DALIT ATROCITIES - 2005 - Indian Social Institute

CM `inaccessible', Dalit leaders knock at Governor's door (2)
JAIPUR: Disappointed with "inaccessibility" of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Dalit leaders of
Rajasthan on Tuesday met the Governor, Pratibha Patil, demanding measures for ensuring
rightful share of Dalits and tribals in the State's land, water, wealth and resources, and called for
effective implementation of the special laws for their protection. A delegation of half-a-dozen Dalit
leaders urged Ms. Patil to impress upon the State Government the need to impart justice to Dalits
by ensuring to them equitable access to the means of livelihood and implement the land reforms
and ceiling laws. They demanded the establishment of a Land Tribunal for allotting land to
Scheduled Castes and Tribes and providing inputs of seeds, fertiliser and irrigation facilities. The
delegation affirmed that special courts, special public prosecutors and vigilance and monitoring
committees should be appointed in all districts without delay for full and effective implementation
of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and measures taken to prevent violence against Dalit
women in the villages. A memorandum submitted by the delegation to the Governor pointed out
that a substantial portion of the cultivable Government land in the State had been illegally
encroached upon by the powerful feudal lords, politicians and bureaucrats belonging to dominant
castes. It said the land should be taken over by the Government by enacting a special law and
distributed to the landless rural population. (The Hindu 13/7/05)
Dalits organise hearing in TN (2)
Madurai, July 17: For the first time in their history, Dalit Christians in the country are organising a
public hearing in Madurai on Monday to highlight the discrimination being perpetrated against
them and to demand their Constitutional and Human Rights. Speaking to the press, Dr John
Dayal, member, National Integration Council, Government of India and president of the All India
Catholic Union said that the public hearing was being organised by the National Movement for
Dalit Christian Rights. Dalits from all southern states will depose on human dignity, social political
and economic disempowerment before a panel of jurists of international fame headed by Justice
P.B. Sawant, retired Supreme Court judge, including Sona Khan, a world expert on Islamic
jurisprudence and gender rights, member of Parliament Karvendhan, former labour joint
commissioner V.B. Balaram and former minorities commission member Jawahar. He said
Madurai was the most appropriate place to conduct the public hearing, as it was the cradle of the
great Tamil civilisation and also where atrocities against Dalits was high. Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Kerala, Pondicherry and Karnataka has over 70 per cent of the entire Dalit Christian
population. Of India’s approximately 2.5 crore Christians, over 60 per cent were converts from the
former untouchables or scheduled castes.
Christian, Dalit woes discussed in TN (2)
Madurai, July 18: Forty-one people from the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala,
Karnataka and Pondicherry deposed at a public hearing on the problems of Dalit-Christians here
on Monday. Retired Supreme Court Justice P.B. Sawant headed the jury present at the first ever
public hearing organised by the National Movement for Dalit Christians’ Rights. John Mary of
Panchan Kuppam in Cuddalore district said that the 72 children in his hamlet who belonged to
families affected by the tsunami, were deprived of the benefit of exemption from paying of school
and public examination fees because they were Dalit-Christians. Another Dalit from Punnavanam
in Tirunelveli district said casteism was practised among the Christians where he lived. Christian-
Dalits were not allowed to hold church services during funerals, although the uppercaste
Christians held them. A member of the jury, barrister Sona Khan, said it was the duty of the state
to ensure that every individual enjoyed the right to development. It was the right of every Dalit to
enjoy all the benefits provided by the government. Member of Parliament and president of the All
India Bar Council, Mr Karvendhan read out the resolutions passed by the jury, which came to the
conclusion that it was socially as well as legally unrealistic to distinguish between Dalits who
belonged to different religions. Followers of all religions other than Parsis had been converts from
the Hindu religion. It was a sad reality that those who had converted from Hinduism to other
religions carried with them their caste distinctions, whether they belonged to the higher or lower
castes, the jury added. (Asian Age 19/7/05)