DALITS/SCHEDULED CASTES - 2013 - Indian Social Institute

and arrested three caste Hindu students. Two more students are on the run. (New Indian Express28/6/13)Dalit woman axed to death after rape in Haryana (2)Rohtak: A 35-year-old Dalit widow was allegedly axed to death after being raped by a man of upper casteat Rambas village of Mahendergarh district on Saturday. The accused identified as Satbir Thakur, 36, aresident of the same village, who was arrested by the police on Saturday. The police have booked him forrape and murder, besides provisions of the SC/ST Act. The accused had visited the house of victim in thewee hours of Saturday and asked the victim to accompany him to the jungle on pretext of searching hisgoats. The police said that the accused allegedly raped the victim in the jungle and then axed her todeath. The body was first spotted by women of the village who had gone to the jungle for attendingnature's call. The police reached the spot and sent the body for autopsy. Narnaul DSP Jaipal Singh said,"We have recovered the axe used in the crime from the spot designated by the accused and areinterrogating him.” (Hindustan Times 30/6/13)‘State should ensure Dalit panchayat presidents function independently’ (2)MADURAI: The State government should take adequate steps to ensure meaningful Dalit participation inlocal body governance as elected Dalit members in many villages are not able to function independentlyand freely, Thol. Thirumavalavan, MP and president, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, said on Sunday. Inan interview, he said the 73rd Constitutional Amendment instituted a policy of political reservation in localgovernment and ensured participatory democracy at the grassroots-level for historically disadvantagedsocial groups, including Dalits and women. “However, in many places, the decentralised nature ofgrassroots democracy has made it easier for local elites to hold sway over village panchayats,” he said.Political mobilisation and assertion of Dalits had, unfortunately, led to an increase in attacks on them.When the VCK wanted to come out of dependence on the State’s principal political parties - the DMK orthe AIADMK - and join the mainstream even while adhering to its core ideals of safeguarding rights forScheduled Castes, casteist forces joined hands and sought to target the VCK, he charged. He contendedthat the formation of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK)-backed Anaithu Samuthaya Iyakkam was in response tothe emergence of the VCK as a significant political force. In the past 20 years, Dalits-backed politicalparties had launched several agitations on a number of issues including equal status in temples forworship and performance of rites and equal rights in auctioning of common property resources. On thedecision of Dalit leaders Parithi Elamvazhuthi and E. Ponnusamy to join the AIADMK, Mr.Thirumavalavan said it was a sign of “social insecurity,” and it was the rigidity of caste structure that didnot allow Dalit leaders to identify themselves with Dalit parties. No other mainstream party other than theCommunist Party of India (Marxist) was paying homage to six elected panchayat Dalit members who diedfighting for their political rights in Melavalavu near Madurai in 1997 where they were hacked to death forcontesting elections. He wanted the DMK, the Dravidar Kazhagam, and the Communist Party of India toparticipate in the Memorial Day and recognise their sacrifice. On Neyveli Lignite Corporationdisinvestment issue, the VCK’s stand was that the Centre should not divest shares of the NLC to theprivate sector. The VCK supported Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s offer to buy the stake through TamilNadu’s public sector undertakings. Mr.Thirumavalavan appealed to the State government to appoint amonitoring committee to ensure proper implementation of post Matric scholarship scheme for SC/STstudents and Dalit Christians. (The Hindu 1/7/13)Dalit outfit wants ban on book to be revoked (2)COIMBATORE: A petition was submitted by the Devendra Kulu Vellalar Peeravai (DKVP) on Monday tothe district collector demanding withdrawal of the ban imposed on 'Meendezhum Pandyar Varalaru'(Resurrection of the Pandya history), a book authored by K Senthil Mallar, founder of Mallar Meetpu