DALITS/SCHEDULED CASTES - 2013 - Indian Social Institute

arrest of Dalit scholar Kanwal Bharti. Mr. Bharti was arrested in August for a Facebook post critical of theState government and senior Samajwadi Party leaders over the suspension of IAS officer Durga ShaktiNagpal. He was granted bail soon after the arrest. Writing to the Director-General of Police, the NHRChas said the complaint should be “transmitted to the authority concerned for such action as deemedappropriate.” Nutan Thakur, a social activist of Lucknow, had moved the NHRC for an immediate inquiryand strict action in the case. She said Mr. Bharti’s “arbitrary and hasty arrest” was an “open abuse ofadministrative power.” His comments were not in any way meant to spread communal animosity but wereonly an “intellectual assertion” of a sequence of events and administrative acts. Mr. Bharti had beencharged under Sections 153 and 295(A) of the IPC, which deal with “provocation with intent to cause riot”and “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting itsreligion or religious beliefs.” Despite media uproar, the cases filed against him have not been scrapped.He said he was not hopeful of justice from any inquiry by the State government. “If the police can lodge acomplaint at [Cabinet Minister] Azam Khan’s orders, how can they hold an unbiased inquiry? The entiremachinery belongs to the government.” He has taken the battle to the Allahabad High Court. “I amhopeful of justice from the judiciary, not the State,” he said. Dr. Thakur also prayed that Mr. Bharti becompensated for the hasty manner in which the First Information Report was filed and he was arrested.Since this was a “sensitive human rights matter,” she would “pursue it with the DGP for the sake ofjustice,” she said. (The Hindu 27/12/13)Gram pradhan chops off dalit's finger (2)Lucknow: In what exposes the aristocratic mind-set of society and anarchism mushrooming in the state,husband and son of village Rakhiya Buzurg gram pradhan, Ramdevi Tiwari, chopped the fingers of a dalitwoman on filing a case against the gram pradhan in Shahjahanpur district. The incident came to light inSindhauli area, where Gaya Prasad, his son Anil and some of his aides stopped Meera (45) when shewas returning home on Wednesday evening. The group objectionable words for the dalit woman andchopped her fingers when she retaliated their action and warned of a police action. The miscreants leftthe scene unchallenged. The victim reached her home while blood trickling down from her hand andnarrated the incident to her family. She was later admitted to a hospital for treatment. The motive behindthe attack had its roots when Meera filed a case in the court against the gram Pradhan Ramdevi forcontesting elections claiming self to be a dalit. She even had submitted forged documents related to hercaste in the elections. The wounded is recuperating at hospital, while the accused were still at large.(Pioneer 27/12/13)Dalit villagers allege a local of blocking approach road to Tikkari (2)Mandi: Members of Dalit community under the banner of Himachal Kisan Sabha (HKS) has submitted amemorandum to Mandi deputy commissioner Devesh Kumar, alleging one Govardhan Das of blockingthe approach road to Tikkari village by erecting a wall of his house in the middle of the road. Tikkarivillage falls under Joginder Nagar sub-division, where nearly 35 families of Dalits are residing. HKS statejoint secretary Kushal Bhardwaj, who led the delegation, said: "The road leads to Tikkari village, and hasbeen used by the villagers since the Independence. Above all, many people had donated a part of theirland to the Himachal government for widening of the road in 1995-96." Bhardwaj further said in May 2012,the Public Works Department (PWD) had decided to metal the road and unloaded requisite material atvarious spots along the road, but due to incessant rain from June to August, the construction work wasput on hold. In September 2012, when the PWD decided to restart the metal work, he said, both the PWDofficials and Tikkari residents were caught in surprise when they saw a wall raised in the middle of theroad to construct a building. Bhardwaj said despite assurances from PWD officials that they would get thewall removed, no action was taken so far. "The villagers are deprived of the road connectivity sincethen,"he added. Meanwhile, acting on the complaint of the villagers, officials of the revenue departmentcarried out demarcation of the land and found the person guilty of encroachment on the government land,