DALIT ATROCITIES - 2005 - Indian Social Institute

police directs junior officers to probe such cases and cases are dismissed soon," said an official.
As stories of such atrocities increase, the ministry has decided to take up the issue with home
minister and law minister. On January 11, it has organised a conference on prevention of
atrocities against the SC/ST to be attended by the home, law and tribal affairs ministers. The
national commissions of human rights, women, SC/ST, safai karamchari, NGOs and heads of
police cells looking into the problem have also been invited. (Times of India 10.1.05)
Dalit can’t cook mid-day meal (2)
Bhubamswar, January 10: THE MID-DAY meal (MDM) scheme in Orissa has fallen prey to caste
discrimination where a dalit women in Kendrapara district was allegedly denied cooking job for
the fear that upper caste students may shy away from the programme if "Dalit" women were
taken as cooks. The Ambedkar Lohia Vichar Manch (ALVM), an organisation working for the Dalit
rights, has lodged separate complaints in this regard with the National Human Rights
Commission (NHRC) and the National Commission on SC/STs (NCS). The organisation has
sought inquiries into the "injustice" done to Dalit women and demanded stringent punishment for
"government officials patronising the social evil". The government guideline to recruit women,
preferably from among the SCs and STs in the MDM scheme, has been violated, the ALVM said.
ALVM secretary Rabindra Behera said: "We have informed the NHRC and the NCS about the
poor treatment shown to Dalit women and about their exclusion from the MDM scheme which is
there in the knowledge of government authorities." There are 1,428 primary schools in
Kendrapara district, where the MDM scheme is operational. However, only in five to six schools,
the cooks are "Dalit" women, while in the rest, only upper caste women have been employed.
The district collector, when contacted, said the complaints are being investigated. "Earlier we had
received complaints about schoolchildren skipping the meals cooked by Dalit women and the
matter was deliberated at a high-level meeting recently," the collector said. (Hindustan Times
11.1.05)
Dalit cause: Centre takes up cudgels (2)
New Delhi: WITH THE conviction rate in atrocities against Dalits and tribals pegged at about 10
per cent since the last several years, the Centre has on Tuesday convened a national conference
to break the jinx. "Out of 20,781 cases (of atrocities against Dalits) disposed of during 2003, only
2,694 ended in convictions while 18,087 cases were either withdrawn or ended in acquittal,'
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said in a statement on Monday. It said the
conference would deliberate on reasons for low rate of convictions, speedy disposal of pending
cases and on ways and means to generate awareness as well as action for prevention of
atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The ministry has identified
13 states as atrocity prone and set up in them a total of 133 special courts for speedy trial of
cases under Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. According to
official sources, nine states that account for 90 per cent of the total atrocities cases against Dalits
and tribals include Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka,
Orissa, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. "These states accounted for 90 per cent of the
total 22,066 cases registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act in the year 2003," the Ministry's statement said. (Pioneer 11.1.05)
Centre moots laws, courts to protect SC/STs (2)
New Delhi, Jan. 11: Taking note of the delay in justice in cases of atrocity against Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the government on Tuesday favoured a "comprehensive law" and
setting up of exclusive "special courts" in all districts across the country. "A special mechanism
and special laws are needed to deal with the situation," Union law minister H.R. Bhardwaj said
while speaking at a national conference on prevention of atrocities against SCs and STs. Mr
Bhardwaj said along with attitudinal changes, amendments in the existing laws were necessary to
impart justice without delay and added that there was a need for a constant review of the criminal
justice system in the country. Observing that only "lip sympathy" was being rendered to victims of
atrocities, Mr Bhardwaj said discrimination against SCs and STs should be removed at the
grassroot level and suggested that MPs and MLAs set an example by living and eating with them.
"Unless we change our attitude, atrocities will continue," he said. The law minister later urged