DALIT ATROCITIES - 2005 - Indian Social Institute

2005, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights adopted a Resolution to appoint two Special
Rapporteurs to tackle caste-based discrimination. The appointment of the two rapporteurs, Yozo
Yokota and Chin-Sung Chung, was the result of years of painstaking advocacy work by the
National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) and the International Dalit Solidarity
Network. The resolution was first passed in August 2004 by the U.N. Sub-Commission.
The struggle began with the build-up to the World Conference Against Racism in 2001. The then
Indian Government was determined to block it. "Caste is not race," its representative in Geneva
argued. "No, you're right," said Martin Macwan, then Convener of NCDHR. "It's far worse than
race." "You cannot wash our dirty linen in public" argued the Government. "Your admission that
we have dirty linen is a first step forward. It's an admission that the problem exists," retorted the
NCDHR. The road to U.N. recognition of the problem proved rocky. But a brilliant advocacy
campaign managed the breakthrough. The Sub-Commission, in August 2000, issued a significant
resolution declaring that discrimination based on work and descent is prohibited by international
human rights law, and called on Governments to take measures to eliminate this type of
discrimination. In a series of working papers presented to the Sub-Commission, the global
dimensions of this form of discrimination, and its main features, have been examined in
considerable detail. The Commission's decision comes in the wake of an International
Consultation held in Kathmandu last year on how to address the problem. (The Hindu 2/5/05)
IDBI chief held for making casteist remark (2)
Mumbai: A posse of Mumbai policemen marched into the swanky IDBI office in the World Trade
Centre on Friday and ordered the bank chairman V P Shetty to drive down to a police station and
face arrest for hurling casteist insults against a general manager of the bank. Shetty was later
released on bail of Rs 10,000. Shetty's arrest by assistant commissioner of police Mohan Rathod
was made on a complaint filed against him by general manager B W Ramteke, who belongs to a
scheduled caste. The bank chief had moved high court seeking protection but failed to get relief
on Friday. Soon after the HC order, policemen rushed to the IDBI office and asked Shetty to
report to the assistant commissioner's office in Colaba. IDBI had ordered tight security at its tower
complex and mediapersons were kept at bay. Police jeeps were parked in the building's
compound to take Shetty away. "Since Shetty agreed to cooperate, we let him come in his own
car instead of taking him in a police jeep," senior inspector of Cuffe Parade police station Vilas
Pandit said. Advocate Satish Maneshinde, who appeared for Shetty in the HC, said the leading
bank executive was arrested under section 7(1) D of the Protection of Civil Rights Act which deals
with insulting a person on grounds of un-touchability. He, however, said that a case under the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (prevention of atrocities) Act, 1989, has not been made
out by Ramteke. The court took note of the fact that the allegedly casteist insult was not given in
public, Maneshinde stated. (Times of India 7/5/05)
Delhi relaxes rules for SC/STs (2)
New Delhi, May 7: The Delhi government on Saturday decided to relax rules regarding the
issuing of certificates to members of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes seeking
reservation benefits. The Delhi Cabinet in a meeting accepted the recommendations of the
Charan Singh Kandera Committee on SC/STs. A major recommendation of the committee is that
any SC and ST member who has a birth certificate issued in Delhi or has completed matriculation
here or has lived here for at least five years will be able to get a certificate from the national
capital of Delhi. Earlier, only those SC/ST persons whose families had settled in Delhi prior to
1951 could be issued an SC/ST certificate in the capital. (Asian Age 8/5/05)
BSP's dalit temple nears completion (2)
Lucknow, May 7: Dalits will soon have a temple of their own — a temple where they can offer
tributes to dalit icons and celebrate the empowerment of the downtrodden in the country. The
temple, called the "Bahujan Samaj Prerna Kendra," is actually Bahujan Samaj Party president
Mayawati's dream tribute to her mentor Kanshi Ram who had expressed a desire, about two
years ago, that he wished to see his own memorial in his lifetime. The magnificent pyramid
shaped structure made of red sandstone is situated adjacent to the BSP state office on the posh
Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg and has been funded entirely by the party, The 70-feet tall structure