SAMAJWEEKLY = 469 03-09-2022

40 03/09/2022 NEWS LITERATURE POLITICS FASHION ART & CULTURE KIDS RELIGION FILMS
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DALIT ORGANISATIONS AND SUPPORTERS IN
THE UK DEMAND JUSTICE FOR THE CHILD
KILLING OF INDRA KUMAR MEGHWAL
Open Joint Statement to the High Commissioner of India in London for the
attention of the Prime Minister of India – 01 September 2022
1. We the undersigned organisations
and our supporters demand
immediate justice for the child –
Master Indra Kumar Meghwal
who died in an Ahmedabad hospital
in August 2022 after he was
severely beaten up by his uppercaste
teacher, allegedly for
drinking water from a pot that
was meant for the teacher.
2. Indra Kumar Meghwal was beaten
up by his teacher Chail Singh
on July 20 2022 allegedly for
touching a drinking water pot.
He succumbed to his injuries at a
hospital in Ahmedabad on
August 14.
3. Chail Singh, the teacher accused,
was arrested the day the child
died, with the FIR accusing him
of beating up Indra and abusing
him with casteist slurs after the
boy drank from the drinking
water pot.
4. It is clear that Indra Kumar
Meghwal died of his injuries
after the beating by his teacher
because of his caste. Dalits face
inhuman treatment in this region
of India. Even today, they have
to go several kilometres to find
barbers who can cut their hair.
Furthermore, the family of Indra
have been living in fear for their
safety since they registered the
FIR.
5. This incident case raises many
serious questions about the apathy
of the Indian government,
education system, teachers, and
local authorities when it comes
to caste discrimination within
schools.
6. 75 years after independence and
from 1950 when the Constitution
of India legally abolished the
practice of Untouchability and
provided measures for affirmative
action in both educational
institutions and public services
for Dalits. However, discrimination
based around ritual purity
associated with the caste system
continues to take place across
parts of India. It is clear that the
Indian Government is failing
Indians, especially Dalits, and is
allowing caste discrimination to
fester and grow.
7. A study released by the Steady
Drumbeat of Institutional
Casteism, released in September
2021 by civil society groups,
stated casteism is prevalent in
the Indian higher educational
institutions, particularly in medicine
and engineering. The report
noted that there is a need to treat
caste-based discrimination and
institutionalized caste-based discrimination
as a violation of the
constitutional rights of individual
students, especially from
marginalized castes, tribes and
minority communities and not
simply as ragging.
8, Indra Kumar Meghwal’s life cut
short and death cannot be tolerated.
India must change and provide
protection to Dalits and
marginalised groups who suffer
caste discrimination within
schools.
We demand the following:
1. Maximum compensation is paid
immediatly to the family of Indra
Kumar Meghwal. This family has
not only lost a son, but also their
financially security in later life.
2. The teacher – Chail Singh be
charged under the SC/ST
Atrocities Act. Enough is
enough!
3. The Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot
must resign, following the resignation
of his MLA. Gehlot has
‘no moral right’ to stay in the
government after this incident.
4. Conduct an open and transparent
investigation under the
Scheduled Castes and the
Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Amendment Act,
2015 and prosecute those in
Government and in the education
sector who are found to have
neglected their duties and tried to
cover up
5. Compulsorily train teachers,
administrators, and support staff
in state, private, and religiously
affiliated schools and universities
about caste-based discrimination
/ untouchability, and how
to prevent it and deal with it
when it occurs.
173 London cops under inquiry
for alleged domestic abuse
London : A total of 173
serving officers of London's
Metropolitan Police are under
different stages of investigation
for alleged domestic
abuse, the media reported.
Of them, "152 are subject
to live criminal or misconduct
proceedings, and 21 officers
have a case to answer for
gross misconduct and are
awaiting a hearing", Xinhua
news agency quoted the
Evening Standard newspaper
as saying on Thursday.
Some of the officers under
investigation will be suspended
or on restricted duties
while under investigation, but
others will still be working,
the paper quoted Labour
London Assembly member
Unmesh Desai as saying.
Back in February, the
newspaper reported that nearly
150 officers had faced allegations
of domestic violence
against their spouses or partners
in the last two years,
with just 8 per cent of those
charged with a crime. These
figures showed that "a rising
number of police are subject
to inquiries", it noted.
In February, a report by the
Independent Office for Police
Conduct (IOPC) that oversees
the police complaints system in
England and Wales, published
evidence of bullying and discrimination
within the ranks of
London's Metropolitan Police.
"Disgraceful behaviour" by
police officers, including
racism, misogyny, harassment
and the exchange of offensive
social media messages, was
highlighted in the report.
Liz Truss widely expected
to win but ally of
Rishi Sunak still hopeful
London : The Tory leadership
ballot will close on
Friday with Conservative
members to choose between
Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak as
the new UK Prime Minister,
a media report said.
The tea-time deadline will
bring to an end the eightweek
contest to replace Boris
Johnson in Downing Street,
after the outgoing prime
minister announced his resignation
following a revolt
by Tory MPs, the Daily Mail
reported.
Around 160,000 Tory
members have been given a
vote in the final stage of the
leadership contest -- between
Truss and Sunak -- with the
result of the ballot to be
announced at an event in
Westminster at lunchtime on
Monday.
Truss is widely predicted
to be crowned the new Tory
leader with the Foreign
Secretary expected to use
this weekend to continue her
preparations for entering
Number 10, Daily Mail
reported.
But an ally of Sunak, the
former chancellor, this morning
insisted the race was still
'neck and neck' and the result
not 'cut and dried'.
Meanwhile, removal vans
were spotted in Downing
Street this morning as the
Johnsons' final belongings
are taken away from their
official flat above Number
11.
A win for Sunak would
shock Westminster and the
wider country after polls
have consistently put Truss
ahead of her rival in the leadership
battle, Daily Mail
reported.
Whoever is the announced
the victor on Monday will
have a whirlwind 48 hours at
the beginning of this week as
they start their premiership.