappu Singh Darnal, a 46-year old school teacher in Darjeeling, wrote before he hung himself
on Thursday morning. In a suicide note, scribbled on the page of a 2002 diary and addressed to his wife
Vidhya, Darnal, who worked at the Municipal Boy’s School in this hill station, he alleged that one Jiwan
Thapa used to regularly insult him for being a scheduled caste. He further alleged that Thapa was acting
at the instigation of one Bimal Rai. The police have arrested both Thapa and Rai. They have been
charged with abatement to suicide. This is a rare case of caste-based harassment in Bengal. Such cases
are more common in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. “They are jealous
of my success and my popularity. Looking for cheap publicity, the two always scorn me and mentally
torture me. Why in this modern age do schedule castes have to bear such torture?” wrote Darnal. “I still
have faith in the legal process and I sincerely hope that justice will prevail and these two will be taught a
lesson,” the teacher wrote to his wife. On October 13, while Darnal was returning from an exhibition,
Thapa had allegedly made disparaging remarks about his caste. When Darnal protested, Thapa, who is
handicapped, hit Darnal on the head with his metal crutch. Darnal had to be hospitalised. “Thapa, along
with Rai, allegedly continued making derogatory remarks even after the October 13 incident,” said Indrajit
Thapa, inspector-in-charge of the Darjeeling Sadar Thana, the local police station. (Hindustan Times
23/10/09)
Abused Dalit woman seeks Naveen’s intervention (2)
BALASORE: A dalit woman, who was tied to a tree, beaten up and abused in full public view in a market
place at Soro here, has appealed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take stringent action against all the
accused. In a letter to the Chief Minister, the 26-year-old woman, a native of Jakapada village, has sought
immediate police action against those involved. While the police have so far arrested three persons, five
are at large. On October 14, a group of locals of Bagudi market near Soro tied the woman, a mother of
three children, to a tree and beat her up mercilessly after branding her as a ‘prostitute’. She also alleged
that the accused videographed the act while others watched as mute spectators. Soon after the incident
was reported in the media, members of several women organisations met the victim and condemned the
barbaric act. They also came down heavily on the police for ‘lackadaisical attitude’ towards the case. “We
demand stringent punishment for the accused and assistance for the victim. The woman’s financial
condition is poor and she needs permanent shelter and job to raise her children,” said Kadamabari
Samal, a member of National Alliance of Women’s Organisations (NAWO). A National Federation of Dalit
Women (NFDW) team led by Basanti Behera also met the victim and the investigating police officer. Soro
OIC Manas Deo said that efforts were on to nab the other accused. “We are conducting raids at various
places. A bike of an accused has been seized,” he said. Meanwhile, Adivasi Harijana Suraksha Manch

has demanded a Crime Branch probe into the incident. “The local police are not taking the matter
seriously. The CB should inquire into the case,” said the Manch members.(Express Buzz 23/10/09)
Man gets jail term for attacking Dalit woman (2)
Kozhikode: The District Principal Sessions Court, on Tuesday, sentenced a man to rigorous imprisonment
for 21 months and imposed a fine of Rs.3,000 on him for trespassing into the house of a Dalit woman and
attacking and abusing her three years ago. M.P. Ismail, judge, found Melapunathil Rajan, 56, guilty of
trespassing, assaulting and abusing C.T. Beena, both of Chelanoor on the outskirts of the city on
September 25, 2006. Rajan was found guilty under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt)
and 457 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night in order to commit offence punishable with
imprisonment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention
of Atrocities) Act. The prosecution said he had attacked and abused the Dalit woman when she refused to
provide a glass to him for drinking liquor. The court awarded Rajan six months rigorous imprisonment and
imposed a fine of Rs.1,000 on him under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act; a year’s rigorous imprisonment and fine of Rs.2,000 under Section 457 and three months
imprisonment under Section 323 of the IPC. If the accused failed to remit the fine, he would have to
spend two more months in prison, the court said.(The Hindu 28/10/09)
Collector leads Dalits into Chettipulam temple (2)
VEDARANYAM: Dalits of Chettipulam on Tuesday entered the Ekambareshwarar temple here to offer
prayers, amid considerable police security. They were led by the District Collector and the District
Revenue Officer (DRO). The temple entry followed an agreement reached at peace talks on Monday
between Dalits and caste Hindus. Arrangements were made for Dalits to offer special prayers early in the
day. As the police and district administration officials waited outside the temple for their arrival, about 75
Dalits from Therkku Kaadu Dalit habitations were taken to the temple in vans escorted by police
personnel. Women and men jostled with one another as they crossed the threshold of the temple and
walked towards the sanctum sanctorum with flowers, garlands and coconuts as offerings to the idol. As
they craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the deity, the DRO and the Collector personally collected
their offerings and passed them on to the priest in the sanctum sanctorum for special prayers. While
community leaders, including Chettipulam panchayat president and vice-chairman of Vedaranyam
Panchayat Union, waited at the entrance to felicitate officials including the Collector and DRO, officials
stepped aside to personally usher in the Dalits into the temple. Collector C. Munianathan and DRO A.
Annadurai personally served prasadam to every Dalit inside the temple after the prayers. Later, Mr.
Munianathan expressed his unequivocal displeasure to the panchayat president and vice-chairman over
the turn of affairs over the past fortnight. “Discrimination has no place,” he said. He appealed to Dalits to
function normally without any fear and assured them of all administrative support. Police personnel would
be stationed in the area for a few more days to ensure normalcy. Villagers other than Dalits were absent
at the temple. Most of the men were said to be on the run following a crackdown by the police after the
violence of October 14. Abhay Kumar Singh, Deputy-Inspector General of Police, Thanjavur Range;
Maheshwar Dayal, Superintendent of Police, Nagapattinam; Praveen Kumar Abinabu, Superintendent of
Police, Tiruvarur and Rajendran, Revenue Divisional Officer, were among those present. (The Hindu
28/10/09)
Dalit children beaten up for going to school (2)
MADURAI: Twelve Dalit children aged between eight and 13 have been hospitalised here after they were
allegedly beaten up by some youth belonging to an upper caste Hindu community. The attackers, who
were allegedly not happy about the children receiving a formal education, wanted to send a message
across to all the parents in the Dalit community, about the repercussions if they decided to send their
children to school. When the children, most of them girls, were returning from school on Friday, they were
stopped on their way and beaten up by a group of caste Hindu youth. They also reportedly hurled verbal
abuses at the children by referring to their caste, before beating them up. While attacking the children,
one youngster reportedly said, “It is only because you people are getting educated that you rush to the
police station all the time. This is to teach your parents not to send you to school.” Police have registered
a case under Prevention of Atrocities Act following a complaint filed by the Dalits. Earlier this year, three
Dalits and as many caste Hindus were arrested here following clashes between the two groups.(The New
Indian Express 2/11/09)

Rally to seek SC status for dalit christians (2)
NEW DELHI : The National Council of Dalit Christians, in association with the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of India and the National Council of Churches in India, will organise a rally and demonstration
here November 18 to press the demand for providing Scheduled Caste status to Dalit Christian and
Muslim communities in the country. The rally will start at 9 a.m. from the Kerala House while the ‘dharna’
or sit-in will be held at Jantar Mantar in the national capital till 6 p.m. The demands of the Christian
organisations include tabling of the action taken report of the National Commission for Religious and
Linguistic Minorities in Parliament and implementation of its recommendations. They also seek
appropriate answer to the query of the Supreme Court to the writ petitions demanding the deletion of the
“unjust” paragraph 3 of the Constitution on the Scheduled Castes Order 1950 to extend the Scheduled
Caste status to Christians and Muslims of Scheduled Caste origin. (Indian Catholic 2/11/09)
Sculpting the legacy of India's 'Dalit Queen' (2)
NEW DELHI (AFP) – Towering statues of the heroes of India's "untouchable" caste, shrouded in blue
tarpaulin, provide a surreal sight for drivers speeding along a highway near the national capital. The
statues are part of a grandiose memorial complex -- the pet project of the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh,
Mayawati, and one of several in the state that are being built on a scale to rival the monuments of ancient
Rome. Once the site of frenzied construction, the half-finished memorial park in the New Delhi satellite
city of Noida is now silent and deserted. Guards brandishing bamboo sticks shoo curious visitors away
from the high gates guarding the entrance to the park, which is dominated by the outsized statues
mounted on huge plinths, sandstone walkways, pillars and a massive rotunda. "You can't come in -- these
are Madam's orders," says guard Jagdish Kashyap, referring to Mayawati, who is known as the "Dalit
Queen" after building her political base championing those at the bottom of Hinduism's age-old caste
pyramid. The Supreme Court of India has forced Mayawati to suspend work while it examines the
constitutionality of spending hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds to build the monuments. The
53-year-old Mayawati, who likes to drape herself in diamonds and shiny silk saris on her birthdays in what
she calls displays of "self-respect," says the memorials are intended as an inspirational "lighthouse" for
the Dalits. India's 160 million Dalits were once known as "untouchables" and given the most menial jobs.
Many still face discrimination, forbidden to use communal wells and excluded from social events, despite
anti-discrimination laws. But the estimated 20 billion rupees (420 million dollars) she has spent on marble,
granite and sandstone memorials to the Dalit icons, according to a Supreme Court suit, has appalled
critics. The money could have been far better spent, they say, to improve life in Uttar Pradesh, India's
most populous state, which is desperately backward and lacking proper medical facitilies and schools.
"The chief minister's aim is to get popularity and immortality not by doing work for the millions of poor and
downtrodden in the state but by building statues," says the suit, which notes 12 projects on top of dozens
already built. Mayawati has put up a slew of statues of her mentor, Kanshi Ram, who brought her into
politics and founded the Bahujan Samaj Party which she now leads, and of B.R. Ambedkar, the Dalit who
framed India's constitution. The former schoolteacher, who has declared her ambition of being India's first
Dalit prime minister, has also immortalized herself -- commissioning one statue that was 50 feet (15
metres) high. Opponents accuse Mayawati, whose own statues show her toting her trademark square
handbag, of megalomania. She had one edifice of herself torn down and replaced last year because it
was three feet shorter than an adjacent statue. S.R. Darapuri, a police officer turned social activist who is
a Dalit himself, accuses the chief minister of wallowing in "self-glorification." "It's a shame the chief of a
downtrodden party is squandering public money putting up party icons," he said. Mayawati says she is
the victim of discrimination and hypocrisy, pointing to monuments the ruling Congress party built to the
Nehru-Gandhi dynasty which has governed India for most of the time since independence in 1947. But
none of the Congress monuments have been on such a vast scale. Some 6,000 trees were felled for the
Noida memorial which sprawls over 82 acres (33 hectares)……… (Yahoo News 3/11/09)
Dalits should unite to oppose atrocities: Raghavulu (2)
VIJAYAWADA: Dalits should unite cutting across party lines to oppose the growing number of atrocities
on them, Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary and Kulavivaksha Vyathireka Porata Samithi
(KVPS) vice-president B.V. Raghavulu has said. Participating in the dalits’ “Aatmagaurava poratam”
(struggle for self-respect) here on Thursday, Mr. Raghavulu said it was time the State government took up
the matter seriously and resolved the problem of the dalits. Pointing out that justice had not been done in

any of the eight cases of atrocities on the dalits in recent times, the CPI(M) leader said that the movement
for self-respect was peaceful at this stage but if there was no response even after the agitation the
“consequences would be severe.” The Justice Punnaiah Commission had clearly stated that lower rung
police officials were unable to deal with cases of atrocities on SCs and STs and that an officer of the rank
of deputy superintendent or above should conduct an inquiry into these cases. This was not being done
according to the KVPS activists, Mr. Raghavulu said. The CPI(M) State secretary said that the details of
the atrocities in which no action was taken by the Government machinery would be taken to the notice of
the Home Minister, DGP and even the Chief Minister. Unless the dalits opposed the atrocities with unity
the perpetrators would not stop, he said, giving the example of a dalit youth of the Congress party being
beaten up and not rescued by the other parties. “Next time a dalit of a different party is attacked, dalits of
the Congress will not go to his rescue,” he said. KVPS State leader Annavarapu Nageswara Rao said
neither the Krishna district superintendent of police nor the Vijayawada commissioner of police went to
inquire about the atrocities in their respective jurisdictions because the police were trying to protect the
interests of non-dalit sections. The police were not even booking cases against the non-dalit perpetrators
without the dalits launching agitations, he alleged. KVPS had the support of 35 dalit organisations and
civil societies in this agitation that would be intensified if the Government did not take proper action.
KVPS district president Neelam Pullaiah said that the police who should protect the weaker sections were
ganging up with the rich and powerful. KVPS State secretary J. John Wesley and MRPS district secretary
Manda Venkateswara Rao spoke. (The Hindu 6/11/09)
Woman murdered for marrying Dalit in Tamil Nadu (6)
CHENNAI: In a gruesome honour killing, a 21-year-old woman was brutally murdered by her father and
relatives in Tirupur district of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday for marrying a Dalit youth. Sripriya, who
belonged to the backward Kallar community, had fallen love with A Badhrakali, while she was doing an
internship for her B.Ed course. The couple eloped and got married in Salem on September 29. Police and
relatives said Sripriya’s father Srinivasan and two relatives came to Madathukulam, near Udumalpet in
Tirupur district, on Wednesday. The newly-wed couple was staying with Badhrakali’s sister in
Madathukulam. Srinivasan asked Sripriya to come to Trichi to visit her mother who was ill. ‘‘She refused
and told them she would decide after her husband returned home. They left quietly,’’ Badhrakali’s brotherin-law
Chandrasekar said. ‘‘Then the two relatives returned. When my wife Rani and a neighbour
questioned them, one man threatened them with a knife while the other stabbed Sripriya,’’ said
Chandrasekar. Sripriya was stabbed on her neck, breasts and abdomen. (Times of India 6/11/09)
HC asks Govt to aid families of DHRM victims (2)
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday ruled that the State Government should provide compensation
to the families of Sivaprasad (62) who was hacked to death and Asokan, a tea-vendor of Varkala,
Thiruvananthapuram, who suffered serious hack injuries in the violence allegedly perpetrated by activists
of the Dalit Human Rights Movement (DHRM). The court said that it was the duty of the Government to
provide protection to the people and their assets. Sivaprasad was hacked to death by three motor-cyclemounted
assailants, said to be activists of the DHRM, a relatively new militant outfit working for the
“redemption” of the Dalits, on the morning of September 23 at Ayikkara, Varkala. Sivaprasad was out on
the streets for his routine morning walk. Immediately after this, some assailants hacked Asokan also
when he was opening his tea shop. Neither Sivaprasad nor Asokan was said to have any enmity with the
DHRM, but the police theory was that the activists committed the crime to catch the attention of the media
and the society. However, the DHRM denied the allegation, claiming that it was an organization working
for the uplift of the Dalits in a way different from others but it had no extremist orientations and also that
the leadership had not asked any of its workers to commit a murder anytime. According to K Rajeev,
founder secretary of the movement, that DHRM did not see acts of extremism, murder and sabotage as
ways to get the attention of the media. He said the movement was cadre-based and valued discipline as
an inalienable part of its operation but it did not mean that it had any extremist orientation. The Dalit
leader said that the organization was founded on the ideals of BR Ambedkar and had been working for
the uplift of the Dalits who had been left out from all development considerations of the state and
government. It was a cadre-based outfit and wearing uniforms while in public was a must, he said.
(Pioneer 7/11/09)
Dalit youth objects to loud music, shot (2)

A request to lower the volume of a music system ignited a clash between Dalits and Jat Sikhs in
Chooharchakk village of Moga district on Wednesday night, ending in the death of a 24-year-old Dalit.
Chamkaur, father of the deceased, Jeevan Singh, told the police that Dhanna Singh of neighbouring
Daudhar village — who came to pick up Dalit workers from Chooharchakk regularly — would play very
loud music in his tractor which he parked in front of their house. Jeevan had earlier requested Dhanna to
play the music at a lower volume, his father said. On Wednesday, when Jeevan asked Dhanna to turn
down the volume again, it led to an altercation between the two. Soon, the members of the two
communities were fighting each other across the village. Around 8.30 pm, the Jat Sikhs allegedly opened
fire on the Dalits, killing Jeevan and injuring three of his friends, the police said. Jeevan was shot on the
back of his head. Deputy Superintendent of Police Gurmeet Singh said as many as 10 rounds were fired
from .12 and .315 bore weapons.Though no arrests have been made till now, four persons— Dhanna
Singh, Shinder, Gopi and Seepa — have been booked for murder. (Indian Express 7/11/09)
Criminals raid two Dalit houses, attack inmates (2)
MUZAFFARPUR: Clad in half pants and shirts, a gang of 20 armed criminals raided the houses of two
poor Dalit families in Madhubani village under Sadar police station on Tuesday night and looted property
worth Rs 20,000 after mercilessly attacking the inmates with bombs, daggers and bamboo pieces,
injuring eight persons including women. The women members of the two families were particularly
targeted and all of them received injuries. They have been admitted to Sri Krishna Medical College
Hospital, Muzaffarpur. Police have taken into custody two Nats out of the four pitched tents at the nearby
Chauseema village for interrogation on suspicion of involvement in crime. Muzaffarpur SP Sunil Kumar
disclosed that the police teams have left for tracking down the criminals and hoped that the gang would
be arrested soon. In fact, the merciless beating of poor Dalit families, depending mainly on toddy
business, and looting only some negligible property including some silver ornaments and utensils from
them has baffled the police officers investigating the case. Therefore, after registering a case of dacoity,
the police intend to investigate the incident from different angles. Meanwhile, Sadar police station SHO
Sunil Kumar Singh, is hopeful of cracking the case within the next two days as he claimed the police have
enough clue to arrest the criminals. It may be noted that about half a dozen dacoities including murder
have been committed in the district in the last fortnight and the police have not been able to make any
significant breakthrough in those cases so far. (Times of India 12/11/09)
Dalit woman seeks Govt’s help in son’s murder probe (2)
Chandigarh: A Dalit woman on Wednesday sought the intervention of the Punjab Government in the
suspected killing of her son by some influential people in their village last week and urged police be
directed to arrest the main accused. Jeevan Kumar, a resident of Chukar Chak village in the State's Moga
district, was shot dead following an altercation with a man who used to play music at a high volume.
"Gopi, who belongs to a very rich family of our village, used to play vulgar songs at very high volume in
his tractor when he crossed our street every evening. My son objected to it and he paid with his life,"
Kuldeep Kaur, mother of Jeevan, told reporters here Wednesday. "Gopi called his cousin Dhanna Singh,
who is a dreaded man in our village, and they came to our house in search of Jeevan, who was not at
home at that time. Then they again came in the evening and started firing at Jeevan who was in the
market." Jeevan died on the spot whereas three onlookers sustained injuries. Police arrested three
people, but key accused Dhanna Singh is still at large. Kaur said, "Police are afraid of Dhanna Singh and
are pressurising us to close the case. There is nobody to help the Dalit families of Punjab. Other Dalit
families are also living under the terror of these rich boys. This is our desperate appeal to Punjab
Government to come forward for our rescue." The family of the deceased, who was in his early twenties,
also demanded a compensation of Rs 1 million from the Government and appealed to it to direct the
police to arrest the main accused Dhanna Singh. They have also demanded Rs 1,00,000 aid for the
families of the injured. (Pioneer 12/11/09)
Dalit vote pattern still unclear (2)
GANDHINAGAR: The role of Gujarat’s Dalits, who bore the brunt of the communal riots and at the same
time were the vanguards of Hindutva in many areas, would be closely watched in the coming
elections.Experts, however, feel that the impact of Hindutva among the Dalits has begun to fade out as
many among them who were victims of riots did not receive much aid and those booked for rioting, have
been left to suffer the grind of the legal system. The results of the surveys conducted by the ruling party’s

Dalit outfits, also suggest this. The surveys carried out under the guidance of party’s two senior Dalit
activists, Zaverchand Chavda and Ashwin Banker, were carried out to gauge the impact of the riots on
the their community. One survey, in fact, points out that of the 600 riot-affected Dalit families interviewed,
391 families failed to receive timely aid. The uncertain Dalit behaviour is now beginning to bother the
political leaders. Says state culture minister Ishwarbhai Makwana, “We hope the Hindutva wave among
the Dalits helps us. But what will be the Dalit voting pattern can be known only when the ballot boxes
open.” Citing the incident of the lynching of Dalits in Haryana and the high rate of suicides among them in
Ahmedabad after the riots, community leaders also say their voting pattern was unpredictable. “The
educated Dalit youth takes offence over the fact that advocates of Hindutva consider the cow holier than
the Harijans,” says sociologist Gaurang Jani. The incident is now being discussed among the educated
section of the Dalits. Minister Makwana agrees that the issue “has had an impact on the Dalit
intellectuals.” In fact, one can already observe the end of a homogeneous behaviour among the Dalits,
who form seven per cent of the state’s population and are sub-divided into seven caste-groups. In two
villages of the Mehsana district, Sardarpura and Umta, for instance, the Dalits who helped the Muslims
during the riots faced an upper caste social ostracism. “To expect their electoral behaviour to be the same
as that of the upper caste Hindus is wrong,” says Ashok Shrimali, a Dalit activist from rural Mehsana. In
the urban areas, there has been an assimilation of a section of the Dalits into the higher castes over the
last six months. In the Sabarmati-Chandkheda-Motera area of Ahmedabad, it was difficult for a well-to-do
Dalit to buy a house in early 2002. Now the situation has changed. The upper-crust Dalits, mainly
Vankars, forming 45 per cent of the community, have now become acceptable. Explains Jani, “The
educated urban Dalit youth has not faced untouchability. They are, therefore, not very ideologically
staunch and can be quite easily lured by the political parties. To expect that the Hindutva factor will
continue to have an impact on them for long is wrong.” (Times of India 16/11/09)
Ravidas included in the list of 'Mahadalits' in Bihar (2)
PATNA: Bihar government has decided to include Ravidas community in the list of 'Mahadalits' on the
recommendation of the state Mahadalit The decision was taken at a state cabinet meeting under the
chairmanship of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar late last evening. "Ravidas community has been included in
the list of Mahadalits on the basis of the third recommendation of the state Mahadalit Commission", state
personnel and administrative reforms department's Principal Secretary, Deepak Kumar told PTI today. Of
the total scheduled caste population of 1.3 crore in Bihar as per the 2001 census, Ravidas community
accounts for 31.34 per cent. The state government has already listed 20 of the total 22 scheduled caste
communities in the list of Mahadalits on the basis of the recommendation of the Commission. The
government has also sought immediate report from the Commission on the status of Dusads community,
Kumar said. In another important decision, the cabinet allowed amendment to the Bihar Right to
Information Act (amendment) rules 2009 to make it more effective and prevent its misuse. The new
amendment would facilitate a person to ask for information under RTI act only on one subject at a time.
The state cabinet also gave its consent to form state scheduled tribe and scheduled caste commissions
to assess and upgrade their educational, social and economic development, Kumar said.
(Times of India 18/11/09)
Rajasthan town free from manual cleaning of toilets (2)
Till a few years ago Dalits in Alwar, Rajasthan were employed in inhumane manual scavenging practices.
But thanks to social activism and NGO Sulabh International, the town was Thursday declared free from
the illegal practice. Commemorating the birth anniversary of late prime minister Indira Gandhi and in
observance of 'World Toilet Day', Sulabh International Thursday marked the end of its six-year long fight
against the caste-based tradition in Alwar. 'To eliminate the need for human scavengers, I developed a
(easy to maintain) toilet which is very user friendly and fairly cheap. We have managed to install this toilet
in all the households of Alwar,' Bindeshwar Pathak, Sulabh International founder said. 'Without this
technological innovation, we would have found it difficult to bring the scavengers into the mainstream.
The practice in itself is a blot on our society,' he added. The practice of manual scavenging, which
involves cleaning dry latrines and clearing carcasses with hands, is an offence under the Employment of
Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry (non-flush) Latrines (Prohibition) Act 1993. However, the
practice is still prevalent in rural areas and small towns. Following an age-old tradition of passing on the
practice to others in their lower caste families, it is women who are the worst affected. Pathak said that in
Alwar the scavengers were given vocational training in stitching, making noodles and pickles and basic

fashion designing as well as imparting them training in English and Hindi. 'I feel extremely proud when
people from all walks of life buy pickles and noodles prepared by me,' said Sushila Chauhan, who left
scavenging in 2004. Another young girl Dolly, who was till recently a manual scavenger, said: 'In spite of
societal pressures and financial constraints, I continued my studies and completed my graduation with the
active support of Sulabh.'Over 115 women from scavengers families in Alwar have given up the practice
to take up new roles in society. After Alwar, Pathak says the fight has just begun. 'Our journey has just
started and would be complete only when we are able to free the around 115,037 (as per 2001 census)
manual scavengers from all parts of the country,' Pathak said.(India E News 19/11/09)
Homeless Dalit family’s grievances redressed (2)
Bhopal: Bhupati Das is a happy man now. A Dalit from a village in Betul district, Das and his family were
driven out from their village about three months ago for being atheists. While the police have now assured
him of security, the administration, besides ordering construction of a new house for the family, has
provided monetary and material support to them. Das and his family were isolated in their village Sangi in
Multai tehsil for being Kabirpanthis. The villagers blamed Das for the failure of the monsoon and accused
him of using black magic to stop the clouds from raining. On August 22, they allegedly razed his house
and threatened him and members of his family to leave the village. Out of fear, Das, his wife, three
daughters and a son started living in a friend’s place in a village nearby. The villagers did not stop
pursuing Das even there. Last week, they threatened his friend and asked him to drive them out of his
house or else face consequences. Succumbing to the threats, the friend asked Das and his family to
leave his house. Das and his family came to Betul town and started living on the railway platform and
roadside pavements. The Pioneer had reported the first story on Das’s ordeals on September 7. The
second story was published on Tuesday (November 17) while he and his family were homeless. Taking
cognisance of The Pioneer reports, particularly the second one, SP Betul RL Prajapati, Additional SP
Dharmendra Singh Bhadoria and Multai SDO (Police) Bhupendra Singh Sengar swung into action and
got in touch with Das. They assured him providing security if he returned to his village. Betul Collector VA
Kureel, on his part, immediately sanctioned Rs 35,000 for a house to the family under Indira Awas
Yojana. Talking to The Pioneer, Kureel said, “I felt that Das’s grievance was genuine and he was in
urgent need of help.” The Collector acceded to Das’s other demands too like sanctioning Rs 2,000 for
livelihood, 20 kg wheat, 5 kg rice and 2 kg dal, Rs 1,000 to buy fuel, spices and the likes and beds - all
either from various schemes for SCs or his discretionary powers. Kureel has also arranged hostel
accommodation to his two grown-up daughters. Armed with all this help and assurances, Das is all set to
start a new life. He said, “I am going to my relative’s house for a short stay. Then, I’ll go to my village and
stay there if the villagers allow. Otherwise, I will choose another village to build a house and lead a
peaceful life.” (Pioneer 20/11/09)
Dalit activists intensify agitation (2)
CHICKABALLAPUR: Hundreds of Dalit activists and labourers on Friday staged a blockade at the
Chickaballapur Zilla Panchayat and the Deputy Commissioner’s offices here to protest against the alleged
irregularities in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(MGREGA). Employees of the ZP and Deputy Commissioner were held up inside their offices for the
major part of the day as the protesters did not allow anyone to come out of the buildings. Routine work
was affected at the two offices. The demonstration was part of the nearly 10-day-old agitation launched
by the Dalit Sangarsha Samiti (DSS) all over the district to protest the alleged connivance of officials with
middlemen in implementing the MGREGA. The DSS has been urging the ZP officials to eliminate
middlemen and make payments directly to the bank accounts of the job card holders in accordance with
the rules. The DSS district convener K.C. Rajakanth said that they had intensified the agitation as ZP
officials had not responded to the series of demonstrations staged by the DSS in all the six taluk
headquarters. Although the ZP Chief Executive Officer (CEO) N. Krishnappa had recently convened a
meeting of DSS leaders and officials to discuss the issue, he himself had skipped the meeting, Mr.
Rajakanth said, while seeking disciplinary action against the CEO. The protesters also urged the State
Government to stop the practice of outsourcing employees for the Department of Social Welfare. (The
Hindu 21/11/09)
Dalit beaten up in Tiruvarur (2)

CHENNAI: When Mahalingam, a Dalit hailing from Thelikottai, refused to sell a small patch of land in his
possession, he crossed an invisible caste line that resulted in physical torture and humiliation. The 57-
year-old man was tied to a tree and beaten up with weapons and slippers, when he refused to sell his
land to M Thangadurai (45), who belongs to the Thevar community. The incident is reported to have
happened on November 17. Mahalingam owns a 30-cent piece of land adjoining Thangadurai’s land in
Thelikottai village. It is alleged that Thangadurai had been pressing Mahalingam to sell the land to him.
“As he has four sons, my father refused to pay heed to Thangadurai demands,” said M Ramesh, third son
of Mahalingam. Mahalingam told Express that along with seven other men, Thangadurai dragged him out
of the house, tied him to a tree and thrashed him. “They claimed that my goats had entered their fields.
They humiliated me and used abusive language,” he said. There are only 30 Dalit families in the village.
Others have left out of fear of retaliation from the powerful Thevar community, Ramesh claimed. “Dalits
are dependent on them for their livelihood,” he added. On hearing the news that his father was beaten up,
Ramesh rushed home from Kumbakkonam. “ On reaching here I found that my home was ransacked and
my father reeling under pain.’’ After lodging a police complaint, Ramesh took his father to the hospital.
Mahalingam is now slowly recovering in the hospital. He said when Thangadurai and his associates learnt
about the police complaint they escaped to Chennai. Meanwhile the police informed that they have
launched a search. ``A special police team is searching for them in Chennai. They escaped to Chennai
with the aim of obtaining anticipatory bail before we arrest them,’’ said R Gunasekaran, Deputy
Superintendent of Police, Mannargudi Taluk, Tiruvarur district. Madurai-based NGO Evidence, which had
done a field study in the village, urged the government to arrest the accused. (Express Buzz 24/11/09)
Dalit woman assaulted (2)
MADURAI: A 52-year-old Dalit woman was assaulted and humiliated, allegedly by a group of caste
Hindus, in Thenpalanji village near Tirunagar here on Thursday last. Andichhi suffered major injuries on
her left hand and has been admitted to the Government Rajaji Hospital. Trouble began after Ms.
Andichhi’s daughter in-law Bhagyalakshmi went to draw water from a hand pump. A few upper caste
women stopped and abused her. Ms. Andichhi filed a complaint with the Tirunagar police station. The
police arranged a peace meeting and settled the issue. On November 19, the caste Hindus, armed with
sticks and logs, entered Ms. Andichhi’s house and attacked her, her sons and in-laws. A fact-finding team
from Evidence, a non-governmental organisation, conducted an enquiry and found that atrocities had
been committed against Dalits, especially women, and demanded immediate action. Though the
Tirunagar police had booked the accused under various sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities)
Act 1989, and also under the Indian Penal Code, they were yet to be arrested. Kathir, executive director,
Evidence, urged the government to give Ms. Andichhi a compensation of Rs.2 lakh. )The Hindu 25/11/09)
Dalit woman killed in Rajasthan caste violence (2)
JAIPUR: A 35-year-old Dalit woman died and another was seriously injured allegedly in a violent attack
by a group of men belonging to the dominant Jat community at Nangla Bhai village in Bharatpur district of
Rajasthan on Saturday. The accused, named in the first information report, are yet to be arrested. The
dispute between the two sides started after a Jat boy riding a bicycle hit the eight-year-old daughter of
Lajja Jatav at the street outside her house and injured her. When Lajja scolded the boy, he threatened to
kill her and ran away. After a while, a group comprising four Jat men armed with sharp-edged weapons
and lathis arrived at the spot and allegedly attacked the Dalit family. Lajja and her relative Girraji Jatav,
who sustained serious injuries in the assault, were rushed to the Government Hospital in Bharatpur.
Girraji succumbed to her injuries on Sunday morning, while Lajja was struggling for her life till the last
reports came in. After initial reluctance, the police registered an FIR when the post-mortem report of
Girraji confirmed that the sharp-edged weapons had caused her death. A team of the Centre for Dalit
Rights led by its Bharatpur district coordinator Yashpal Lahiri visited Nangla Bhai near Nadbai, situated
20 km from Kumher infamous for the Dalit massacre of 1992, on Sunday to find an atmosphere of terror
prevailing in the village. The dominant Jats have reportedly threatened the minority Jatavs with dire
consequences if they speak to outsiders. The FIR has named Jitendra Singh, Shiv Singh, Kalheva and
Dami – all residents of Nangla Bhai – as the main accused. CDR Director Satish Kumar said here that the
accused wield political influence and the police were not likely to take action against them even though
they were roaming around freely in the village. The FIR has been registered at Nadbai police station
under Sections 302 (murder), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 354
(assault to outrage a woman’s modesty) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of Indian Penal Code on the

intervention of CDR. It also mentions the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act, 1989, without specifying the sections. Mr. Kumar demanded immediate arrest of the
accused as well as urgent measures for security of the Dalit family victimised by the Jat community. He
said the senior district officers should immediately visit Nangla Bhai village to restore confidence among
Dalits and ensure arrest of the accused persons. The district administration is yet to announce monetary
compensation to the next of kin of the deceased as well as the injured woman, which is mandatory under
the SC/ST (PoA) Act. Mr. Kumar said Lajja should be treated free of cost in the Government Hospital and
Bharatpur declared an atrocity-prone area under the SC/ST Act. Bharatpur district in eastern Rajasthan
has witnessed caste violence at regular intervals during the past two decades. Over 30 Jatavs were burnt
alive in broad daylight and 254 homes and hutments were set ablaze in the worst-ever carnage on June
6, 1992 at Kumher, not far from Nangla Bhai. Jats dominate social affairs in the region in the face of a
blatant administrative apathy. (The Hindu 30/11/09)
Anti-scavenging campaign launched (2)
Bhopal: In many regions of the country, Dalits are still deprived of their basic human rights as they are
indulged in the convention of scavenging, which was legally prohibited one and a half decade ago.
Rashtriya Yatra was organised by Garima campaign of Madhya Pradesh and other supporting
organisation against the convention. Maila Mukti Yatra started on November 6 from Mhow, the birthplace
of Bhimrao Ambedkar, and covered as many as 34 districts of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh,
and Madhya Pradesh. On November 30, the Yatra had arrived Bhopal, where the Yatra ended up with its
closing ceremony in Icuf Ashram. It is to be noticed that the Central Government has legally banned the
convention of scavenging. In spite of its legal prohibition, lakhs of dry bathrooms still exist, due to which
many dalits, especially women were suffering, as have no other choice. Government promised for
rehabilitation of 4.28 lakh Dalits, with condition to leave their work, on the other hand 3.42 lakh sufferers
to be unchained till March 31, but the target was a failure. Still dalits were suffering with the same
situation prevailing in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharastra, Uttar Pradesh and other States. Under
Garima campaign, continuous efforts were still being done from last seven years in nineteen districts. This
campaign was also successful in releasing 3,000 people from this work. Removal of convention of
scavenging was a journey full of struggle. More than 500 dalit women were released from this slavery,
and at many places, voices were also raised against untouchability and inequality. Various social activists
also participated in this 5,000 km yatra. On November 30, the yatra arrived Bhopal. In Bhopal it started its
journey from Ambedkar Jayanti Park, this rally moved from Mata Mandir Square to Tin Shed and finally
reached to TT Nagar where it transformed to congregation. In this congregation all the representatives
along with women who participated in Yatra addressed. (Pioneer 1/12/09)
15-year-old Dalit boy set on fire (2)
Bhopal: In a shocking incident, four persons reportedly belonging to Meena and Khangar communities
burned alive a fifteen-year-old Dalit youth in Madihakalan village under Karariya police station in Vidisha
district on Saturday night. The incident occurred over an old enmity between the assailants and victim's
family. The victim, Maharaj Singh, who belongs to Dalit community (Ahirwar), is 80 per cent burnt and has
been admitted to Vidisha Civil Hospital. The police have filed the case under section 307 (3) (2) (5) under
Scheduled Castes ands Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Victim's father Bharat Singh
Ahirwar said that four months back, he had filed an FIR against one of the accused Prakash Khangar,
who had beaten Ahirwar for refusing to be bonded labour of some landlords. While Bhupendra Singh
Ahirwar, the elder brother of Maharaj Singh, said that at about 7 pm four persons — Raju Khangar,
Prakash Khangar, Pradeep Meena and Ram Karan Meena — had assaulted his brother and set him
ablaze by pouring kerosene on him. Bhupendra further informed that his parents were in nearby village
and he himself was out for natural call when the four assailants came to his house stuffed clothes in his
brother's mouth and then burnt him alive just few metres from the house. "We are eight brothers and
sisters and we are living in terror after the incident," he added. Karariya police station incharge
maintained that the case is of old enmity, which has risen four months earlier, when one of the accused
Prakash Khangar had thrashed Bharat Singh, the father of Maharaj Singh. Bharat had filed a complaint
against and after that enmity started. DSP Ajit Patil, who is in charge of this case, has repeated the same
thing and said that it is the case of 4 month-old enmity and the investigation is going on about the actual
cause behind the incident. The police have not arrested any accused and these reported offenders were
still at large till the reports last came in.(Pioneer 1/12/09)

Activists to trace history of Dalit movement (2)
MYSORE: The Dalit activists will trace history of the Dalit movement in Karnataka during a two-day meet
starting. Senior Dalit leader and former Union minister V Srinivasa Prasad has been named the president
of the Dalit Chintan Samavesh. Minor irrigation minister Govind Karjol will inaugurate the meet. The
Samavesh will focus on various aspects like future targets of Dalits, reservation for Dalits in government
and private sectors, Dalit politicians, Dalit writers and social transformation. The Karnataka Dalit Welfare
trust chief Shantharaju said two sessions have been reserved for discussions on challenges of the Dalit
economic empowerment and relationship between Dalit organizations and political class. University of
Mysore V-C V G Talawar, Kannada professor Aravinda Malagatti, journalism professor Maheshchandra
Guru and former IPS officer and BSP leader Subash Bharani will attend the meet. The Trust will award
the Dalit Ratna awards to former legislator K Siddaiah, former irrigation secretary Channabasappa and
cancer specialist Dr Vijayalakshmi Deshmane. Former minister B Somashekar will present the award at
the inaugural session. (Times of India 4/12/09)
Abolish caste system: SC, gives lifer to 6 for Dalit killings (2)
Thirty years after eight Dalits were massacred by upper caste Thakurs in Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme
Court has sentenced to life imprisonment five of the accused and said caste system should be abolished
soon for ensuring rule of law and smooth functioning of democracy. Reversing the acquittal of the six
accused, the apex court said "unfortunately, the centuries-old Indian caste system still takes its toll from
time to time. This case unfolds the worst kind of atrocities committed by the so- called upper caste
(Kshatriya or Thakur) against the so-called lower caste caste in a civilized country. "It is absolutely
imperative to abolish the caste system as expeditiously as possible for smooth functioning of rule of law
and democracy in our country," a bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and A K Patnaik said in a
judgement. The apex court said minor discrepancies in statements of witnesses should be ignored by
courts in such carnages as they are bound to be under tremendous fear. The accused belonging to
Thakur caste butchered seven totally innocent persons belonging to Harijan caste and to wipe out the
evidence of their atrocities, threw their bodies in the strong currents of the Ganges, the apex court said
adding the massacre was carried out to teach a lesson to so-called lower caste and commit dacoity at the
village. It was at the intervention of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Dalit leader Jagjivan Ram
that the police had arrested 18 people in connection with the massacre on September 9, 1979, at village
Lohari, under Hussainganj police station in Uttar Pradesh. (Indian Express 5/12/09)
Dalits told to be literate (2)
KADAPA: Dalits should be united and wage a struggle for safeguarding their rights besides, becoming
literate , Collector Shashi Bhushan Kumar said on Sunday. Through education, Dalits can drive away
poverty and gain opportunities on par with other sections, he said, while garlanding a portrait of
Ambedkar on the occasion of the leader’s 53rd death anniversary at DRDA meeting hall. B.R. Ambedkar
was among the Constitution framers and strived for the uplift of Dalits, he said. Superintendent of Police
D.S. Chauhan garlanded Ambedkar’s portrait. DRDA project director G. Gopal recalled Ambedkar’s
services. Zilla Parishad CEO Venkataswamy presided. Kadapa RDO P. Ranjit Basha was also present.
(The Hindu 7/12/09)
Rape, murder of Dalit: Couple arrested (2)
BALASORE: Nilagiri police in Balasore district cracked the sensational rape and murder of a Dalit girl that
took place in a temple last month and arrested a couple today. They were produced in a local court which
remanded them in judicial custody. Police said the accused Kalandri Das (38) and his wife Labanyamani
(35) had confessed to the crime. On November 14, the girl Swarnalata Dalai (23) was found raped and
murdered on the compound of a local temple in Banpur village under Nilagiri police limits. According to
the police, Das, a native of Chhada village in Bhadrak district, had been residing in Banpur village since
long and working as a mason. Though he was married earlier, he again tied the knot with Labanyamani
and had been a neighbour of the victim. “On the fateful day when the girl was fetching water from the
tubewell on the temple premises, Das, who was drunk, then dragged her into the temple under
construction and raped her. Later the couple strangulated her to death,” said SP Rekha Lohani. The
incident created a sensation in the area when former MLA Chitta Ranjan Sarangi demanded a Crime
Branch probe claiming involvement of a few students of a local technical school after the police dog

entered the school’s hostel during the investigation. Meanwhile, several Dalit leaders have demanded
compensation to the victim’s family. Susil Kumar Singh, secretary of Adibashi Development Sanskrutik
Sanshad, has demanded Rs 1 lakh compensation to the victim’s family. “In 1995, a girl of general caste
was gang-raped and murdered in Nilagiri. Her family was then compensated with Rs 1 lakh from the Chief
Minister’s Relief Fund,” he said to drive his point home.(Express Buzz 9/12/09)
Vibrant Gujarat? 98% Dalits have to drink tea in separate cups (2)
SANAND (Ahmedabad dist): This is the taluka where Tata Motors has parked its small car project. Nano
has become a symbol of Gujarat's pride and became a centre of attraction at the last Vibrant Gujarat
investment summit in January 2009. But scratch the surface, and the scene is gloomy beneath this
economic boom in the state. Bhikhabhai Solanki, 50, a native of Lodariyal village, has never shaken
hands with non-Dalits in his life. Bhikhabhai, an agricultural labourer, is Valmiki by caste - the lowest of
the socially downtrodden. "We are untouchables and nobody touches us here," he says. The farmer he
works for keeps a tea-cup outside his house. Whenever Bhikhabhai arrived for work in the morning or
leaves after finishing in the evening, tea is poured into the cup. Strangely, this form of untouchability goes
in the name of religion. These cups are called ‘Ram patra'. The practice thrives across Gujarat, without
exception, and has been documented extensively in a first-of-its-kind study on a large scale, representing
98,000 Dalits across 1,655 villages in Gujarat. The study has been carried out by Ahmedabad-based
Navsarjan Trust with three US-based organisations - the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at
the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, Dartmouth College at the University of Michigan and Robert F
Kennedy Centre for Social Justice and Human Rights, Washington, D.C. "This has been going on for
generations. The only change is that earlier there used to be cups made of clay and now they are made
of steel," says Bhikhabhai. He confesses that drinking the tea offered by his master does hurt his dignity.
But then, he does not want to lose his daily wage because he has to feed five other members of his
family. His daughter-in-law, Ambha, agrees. She points out that she carries her own utensils to work, but
the person who serves the afternoon meal at the farm drops the food into the plate without touching it. In
Lodariyal, Dalit women can't touch vegetables at the shop just to sample them. Only once they pay up,
and the money is kept on the side and not handed over, the vegetables are flung into the hollow of their
saree. The tea stall owner gives tea to Dalits only in disposable plastic cups. Others get it in ceramic
cups. According to the study, 98 per cent of the respondents said that non-Dalits keep separate utensils
at home to serve them food or tea. The same discrimination goes only slight down to 96 per cent on
farms. Dalit rights activist Martin Macwan of Navsarjan Trust says: "In every step of untouchability, the
same concept is being applied - that of purity. Gujarat has only tried to dignify an indignity by calling these
separate utensils as ‘Ram patra'". (Times of India 9/12/09)
Dalit kids shamed at mid-day meals (2)
MODHVANA (SURENDRANAGAR): As a part of Gunotsav, about 3,000 government officials had fanned
out across Gujarat last month to ensure quality education in primary schools. They perhaps missed out
on the untouchability practised in schools. As per the 'Census on Untouchability', a study representing
98,000 Dalits across 1,655 villages in Gujarat, 53.78% Dalit children studying in primary schools are
discriminated against in mid-day meals. "We are made to sit separately during the lunch hour," says Vijay
Sitapara, 9, who belongs to the Valmiki caste, the lowest of the socially downtrodden. Vijay, who studies
in class IV at the government primary school in Modhvana, says schoolmates from other castes avoid
having food with them. While other backward class children would still have food, though seated
separately from the Dalits, higher caste pupils stay away altogether from mid-day meals at this school
because the food is cooked by a Dalit. "I come from a Dalit family. Naturally, higher caste members will
not eat what I cook," says Gauri Vankar. Even as the syllabus teaches equality, students learn lessons in
untouchability in practice. All Dalit students are forbidden from participating in cultural events. Valmikis
have to also clean up school toilets. Dharmendra Sitapara cleaned up the toilets since he was in class IV.
Now, he is in high school which has a sweeper. "It is shameful that we are nurturing these prejudices at
such an early age in the temples of learning," says Ganshyam Shah, a social scientist who assisted the
study carried out by Ahmedabad-based Navsarjan Trust with three US-based organisations - the Kroc
Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, Dartmouth College at
the University of Michigan and Robert F Kennedy Centre for Social Justice and Human Rights,
Washington, DC. "Sadly, the very tools to eradicate discrimination have become carriers. They are
helping sustain age-old caste systems," says Martin Macwan, a Dalit rights activist. Shyam Sitapara, 8, of

village Modhvana, Surendranagar, dropped out of the government primary school after class II because
students, mostly from upper castes, started taunting him for his long hair. Shyam lost his mother an an
early age and his father is a landless labourer. Valmiki kids grow their hair till a special ritual is performed
at a community temple. But his father does not have the money to perform the ceremony and host a
community feast. He now just roams around the school, longing to go inside, but afraid of the humiliation
he may face.(Times of India 10/12/09)
Maximum complaints from Dalits in Uttar Pradesh (2)
Sunday, December 13, 2009 Muzaffarnagar: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has
received maximum complaints from Dalits in Uttar Pradesh, where the state government has allegedly
failed to protect their interests, its chairman Buta Singh said. Singh told mediapersons in Saharanpur
yesterday that "Dalits in UP have not been getting benefits of the schemes of the Centre due to their
improper implementation by the BSP government".Only 15% out of 17% population of Dalits in the state
have got the benefit of reservation so far, Singh claimed. (dna 13/12/09)
Government ignoring Dalits’ welfare: samiti (2)
Bellary: Dalit leaders in Bellary have alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government in the
State is not working for the welfare of the people belonging to the Scheduled Castes in the State.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, H. Hanumanthappa, General Secretary of State unit of
the Madiga Meesalati Horata Samiti, said that the non-release of the funds had hampered the functioning
of the Justice Sadashiva Commission which was looking into the issue of providing internal reservations
among the Dalits. In Bellary district, Mr. Hanumanthappa said that none of the around 8,000 loan
applications of Scheduled Castes had been cleared by the Dr. Ambedkar SC/ST Welfare Corporation
while loans were being sanctioned to the applicants belonging to the Scheduled Tribes. Mr.
Hanumanthappa said that a rally of Dalits from north Karnataka districts would be held on December 23
at Bagalkot. (The Hindu 14/12/09)
Funds for Dalits go abegging (2)
Bangalore: The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has conceded that it has not utilised the
special funds under a scheme meant to provide succour to Dalits. Nearly Rs. 12 crore, which was
allocated for the palike’s 18 per cent scheme (now 22.75 per cent scheme) for Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes during 2001-07, has not been used, the BBMP said in response to an RTI application.
Following this, the applicant, M. Venkatesh, Bangalore District Convener of the Dalit Bahujan Movement,
filed a complaint with the Lokayukta, which, on August 18, issued a notice to the BBMP. Under the
scheme, sections of Dalits were to be trained in tailoring, embroidery, stitching, electrical work and
computer hardware, besides being provided with low-cost housing and subsidised education. In their
response to the Lokayukta, BBMP officials — the Additional Commissioner (Welfare), the Deputy
Commissioner (Welfare) and the Welfare Officer — cited several reasons for non-utilisation of funds.
They claimed that guidelines had not been framed for some schemes, while for others applications had
not been received from the beneficiaries. Interestingly, the BBMP officials claimed that none of the
applications received for the admission grant given to meritorious students aiming for professional
courses were accepted. Another scheme, a grant for Dalit students appearing for competitive
examinations, did not attract any applications, they said. Mr. Venkatesh told The Hindu that the BBMP
had neither framed guidelines for the new schemes nor publicised them. “Ideally, when a scheme is
framed the guidelines should also be framed. On what basis will the beneficiaries apply?” he asked. He
said the BBMP did not consult Dalits or any organisations that work for their uplift before introducing the
schemes. “Many beneficiaries in the Dalit colonies did not even know about these schemes. When
welfare schemes for Dalits are introduced, the civic authority has the responsibility to create awareness
by putting up posters, distributing pamphlets or visiting Dalit colonies. The BBMP had not taken any such
step,” he alleged. When contacted, Deputy Commissioner (Welfare) Rame Gowda said: “We have
submitted our statements regarding non-utilisation of funds in our response to the Lokayukta. The
Lokayukta will now have to take a decision.” (The Hindu 14/12/09)
“Manual scavenging should be treated as a national crisis” (2)
MADURAI: The Union Government should think about imposing Governor’s rule in States where manual
scavenging existed and the practice should be treated as a national crisis and right to complaint should

e made available through amendments, said Martin Macwan, human rights activist, on Tuesday. The
Gujarat-based activist and winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, told The Hindu here
that it was found in studies that governments were guilty of being the biggest violators of the law
prohibiting manual scavenging as they employed more scavengers. “It has been 16 years since the
Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 was brought
into fore but till now not even a single complaint has been registered under the Act,” said Mr. Macwan.
When asked about what prevented abolition, he said that lack of will both on the part of government and
civil society and the mindset that there should be someone in the social order to clear the dirt and
pollution were some of the reasons. When globalisation of the markets could be allowed and encouraged
why not globalisation of human rights and there was nothing wrong in internationalising caste problems
and highlighting atrocities committed against Dalits in international fora. “Dalits constitute 3.5 per cent of
world population and one cannot sweep things under the carpet for long,” he said. Commenting on the
completion of 20 years of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, he said that there had been gross
underreporting and the Act struggled at the preliminary level itself where registration of complaints had
become a big task. In a State wide study conducted in Gujarat by his Navsarjan Trust on untouchability
covering 1655 villages with 98,000 respondents, it was found that in 97 per cent cases of untouchability
was practised in one form or the other. Moreover, 99 forms of untouchability were practised in the nation.
The report would be published by this year-end. The study was conducted along with the Kroc Institute for
International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, Dartmouth College at the University
of Michigan and Robert F. Kennedy Centre for Social Justice and Human Rights, Washington, DC. (The
Hindu 17/12/09)
Dalit women more humiliated when raped: Study (2)
NEW DELHI: Dalit women who have suffered caste rapes were subjected to more humiliation than other
women similarly assaulted, says a first of its kind research study detailing the psychological trauma of
women raped. When Dalit women are assaulted, offenders use foul language vilifying the woman
verbally, says the survey, invariably calling them prostitutes. "The feeling of being dehumanized, of
having been demeaned is far greater for Dalit women," says clinical psychologist Rajat Mitra, who led the
study conducted by NGO Swanchetan that works with victims of sexual assault. Mitra notes that in any
other rape, the victim is not called a 'prostitute'. Titled 'A research study on sexual assault', it was done
through detailed interviews of victims identified by state-level NGOs and government homes as well as by
inviting victims to take part in the survey via posters and radio announcements. Of the 122 identified, 66
women agreed to the interview. The questionnaire's themes were identified and built on basis of data
collected over the last 10 years and conducted in the last two. The respondents were across 12 states:
Delhi, Meghalaya, Assam, Karnataka, Tripura, Maharashtra, UP, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu
& Kashmir, Bihar and Gujarat. Being a first of its kind, interviewers too were thoroughly sensitized to the
demands of the survey, says Mitra. Mean and standard deviation for each psychological parameter was
calculated; t-test and Duncan's mean test used for comparative analyses. The comparative study
between Dalits and non-Dalits showed that Dalits felt anguish to a greater degree of intensity. They often
see rape as "something ordained" by virtue of a double disadvantage: being Dalit and woman. "Whenever
a Dalit woman is raped, it gets connected to all other sufferings and discriminations. Dalits being in a
disadvantaged position and there's no resilience, no bouncing back," says Mitra. "The women shared that
during the attack, the men seemed to have more pleasure in humiliating their origins and background,"
adds Mitra. The report details their almost-ritualistic ostracism after the rape where older Dalit women
also attempt to explain rape as "tradition". In a qualitative assessment, the report says girls are almost
prepared to expect assault. It says, "Allusions to rape by upper castes begin to appear in subtle
conversations and often inflate their anxiety and depressive symptoms that begin to mark (rape) as
inevitable in the mind of young Dalit girls." It is extremely important, says Mitra, for a different
rehabilitation policy for Dalit women with special training for mental health professionals, judiciary and
police sensitizing them to the caste angle. The Swanchetan study records trauma on two broad themes:
'mehsoos hona' and 'halat' which include parameters of flashbacks, humiliation, hopelessness, shame,
betrayal, loss of meaning, dehumanization, feelings of rage and distrust among a host of psychological
measures. The severity and frequency of flashbacks ("My mind gets flooded with violent, unusual images
that I can't stop") was measurably much greater for Dalit women. In fact, they notched higher trauma
levels on every factor studied except for 'despair' and feeling betrayed. This, concludes Mitra, also
demonstrates how rape for Dalits, is an inter-generational trauma and not restricted to a one-time event.

The study assumes special significance with the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva mooting that
caste-based discrimination be recognized as a human rights violation. "When discriminatory attacks are
systematic and avenues for redressal are non-existent or ineffective, certainly caste violence is against
human rights. To that end, international condemnation will have an impact in forcing the redressal
machinery to work on caste crimes as a priority area," says social scientist Shyam Babu, fellow, Rajiv
Gandhi Foundation. To that end, such a study proves a guide for action. (Times of India 16/12/09)
TDP demands to arrest KCR for attack on dalit woman by partymen (2)
Tirupati, Dec 22 : Condemning the attack on a Dalit woman and Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) Mahila wing
leader Sobha Rani by TRS activists at Hyderabad yesterday, the Telugu Desam party (TDP) today
demanded Chief Minister K Rosiah to order arrest of TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao immediately for
instigating his party cadres.Talking to the mediapersons here, TDP state General Secretary Varla
Ramaiah said the TRS leaders had unleashed terror in the state capital in broad day light by attacking a
dalit woman and PRP Mahila leader in public view when she arrived at the NIMS to extend solidarity to
Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal, who escaped from Vijayawada hospital and landed at NIMS.
Demanding the government to arrest TRS cadres responsible for the attack, Mr Ramaiah said the
activists assaulted her by tearing her clothes. "Home Minister Sabitha Indira Reddy, who is also a woman,
did not taken any steps against the wrong done. She should step down from the Ministry for failing to
tackle the law and order situation in the state," he said. (New Kerala 22/12/09)
SC/ST confederation questions impeachment move (2)
New Delhi: The All India Confederation of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Organisations has
questioned the motive behind the impeachment move initiated by 75 members of Parliament against
Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran. Addressing a press conference, confederation
chairman Dr. Udit Raj, who is also the national president of the Indian Justice Party, said Justice
Dinakaran, a Dalit Christian, was being victimised. He said: “It is precisely for this reason that 75 MPs
have shown such haste in initiating impeachment proceedings against Justice Dinakaran. Why has such
concern not been shown against other tainted judges? In this issue, BJP MPs are playing a major role
and this shows their mindset.” Dr. Raj said the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court had made a
recommendation for the impeachment of judge Soumitra Sen which was duly accepted by the Chief
Justice of India. Despite this, no impeachment proceedings had been initiated against him. A sum of Rs.
15 lakh was found in cash at the residence of a judge in Chandigarh. Here also, no impeachment action
was initiated against the judge concerned. In the Ghaziabad provident fund scam, the names of several
judges from Ghaziabad appeared in the charge sheet, yet no impeachment proceedings had been started
against any of them. He said that all sorts of allegations were being levelled against Justice Dinakaran
when he was a High Court judge in Tamil Nadu. “Why did the judges and lawyers not level these charges
when he was promoted and appointed as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court,” he asked. “If
Justice Dinakaran is really corrupt, then the impeachment proceedings must start against him even
though he has given his clarification on the allegations. As far as the charge of land grabbing is
concerned, it is a very old case and it is not necessary that if his relatives are involved in land grabbing,
he is also involved in the same.” Dr. Raj alleged that most of the appointments of judges “are made on
[on the basis of] casteism, favouritism and nepotism.” He added: “There is no connection of capability or
experience with these appointments. Nowhere in the world are judges appointed by judges. It is for this
reason that in our country that the number of judicial cases is mounting every day and the poor are being
deprived of justice. It is, therefore, imperative that there should be sweeping changes in the appointment
process of judges so that the judicial system can be improved.” (The Hindu 26/12/09)
Dalits attacked for touching ‘ceremonial umbrella’ (2)
MADURAI: Three Dalit youths are alleged to have been attacked by a Caste Hindu group for touching the
sacred ceremonial umbrella (kovil kudai) of the Ayyappan Temple during a ritual procession at Uthangudi
on the outskirts of Madurai. The group, armed with sticks and weapons, is said to have abused Prathap
(19), P. Vinod Kumar (19) and Kannan (20) of Ambedkar Street, Uthangudi, by their caste names and
attacked them claiming they had “defiled” the umbrella with their touch on Saturday night. Dalit women
were not spared as the group entered the street and attacked them; a pregnant woman Lakshmi (21) is
undergoing treatment at the Government Rajaji Hospital. Police were yet to file a first information report

after members of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Dalits of Ambedkar Street staged a road roko. The
Othakadai police filed cases against Vannappan, Ravichandran, vice-president, Uthangudi panchayat,
Ambiga, Senthil, Palani Kumar, Sasi Kumar, Nagaraj, ‘Auto’ Selvam and K. P. Pandi of Uthangudi, under
Sections 147, 323, 452, 307 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3(1)(10) of the Scheduled Caste and
Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989 on Sunday. Team members of Evidence, a non-governmental
organisation based in Madurai working among Dalits, conducted an enquiry and found that the assertion
of Dalits under the VCK and claiming their rights were the major reasons behind the attack. A. Kathir,
executive director, Evidence, wanted the State government to provide adequate compensation to the
Dalits who were attacked and also urged the district administration to take action against the officebearers
of Uthangudi panchayat who were involved in the attack. Attacks citing defilement due to touch
was on the rise and Dalits joining queues at ration shops and at photo sessions for medical insurance had
invited the wrath of Caste Hindus in the recent past. Complaints in this regard had been sent to the
National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commission, he said. (The Hindu 30/12/09)
Dalit girl’s gangrape has hung for 11 yrs on an MLA’s note (2)
AHMEDABAD/VADODARA: She was a minor; her alleged assaulter a man with clout. The police initially
turned her away; while a decade later, her case is still on in courts. And while Ruchika Girhotra’s tragic
story may have got the nation’s and government’s ear, no one remembers the then 13-year-old Dalit girl
who was allegedly gangraped on the night of the Dhuleti festival, a day after Holi, in a Vadodara village by
an MLA’s relative and a friend of his. In the 11 years since, the case is still at a stage where the witnesses
are to be examined. Her grandfather has had to sell most of his land in the court battle, while the girl
herself is now married to a local youth and has two children. As for Khumansinh Chauhan, on whose
official letterhead a handwritten note was sent to the police sub-inspector concerned over the case (a
copy of which is with The Indian Express), he continues to be the Congress MLA from Savli. On the night
of March 13, 1998, the girl from Mokshi village was reportedly abducted fom her home by Ramesh Baria
and his friend, gangraped and found abandoned and bleeding near the village pond the next morning.
Her grandfather Vashram Vankar had just stepped out, leaving her alone (her parents having split, she
was being raised by Vashram). “We took her to the police outpost, but they told us to go to the Bhadarva
Police Station. The Bhadarva police did not register a case, and told us to take her to hospital for medical
examination,” Vankar says….. (Indian Express 31/12/09)
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